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The First Treasure Stealing It was a dark night in the winter of the 37th year of the Republic of China, and the cold wind howled. It was nearly midnight, and the owner of a suite in an apartment building on Seymour Road had just fallen asleep. This apartment has four rooms and a living room. There are two bedrooms facing north and south. The master's study is adjacent to the north, and the bathroom is adjacent to the bedroom on the south. The embers in the fireplace to the south were still emitting heat. There was a man lying on the big sofa in front of the window, covered with a thin wool blanket, and he could be heard snoring from time to time. It was already late at night, and suddenly the door to the south bedroom opened slightly. The crack gradually became larger, and what looked like a woman's head stuck out from inside. Her facial features could not be seen clearly. She was only seen carrying a suit jacket in her hand. She tiptoed to the sofa and covered the person on the sofa with the suit in her hand.

In the spring of 1645, Xiangyang City, a prosperous place in Hubei Province. There is an antique treasure shop at the east end of the main street in the city. The shop is gorgeous. Several tall and large mahogany treasure shelves display antiques, including ceramics, gold and silver, and even bronze. They are of different shapes and colors. It is really a dazzling array. There are also several tall drawers, which must be filled with small pieces of antique jewelry. The store name is "Jubao". The owner's surname is Jiang, and his name is Shixian. Jiang Shixian's eyebrows are as black as ink, and his piercing eyes can see into the subtleties, showing not only majesty but also spirit. He is dressed richly but not vulgarly, and is both literary and martial. If you hear Jiang Shixian's words, you will see that he is even more shrewd and extraordinary. Jiang Shixian came to Xiangyang to open a shop only a few years ago, but everyone in Xiangyang city was well-known to the wealthy gentry and powerful officials. Because of his generosity, he often made friends with him.

On a late autumn night, it rained heavily. A dilapidated and spacious old house, the wooden door was soaked by the rain. There is a patio at the entrance, and beyond the patio is the main room. Just after midnight, I suddenly heard a loud scream from a room in the main east wing: "There is a ghost, someone is coming! There is a ghost, someone is coming, help, help!" The screams woke everyone in the house. Everyone turned on their lights and rushed to the room where they called for help. I saw a short, fat old man about fifty years old sitting on the edge of the bed. Perhaps because he had been frightened just now, he was trembling all over and his face was blue. He didn't even have the strength to reach out and grab the cigarette rod on the table. This person is Ji Rengu, the owner of "Rengu Bank" on the beach.

One night in late November 1949. A black Ford car was speeding on the Xiangshan Highway in the suburbs of Beijing. The road was uneven and full of potholes, and the car was winding up the mountain. There were two people sitting in the back seat of the car, a man and a woman. The man was wearing a yellow People's Liberation Army uniform, holding a briefcase on his knees with both hands. He saw the lady next to him being swayed back and forth by the car, and said apologetically: "We'll be there soon, just five minutes." The lady was wearing a plaid cheongsam. She looked at the male soldier and said, "It's okay, thank you!" As she spoke, an imperceptible smile appeared on her face, and the corners of her mouth were raised slightly when she smiled. Women with strong personalities often have smiles like this. This was their first conversation since they took the car at Beijing Railway Station.

The story took place in mid-spring of 1915, nearly a hundred years ago. On Christmas Day of that year, Cai E, the general of the Revolution of 1911, declared the independence of Yunnan, organized the National Defense Army and launched the National Defense War to overthrow Yuan. The story takes place in Pu'er City, Yunnan. It is an old and dilapidated old city, but on the most lively East Street, there is a rather trendy large house with two large black doors. There is a sign nailed to the door with the four characters "Zhennan Escort Bureau" written on it, which is very majestic. At this moment, it was noon. I opened the door and entered a spacious courtyard. There were several weapon racks lined up on both sides of the courtyard, filled with eighteen kinds of weapons, but empty.

The story takes place during the Japanese occupation of Shanghai. This day is the 30th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of China government. The autumn air is crisp and the sun is pleasant, but there is no festive atmosphere at all. People are worried and fearful under the high-pressure rule of the Japanese and Wang Puppet regime. But as soon as night fell, the old Ximen place in Nanshi suddenly became a little lively. It turned out that a Ximen Casino on Zhonghua Road officially opened tonight. At the gate of the casino, there were people playing trumpets and drums to attract gamblers. Many people are entering the newly opened casino one after another, including men and women, some wearing suits, long gowns, and short coats, mostly young and middle-aged people, and occasionally a few elderly people. The casino is very luxuriously decorated, with bright lights, and the gaming tables are arranged in an orderly manner, including roulette, mahjong, Pai Gow, blackjack, etc.

The year after the Anti-Japanese War broke out, Nantai Temple in Hengshan, Hunan. The thousand-year-old temple has gone through many vicissitudes of life and has long been dilapidated. However, hidden in this ruined temple is a national treasure - the body of Zen Master Wuji, an eminent monk from the Tang Dynasty. The body is enshrined in a side hall next to the main hall, placed on an incense table and covered with a glass niche. Zen Master Wuji sat cross-legged inside, looking lifelike. One night, everything was silent. The young monk Mingxin, who slept in the side hall on night duty, helped the abbot and abbot secure the precious Buddhist books and other treasures in the temple during the day. He had been busy for a whole day and was already exhausted: the Japanese invaders would soon invade the Hengshan area. Mingxin yawned and got into bed. When he looked up, he saw the body of Zen Master Wuji again on the incense table. He remembered the words of Abbot Da Kong, saying that he must hide this treasure in a secret cave in the mountain the next morning to avoid any accidents: on the one hand, Japanese planes had dropped bombs, and on the other hand, he was afraid that the treasure would be robbed in the chaos.

That was nearly sixty years ago. A private courtyard near Guanqian Street. At midnight, with a dull gunshot, the murder occurred. This courtyard is the private residence of Suzhou businessman Xia Siqi. Because it was passed down by his father Xia Yating, it was named "Ya Yuan". When Ya Ting was alive, he was the president of the Suzhou Chamber of Commerce, and his ancestors were engaged in Gusu silk business. Today, Xia Siqi is still in the silk business. In addition to running three or four silk and satin shops in Suzhou, he also has silk and satin shops in several big cities across the country. It goes without saying that he is one of the richest. Let's get back to the topic, let's go back to the night when the murder occurred.