Cypress Boat Floating

As they were talking, the two of them had already walked to the Shangshu's study.

Most of the people in the Ministry of War have been under control and can only move around in the Ministry of War every day. If they want to rest at night, they can go to the backyard, where rooms are arranged for everyone to rest.

Although the marching distribution map was lost, the people in the Ministry of War still had to deal with affairs, so except for some people who did not need to attend court, they could not step out of the Ministry of War. Those in higher positions, such as the Minister of War, had to continue to attend court. There could not be no one from the Ministry of War in the court, otherwise they would not know what was happening, which was not acceptable.

At this moment, the Minister of War Qiu Xingwei had not yet left the morning court, but because Lu Ci Qiu had been here yesterday, everyone in the Ministry of War knew that he was here to investigate a case, so they did not stop him and let him in directly. However, Lord Qiu's guards were watching him from the side.

But this person will not affect them.

"What do you think about the loss of the march distribution map?" Lu Ci Qiu parked his wheelchair in the middle of the study, and asked Ye Jianqing while observing the surroundings of the study.

"It's hard to say. If you say it was done by an insider, that's possible, but it's also possible that it was done by an outsider. We can't just focus on the Ministry of War." Ye Jianqing said after walking around.

The Shangshu's study is very conventional. There is a living room as you enter the room. On the left is a desk and a side of files, military books and the like. On the right is a small couch for rest.

After hearing what Ye Jianqing said, Lu Ci Qiu raised his eyebrows and said, "You said the same thing as my second brother."

Ye Jianqing was not surprised. Lu Zhixing was different from Lu Ci Qiu. Lu Zhixing had been in charge of the Ministry of Justice for so many years and must have experienced many cases. He was like an old criminal policeman, so it was not surprising that he could say such things.

In his whole life, Lu Ci Qiu had only been an official for two years at most, and he didn't even know if he had touched the edge of society. He was like a college student who had just entered society. How could he compare with Lu Zhixing, a veteran who had been struggling in society for several years?

"What do you think? When was the marching distribution map lost?" Ye Jianqing asked back.

"The marching distribution map has always been hidden in the secret room of this study, and the secret room is locked in a box, and Lord Qiu takes it out and looks at it almost every day.

Yesterday, the Emperor asked to see the marching distribution map, so Lord Qiu came back to get it, but found that the map was missing. Only Lord Shangshu knew the mechanism of the secret room, and only Lord Shangshu had the key, but according to Lord Qiu, the key has never left his body. I suspect that someone must have stolen Lord Qiu's key and secretly made a copy. "Lu Ci Qiu said: "If you want to steal this key, this person must be close to Lord Qiu, and he must know where the map is, he must have seen Lord Qiu open the mechanism, and he must know which key to use to unlock it, so that he can steal that key accurately."

After hearing what he said, Ye Jianqing summed it up for him: "You still suspect it's someone from the Ministry of War, right?"

"Yes!" Lu Ci Qiu said without hesitation. Yes, he was indeed more suspicious of the people from the Ministry of War.

"Since everyone suspects the people from the Ministry of War, how should we deal with it?" Ye Jianqing asked.

"Everyone is under control. Everyone has been resting in the backyard recently. No one is allowed to step out of the Ministry of War, except for Lord Qiu."

"Haven't you ever thought about the possibility that Lord Qiu is embezzling money?" Ye Jianqing didn't care at all that there was a guard named Qiu Xingwei beside him, and asked Lu Ci Qiu directly.

"I suspected him, so he can't go out except when he attends court. Everyone is treated the same."

Very good, this operation treats everyone equally and does not let anyone off the hook.

Ye Jianqing walked out of the study, walked around it, and looked carefully from inside to outside, trying to find the most suitable theft route here. Unfortunately, according to what Lu Ci Qiu said, it would be a bit difficult for a thief to come in without making any noise and steal the march distribution map.

If Ye Jianqing were asked to describe the Ministry of War, she could only use a square piece of paper.

The Ministry of War is divided into the Mandarin Office, the Hanben Office, the Office of the Secretary, the Supervision Office, etc.

The Manchu Archives Office was in charge of the archives of the Ministry of War and was responsible for handling the promotion and appointment of Manchu and Mongolian officials in the Ministry of War; the Chinese Edition Office was responsible for copying Manchu and Chinese documents; the Secretariat was responsible for receiving and handling documents from government offices in other provinces, and inspecting the diligence of officials in the provinces; the Supervision Office was responsible for supervising the documents handled by the four departments of military selection, personnel selection, etc., and was responsible for issuing the supervisory seal of the month and signing for documents delivered to various government offices and shops in Beijing.

There is a hall at the entrance of the Ministry of War. Normally, personnel from various departments would communicate and discuss matters here. In addition, distinguished guests would also be received here, but very few people came to the Ministry of War.

The supervisory office is on the left side of the entrance, the secretary's office is on the right side of the entrance to the Ministry of War, and the Mandang Room and Hanben Room are at the back of the hall.

The Shangshu's study is surrounded by the Mangang Room and the Hanben Room, but there is also a certain distance between them.

If there was really an outsider who wanted to climb over the wall and get into the Shangshu study to steal the marching distribution map, he would first have to pass through the crowded rooms in full view of everyone, and then walk a long distance where he would encounter patrolling guards. This section of the road was unobstructed and completely exposed.

Even if this person could successfully pass through the crowded room and avoid the patrolling guards, the Shangshu's study was guarded twelve hours a day. So how could this person get through the guards guarding the door and enter the room?

Coming down from above your head?

The Shangshu's study is just a small room. The side rooms in front, behind, left and right have two floors, and people are coming and going on the second floor. If you lie on top of the Shangshu's study, you will easily be seen.

What about from behind the study?

The back of the study is indeed a good idea, but there is no window at the back, just a big wall. How can we pass through the wall?

What about from the side? There are windows on the side.

There is indeed a window on the side, but one side faces the Mandarin room and the other side faces the Hanben room. If you stand there, you will be discovered. How can you get in?

This study was deliberately built like this in the beginning, because the Minister of War is the most important, and the documents he manages are also extremely important, concerning the entire Da'an.

Therefore, when the Ministry of War was first established, our ancestors were worried that someone might come and steal important documents, so they discussed with the people from the Ministry of Works for a long time before building the study of the Minister of War like this, in the center, which is also the most exposed position.

Everyone coming and going can see who is doing what in the Shangshu study. Sometimes exposure is also a form of protection.

"How is it?" Lu Ci Qiu asked when he saw Ye Jianqing walking around outside.

Ye Jianqing shook his head helplessly. There was really no way out in this terrain. No matter where he was, he would be seen. If there was a thief outside, he would be discovered easily.

"But this doesn't mean it can be completely ruled out. What if someone deliberately stakes out the patrol routes of the guards and then deliberately avoids them?"

Lu Ci Qiu nodded: "It makes sense."

Although he had always suspected that it was someone within the Ministry of War, he had not completely ruled out the possibility that it was an outsider who committed the crime.

"Aren't you going to ask those people?"

"Wait for the second brother to come and make arrangements."

Speak of the devil, here he appears. As soon as Lu Ci Qiu finished speaking, Lu Zhixing and the Minister of War Qiu Xingwei arrived at the Ministry of War and were about to reach the minister's study.

"Old Eight, why are you here?" Seeing Lu Ci Qiu here, Lu Zhixing was worried about his wounds and hurriedly stepped forward to ask: "How do you feel today?"

"Brother, I'm fine. I just thought I didn't have to go to court, so I came here early to see what I could find." Lu Ci Qiu smiled at him, explained the reason for his visit, and greeted Qiu Xingwei: "Sir Qiu, sorry to bother you."

Qiu Xingwei waved his hands repeatedly, but did not dare to respond to his words: "The Eighth Prince is trying to help me find the distribution map, how can you say that you are disturbing me."

"Did you find anything?" Lu Zhixing asked.

Lu Ci Qiu shook his head and said that he came to look for clues, but from the time he arrived until now, he has been sitting in the middle of the hall. He didn't look anywhere, and it was basically Ye Jianqing who looked at it.

"Let's go ask together later." After Lu Zhixing said this, he took over Ye Jianqing's work and pushed Lu Ci Qiu forward.

As for Lu Ci Qiu, he couldn't trust anyone, even if that person came from his own secret guard camp.

Ye Jianqing didn't care, she touched her nose and followed them obediently. She knew from the beginning that Lu Zhixing was blaming her. From the beginning, Lu Zhixing gave her the task of protecting Lu Ciqiu, but because of her negligence, Lu Ciqiu encountered an assassin. If Lu Zhixing hadn't suddenly returned last night to send Lu Ciqiu back home, Ye Jianqing would have had to kill herself on the spot to accompany Lu Ciqiu.

So it was natural for him to blame her, but Ye Jianqing didn't care.

Several people walked to the backyard, where many people were resting. These people had not left the Ministry of War from yesterday until now. If they were really the ones who stole the map, then the map was most likely still in their possession.

"Let's ask a few key people today. According to Lord Qiu, several people entered his study to look for him yesterday. Let's investigate and find out more about these people first." Lu Zhixing explained to Lu Ci Qiu as they walked.

Lu Zhixing is an ambitious man. He has higher goals than just holding on to the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple. He wants to keep moving up.

If he wants to move up, he will not be able to abandon the Ministry of Justice. Therefore, he must find a successor who can take over the Ministry of Justice, and this person must be trustworthy.

It just so happened that Lu Ci Qiu entered the court at this point in time, so he wanted to use this time to train Lu Ci Qiu. Therefore, no matter what case he was handling, even if it was just daily affairs, he would take Lu Ci Qiu with him and teach him with all his heart.