In my dream of returning to the Tang Dynasty, I snatched Wu Zetian from my lap.

No, that's not right, these aren't craftsmen, they're slaves!

It was obvious that the people inside and outside were treated differently. Those inside were emaciated, subjected to long-term whipping, and had their legs restrained by ropes.

Good guy!

Li Yuanchang initially thought this place was just a place that made counterfeit goods, but he never expected it to be a black-hearted brickyard that imprisoned so many people!

At this moment, Lu Xiangdong strode forward, spread his arms, and said with considerable pride.

"Young Master Li, did you see that?"

"This is the strength of my Lu Family Stone Manor."

"As the saying goes, a brick costs an ounce of gold. Since ancient times, bricks have been the most expensive things, requiring a great deal of manpower and resources."

"But the Lu family has a special method that can turn a pound of waste soil into several stone bricks."

He held up a few fingers, his expression arrogant.

Li Yuanchang raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"

"Doesn't that mean this batch of goods will be very expensive?"

Upon hearing this, all the members of the Lu clan in Shizhuang burst into laughter: "Hahaha!"

"Young Master Li, you are overthinking it. Since it's a special method, it naturally can't be priced like on the market."

"Let me put it this way. Look at this clay. Regular bricks and stones need to be made from high-quality clay that is sticky but not crumbly, and powdery but not sandy. Only this kind of clay can be finally shaped."

"The process involves more than a dozen steps, which is extremely slow and costly."

"But the bricks and stones made by the Lu family do not require such high standards. We have our own methods to shape them, and their appearance is almost identical."

"And its price is extremely low."

Li Yuanchang casually scooped up a handful of soil: "How did you manage that?"

Lu Xiangdong and Lu Congjun exchanged a glance and said with a smile, "Young Master, this is a secret of the Lu family, and it is not convenient to disclose it."

"Surely we can at least look at that thing?" Li Yuanchang asked.

"certainly."

"Get the goods!" Lu Xiangdong shouted, and immediately someone used tools to drag a stack of light gray bricks out of the kiln.

Li Yuanchang reached out and picked up a piece. Its weight was noticeably lighter than that of a normal brick. He held it in his hand and weighed it. You really couldn't feel the difference unless you were careful.

Then he twisted it hard.

Click...

Cracks appeared in the bricks instantly; although they didn't completely crumble into dust, they were pretty much done.

Li Yuanchang was shocked. Using this kind of thing to build high-rise buildings? Isn't this an international joke?

This can't even be called a defective product, it's practically shoddy tofu! This is incredibly audacious and utterly unethical!

Lu Xiangdong chuckled and said, "Young Master Li, the quality is a bit lacking, but the profit margin is astonishing."

"You don't need to be afraid of being exposed. This kind of brickwork mixed with wood beams and all real stone is unlikely to cause any problems in a year or two as long as it doesn't rain."

"If a problem really arises, as long as it didn't happen at the time, we can just blame it on natural disasters or man-made calamities."

Now that we've come to this point, everything has been proven true.

Guo Chao and the other guards all looked at him with hostility, and were even ready to arrest him.

With both witnesses and physical evidence, even if the case goes all the way to Chang'an District, no one will be able to help them overturn the verdict.

Li Yuanchang immediately signaled with his eyes not to make any rash moves.

Then he said, "Master Lu, what skillful methods you have."

"Don't you know about that collapsed Dahong Temple?" he drawled.

Lu Xiangdong and the others' expressions changed slightly.

"Young master, as you said yourself, we are here to discuss business, and we know nothing about the Dahong Temple matter."

"If you want to buy it, we can give you a low price."

"A single brick made for the imperial family costs twenty strings of cash, while even those for ordinary people with lower requirements cost two strings of cash. But ours is different."

"We only need eighty coins per coin. You just turn around and do the accounting, report two strings of cash, and the amount is several thousand feet. Won't the money just flow into your pocket?"

"Hahaha!" The two Lu brothers both burst into laughter.

In his previous life, Li Yuanchang had seen countless unscrupulous merchants, but he had never seen one this cunning!

The profit margin on a single fake brick can be as high as 95% or more. How terrifying is that?

The profits are so high that one operation can provide enough for the entire family for a lifetime.

He hardly needed to test it; he knew that Dahong Temple must have used these shoddy bricks.

But such shoddy construction is bound to fail sooner or later, and once it collapses, countless lives will be lost. And the local authorities will cover it up and use various means to deceive and replace the original project.

In ancient times, when communication was so limited, news simply couldn't get out.

It's so dark, so incredibly dark!

These are not bricks and stones, but human blood buns!

Li Yuanchang couldn't help but take a deep breath, forcibly suppressing the indignation and murderous intent in his heart.

Morally speaking, this practice is tantamount to cutting off one's lineage.

From a financial perspective, these people had previously taken several thousand strings of cash from Liangzhou Prefecture, and that money was essentially Li Yuanchang's.

No matter what, it must be eliminated!

"good!"

"I'll go raise the money now, and we'll make the deal in three days."

Lu Xiangdong and his companion exchanged a glance: "We can't produce that many in three days."

"It's alright, you can pay part of the money first and then deliver part of the goods. I'll take this pile of bricks with me; I need to take it back to show my superiors," Li Yuanchang said.

"No problem!"

"Young master is a straightforward person!" Lu Xiangdong and his companion had no doubts.

"Since the deal is settled, please, young master, come on over so that my brother and I, the Lu brothers, can host a welcome feast for you. Fine wine and beautiful women, we'll have you covered!"

Li Yuanchang said, "No need, I'm in a hurry."

"This gold is the deposit."

To lower the other party's guard, he took out a small bag of gold beans that he had prepared in advance, which Fang Weng had collected before his departure.

Lu Xiangdong and his companion were unscrupulous merchants; their eyes lit up when they saw gold.

"In that case, I will see you off, young master."

"it is good."

"please."

"please."

In this way, Li Yuanchang and his group easily found the evidence of their crimes and figured out the true nature and route of Lu's Stone Village.

Everything is going smoothly, and we'll be able to get away soon.

Once he escapes, he can immediately mobilize the Imperial Guard and the Liangzhou troops to suppress the entire manor!

But at the same time, a crisis was quietly approaching!

A group of fast horses rushed in from the southeast of Shizhuang, galloped through, and caught up with the main group.

At this moment, Lu Xiangdong and a large group of clansmen were still trying to build a relationship with Li Yuanchang and discussing how to deliver the goods.

"Boss!"

"Boss!!"

The shouts were deafening, accompanied by the neighing of fast horses.

In an instant, everyone stopped in their tracks and turned to look.

Li Yuanchang's heart skipped a beat, and he had a bad feeling about it.

"They are officers and soldiers!"

"They are officers and soldiers!!"

In an instant, everyone present changed color and looked sharply at Li Yuanchang. He and the other seven people went from being honored guests to becoming the target of everyone's anger.

"Grass!"

Li Yuanchang cursed angrily, not knowing how the news had been leaked, but he made a decisive decision.

boom!

He drew a long knife and instantly placed it against Lu Xiangdong's neck.

"Back off!!"

The scene erupted like a volcano, and at least a hundred people drew their knives simultaneously, creating a tense atmosphere.

In the Tang Dynasty, only armor was strictly prohibited; private retainers and weapons were far less strictly controlled.