I play the role of Jiajing in Zongwu: What crime have I committed?

Mei Changsu's eyes sharpened: "We must intercept them before they leave the city and force them to reveal the origin of that batch of gunpowder."

"My subordinate understands."

If this batch of black fire is indeed the black fire that Yan Que transported into the city, then once this matter is exposed, given Emperor Liang's suspicious nature, Yan Que will undoubtedly die.

The thought flashed through Mei Changsu's mind, and his fingertips suddenly tightened.

He paused, then said in a low voice, "If... if the investigation ultimately reveals that it is indeed related to Marquis Yan, destroy all evidence immediately."

"Yes!"

Chapter 82 I'll be a puppy if I lie.

The night was as dark as ink, and the clapper had just been struck at midnight.

In a long-abandoned courtyard in the east of the city, the members of the Money Gang were packing up their valuables.

The gang leader, "Golden Leopard," paced anxiously, glancing at the courtyard gate every now and then.

They only need to wait for the fifth watch drum to sound and the city gates to open so they can take the gold and silver they have accumulated over the years and fly away.

"Hurry up, all of you!"

The leopard lowered its voice and scolded.

"We're leaving as soon as it's light. We can't stay in Jinling City any longer. Damn it, that mysterious man screwed us over."

Before he could finish speaking, a rustling sound suddenly came from outside the courtyard wall.

The leopard suddenly looked up and saw dozens of dark figures silently emerging like ghosts under the moonlight on the wall.

"not good!"

Just as he reached for the short knife at his waist, the courtyard gate was kicked open.

Amidst the flying sawdust, Zhen Ping, dressed in black, entered with his hands behind his back. Behind him, the Jiangzuo Alliance disciples filed in, quickly surrounding them.

"Where is Chief Jin heading?"

Zhen Ping toyed with the blade between his fingers, its cold gleam flashing in the moonlight.

Jin Qianbao forced himself to remain calm and forced a dry laugh, saying, "Sir, we're just a bunch of江湖 (jianghu, a term referring to the world of martial arts and outlaws) people. We don't know where we've offended you all, so we apologize."

"A traveling martial arts practitioner?"

Zhen Ping sneered, "Do you think gunpowder buried on Shenwu Street could be found by just wandering the martial arts world?"

Upon hearing this, the courtyard fell into a deathly silence.

Cold sweat beaded on Jinqianbao's forehead, but he still gritted his teeth and said, "My lord, you are wise! I have no idea what kind of gunpowder this is!"

Before he could finish speaking, a scream suddenly came from the side.

Two Jiangzuo Alliance disciples dragged in a blood-soaked figure, who turned out to be the Fourth Hall Master, who was trying to escape over the wall.

Zhen Ping slowly wiped his long sword and spoke again.

"Chief Jin, I'll ask one last time, where did that batch of black fire come from?"

The leopard, its neck stiff, stammered, "Sir, you are wise! How could I dare touch something so deadly!"

"The Jiangzuo Alliance has already investigated this matter."

Zhen Ping's words were as cold as ice, sending chills down the spines of Jin Qianbao and the other hall masters.

"The black powder buried under Shenwu Street was planted by your Money Gang."

After the last word was uttered, the room fell into a deathly silence.

The faces of Jinqianbao and the others suddenly turned deathly pale.

He walked up to the leopard and bent down slightly.

"I'll let you go if you tell me where the gunpowder came from."

"After all, your Money Gang is nothing more than the most insignificant lackeys in this assassination plot."

"If we really wanted to bring you to justice, it would be the officers and soldiers standing here right now."

At this point, Jin Qianbao and the others exchanged glances, their eyes already showing some interest.

Finally, he threatened, "If you don't speak up, once the soldiers surround this courtyard, you'll be executed by being torn apart by five horses and your entire family will be exterminated."

Upon hearing this, Jinqianbao trembled all over, and large beads of sweat rolled down his cheeks.

The others weren't much better off; they were all shaking like people with Parkinson's.

The leopard's eyes darted around as it looked at its surroundings. Seeing that all the hall masters were staring at it expectantly, it finally lowered its head in dejection.

"I'll tell you everything!"

"That's right, it was indeed our Money Gang that did this, but we really don't know where the gunpowder came from!"

"Still trying to pull tricks when you're about to die?"

Zhen Ping swiftly slashed at the leopard's neck, leaving a bloody gash.

The leopard trembled and quickly raised its hands, waving them repeatedly.

"I swear! If I'm lying to you, I...I'll be a dog!"

Zhen Ping's face darkened upon hearing this.

"Uh, no, no!"

The leopard hurriedly changed its tune.

"I'm an animal! I'm an animal, okay?"

"I fucking care who you are!"

Zhen Ping shouted angrily, spitting all over Jin Qianbao's face.

"Are you playing house here? If you don't tell the truth, I'll turn you into a dead dog right now!"

"No, no, no..."

The leopard shrank its neck and spoke faster than a tongue twister.

"Here's what happened: five nights ago, a masked expert stormed into our headquarters all by himself."

"That man's martial arts skills were strangely high; even with dozens of brothers like us, we couldn't even touch the hem of his clothes."

He swallowed hard, fear creeping into his eyes.

"That man said we had to do as he said, or he would slaughter the entire Money Gang."

"We...we were forced into it too!"

Zhen Ping narrowed his eyes, pressing the tip of his knife against the leopard's throat.

"Go on, what did that man want you to do?"

The Golden Leopard began to tell the story of how Zhuque had sent them to pick up a batch of high-quality Suzhou embroidery from a valley thirty miles outside the city and transport it into the city.

The entire process was laid bare.

"How could we have known there was gunpowder hidden under those silks!"

"Are you really unaware of this?"

"I swear to God!"

The leopard was so anxious that it kept stamping its feet.

"If we had known there was gunpowder inside, we wouldn't have dared to blow up the Emperor even if we had a thousand lives!"

"If you don't know, don't even the people responsible for burying the gunpowder know?"

At this moment, a burly man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face suddenly interrupted.

"The hard labor of burying gunpowder is done by the lower-ups; we just collect our rewards."

Where are those people now?

Jin Qianbao and the other gang leaders looked at each other, and finally the sharp-mouthed gang leader stammered, "After burying the gunpowder, they...they disappeared."

"After the incident, we guessed that he was probably silenced by that mysterious person."

Zhen Ping frowned upon hearing this and unconsciously paced back and forth in the room.

Suddenly, he grasped the key clue.

Are they transporting silk?

He turned around abruptly, his sharp gaze sweeping over the crowd like a knife.

"You just said the carriage was carrying silk? Which merchant's silk?"

"say clearly!"

"Suzhou embroidery brocade!"

A fat hall master with a face full of scars hurriedly answered.

"It's the biggest one in the south of the city, the one with the gold-plated signboard."

Before he could finish speaking, Zhen Ping's pupils suddenly contracted.

He was all too familiar with that name.

The secret report delivered by Mr. Thirteen mentioned the relationship between this silk shop and the Yan family.

This originally belonged to the Yan family.

It seems this batch of gunpowder really is related to Yan Que.

Thinking of this, Zhen Ping's eyes darkened.

A meaningful smile suddenly appeared on his face.

"Alright, you've done a good job. I can spare your lives."

Upon hearing this, Jinqianbao and the others' eyes immediately lit up with hope.

"But you must tell the truth: no one else besides those of you present knows about this."

"You must know what kind of power the Jiangzuo Alliance wields in the martial arts world. If you tell the truth now, we can still clean up the mess."

"Otherwise, even if you escape to the ends of the earth, you won't be able to escape our pursuit."

Absolutely not!

Upon hearing this, the leopard immediately swore an oath.

"I swear on my ancestors for eighteen generations, this matter is known only to a few of us."

The other hall masters echoed this sentiment, nodding their heads vigorously.

Zhen Ping nodded slightly and exchanged a glance with the elite Jiangzuo Alliance member beside him.

"Very well, then keep this secret forever."

Before the words were even finished, a cold glint appeared!

"you!"

The leopard's exclamation abruptly ceased.

A dozen longswords were wielded simultaneously, spraying blood everywhere.

The fat hall master still had a joyful expression, but his head had already rolled more than ten feet away.

The leopard clutched its bleeding neck, staring at Zhen Ping in disbelief, before finally collapsing heavily into a pool of blood.

Although these people were skilled in martial arts, they were no match for the elite of the Jiangzuo Alliance.

Amidst the flashing swords and the clash of blades, screams rang out one after another, and in just a few breaths, the room was filled with corpses lying haphazardly.

Zhen Ping sheathed his sword and coldly glanced at the corpses scattered on the ground.

"withdraw!"

Before he finished speaking, a series of synchronized footsteps suddenly came from outside the courtyard, followed by the metallic clang of armor clashing.