Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

Just as Li Tianliu gave her order, Ding Lisheng came back panting.

Looking at the empty second hall and then at Chen Shao who was full of anger, Ding Lisheng quickly ignored the foul smell in the air and said in fear, "I had an appointment with the shop owners at 3 p.m., I don't know why they came so early. I was investigating a case outside and couldn't get back in time. I hope you will forgive me."

As he was speaking, he suddenly heard a loud noise outside.

Chen Shao couldn't stand the smell in the hall anymore, so he quickly packed up his credentials, picked up his palm-leaf fan and left the second hall.

Ding Lisheng followed her closely.

The noisy sounds came from a group of students.

Standing in the ventilated area outside the second hall, looking at the students being driven by the yamen runners and Yulin Guards, Ding Lisheng asked tentatively: "What are they doing..."

"I arranged for them to go to those gardens to fight bones with Xu Guang." Chen Shao said in a calm voice.

Ding Lisheng couldn't help but shiver.

Chen Shao glanced at him and asked, "How is the case going?"

Ding Lisheng smiled and apologized: "I have just started investigating, and I haven't found anything yet."

"Move as quickly as possible." Chen Shaoyang raised the evidence in his hand and said meaningfully, "There is only one official pharmacy. Who will get it? When you finish investigating the case, come and give me some reference."

Ding Lisheng was delighted, "Then I will check it right away!"

Chen Shao nodded, "Go ahead."

Ding Lisheng, with his fat body, trotted away not long after, and Li Hong arrived. He was escorted by the Yulin Guards and had a package on his body.

Walking closer, the guard lightly kicked his popliteal fossa. After he was forced to kneel down, the guard pulled off his package and said, "When we found this kid, he was digging a hole with his hands in the back hill of the academy, trying to bury this package."

"That's my stuff, you are not allowed to touch it!" Li Hong stood up and wanted to snatch it.

The Imperial Guard kicked him in the popliteal fossa again, and after he knelt down again, he slapped him on the head, "You're almost dead, kid, and you still dare to steal things!"

Li Hong bared his teeth and said, "Even if my life is gone, this is also mine!"

The two imperial guards took him aside and prepared to train him. Li Tianliu told them not to be too harsh and opened the package. There was everything in the package, including copper coins, silver coins, jade pendants, money bags, jade hairpins, jade rings, porcelain, writing brushes, inkstones, and calligraphy and paintings...

Li Tianliu looked at Chen Shao.

Chen Shao squatted down, sorted them out, and picked up the only jade ring.

There is a mountain lake carved on the jade ring, with a solitary pine tree standing on the mountain. Diagonally above the pine tree, where the sun should have been, there is a seal-script character "文".

Putting down the jade ring, Chen Shao picked up two money bags beside him. On one of the money bags was a solitary pine tree, and next to it was a seal-style "文" character. On the other money bag were two chrysanthemums, and judging by the flower shape, they looked like a phoenix spreading its wings, and in the corner of the two chrysanthemums was a seal-style "任" character.

The remaining porcelain, writing brushes, inkstones, calligraphy and paintings also bear the marks of various noble families, among which the Wen and Ren families undoubtedly have the most.

After reclassifying them according to the labels, Chen Shao picked up the only green jade pendant left in the pile of copper coins and silver.

The quality of this green jade pendant is even worse than the one seized from Jiang Zilin before, but the poor quality does not affect the fact that it is still a lotus-seated Buddha with a dagger-shaped flesh bun.

"Bring him here." Chen Shao ordered.

Li Tianliu waved.

Two Yulin guards immediately dragged back Li Hong, who was foaming at the mouth from the training.

Li Hong's eyes were originally distracted, but after seeing the opened package, they immediately lit up. He crawled over using his hands and feet, saying as he crawled, "Give it back to me, give it back to me quickly, they are all mine, no one is allowed to steal them!"

The imperial guards stepped on his legs, but Li Hong still held out his hand and said, "Give it back to me, give it back to me quickly, it's all mine!"

"Where did all these come from?" Chen Shao asked.

Li Hong didn't answer, but kept muttering "give it back to me".

Chen Shao said expressionlessly: "If you don't answer, I will destroy all of these."

"No!" Li Hong stared at the jade pendant in her hand and quickly replied, "I earned it."

Chen Shao asked: "How did you earn it?"

The imperial guards stepped hard, and Li Hong screamed in pain, "I helped Master Wen and Master Ren find young men and women with outstanding looks, and they gave it to me as a reward!"

Wen and Ren again... Chen Shao's eyes were cold as he questioned, "You are lying. Ji Qinglin and the others said that you were looking for boys and girls for Luo Zhengxin. How come you said you were looking for them for Master Wen and Master Ren?"

"I didn't lie!" Li Hong struggled to crawl forward and tried to snatch the jade pendant from her hand, while shouting at the top of his lungs, "I did look for girls for Luo Jianyuan, but he was too stingy. I found him no less than ten girls, but he refused to give me a penny. I had no choice but to start working for Master Wen and Master Ren. Every time I found a beautiful boy or girl for them, they rewarded me with something. These are all the rewards they gave me!"

Chen Shao interrogated: "How did you get into the academy?"

Li Hong said without any shame: "After I sent my sister to Abbot Luo, he let me enter the academy."

"Beast!" The Yulin Guard who was stepping on his leg couldn't help but use a little more force.

Li Hong shouted, "Yes, I am a beast, worse than pigs and dogs, give all my things back to me!"

The imperial guard cursed, grabbed his legs, dragged him half a meter away, and still cursed: "If the young master didn't have something to ask you, I would have killed you today!"

Li Hong ignored the blood on his hands and shouted, "Even if you kill me, you have to give my things back to me! I worked so hard to earn it, why should I give it to you!"

Li Tianliu picked up a porcelain pot and threw it in front of him, "Why do you say that?"

"This is the Yue Kiln green-glazed teapot that Master Fan gave me," Li Hongyi stretched out his arm, swept all the broken porcelain pieces into his arms, and shouted at Li Tianliu in shock and anger, "You have to pay me back!"

Li Tianliu stood up, grabbed his hair, picked up a piece of broken porcelain and put it on his neck, "Try to yell at me again!"

The pain of broken porcelain cutting his skin finally made Li Hong shut up.

Li Tianliu snorted twice and asked Chen Shao: "Do you have anything else to ask? If not, I will take him away."

Chen Shao stood up, walked up to Li Hong, and asked condescendingly: "How did you know that you could send someone to Luo Zhengxin and then go to the Imperial College to study?"

The broken porcelain was still against his neck. Li Hong did not dare to move and could only answer carefully: "It was Master Luo who told me, and it was Master Luo who took me to see Supervisor Luo. If you want revenge, go find him. It has nothing to do with me."

The imperial guard kicked him and said, "You gave your sister away, and it has nothing to do with you?"

Li Hong said confidently: "Women are useless except for carrying on the family line. You gave her to me in exchange for my study in the academy. You already respect her."