Dali Temple has his Lord Luo

Chapter 24

"At this stage, everyone who has access to Ziyanluo is suspected." Luo Ning explained to Luo Guowu:
"Second uncle, is there anyone you suspect?"

"After I came in, I thought about it for a long time. Teng Sen from Chuzhou Xiangpinfang has always been dissatisfied with me. If he wants to harm me and let me leave Chuzhou, he is the most likely!"

"Okay, then Mr. Qin and I will investigate one by one. I'm also going to question Chen Tian and Li Yanran. Second uncle, no problem!"

"No problem, no problem. When you see Miss Yanran, tell her that everything is fine with me here. Ning'er is here and can find Ziyanluo for me, right?"

Luo Ning was speechless.

The two walked out of the government prison. Although Luo Ning was angry with Luo Guowu, he still couldn't bear it and asked Hu Cheng to take more care of Luo Guowu. After all, he was also his father's biological brother.

Hu Chengzheng didn't know how to behave, so he quickly agreed!

The first person to investigate was Teng Sen from Xiangpinfang. When he walked out of the government office, the government servant took Qin Zhao's horse. Feeling helpless, Luo Ning took Qin Zhao's outstretched hand and climbed onto the horse.

Unable to run fast in the city, Qin Zhao hit the horse with one hand and thought: When he goes back, he will teach Mr. Luo how to ride a horse.

When she comes out to handle the case again, she will not be allowed to ride on the same horse with other men no matter what.

Thinking of this, she hugged Luo Ning's waist tightly. Luo Ning was afraid and kept holding Qin Zhao's sleeves tightly with both hands. As she ran all the way, Qin Zhao was afraid that she would be cold, so he kept covering her tightly with his cloak. It was warm and safe. Luo Ning Inexplicably reassured.

Teng Sen's Xiangpinfang store is quite large, with more than ten clerks and many customers. Three or five girls and women gather together to taste various styles of ready-made clothes and fabrics. The business seems to be booming.

A slightly plump middle-aged man wearing a dark red brocade robe was sitting behind the counter, brewing tea in a leisurely manner, looking at ease.

Luo Ning and Qin Zhao walked in, and a clerk came up to them: "Are you two buying ready-made clothes or looking at fabrics?"

Qin Zhao straightened the embroidered spring knife on his waist, and then the man saw that it was Jin Yiwei.

He was so frightened that he stammered: "Master Guan, this... this is..."

With a "Sir" call, the man at the counter stopped what he was doing and raised his head.

Seeing this, I felt nervous and stood up quickly: "If you miss me from afar, Lord Jinyiwei, please come in quickly!"

Qin Zhao stood still and pointed at Luo Ning: "No, this is Mr. Luo, Qing of Dali Temple. I am here to protect Mr. Luo and investigate the case on the orders of the emperor!"

Qin Zhao lowered his position with just one word, and Teng Sen acted based on his eyes, so he smiled at Luo Ning.

People inside and outside the house held their breaths and looked at Luo Ning when they heard that Dali Temple Minister was investigating the case. Teng Sen was trembling as if facing a formidable enemy.

"Does Shopkeeper Teng have a convenient place to talk?" Luo Ning asked directly,

"Yes, yes, you two adults are coming with me!" Although Teng Sen had a fat body, he walked quickly and took the two of them to the back hall.

After sitting down and explaining his intention, Teng Sen heard that Luo Guowu was imprisoned, with a hint of ridicule on his face.

But it was quickly covered up by laughter, and he appeared to be trembling again.

Luo Ning saw Teng Sen's expression, looked at Qin Zhao, and spoke first: "Are Shopkeeper Teng familiar with Luo Guowu?"

Teng Sen said coldly: "Familiar? Not familiar at all. We are all colleagues. My Xiangpinfang can't compare with others' Taihefang!"

The disdain in his tone made Luo Ning hear the implication.

"Luo Guowu is not in Chuzhou often. Who handles the daily affairs of Taihefang on weekdays?" Qin Zhao asked.

"Shopkeeper Chen Tian, ​​we Chuzhou garment fabric merchants usually discuss business with Shopkeeper Chen!" Teng Sen replied.

"Where were you the night before yesterday? What did you do?" Luo Ning suddenly asked.

"The day before yesterday... I..." Teng Sen obviously paused, but then replied: "I was at home, and my wife and servants can all testify!"

"How many years has Shopkeeper Teng been running the Fragrance Shop?"

"It's been more than ten years. This Xiangpinfang is the ancestral business, and I am the third generation."

"How was the business of Xiangpinfang before Luo Guowu became an imperial merchant?"

Now coming to the key point, in fact, Teng Sen's dissatisfaction with Luo Guowu also started when he monopolized most of Chuzhou's business.

Teng Sen hesitated for a moment, then said: "It was great then!"

"Can Xiangpinfang do Ziyanluo's business?"

"Zi Yan Luo? No, if Chuzhou wants to find Zi Yan Luo, the only one who can find it is Luo Guowu's Taihe Fang."

Qin Zhao kept staring at him: "Tell me, when were you in the mansion the day before yesterday? What did you do? We will go to Teng Mansion to verify it later!"

When Teng Sen heard this, sweat broke out on his forehead: "Oh, I remembered that I was not in the house the day before yesterday..."

Luo Ning looked at Teng Sen's expression: "So where did you go? Who did you meet?"

Teng Sen hesitated: "I just made appointments with a few suppliers of Ziyanluo. I heard that Luo Guowu is purchasing Ziyanluo, and I also want to take the opportunity to acquire some..."

Luo Ning was puzzled and glanced at Qin Zhao: "Is this a normal business process? Why are you avoiding answering?"

"Luo Guowu has monopolized the entire Chuzhou Ziyanluo business. I am... violating the rules..."

"What kind of person is Luo Guowu?" Qin Zhao asked
"He's very smart. He's not as submissive as he seems. He's very decisive in doing things. In only two years, he monopolized Chuzhou's business. He even has stores in other state capitals of Zhao State."

Luo Ning sighed. The second uncle in his impression was exactly what Teng Sen described. He really didn't expect that he could be so domineering in business.

When the two walked out of Taihefang, Qin Zhao asked Luo Ning: "Is there a problem with Teng Sen?"

Luo Ning shook his head: "It is true that I am dissatisfied with Luo Guowu, but is there any reason to really steal Ziyanluo? I need evidence!"

"How to investigate next?"

Luo Ning thought about it: "Let's visit the supplier Teng Sen mentioned first and see if we find anything."

Taking the list and address provided by Teng Sen, Luo Ning and Qin Zhao visited them one by one.

What Teng Sen said was true. The night before yesterday, he did contact three suppliers of purple smoke in Chuzhou, hoping to go a sideways way to get some business.

Everyone unanimously agreed that Chuzhou's purple smoke was purchased by Luo Guowu, and only a very small part was left in circulation on the market.

Therefore, as long as someone sells Ziyanluo, the industry will definitely know about it.

Luo Ning also knew one thing. The preservation requirements of Ziyanluo are very high. The storage place must be ventilated to ensure that the fabric does not fade and avoid sunlight. Ordinary merchants have almost no conditions to preserve Ziyanluo well.

Luo Ning thought in his heart, what would the person who stole Ziyanluo do?

After a round of interviews, Teng Sen was ruled out as a suspect.

Qin Zhao saw Luo Ning's face looking tired: "Are you tired?"

Luo Ning took a deep breath: "It's okay, let's go to Taihefang and find out the clues and whereabouts of Zi Yanluo as soon as possible so that we can report to the emperor."

When Qin Zhao and Luo Ning walked into Taihefang, Chen Tian was sorting out the accounts behind the counter. He heard that Luo Guowu's niece was the minister of Dali Temple and had come to Chuzhou for his case.

"Is this shopkeeper Chen Tian?" Qin Zhao asked proactively when he saw that he was a young man with clear features.

"That's it, you two?" Chen Tian didn't need to ask. He could guess Qin Zhao's clothes by looking at Qin Zhao's clothes.

"I am Luo Ning, the minister of Dali Temple, and I am here for Luo Guowu's case!"

"You two adults, please come in quickly!" Chen Tian hurriedly walked out of the counter.

Luo Ning looked around Taihefang. Sure enough, the quality and style of the clothes were at a higher level than Xiangpinfang. It was no wonder that the business here was good.

"How long has Shopkeeper Chen been in Xiangpinfang?"

"More than a year!"

"Luo Guowu is not in Chuzhou on weekdays, and Taihefang's business depends on shopkeeper Chen. It must be very hard!"

"Hard work is not to be mentioned. The master has also negotiated a good deal. I am only responsible for the day-to-day work, just shipping and replenishing goods!"

"Tell me about what happened the night before!" Luo Ning motioned to him.

"The night before yesterday, I packed up Taihefang and went back to my residence as usual. I got up early yesterday and went directly to the warehouse." Chen Tian said in a calm tone:

"But when I arrived at the warehouse, I discovered that the outer door was ajar and the inner door was wide open. I was shocked and ran in. I saw that the box containing the purple smoke was damaged and everything inside was missing."

"How many people know about Luo Guowu's acquisition of Ziyanluo?"

"It should still be within the industry. Ziyanluo is rare. The acquisition time is tight, but we do not rule out the supplier telling the news. There are still many intermediate links."

"Has the warehouse been robbed before?"

"no"

Luo Ning nodded: "Do you still remember when you arrived at the warehouse?"

Chen Tian thought for a moment: "At the beginning of the year!"

"Shopkeeper Chen thinks that twenty pieces of purple smoke have been stolen. What is the most likely way to deal with it?"

"This... it's better to sell it. Purple Yanluo is expensive and the profit is huge. You will make a lot of money!"

Chen Tian didn't know how to answer, so he was vague.

"But I heard from Luo Guowu that ordinary people can't afford it, and Ziyanluo is a scarce fabric in Zhao State. Isn't it too obvious to sell it in large quantities?"

Luo Ning has always struggled with this issue. She doesn't understand the thief's motives.

Chen Tian shook his head, unable to explain.

At this time, several women came in to choose Taihefang's ready-made clothes. Chen Tian hurried over to greet them and introduced and explained them in detail.

Luo Ning and Qin Zhao walked slowly in Taihe Square and observed carefully. Luo Ning couldn't help but be attracted by Chen Tian's voice.

He was very skilled in business, he was very gentle, and his opinions on the material of fabrics and styles of ready-made clothes were very pertinent. The women were very happy and the deal was concluded quickly.

Chen Tian politely took them to check out.

Qin Zhao whispered to Luo Ning: "Chen Tian said that he would go to the warehouse at the beginning of the morning, which means that the warehouse was stolen at least in the middle of the night. The Chuzhou curfew should also be at the beginning of the day."

Luo Ning nodded: "This is what I don't understand. Twenty pieces of purple smoke will take a while to transport. How did the thief do it?"

"Or is there more than one person?"

When Luo Ning heard Qin Zhao's words, his heart sank.

At this time, Chen Tian came over: "I'm sorry, two adults, Taihefang is like this. When guests come, it will be busy for a while!"

Qin Zhao shook his head: "Nothing, if it's convenient for Shopkeeper Chen, please take us to the warehouse to have a look!"

"Okay, the warehouse is not far from here, we can just walk there!"

The three of them chatted all the way.

"I just heard that shopkeeper Chen said that he went back to his residence instead of home. Could it be that he hasn't married yet?" Qin Zhao asked unintentionally.

(End of this chapter)