Datang: Hiding private money, exposed by Xiao Sizi

Zhao Yeqin nodded and said, "Lord Zhang likes books. I happen to have a lot of books at home, so I just picked up a few and gave them to Lord Zhang."

"How many books did you pick up?"

Shen Lian smiled and said, "Master Zhao is really generous. He just gave me a rare copy worth three mansions?"

When Zhao Yeqin heard Shen Lian's words, the smile on his face froze.

His pupils shrank violently, and a hint of panic flashed across his face for a moment.

"Master Shen, what you mean is..."

Zhao Yeqin spoke hurriedly.

Shen Lian looked directly at Zhao Yeqin. His voice was calm, yet it carried a captivating power.

"Master Zhao, don't you know that the ten books you gave to Zhang Qin are all unique copies from the late Han Dynasty? They are all priceless treasures?"

Zhao Yeqin pursed his lips.

He was silent for a moment, then shook his head and said, "To be honest with you, Lord Shen, I really don't know the value of these books."

"These books have been passed down from our ancestors."

"I don't know exactly from which period these books are from. I only know that these books have been with us. My grandfather passed them down to my father, and my father passed them down to me."

"I am not very knowledgeable about books, and I have not read them very often, so I did not know that these books were the only copies from the end of the Han Dynasty."

The reasons given by Zhao Yeqin are still barely acceptable.

After all, if it weren’t for Wang Xiaohua, Shen Lian might not have known the value of these rare copies.

However, Zhao Yeqin still lied.

After all, if it is not valuable, how can it be passed down from generation to generation?
Not to mention, when Zhao Yeqin spoke just now, his eyes flickered and he was very panicked. That expression almost told Shen Lian clearly that he was talking nonsense.

Shen Lian said calmly: "Since these books have been passed down from generation to generation in Lord Zhao's family, I think they have special meaning to your Zhao family, right?"

"If it's such a meaningful thing, why did you give it to Zhang Qin?"

Zhao Yeqin suddenly clenched his fists.

But the next moment, he seemed to realize something and quickly loosened his fist.

But this scene did not escape Shen Lian, who had been staring at Zhao Yeqin.

Zhao Yeqin said: "Actually, the reason is very simple."

"Just as Lord Shen asked, I stole the credit from Lord Zhang, so I feel guilty."

"I thought of giving Lord Zhang something to make up for it."

"It just so happens that I have inquired about it. Lord Zhang likes to read and collect books, so in order to make up for the debt and to make my future career in the Ministry of Industry smoother, I hope this incident will not affect Lord Zhang's impression of me."

"I can only bear the pain and give these books to Master Zhang."

Shen Lian nodded: "This is all understandable."

When Zhao Yeqin heard this, his eyes suddenly relaxed.

But I don’t believe it!

Shen Lian finished the rest of the words calmly in his heart.

Zhao Yeqin obviously knew the value of these books, but the credit for his robbery was not enough to actually gain anything, not even the value of a single copy.

Therefore, in order to make up for the debt, the worst that can happen is to give out all the benefits gained from that contribution.

How is it possible that the benefits could be far more than ten times?

Is he a boy who gives away money?
Therefore, there must be something else hidden here!
However, Zhao Yeqin clearly didn't want to tell the truth, so Shen Lian's questioning would yield no results.

So Shen Lian put it aside for the time being.

He looked at Zhao Yeqin and said, "Master Zhao, when was the last time you saw Zhang Qin today? Where was it?"

Zhao Yeqin thought for a moment, then said, "It was about three quarters of an hour ago, at the well."

Three quarters of an hour ago?
Shen Lian's eyes flashed.

The coroner performed an autopsy and said that Zhang Qin had died within half an hour.

And three quarters of an hour is smaller than half an hour!

This is equivalent to directly shortening the time by a quarter.

Zhao Yeqin said: "At that time, a fire broke out in the archives room, and all of us were fighting the fire. I was fetching water from the well, and I happened to meet Lord Zhang who was busy fetching water."

Seeing that Shen Lian didn't say anything, he added: "There were other colleagues present at the time. We were all trying to put out the fire with water. I think they should have seen it, too."

Shen Lian has already asked Du Chuke to investigate, and there will be results soon, so he will naturally be able to judge whether what Zhao Yeqin said is true or not.

Shen Lian was in no hurry to verify, he continued to ask: "What happens next?"

"After that, I was busy putting out the fire and didn't care about the people around me. I didn't know where Mr. Zhang went."

"It was not until just now that I heard that Lord Zhang was found in the dry well."

Shen Lian's gaze was deep, and when Zhao Yeqin was stared at by him, he immediately felt as if the deepest secret in his heart had been seen through.

This made Zhao Yeqin sweat on his forehead.

Shen Lian smiled and said, "Master Zhao, it's a cool autumn day. Do you feel hot? Why are you sweating?"

Zhao Yeqin quickly raised his sleeve to wipe the sweat off his face and said, "I may have been in a hurry when I came here just now, so I'm sweating a little."

"Really?"

Shen Lian said meaningfully: "I thought Lord Zhao was nervous, so he was sweating."

Zhao Yeqin's face froze, and he immediately shook his head: "Why would this subordinate be nervous? Lord Shen misunderstood."

Shen Lian smiled and said, "It may indeed be a misunderstanding."

He asked, "Where does Lord Zhao usually handle his official duties? Can I go over and have a seat and a cup of tea?"

Zhao Yeqin quickly said, "Of course, Lord Shen, please."

As he said this, he led the way.

At this time, Wang Xiaohua also realized that Zhao Yeqin seemed a little too panicked.

She followed behind Shen Lian and lowered her voice and asked, "Does Lord Shen suspect that he has killed someone?"

Shen Lian narrowed his eyes and said calmly: "Not sure, after all, I haven't found conclusive evidence yet."

"However, even if he is not the murderer, he must be closely related to this case. At least, he knows key information."

"Let's go and take a look at his office first."

"The first crime scene has not been found yet, and neither has the murder weapon. Since it's not Zhang Qin's office, we have no choice but to walk around a little more."

Wang Xiaohua immediately understood what Shen Lian meant, and she nodded in agreement.

The two followed Zhao Yeqin and soon arrived at Zhao Yeqin's office.

Zhao Yeqin's official position was Langzhong, a middle-level rank in the Ministry of Works, so he did not have a separate office.

I share a large office with several other people.

Entering the office, Shen Lian found that there were six desks.

So, it is an office room shared by six people.

On each table, there are some booklets, pens, ink, paper, and inkstones, as well as some drawing tools.

As people from the Ministry of Engineering, they all know some engineering knowledge to some extent.

Zhao Yeqin's desk is the second one on the left, which is close to the window.

This is a relatively good location in this office.

Here, you can bask in the sun and see the scenery outside the window. At this time, there was no one else in the office. The fire had just been put out. There was a lot of work in the file room, so all the officials who were free went over to help.

After Zhao Yeqin invited Shen Lian to sit down, he quickly picked up the teapot on the table and poured a cup of tea for Shen Lian.

He said, "Sir Shen, please have some tea. I don't have any good tea leaves here. Please bear with me, Sir Shen."

Shen Lian took the teacup and said with a smile: "I have no requirements for tea, nor do I have any research on it. As long as it can quench my thirst, it's fine."

He took a sip of tea and looked at Zhao Yeqin's table.

There were two teacups on the table.

Shen Lian asked, "Master Zhao entertained someone not long ago?"

Zhao Yeqin glanced at the teacup on the table and quickly put it away, saying, "I am a little careless and always forget to put away the tea set. In fact, I drank it with my colleagues this morning."

Shen Lian nodded slightly.

However, there was a hint of deeper meaning in the look he gave the teacup.

What did you drink in the morning?

As a result, there is a hint of heat now.

This open teacup has an amazing heat preservation effect!

Shen Lian looked at Zhao Yeqin deeply, but did not expose Zhao Yeqin's lie.

He looked towards Zhao Yeqin's desk.

There were some drawings and a few books on the table.

There is ink on the inkstone.

It seems that Zhao Yeqin is very busy today.

He looked towards other parts of the office.

The decoration of this office is also relatively simple.

Six tables, arranged in order.

Three on each side.

There is a small bookshelf behind each table.

There is a cabinet underneath the bookshelf.

It is obvious that the decorations here are standardized and the same for everyone.

The only difference is what is on each table.

For example, Zhao Yeqin only has the four treasures of the study and books.

On the table in front of Zhao Yeqin, there was a small flowerpot with a small flower planted in it.

On the table opposite Zhao Yeqin, there was an exquisite small stone sculpture, which depicted a gorgeous tiger with its head held high and roaring in the mountains.

However, one of the tiger's ears had fallen off, which reminded Shen Lian of a nursery rhyme.

"One has no ears, and one has no eyes. How strange... Hey Hui."

Shen Lian picked up the small stone sculpture and said with a smile, "How strange."

When Zhao Yeqin, a doctor in the Ministry of Works, heard Shen Lian's words, his pupils trembled slightly.

He looked at the tiger stone sculpture in Shen Lian's hand and explained, "Originally, this stone sculpture was complete, but a few days ago, when I passed by, I accidentally bumped into it and knocked it to the ground, causing one of the tiger's ears to fall off, and it became the strange shape it is now."

Upon hearing this, Shen Lian raised his finger and touched the broken ear of the stone sculpture. Feeling the graininess of his fingertips, he nodded slightly and said, "So it was Lord Zhao who broke it. I was wondering why his ear was gone."

"If Lord Zhao hadn't said it, I would have thought it was his unique feature. It wasn't there when he was carving it."

Zhao Yeqin laughed awkwardly: "How is this possible? How could they intentionally leave out the ears when carving it?"

Shen Lian looked at the tiger carefully. This stone-carved tiger was colorful, with a pair of bright red eyes. It gave people the feeling that its eyes were bloodshot and looked very intimidating.

Shen Lian said: "This tiger's eyes are very unique. Usually, stone-carved tigers don't have their eyes dyed blood red."

Zhao Yeqin scratched his head and said, "I also think it is very distinctive. Once I see this pair of eyes, it is hard to forget them."

Shen Lian nodded slightly.

He put the stone sculpture back to its original place and asked, "Whose stone sculpture is this?"

Zhao Yeqin hurriedly said, "It's Mr. Han Xun, the official."

Han Xun?

Shen Lian recalled.

Soon, we found out who Han Xun was.

Han Xun, Yuwenlang of the Ministry of Works, was responsible for the design and review of residential buildings.

He was 43 years old and had worked in the Ministry of Works for 20 years. He was a former official of the Sui Dynasty and stayed in the Tang Dynasty after its founding.

During these years, he participated in the construction of the Daming Palace, post stations, and temporary palaces, as well as the residences of many kings, princes, and generals.

His abilities are beyond doubt and his connections are strong too.

"So it's from Lord Han."

Shen Lian nodded suddenly.

Zhao Yeqin said: "Lord Han likes architecture and also likes to study sculpture. This stone sculpture was carved by Lord Han himself."

Shen Lian couldn't help but praise and exclaimed: "Master Han's carving skills are also at the master level."

"Don't dare to take it, don't take it!"

At this moment, a powerful voice suddenly came from outside the door.

Shen Lian looked in the direction of the sound and saw Han Xun, the Deputy Director, striding in.

Han Xun walked like a dragon and a tiger, and seemed to be in a very good spirit. He smiled heartily, and bowed to Shen Lian, saying, "I don't dare to accept the title of master. Lord Shen is right to call me a master. I carve just to kill time when I have nothing to do. Compared with the real masters, I am far behind."

Shen Lian said with a smile: "I don't know the carving skills. I am just looking at it from the perspective of an ordinary viewer. I just think that this tiger is carved lifelike, especially the color matching of its eyes, which is full of boldness and imagination. I am deeply impressed."

Han Xun laughed, picked up the stone sculpture, and said, "It is an honor for it to be liked by Lord Shen."

As he spoke, Han Xun put the stone sculpture into a box.

Seeing this, Shen Lian asked curiously, "What does Lord Han want?"

Han Xun said, "A few days ago, the stone sculpture fell to the ground and its ear was knocked off. Xiaguan is going to take it back and study it carefully to see if it can be repaired."

Zhao Yeqin felt ashamed when he heard this. He said, "It's all my fault for not paying attention when I was walking."

Han Xun smiled and waved his hands: "This is not what Lord Zhao did on purpose, Lord Zhao, don't mind it."

Shen Lian looked at Han Xun and said, "Master Han is really kind-hearted."

Han Xun smiled and said, "We are all colleagues. Besides, I know Lord Zhao well. He really didn't mean it. It's just a small thing. There's no need to hold on to it."

Zhao Yeqin looked touched.

Shen Lian said: "The relationship between Lord Han and Lord Zhao is really enviable."

Han Xun said: "We are all colleagues who have fought side by side, so naturally we have a better relationship."

Shen Lian nodded slightly and invited: "Master Han, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea?"

Han Xun hesitated for a moment, then said, "I still have to help with the affairs of the archives office, this..."

Shen Lian nodded slightly and invited: "Master Han, why don't you sit down and have a cup of tea?"

Han Xun hesitated for a moment, then said, "I still have to help with the affairs of the archives office, this..."

(End of this chapter)