"How do you know this matter so clearly?" Xu Zun asked.
"Yes...it's like this..." Li Jinlou recalled, "Tie Lao saw that Cao Ding liked his family's ancient maps so much, so he offered big prices one after another. Cao Ding's family had limited wealth and couldn't afford it!
"However, Cao Ding really couldn't put it down for the ancient map and didn't want to give up, so he asked someone to find me to help him," Li Jinlou said. "He entrusted Ying Rang, the minister of the Ministry of Industry, to come forward.
After explaining it clearly, Tie Lao lowered the price and sold those ancient maps."
"That batch?" Xu Zun caught the word, "How many?"
"Yes," Li Jinlou nodded, "They are all ancient maps of Xuanmiao City. They seem to have existed in all dynasties. They are basically hand-drawn, and some of them look a bit old!"
"Did all Tie Jing sell to Cao Ding?" Xu Zun asked again.
"Yes, um... maybe?" Li Jinlou said, "To put it bluntly, I'm just a middleman. I don't know whether Tie Lao's family still has any inventory!"
Hearing this, Xu Zun turned around and asked the steward of Tiefu and others: "Do you know about this?"
"My family..." At this time, an old woman said, "Our Tie family ancestors did serve as supervisors of the former dynasty's survey institute, and I have also seen those ancient maps you mentioned.
"My husband is also interested in those maps. He used to take them out to look at, but then he never saw them again..."
"good!"
Xu Zun winked at Li Xing. Li Xing immediately understood what Xu Zun meant and immediately took the old woman away and asked her to help find it to see if Tie Jing had any inventory at home.
"Li Yushi," Xu Zun asked Li Jinlou again, "If you think about it again, besides Ying Rang and Cao Ding, who else knows Tie Lao's batch of ancient maps better?"
"Of course it's Mr. Tie himself!" Li Jinlou said without hesitation, "Isn't he helping in the Internal Guard Mansion? You ask... um..."
Suddenly, he saw something from the expressions of Xu Zun and others, and immediately shut his mouth and stopped making any sound.
"Hey, I'm asking you something!" Ani stabbed him with her scabbard and asked, "Who else knows besides Tie Lao?"
"And... there is Liu Jin... oh..." Li Jinlou realized that Liu Jin was no longer alive and said, "Tie Lao is knowledgeable and has a wide range of friends. I... I can make a list for you.
"But I don't know who knows about those maps."
"Okay." Xu Zun nodded to Ani and asked Li Jinlou to write the list to Ani.
However, just as the two of them were about to go aside, Xu Zun remembered something and asked Li Jinlou: "By the way, did Cao Ding say, what is the use of those maps?"
"Hmm..." Li Jinlou thought for a while and replied, "It seems that he just likes it, right? Hmm... It seems... he said that those ancient maps indicate ancient water conservancy hubs or ditches, maybe... right
How will his water conservancy project help?"
Hearing this, Xu Zun suddenly felt his heart tremble, and a chill spread from his head to his feet.
Could it be that...as I had guessed before, this is the calamity that Xuanmen really wants!!?
"Xu Zun..." At this time, Chen Taiji, who had been beside him, couldn't help but pull Xu Zun aside and asked, "Why... do you think there is a problem here?"
"Master Chen," Xu Zun asked, "I heard you say before that Xuanmiao City, the holy capital, was built on the original ancient city, right?"
"Yes!" Chen Taiji nodded, "When I was a child, I heard someone say that an old man called Xuanmiao City the Sixth Level Ancient Capital."
"Six levels of ancient capital?" Xu Zun was curious.
"Xuanmiao City is known as the center of the world. Because of its excellent geographical location and strategic factors, more than a dozen dynasties in history built this place as their capital." Chen Taiji explained, "Except for those short-lived dynasties, including me
In Daxuan, a total of six dynasties built large-scale construction projects and built capitals and cities here!
"After all, national power is limited. When building, most dynasties will build on the original site.
"Either it was renovated or built, and over time it became a city above the city, creating the six-story ancient capital it is today!"
oh……
Xu Zun thought carefully and murmured: "So, there is another mystery underground in this mysterious city?"
"Yes, this is true!" Chen Taiji affirmed, "The people in the Ministry of Industry know it best. Many construction projects will encounter the same problem, that is, digging down into the ground will always unearth ancient ruins.
As a result, the project volume increased and the deadline was delayed.
“Sometimes, we even have to choose another address to build again.”
"Then...is there any explanation for these waterways and canals?" Xu Zun asked again.
"Yes," Chen Taiji replied, "Since the holy capital was built on top of the ancient capital, naturally all the culverts and ravines left in the past are underground.
"It is said that those culverts can still play a role in dredging and draining silt. This is why Xuanmiao City has never had a flood in hundreds of years."
Underground city...underdrain waterway...
Xu Zun associated them together and asked Chen Taiji: "Can people enter those underground channels and waterways?"
"This..." Chen Taiji shook his head, "I don't know! I'm afraid I have to ask someone from the Ministry of Works about this kind of thing.
"Actually..." He looked around and said regretfully, "In the entire Xuanmiao City, I am afraid that only Tie Lao is the most proficient in this kind of thing.
"I heard before that the cabinet wanted to recruit Tie Lao to serve in the Survey and Construction Institute, but he was rejected by Tie Lao. After all, there is a lot of money in Dali Temple!
"Xu Zun..." Chen Taiji lowered his voice and asked, "Do you think that they suddenly killed Tie Lao just because they didn't want Tie Lao to reveal the secret of the ancient city's culvert?"
Xu Zun nodded slightly: "I guess that when Tie Jing was talking to Dongfang Shenping at Cao Ding's house, he might have remembered the deal he had made with Cao Ding, and then Cao Ding's housekeeper heard it, so he did not hesitate to expose his identity.
, we must also kill Tie Lao!"
"In this case... this matter is very important, but..." Chen Taiji frowned, "I really can't think of anything that Xuanmen can do with these ancient culverts that have existed for thousands of years?
"
"Water?" Xu Zun asked.
"Impossible!" Chen Taiji shook his head, "Although I am an outsider, I also know that Xuanmiao City is located on a high terrain, and without those culverts, flooding is impossible.
"Besides, the water is brought here. If there is a flood, the water will flow downstream along the Jinyin River..."
"Then..." Xu Zun asked again, "What if we use explosives?"
At this moment, Xu Zun completely imagined himself as a Taoist rebel, thinking about how to cause maximum damage to this impregnable historical city.
He originally thought that Chen Taiji would be shocked as soon as his words came out of his mouth.
Unexpectedly, after hearing this, Chen Taiji waved his hands repeatedly:
"That's even more impossible! Although the power of explosives is not small, if you want to blow up Xuanmiao City or the Royal Palace, it is simply a dream!"
"Really?" Xu Zun said, "Since there is a gap under the Holy City, then bury the explosives in it...
"Impossible," Chen Taiji gave a negative answer before Xu Zun finished speaking, "I understand what you mean, do you mean to say that Xuanmen wants to blow up Wanfu Palace?
"Do you know how much explosives are needed?" Chen Taiji gestured, "Using the best gunpowder in the world, there would be tens of thousands of boxes! Do you think it is possible?
"Besides," he added, "the foundations of Wanfu Palace were laid in advance, so there is no way it is empty underneath!"
Really?
Listening to Chen Taiji's words, Xu Zun fell into deep thought. Neither water nor fire can do it. So what can the Xuanmen rebels do by using these ancient city culverts?
