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"This man's name is Nathaniel Peck."

Su Zhou secretly observed Charona's expression before speaking.

"During the investigation into the source of the counterfeit currency, the mint discovered that among the counterfeit currency currently circulating in the London market, there was a batch that was extremely well-made and almost indistinguishable from the real thing. The molds used for this batch of counterfeit currency were made by this person."

Montagu's smile vanished completely.

He stood up abruptly, his chair sliding backward with a screeching sound on the floor.

"A mold maker?!"

He slammed his hand hard on the table.

"Do you even know what the economy in England is like right now?!"

The entire room fell silent; the guests dared not utter a sound.

Montagu's gaze was like a knife, piercing straight at Peck, who was kneeling on the ground.

"The national treasury is empty, and large quantities of silver coins are being trimmed and melted down, with bad money driving out good! How much has Parliament allocated for reminting the currency? The mints are working day and night to replace the old coins as quickly as possible and stabilize market confidence!"

"And you people, while the mint is frantically minting new coins, are secretly making counterfeit ones! Every counterfeit coin you make is equivalent to stealing a genuine coin from the treasury of England! It's equivalent to stealing money from the pockets of every English citizen!"

"England's economy has been gnawed down piece by piece by you parasites!"

Peck shrank back, not daring to utter a sound.

Montagu forcibly suppressed his anger and turned to look at Su Zhou.

Today is Su Zhou's inauguration ceremony. There are many people attending the ceremony, including parliamentary officials and prominent figures from London. Once the news gets out, the whole of London will know that the new Superintendent of the Mint has caught the key figure in counterfeiting on his first day in office.

Montagu knew exactly what the value of this gift was.

"Mr. Su, this man makes molds. Once molds are made, someone has to use them, someone has to cast them, and someone has to dismantle them. Who is the main culprit? Who are the accomplices? Has he confessed?"

Su Zhou turned slightly to look at Newton, who was standing quietly to the side.

"It would be more appropriate for Mr. Newton to answer this question."

Newton stepped forward, took a document from his pocket, and unfolded it: "Peck has already confessed to several accomplices."

He glanced down at the document and began reading out names.

"Samuel Hall ran a small mint on the south bank of the Thames, where the counterfeit money was mainly produced. Joseph Gray was responsible for distributing the counterfeit money into the market in batches, primarily through a few pubs and casinos..."

"You've told me everything—the transportation, the casting, the sales," Montagu said urgently. "But what about the mastermind? Who's behind it all? Who paid for it? Who spearheaded it?"

He turned to Peck and shouted, "I want you to tell me yourself who the mastermind is."

Peck knelt on the ground, trembling all over.

Peck didn't know how Newton had managed to uncover everything he had done over the past three years, including the mold blueprints he thought had been destroyed, the secret transactions he thought were kept secret, and the mold hidden in the cellar that he thought only he knew about.

That person sat there, as if he were all-knowing and all-powerful.

Could it be because of that Mr. Su?

That Easterner definitely knows witchcraft!

Peck could no longer hide it.

He slowly raised his eye that wasn't swollen, lifted his bound hands, and pointed in a direction, trembling.

"It's...it's him."

"William Charona".

All eyes turned to Chalona.

Charona was furious, but reacted very quickly.

"Your Excellency!" Charona's voice held just the right amount of anger. "This is an absolute joke!"

"Your Excellency, you know me well. I, William Charonnay, have always been a loyal subject of the King. I have reported the counterfeit currency problem to Parliament many times, even at the risk of offending the people at the Mint, and that is precisely the problem!"

He changed the subject, his gaze sweeping over Su Zhou and Newton.

"At the last hearing, I publicly pointed out the loopholes in the management of the mint, which made Mr. Newton and Mr. Su lose face. Since then, the people at the mint have been trying to find ways to retaliate against me."

"They tortured this Peck in prison. Look at his face! Look at the injuries on his body! A man beaten like this, you ask him to identify someone and he won't? He doesn't repeat what they tell him to say?"

"Your Excellency, this is clearly a frame-up! The mint is settling personal scores!"

It must be said that these words were reasonable and well-founded, and many people present were swayed.

Even Montagu frowned slightly, as if he was considering whether Charona's words made sense.

Just then, Su Zhou spoke up: "Your Excellency, please allow me to say a few words."

"I think Mr. Charona has a point."

A look of confusion appeared on everyone's faces.

Charona was stunned, his mouth agape for a moment.

"It is a fact that Nathanil Peck was subjected to interrogation pressure in prison, and under such circumstances, whether his testimony is entirely credible is indeed debatable."

"Moreover, Peck is an accomplice. He could very well deliberately point out someone who happens to be at the scene to divert attention and make us work for nothing in order to cover up for the real mastermind."

Montagu nodded slowly upon hearing this: "You make a good point."

"It is certainly not enough to convict someone based solely on Peck's testimony," Montagu said.

Charona breathed a sigh of relief, but at the same time, he was puzzled.

Is this Asian man speaking up for him?

He personally admitted to Su Zhou and Newton that he was Mr. Chandler!

He thought that Su Zhou brought Peck out today in order to bring him down in public.

But now...

Su Zhou actually defended him?

What is he planning?

Charona couldn't figure it out, but his intuition told him that something was fishy.

Montagu looked at Su Zhou with a hint of admiration in his eyes.

"Mr. Su Zhou, you made great contributions as soon as you took office, capturing the key person in the mold making. But what is even more commendable is that you were not blinded by your achievements, you were not eager for quick success, and you did not hastily wrong a potentially innocent person."

He reached out and patted Su Zhou's shoulder heavily.

"This prudence and impartiality is what the English Mint truly needs."

Su Zhou bowed slightly, his expression humble.

"Your Excellency is too kind. I just feel that a talent like Mr. Charona should not be subjected to such unsubstantiated slander."

"After all, Mr. Charona's deep understanding of minting technology and his thorough analysis of counterfeit currency circulation channels are truly admirable. His performance at the last hearing left a deep impression on everyone at the mint. Such a professional should not be slandered."

Charona's lips twitched.

Su Zhou observed Charona's expression and silently complained in his mind.

Are you stupid? Don't you know why I'm speaking up for you?

It's very simple, I know you too well.

You are a cunning and suspicious person with a skin thicker than the Tower of London. If we were to test you based solely on Peck's accusation, you would definitely try to deny it. In the end, the evidence would be insufficient, and you would get away with it.

So that's why.

The real feast I've prepared for you is yet to come.

For now, I'll keep you safe, make you think you're safe, lower your guard, and make you think that I, Su Zhou, am handsome, kind-hearted, and easy to bully.

At this moment, Newton spoke up: "Your Excellency, Minister."

"I agree with Mr. Su Zhou's view that Mr. Charona should not be convicted based solely on one side's testimony. However, according to normal judicial procedures, since someone has already identified him, we still need to ask Mr. Charona to come to Newgate Prison to cooperate with the investigation."

"It's just a routine inquiry, asking a few questions to clear him of suspicion. If Mr. Charona is innocent, it's actually a good thing for him. The official investigation has cleared him of suspicion, and no one can use this to criticize him anymore."

Montagu thought about it and agreed with his point.

He turned to Charona, his tone much gentler: "Mr. Charona, just cooperate and spend a few days in jail. After the questioning is over and the suspicion is cleared, I will personally arrange for your release."

Charona's lips froze for a moment.

Go to prison?

Of course he didn't want to go.

But since Montaguetuan said so, if he refused, it would seem like he was guilty.

Charona took a deep breath and forced a frank and generous smile: "Since Your Excellency has said so, I will naturally cooperate fully. True gold fears no fire, and the innocent will clear themselves of any wrongdoing."

Newgate Prison.

The moment the iron gate slammed shut behind him, the last trace of composure on Charona's face shattered.

The corridor was damp and dark, with water seeping from the walls and an indescribable stench permeating the air.

There were no vacant cells in the prison, so Charona was taken to a relatively sparsely populated cell.

The cell was supposed to be clean, but it was nothing more than the straw in the corners had been replaced and the rust on the iron bars had been wiped off.

There were ragged thieves, burly thugs with menacing faces, and several prisoners who looked half-dead.

Charona found a relatively clean corner to sit down, leaned against the cold stone wall, and closed his eyes.

He didn't speak to anyone; he needed to sort out his thoughts.

First, Peck implicated Hall and others.

He had indeed used these people, but he had long anticipated that something would go wrong, so he made arrangements from the very beginning.

Second, Peck identified him.

This is indeed tricky, but it's not unsolvable.

Peck's confession was made after torture, which greatly reduced its credibility. Moreover, the Easterner spoke on his behalf, and even Montagu did not fully believe Peck's words.

As long as he stubbornly denies it, the mint can't do anything about it.

They had no physical evidence.

Charona went through the scenario in his mind over and over again, and finally confirmed that he was still safe.

But another problem arises.

Peck and his associates were arrested, and his carefully constructed counterfeit currency network, built up over many years, was uprooted overnight.

The plan to counterfeit currency had to be put on hold indefinitely.

And without the revenue from counterfeit money...

Charona opened her eyes.

He looked at his hands.

These hands once belonged to an orphan who survived by scavenging through garbage in the dirtiest slum in East London. He scavenged rotten vegetable leaves in ditches to fill his stomach, dislocated his shoulder while carrying goods at the docks, and huddled under bridges in the coldest winters, keeping warm by huddling together with stray dogs.

It took him ten years to climb up from the bottom of the mud.

He now wears velvet coats, drinks fine black tea, speaks eloquently at parliamentary hearings, and is on friendly terms with bigwigs like Montagu.

He absolutely does not want to go back to the past.

no way!

He had to find another way.

Charona's gaze began to wander across the cell, sweeping over the various faces.

What is a prison?

It is London's largest intelligence exchange.

This place holds thieves, swindlers, smugglers, and murderers; each one is a gold mine, as long as you know how to mine it.

Charona's lips curled up slightly.

He stood up, dusted off non-existent dust, and walked toward the nearest prisoner.

"Friend," his voice was gentle, like that of a concerned gentleman, "what brought you in?"

The mint, Newton's office.

Dusk streamed in through the window, casting long shadows on the floor.

Montague sat in the chair opposite Newton, holding a cup of hot tea, but he had completely forgotten to drink it.

His entire attention was focused on Su Zhou.

"So you mean," Montagu's voice betrayed barely suppressed shock, "that you captured Peck, but never left this office from beginning to end?"

"To be precise, I haven't left this table." Su Zhou knew he needed to maintain a high-class image at this moment, so he put on an act.

Newton nodded in agreement and added, "From discovering the clues about the counterfeit money to identifying Peck and pinpointing his hiding place, Mr. Sue accomplished the entire process sitting right here."

Montagu put down his teacup, astonished. "How did you do that?!"

Su Zhou smiled slightly, got up and walked to the London map on Newton's table.

The map was covered with numerous markings connected by lines, resembling a spider web.

Su Zhou pointed to the map: "It's very simple. The real difference between your high-grade counterfeit currency and genuine currency lies in the circulation path."

Montagu frowned: "Circulation path?"

"Genuine coins come from the mint, pass through banks, and enter the market. Their circulation is evenly distributed, with roughly the same density across all areas of London." Su Zhou drew a large circle on the map with his finger.

"But counterfeit money is different. Counterfeit money has a source, the mint. After it flows out of the mint, it spreads along specific channels. The closer to the mint, the higher the density of counterfeit money. Specific taverns, casinos, and markets are nodes where counterfeit money is distributed. They are not randomly distributed, but systematically distributed."

"What I do is collect data."

"data?"

"The mint receives counterfeit currency samples from various exchange points every day. I had someone record the specific information of every counterfeit currency discovered in the past three months, including the location and time of discovery."

Su Zhou walked back to the table, opened a thick notebook, which was filled with dense numbers and charts.

"Then Mr. Newton classified and compared these data."

Montagu's eyes widened further.

Su Zhou pointed to a spot on the map: "Look here, this batch of counterfeit money first appeared in Southwark, then spread north to the other side of the Thames, and then east to Whitechapel. The spread trajectory is not random; it has a clear direction and time pattern."

"Tracing back along the direction of diffusion, all the paths eventually converge here, in an alley on the south bank of the Thames, where Hall's foundry was located."

"When our people went over, they indeed found the minting equipment and unfinished counterfeit currency that hadn't yet been destroyed."

Montagu's mouth was slightly open, and he was completely unaware that the tea in his cup had long since gone cold.

"But this is only the first step," Su Zhou continued. "Finding a foundry is easy; finding a mold maker is the key. Foundry workers can be replaced, sales channels can be changed, but molds are the source of the entire chain."

Montagu's breathing became heavier.

"and then?"

"Based on clues provided by others, we easily found Peck."

Then Montague slammed his hand on the armrest with a loud thud.

"good!"

He abruptly stood up: "You mean you sat behind this table, and with just a bunch of numbers, a map, and a notebook, you managed to uncover a mold maker hiding underground in London?"

Su Zhou bowed slightly: "Your Excellency is too kind. This is merely an analytical method."

"Analytical methods?!" Montagu's voice trembled. "Mr. Newton, did you hear that?"

Newton nodded, a rare smile playing on his lips: "I heard that. In fact, when Mr. Su first showed me his deduction process, I was also... quite shocked."

Montagu walked to the front of the map and carefully examined the lines and markings.

The more I look at it, the more alarmed I become.

This is hardly a simple analytical method.

This is a complete, systematic, and unprecedented tracking system!

From data collection to feature classification, spatial distribution analysis, time series analysis, suspect screening, and cross-validation, every step is interconnected and logically rigorous.

He had served as Chancellor of the Exchequer for so many years and had met countless intelligent people, but he had never seen anyone solve a case in this way.

Before this, what did they rely on to catch counterfeiters?

Informant tips, stakeouts, and bribing insiders—frankly, it's all about piling on manpower, which is inefficient and often leads to nothing.

The Asian man in front of us, sitting behind a table, accomplished with a pen and a bunch of numbers what dozens of agents couldn't do even if they ran their legs off.

Montagu turned around, his expression more solemn than ever before.

"Mr. Su, what is this kind of analytical technique called in your Eastern culture?"

Su Zhou thought for a moment and used a term he felt people of this era could understand: "In the East, we call it big data analytics. It involves collecting massive amounts of seemingly scattered and unrelated information, extracting patterns from them, and reconstructing the whole picture of things."

"Big data analytics..." Montagu murmured, repeating the term as he diligently studied it.

Then his eyes lit up: "Mr. Newton, we must promote this technology from the East in England!"

He began pacing around the room, his mind now completely open.

"It's not just about tracking down counterfeit money; smuggling, tax evasion, military deployment, food supply—which of these doesn't require finding patterns in massive amounts of information? If this analytical approach could be systematically applied to national governance, England would gain an unprecedented advantage throughout Europe!"

Montagu became more and more excited as he spoke. He walked up to Su Zhou and grabbed his hand.

"Mr. Su Zhou, I assure you that His Majesty the King will know everything you have done for England today. I will personally write to His Majesty William to commend you, not only for capturing Peck, but more importantly for the methods you brought."

He held Su Zhou's hand and said, "You are a gift from God to England."

Newton watched this scene from the side, and the corners of his mouth curved up a little wider.

His mysterious group member never disappoints.

After Montagu left, the office fell silent.

Su Zhou leaned back in his chair, wanting to catch up on some sleep. He was also a bit tired from acting in today's scene.

Just then, there was a knock on the door.

"Come in," Newton said.

Tom pushed open the door and came in, holding a letter in his hand.

"Mr. Newton, an urgent letter has just arrived from Gibbons' hometown."

Newton's expression changed instantly.

He practically sprang from his chair, strode over, took the envelope, tore it open, pulled out the letter, and quickly scanned its contents.

Su Zhou sat up straight: "What's wrong?"

Newton put down the letter and looked at Su Zhou.

"One good news, one bad news."

"The good news is that our people actually found traces of him in Gibbons' hometown."

Su Zhou's eyes lit up, and his mind raced.

Gibbons is another key figure in Charona's counterfeit money network. Unlike Peck, Gibbons covered up Charona's crimes and knew more!

If Gibbons can be brought back to London to testify, it won't just be Peck's testimony alone. With two witnesses corroborating each other, Charona won't be able to deny it.

"Gibbons is a key witness!" Su Zhou stood up. "We must bring him back to London as soon as possible! As soon as he gets there..."

"Su".

Newton's voice interrupted him.

"The bad news is..."

Newton said slowly.

"Our men discovered Gibbons' trail, but before they could make contact with him, Gibbons was killed."