301 Trap
Song Renying took out all the records of kilns within Xuzhou from both the escort agency and the County Government Office, placing them on the table along with the order records from the agency.
The servants had already brought chairs. After Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen each received a stack of materials, they began to work.
A moment later, both Qiao Muchen and Zhao Zhitong called out almost simultaneously, "Sir!"
Song Renying smiled. "What have you found?"
Zhao Zhitong said, "Qiao Muchen, you go first."
Qiao Muchen nodded, not demurring, and began, "Sir, there's a private brick kiln on Waifang Mountain that has some issues."
"This kiln was established two years ago. Strangely, it's located on a remote hillside of Waifang Mountain. This location is far from the clay needed for making bricks, and transportation is very inconvenient."
Zhao Zhitong nodded repeatedly. "Yes, I also found this brick kiln. It has had several transactions with the escort agency. According to the agency's records, their shipments involved wooden boxes, and it seemed they weren't transporting bricks or stones."
Song Renying nodded and praised, "Good, good, both of you are very sharp."
Just then, Prefect Li rushed over.
"Elder, Elder!" he cried out excitedly as soon as he entered the door.
Song Renying calmly raised his head. "Prefect Li, what's the rush?"
Li Zhoucheng caught his breath before continuing, "Elder, it's a clue! We've found a clue!"
"A brick kiln on Waifang Mountain has a problem!"
Hearing this, the three of them frowned simultaneously, sensing the clue had arrived a bit too conveniently.
Song Renying nodded. "Oh? How did you discover it?"
Li Zhoucheng, having recovered his composure, quickly explained everything.
It turned out that early this morning, someone had suddenly come to the government office to report finding a bucket of half-melted copper coins in a brick kiln on Waifang Mountain.
Li Zhoucheng had immediately sensed something was amiss and hurried to report it to Song Renying.
After hearing Prefect Li's report, Song Renying showed little surprise. He merely raised an eyebrow and said lightly, "That is quite a coincidence. We just discovered a problem with this brick kiln ourselves."
Li Zhoucheng was stunned for a moment, then chuckled. "Truly worthy of being Elder Song!"
Song Renying closed the documents. "Well," he said seriously, "since we have a clue, let's go investigate!"
With that, he called his subordinates to arrange for men and prepare for the investigation.
"Then, I'll make the arrangements immediately." Li Zhoucheng saluted and hurried off.
At this point, Zhao Zhitong spoke up, "Sir, this clue seems a bit too deliberate."
Song Renying laughed. "Indeed, this clue is quite peculiar."
Qiao Muchen nodded. "It's more like the other party knew this hideout couldn't be kept secret any longer, so they deliberately served it up to us."
"If I'm not mistaken, by the time we get there, they will have thoroughly evacuated."
Zhao Zhitong added, "I'm afraid it's not just a thorough evacuation; they might be waiting for us to walk into a trap."
Magistrate Han, listening nearby, understood what this meant: the brick kiln was bait deliberately set out by the enemy. He feared there were various traps waiting for them inside.
Magistrate Han asked, "Elder Song, shall we still go?"
"Go!" Zhao Zhitong and Qiao Muchen said in unison.
The two exchanged a smile. Zhao Zhitong said, "As the saying goes, 'How can you catch tiger cubs without entering the tiger's den?' Even if they've evacuated thoroughly, they'll have left some traces."
"Besides, the fox has already shown its tail; there's no reason not to go after it."
Qiao Muchen smiled. "Exactly."
Magistrate Han was struck by the two youngsters' courage. This was truly a case of 'knowing there are tigers on the mountain, yet still venturing forth'!
Song Renying stroked his beard and laughed heartily. "Excellent, excellent! Your spirit is commendable."
"However, courage alone isn't enough. Since you know there's danger, you must be cautious and careful. Understand?"
"Yes, Elder!" they both replied simultaneously.
By now, Prefect Li had returned with Yamen clerks from the government office. Magistrate Han also called for Yamen clerks from his County Government Office to accompany them.
The large contingent set off for Waifang Mountain.
Honestly, this brick kiln was so obviously suspicious that no one would believe there wasn't something wrong with it. The mountain path was incredibly inconvenient. Forget transporting bricks downhill; even walking was a challenge.
After a difficult climb, they finally saw the so-called brick kiln. It sat lonesomely on the hillside.
The Yamen clerks rushed in first to scout. Just as they had predicted, they found no one inside.
Magistrate Han stood to one side, directing the Yamen clerks, "You lot, guard the kiln entrance. The rest of you, spread out and search the surroundings for clues."
Prefect Li, who was looking around the brick kiln, said to Song Renying, "Sir, the informant said that the bucket of half-melted copper coins was found right inside here."
Song Renying nodded. "Let's go in and see."
Then, Song Renying, Zhao Zhitong, and Qiao Muchen entered the brick kiln, one after another, with Prefect Li following closely behind.
Inside the brick kiln, they saw stacks of bricks and various jars and pots, all covered in a thick layer of dust.
"Sir, come look! This is it," Prefect Li called out to Song Renying, pointing to a metal drum by the wall.
They walked over and saw that it indeed contained half-melted copper coins.
Qiao Muchen reached in, picked out a relatively intact coin, weighed it in his hand, and nodded at Song Renying.
Prefect Li wandered around, muttering, "Strange. This just looks like an ordinary, abandoned brick kiln." Then he added, "Elder Song, do you think there might be a secret room or something like that?"
Just then, Magistrate Han rushed in. "Elder, Elder! A cave has been discovered outside! Inside the cave, there are many molds for making copper coins!"
"Oh?" Song Renying was surprised and quickly said, "Quick, take me to see."
The group quickly exited the brick kiln and went outside. The cave the Yamen clerks had discovered was located to the upper right of the brick kiln. It was concealed by vines cascading down the mountainside, making it difficult to spot. Once the vines were pulled aside, a cave entrance was revealed.
By this time, the Yamen clerks had lit torches, clearly illuminating the cave's interior. The cave itself seemed ordinary. What was extraordinary was a hidden feature within: a secret door in the stone wall. Behind it lay a private mint for copper coins.
Magistrate Han had already ordered his men to start moving the items from inside out into the open.
After a thorough inspection, it was clear the culprits had indeed wiped the place clean, leaving no useful clues.
Song Renying and the others went outside to inspect the tools, while Zhao Zhitong lingered in the cave. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly felt something underfoot.
She lifted her foot and squatted down to look. There on the ground was a waist token. A strange symbol was carved on it: a sword in the middle, flanked by clouds.
She felt like she had seen this pattern somewhere before, but for the moment, she couldn't recall where.
As she was pondering the waist token, a sudden burst of fighting and shouting erupted from outside.
Zhao Zhitong was startled. She quickly slipped the waist token into her robes and ran outside.