Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 17 Fishing, Hooked

"Shisanlang, why are you back again?"

"Master Ji, I have a question I'm curious about. Did the Annan envoys present any tokens of credence, such as letters of credence or imperial seals, when they entered the government office?"

"Of course, there are all kinds of seals, letters of credence, and tokens of trust."

When an envoy was sent to a foreign country, it was not just empty talk; he had to have a token of identity, the most typical of which was a staff.

Envoy refers to the token held by the envoy. "Token" represents the identity of the emperor. Any envoy holding the token symbolizes the emperor's personal presence and can exercise supreme power.

Therefore, the imperial seal is undoubtedly the most important symbol. There are many differences in the regulations between the envoys of the Ming Dynasty, the suzerain state, holding the imperial seal and the envoys of small foreign vassal states.

Ji Hua was confused by the question, but Hai Yue's next question was even stranger: "Did the letter from Annan specify the detailed list of tributes?"

"Of course it should be noted."

"Has the government ever checked the list?"

"This is not the responsibility of the local government."

Of course, the tribute items from foreign vassal states had to be checked, as they were nominally tributes presented to the emperor. But even if they had to be inspected, they had to wait until the tributes reached the Ministry of Rites in the capital before they could be inspected. Unless the local government offices were specifically responsible for escorting the tributes, they would not interfere and do something that would be a thankless task.

Apparently, the Qiongzhou government office hadn't checked. Hai Yue immediately asked, "So, how much agarwood did they say was lost during the previous tribute theft?"

Ji Hua frowned: "Isn't this matter in the past?"

Hai Yue said solemnly, "Master Ji, this is a serious matter. No detail can be missed. Both Mr. Gu and Magistrate Shao have made great contributions to the closure of this case. If there are any more setbacks, won't all our efforts be wasted?"

"Hmm! What Shisanlang said makes sense!"

Thinking about Dong Weng's performance in this case, he might even be rewarded by his superiors and escape the fate of being a low-level official who has been wandering around in local prefectures and counties all his life.

Ji Hua's face brightened as he recalled the situation. "The envoys came across the sea with only a few tribute items. Seeing their carriages were only three, the guards at the yamen saw how simple it was and were inevitably careless, leading to the thieves. The stolen items were definitely not much, but they took advantage of this incident to make a fuss. At first, we felt we were in the wrong, but after Shisanlang's analysis, we realized they were trying to leave the yamen and were plotting something bad, so they set up this trap as an excuse."

"I'm afraid it's more than that..."

Haiyue checked again: "Since the tribute was not much to begin with, and it was stolen, what is the solution? We can't just throw it away, right?
Ji Hua said, "The delegation is preparing to restock the agarwood supply. To this end, they have visited all the local Annan merchants and left staff behind to replenish the agarwood supply."

'really! ’

Haiyue breathed a sigh of relief, feeling basically certain, but her brows furrowed again.

Compared to the "facts" that have been confirmed, the truth that follows is more difficult to verify.

After all, he had already given a complete conclusion of the case in front of both the government office and the diplomatic corps. What he said now was that he was not afraid to overturn his own conclusion.

Not to mention that the murderer will deny it, how can others believe it?
'Looks like that's the only trick left!'

Hai Yue's eyes showed determination. She led Ji Hua to a corner, making sure there was no one around and that no passersby would overhear them. Then she asked, "The Annan delegation wasn't imprisoned, was it?"

"After all, he is an envoy of a country. If he is imprisoned, the government has no say."

Ji Hua thought he was unable to swallow his anger, so he whispered to comfort him, "Gu Fu Zun has placed them in a side courtyard. Once the latest case is reported to the Three Courts, they will be expelled. Don't worry, Shisanlang. It won't be long before we see these thieves leave in disgrace!"

Hai Yue asked, "Master Ji, could you please do me a favor and let them hear these words..."

He whispered something in Ji Hua's ear, and Ji Hua was completely bewildered: "What's the point?"

Hai Yue bowed solemnly and said, "This matter will not harm Magistrate Shao in any way. Master Ji, please help me!"

"Well……"

Ji Hua thought about it carefully and it seemed that he really wouldn't do anything to Dong Weng. Then he looked at this young man who came from a remote background but had a promising future after this case, and stroked his beard and said, "Okay! I'll help you!"

……

late at night.

It's hard to be calm.

Prison in Qiongzhou Prefecture.

The woman folded her arms, sat on the cold ground, and tightened her clothes. This coat was left by Haiyue.

Seeing the jailer taking this man out, the woman suddenly realized that the other party was probably acting out a show just to trick her into believing something.

"Master Hai suffered unjust slander, yet he still managed to win the trust of the government. This shows his extraordinary talent. If I tell you about it in time, perhaps I can find a helping hand..."

"No! I don't have any solid evidence, so he might not trust me. If the news gets out, I'm afraid those people will be furious and the guards of the Qiongzhou government office will be unable to resist..."

"If chaos breaks out then, everything will be over. It's better to stay here and wait for a better opportunity!"

As she was talking to herself, the woman's ears suddenly twitched, and she keenly sensed that something was wrong.

At this time of day on weekdays, even if there were no jailers patrolling outside, there would be sounds of drinking and laughing. Why is it so quiet tonight?

Even deathly silence?

She turned her head suddenly, and then a chill ran up her spine and spread throughout her back in an instant.

A face pressed against the cell door.

Those dark eyes stared straight at him, giving him a chilling look.

"what!!"

The woman screamed and shrank back into a corner, but she couldn't stop the man from opening the cell door and walking in. "It's you, after all! You've survived such a disaster and made it to Qiongshan! Hey! My precautions were right. If it weren't for this plan, how could you have fallen into this trap?"

"Uh...uh!"

The woman gritted her teeth, her lips trembling as she tried hard to calm herself down.

The newcomer looked down at the other person, like a hungry wolf seeing food, and revealed a ferocious smile: "Now tell me, where is he hiding in Qiongshan?"

The woman took a deep breath and managed to regain her composure: "He's not in Qiongshan! You didn't find him before, and you won't find him again!"

The visitor grinned. "Not in Qiongshan? My men certainly didn't find any trace of you in the shop, but this is Qiongzhou after all. Just as you were captured by the Hai clan, the government has now discovered his whereabouts. You are indeed hiding in the city together!"

The woman's face turned pale: "The government office found him? Impossible!"

"That's enough! No more pointless quibbling!"

The man waved his hand and said, "I killed everyone else, but you and your sister escaped. You're a woman, so even if you escaped, you wouldn't be able to accomplish anything great. But your brother is different! Tell me his whereabouts now, and I can let you go. I swear by my father!"

"I don't know, and even if I knew I wouldn't tell you!"

The woman gnashed her teeth and said, "How dare you be so presumptuous? This is the Ming Dynasty, the Celestial Empire!"

"Da Ming...Da Ming?"

The visitor, as if hearing a monstrous joke, stretched out his hand and shook it lightly. "So what if it's the Ming Dynasty? They're still a bunch of idiots, thinking they've seen through everything, only to be fooled by me! You should have seen the look of resentment in their eyes, yet they were helpless against me. I can hardly pretend anymore! Hahaha!"

"I don't like to hear that. In fact, you're the one who fell into the trap. I put out the bait, and you took it!"

At this moment, a leisurely voice came in, and his suppressed laughter came to an abrupt end.

The visitor suddenly turned around and saw the man who had spoken, holding a spear, quietly appearing outside the prison door: "You! How could you!"

Hai Yue leisurely studied the newcomer. "How could I have known that you, a Prince of Annan whose identity had been exposed, would dare to brave the law and break into the government office and prison at night? Li Weining... no, Ruan Zhengyong!"

Moonlight fell on the face of Li Weining, the former commander of the guards and current Annan envoy. His moody features gradually became distorted. "What are you talking about? I am Li Weining..."

"No! You're not!"

Hai Yue said, "When the fake becomes real, the real becomes fake. I was fooled at first, thinking that the dead stand-in was the only fake. I never expected that, in some ways, he was the only real one. At least he really thought he was playing the role of Prince Annan!"

"Except for him, the rest are complete fakes!"

"You are not an envoy sent by the orthodox Annan Li family, but a group of assassins sent by the traitorous Mo family!!"

　The second update has been moved forward to noon so that everyone doesn’t have to wait until the evening. Please support me!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)