My Pen Pal Zhu Yuanzhang

Chapter 419 The Disappearing Silver Ingot

"Yumen Pass?"

Li Han and Li Momo were shocked when they heard this. From Yumen Pass to Nanjing, it is more than 2,000 kilometers!
The two words "Guangji" on the silver ingot represent that this is a silver ingot from the national treasury. Anyone who possesses it without permission will be punished with imprisonment, and anyone who claims it as his own will be doomed to death. If the two words "Guangji" are still there, doesn't it mean that the silver ingot has not been touched at all?

Could it be that the silver ingot really flew over there by itself?

Li Han and Li Momo looked at each other, both of them were in disbelief. This matter was becoming more and more mysterious.

If this incident really happened, what is the secret behind it?
Could it be that my parents have been obsessed for nearly thirty years just because of this strange story that has not yet been confirmed?

Either the old couple are crazy or I am crazy.

Wait, if the "Universal Records" recorded the follow-up of the Guangjiku theft in the eighth year of Hongwu, doesn't it mean that this incident really happened?
Li Han stroked his chin and pondered carefully. Although this strange story could not be confirmed, it could not be disproven either. Moreover, there was another very important point: this incident was recorded in "Universal Records"!
"Universal Records" is not like the miscellanies written by folk writers such as "Caomuzi", but a serious national geographical record. Its level is higher than the current geography textbooks. Just like the geographical encyclopedia published by the state, it will not record any strange stories heard from others casually.

“When the silver ingot was found at Yumen Pass, it also caused a stir in the imperial court. No one could understand why the silver ingot appeared at Yumen Pass without anyone noticing. Moreover, fifteen years later, the silver ingot seemed to have just come out of the warehouse, brand new, and still shining.

Therefore, Zhu Yuanzhang ordered Jiang Huan, the commander of the Jinyiwei at that time, to investigate the case. However, at that time, the Hongwu Emperor was determined to bring up the Hu Weiyong case again, and he identified Li Shanchang as a remnant of Hu Weiyong's party. In the end, he let the matter go, leaving the biggest mystery of the Hongwu period, which eventually became an unsolved mystery. "

"No, from the eighth year of Hongwu to the twenty-third year of Hongwu, that's a full fifteen years. How could the silver ingots still be as new as when they were in the warehouse?" Li Han said in shock.

You should know that silver will undergo oxidation and turn black after being exposed to the air for a long time, unless someone keeps washing away the silver oxide and silver sulfide.

But this cannot explain it. Since the silver ingots in the warehouse have been washed, why not cut them into small pieces directly, and keep the word "Guangji" on the silver ingots?
This is clearly announcing to the world, "Hey, I stole the silver ingot, come and catch me."

The explanation doesn't make sense, the logic is totally unexplainable.

"I know you are confused. When I first heard this story, I was also confused, but my father swore that this incident really happened."

Liu Huazhang said: "It's a pity that no one knows the truth of the matter."

After listening to Liu Huazhang's story, Li Han also sighed: "From a mysterious perspective, the Guangjiku theft case can actually be ranked as the fifth largest case in Hongwu."

"Hahaha." Liu Huazhang laughed loudly and said, "That's right. It's a pity that Zhu Yuanzhang was obsessed with power politics in his later years. After the death of Crown Prince Zhu Biao, he wanted to pave the way for Zhu Yunwen and slaughtered meritorious officials. However, he left behind an eternal mystery for future generations to guess."

"Perhaps this is the charm of history. These mysteries attract us to come one after another and want to find out everything clearly."

Li Han was also very emotional, but he believed that the current Zhu Yuanzhang had made changes after knowing the future development trend. Moreover, if Zhu Biao had not died, Zhu Yuanzhang would not have set up large prisons and let his meritorious officials die tragically under the butcher's knife.

There is a saying that goes, when Empress Ma was still alive, Zhu was Zhu Chongba, after Empress Ma died, he was Zhu Yuanzhang, and after Zhu Biao died, he became the unbridled Hongwu Emperor!
Well, Old Zhu, who now has a happy family reunion, is the cutest.

Thinking of this, Li Han suddenly had an idea. How about going back and asking Lao Zhu for the details of the Guangjiku theft case?

The first-hand information he got from him was definitely more reliable than what was recorded in books. "Teacher Liu, if that's the case, then what about the third silver ingot? Did it also appear in a place where it shouldn't have appeared?" Li Momo asked curiously.

"That's exactly what I wanted to tell you. This third silver ingot has never appeared again. It's as if it has completely disappeared from the world."

Liu Huazhang sighed, and then said to Li Han: "After listening to you talk about your parents, it gave me a new idea."

"Master, you mean..."

Li Han's heart moved, and he quickly realized what Liu Huazhang was going to say.

"You mean, my parents went to look for the third silver ingot?"

Liu Huazhang nodded and said, "That's right. Books like "Supplement to the Universal History" and "Universal History" all record geography and folklore, but the Guangjiku theft case is the only one that doesn't fit in with the other contents. I think the only thing that is worthy of two college students in the 1990s being so fascinated by it is this one!"

Li Momo was also shocked. She didn't expect that the thing that Li Han's parents were obsessed with was so bizarre and tortuous.

However, Li Han's mind was thinking about another thing. If his parents were looking for the missing silver ingot, what was their purpose and how did it connect with the mailbox at home?

This mystery is really one thing after another. When I solved one of them and thought the truth was about to be revealed, I found that there were more mysteries waiting for me.

However, the clues obtained from Liu Huazhang are also extremely important. At least they point out the direction for his subsequent investigation.

Thinking of this, Li Han continued to ask: "Old man, what is the connection between this incident and the Great Ming Chronicle? The Guangjiku theft occurred in the eighth year of Hongwu, and the Great Ming Chronicle began to be compiled in the third year of Hongwu. It is impossible that the compiler of the Great Ming Chronicle could have predicted it, right?"

"It is indeed impossible for the Great Ming Chronicle to record the theft of the Guangjiku, but it did record another incident."

"Another thing?" Li Han was alerted and immediately became interested. He wondered in his mind whether there was a similar record in the Ming Chronicles.

However, after thinking about it, he still had no clue. Most of the records in "Da Ming Zhi" were about geographical administrative divisions and folk customs, but he couldn't remember anything related to the Guangjiku theft case.

Maybe it is recorded in the chapter that I have not seen yet.

Liu Huazhang's fingers tapped rhythmically on the tabletop, but he looked at Li Han and said:
"Xiao Li, how many volumes does the Great Ming Chronicle have in total?"

"There are sixteen volumes in total." Li Han replied. He was probably the only one in the world who knew the answer to this question.

"According to the supplement, there was actually a foreshadowing of the Guangjiku theft in the fifteenth volume of the Great Ming Chronicles, but no one connected them at the time. My ancestors saw some clues from it, but it's been a long time since then, and the Great Ming Chronicles has been lost for many years, so I don't know what secrets are hidden in it."

Liu Huazhang smiled at Li Han and said, "Xiao Li, you can go home and take a closer look. If you really find any clues, you must tell me the first time!"

(End of this chapter)