My father ordered me to kill the emperor, but His Majesty bestowed a princess upon me instead.

After I said "it's not Du Heng," the atmosphere in front of the old treasury of the Ministry of Rites became even hotter than a fire.

Feng Ke was the first to react.

"Lord Shen, please be careful with your words."

He told me many times tonight to be careful with my words.

It's like if I just say less, the fire won't burn, and the dead will come back to life on their own.

I looked at him.

"Does Doctor Feng think this is Asarum heterotropoides?"

"The waist tag serves as proof."

"The waist tag can be exchanged."

"The body has been destroyed; how can you make that conclusion, Lord Shen?"

I crouched down and pointed to the corpse's right hand.

"hand."

Feng Ke frowned.

Zhou Xian also watched.

Ah Liu didn't dare to look, only turning his head to the side and muttering, "Don't let me see, don't let me see."

I said, "Du Heng served as a minor official in the local rites office and later entered the Ministry of Rites' ceremonial department. Such a person would frequently use pens, rulers, ropes, and books, and calluses should be on the inside of the middle finger and thumb. However, this corpse has thick calluses on the fingertips and thick palms, as if it had been carrying heavy objects for many years."

Feng Ke remained silent.

I pointed to the sole of the shoe again.

"shoe."

Ah Liu dared to watch this time.

Shoes are probably easier to accept than a corpse.

I used a stick to lift up the burnt shoe.

"These shoes are in the style of Du Heng, but the mud on the soles is wrong. The floor of the old warehouse of the Ministry of Rites is made of blue bricks, while the outer courtyard is made of fine sand. This mud contains grain husks, medicinal ash, and has a slightly damp and musty smell."

Zhou Xian's expression changed slightly.

"Qinghe Lane?"

I nodded.

"Or the South Soup Porridge Shed."

Qinghe Lane is near an old grain store, so it's not surprising to find grain husks and mud there.

There was also medicine ash in the southern soup kitchen and medicine shed.

Either location is closer to the true origin of this corpse than the old treasury of the Ministry of Rites.

I concluded by saying, "There's still a medicinal taste in my throat."

Feng Ke's face darkened.

"The body is burned like this, yet Lord Shen can still smell the medicine?"

I looked at him.

"The South Soup Porridge Stall has been closed for calming soup today. I've been smelling that all morning. If Physician Feng doesn't believe me, you can ask the Imperial Medical Bureau to come and verify it."

Feng Ke fell silent.

The arrival of the Imperial Medical Bureau made things even more complicated.

He dared not gamble.

Qiu Tang then spoke up: "The Princess's residence will invite physicians from the Imperial Medical Bureau to examine the body."

Feng Ke looked at her.

Qiu Tang calmly said, "After all, this person died in the old treasury of the Ministry of Rites, and the wedding attire involved old disaster clothing. Your Highness needs an explanation."

Princess Zhaoning needs to explain.

This sentence is more effective than ten of my sentences.

Feng Ke finally bowed his head.

"The Ministry of Rites will cooperate."

He spoke with great difficulty, trying to match those two words.

I asked Ah Liu to write down any suspicious details about the body.

Ah Liu wrote while not daring to look at the corpse.

"A charred corpse, with a Du Heng plaque hanging from its waist. The right hand has rough calluses, not the calluses of a clerk's brush. There is rice husk mud and medicine ash on the soles of the shoes. There is a lingering scent of sedative in the throat. It is suspected that this is not Du Heng himself."

After he finished writing, he quietly asked me, "Young master, if this person really isn't Du Heng, then where is Du Heng?"

They ran away.

"Where did you run off to?"

"He ran away with the things he was most afraid of burning."

Ah Liu was taken aback.

"What is it?"

I looked at the fire.

"The bottom volume".

The fire at the old treasury of the Ministry of Rites was perfectly timed.

Old disaster relief clothing, sleeve design modified, ordered by Du Heng, not yet included in the Ming treasury.

The more precise the measurement, the more it indicates that there is one more thing that cannot be burned.

Because that thing is going to be taken away.

What allowed Du Heng to escape by using fire and even trick someone into dying with a double couldn't be an ordinary transfer order.

It is very likely the real living records of the three prefectures north of the Yangtze River.

It could also be the circulation record of Qinghe Yicang.

It might even be the bottom line that connects all the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of Rites, Qinghe Lane, and the wooden plaques of disaster victims.

I asked Feng Ke, "What documents has Du Heng been handling in the past few days?"

Feng Ke remained silent for a moment.

"Replenishment Register of Used Clothing for Disaster Victims in Jiangbei"

"besides?"

"Register of Old Households Relocated and Consolidated in Yong'an County"

"besides?"

"Shimen Prefecture Epidemic Relief Clothing Booklet".

"besides?"

Feng Ke was somewhat annoyed.

"Lord Shen, Du Heng is merely a clerk."

I laughed.

"A clerk who can be transferred from the Yong'an County Ceremonial Office to the Ministry of Rites Ceremonial Office, who can inspect old disaster clothes, who has connections with Qinghe Lane, who can appear at the West Soup Hall, who can check my cuffs, and now who can even have a stand-in arranged to die in the old warehouse."

I looked at him.

"Doctor Feng, do you think he's just a clerk?"

Feng Ke fell silent.

Zhou Xian suddenly whispered, "There's one more copy."

I turned to look at him.

Feng Ke's expression changed.

Zhou Xian.

Zhou Xian seemed to have finally made up his mind; his voice was low but clear.

"A collection of clothing worn by people in the three prefectures north of the Yangtze River after the disaster."

I frowned.

What is a "personal clothing compilation"?

Zhou Xiandao said: "During the post-disaster relief efforts, if there are unclaimed deceased individuals, the Ministry of Rites will register their clothing, wooden plaques, household registrations, and relatives for subsequent relief. The names, clothing, wooden plaques, and places of origin will be compiled into one book."

Ah Liu opened his mouth.

"Isn't this...?"

"A book that can be altered by both the living and the dead."

I finished speaking for him.

Zhou Xian nodded.

"If someone obtains the list of people and their clothing, and combines it with the Ministry of Revenue's disaster relief roster, they can find out who died, who survived, who went missing, and who did not file a complaint."

My heart sank little by little.

This is the bottom volume.

The Ministry of Revenue manages grain and silver.

The Ministry of Rites was in charge of clothing.

The two books can be combined, allowing the dead to receive rations, the living to remain anonymous, old clothes to be sewn into wedding attire, and wooden plaques to be scrapped, altered, and reissued.

No wonder Du Heng is so important.

He is not the needle that threads the thread.

He was holding the eye of a needle in his hand.

I asked, "Where is the clothing and personal belongings catalog?"

Zhou Xian closed his eyes.

"Old warehouse."

We both looked towards the fire.

The old warehouse was burning brightly.

I asked, "Burned?"

Zhou Xian shook his head.

"According to the regulations of the Ministry of Rites, the personal clothing register should not be stored in the ordinary used clothing warehouse, but should be stored in a small cabinet in the inner warehouse of the Ceremonial Affairs Office."

West side inner warehouse.

That's where the charred corpse was dragged out.

I immediately headed towards the western inner warehouse.

Feng Ke's expression changed drastically.

"Lord Shen, the area has just burned down; you cannot go inside!"

I ignored him.

Ah Liu hurriedly chased after him.

"Young master! It's really going to collapse!"

I stopped at the entrance of the inner warehouse and glanced at the half-collapsed beam.

It will definitely collapse.

And very quickly.

It's a lie to say I'm not afraid of death.

I'm very scared.

My palms were sweating with fear.

If the album is really inside, or if there are signs that it has been taken, then we cannot wait.

Wait for the fire to be extinguished, for the beams to collapse, and for the Ministry of Rites to clean up.

In the end, everything was gone.

Just as I was about to go in, Yan Xiaoyi arrived.

He looked as if he had emerged from the firelight, his body covered in ash.

"You want to go in and die again?"

I looked at him.

"You've come at the perfect time."

His face darkened.

"not good."

"Help me get into the inner vault."

How much salary will you pay me?

"Ask His Majesty later."

"I knew it."

Yan Xiaoyi cursed under his breath, but still went into the inner treasury first.

He's quick and better suited to this kind of place than I am.

I followed behind, and Ah Liu wanted to follow, but I glared at him and stopped him.

"You stay outside."

Ah Liu didn't try to be brave this time.

"Young master, please hurry! I haven't figured out how to collect your body yet!"

The smoke inside the warehouse was very heavy.

I covered my mouth and nose with a damp cloth, and my eyes stung from the fumes.

Half of the cabinet on the west side had collapsed, and several small cabinets were blackened by the fire.

Yan Xiaoyi used the scabbard to pry open a piece of wood.

"What are you looking for?"

"A collection of people and their clothes".

"What does it look like?"

I looked around.

"It should be a thick book, and the cover may say 'Three Prefectures of Jiangbei,' or it may be a collection of people's clothes."

"What you said is as good as saying nothing at all."

"Then find one that wasn't completely burned."

Yan Xiaoyi was too lazy to scold me, so she bent down and rummaged through the latrine.

I saw a small metal cabinet in the corner.

The cabinet door had been pried open.

The lock fell to the ground.

It wasn't boiled.

It was pried open.

I'll go there right away.

The cabinet was mostly empty.

Only a few pieces of charred paper remained stuck in the corner.

I picked it up with tweezers.

One of them has half a character on it.

Clothes.

There is a tattered mark on the other piece.

Jiangbei.

The third piece burned the smallest, leaving only two characters:

Qinghe.

My heart sank.

The complete set of clothes and clothing is indeed here.

And it was taken away.

Were the remaining scraps of paper burned on purpose to show us, or were they left behind when we took them away?

Yan Xiaoyi suddenly said, "This way."

He picked up a small piece of wood from the bottom of the cabinet.

The edges of the wooden album cover have extremely fine engravings.

I leaned closer to take a look.

It has a line of small characters engraved on it.

A combined book of clothing belonging to people from the three prefectures north of the Yangtze River, copy.

Supplementary volume.

My eyes suddenly narrowed.

"Secondary volume?"

Yan Xiaoyi looked at me.

"There's also the official register?"

Of course there are.

If the Ministry of Rites were to produce a combined book of clothing according to regulations, there would be at least two books, one main and one duplicate.

One copy was submitted to the Ministry of Rites.

One copy was transferred to the Ministry of Revenue or local authorities along with the disaster relief funds.

If Du Heng took the secondary register, where is the main register?

Or the opposite.

Just as I was about to continue searching, the beam above my head suddenly cracked.

Yan Xiaoyi grabbed me by the back of the collar.

"Walk!"

I wanted to reach into the cupboard and grab the ashes from the paper.

He simply dragged me out.

The next moment, half of the beam crashed down, sparks flying everywhere.

Ah Liu screamed outside.

"Young Master!"

Yan Xiaoyi dragged me out the door, and I coughed so hard that tears almost came out.

Ah Liu rushed over and, seeing that I wasn't missing any arms or legs, almost knelt down on the spot.

"May Buddha protect us, may the princess protect us, may Lord Yan protect us!"

Yan Xiaoyi patted the dust off his clothes.

"Could you please put me in front of Buddha? I was the one who dragged people away just now."

Ah Liu immediately changed his tune.

"May Lord Yan bless us, may Buddha bless us, may the princess bless us."

I coughed a few times and spread out the scraps of paper and wood.

When Zhou Xian saw the words "person and clothing collection, copy", his expression changed completely.

Feng Ke also saw it.

He was extremely silent.

I asked, "Where is the official register?"

No one answered.

I asked again, "Where is the complete register of clothing belonging to the people of the three prefectures north of the Yangtze River?"

Feng Ke finally spoke.

"According to regulations, the official register should be kept in the Ministry of Rites."

"And now?"

He closed his eyes.

"It's gone."

Ah Liu gasped.

I looked at Feng Ke.

"How long have you been gone?"

"This evening, the warehouse clerk Wei San reported that there was something wrong with the seal on the small cabinet. I have asked Du Heng to check it."

"Then?"

"Du Heng hasn't returned."

"Where is Wei San?"

Feng Ke's face turned ashen.

"It's gone too."

it is good.

Du Heng has disappeared.

Wei San has disappeared.

The official register is missing.

The old warehouse burned down.

The charred corpse still wanted to die in Du Heng's place.

This is not an escape.

This is a purge meeting that's undermining things.

Remove everyone and every booklet that could point to them from the stage, one by one.

Qiu Tang approached at this moment and whispered, "Lord Shen, His Highness just sent someone to deliver a message."

"explain."

"A spy from the Princess's residence reported from the city gate that half an hour ago, a carriage from Qinghe Lane headed towards the South Gate."

"Have you left the city?"

"Not yet. We were stopped at the South Gate before curfew, but the carriage had a Ministry of Rites permit to leave the city."

My eyes darkened.

"Who signed it?"

Qiu Tang looked at Feng Ke.

Feng Ke's face turned deathly pale.

Qiu Tang said, "Feng Ke."

Feng Ke suddenly looked up.

"I don't!"

I looked at him.

"Where are the documents?"

Qiu Tang said, "We didn't have time to investigate the secret clues, so we only made a rubbing of the seal. The seal looks like it's Doctor Feng's private seal."

Feng Ke took half a step back.

"My personal seal was missing for about fifteen minutes this afternoon."

That's too late.

That's too much of a coincidence.

But I can't care about him right now.

South Gate.

Horse-drawn carriage in Qinghe Lane.

Documents from the Ministry of Rites authorizing the departure of personnel from the city.

The complete collection of clothing belonging to people from the three prefectures north of the Yangtze River.

Du Heng.

I finally know where he's going.

I turned around.

"Prepare the horses, let's go to the south gate."

Ah Liu said urgently, "Young master, the south gate's curfew is about to close!"

"So we need to be quick."

Zhou Xian couldn't help but say, "Lord Shen, you don't have the order to move the city gates!"

I looked at him.

"Lord Zhou, you have a Ministry of Rites badge."

Zhou Xian was taken aback.

I said, "If you want to escape this case alive tonight, come with me to the South Gate."

Zhou Xian gritted his teeth.

"Walk."

Ah Liu whispered, "Young master, wouldn't you call this holding an official from the Ministry of Rites hostage?"

I mounted my horse.

"Consider it a loan."

Will they admit it?

"Survive first, then we'll talk."

Horse hooves trampled through the water and ash in front of the ceremonial department.

The old warehouse behind us was still burning.

The south gate ahead was shrouded in darkness.

I suddenly felt that this night was like a red-hot rope, one end tied to the old treasury of the Ministry of Rites, and the other end tied to the carriage at the South Gate.

The other end of the rope was likely in Du Heng's hand.

No.

Perhaps Du Heng is just a hand.

The one who truly holds the rope is still higher up.