Mysteries of the Great Zhou Dynasty

Chapter 193 Extra Mo Yun (3)

Yan Mingzhang immediately perked up: "Is this really true?"

Mo Yun laughed even more smugly: "Of course, who do you think I am? I'm the know-it-all of the capital. If you need any information, just ask me, you won't go wrong!"

Changfeng urged impatiently, "Speak quickly."

Mo Yun pursed her lips, but for the sake of the money, she didn't argue with him: "These forty or fifty people definitely aren't locals from the capital, and they certainly wouldn't openly stay at an inn. So where can so many people stay without being easily discovered?"

Yan Mingzhang lowered his eyes in thought: "The north... has many people... and doesn't attract much attention—the northern suburbs! There, a group of poor people from other places gather, mostly building their dwellings with thatch and bamboo. The registration of these shantytowns is relatively lax—indeed, the best way to hide a drop of water is to hide it in more water! Thank you!"

Mo Yun was smug, but then added, "However, knowing only this much, how can you tell the difference? There are at least tens of thousands of people living in these shantytowns in the northern suburbs. How can you possibly distinguish them?"

Yan Mingzhang was confident: "It's easy for them to leave the city, but it's not so easy to smuggle so much gold and silver out of the city. After the incident, the government quickly reported it to the court, which instructed the Ministry of War to check all those leaving the capital. The entire capital was mobilized. With such a thorough search, the bandits wouldn't dare hide the treasures at home and would likely try to smuggle them out. But the city gates were closed early that night, and the next day the search began. If they had smuggled so much gold and silver out of the city, they would definitely have been discovered. Smuggling it out of the city... what kind of group would have a large entourage carrying large boxes out of the city without being checked for hidden treasures?"

Mo Yun became interested: "Do you want me to tell you?"

Yan Mingzhang's brows relaxed, and he waved his hand: "No need, I already know. Changfeng, quickly ride to the Dali Temple to find my father and have him order a thorough investigation of the funeral procession!"

Changfeng suddenly realized: "I understand now, hiding it in a coffin is the hardest way to be detected!"

Upon hearing this, Mo Yun panicked: "I would have told you this news, but it's not that I didn't want to, it's that you guessed too quickly! You can't shortchange me on the money we just agreed on!"

Changfeng, looking impatient, pulled Moyun onto the horse: "Let's go! You'll get your share!"

After Changfeng finished speaking, he cracked his whip and drove off.

Mo Yun looked terrified: "Slow down, I can't ride a horse! ...Wait, why are you dragging me there?!"

Changfeng calmly replied, "We need more people! Stop talking nonsense and get on it!"

Changfeng whipped his horse a few times and said loudly, "Why don't you work for our young master? The young master will definitely have more and more things to do in the future. Right now, I'm the only one here. If I leave, there will be no one to protect the young master. I think you're quite skilled, honest and kind, and smart. What do you think? The monthly salary is quite good!"

Mo Yun was so dizzy from being jostled around that she couldn't even think straight: "Slow down, I'm going to throw up! I don't want to be someone else's servant!"

"Not a servant, but a guard!"

"Isn't that the same thing?" "No, it's not!"

Seeing that Mo Yun and Chang Feng had left, Yan Mingzhang closed his eyes and recalled the map of the entire capital city in his mind. He imagined himself as a robber and considered which route was more reasonable, shorter, and less guarded. He mentally went through several routes and chose the best one.

When Yan Mingzhang opened his eyes again, his gaze was firm. He mounted his horse and galloped towards the north gate.

-----

Yan Mingzhang and his two companions sat in a small teahouse next to the North Gate for the entire afternoon. Mo Yun, resting his chin on his hand, kept dozing off. The city gates were about to close, and they had just checked several funeral processions without finding anything—what bad luck! Chang Feng was also getting restless, constantly standing up to look around.

Suddenly, Yan Mingzhang sat up straight, staring intently at the approaching funeral procession. He carefully observed the people. The more he looked at them, the stranger they seemed. The four sons and six servants in the procession, though their heads were bowed and eyes filled with tears, showed no sign of grief. Moreover, the servant at the back of the procession was laughing and playing, which didn't seem like a funeral. The funeral procession was very long, followed by many paper replicas of burial houses, cattle, horses, and servants…

Yan Mingzhang waved his hand, signaling Changfeng to act. Changfeng gave a signal to the gatekeepers, who immediately drew their longswords and sabers, surrounding the group. The group, however, remained calm. A middle-aged man who appeared to be the master of the group spoke obsequiously, "Gentlemen, what's going on? Let's talk this out, let's talk this out!"

Without a word, Mo Yun rushed forward and opened the coffin, only to find a corpse inside! Seeing this up close, Mo Yun was so terrified that she fell to the ground and screamed!
Yan Mingzhang carefully observed the middle-aged man's expression. When he saw the coffin being opened, his first reaction wasn't anger, but mockery! A barely perceptible smile appeared on his lips. The middle-aged man, suppressing his laughter, stepped forward, feigning grief: "What are you doing? The doctor said my father has the plague. What if you open it so rashly and infect him?"

The surrounding officers and soldiers immediately took a few steps back and covered their mouths and noses with their sleeves.

No, something's wrong, there must be something wrong! But where is the problem?
Yan Mingzhang carefully observed everyone and everything at the scene. He approached the coffin and noticed its height and the hidden compartments. Yan Mingzhang calmly said, "Since my father has contracted an epidemic, this is a serious matter and must be reported to the court. You cannot take this coffin with you today; it must be handed over to the government for processing!"

The middle-aged man panicked. Seeing the crowd of uninformed onlookers surrounding him, he rolled his eyes and began to vent his anger: "Gentlemen, everyone says the dead should be respected. I was just so indignant that the coffin was opened, and in my haste, I was talking nonsense. My father... my father fell to his death while repairing the roof! It wasn't a plague, it wasn't a plague. You're going too far! Why are you arresting us?"

Some onlookers also chimed in, saying, "Even though you are officials, what you're doing is really going too far!"

"Yeah yeah!"

Yan Mingzhang sneered and explained, "You're saying your father died from a fall?"

The middle-aged man stubbornly insisted, "Yes!"

Yan Mingzhang raised his voice: "If a person died from a fall, their face would inevitably be disfigured, yet this corpse is perfectly preserved. There are even clear ligature marks on the neck, indicating strangulation! Furthermore, these paper figures and palaces are clearly very light, so why are the people carrying them sweating profusely? Because…"

Yan Mingzhang unexpectedly tore open a paper palace, revealing a large box inside!
Changfeng quickly stepped forward and opened the box, which was full of gleaming white silver!