I'm really not the carpenter emperor

"Killer, what did you say?"

"Hang him up for me and beat him to death!"

Fanzi on the side hurriedly said: "Master Zheng, he is the only Bailian cultist who is still alive in our hands. If he is tortured to death, the envoy of Jinyiwei may not be happy."

The head of the stall narrowed his eyes, and then gave up.

Seeing this, the disciple of the White Lotus Sect achieved his goal and became even more rampant, as if the bruises on his body had no effect on him, but laughed even harder.

"Hahahaha!"

"Vacuum hometown, lifeless mother."

"The white lotus descends to earth, and the people turn over."

"The silt comes from the chaos, and the white lotus appears in the world."

"Vacuum hometown, no biological parents."

"The Holy Maiden descends, Bailian is reborn!"

"When the Red Sun is doomed, the White Sun will flourish!"

……

There were five households living around the warehouse. At this time, the Supervising Department no longer cared about the influence of the people. In order to solve the case as soon as possible, they could only be forcibly locked up and taken to the big prison, where they were severely tortured.

Only one of the five families was found to have the mark of Bailian, which was the real evidence of Bailian's rebellion against the party. The other four not only had no evidence, but their confessions were quite different.

For a while, the armory bombing case was at a deadlock again.

On this day, Xu Xianchun was sitting in the supervisor's yamen, frowning in thought, knowing in his heart that the warehouse was the only clue.

However, the documents recording the owner of the warehouse have been burned, and the surrounding people were tortured alone, and nothing was found.

Especially the member of the White Lotus Sect, whose mouth was like an iron bucket, his skin was beaten to pieces and he was no longer human, and he was still full of sarcasm. It was impossible for him to say anything.

Xu Xianchun said to the supervisor in front of him: "Forget it, if you want to kill, so go ahead, he won't say anything else anyway."

The leader nodded, and then walked away quickly. It could be seen that his face was a little excited, and he might have wanted to kill this evil party a long time ago.

Not long after he left, Xu Xianchun heaved a long sigh.

With such a big incident happening in the imperial court, the White Lotus Sect's power in the local area is already so strong, even reaching the point where it is enough to launch a rebellion.

If he couldn't find anything, wouldn't he be the commander of Jin Yiwei in vain, and it would be a waste of holy grace.

He then got up and decided to go out to relax. Just as he went out, he saw Wang Chengen rushing towards him, and when he saw him, he said happily from a distance:

"Commander, good news, great news!"

"The owner of that warehouse has been found. It turned out to be a businessman surnamed Qian. A few days ago, he went to Jiangnan to transport goods. That's why he didn't suffer from the White Lotus Sect."

Xu Xianchun couldn't believe it, "What did you say, the person was found? Are you sure!"

Wang Chengen nodded, "I'm not sure, but this is the only way at the moment, why don't you try it, if what you say matches your confession, it's true."

"My father-in-law is right!" Xu Xianchun nodded, suddenly remembered something, and said:

"It's all thanks to the staff of the Supervision Department, who stared at the warehouse day and night, and hoped to be able to express the credit of the East Factory to His Majesty."

Wang Chengen smiled and said, "It's natural, let's go and have a look!"

Chapter 859 It's a close call

"I've seen Commander Du, Eunuch Wang."

When the two arrived, Jin Yiwei and the supervisory department had already protected the businessman surnamed Qian, and the latter seemed very calm.

He looked a little chubby, with a round face, and was dressed in a dark green silk robe with a jade pendant on his hem. He got up quickly and bowed.

"You are Qian Li, a Fujian maritime merchant?"

Hearing this, the businessman nodded and said, "It's right here."

Xu Xianchun couldn't see the slightest bit of excitement on his face, he was extremely calm, and sneered:

"Then I have something I want to ask Qian Dong's family. Don't you know that the White Lotus Sect assassinated Wang Xiu, the chief craftsman of the armory?"

Qian Li said calmly, "I know."

"Then why do you dare to come?"

"Because I want to live."

"To survive?" Xu Xianchun was taken aback.

Qian Li laughed and said: "Wang Xiu's death is because he knew it, so he was silenced, and I, like Wang Xiu, will be in danger of death if I don't speak."

"But if it's already been said, will the White Lotus Sect risk killing me, a worthless ordinary sea merchant?"

"This kind of vulgar and easy-to-understand truth is commanded by the dignified Jin Yiwei, so they don't know it?"

After Qian Li finished speaking, he looked at this side with a smile.

Xu Xianchun's eyes changed, and he sneered: "You businessmen have always been sharp-eyed. If Wang Xiu was half as smart as you, he wouldn't have been killed."

Qian Li said embarrassingly: "This is just the basic skills of being a businessman. If you want to ask anything, please ask as soon as possible while I am still alive."

Seeing the other party's calm and composed look, Xu Xianchun believed it more than two points.

If it is said that he only came here to sue for some righteousness, then this statement does not have much credibility, but now that he has his own selfish intentions, this is different.

So, he said in a deep voice:

"Don't worry, no one can kill witnesses in my hands."

"I want to ask you, since when did you sell this warehouse to whom, and what did that person use it for? Why is there a lot of stone resin water?"

"You know, that fuels the fire."

Qian Li looked extremely shocked, got up and said:

"I bought this warehouse from an old Taoist priest. I didn't know that he was using it to hold stone water. What's more, I'm a businessman. How could I know that stone water can help combustion!"

"Please also command Mingcha..."

Xu Xianchun half-believed what he said, glanced sideways, and immediately a captain of Jin Yiwei stepped forward and gave him paper and pen.

Qian Li looked at the Four Treasures of the Study being sent to him with a puzzled look on his face.

At this time, Xu Xianchun said: "Draw the image of the old Taoist priest you saw, try to be as real as possible, and if you can capture this person, I will credit you."

"When it comes to His Majesty today, maybe you have the opportunity to enter the Royal Chamber of Commerce. How to paint is up to you to think about."

Royal Chamber of Commerce!

No matter how great the benefits Xu Xianchun gave, it would only make Qian Li's heart move, but when he heard these four words, he was really confused.

Due to the famine in the Huaihe River and Huaihe River, the Emperor ordered the establishment of the headquarters in Suzhou. So far, the Royal Chamber of Commerce has branches in the Northwest, Shandong, and Jiangnan.

Take Suzhou as an example. After the establishment of the Royal Chamber of Commerce, it cooperated with Li Shi, the admiral and eunuch of the Suhang Weaving Bureau. Today, the silk industry, from silkworm breeding to export to foreign companies, is handled by the Royal Chamber of Commerce.

Other businessmen, without the economic and trade license of the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, are not allowed to distribute any part of it. If they are found out, it is a serious crime to destroy their homes.

This alone is enough to make the world's maritime merchants flock to it.

Let’s talk about private salt in Shandong and Lianghuai. The Royal Chamber of Commerce set up branches in Penglai and Jining, Shandong. After the establishment of the Shandong Jiyan Salt Administration, local salt farms and salt households that privately owned salt were investigated one after another.

The local salt farms were nationalized, and individual salt households could only continue to dry their salt goods and resell them at the salt farms only after obtaining the transshipment certificate issued by the Salt Inspection Bureau.

And all Shandong and Lianghuai salt merchants who distribute salt from the salt field must hold the economic and trade permits of the Jining and Penglai branches of the Royal Chamber of Commerce in order to continue.

In other words, if there is no certificate from the Salt Inspection Bureau and the Shandong Royal Merchants Branch, other businessmen and self-employed people who go to dry and sell salt goods will be investigated and prosecuted.

In addition, there are tea horse trade at the border, cloth, ironware and many other trades in the local area, all of which are gradually being affected by the Imperial Chamber of Commerce.

Becoming a member of the Royal Chamber of Commerce not only has the right to sell salt goods, tea horses and silk, but also has many conveniences and privileges in other aspects.

However, the requirements for joining the Royal Chamber of Commerce are extremely strict, and those who can join are all leaders in the business world, and they have been proved to be extremely loyal to the imperial court.

Qian Li is just a common sea merchant in the world. It would be great if local chambers of commerce of non-government organizations can join. As for joining the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, this is simply a fantasy.

Qian Li had hoped for it before, but he didn't expect that he would have such a day.

If it was someone else who made the promise, Qian Li might have laughed it off, but this one in front of him is the commander of Jin Yiwei.

He was really able to speak in front of the emperor, if he didn't say anything else, he only needed to mention his name a little bit, and the matter would probably be settled.

Even if he couldn't join the Imperial Chamber of Commerce because of this, but just obtained a special sales license from a certain place issued by the Imperial Chamber of Commerce, it would still be able to greatly improve Qian Li's current identity and status.

It has to be said that as soon as Qian Li heard this, his eyes changed.

Although he had quickly covered it up, Xu Xianchun could still see it clearly, and suddenly, the corners of his mouth curled up.

"How is it, Boss Qian?"

Hearing this, Qian Li just came back to his senses, didn't say much, took the pen and paper from the captain of Jin Yiwei, and began to write vigorously.

Not long after, an old Taoist priest with white eyebrows and a thin face with a goatee appeared vividly in front of Xu Xianchun and Wang Chengen.

Xu Xianchun got up and said:

"Boss Qian, you can go back and wait for the news. If what you said today is not false, and you will level the White Lotus Sect in the future, I will definitely ask His Majesty for credit for you."

Qian Li couldn't restrain the agitation in his heart any longer, stood up and said excitedly:

"So, thank you all for commanding!"

After getting the portrait and walking out of the room, Xu Xianchun's expression was also extremely moved, with excitement, joy, and secret worry.

He hoped that this was the key to unraveling Bailian.

He was also afraid that this hard-won portrait was useless, and then the clues were interrupted again as before.

Soon, Xu Xianchun brought the portraits back to the Supervision Department, and found four copy paintings by a well-known copyist among the people, and handed them to the four nearby people who were detained in the big prison to see.

While waiting for the result, Xu Xianchun was restless, his palms were covered with sweat.

Not long after, the supervisor of the Guyuan Supervisory Office ran out and shouted loudly: "My lord, good news! Three people said that they have seen this old Taoist nearby recently!"

"What you said is true?" Xu Xianchun couldn't believe it.

The supervisor said: "It's absolutely true! Zhao San from Liudaofang lives opposite the warehouse. He is very sure that it is this person who went in and out of the warehouse every day!"

Xu Xianchun's expression changed, the old Taoist priest rented the house, if what Qian Li said was true, he must be the one who hoarded Shizhi water.

In this way, this old Taoist priest is most likely the perpetrator of the Guyuan Arsenal bombing!

As long as he can prove that he is a member of the White Lotus Sect, the imperial court will have evidence to wipe out the White Lotus Sect!

Thinking of this, Xu Xianchun immediately ordered:

"Issued a notice in every square in the city, posted a portrait of this person, and offered a reward of 1000 taels of silver to those who were caught, and 100 taels to those who gave their whereabouts."

"Please ask Guo Shuai's soldiers to clear the streets immediately, and ask the supervisor to investigate from the east of the city to the south of the city! This official personally leads the Jinyi Guards, and spreads from the warehouse in the south of the city, door to door!"

Xu Xianchun said, walked into the supervision department, and shouted:

"Send out all the people, we must not let this traitor run away!"

8 Chapter Sixty

As soon as August arrives, the weather in Xi'an starts to fluctuate from hot to cold.

A group of officers and soldiers of the Yongwei Battalion in fine armor passed through the street, and then two scholars in long gowns rubbed their hands and walked into a brothel.

In this era, brothels are by no means simply "brothels" as understood by later generations.

Literati, poets, gentry and wealthy families, and the children of rich families all want to come here to be arty, watch operas and listen to music. This kind of luxury and money is enough to make the world forget many things.

Across the door, outside the building there are still homeless people curled up in a corner and shivering, but here is a scene of singing and dancing, full of hustle and bustle.

"You poor scholar, Dingxiang Pavilion is also a place where you can come?"

The person who walked in ignored the boy's wrangling, and pushed back the hood, revealing a smiling face.

The boy who was about to push people just now was overjoyed: "Ah, it's Lord Yun!" He turned around and shouted to the door: "Master Yun is here!"

Afterwards, the servants and waiters in the building repeatedly reported to the inside.

"Brother Yun, you're finally here! I've been waiting so hard!" One person shouted all the way, turned from upstairs, and walked over in strides.

He came in front of him, patted Yun Wushi's shoulders with both hands, and said with a smile: "An old friend from before the snow is here, an old friend from the ancient city. Good thing, good thing!"