"What about the guest? How long have he been gone and in which direction?"
"There was a stick of incense left. It seemed to be heading towards the east alley. When I chased him out, he had already disappeared."
The waiter lowered his head, his voice a little aggrieved.
"Shopkeeper, what are we going to do? Although these fake coins are not much, if word gets out that the waiter in our restaurant can't even tell the difference between real and fake money, I'm afraid it will affect our restaurant's business."
The shopkeeper frowned, thought for a moment, and gritted his teeth.
"The impact on business is minor. If we allow this fake money to circulate in the market, we may suffer even greater losses in the future. No, this matter must be reported to the official."
As he said that, he picked up the fake copper coins, took a few real copper coins from the counter for comparison, and hurried towards the Imperial City Government Office.
Coincidentally, almost at the same time that waiter Drunken Immortal Tower discovered the counterfeit money, vendors in several other streets and alleys in the Imperial City also encountered the same trouble.
In front of the grocery stall in the south of the city, the stall owner was packing up the goods on the stall and counting this morning's income. He was flipping through the items when his expression suddenly changed and he picked out a few strange copper coins from a pile of copper coins. They were exactly the same counterfeit coins as Drunken Immortal Tower.
The stall owner was an honest and conscientious businessman. He worked hard all morning and earned dozens of copper coins, among which nearly ten were mixed with fake coins.
I was so distressed that I stomped my feet. I immediately didn't bother to clean up the stall, and ran to the Imperial City Government Office with the fake money.
There were also old ladies selling steamed buns on the street corners and vendors selling fabrics, who all found fake copper coins in their income.
Most of these vendors operate on a small scale, and a copper coin is not a small thing for them. Now that they suddenly received so much fake money, they have undoubtedly suffered huge losses.
For a time, many vendors and store owners who received counterfeit money rushed to the Imperial City Government Office to report the case.
At the gate of the Imperial City Government Office, which was originally relatively quiet, a lot of people gathered in an instant, with angry and anxious expressions on their faces, talking about how they had received fake money.
The official from the government office came over after hearing the news. When he saw so many people reporting the crime at the same time, and they were all about fake copper coins, his face suddenly became solemn.
One or two pieces of counterfeit money may be the work of an individual person, but the appearance of so many counterfeit money in different areas of the imperial city cannot be accidental. Someone must be deliberately spreading counterfeit money behind the scenes.
If this matter is handled improperly, it will not only harm the interests of the people, but may also cause panic and disrupt the security and order of the imperial city.
He did not dare to delay the government officials, so he immediately turned around and hurried back to the government office, shouting orders at the top of his voice.
"All agents must assemble immediately."
A moment later, dozens of police officers wearing soap clothes and carrying long knives rushed out of the gate of the government office. They looked solemn and quickly lined up in front of the government office gate.
The officials distributed the fake copper coins collected in their hands to these detectives and warned them in a deep voice.
"Fake copper coins have appeared in many places in the Imperial City, disrupting the order of the city and harming the interests of the people. You are divided into ten groups and patrol the streets and alleys of the Imperial City. Focus on the east alley, the grocery street in the south of the city and other areas where the crime occurred. Try to find clues about the people who spread the counterfeit coins. It is best to find out the source of the fake coins."
"As commanded."
All the detectives responded in unison, took the coins, and then quickly divided into groups and set off in all directions of the imperial city.
However, the process of investigating the case was far more difficult than officials imagined.
These agents from the government office walked the streets and went door to door asking questions.
I carefully checked all possible suspicious persons during the time of the crime, and carefully inspected each crime scene, but could not find even a single useful clue.
Those who spread counterfeit currency seemed to have disappeared from the world, leaving no trace of their whereabouts or revealing any identity information.
What's even more troublesome is that these fake copper coins are so finely crafted that, except for the differences in weight and material, they are almost identical in appearance to real coins.
It can almost look fake.
It takes a skilled hand to look carefully to see the flaws in a copper coin.
The investigation lasted for several days, and the detectives searched the streets, alleys, restaurants and inns of the imperial city.
Even the villages on the outskirts of the imperial city were investigated, but there was still no progress.
While they were investigating the case, more and more people were going to the government offices to report the case every day. Not only traders and shops, but also ordinary people encountered fake copper coins when buying vegetables and filling oil.
In just a few days, the number of people reporting the crime has exceeded several hundred, and the number of counterfeit copper coins involved has also increased.
Seeing that the officials and police officers in the government office were all worried and worried.
These officials stayed in the government office all day long, receiving people who came to report the case, and their voices were almost hoarse.
The police officers were walking through the streets under the scorching sun, exhausted, but could not find a breakthrough.
Seeing that the order of the streets in the imperial city was becoming more and more chaotic, the people were panicked, and many vendors did not even dare to do business easily because they were worried about receiving counterfeit money. The government officials knew that this matter was beyond the government's ability to handle.
In desperation, he could only report the case to Imperial Guard, who was in charge of patrolling and arresting important cases in the Imperial City.
At this time, the imperial city was no longer as peaceful as before.
The news that counterfeit copper coins are flying all over the sky has spread throughout the streets and alleys like wings. People are always wary when they go shopping, and they have to check the coins repeatedly after receiving them.
Quarrels caused by suspicions of receiving counterfeit money can be seen everywhere in the streets. The originally lively and peaceful atmosphere of the market has gradually been replaced by panic and riots.
Imperial Guard The governor Lei Chongxiao, after receiving the report of the case, his face became a little solemn.
He had also heard about the recent proliferation of counterfeit copper coins in the Imperial City.
As an official of Imperial Guard.
He knew the destructive power of the proliferation of counterfeit copper coins to the order of the imperial city. If it was not curbed in time, it might lead to greater turmoil.
Order immediately.
"Thousand Households Commander Hong, Thousand Households Commander Zeng led a team of Imperial Guard out to the main streets and alleys of the imperial city to maintain order and appease the people."
"Thousand Households Commander Cheng, Thousand Households Commander Qiu, led a team of Imperial Guard to investigate the case, and made every effort to trace the source of the counterfeit currency and the people who spread it. Progress was made within three days."
After receiving the order, Imperial Guard acted quickly. Groups of Imperial Guard wearing Flying Fish Robe and wearing Spring Embroidered Saber on their waists shuttled through the streets of the imperial city. Their expressions were stern and their auras were majestic, and they quickly stabilized the chaotic situation.
Imperial Guard, who is responsible for investigating the case, is more professional than the government police officers.
They not only expanded the scope of the investigation, but also specifically investigated people who were proficient in coin minting technology, and carefully studied the casting techniques of fake copper coins, trying to find clues.
But even so, there is still no progress in the case.
The casting techniques of those counterfeit copper coins are extremely exquisite, and they are obviously made by professional coin craftsmen. However, the people who spread the counterfeit coins are extremely covert and can quickly evacuate after each attack, leaving no trace behind.