"Gone?"
"Did ghosts appear in broad daylight?"
"No way, it's really gone? But we didn't hear any other commotion last night!"
Surprised murmurs arose. Since Commander Xu personally led his men to guard the entrance, everyone was prevented from entering the room to check for themselves. However, everyone had rested in the carriages last night, and no one had slept through any sounds of clashing swords.
The room where the items were stored was right under everyone's noses. Apart from the art of "five ghosts moving objects," everyone could rack their brains but couldn't figure out how over a hundred items had disappeared.
Qiu Huaixin was equally dumbfounded. He patted Shi Song's shoulder, "Did you sense anything unusual last night?"
Although Shi Song was also in the carriage, unlike Qiu Huaixin who had dozed off from exhaustion, Shi Song had stayed awake all night, constantly listening for any movements outside the carriage, fearing that someone might still assassinate Qiu Huaixin.
Furthermore, Zhan Feiyu's carriage was the closest to the room, followed by the Qiu family's carriage. Not only were there people from the Three Divisions guarding outside, but there were also archers from the Qianzhong Guard Station on the wall. Shi Song hadn't heard a single sound, yet over a hundred items had vanished so stealthily. Shi Song was also filled with surprise.
"There was no commotion last night," Shi Song replied affirmatively.
His martial arts skills might not be top-notch, but they were definitely superior to ordinary practitioners. Not only had he heard nothing, but the other guards stationed outside the carriages had also heard nothing. Coupled with the government officials, there were at least forty to fifty people here last night, and it was impossible for all of them to have failed to notice any abnormality.
Qiu Huaixin nodded and glanced at the room not far away, "Could there be a mechanism inside this room?"
It wasn't just Qiu Huaixin who thought this; everyone else had the same idea. However, Commander Xu was guarding the entrance, so no matter how curious they were, no one could enter the room to check.
He Nuan was only surprised for a moment before continuing to guard Zhan Feiyu's side, even increasing her vigilance. The more such a situation occurred, the more vigilant one had to be, as unexpected events might happen.
Feeling uneasy, He Nuan whispered to Zhan Feiyu behind her, "Miss, perhaps it's better to wait in the carriage."
If the over a hundred items were not lost and had been returned to the government, Zhan Feiyu and the others who had waited all night could leave after their identities were verified, as they had come openly to participate in the Shengxuan auction.
However, out of the one hundred and twenty items, except for the remaining eighteen items, including the shattered pottery pot, the other one hundred and two items were missing. The government would definitely investigate thoroughly.
In this case, Zhan Feiyu and the others would not be able to leave easily, and they might even be suspected of being thieves, especially since their carriages had been parked outside all night.
Hurried footsteps sounded. Leading the way was Commander She. At this moment, he no longer cared about rank or seniority. His face, covered in a dark cloud, held a terrifyingly gloomy gaze, and the killing intent emanating from him was unconcealed, making the faint-hearted tremble.
Lord Qiu and Lord Ge followed closely behind. These two high-ranking officials also had grim expressions. The soldiers guarding the room were dispatched from the Three Divisions, serving to supervise each other. Who would have thought that despite such strict security, a problem would still arise?
Lord Qiu merely glanced at Zhan Feiyu and Qiu Huaixin from the corner of his eye before striding into the room.
Knowledge comes in stages, and specialization is key. When it came to investigating cases, Lord Ge was the expert. Without Lord Qiu needing to speak, Lord Ge immediately began to meticulously examine the scene upon entering the room.
The room was not large. It was a structure built by Manager Jia of Shengxuan for alms. It was located in a corner by the wall, and even when the common people were numerous during the porridge distribution, it would not affect the normal business of Shengxuan.
"There are no windows in the room, and this door was kept open all night," Lord Ge observed the small room. On the left side, there was a round table and two chairs. On the right side, there was a set of carved wooden cabinets used to store items for alms, such as rice and cloth. These were usually kept empty.
"Unless it's divine intervention, how could anyone steal the items under the noses of dozens of people!" Commander She stood at the doorway, looking outside.
On the left, there was a neat row of over ten carriages. Less than two zhang from the room's entrance was a bonfire, which was still emitting smoke.
People from the Three Divisions had guarded the room by the bonfire last night. Under the watchful eyes of over ten people, even a fly entering would have been clearly seen.
To the left of the carriages was the wall, with archers squatting on it, preventing anyone from climbing over the wall to sneak in. To the right of the room, in the open space, was a row of caltrops, preventing enemies from attacking and forcibly snatching things from this side.
Commander She turned to look at Lord Ge, who was examining the cabinets inside the room, "This room is no different from a secret chamber. How did the items disappear? I fear it wasn't five ghosts, but an inside job!"
Even a master thief couldn't steal items in plain sight. The key was that it wasn't just one or two items, but a full one hundred and two items. Small items could be carried on one's person, but some of the decorative pieces were over two feet tall. How could they be stolen and hidden?
Even if someone had the means to steal the items from the room, with the clashing of swords and spears outside, people from the Three Divisions, constables from the Qianzhong Prefecture yamen, soldiers from the guard station, and patrolling soldiers, coupled with the fact that the area around Shengxuan was sealed off last night, even if the items were stolen, they couldn't be transported out.
Lord Qiu ignored Commander She's veiled accusation and asked Lord Ge, who had a grave expression, "Are there any mechanisms or secret passages in the room?"
This was the only possibility Lord Qiu could think of. Even if there was an inside job, what of it? The people guarding the room were composed of personnel from the Three Divisions. An inside job could only involve one or two individuals, not all of them!
Furthermore, besides the personnel from the Three Divisions, there were twenty to thirty guards and escorts outside. Not to mention others, Lord Qiu thought of He Nuan and her four escorts accompanying Zhan Feiyu. These four individuals were either from the Imperial Academy or the Forbidden Dragon Guard. They were less than a zhang away from the room. If someone had infiltrated and stolen over a hundred items, it was impossible for He Nuan and the others not to have noticed.
What Lord Qiu didn't say was that Qiu Huaixin had also stayed outside all night. It was possible for others to discover abnormalities and not report them, but Qiu Huaixin would absolutely not conceal anything.
After confirming that the cabinets were all in order, Lord Ge began to tap on the walls with the handle of his knife, tapping inch by inch and listening carefully to the sound. The dull, muffled sound indicated that the walls were solid and there were no mechanisms.
After Lord Ge had inspected all the walls, he began to examine the ground. The proprietor behind Shengxuan was from the Liu family, imperial merchants. With no shortage of money, even a common room was paved with bluestone bricks.
By the time Lord Ge had inspected all the floor tiles, it was already two quarters of an hour later. The walls and ground were all in order, and the three adults in the room couldn't help but look up at the roof again.
"Yuan Cheng, go and inspect the roof!" As Lord Qiu spoke, Lord Ge also dispatched Qin Feng, his most capable subordinate from the Provincial Surveillance Department. The two of them ascended to the roof one after another.
Outside the room, Zhan Feiyu also looked up with the crowd. Although she couldn't see the roof, judging by the situation, she knew that no mechanisms or secret passages had been found in the room.
"If there was any movement on the roof, we would have definitely noticed it," Qiu Huaixin said with a frown, looking at Lord Qiu standing at the doorway.
If something truly happened, his father would be held accountable by the court. With such a large-scale operation, and with over a hundred items stolen, officials throughout the Qianzhong region would not escape the court's reprimand.
Zhan Feiyu did not reply but looked at He Nuan.
"There were people guarding the roof last night, and the commotion of entering the room from the roof would be very loud," He Nuan said. After parking the carriage here last night, she had first observed the surroundings. Not only were there archers on the wall, but there were also two archers on the roof, who had been stationed there all night until dawn before leaving.
When dawn broke, if someone had landed on the roof, anyone could have seen them in broad daylight. Commander Xu had arranged for people to guard the roof last night, fearing that someone might use the cover of night to enter the room through the roof.
"Even if someone entered, how could they steal so many items? And how could they transport them out!" Qiu Huaixin added. Although he wasn't a martial artist, he knew that no one could steal these items so stealthily.
Over a hundred items! If one person were to steal them, it would likely take all night. Were the surrounding soldiers blind and deaf, not hearing a single sound?
If several people were colluding to steal, Qiu Huaixin felt it was even more impossible.
Last night, only government officials could move freely, and they were in groups of several people. Although the soldiers from the Commander's Office were the most numerous in each group, people from both the Commander's Office and the Provincial Surveillance Department were assigned to accompany them. This was a form of mutual supervision, so it was impossible for anyone to evade the eyes and ears of the Three Divisions and steal these items.