Lin'an Never Night

Chapter 565: Dean Zhang's Secret (Additional chapter for JJM leader)

The next morning, Liu Yiguan rushed to the Censorate.

A detailed investigation report was placed on Yang Yuan's desk.

From the 19th year of Shaoxing to the 20th year of Shaoxing, all cases of missing persons in Lin'an Prefecture were registered.

Among them, there was not a single case in which mother and child disappeared at the same time.

Since there are fewer cases of missing women than missing children, and children are more likely to be abducted, Liu Yiguan focused on checking the reported cases of missing women.

Among them, there are a total of sixteen people aged between twenty and thirty. The results of seven of them have been found, and the whereabouts of the remaining nine are still unknown.

However, judging from the personal resumes of these nine people, it is unlikely that they have any intersection with Zhang Mi.

However, to know the specific details, we still need to visit the families of these nine people and get the specific information.

Seeing Liu Yiguan's red eyes, Yang Yuan said apologetically, "During the New Year holidays, we are already busy with many official duties.

I am sorry to trouble you, Brother Liu, for this little thing. I am sorry to see you working so hard."

Liu Yiguan waved his hand and smiled, “Ziyue, I stayed up all night, but it has nothing to do with you.

As for these materials, I only need to ask the clerk to retrieve those old files, check and record them one by one, and I don't need to do it myself.

I stayed up late yesterday because of another case. "

At this point, Liu Yiguan sighed deeply and said solemnly: "Fake Huizi and fake Jiaozi have been discovered among the people.

What is different from the past is that this time there are not only more fake parties, but they are also real enough to be mistaken for real ones."

Yang Yuan's eyes suddenly became stern, and he asked, "Fake guilds were discovered among the people?"

Liu Yiguan said: "Yes, yesterday when two merchants went to cash in the notes, they discovered that they were fake.

By the way, Ziyue's family also has some business, right? You must tell the accountant to be careful."

Liu Yiguan paused, then shook his head helplessly and said, “But, paying attention may be useless.

The paper, ink, pattern and seal were so fake that even the most experienced accountant could not tell they were fake.

Unless you don't let the customer leave after you get the Huizi, and take the Huizi to the ticket office to cash it in immediately, you can detect if it's fake by looking at the serial numbers on the Huizi or Jiaozi."

Liu Yiguan shook his head as he spoke, obviously it was not realistic to do so.

Liu Yiguan said: "My Lin'an Prefecture is secretly investigating this matter, you just need to know about it, and don't make it public.

Otherwise, once the market knows about it, no one will dare to use Huizi and Jiaozi anymore, and the trade of our Song Dynasty will collapse immediately. The losses caused will far exceed the losses caused by fake Huizi and Jiaozi. "

"Understood. I will never make this matter public and cause unrest in the world."

Yang Yuan has been investigating the mysterious fire at Huiziwu and the swapping of copper plates, but has found no further clues so far.

He didn't expect that he had already discovered a fake meeting that was so real that it made him feel a sense of urgency.

However, he cannot tell Liu Yiguan about his discovery for the time being.

It’s not that Yang Yuan didn’t trust him, but Yang Yuan suspected that the fake notes were not made for profit.

In that case, Kou Heiyi's identity becomes even more complicated, and their purpose of creating the fake meeting becomes even more impure.

The method used by Lin'an Prefecture to investigate such cases would definitely alert the enemy.

Yang Yuan put the matter aside for the time being and went through the materials that Liu Yiguan had someone sort out.

The nine missing women whose whereabouts are still unknown do not, judging from their life experiences, residential addresses, etc., meet the requirements to become someone else's mistress.

As Yang Yuan looked at them, he said, "Brother Liu, if someone is a widow and doesn't interact with others, then even if they are missing, no one should know about it, right? Would anyone come to report a crime in such a family?"

Liu Yiguan said: "There are families like this. Once someone dies or goes missing at home, they will not be discovered for a long time.

But as time goes by, it is impossible for the local police station not to notice something, and once they find out, they will report it to the police.

However, in this case, the time interval will be longer. It is possible that this person disappeared in August this year and was not found until June next year.

If the woman you are investigating is in this situation, we can compile statistics on the number of missing persons in Shaoxing in the past 21 years and 22 years, but this will take some time. "

Yang Yuan said, "For the sake of caution, we still have to investigate. Thank you, Brother Liu."

Liu Yiguan smiled and said, "This is official business, it is part of my job, there is no need to thank me."

At this time, Lu Chengze walked in, seemingly having something to report to Yang Yuan. Seeing Liu Yiguan was also there, he greeted Liu Yiguan first.

Yang Yuan picked up the record and said, "Brother Liu has been in charge of judicial affairs in Lin'an Prefecture, and he has done a very good job.

Look, in the past two years, only sixteen women have disappeared, which is quite rare for a city with a population of one million."

Liu Yiguan waved his hand and said disapprovingly: "Ziyue, you don't know, these are only the cases reported to the authorities, and they only account for a very small part of the missing population.

There are also families who have their own relatives and clansmen, but for various reasons, they do not report to the authorities.

There are also those who reported the case to the police, but later found out it was just a false alarm, but they did not come to withdraw the case.

In short, the various situations among the people are by no means as simple as what you and I can see on paper."

Liu Yiguan casually talked about a major case of missing persons that occurred in Lin'an Prefecture during the Chunhua period.

It was the time of the provincial examination, and students from all over Zhejiang rushed to Hangzhou to take the exam.

Some of the wealthy families not only came to take the exam themselves, but also brought their wives, slaves, managers, book boys, and servants.

Firstly, his daily life can be better taken care of, and secondly, after the exam, he can take his family to travel and relax.

It was during this period that, among the tens of thousands of candidates, more than a dozen candidates' female relatives mysteriously disappeared while they were sightseeing or burning incense in temples.

These people were all scholars, children of wealthy families, and knowledgeable. They went to Lin'an County and Qiantang County to report to the authorities only after they had searched for two or three days and still could not find the whereabouts of the criminal.

But after reporting to the police, there were still no clues. In order to make the detectives work hard to find the person, they had to promise benefits from time to time, and the rewards of silver and money were like water flowing in.

These students all thought that this kind of bad luck only happened to them, and since the authorities were unable to find the person, they could do nothing about it.

They came to take part in the provincial examination. Although someone had been missing at home and they were full of worries, they still had to attend the necessary social events and gatherings.

During a gathering of some candidates, someone gloomily talked about the disappearance of his wife. It turned out that other candidates had also encountered the same thing. Only then did they realize that this kind of thing happened to them alone.

So, they contacted the candidates in the same subject and found that more than a dozen candidates had missing female relatives.

This was no longer an isolated incident. More than a dozen candidates went to Hangzhou Xuezheng to complain.

The schoolmaster was also shocked when he heard about such a bizarre case. He immediately led them past the county government office and directly to Lin'an Prefecture.

If only one family had lost a member, it would have been an ordinary case. But when so many respectable and scholarly families lost their female members at the same time, this was a serious case.

The prefect of Lin'an at that time was shocked and immediately summoned all the county magistrates under his jurisdiction to the government office. He sternly ordered them to solve the case within a time limit, otherwise they would be severely punished.

When the county magistrates saw that the prefect was furious, they became nervous because they were afraid that if the matter was not resolved, it would be brought to the court and become a huge case.

After returning, they called the captains of the third squad without saying a word, beat each of them with twenty sticks, and then asked them to drag their bloody buttocks to solve the case, claiming that they would be beaten once a day if the case was not solved.

As a result, the case was solved the next day.

The perpetrators were a group of local hooligans.

During the provincial examinations, many wealthy young men would bring their wives to Hangzhou to take the exam.

They are outsiders and feel completely unfamiliar with Hangzhou.

And because their families are wealthy, most of their women are beautiful.

After discovering this characteristic, these people pretended to be sedan chair bearers, porters and other easy-to-approach people to approach them.

When they were sightseeing or going to the temple to burn incense, they would take advantage of their unpreparedness and abduct the women.

Once they found buyers for the abducted women, they would sell them at a high price. If they couldn't find buyers, they would sell them to brothels in other counties.

The local constables and runners are all local tyrants. Are they really completely unaware of this matter?
Of course they knew, but there was a chance to extort money, which was a win-win situation for them. Who would put their heart into solving the case?

They are constables, menial servants. No matter how great their achievements are, they are still constables. Their promotion channels are blocked, and making money becomes their only pursuit.

As a result, one person turned a blind eye and remained vague about the matter, while the other did whatever he wanted without restraint, and this major case resulted in it.

Although those students came from wealthy families and had considerable power in their own areas, they were helpless when they arrived in Hangzhou. The most they could do was to report the case to the county government. If they couldn't find anyone, they could only blame themselves for their bad luck.

If a student had not accidentally brought up this matter at a gathering this time, and happened to meet other victims, and then united with more people to jointly file a complaint bypassing the county government, such a big matter would still have remained unresolved.

After Liu Yiguan finished speaking, he sighed and said, "When the case was solved, some of the abducted women had already been sold and could not be found.

Some could not bear the humiliation and committed suicide, and only a rotten corpse was dug out. Only less than 20% of the women were lucky enough to be rescued.

Alas, these girls’ families are all wealthy, powerful and prestigious in the local area, but they still ended up like this. What about ordinary families?
Many families have seen other people’s families lose people, and even after reporting the case, they still can’t find the person, and instead they are extorted for a lot of money, causing them to lose both the person and the money, so when someone in their family is missing, they simply don’t report it to the police…”

Yang Yuan frowned and said, "Brother Liu, what you mean is that I shouldn't check the identity of the female corpse from this direction?"

Liu Yiguan said frankly: "Yes! There is nothing wrong with this idea.

However, the prerequisite is that the government can actually obtain accurate information on all missing persons.

However, in those two years, there were only sixteen missing women in Lin'an Prefecture who met the requirements.

But in fact, in the past two years, the number of missing women of the same age should be ten times the number reported to the police. How do you verify this?"

Yang Yuan's face became solemn, but he still ignored the limitations of the times.

In this era, the government's control, the transparency of information, the comprehensive collection of news and other aspects are completely different from those in later generations.

If Yang Yuan's idea were used in later generations, it would be the most effective means of verification, but it is simply not feasible in this era.

He Xiao was fighting desperately at the time, so how could he provide Yang Yuan with effective ideas to solve the case?

On the side, Lu Chengze was also shocked as if he was listening to a foreign language.

As a person of later generations, Yang Yuan had never thought about these issues before. As a son of a wealthy family, he had never seen such darkness at the grassroots level.

This happened in Lin'an Prefecture, the capital of the country. What would it be like in other places in the world?

Liu Yiguan noticed that the two had different looks, and suddenly felt that what he said seemed to have discredited the local government, so he quickly tried to save his dignity by saying:
"What I just talked about were those cases where the police reported the case but nothing happened, and those cases where the police reported the case but it was just a false alarm.

For example, the Gao family in Kunshan reported a missing person case a few years ago.

The girl's husband's family lived in Lin'an. When the girl came back from Kunshan to visit her relatives, she disappeared in Lin'an and her husband's family had never seen her.

At that time, I was serving as the judicial officer of Lin'an Prefecture and was responsible for investigating the case.

While they were still running around, the woman's family came to withdraw the case.

It turned out that when the woman returned to the city, she ran into a good friend. Since she hadn’t told her husband’s family about her return date, she stayed at her friend’s house for two days…”

Liu Yiguan shook his head and smiled bitterly, “Sometimes, when the government receives reports of missing persons, it’s not that they are unwilling to do their best.

There are really limited manpower, and finding someone is like finding a needle in a haystack. It's not all because of the greed of the clerks, they are in collusion.

In short, based on my many years of experience in solving cases, you still have to start with Zhang Mi himself and force him to confess in order to break the deadlock."

Yang Yuan sighed and said, "Brother Liu is right. But once this case is confirmed, Zhang Mi will be sentenced to death. How can he confess?"

Liu Yiguan smiled slightly, and the lines on his face deepened a little: "If I make him live a life worse than death, will he still not confess?"

To make him live a life worse than death is to use torture.

Under the three trees, why can't we recruit?
He can confess whatever you want.

In this world, how many people can withstand the pain of torture?

Moreover, in this era, torture was not prohibited when interrogating prisoners.

However, Yang Yuan had his own concerns about this.

If Zhang Mi could not bear the torture and confessed, what would happen if he suddenly changed his confession when the case was transferred to the Dali Temple for sentencing?
Yang Yuan and Zhang Mi had a grudge against each other, which would put him in a passive position.

Even though he is in such a glorious position now, there are many people waiting to catch him, but they just haven't gotten the chance yet.

However, there was no need to tell Liu Yiguan about this concern. Yang Yuan thanked Liu Yiguan and sent him out of the signing room together with Yu Chengze.

After watching Liu Yiguan leave, Lu Chengze said in a deep voice: "Minister, I want to interrogate the people in Zhang's house again."

"Oh? Did you find anything?"

Yu Chengze said, "Just now, Judge Liu mentioned a case where a person was reported missing and then the report was withdrawn. He mentioned that the woman was from the Gao family in Kunshan."

Yu Chengze thought for a moment and said, "I remember going to Zhang's house to investigate yesterday and found that two people were not there.

One is Zhang Mi's eldest son, currently serving as the magistrate of Meishan County in Chengdu Prefecture, and the other is Zhang Mi's eldest daughter-in-law, who is from Kunshan and currently lives in her natal family.

Yu Chengze said: "When I went to Zhang's house to investigate yesterday, I was only interested in finding out whether Zhang Mi had a mistress outside, but I never thought about whether this woman of his could be from the Zhang family!

Now that I think about it, when I was interrogating the people in Zhang’s house yesterday, some of them had strange expressions on their faces, as if they were a little frightened.

But when the officials asked Zhang Mi whether he had a mistress, they were relieved and their expressions calmed down. Isn't this suspicious? "

Yang Yuan's eyes flashed a few times, and suddenly he thought of Kong Yanzhou.

Kong Yanzhou, that beast, even dared to set his sights on his own daughter. Would Zhang Mi really have sex with his daughter-in-law...

His eldest son was an official in Meishan, and since Emperor Renzong of the Song Dynasty, local officials were allowed to bring their families with them when they took up their posts.

Then why didn't Zhang Mi, the eldest son, bring his wife with him to Meishan to take up his post?

Is it so that his wife can fulfill his filial duties to his parents?
Even if he had this idea, or wanted to show that he was a filial son, Zhang Mi still had two sons and two daughters, so their children were not left unattended.

As an elder, there is no need to accept your son's kindness. Who would want their daughter-in-law and son to live apart for a long time?

Putting aside other things, at least it will affect the expansion of the Zhang family, right?

Of course, the premise is that the eldest daughter-in-law of Zhang Mi's family is the family in Kunshan that had reported a missing person in the example that Liu Yiguan just mentioned.

And this is very easy to find.

Wait, was Liu Yiguan just giving an example? Or was he hinting at something?
Yang Yuan narrowed his eyes and said in a deep voice, "Okay, send someone to summon all the people in the Zhang family, except the old lady, to our Censorate for another interrogation."

Lu Chengze said excitedly: “I’ll send someone right away.”

Yang Yuan also instructed: "All the old people in the Xuanzhi Court, especially those in the seal-checking room, should be summoned to the Censorate to inquire about matters related to Zhang Mi."

Lu Chengze disagreed with this. He felt that the breakthrough should fall on the Zhang family.

However, since Yang Yuan had given such an order, there was no need for him to raise any objections to such a small matter, so Lu Chengze agreed immediately.

Yang Yuan said, "I will transfer four more imperial censors to you to assist you in interrogating these people. You must obtain detailed confessions."

Lu Chengze agreed, and Yang Yuan called the four censors, gave them some instructions, and asked them to leave hurriedly with Lu Tanhua.

Has the fake Jiaozi appeared yet?

After Lu Chengze left, Yang Yuan sat down slowly, thinking about the fake Jiaozi case that had given Liu Yiguan a headache.

Is the counterfeiting so good that it can be mistaken for the real thing? Yang Yuan felt that this counterfeiting technique must be related to the case he was secretly investigating.

Kou Heiyi had been under surveillance by Uncle Gou and his men, but they had not gained anything. Now it seemed that it was because Kou Heiyi handed over the copper plate immediately after he succeeded.

After the copper plate is handed over, Kou Heiyi will remain silent and will not take any more action unless he has another mission, so naturally no evidence can be found against him.

However..., the ink found in the Xuanzhiyuan Printing Room...

If the ink was really used to print Jiaozi, that would be the second clue.

Ink is a consumable item, and whoever is lurking in the printing room to mix special ink will definitely take action again.

Even if this person is not Kou Heiyi, Kou Heiyi is in the Privy Council. Is this a coincidence?

Or is Kou Heiyi one of his gang members?

The manufacture of these inks was actually placed in a place like the Privy Council. As long as the transporter was not Kou Heiyi, how could Uncle Gou possibly find out?
Thinking of this, Yang Yuan called out, "Da Zhuang, Da Zhuang!"

Yang Yuan called Liu Dazhuang to the hall and asked, "Has there been a reply from Zuo Cangku?"

After leaving the Privy Council, Yang Yuan secretly sent the piece of wood that he had pried off from the ink-covered workbench in the printing room to the Ministry of Revenue's Left Treasury for identification.

Liu Dazhuang replied: "No news has come yet."

Yang Yuan said, "You go and guard the door. If there is any news from the left storage, report it to me immediately without delay."

Liu Dazhuang agreed and ran to the door, standing there eagerly like a loyal dog.

……

In the prison of the Censorate, Zhang Mi looked up at the light coming through the skylight in confusion.

Judging from the brightness of the sky, it is already noon.

Why did Yang Yuan never interrogate me once after he put me in jail?
Zhang Mi had already thought of a lot of excuses to use to fool Yang Yuan.

But he was taken to the Censorate yesterday, and no one has come to interrogate him until now. This is really unbelievable.

Yang Yuan's abnormal behavior made Zhang Mi uneasy.

……

The Zhang family members were taken to the Censorate. Lu Chengze reflected on his interrogation yesterday and found that he was still rash.

Just like when Yang Yuan interrogated Wang Jiayi before, without the defendant knowing the truth, the more vague your questions are, the harder it will be for the defendant to figure out your cards, and the more questions you can ask him.

But he questioned with full confidence yesterday, and the first question he asked was "Does Zhang Mi have a mistress outside?"

If the secret in the other person's heart is not related to this, it will be easily covered up.

Therefore, during today's interrogation, Lu Chengze fully learned from previous lessons.

He was also the first driver of Zhang Mi to be interrogated. When the driver walked into the lobby, Lu Chengze said with a smile: "We meet again."

The driver said with a bitter face: "Sir, I really didn't realize that Dean Zhang had a concubine."

Lu Chengze waved his hand and said, "He didn't keep any concubines outside, so of course you didn't find out. I asked that yesterday just to cover up the truth."

The driver's face changed, and he stammered, "Hide...hide our tracks? Why? I...I don't quite understand."

Lu Chengze said: "You don't understand, right? Haha, since the twelfth year of Shaoxing, you have been driving for Zhang Mi, right?"

"Yes!"

"It has been 12 years since Shaoxing. Now it has been 14 years."

"Yes."

"How much is your daily wage?"

"Two hundred and seventy cents."

Lu Chengze shook his head and sighed: "After fourteen years, you are still a driver, and your daily wages are less than three hundred coins.

My family's doorman earns 350 coins a day, and you only make 200 coins a day. What are you trying to do?"

The driver turned pale and said nervously, "Sir, you...what are you talking about? I really don't understand."

"You don't understand, right? Take him down and make him understand."

Two officers came over, grabbed the driver by the shoulders and started to drag him away.

The driver panicked and said hastily, "Sir, sir, I am stupid. Please ask again. If you ask more clearly, maybe I will understand."

Lu Chengze waved his hand and the two officials let the driver go.

Lu Chengze said with a smile: "I want to ask you, what is the name of Zhang Mi's eldest daughter-in-law?"

The driver was stunned and trembling all over. The official asked the young lady directly, "What... did she really know?"
The driver said hesitantly, "My young... young lady's surname is Gao, and her maiden name... I really don't know. This is true."

After hearing this, Lu Chengze couldn't help but feel moved. The Gao family in Kunshan was indeed related.

He suppressed his excitement and said calmly, "Then tell me what you know."

"My humble servant... do you know? Let me think about it..."

Lu Chengze waved his hand impatiently and said, “Drag him away and beat him until he remembers!”

"No, no, no!"

The driver fell to his knees with a thump and stammered, "Young Madam, my Young Madam, she has... no news for more than six years."

Lu Chengze took out a white handkerchief and wiped his mouth calmly to hide the wildly upturned corners of his lips.

"Look, why don't you just confess? Otherwise, you will suffer physically, and your daily salary of more than 200 coins will not be enough to buy medicine for your wounds."

Lu Chengze pursed his lips, motioning the secretary beside him to continue recording, and he leaned back in his official chair, saying lazily:
"Your young mistress is already married, but there has been no news for more than six years. Where did she go? Doesn't the Zhang family have an explanation?"

The driver stammered, "Yes... yes, the master said that the young mistress was unfaithful and eloped with an actor. This is a scandal and must not be spread!"

"Then...what about the Gao family? The Gao family's daughter was unfaithful and ran away with someone else, but they didn't give an explanation to the Zhang family?"

The driver showed a strange expression on his face and replied, "The Gao family... the Gao family came to our house to make a scene, and at that time..."

"Wait, the daughter of the Gao family is not a good wife and eloped with someone, but her family members come to her husband's house to make trouble?"

"Well... because the master felt that family disgrace should not be made public, and the Gao family didn't know the truth at the time, so they came to make trouble and ask about the whereabouts of the young mistress..."

"and after?"

"Afterwards, I don't know what happened. The Gao family has always been on good terms with my master's family. I think my master told the Gao family the truth, and since then the Gao family has never come to our house to make trouble again."

Lu Chengze said, "Really? How many benefits did Zhang Mi promise the Gao family in exchange for them shutting up?"

The driver was shocked, but when he saw Lu Chengze's increasingly sharp gaze, he shuddered, lowered his head, and said timidly:
“As far as I know, there are two shops owned by the Zhang family in Lin’an City, which were transferred to the Gao family six years ago.

The master also found a job as a clerk in the Ministry of Rites for Mr. Gao’s son.”

Lu Chengze asked a few more questions, but could not get any useful information out of the driver, so he asked someone to take him away.

Lu Chengze sat up straight and ordered in a deep voice: "Next, bring Madam Zhang Mi to the hall!"

……

All the people from the Xuanzhiyuan and the Seal-Checking Office were invited to the Censorate.

They were only there to cooperate with the investigation and had no crime against them, so they were considered guests and were kept in a room in the second hall and served tea.

Upon hearing the news, Yang Yuan rushed to the second hall's wing and called out Xu Hongcheng, the person in charge of the Xuanzhiyuan's seal-printing room.

"Master Xu, I was investigating this case yesterday, and I am grateful for your full assistance."

"I dare not, I dare not, this is my duty."

"We invited the people from Xuanzhiyuan today just to cooperate with the investigation. I will ask Director Xu to inform all the colleagues in Xuanzhiyuan later so that everyone does not have to resist."

"Okay, okay, it should be, it should be."

Yang Yuan said: "Zhang Mi knows that he has committed a grave sin. Once the evidence is proven, he will have no chance of survival. Therefore, he refuses to tell the truth when questioned.

I have some personal grievances with Zhang Mi, and I'm sure that Xu has heard about it. Under these circumstances, it is not convenient for me to torture him, otherwise I will inevitably be criticized.

I asked all my colleagues from the Censorate to come here, because I want you to help me, the Censorate, to pry open Zhang Mi's mouth."

Xu Hongcheng said awkwardly: "Yang Qianxian, we really know very little about Zhang Mi's affairs. We have already said everything we need to say yesterday."

Yang Yuan shook his head and said, "No, no, no, what I meant is that the reason I invited you here today may not be to ask questions related to his murder case.

As long as it involves Zhang Mi's guilt, you can say anything."

Yang Yuan said: "Zhang Mi refused to plead guilty, but he still held on to the hope that he could get away with it.

I don't believe that a man like him can abide by the law in other aspects.

As long as they can find out all his crimes and he is doomed to die whether he confesses or not, do you think he will still refuse to confess?"

Xu Hongcheng suddenly realized and said, "So that's how it is. I understand."

Yang Yuan said: "As the saying goes, to attack someone, you must attack their heart. What I need is a wedge to penetrate.

Once his defenses are down, it will be much easier to pry open his mouth..."

Xu Hongcheng said happily: "I understand what Yang Qianxian meant. I will tell my colleagues."

Yang Yuan smiled and said, "Thank you, Master Xu."

At this time Liu Dazhuang ran over, and when he saw someone next to Yang Yuan, he looked as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

Seeing this, Yang Yuan said to Xu Hongcheng, "I have other things to deal with. I would like to ask my colleagues in the Xuanzhiyuan to take care of it and tell them to put their worries aside and speak freely. Zhang Mi will not be able to come out!"

Yang Yuan walked up to Liu Dazhuang, gave him a look, stopped him from reporting on the spot, and took him back to the signing room.

As soon as he entered the signing room, Liu Dazhuang held up an official letter and said, "Sir, the reply from the Ministry of Revenue's Left Treasury has arrived."

When Yang Yuan heard it, he quickly took it.

The reply from the Ministry of Revenue was very formal. Yang Yuan first checked the wax seal, then cut open the seal and took out a document.

This turned out to be a formal "letter of congratulation", with the signature and seal of the investigator and the seal of the Ministry of Revenue's Left Treasury stamped on it.

It was clearly written in black and white on the paper. After inspection by the Ministry of Revenue's Left Treasury, it was found that the ink on the wood chips provided by Yang Yuan was exactly the official unique formula used to print Huizi and Jiaozi.

At the back, the history of the use of this ink is also thoughtfully written.

This kind of ink became the official exclusive ink after the official Jiaozi was launched in the Northern Song Dynasty.

To this day, the only people who know the formula of this ink are some official craftsmen managed by the Zuo Cangku in the Song Dynasty court, and the Jin Dynasty can also produce it.

The reason is that after the Jin Kingdom conquered Bianliang, a large number of Bianliang official craftsmen were taken in by the Jin people, and the formula of this ink was also mastered by the Jin people.

However, the formula of this special ink cannot be changed at will. Fortunately, in addition to ink, there are also technical barriers such as paper and woodblock printing in terms of anti-counterfeiting, so the Song Dynasty did not change the ink.

The Jin people used the ink technology developed by Song craftsmen to print and issue the Jin's "Jiaochao".

At present, the use of Jiaochao is also very common in the Jin Dynasty.

However, in the original history, after several decades when all regions of the Jin Dynasty had the right to print money, the paper currency system of the Jin Dynasty completely collapsed.
Without sufficient reserves, never issue paper money. This bloody understanding became a valuable experience for later generations only after the ancients repeatedly printed paper money indiscriminately, which severely hit the national economy and even became a major cause of the country's demise.

In the process of investigating Zhang Mi's corpse hiding case, Yang Yuan had already gained a basic understanding of the daily operations of the Xuanzhiyuan's seal-printing room.

If one wants to prepare the printing ink in the printing room without attracting attention, the treasurer and the person in charge of the printing room should be two people who cannot be avoided.

So, that Xu Hongcheng, the boss just now, hehe...

Thinking of Kou Heiyi's mysterious identity, Yang Yuan suddenly felt that the Privy Council of the Song Dynasty was like a sieve.

Of course, the Privy Council, a military confidential department, was originally a target for enemy spies to infiltrate. This is one reason, but it is also because the Song Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials.

Civil servants looked down on soldiers, and even many patriotic civil servants who advocated war despised military men.

Because in their perception, whether they are soldiers or generals, that's just the way it is.

The key to deciding victory or defeat on the battlefield lies in these civil servants who are high up in the sky and in charge of strategic planning.

This resulted in it being very difficult to become an official in other civil service offices, and taking the imperial examination was almost the only way.

The imperial examination was a test of many levels, with numerous reviews and eliminations.

If a foreign spy wants to infiltrate such a government office and occupy a key position, he may have to start planning thirty years in advance, and even then there is no guarantee that he will pass the imperial examination.

As for the Privy Council, since it was a military office, civil servants only controlled the top level of the office, while middle and lower-level official positions could only be handed over to real military officers.

Because of their contempt and disdain for military officers, the promotion and management of middle and lower-level military officers have become loose and casual.

With the help of a calendar prepared by Fei Yuye and the approval of Zheng Yuandong, a civil servant who was a Jinshi, Yang Yuan was immediately appointed to the Privy Council, and to a key department like the Machine Speed ​​Room.

This is simply impossible in other civil service offices, as everyone enters based on their merits and all rules must be followed.

The reason why Kou Heiyi could become a mid-level officer in a key department and why Xu Hongcheng, the leader, was likely to have problems was all due to this reason.

As long as a civil servant who holds a high position in the Privy Council appreciates him or is willing to help him smooth out the relationship, it is easy for him to get in. They are destroying the promotion channel for military officers.

If the printing copperplate of Huiziwu was stolen by Kou Heiyi and his traitor in Huiziwu;
The Xuanzhiyuan Printing Office used their convenient exchange to privately produce printing ink that was indistinguishable from the real thing. But what about the special paper? Where was the printing location?
No matter how strict Uncle Gou's surveillance is, he can't keep an eye on us in the Privy Council. It seems that I have to find someone to cooperate with me in the investigation.

Yang Yuan immediately thought of a suitable candidate, Liu Shangqiu.

Liu Shangqiu is reliable to use, and I don’t feel bad about giving him a share of the profits, as it’s better to keep the money within the family.

Lu Chengze excitedly came to find Yang Yuan with the confessions of Zhang's coachman and the second wife.

When he arrived at Yang Yuan's signing room, he only saw Da Zhuang sitting on the steps, with his chin in his hand and staring blankly in boredom.

"Where is Yang Qianxian?"

Liu Dazhuang stood up and said, "Yushi Lu, my master has gone out for something.

The master said that if Censor Lu finds anything, he can make his own decision and investigate as soon as possible to avoid wasting time. "

Lu Chengze was stunned, and asked in disbelief: "Yang Qianxian wants me to make the decision on my own?"

Da Zhuang nodded and said, "Yes, our master said that he and Zhang Mi have an old grudge, and he wants you, Censor Lu, to take more responsibility to avoid gossip."

There was a clear stupidity in Dazhuang's eyes, which was very sincere, and Lu Chengze was deeply moved.

Although Yang Qianxian had his reasons for worrying, as long as he was willing, he could leave the matter to Xiao Yiran.

Then wouldn't such a great political achievement fall into the hands of his supporters?
Yang Qianxian is really...

When recommending people from outside, do not avoid your enemies; when recommending people from within, do not avoid your relatives; Yang Qianxian has done it!
Lu Chengze said with emotion: "Okay, when Yang Qianxian comes back, please tell him that I, Lu Chengze, have gone to Kunshan County to collect evidence from the Gao family. When I return, I will report the case in detail to Qianxian!"

(End of this chapter)