Chapter 120 Tu Ju visits Zhao Gao at night!

The next day, at the dawn, Ye Chi wrapped himself in plain clothes, quietly left the house, and set out on a secret investigation of the money houses in the city.

The magnificent building sparkled in the morning light, but Ye Chi felt a heavy feeling in his heart as if a storm was about to come.

At this moment, Li Si came on horseback, looking hurried.

He held a stack of papers tightly in his hand, stepped down from his horse, and said in a hurry: "Master Ye, just as you expected, the bank found several counterfeit banknotes this morning. The workmanship was so fine that it was almost indistinguishable from the real thing!"

After saying this, Li Si handed the silver note in his hand to Ye Chi.

Ye Chi took the banknote and examined it carefully. He saw that the texture on the banknote was clear, and all the seals and patterns were present. It was indeed difficult to tell whether it was real or fake.

His eyes were solemn, and he asked in a deep voice, "Have you ever noticed who used these fake banknotes?"

Li Si nodded and replied, "We have sent someone to secretly note him down and follow him to observe his whereabouts. Do you want to catch him?!"

Ye Chi hesitated for a moment, shook his head and said, "Don't alert the enemy for now, just follow me."

After he finished speaking, he turned around and strode towards the direction of the Ministry of Works. Li Si followed closely behind him, and their figures gradually disappeared around the corner of the street.

Along the way, Li Si tried to figure out Ye Chi's intentions, and he had some guesses in his mind, so he said, "Master Ye, do you suspect that this fake banknote is related to the Minister of Works?"

Upon hearing this, Ye Chi glanced at Li Si and nodded slightly: "Prime Minister Li is thoughtful and worthy of being your Majesty's capable minister. However, this time I did not directly suspect the Minister of Works. As you said, if they leaked the secrets, the anti-counterfeiting mark would definitely leak out. In that case, it would be impossible to distinguish between real and fake banknotes."

After hearing this, Li Si looked puzzled and said, "If that's the case, then why are we going to the Ministry of Works?"

Ye Chi chuckled and shook his head, saying, "Prime Minister Li, you forgot one thing. Although the anti-counterfeiting mark has not been leaked, the paper and printing process used to make the silver note are very likely to have leaked from the Ministry of Works! This trip, we are going to find out the truth."

Li Si suddenly realized and looked at Ye Chi with admiration: "Lord Ye has a far-sighted vision, I admire you!"

The two of them talked as they walked, and soon they arrived at the gate of the Ministry of Works.

Ye Chi straightened his clothes, took a deep breath, and strode into the gate of the Ministry of Works. Li Si followed closely behind him, full of anticipation for the mystery that was about to be revealed.

After entering the mansion, Ye Chi asked the craftsmen with a serious look: "Master craftsmen, may I ask where are the discarded templates that were rejected due to unqualifiedness when the silver notes were first created?"

The craftsmen looked at each other in bewilderment, and finally an older craftsman stepped forward to answer: "In reply to your question, sir, we have already burned the discarded templates according to the rules."

After hearing this, Ye Chi narrowed his eyes and fell into a brief contemplation.

He understood that burning discarded templates was a routine operation to prevent the templates from leaking, but he still wanted to verify it himself.

After a moment, he raised his head, and swept his eyes over each craftsman, and slowly said: "Next, I will ask each craftsman one by one, and please answer truthfully."

After that, he began to call out names. Every time he called out a craftsman, he would ask in detail about his specific responsibilities, problems encountered, and solutions in the process of creating and printing silver bills.

The craftsmen answered his questions one by one, and Ye Chi carefully recorded everyone's words.

As the investigation deepened, he gradually discovered some subtle differences.

While each craftsman claimed to have followed a strict production process, there were subtle inconsistencies in their descriptions.

Ye Chi knew in his heart that these differences might be the key to uncovering the truth.

He continued to ask questions calmly, and at the same time wrote down these subtle clues one by one, preparing for comparison and analysis later.

The entire investigation process lasted several hours, and Ye Chi always maintained a high level of concentration and sharpness.

The sun had set and the moon was rising. The lights in the General's Mansion were brightly lit, illuminating the busy figures of Ye Chi and Li Si.

After a long period of investigation and comparison, both of them looked exhausted!

Ye Chi handed the thick information in his hand to Li Si, his voice slightly hoarse: "Prime Minister Li, this is today's investigation record, please take a look." Li Si took the information and glanced over it quickly.

Seeing Ye Chi's serious expression, he couldn't help but ask, "Master Ye, have you found anything?"

Ye Chi rubbed his temple and said slowly: "We have already got some clues. The days from the production bill to the issuance of the bill are the most critical. I noticed that a famous craftsman left during that period and his whereabouts are unknown."

"This person may be closely related to the fake banknote case we are investigating."

Upon hearing this, Li Si's eyes flashed with a gleam of light. He patted the information in his hand and said anxiously, "Master Ye is right! I will send someone to investigate this person's identity and whereabouts."

"Maybe he is the key to solving this case!"

After saying that, Li Si left in a hurry, while Ye Chi stood there, looking deeply at the Minister of Works in the night. No one knew what he was thinking...

……

The night is hazy and the moonlight is like water.

In a corner of the city, the residence of Zhao Gao, the Minister of the Imperial Chariots, appears particularly quiet.

At this time, Tu Ju arrived quietly with a valuable gift, and he asked his servant to report it quickly.

A moment later, Tu Ju was respectfully welcomed into the mansion.

After passing through the winding corridors, he finally met Zhao Gao in the main hall.

Zhao Gao stood with his hands behind his back, an unfathomable smile on his face, "General Tu, what brings you here so late at night?"

Tu Ju smiled slightly and pushed the gift in his hand over with both hands, "Master Zhao, this is just a small gift, not a token of respect, please accept it."

Zhao Gao curiously opened the gift box, and his eyes lit up immediately. It turned out to be a whole box of valuables and jewels! !

He pretended to be puzzled and asked, "General Tu, what does this mean?"

Tu Ju said in a deep voice: "Lord Zhao, you and I are both very important figures in the court. If you and I join forces, we will surely be able to gain a firm foothold and share the glory and wealth!"

Zhao Gao raised his eyebrows and asked knowingly, "I don't quite understand what General Tu meant by joining forces. What do you mean by joining forces?"

There was a hint of teasing in his tone, as if he wanted to see what Tu Ju was planning.

Tu Sui looked solemn and said in a low voice: "Ye Chi and Your Majesty both value Fusu. If Fusu ascends the throne one day, Ye Chi will definitely not keep me."

"And Fusu will naturally not keep you, Zhao Gao!!"

After hearing this, Zhao Gao was almost unmoved, and still maintained that unfathomable smile on his face.

He shook his head gently: "General Tu, what you said is quite treasonous."

"I... am just a dog of the royal family. General Tu came to find me, but I'm afraid he came to the wrong person, right?"

Tu Sui sneered, "Lord Zhao, although I have been demoted, I still have some prestige in the army. I am telling you this today to show you my feelings. If Lord Zhao does not want to go with me, then I will pretend that I have not been here today."

After saying this, Tu Sui turned and left, leaving Zhao Gao alone standing in the empty hall.

Zhao Gao's eyes gradually became gloomy. He weighed Tu Sui's words in his mind and thought about the direction of this court dispute.

Tu Sui's departure did not calm the turmoil in Zhao Gao's heart.

On the contrary, his words were like a seed, deeply rooted in Zhao Gao's heart, waiting for the moment to break through the ground...

(End of this chapter)