Qingyu Case: Female Minister of Dali Temple

The moment Bao Chengle entered the study, Chen Shao remembered that he did not know Han Zihou. He patted his forehead and told Chan Yi, "Send someone to invite Liu Dangjia to come over."

Chan Yi obviously remembered this too. She covered her lips with her hands and laughed softly twice before going out the door.

"Since you're already here, let's take a look." Seeing Bao Chengle's awkward look, Chen Shao pushed the portrait slightly in front of her, "Take a look and see if there's anyone you know in here."

Bao Chengle took the portraits without knowing why, flipped through a few of them, and didn't recognize any of them. He couldn't help but ask, "Who are these people?"

"The culprit who caused the landslide." Chen Shao said concisely.

Bao Chengle paused as he flipped through the portraits. If the ground subsidence was man-made, then the most likely murderer was Han Zihou. After quickly flipping through ten portraits, he didn't see anyone he knew, so he breathed a sigh of relief, "There's no one I know here."

Chen Shao already knew the answer, so he didn't ask any more questions. He turned around and took down the kitchen knives and axes from Uncle Fang's house from the shelf and placed them on the table: "Are these also forged by Mengshe Smelting Supervisor?"

Bao Chengle picked up the kitchen knife and said, "Yes, they were all forged using the iron ore bought from Shan State."

Chen Shao asked, "What is the purpose of forging these?"

Bao Chengle said: "Sell it to Shan State and make money."

Chen Shao glanced at him and asked, "There is no smelter or blacksmith shop in Shan State?"

"Yes," Bao Chengle smiled, "but the level is not high."

Chen Shao's eyes moved slightly, and he opened the drawer and took out a wooden box and a jade pendant engraved with lotus patterns. "The forging level is not high, what about the carving skills?"

Bao Chengle took the wooden box and the jade pendant, looked at the lotus patterns carved on them, and said slowly: "These are all made by Zhang Xiu, a craftsman from Kunlun Town, and his disciples."

"Is this Zhang Xiu from Datong or Shan?" Chen Shao asked.

"I'm from Datong." Bao Chengle replied.

"If he is from Datong, lives in Kunlun Town, and has disciples and their skills are all so good," Chen Shao looked at him with a stern look, "then there is no way he can remain unknown."

"Zhang Xiu has been living in the manor in Beiqiu Mountain since he went to Kunlun Town," Bao Chengle explained. "Besides carving these jades and wooden boxes, he doesn't do anything else. He occasionally goes out, but never goes far, and doesn't make friends with people."

Chen Shao took out a pen and paper: "What does it look like?"

Bao Chengle shook his head: "These are all the information I got from Ma San."

Afraid that she would not believe him, he added, "Lord Luo did not hide the matter of Zhang Xiu from me, but he did not tell me much. Ma San often worked for Lord Luo and had been to Kunlun Town several times. These kitchen knives and axes were brought back from the Mengshe Smelting House when he passed through Yunnan County on his way back from Kunlun Town."

Chen Shao handed him a pen and paper and said, "Since he has been to Kunlun Town and Mengshe Prison, then you go to the prison and ask him to draw a picture of Zhang Xiu and everyone he knows in Mengshe Prison."

Bao Chengle agreed without any hesitation.

"Take a look at this jade pendant," Chen Shao took out Uncle Fang's jade pendant, "Who gave this jade pendant to Uncle Fang?"

Bao Chengle said: "It's also Ma San."

"Was the Buddha on the jade pendant also carved by Zhang Xiu?" Chen Shao looked at the Buddha and asked him.

Bao Chengle nodded.

Chen Shao asked: "Why was the Buddha's topknot carved into a dagger shape? Or what was the purpose of doing so?"

Bao Chengle said straightforwardly: "Just like the fish symbol, it is used for identification."

There was a knock on the door, and Liu Zizhuang arrived. Chen Shao did not ask any more questions, and when Chan Yi opened the door, he also signaled Bao Chengle: "Give it to me immediately after the painting is finished."

Bao Chengle agreed, nodded slightly to Liu Zizhuang who came in, and left with the paper and pen.

Liu Zizhuang also nodded slightly to him, and waited until he left the door before he strode to the desk and bowed to Chen Shao, saying, "Sir."

Knowing that he was busy, Chen Shao didn't waste time talking to him. He pushed the portrait towards him and said, "This is the murderer who caused the Shipailou collapse. See if you know anyone."

Liu Zizhuang picked it up, flipped through two sheets, and said, "This is Han Zihou's deputy Tang Chengzhong!"

Chen Shaogang took Tang Chengzhong's portrait and heard him say, "Han Zihou!"

Chen Shaoshun looked in the direction of his voice and saw a middle-aged man with a long and thin face.

Liu Zizhuang picked up the portrait and handed it to her: "This is Han Zihou!"

Chen Shao took the painting, put it together with Tang Chengzhong, and motioned to him: "Take a look, is there anything else you recognize?"

Liu Zizhuang flipped through the pages and said, "They all look familiar, but I can't remember their names. They should all be Han Zihou's men."

He raised his head, looked at the portraits of Han Zihou and Tang Chengzhong and said, "I'm afraid we need to make some adjustments to our plan."

Chen Shao said: "You say."

Liu Zizhuang analyzed, "I have been dealing with Han Zihou for many years. He is not a very courageous person, but he acts very cautiously. When the adults searched the Zhu family, Gu family and others, he dared to move the weapons and cause the ground to sink in such a high-profile manner, which shows that he is not only supported by Lord Luo. Although our plan is comprehensive, they may not be able to think of it. If we want to be foolproof, I am afraid we have to arrange a group of people to set off first and wait outside their bandit den. At night, we have to arrange another group."

"Okay." Chen Shao agreed. "Go and discuss the specific arrangements with General Li."

Liu Zizhuang nodded, looked at Han Zihou's portrait, and when he saw that she had no other instructions, he turned and left.

Chen Shao took a pen and added a few words on the portraits of Han Zihou and Tang Chengzhong: "Anyone who provides clues will be rewarded with two taels of silver; anyone who captures the suspect will be rewarded with ten taels of silver." He added the same words on the other portraits, only reducing the amount to one tael and five taels respectively. He put down his pen, waited for the ink to dry, and handed all the portraits to Chan Yi, saying, "Post them on the notice wall."

Chan Yi took it and handed it to the Yu Lin Wei outside the door, "The wind is strong, remember to stick it firmly."

The Imperial Guards left with the portrait. Chan Yi closed the door, came back, poured out the cold tea in the cup, replaced it with hot tea, and said, "Don't you need to ask Zhao Liangzhu to go to Kunlun Town again?"

"It's too late." Chen Shao picked up the tea and sat down. "The road to Kunlun Town is already known to everyone. The generals of Shan State who were stationed at the border to do business have all been called back. How could they leave Zhang Xiu there and wait for me to come to them?"

"Now we have more and more evidence against them. Let's see how long they can hide!" Chan Yi snorted.

Chen Shao smiled, "Yes, let's see how long they can hide!"

During the conversation, the imperial guards who had gone to post the portrait came running back. Before they even entered the courtyard, they shouted, "My lord, something bad has happened. There is a man kneeling outside the governor's mansion, and he wants you to help him!"