Reality proved that Kong Yan was not thick-skinned enough. He even felt embarrassed when he said those words.
He rubbed his nose to ease the awkward atmosphere in the air.
Li Shiming sighed and said," Shunde has made great contributions to the Tang Empire. He must not die for no reason. We must investigate thoroughly!" Do you understand?"
Kong Yan lowered his eyebrows and said nothing. He didn't want to know whether Zhangsun Shunde had contributed to the Tang Empire or not. He only knew that the money he had donated to the disaster victims had been embezzled by this great hero.
That was enough.
Zhangsun Shunde's death was an accident, and it might even be a conspiracy against him.
However, this did not mean that Zhangsun Shunde did not deserve to die!
Kong Yan knew very well that Li Shimin was trying to play down the matter of Zhangsun Shunde embezzling the disaster relief funds so that he could leave a good reputation for Zhangsun Shunde.
"We should indeed investigate thoroughly." Kong Yan said lightly.
"In three days, cooperate with Hu Yan to find out why Shunde died and arrest the murderer.”Li Shiming's face turned cold." If I don't see the result I want in three days, then the people of Wild Goose Pavilion will be the real culprits!"”
Kong Yan's pupils constricted as he looked up at Li Shiming.
"Your Majesty is wise." Kong Yan said expressionlessly after a long while.
Li Shiming looked at Kong Yan silently and said slowly,""In addition, after cutting open the vault, all the items inside will be used as evidence in this case.
As for the cut gold, I think you don't like it anymore. Then I will reluctantly help you melt it into gold cakes and fill the treasury of the Ministry of Revenue.”
After saying that, his old face turned red.
Obviously, he was not thick-skinned enough. He still had some basic sense of shame.
"Your Majesty, are you planning to rob me?"
Kong Yan was silent for a while, then a disdainful sneer appeared on his face.
Hu Yan secretly glanced at Li Shi Min with a strange expression.
Obviously, Li Shiming's words had also shocked him.
"Hmph, the current Duke died because of you. Today, the officials in the morning court will definitely want me to arrest you and throw you into prison. If you don't investigate the situation in the treasury thoroughly, do you think the officials will spare you?”Li Shi Min sneered.
"Ha…in that case, Your Majesty is still doing this for my own good. Should I thank Your Majesty?”
Kong Yan's face was full of mockery.
"It's good that you know. You can leave.”Li Shi Min said lightly. Then, he looked at Kong Yan again and narrowed his eyes.
"In addition, the bandits are rampant. I've sent Li Junxian to lead a team of Golden Guards to protect you two.”
"Thank you, Your Majesty." Hu Yan hurriedly bowed and thanked him.
Kong Yan frowned and asked,"Then can I enter and leave the palace freely for the next three days?"”
"Correct." Li Shi Min said.
“……”
After leaving Taiji Palace, Kong Yan's footsteps became heavier.
He was worried about the death of Zhangsun Shunde and the crisis of Wild Goose Falling Pavilion, but after understanding Li Shiming's attitude, he was no longer as worried as when he first received the news.
What he was worried about now was Li Shiming's face.
Once a supreme ruler lost his sense of propriety, righteousness, and shame, his face would become as tough as a knife. That was very terrifying.
Coming from the future, Kong Yan understood how terrifying some people could be when they were shameless.
In the future, there was an important reason why capital would triumph over feudalism: The skin of capitalists was much thicker than that of feudal nobles, and their shamelessness had reached an appalling level.
When Kong Yan first met Li Shiming, he had mocked him for not being thick-skinned enough.
When he found out that Li Shiming had shamelessly tried to rob the treasury, no one knew how much shock Kong Yan felt.
"This time, we definitely can't give him the vault!”Kong Yan's face turned cold. If Li Shiming got a taste of this, it would be equivalent to opening his Pandora's Box.
In the future, Li Shiming would definitely love this feeling of taking things by force.
At that time, he might really become a fat sheep raised by the other party.
"Young Master Kong, should we go to the Supreme Court or find someone to cut the treasury first?”After leaving the palace gate, Hu Yan asked with a smile.
If it was in the past, he would never be so polite to a merchant.
Even when Kong Yan's men burned Chang 'an City and pointed out Zhangsun Shunde in the hall, he did not show it on his face.
He was a scholar through and through, and he looked down on merchants who reeked of money from the bottom of his heart.
But now, his face was extremely kind, and his gaze was even gentler than when he looked at his own nephew.
In the main hall, he was so scared that he almost peed his pants. However, the youth in front of him dared to look directly at the Emperor. He even went against the Emperor and did not yield an inch.
This was definitely not something an ordinary merchant could do.
"Cutting the vault? Why did you cut it?" " Hmph!" Kong Yan snorted and said lightly," If you can't open it, then why can't I, its master, open it?”
" This..." Hu Yan paused, a strange look appearing on his face.
"Your vault has been burned by fire and the exterior has melted.。”
"The vault…melted?" Kong Yan's voice trembled.
Hu Yan's eyes flashed with shock as he sighed,""A layer of gold flowed on the ground. That scene is unforgettable.”
“……”
Kong Yan was speechless.
He was still unclear about the specific details of last night. He could not determine if Yang Jiaoniang was taken away by the secret guards or hidden in the vault.
He hoped it was the former, but he had a bad feeling about it.
"Young Master Kong, I was ordered to protect you.”
On Vermilion Bird Avenue, Li Junxian led a squad of three hundred Golden Guards and caught up to Kong Yan.
"Young Master." At this moment, five men in black walked over from the other direction of Vermilion Bird Avenue.
The leader was a strong man. His chin was longer than the average man's, and he looked like he had been raising his head.
"Zhu San." Kong Yan raised his eyebrows.
The man in front of him was Zhu Sanlang. He had been sent by Kong Yan to Guanzhong to preside over the disaster relief.
He was the one who found out about Zhangsun Shunde's corruption of the disaster relief funds.
Kong Yan turned to Li Junxian and smiled."General Li, do you mind if I speak to them privately?”
"I'm only responsible for ensuring Young Master Kong's safety," Li Junxian expressionlessly replied.”
Kong Yan smiled and led Zhu San and the others to a remote area.
"Why are you here?" Kong Yan was curious.
"Last night, before Li Er was captured, he left a signal for the secret guards…" Sanlang Zhu said in a low voice.
Theoretically, Chang 'an was the center of Guanzhong.
Zhu Sanlang's range of activity had always been around Chang 'an Fortress, but it was a little far from Chang' an Fortress at first.
After the Empress 'birthday banquet, he was worried about Kong Yan's safety, so he had been moving toward Chang' an these days.
"You know what happened last night?”Kong Yan asked.
Zhu Sanlang nodded." It happened too suddenly. Our hidden guards in Chang 'an City didn't react in time. Otherwise, Li Er would never have burned down the Luo Yan Pavilion."”
"Where is Yang Jiaoniang?" Kong Yan said in a deep voice.
" She should be in the vault, but..." Zhu Sanlang looked at Kong Yan's expression and said hesitantly," The fire melted the exterior of the vault, so the temperature inside the vault must have been extremely high last night. She might have already..."
Kong Yan's face turned cold and his heart sank.
If Li Erlang had only stuffed Yang Jiaoniang into the vault, Yang Jiaoniang would have died.
Moreover, death would be extremely painful. Gold had good thermal conductivity, and the high temperature on the surface would quickly spread to the inside, affecting the air in the vault. The air pressure would rise, and there might even be a big explosion.
"Hmm?" Kong Yan's heart skipped a beat.
"When the fire burned, did it explode?”Kong Yan asked nervously.
"I don't think so." Zhu Sanlang said hesitantly.
"Are you sure the vault is completely sealed? Not a single gap?" Kong Yan continued to ask.
"The shopkeeper of the gold shop said it was airtight," Sanlang whispered."There was even a shopkeeper who suspected that it was solid."”
"Bring some people to open the vault now.”Kong Yan said in a deep voice," If my guess is correct, Li Er might have considered that once the fire was set, the temperature in the vault would be very high…"
"Young Master, you mean…Yang Jiaoniang is still alive?”Sanlang Zhu frowned.
"Yes, we have to be faster." Kong Yan nodded. Actually, he wasn't very confident.
But he knew that this was something he had to do.
At this moment, he thought of a movie he had seen in his later life.
During the An Lushan Rebellion, Yang Guifei was trapped in a stone coffin because she believed in Emperor Ming of the Tang Dynasty, Li Longji, and took a fake death medicine. She finally woke up and suffocated to death.
This was the last thing Kong Yan wanted to see!
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