The Stunning Prime Minister

Chapter 32

"Alright! We'll find relief funds." As soon as Yu Qingqian said this, everyone gasped. There was simply no other way. Zuo Yan also smiled.

"I agree." Yu Zhou had just stepped into the entrance of the Golden Palace. All eyes were fixed on the young man dressed in black and wearing a bamboo hat. He looked so frail, yet his tone commanded respect. What an imposing young man!

"Yu Xuanyuan, shouldn't you reconsider?" Shen Wuyue's eyes were filled with anxiety, but she couldn't express it, so she could only signal with her eyes. But Yu Zhou remained unmoved.

"Young Master Yu, you have quite the spirit for your age, but do you know what you just promised?" Yu Qingqian asked, noting the young man's arrogance.

"I know about the theft of the relief funds. My goal is to find where those funds are located. The funds are stored in a secret room, with only one exit door. Only the Emperor possesses the key to that door, and he never leaves it behind. But who stole these relief funds? Prime Minister Yu, have I overlooked even the slightest possibility?" Yu Zhou said with a smile. Yu Qingqian suddenly felt a sense of familiarity, but it was overwhelmed by his shock. This young man was speaking so calmly about a secret known only to the court. Who exactly was he?

"As long as you all come with me to the Prefect's residence, the truth will naturally come to light." Yu Zhou gestured for them to proceed.

[Dynasty Storm: Solving the Case]

Everyone went to the prefect's secret room.

"Please, Young Master Yu!" Zuo Yan said irritably. Yu Zhou did not reply to Zuo Yan's tone. He looked around and saw that there was not a single gap in the four walls. There were not even any windows or ventilation holes installed, so it was impossible to get in from the outside.

He saw some tiny holes and some fine white powder. He tapped the ground and heard a strange 'bang bang' sound. He smiled slightly and said, "Pry open the stone bricks underneath."

"Could it be? Someone, pry up the floor tiles!" Shen Wuyue ordered. Everyone else retreated outside, and while many were praising the move, only Zuo Yan remained dismissive. Yu Qingqian, however, frowned.

The floor tiles were dug up, revealing a white area underneath, but instead of silver, there were swarms of termites—a frightening number. It was utterly horrifying.

"Haha," Zuo Yan covered her mouth and laughed. Yu Qingqian also looked at Yu Zhou thoughtfully. Yu Zhou didn't show any surprise at all, appearing to know everything. He stared at the termites and whispered a few words to the stunned soldiers.

The soldier stared in disbelief and said, "Is this really how it's supposed to be?"

"Yes, not a single one can be missing." Perhaps there's still a chance to salvage something. Yu Zhou thought to himself.

"What are you doing?" Zuo Yan asked in surprise as the soldiers put termites into the pot.

"Young Master Yu said we should catch these termites," the soldier replied.

"You little brat, if you can't find it, don't waste any more time. If you don't know, you don't know," Zuo Yan said angrily. Bing Ning, unable to contain her anger, retorted, "You big-bearded uncle, all you know how to do is bully the younger generation, aren't you ashamed!"

"Where did this little brat come from? If you keep chattering, I'll cut your tongue out!" Zuo Yan threatened. Bing Ning retorted angrily, "You only know how to bully us kids. If you're so capable, go fight the enemy!" Zuo Yan was also furious at this and was about to slap her when Yu Qingqian stopped him and scolded, "Zuo Yan, how dare you be so insolent with the Emperor here? Apologize to the Emperor!"

"Zuo Yan has been insolent." Zuo Yan knelt down unwillingly.

"Minister Zuo, please rise. Xuanyuan, do you have any explanation?" Shen Wuyue asked Yu Zhou, but Yu Zhou remained indifferent, simply standing there staring at the capital.

"Please forgive me for asking Lord Kyo a few questions," Yu Zhou said, looking at Kyogi.

"Yes, how about the Kyoto master?" Shen Wuyue asked, but her tone was certain.

"Excuse me." Jingji remained serious. Having experienced more than a decade of political ups and downs, he was not afraid of this little brat.

"Lord Kyo, only you know about this secret room, right?"

"yes"

"So the construction project was also supervised by people from Kyoto University. Am I right?"

"good"

"Then, I'll ask Lord Jing one last question: is there only one key to this secret room?"

"You're absolutely right."

“Then there’s no doubt about it, Lord Jing, you are the bandit.” Yu Zhou pointed directly to the capital region.

"Haha, Young Master Yu is joking. Even if I were, please provide the evidence. But..." Yu Zhou didn't let Jingji finish speaking.

"Lord Jing, I have something to show you. Bring it here!" A soldier brought over a pot of white stuff as instructed by Yu Zhou.

“This…” Jingji’s face turned pale, and he knelt on the ground, looking incredulous.

"Your Majesty, spare my life! It was my greed that led me to this. Please forgive me!" After a long while, Jingji kowtowed repeatedly, and everyone stared at Yu Zhou with puzzled expressions.

"What's going on?!" Shen Wuyue was furious.

"It's actually quite simple. Termites like to gnaw on things like wood, but many people don't know they can also chew up silver. I had them catch termites to extract silver, and sure enough, they did. I suspect these termites were planted by Lord Jing during the construction of the houses. Even if this is discovered, without evidence, Lord Jing cannot be prosecuted. However, Lord Jing can use this as an excuse to claim he's disillusioned with the court and wants to retire, taking these termites with him. Lord Jing, have I overlooked anything? Is there anything else you'd like to add?" Yu Zhou smiled faintly. Some people suddenly realized, marveling at the young man's talent. Zuo Yan's jaw dropped as he stared blankly at Yu Zhou. Yu Qingqian also smiled, her eyes filled with admiration.

The emperor, however, trembled and his jaw chattered: "Your Majesty, spare my life! Your Majesty, spare my life!"

"Kyoto, you really went to great lengths." Kamizuki sneered.

"No wonder you kept tapping on the floor tiles, but how did you know it was termites?" Bingning asked curiously, which was also what everyone wanted to ask.

“I found some shiny white termite powder in the corner, so I concluded that Lord Jingji used this method.” Yu Zhou sneered. This was truly a case of being too clever for one’s own good, but forgetting that termites also leave behind termite powder.

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This story about termites eating silver isn't just something I made up. I have some evidence:

Yes, but because they cannot be digested, the amount consumed can be reduced to an equivalent amount of silver after death.

There's an interesting story about termites' feeding habits. According to the *Lingnan Zaji* (written by Wu Zhenfang), published during the Kangxi era, in 1684, several thousand taels of silver were missing from a government treasury. Officials were terrified and searched everywhere without success. Later, they found some shiny white termite powder under the wall and discovered a termite nest in a corner. Puzzled, the officials put the termites in a furnace to burn them, and the burning process revealed silver. If this account is true, then it's undeniable that termites can eat silver. There have been reports of termites eating metal and cables both in China and abroad, but the specific type of termite is unknown. Termites are mainly distributed in tropical and subtropical regions, and are quite common in provinces south of the Yangtze River in China.

In my country, according to the ancient book *Tianxianglou Waishi*, "One hundred and fifty taels of silver were eaten by termites. After the termites died, they were thrown into a furnace and burned, and one hundred and fifty taels of silver were still recovered." This shows that termites eating metal is a fact. In Australia, there is a similar story: a group of termites gnawed through a lead wall and entered a cellar. They drank more than half of the 7,000 kilograms of beer in a wooden barrel, then gnawed through a brick wall into a hotel's billiard room, where they gnawed away all the wooden furniture.

The incredible power of termites might surprise you. Why can termites eat silver? Why can they pass through lead and brick walls?

It turns out that termites secrete a high concentration of formic acid from their mouthparts. When silver comes into contact with formic acid, it reacts chemically to form powdered silver formate. Termites can then easily ingest this powdered silver formate. However, this silver formate is not digested or absorbed by the termites; instead, it decomposes into a black powdery metal that remains inside their bodies. Of course, this powdery metal can be reduced back to silver when heated to the melting point of silver. Furthermore, the formic acid secreted by termites can react with lead walls, causing them to chew through them, and it can also corrode brick walls, creating holes that allow them to pass through unimpeded.