Datang: Hiding private money, exposed by Xiao Sizi

"Later, when His Majesty ascended the throne, he continued to employ Lord Qin He."

"Until ten years ago, Lord Qin He felt tired and felt that he had failed to live up to His Majesty's trust, so he took the initiative to retire and return home. His Majesty allowed him to do so, considering his hard work and great contributions."

Shen Lian nodded slightly.

I have an impression of Qin He.

The old ministers of the previous dynasty were good at fighting on the battlefield but not good at handling state affairs.

In the Ministry of Industry, my job is basically to manage some affairs and provide pension.

Shen Lian continued to ask, "My father-in-law said that Qin He took the initiative to retire and return home? So when he retired and returned home, did he mean that he was not old enough to retire and return home?"

Retiring to one's hometown in ancient times was the same as retiring in later generations.

People only do it when they reach a certain age.

Moreover, many officials, even when they were old, were unwilling to move for the sake of their own interests, and often needed the emperor's persuasion or reminder to give up their positions.

Deshun nodded and said, "Yes, Lord Qin He retired and returned home about five years earlier than normal."

"Speaking of which, I am also very moved. It is rare for someone in such a high position as Lord Qin to retire so happily and return home five years early."

"Your Majesty also thinks that Lord Qin He has performed very well, and he has given him a lot of rewards."

When Li Shimin ascended the throne, in order to appease the officials, he continued to use Qin He, who was basically useless.

Later, Qin He took the initiative to give up his position, and Li Shimin was naturally happy.

After all, this wasn't a position he could take and force people to leave.

It has nothing to do with his personal morality.

Shen Lian asked, "Was Qin He really in poor health when he left?"

Deshun thought for a moment and said, "His expression was indeed not very good at that time, but I don't know the details."

Shen Lian nodded slightly.

De Shun served Li Shimin, so naturally he couldn't pay too much attention to other people.

At this time, Shen Lian thought of something, and he suddenly asked, "I remember that the Temple of Heaven was rebuilt ten years ago."

"I want to know whether Qin He retired and returned home before or after this."

Deshun thought about it carefully and said, "It seems that after that, it seems that he retired and returned to his hometown just after the Temple of Heaven was renovated."

Brush it.

A gleam of light flashed deep in Shen Lian's eyes.

Han Qian discovered some problems with the Temple of Heaven.

Then he was replaced by the fake Han Qian.

As a result, just as the Temple of Heaven was completed, the Minister of Works who had presided over the construction of the Temple of Heaven retired five years ahead of schedule.

Is all this a coincidence?
Or... inevitable!?

Qin He's resignation from office and Han Qian's renovation of the Temple of Heaven actually happened in the same year.

Moreover, it was just after the renovation of the Temple of Heaven was completed.

This made Shen Lian very concerned.

Shen Lian believed that if Han Qian wanted to renovate the Temple of Heaven, he would definitely have to consult the official who previously presided over the construction of the Temple of Heaven.

In other words, if nothing unexpected happens, Qin He was most likely involved in the renovation of the Temple of Heaven.

Even if they didn't participate, they certainly gave guidance and would certainly pay attention.

So, in this case, after the renovation of the Temple of Heaven was completed, he retired and returned home.

some of……

It really made Shen Lian unable to help but think about it.

Shen Lian looked at Deshun and asked, "Father-in-law, do you know why Qin He died after he retired and returned to his hometown?"

Just now Deshun said that Qin He died three years after he returned to his hometown.

Considering Qin He's age and wealth, he shouldn't have died so soon.

Unless, something unexpected happens.

Such as serious illness?

For example... being killed!!
Deshun thought for a moment and said, "He probably died of a serious illness."

"Lord Qin He retired to his hometown as a minister. After his death, the local government reported to Your Majesty."

"When His Majesty learned about it, he sent people to pay their respects."

"That is why I learned about the death of Master Qin He."

Shen Lian nodded slightly.

In the Tang Dynasty, basically anyone with the rank of assistant minister or above, if he or she retired normally and returned to his or her hometown, would be considered a prominent figure after returning to his or her hometown, and both the local officials and the imperial court would pay attention to him or her.

If he died, the court would naturally need to express its opinion.

After all, this proves that Li Shimin still remembers these heroes who once contributed to the Tang Dynasty.

However, for officials below the rank of Vice Minister, at most the Ministry of Personnel would just give a heads up and would not alarm Li Shimin.

After all, there were so many officials in the Tang Dynasty. If any one of them died, Li Shimin would have to make a statement. Then Li Shimin would have nothing to do for the whole day.

Deshun said that Qin He died of illness.

Did he die of a real illness, or a fake one? !

Shen Lian needs to confirm this.

After all, this is about whether Qin He knows some secrets.

"When Lu Shisan comes back, let him use the power of the Shadow Guard to investigate. Qin He's status is not low, and the Shadow Guard should have some records."

Shen Lian collected his thoughts and continued to look at the other eunuchs and guards.

After questioning one by one, these eunuchs and guards did not give any useful clues.

Those eunuchs were in charge of different tasks and didn’t even know that the building materials were missing.

Some of these guards were responsible for guarding the entire construction site to prevent anyone from sneaking into other areas of the palace.

There was also one who happened to be in charge of the warehouse.

So this guard actually confirmed what Zhao Heng said.

He said to Shen Lian, "Sir Shen, I was in charge of guarding the warehouse at that time. We had two shifts to guard the warehouse."

"At that time, I was in charge of the night."

"There are twelve of us in total, guarding the warehouse at the same time."

"During our surveillance, we did not find any abnormalities in the warehouse. Even if workers came to retrieve building materials, they had to be accompanied by officials from the Ministry of Industry. We also kept records to ensure that every building material could be traced back to its source."

"But even so, in the end, those building materials still disappeared. We all felt very strange and couldn't understand it."

After listening to this, Shen Lian looked at Zhao Heng.

Zhao Heng said hurriedly, "He is right. When building the Temple of Heaven for Your Majesty, we dare not make any mistakes or be careless. Any transfer of materials requires the joint witness of the Ministry of Works, us, and the guards."

"Because of this, there is no one who can embezzle the money and secretly transport the building materials out. That is why the disappearance of the building materials is so strange."

Shen Lian narrowed his eyes.

He absolutely did not believe in any strange thing like disappearing out of thin air.

It is impossible for so many building materials to be taken away secretly.

Therefore, if my guess is correct, someone among the guards, the Ministry of Works, or the eunuchs must be lying!!
After all, with so many building materials, if you want to operate them, it is impossible not to alert anyone and there will be no one to respond.

But who is responding? !
And... where were those materials transported? !

What did you do again?!

This is the most important thing!!

Several hundred people would need five days' worth of building materials, enough to build a large hall.

Shen Lian's mind was as clear as a mirror.

He knew that the so-called strange things must be someone's deliberate lies, which led to this seemingly impossible thing.

It’s just like the murder that happened in Han’s house.

In fact, it was a very simple case.

Because everyone in the Han Mansion is lying.

The direction of the case was completely misled, leading to impossible crimes.

Shen Lian believed that this case, which happened more than ten years ago, was definitely the same.

All three parties said it was okay.

There must be a problem!!

It's just not clear now who has the problem.

Shen Lian's brain was working frantically, but he didn't show it on the surface.

He nodded slightly: "Okay, I understand. Next, I will give you some paper and pen. Please write down everything you know. I will check them one by one in a while."

As he said this, he looked at Deshun, who was very sensible and said, "Don't worry, Master Shen, just leave this matter to me."

"Thank you, father-in-law."

Shen Lian turned around and looked at Fatty Zhang who was inspecting the Temple of Heaven.

Fatty Zhang checked very carefully, stopping from time to time to knock and bump with a small hammer, and then carefully identify whether there was any mechanism.

Shen Lian did not disturb Fatty Zhang. After thinking for a while, he walked towards the main hall behind the Temple of Heaven.

Upon seeing this, Deshun asked someone to prepare paper and pen, and then hurried over to accompany him.

He said, "Sir Shen, the hall behind the Temple of Heaven has a main hall and two side halls. The main hall is where the tablets of the royal ancestors are placed."

"The side shop on the left is a quiet room. Sometimes when Your Majesty is upset, he will go to the quiet room to calm his mind."

"Sometimes when the princes make mistakes, His Majesty will ask them to come to the quiet room to reflect on themselves."

"The side hall on the right is like a storehouse, where things used for sacrifices are stored."

"If your majesty wishes to use the Temple of Heaven, you can take it out immediately and set it up."

Shen Lian nodded slightly, and while listening, he entered the main hall.

When you enter the hall, you can see the tablet in front of you.

There are quite a few tablets, and they are arranged in order according to the backup.

In front of the tablet is a table.

There were incense burners and offerings on the table.

Shen Lian looked at it carefully and found nothing unusual.

Deshun said, "During every festival, your majesty would come here to burn incense. This is also the Temple of Heaven, where your majesty comes most often and is the most popular place."

Shen Lian nodded slightly.

He thought that if he was a thief, even if he had secretly set up a trap, he would not have done it in the main hall.

After all, as the most frequently used place in the entire Temple of Heaven, if there really is any mechanism, it is also the easiest to be discovered.

At the same time, it is also the most inconvenient.

I thought he was walking towards the side hall on the left.

Soon, we arrived at the quiet room.

The side hall on the left is smaller than the main hall.

This place is designed as a quiet room facing the wall.

There were several futons on the ground.

The whole room was empty, with no extra furniture.

There is no decoration at all.

Shen Lian looked around and found nothing obviously unusual.

However, the quiet room is probably not used very often. If he wants to do something, this is a suitable place for him to hide from the eyes and ears of others.

"Let Fatty Zhang take a look later."

Shen Lian turned around and walked towards the side hall on the right.

As they walked, he asked, "Eunuch, you said that the side hall on the right is now a storehouse. Then, may I ask, where was the storehouse when the new altar was built?"

Deshun immediately understood what Shen Lian meant, and he quickly said, "Master Shen is right. The side hall on the right is the warehouse we saw when we saw the Temple of Heaven before. The building materials transported here are all stored there."

"Because it was a warehouse before, it has always been used as a warehouse."

Shen Lian's eyes flashed.

"The warehouse from more than ten years ago..."

"I'd like to take a closer look. I want to see what secrets this warehouse has that could cause so many building materials to disappear."

Shen Lian walked towards the warehouse.

As he was walking, he suddenly heard footsteps behind him.

Then, Lu Shisan came over quickly and said, "Master Shen, Yuan Tianshi is here."

Shen Lian's eyes flashed and he stopped to look back.

Behind Lu Shisan, there stood a Taoist priest wearing a Taoist robe and looking quite like an immortal.

The man had a white beard and was holding a whisk.

The temperament is ethereal.

He really does look like a man who has attained enlightenment.

Seeing Shen Lian looking at him, he bowed to Shen Lian and said, "Greetings, Lord Shen."

Yuan Tiangang is a famous Taoist in history.

Therefore, Shen Lian was also quite polite. He cupped his hands and smiled, "Master, there is no need to be so polite. Inviting you here today has not caused you any worries, has it?!"

Although Yuan Tiangang was a Taoist priest, he was also an official of the Tang Dynasty. However, his position was not very high, and the affairs he was mainly responsible for overlapped with those of the Ministry of Personnel. Therefore, it was not a position with real power.

Moreover, Yuan Tiangang was considered to be a great Taoist master with immortal spirit. Therefore, in order to respect him, he was generally called the Heavenly Master rather than the title of an official position.

Yuan Tiangang stroked his beard and smiled, "Everyone calls Mr. Qin the smartest man in the world. I have wanted to meet Mr. Shen for a long time. Today I am lucky enough to meet Mr. Shen. My trip here is not in vain, and I will not cause any trouble."

Shen Lian nodded slightly: "I am about to go to the side hall to take a look, Tianshi, please come with me."

Yuan Tiangang would naturally not object.

As Shen Lian walked, he turned to Lu Shisan and asked, "Did you encounter any accidents on the road?"

Lu Shisan shook his head. "Everything went well. Master Yuan was very cooperative."

Shen Lian nodded slightly.

He whispered, "Go and help me investigate one thing. Find out why Qin He retired five years earlier than expected. Is there any secret behind it? And what exactly caused his death?"

"At the same time, go to the Ministry of Works and find Minister Du and ask him if there are still people in the Ministry of Works who built or repaired the Temple of Heaven. If there are, ask him to bring them to me."

Lu Shisan nodded without any hesitation: "I understand."

After saying that, Lu Shisan left quickly.

Shen Lian looked at Lu Shisan's hurried figure and suddenly felt that he had brought fewer people today.

We should bring a few more people so that Lu Shisan won’t be too tired.

But the palace is different from other places. It is a very sensitive place, and it is not convenient to bring too many other people. Because Lu Shisan used to be a shadow guard, he is familiar with many people in the palace, so it is convenient for him to enter and exit.

If it were someone else, they might not be able to get things done well.

So after thinking about it, he decided to reward Lu Shisan after this matter was over.

We can't let Lu Shisanbai do the work.

When Yuan Tiangang and Deshun saw Lu Shisan leaving in a hurry again, neither of them said anything, as if they were not interested in Lu Shisan's departure at all.

(End of this chapter)