"Go outside and wait for me."
Shen Jintang raised her eyes, her voice calm yet unquestionable.
Gu Zhixing raised an eyebrow slightly, his eyes swirling with a struggle, but in the end he only chuckled softly, his voice hoarse: "A quarter of an hour."
His fingertips gently caressed her waist, like a secret comfort, or a silent possession.
"Say what you're saying and come out, or I'll come in and take you back."
His tone was gentle, yet carried an unquestionable air, as if a quarter of an hour was the limit.
After saying that, he slowly released his hand, his fingertips lightly brushing against her waistline, with a hint of lingering affection.
As he turned, his dark robes drew a sharp arc in the air, his back straight as a pine tree, but he paused slightly by the door.
He turned his head, glanced back with a deep look, his eyes swirling with unspoken words, but in the end he only clicked his tongue softly and strode away.
When Shen Jintang turned to look at Shen Youyi, her tone softened considerably: "Tell me slowly, what did you see?"
She took out a handkerchief to wipe the cold sweat from the girl's forehead, letting the girl put her icy fingers into her palm, and then poured her a cup of hot tea.
Upon hearing this, Shen Youyi gripped Shen Jintang's hand even tighter, the muddy hem of her skirt leaving deep stains on Shen Jintang's moon-white dress.
Her upturned face still bore the lingering fear, yet she stubbornly gripped Shen Jintang tightly, whispering, "It's official silver! Official silver stolen from the Ministry of Revenue!"
Her voice trembled slightly, as if she was still immersed in the fear she had just experienced.
Upon hearing this, Shen Jintang's teacup trembled slightly, and tea splashed onto the table, spreading out in circles of light brown water stains.
She put down her teacup, her voice extremely low and somewhat urgent: "Official silver? Are you sure you're not mistaken? Could it be privately minted?"
Shen Youyi took out a silk bag from her sleeve and untied it with trembling fingers.
Inside was a fragment of a silver ingot that had been cut into pieces, with obvious chisel marks still visible on the edges.
She handed the fragment to Shen Jintang, her voice trembling slightly: "I brought a piece with me on purpose. Sister, look at the quality, the markings. If it were a privately made piece, it could never achieve this level of craftsmanship!"
Shen Jintang took the silver piece and ran her fingertips along the patterns on it.
She remembered seeing newly minted official silver coins when she went to the Ministry of Revenue to investigate the case—they had a snowflake pattern on the bottom, fine anti-counterfeiting marks on the edges, and were heavier than ordinary silver coins.
The features on the fragment before her were exactly the same, and her heart sank.
“When I checked the accounts three months ago, I found that three ingots of silver delivered by Yongchang Pawnshop were of particularly high quality.” Shen Youyi’s voice grew softer and softer, as if she were recalling that thrilling experience. “I initially thought that my subordinates had been dishonest, but upon closer inspection, the purity was different. This was official silver!”
“I secretly melted down an ingot to examine it.” Shen Youyi pointed to the broken edge on the fragment. “The inside was also pure official silver. Tracing its source, we found it was payment from the Longchang Trading Company in the neighboring county last month.”
Shen Jintang examined the fragments closely by candlelight.
The chisel marks on the edge of the silver sheet are very new, indicating that it was recently cut.
The person who spent this official silver was not clever; he simply crossed out the official silver mark but did not know to remelt it and change its color.
If someone doesn't understand these things, it can only mean two things: either they don't have the right melting and casting tools, or they simply don't know the difference between official silver and private silver.
She suddenly remembered something: "How dare they openly allow government silver to flow into the market?"
Even the dumbest person should know that once government silver enters the market, it will be thoroughly investigated. Why would they create trouble for themselves?
Shen Jintang didn't suspect that Shen Youyi was lying to her; she was just afraid that someone was doing this on purpose to lure her into a trap.
"The official silver mark was deliberately worn away, but the person didn't know that official silver was of a different purity than ordinary silver, so he hurriedly took it out and spent it." Shen Youyi smiled bitterly. "At the time, I also suspected that someone had set it up, but upon closer inspection, it didn't make sense. Nobody knows that I have a habit of checking the treasury. If this silver had fallen into the hands of my subordinates, they probably wouldn't have checked it much. It was only when it fell into my hands that I noticed it. So this wasn't a setup, but a mistake on their part."
The room was eerily quiet for a moment, and the sound of the candle flame popping was exceptionally clear.
Shen Jintang clutched the shards tightly in her palm; the icy touch brought her fully awake.
This is no ordinary matter.
"So you went to the neighboring county..."
"The excuse was to discuss raw silk business." Shen Youyi twisted her handkerchief, her voice tinged with panic. "That trading company ostensibly deals in silk, but its backyard is always heavily guarded. I wanted to gather more information, but they noticed me..."
Her voice suddenly choked, and her face turned deathly pale, as if she were recalling that harrowing experience.
Shen Jintang grabbed Shen Youyi's trembling hand and touched it, finding it covered in cold sweat.
In the past two months, Shen Youyi first got married in a hurry, and then suddenly stayed at home. It turns out that this was the reason.
“I haven’t dared to leave the courtyard for the past two months.” Shen Youyi’s voice was choked with sobs, as if she were telling of her fear. “I thought they would give up once they couldn’t find any evidence, but the other day we suddenly received news that a caravan had been robbed at Qingyakou… That place hasn’t had any bandits in twenty years…”
"That place has never had any banditry before, it couldn't be robbers, they're warning me! They're going to attack me!"
Shen Youyi was very agitated, her body trembling slightly, as if she were shrouded in fear.
Shen Jintang patted her shoulder, his voice gentle yet firm: "Don't be afraid, I'm here."
"Sister! I'm scared. I don't dare go back. I don't dare tell anyone about this." Shen Youyi huddled in Shen Jintang's arms, as if seeking her last refuge.
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