Ruan Jiu was naturally overjoyed to see Qin Yuan approaching. But she immediately motioned for him to keep his voice down. After all, they couldn't tip off the enemy. Fortunately, those strange noises covered Qin Yuan's exclamation, making it not particularly conspicuous in the mountain forest.
Xie Jingchu said in a calm voice, "You were too slow. You'll receive punishment when we get back."
While helping Xie Jingchu up, Qin Yuan pouted and said, "Fourth Master, it's not my fault! I came across a few people arguing there, so I had to hide first. I only dared to come and find you after they left."
Hearing this, Ruan Jiu immediately asked, "Were they four strong men carrying a big box?"
Qin Yuan nodded.
Ruan Jiu continued, "What were they arguing about?"
At this, Qin Yuan instantly became excited. "I saw them pry open the box. Goodness, it was filled with a whole box of copper coins. They fought over them for a long time, afraid of getting less than the others. I had to hide for a long time, which is why I was delayed in coming to find you."
Xie Jingchu narrowed his eyes slightly and stroked his chin. Based on what Qin Yuan said, those people must have been tempted by the wealth and then had a dispute over the spoils. But why were there so many copper coins inside the stone gate?
Just as Xie Jingchu was puzzled, Qin Yuan seemed to remember something and continued, "After they left, I saw one on the ground and picked it up."
After saying that, Qin Yuan handed the copper coin he picked up to Xie Jingchu. Xie Jingchu took it. The weight of the copper coin seemed off. Then he said in a calm voice, "This copper coin is fake."
Ruan Jiu took the copper coin and examined it carefully. Sure enough, it was fake. If they weren't used to dealing with money all year round, they might not have been able to tell that it was fake so easily.
Ruan Jiu suddenly realized, "So those strange noises were from the illegal casting of copper coins!"
Xie Jingchu's gaze sharpened. How audacious they were! Then he immediately said, "Let's go. We need to leave this place quickly." This place was not suitable for them to stay.
So, Ruan Jiu and Qin Yuan supported Xie Jingchu on either side and left. It seemed that the mysterious person's purpose was to lead them here and let them discover Chi Wei's illegal casting of copper coins. However, a mere Minister of the Ministry of Revenue wouldn't have the guts to do this. The person behind him must be Gu Kexing.
Illegal casting of copper coins and passing them off as real was a serious crime. Even if one had ten heads, it wouldn't be enough to be beheaded.
"A Jing, we need to find a way to report this to the Emperor and expose the crimes of Gu Kexing and Chi Wei!" Ruan Jiu said.
Xie Jingchu frowned tightly. "It's not that simple. Once we expose this, before the news reaches the Emperor's ears, Gu Kexing might already know about it." They couldn't meet the Emperor directly. If they wanted to expose this matter, they had to report it layer by layer. By then, if Gu Kexing got the news and destroyed the evidence, it would be difficult to catch him.
Ruan Jiu pursed her lips. "How about we tell this to Grand Tutor Zhao?"
Xie Jingchu frowned and thought for a while, then shook his head. "Although Gu Kexing and Zhao Yuan are political enemies, Zhao Yuan hasn't been able to bring down Gu Kexing for so many years. There must be someone on Zhao Yuan's side who is in Gu Kexing's camp." Since Gu Kexing had been sitting firmly in the position of Prime Minister for so many years, he must have his own abilities. If they couldn't strike a fatal blow, they would only tip off the enemy. Moreover, Xie Jingchu's identity was special. He mustn't attract Gu Kexing's attention.
Ruan Jiu was a bit disappointed and mumbled, "Are we really helpless against him?"
Xie Jingchu frowned even deeper. The people would suffer because of Gu Kexing and Chi Wei's illegal casting of copper coins. They mustn't be allowed to continue! However, they still had to come up with a foolproof plan.
Just as they were about to leave Taiping Village, a burst of footsteps came from not far away. Moreover, judging from the sound, there seemed to be quite a few people. They hid again, their expressions solemn and vigilant. They thought it would be Gu Kexing's or Chi Wei's people, but unexpectedly, it was the Crown Prince and the Second Prince, followed by a group of guards.
Ruan Jiu frowned and pondered. Why were the Crown Prince and the Second Prince here? It seemed that they were here for hunting. Suddenly, an idea flashed through her mind. Then she whispered to Qin Yuan, "Do you still remember the place where you found us just now?"
Qin Yuan nodded.
Ruan Jiu continued, "Can you run fast?"
Although Qin Yuan didn't understand what Ruan Jiu meant, he still nodded. Well, that was good. Ruan Jiu winked at Qin Yuan and then said, "When I tell you to run later, run as fast as you can to the place where you found us just now and throw this copper coin on the ground." After saying that, Ruan Jiu stuffed the copper coin into Qin Yuan's hand.
Qin Yuan looked at the copper coin in his hand and asked in confusion, "Miss Biao, what do you mean?"
As soon as the words fell, Ruan Jiu grabbed a stone from the ground and threw it at Xiao Qi's head. Ruan Jiu raised her eyebrows at Qin Yuan. "Run fast. Don't get caught."
Only then did Qin Yuan understand what Ruan Jiu meant. So he ran towards that place with a bitter face.
Xiao Qi let out a muffled groan. Then he covered his head, frowned and looked around, shouting angrily, "Who is so bold as to plot against me!"
Suddenly, he saw a figure flashing in the distance. Xiao Qi felt the bump on his head and said viciously, "Chase after him!" After saying that, he immediately led his men to chase in the direction where Qin Yuan disappeared. The dust on the ground was flying everywhere.
Vaguely, she seemed to see Xiao Wang look in the direction where they were hiding. However, after seeing Xiao Wang follow Xiao Qi, she dispelled her doubts.
"You're full of tricks. It's just a pity for Qin Yuan." Xie Jingchu's words pulled Ruan Jiu back to reality.
Ruan Jiu stuck out her tongue and then said, "I hope the strange noise is still there when they arrive." The strange noise and the fake copper coin. If Xiao Wang was smart, he would surely discover the secret behind the stone gate.
Xie Jingchu smiled. "In my opinion, we might hear the news that Chi Wei has been arrested tonight."
"Why?" Ruan Jiu asked puzzledly. Even if Xiao Wang discovered the place where the copper coins were illegally cast, it would take at least until tomorrow to find out that it was related to Chi Wei.
Xie Jingchu replied, "Although they are dressed for hunting, those guards are obviously carefully selected elite guards. Maybe the Crown Prince came here under the guise of hunting to secretly investigate the illegal casting of copper coins."
Ruan Jiu suddenly realized. Well, it was good this way. Leading Xiao Wang there directly saved them the trouble of figuring out how to expose this matter.
Sure enough, as Xie Jingchu expected. That night, they received the news that Chi Wei had been thrown into prison and the entire Minister's Mansion was surrounded. This instantly made Ruan Jiu very happy. Illegal casting of copper coins was a serious crime. With Xiao Wang's involvement, Gu Kexing would surely be exposed.
But what Ruan Jiu didn't expect was that after a good night's sleep, Xie Jingchu brought bad news. "Chi Wei committed suicide in prison last night out of fear of punishment."