Chapter 69 The Culprit of Copper Coins.

The first floor was a blacksmith shop. When Yue Yining went downstairs, she saw the woman being escorted by guards at the corner.

The woman had her eyes downcast, her skin was slightly yellow, and her long hair fell onto the coarse linen cloth on her chest. Although someone was pressing her shoulders, she was very quiet and seemed not to care. As soon as she saw Yue Yining, her eyes were fixed on her.

The guard stepped forward: "Lord Yue, we were guarding inside and outside the shop when we noticed this woman loitering on the street outside. So we apprehended her, but she remained silent no matter what we asked her."

Yue Yining looked directly at the woman and met her gaze.

The woman spoke up: "I'm not a thief, I was just wandering around this area. What right do you have to arrest me?"

The guards holding her shouted sternly, "Shut up! Your Excellency is here; how dare you be so insolent!"

Yue Yining carefully examined her face and suddenly smiled: "I believe you are not a thief, but you weren't just wandering around either, were you?"

Why are you wandering around here?

The woman looked at her and pursed her lips: "I don't understand what you're saying."

Seeing Yue Yining's rudeness, Fu Yao, who was standing next to her, raised her eyebrows and was about to lash out.

Unexpectedly, at that moment, Mr. and Mrs. Liang came downstairs. Upon seeing the woman's face, Mrs. Liang exclaimed, "Xiao Rong!?"

The woman called Xiao Rong immediately perked up: "Aunt Liang!"

Yue Yining was slightly surprised. She stepped aside, signaling the guards to release the woman.

Liang's parents hurried over. Liang's mother looked at the woman with a face full of surprise and joy: "What are you doing here? Why did you suddenly come back to Suyang?"

Mr. Liang: "Yes, you left in such a hurry that we, your neighbors, didn't even have time to say goodbye."

A hint of apology appeared on Xiao Rong's face: "Yes, it was too rushed at the time, and after settling down, I didn't have much of a chance to come to Suyang."

“I currently live in Yuanshui Town, which is near Suyang. I go into the mountains to collect medicinal herbs and sell them to the people at the clinic.”

Mother Liang asked anxiously, "Where is Doctor Jiang? Didn't she come with you?"

Xiao Rong's smile gradually faded.

She lowered her eyes and said, "My master... has been gone for almost a year."

Upon hearing this, Yue Yining noticed the shocked expressions on Liang's parents' faces. Liang's mother was almost incoherent, saying, "How... how could this be? Dr. Jiang is so young, what's wrong...?"

Father Liang looked up and saw the blacksmith shop filled with guards. He quickly stepped forward to explain to Yue Yining, "Master Yue, it must be a misunderstanding! This young lady knows us. Her master is a doctor who is famous far and wide on our street. He is a kind and good-hearted man. In the past, our family always bought medicine and saw doctors at Doctor Jiang's shop."

"Dr. Jiang often brings me medicinal herbs because he sees that my family has many elderly people and children. I've also watched Miss Jiang grow up; she's definitely not a bad person!"

Yue Yining nodded and smiled, "I see. It was my guards who were being disrespectful. They saw Miss Jiang loitering around here and acting suspiciously, so they misunderstood."

Xiao Rong glanced at Yue Yining, then at Liang's parents, and asked hesitantly, "Uncle Liang, who is this gentleman...?"

Father Liang sighed: "After you and Doctor Jiang left Suyang last year, a lot of things happened."

Yue Yining didn't stay where she was. Instead, she and Fu Yao went outside the blacksmith's shop, giving Liang's parents and Xiao Rong some space. Fu Yao followed, "Miss, we've asked the Liang family enough questions. Where are we going next?"

Yue Yining watched Xiao Rong and Liang's parents talking from afar, piecing together the clues in her mind one by one, like scattered stars in the Big Dipper gradually returning to their places, but the Jade Balance connecting the celestial pivot was still missing. The nine-linked rings in her hand had only one lock left, but it always slipped off suddenly just as she was about to unravel it.

She didn't respond to Fu Yao's words, but instead fell into thought.

Just then, the rapid sound of galloping hooves came from the alleyway not far away, interrupting Yue Yining's thoughts. She looked up, and a magnificent horse galloped towards her.

Yue Yining didn't recognize the guard on horseback, but the golden insignia on his chest shone brightly, allowing her to immediately identify him.

The guards of the Jin residence leaped down, cupped their hands above their heads, and said in a loud voice, "Reporting to my lord, there has just been a sudden case on East Street that resembles the infant case!"

Yue Yining's expression changed, and she immediately said, "Yaoyao, have the guards prepare a carriage. We'll head over now!"

When Liang's parents saw the guards scatter in a flurry, and their conversation with Xiao Rong interrupted by the sudden commotion, they were both a little confused: "What's going on... Where is the master suddenly going?"

Yue Yining strode over and said quickly to the two of them, "Someone just reported that there has been a sudden incident on East Street, which seems to be another case of sudden infant death. There is no time to lose, and I need to rush to the scene immediately. I will have to visit you two another day."

Before Liang's parents could say anything, Xiao Rong, who had been listening nearby, suddenly looked up. Seeing that Yue Yining was about to leave, she hurriedly stepped forward to stop her: "Sir, please wait a moment!"

"Could you please take me with you, sir? I have studied medicine with my master for many years, and perhaps I can be of some use!" She looked at Yue Yining with urgent eyes. "East Street is far from major medical clinics, the child's condition is unknown, and we don't know if there are any doctors on site... I beg you to take me with you, sir, perhaps there is still hope for the child to be saved!"

Yue Yining stared at her intently, and without hesitation for long, said, "Yaoyao, take her to the car!"

East Street was only a few alleys away from the Liang family's house. Yue Yining and the others drove there, and the road was full of people heading to the temple fair. The colorful banners in the sky were like colorful daytime fireworks, and the crowds below were bustling.

As they neared their destination, the noise from the roadside grew louder, mingling with gasps from the crowd and cries of children. The carriage was blocked outside the human wall, and even with guards constantly clearing the way, the situation remained chaotic. Seeing that the carriage could not advance any further, Yue Yining made a decisive move, jumping off the carriage with Fu Yao and Xiao Rong, and squeezing little by little through the surging crowd.

"Make way! The officials are here!"

Yue Yining finally broke through the last wave of people and arrived at the center surrounded by the crowd. Amidst the cacophony of screams and noise, a mother dressed in coarse cloth knelt on the ground, weeping uncontrollably, holding a dying infant in her arms.

She cried out, her voice filled with utter helplessness: "My child isn't moving! She's not moving! Someone, please save her!"

"Is there a doctor here? Is there a doctor here? Please, I beg you, can you take a look and save my child!"

The surging crowd seemed to fall silent for a moment before erupting into noise again. Yue Yining glanced around at the faces of those around her; there was regret, pity, worry, and fear, but no one stepped forward.

Perhaps some of these people possessed some medical skills, and even if they couldn't save the child's life, they could at least buy him some time. However, the ironclad rules of Suyang were clear: anyone without official permission to provide first aid in the street was violating medical regulations, and would face dire consequences regardless of whether the child lived or died.

No one would risk their life and future for someone they don't know.

A white figure flashed past Yue Yining. It was Xiao Rong; she pushed her way out of the crowd and immediately pounced on her.

At this moment, Xiao Rong looked anxiously at the woman holding the child: "I'm a doctor! I know medicine, please let me check on the child's condition first!"

The mother, holding her child, had tears in her eyes, which suddenly shone brightly. She reached out and grabbed Xiao Rong's sleeve tightly, her sobs low and hoarse: "Please, save my child!"

The guards finally arrived one after another and managed to bring the chaotic situation under control. Once the situation had stabilized, Yue Yining stepped forward, squatted down, and carefully observed the scene.

The infant being held appeared to be only one year old. His face was pale, and his pupils were almost invisible. White foam was oozing from his slightly parted lips.

Yue Yining frowned. There was no mistake; this child's symptoms were identical to those of the other infants who had died in the other cases.

The child in front of me, held in his mother's arms and on the verge of death, must be another victim of an infanticide.

Xiao Rong observed the child's face, her fingers trembling as she took the pulse, her own face growing paler. She parted the child's lips, glanced inside, and immediately closed her eyes, her expression revealing immense pain.

“…The child is gone,” Xiao Rong said. “No pulse, no breathing, no heartbeat.”

The woman trembled, her voice breaking into fragments: "You're saying my child... can't be saved?"

"Yes." Xiao Rong's voice lowered. Looking at the despairing woman in front of her, she couldn't help but say, "Please accept my condolences."

"...Why? She was perfectly fine when she left home this morning, how could she suddenly die?"

Xiao Rong closed her eyes, took a deep breath, and said, "Please listen to me calmly."

“The child did not die of natural causes, but suffocated after ingesting heavy metals,” Xiao Rong said in a deep voice. “The child was poisoned by lead.”

“Look at the child’s teeth. People who die from lead poisoning will have a faint gray line between their teeth.” Xiao Rong pried open the child’s lips again, and Yue Yining subconsciously looked inside. Among the unevenly arranged, snow-white teeth, only the gap between the front teeth was a gray-black line. Without careful observation, one might even mistake it for a shadow between the teeth.

The dying child was dressed in colorful clothes, with a red string tied around his neck and several copper coins hanging from it, glistening with a moist luster.

Xiao Rong continued, "It's too late now that we've discovered it. The child is too deeply poisoned; the poison has penetrated into his lungs and internal organs. Even a miracle doctor couldn't save him..."

The woman suddenly screamed like a madwoman, "Shut up!!"

Xiao Rong was stunned. The woman who had just lost her child seemed to suddenly transform into a demon, staring at her with a chillingly terrifying gaze, her eyes bloodshot, and her nostrils flaring. "Where did you come from, you quack doctor?! How dare you say my child died of poisoning! This is impossible, absolutely impossible!"

"Ha, what lead poisoning? Nothing in our house is made of lead!" The woman's voice grew even more shrill. "Are you even a doctor? Do you even know how to treat a patient?! How did my child die? You quack can't find the cause, so you just spout nonsense. What are you up to?!"

The woman who had just looked at her with such emotion seemed to be nothing more than a fleeting dream.

The onlookers began to whisper among themselves.

"Is this woman a doctor at the clinic? Does she have a medical license?"

"It can't be, this woman looks very young! Besides, shouldn't doctors be in their clinics seeing patients these days? How could she be out on the street?"

"Did she kill the child?"

Yue Yining subconsciously looked at Xiao Rong, only to find that Xiao Rong's expression was calm, so calm it was chilling.

Only after countless moments of despair and the erosion of all expectations of humanity can one be completely unsurprised when suddenly subjected to unprovoked malice.

Looking at the scene before him, Yue Yining felt the clouds in his mind dissipate and his mind suddenly clear.

Like a chess player who has seen through a complex puzzle, suddenly realizes that all dead pieces on the board have come back to life.

The woman was about to continue her roar when Yue Yining stepped forward, pulling Xiao Rong's arm back and blocking her way. Xiao Rong was stunned for a moment, then looked at the figure in the blue robe in front of her, where five long, delicate fingers were gripping her slender wrist.

In an instant, several guards rushed forward, their spears clanging powerfully in front of Yue Yining and his companion.

Yue Yining looked down at the woman with a blank stare, gestured for the guards to separate, and said gently, "Please calm down. This young lady is the physician I brought with me. She is indeed a doctor and does not treat patients casually. She has already done her best."

The woman's face turned ashen. Holding the child, she stammered, "Who...who are you?"

"My name is Yue Yining, and I come from Yanjing. I have been ordered by the Emperor to thoroughly investigate the case of the infant in Suyang."

"Please come with me to the government office to cooperate with our investigation," Yue Yining said. "Please rest assured, I will open a case for your child and investigate the true cause of her death. I will never let her die in vain."

........

The candlelight flickered, and the inkstone thumb ring tapped lightly on the rosewood table, producing a crisp sound.

Yin Yi carried the scroll into the inner room, walked steadily to the man with black hair and a black robe, put it down, and respectfully said with his hands behind his back, "Young Master, the general ledger of the Suyang Mint for the past three years is all here."

After finishing his work, Xie Qingyu finally looked up at the square, lacquered wooden box. Yin Yi opened the box for him, and the account books wrapped in fine linen still exuded the fresh scent of ink.

Sitting next to Xie Qingyu was an elderly manager with a refined appearance. He looked at Yin Yi, stroked his beard, and chuckled, "The mint has many accounts; you've had a lot of work."

Yin Yi nodded and said, "Steward Cao said that these are the original files sealed in the archives, and instructed that they should be returned as soon as possible after being reviewed, preferably today. Young Master, would you like me to call a clerk to make a copy first?"

Xie Qingyu smiled and said, "No need. Half a day is enough to look at the account books."

The steward was about to speak when he heard this, but quickly shut his mouth again, secretly wiping away his sweat.

He was a veteran accountant who had been in charge of finances for many years under the Xie family. The Xie family's businesses were spread throughout Dongxi, and he was in charge of several tea and wine shops in Suyang. When he heard that the eldest son of the Xie family had come to Suyang to investigate a case and that an experienced accountant was needed, he was immediately dispatched.

Although he thought reviewing three years' worth of accounts in half a day was utterly impossible, he dared not utter a word. The steward thought to himself, "To object now would be to slap the young master in the face. Once today is over, and most of the accounts are still unread, the young master will naturally understand that this is unrealistic. As for whether it will delay the investigation, what does that have to do with a mere steward like me?"

The account books were divided between the two men, and as the open flame flickered, a whole cup of yellow candle wax gradually accumulated.

The steward flipped through the account books repeatedly. He glanced outside; it was almost dusk. Seeing Xie Qingyu still looking through the account books, he called out, "Young Master."

Seeing Xie Qingyu look up, the steward respectfully said, "I have checked the shipping manifests and mine records. The copper-iron ratio is in compliance with regulations, and the amounts entering and leaving the warehouse are exactly as described. It seems that there are no problems with the accounts of the Suyang Mint over the past three years."

Xie Qingyu did not respond directly, but lowered her eyes, glanced at the account book in her hand, and said, "Is that so?"

The steward's smile faltered. "Is that so? What does 'is that so' mean? Does Xie Qingyu think he's faster at reviewing the accounts, and therefore less careful, and suspect he's made a mistake?"

"Has the young master discovered anything?"

Xie Qingyu suddenly called out, "Uncle Huai."

His jade-colored fingertips traced the entries, and his voice was clear and deep: "Take a look at this one: On the seventh day of the sixth month of the fifteenth year of Jiahe, five thousand catties of Yunnan copper were put into storage."

"You said that there was a severe drought in southern Yunnan last summer, and all the mines were closed to avoid disaster. Where did you get 5,000 catties of copper?"

The steward then realized something was amiss. He stroked his beard, coughed, and said, "The eldest son is right. However, this alone is hardly conclusive; perhaps the mint used reserves from previous years..."

“Mineral reserves?” Xie Qingyu said slowly. “If you look closely at the ink, the words ‘Yunnan Copper’ are written with newly made pine soot ink, while the entries before and after are all written with old ink. The paper texture on this page is also very different from the paper texture before and after, which clearly indicates that it was added later or that the paper was replaced later.”

The steward immediately shut up. He was pondering the meaning behind those words when he heard Xie Qingyu speak up again: "Uncle Huai, why don't you take a look at this appendix of last year's material preparations? I remember that the official copper coins mainly produced by the mint were made of pure copper, so why would they need so much lead?"

Upon hearing this, the steward immediately perked up. He cleared his throat and smiled kindly: "Young Master, you may not know this, but pure copper has an extremely high melting point. When lead is added, the melting point decreases, which can save one-fifth of the fuel consumption and double the daily casting output of a single furnace. Therefore, lead is an indispensable material in copper coin casting."

“I understand the young master’s suspicions, but the amount of lead used is extremely small, less than 10%. According to official regulations, this level of adulteration in copper coins is calculated as pure copper.”

After the steward finished speaking eloquently, he looked at Xie Qingyu again and saw him looking at him with a half-smile. His heart skipped a beat.

Xie Qingyu said slowly, "Uncle Huai has misunderstood me. I didn't mean the lead material is wrong, but the quantity doesn't match."

“Looking at last year’s lead consumption—an average of 800 jin per month from January to June, which suddenly increased to 1,500 jin from July onwards,” he said. “Based on the quota for minting coins in Suyang, 900 jin of lead per month would be sufficient.”

The steward stammered, "This... perhaps the furnace has been modified, resulting in increased lead consumption...?"

"The modification of furnaces required approval from the Ministry of Works. However, in July of the Jiawu year, the Ministry of Works approved 'an increase of 30% in the minting volume,' not the modification of furnace equipment."

Xie Qingyu suddenly threw the account book at the guard Yin Yi, a smile playing on her lips, "Bring me the new money from the first month of this year."

The steward had already vaguely sensed something, and cold sweat immediately broke out on his forehead.

After Yin Yi presented the copper coins, Xie Qingyu untied the gold-inlaid belt hook from her waist and said in a softer voice, "When I was young, I read a lot of miscellaneous books and happened to come across the 'Kao Gong Ji' (Record of Trades), and I still have a vague impression of it. It says that a pure copper belt hook can hold three coins."

He took out three old copper coins and stacked them on top, but the hook remained motionless. He then replaced them with the new coins that Yin Yi had brought, and when he stacked the fourth coin, the hook suddenly broke off.

Xie Qingyu said, "If more than 10% lead is added, the hardness will be insufficient to bear the weight. Based on the force at the time of breakage, this batch of coins contains at least 40% lead, but the books only record 10%."

The steward realized he was inevitably drawn into a major affair, and his face turned pale: "This...this..."

"If that's the case, why did I just check last year's accounts and find that the amounts of lead materials coming in and going out didn't change much and all matched up?"

Xie Qingyu smiled and said, "I understand. Uncle Huai is not involved in officialdom, so he cannot understand some of the intricacies."

"The mint is backed by the Jin family, the most powerful family in Suyang, and coincidentally, the current city lord is also from the Jin family. With power and money in hand, it's very easy for them to change the accounts without anyone noticing the problem," Xie Qingyu said. "But once something is done, it's impossible to leave no trace."

“I checked more than a dozen ports that can be reached by waterway from Suyang, and collected the prices of lead produced in these places. After comprehensive calculation, I also obtained the accounts of the two canal transport sites that are most likely to trade with Suyang. The process was complicated, so I won’t go into details with Uncle Huai.”

“Look here. Last November, the Suyang transport manifest recorded three times that a transport boat carrying 300 catties of lead material departed from Luoshui and arrived in Suyang.” Xie Qingyu’s fingertip traced the ledger. “But the transport manifest from Luoshui in November of the same year recorded five transport boats, two of which appeared out of nowhere.”

“If it was just once, it could be considered a coincidence. But if the records for the canal transport every month since last July don’t match up—” Xie Qingyu said calmly, “Uncle Huai, which side do you think is more likely to be falsifying the records?”

The steward was speechless. He had no idea that the extra ledgers on the table were actually shipping manifests from Luoshui. He hadn't even bothered to look at them, and was secretly grumbling to himself that Yin Yi had taken ledgers from other places.

Xie Qingyu said, "Ordinary people don't understand the cost of minting coins, are not familiar with the output of various places, and don't specifically look up the canal transport records of other regions. If they just check the local accounts of Suyang, they certainly won't find anything wrong. Jin Shi calculated this point and was able to create a 'perfect' fake account."

Xie Qingyu smiled, but there was no smile in her eyes: "Lord Jin's accounts are indeed flawless, but unfortunately, even the most meticulous plans have flaws. If I were him, I would have bribed the people in Luoshui as well. What is a little extra money compared to the hard work he put in behind the scenes?"

The steward wished he could disappear into the ground. He rubbed his hands together, about to ask Xie Qingyu how he planned to handle the situation, when Yin Yi knocked on the door. He then pushed the door open and entered: "Young Master, something has happened again."

"The secret guards stationed in the government office came to deliver a message, saying that an incident suspected to be an infant case occurred on East Street half an hour ago, which was also a case of sudden infant death."

Yin Yi paused here, glancing at the steward before continuing, "...It was the Yue people who brought the deceased and his relatives to the government office. It seems that the Yue people happened to be near the crime scene and arrived just in time."

The steward didn't know who the Yue people Yin Yi was talking about were, but he secretly hoped that this sudden case could save him from his predicament.

Perhaps his wish had been heard by the heavens, for Xie Qingyu actually closed the account book, flicked his sleeves and stood up, saying, "Yinyi, prepare the carriage; let's set off for the government office now."

........

"I suddenly realized that I haven't asked you your name yet."

The familiar government office and main hall made Xiao Rong somewhat absent-minded. Suddenly, she heard Yue Yining's gentle voice beside her, which snapped her back to reality, leaving her still a little dazed.

Looking at the woman in the blue robe who was smiling at her, she hesitated for a moment before saying, "My name is Jiang Hairong."

“My master gave me this name. She said that the two characters come from the saying ‘The sea accepts all rivers, and its capacity is great.’”

Yue Yining read it aloud and smiled: "Jiang Hairong. Your master must have high expectations for you to give you such a meaningful name."

Jiang Hairong touched the hem of her skirt above her knees and said sincerely, "Thank you... I think the name Yue Ren sounds better."

Yue Yining was stunned for a moment when she didn't expect her to say that, and Jiang Hairong quickly explained, "I heard you say your name when you introduced yourself."

"The Yue people helped me out of that predicament and even said that I was their accompanying physician. I am really grateful."

Yue Yining waved her hand, about to say something, when Fu Yao walked in from outside, carrying an inconspicuous diamond-shaped wooden box.

She approached and whispered, "Miss, I brought the child's belongings as you asked."

The large main hall was closed by the doors and windows, and only Yue Yining and her group were inside. It was sunset, and the huge red sun sank into the horizon, with the embers of the setting sun falling to earth.

Jiang Hairong was stunned for a moment, while Yue Yining responded, stood up, and took out a string of very familiar copper coins tied with a red string from the box.

In a flash, she realized what Yue Yining was about to do, and her throat suddenly became incredibly dry.

Yue Yining stared at the copper coin in her hand, and Fu Yao took out a flint and matches and handed them to her.

With a dull "snap," the match was lit, and a bright light appeared. Yue Yining placed the copper coin above the flame.

At that very moment, a sudden change occurred.

Where the coin landed, a ghostly blue flame shot up like a snake's tongue. The coin's round outer shape and square inner shape distorted in the heat, like the moon's reflection in a pool being shattered by a sudden pebble. Several silver-gray teardrops bloomed along the coin's edge, and the flame turned yellowish-green. Accompanied by muffled, subtle popping sounds, the coin continuously emitted thick yellow mist with a pungent odor.

The conjecture was confirmed. Yue Yining looked at it and murmured, "As expected."

“When counterfeit coins are put into fire, they make a dull sound and produce yellow smoke, which means they are mixed with lead and tin,” she said. “These so-called official copper coins are not only not made of pure copper, but also contain lead far exceeding the standard.”

The culprit behind a series of cases in Suyang was this copper coin.