Chapter 414 Theft Scene

Li Xiang personally took Zhu Lan and Si Ying into the treasury, where the treasures were so numerous that it was dizzying.

Si Ying pointed to a half-person-high rosewood platform and said, "This is where the Nine-Curved Pearl is placed."

Zhu Lan walked forward to check, and Si Ying continued, "I have already asked the storekeeper here, and he said that he checked the treasures in the storehouse before he left his post yesterday, and the Nine-Curved Pearl was still there at that time, but it disappeared this morning."

Zhu Lan nodded and asked someone to bring the store clerk up.

When the storekeeper came in, he seemed a little timid and his eyes involuntarily glanced at the supervisor Li Xiang several times. Li Xiang pretended not to see it.

Zhu Lan saw all of this.

She didn't point it out, but asked the storekeeper's name.

"I am..." The storekeeper glanced at Li Xiang subconsciously, and then said, "My name is Zhou Xiangrong, and I am the storekeeper here."

"When did you get off duty last night?" Zhu Lan asked.

"I will be on duty at the hour of Xu."

"The Shaofujian Treasury is a treasure trove, and there should be people guarding it in shifts every twelve hours. Since you are on duty at the hour of Xu, who will take over your duty after that?"

Before Zhou Xiangrong could reply, Supervisor Li Xiang said, "Oh, Zhongcheng, you don't know. According to the rules of our Shaofu Supervisor, the treasures in the treasury are counted once every morning and evening.

The storekeepers are only responsible for registering the newly deposited treasures during the day and leaving at 12:00 p.m. at night. The treasury will be heavily guarded and patrolled at night, so there is no need for storekeepers to be around.

Zhu Lan nodded and asked Zhou Xiangrong, "Are you sure that the orb was still in the vault at 12:00 last night?"

Zhou Xiangrong nodded and said that he signed his name in the log after counting the items, then locked the treasure house before leaving.

At this time, Si Ying added: "There is only one key to the treasure house, and it has been kept by Zhou Xiangrong. We have also checked the locks and doors and windows of the treasure house, and there are no signs of prying."

Zhu Lan narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Zhou Xiangrong with some suspicion.

At this moment, there were some noises coming from the roof, and then an officer from the Dali Temple came in to report to Si Ying:

"Sir, we found some tiles on the roof that have been moved."

Si Ying asked someone to bring a ladder and went to the roof to check it out herself. Zhu Lan stayed in the treasury and looked up.

Soon, a ray of light came down from the roof. A small hole was opened on it, and then Si Ying's face appeared in the hole.

Zhu Lan looked at the rosewood platform where the Nine-Curved Pearl was placed, which was right below the entrance of the cave.

Si Ying came down from the roof and said to Zhu Lan, "It seems that a thief sneaked into the Shaofujian last night, cut a hole in the roof, and then reached down with a claw or something like that and took the pearl away."

"But..." Si Ying looked a little hesitant. She looked at Zhu Lan and didn't continue speaking.

Zhu Lan glanced at Li Xiang with a half-smile, "Didn't Li Jianzheng say that there were heavy guards at night? Under heavy guard, the thief was able to open a hole in the roof under the cover of night without being discovered. It's really amazing."

Li Xiang's face darkened. He said nothing but glared at Zhou Xiangrong fiercely.

"Officer, we found this under the cabinet!" another officer from the Dali Temple said loudly and handed the thing in his hand to Si Ying.

It was a white feather, with only a hint of red at the tip of the quill.

When Si Ying saw the feather, her expression changed slightly.

"Do you recognize this thing?" Zhu Lan asked.

Si Ying's face was a little solemn. "There is a thief in the martial arts world who is famous for his light skills. His name is Shi Taxue. He has been wanted by the court for many years but has never been caught. Every time he steals something, he will leave a red-tipped white feather like this at the scene as his mark."

Si Ying said, looking up at the hole on the roof, muttering: "If he takes action, it is really possible... But, it's not right..."

Zhu Lan took the white feather and twirled it between his fingertips. "Even if he had extraordinary martial arts skills and could sneak into the roof of the Shaofujian without anyone noticing, it's impossible for him to make a hole in the roof in the middle of the night without making any sound."

Her eyes fell on Zhou Xiangrong, "You said so?"

Zhou Xiangrong shuddered at the question and went to see Li Xiang again.

Zhu Lan suddenly whispered something into Si Ying's ear, and Si Ying nodded and walked out.

"Li Jianzheng, in my opinion, there is something fishy going on with your Shaofu Jian."

Li Xiang's face changed when he heard this, "What does Zhu Zhongcheng mean by this?"

Zhu Lan smiled slightly and pointed to the hole in the roof.

"I am just curious about why the location of this cave entrance is so accurate. If the thief is from outside, and if he cannot see through the wall, how did he know where the Nine-Curved Pearl in the treasure house was placed on the roof?"

Zhou Xiangrong shouted, "Maybe... maybe the stone or something opened a hole randomly, and the Nine-Curved Pearl happened to be underneath, so he took it away!"

"That's such a coincidence." Zhu Lan pointed to the rosewood table where the pearl was placed.

"The treasury is so huge, and this red sandalwood platform is fixed to the ground, with no other items within ten feet of it. Could the thief have really accidentally made a hole and happened to find it right above the Nine-Curved Pearl?"

"Well...we can't rule out this possibility!" Zhou Xiangrong argued.

Zhu Lan sneered and said nothing. At this time, Si Ying walked in and said to the others:

"I've discovered something new. It rained a few days ago, and the red tiles on the roof haven't dried yet. They fade very easily, and they can't be washed clean with water."

Si Ying stretched out her hand as she spoke, and a faint red mark appeared on the palm of her hand.

"Since the thief is so familiar with the placement of items in the treasury, he is likely an insider. We only need to check the palms of everyone in the Shaofujian to know if anyone has moved the tiles on the roof."

Hearing Si Ying's words, Zhou Xiangrong's face turned pale and he subconsciously wanted to lower his head, but he restrained himself.

Zhu Lan nodded, looked at Li Xiang and smiled:

"In order to prove the innocence of the people under Li Jianzheng, Li Jianzheng, shall we get started?"

Before Li Xiang could speak, Si Ying waved her hand and said, "Everyone gather in the courtyard and hold out your hands for inspection—"

Zhou Xiangrong became obviously more panicked, his hands were shaking, and finally he couldn't help but lower his head to look.

But I found my hands were clean.

When she looked up again, she was met with the chilling gaze of her superior Ying.

Seeing Zhou Xiangrong's behavior, Li Xiang knew he could no longer hide it.

His face turned livid, and he glared at Zhou Xiangrong fiercely again. Then he lowered his voice and said to Zhu Lan and the others, "Wait a minute, there are some hidden secrets in this matter. Please listen to me."

Li Xiang raised his head and asked everyone else to get out.

Only he, Zhou Xiangrong, Zhu Lan and Si Ying were left in the treasure house.