Children of Loulan

Chapter 264 You didn’t ask?

Batur came out of the palace and rushed to Prince Xuan's Mansion without stopping. When he saw Keremu and Aidil, he couldn't wait to speak: "Although everything now points to the Minister, there is no substantial evidence!" While speaking, he glanced at Aidil intentionally or unintentionally, and there seemed to be a deep meaning in his eyes.

Aidil didn't seem to understand what he meant, and just echoed, "Yes, although we have found the workshop that makes fake stones, we are still a step too late. Those people have all run away. What a pity, otherwise we could follow the clues to find the whereabouts of the real granite!"

Keremu observed the subtle interaction between the two quietly, thinking to himself. Then he slowly said, "To know where these granites were transported to, we must first find out what they are used for."

Aidil frowned and thought for a while before saying, "Granite is usually used to build bridges, pave roads, and construct the foundations of houses. Other than that, I really can't think of any other special uses for it."

Batur then asked: "So, what kind of family can afford to use granite to build their own house?"

After all, Loulan did not produce granite, only the Tang Dynasty had it. If it was to be used, it had to be transported from the Tang Dynasty, which would be very costly.

Aidil answered without hesitation: "That must be a family that is as rich as a country! Otherwise, ordinary rich people can only buy a few pieces of high-quality granite at most!"

Keremu raised his eyebrows and questioned: "Do we have merchants in Loulan who are as rich as a country? Even if there are, if they dare to buy the granite from the imperial court at this critical moment, I am afraid they will have the life to buy it but not the life to enjoy it!"

Batur understood Keremu's hidden meaning, but he was not sure whether his understanding was correct, so he asked cautiously: "Brother, what do you mean..."

Keremu nodded slightly, a barely perceptible smile on his face, and said softly: "Now the whole Loulan knows that the court bought granite from the Tang Dynasty to build the West City, so I think no one would dare to buy it at this time."

Batu suddenly understood, a hint of excitement flashed in his eyes, and he asked eagerly: "So, brother, you mean that these granites and wood should not have been lost, but hidden somewhere?"

Keremu nodded and answered affirmatively: "That's right! The smuggled granite and wood must have been hidden with a plan and purpose. As long as we find that place, we can take them back."

Aider frowned and said anxiously: "Where would it be hidden? Loulan is so big, where should we look for it?" He was full of doubts and uneasiness, and had no idea how to find the missing items.

Keremu lowered his head silently and continued to drink tea without answering Aidil's question. Batur fell into deep thought. After a while, he raised his head and said with a firm look: "If they want good luck and want to hide their tracks, then they should not choose to take the official road. Since they don't take the official road, they may be heading in the opposite direction of the capital. Tomorrow I will lead some people to search near the workshop again to see if there are any traces of carriages transporting goods!"

Keremu added: "This range can be appropriately expanded, because when they evacuate, they will most likely try to cover their tracks and destroy the traces left behind!" His voice was low and serious, revealing a thoughtful attitude.

Aidil nodded in agreement and offered, "Then I'll go with you!"

However, Keremu shook his head and said firmly: "Don't go. Tomorrow, quietly arrest the man who had a secret meeting with the steward of the Imperial Astronomer. The reason is simple, that is, he dared to imitate and forge a letter from an imperial official. After catching him, you don't have to show mercy to him. You must interrogate him strictly, but make sure to keep him alive!"

Aidier chuckled, "Yeah, I forgot about him. If they keep biting each other, I'm sure the Shangshu will be caught!"

Thinking of this, he couldn't help but frowned again and asked, "Brother, since we have such a good reason, why don't we just arrest him openly? Doing it sneakily like this always feels a bit..."

"Second brother, why are you so confused! If we go to arrest him with great fanfare, wouldn't his accomplices immediately destroy the evidence and run away after getting the news? By then, all our efforts will be in vain!" Batur said anxiously.

When Aidil heard this, he suddenly realized what was going on. He slapped his forehead and blamed himself, saying, "Oh, how could I have forgotten about this! Third brother is really smart! Okay, I'll send some people to quietly capture him tomorrow!"

The next day, as the sun slowly rose, the sound of whips hitting flesh came from a dim dungeon, like a cruel symphony. At the same time, a man's painful screams echoed in the dungeon, making people shudder.

In this dark and damp dungeon, a man was tied tightly to a huge wooden frame. His body was already covered with scars, and blood stained his tattered clothes, which was in sharp contrast with the dirty walls around him. His eyes were full of despair and fear, and opposite him stood two men.

One of them held a whip and whipped the poor man fiercely, making him scream with every whip; the other man sat quietly on a brand new chair, watching everything happening in front of him with indifference, with a sneer on the corner of his mouth.

Seeing that the beating was almost over, he whispered, "What's up? You still don't want to confess?"

The man was beaten to the point of being almost dying, with tears streaming down his eyes. He gasped and said with difficulty, "Who are you? What is your purpose in arresting me? What do you want me to confess? You don't ask anything, but just ask me to confess, but...but what should I confess?"

As he was talking, blood was still flowing from the corner of his mouth, and his eyes were full of innocence. God knows how wronged he is now. He was sleeping well at home, but he was inexplicably put in a sack and taken to this dark cell. Moreover, the intruders started beating him indiscriminately without saying a word. After the beating, they asked him if he wanted to confess. But he really didn't know what to confess?

After hearing his words, Aidil frowned, turned to look at the executioner next to him, and asked in an unhappy tone: "You didn't ask?"

The executioner replied tremblingly: "Your Majesty, I thought you just wanted me to torture him and force him to confess..."

Aidil interrupted him impatiently, "Idiot! Next time remember to ask clearly before you do it! What's the point of asking if you kill him?" The executioner, who was scolded, hung his head, replied "yes" with a frustrated look, then obediently stepped aside, not daring to say another word.

Aidil walked forward, frowning at the man covered in scars and in a state of disgrace, with a hint of reproach in his tone: "You too, when someone beat you like this, don't you dare ask why?"