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

The wind in the capital is strongest when the south gate is about to close.

The sound of horses' hooves pounding on the bluestone road made one's bones go numb.

I'm not a good rider.

To be precise, I can ride, but I don't like riding.

Horses are even more unpredictable than Ah Liu. Just when you think they're going to run forward, they'll suddenly jerk off; just when you think they'll stop, they'll suddenly leap another half step.

So all the way to the South Gate, my complexion wasn't much better than Ah Liu's.

Ah Liu sat in the carriage behind, holding the evidence book, peeking half his face out from the curtain, his voice broken by the wind.

"Young master! Please slow down! I think this carriage is about to fall apart!"

I didn't turn around.

"If you're done, just grab the booklet and get out."

Ah Liu immediately pulled his head back in.

Zhou Xian rode his horse behind me.

This official in charge of ceremonies was clearly not good at riding at night; his official hat was askew, and his face looked terrible from the firelight and the night wind.

If he hadn't known that he was now tied to this case, he probably would have used the Ministry of Rites' regulations as an excuse to avoid coming to the South Gate to suffer this ordeal.

Yan Xiaoyi, on the other hand, was relaxed.

He sat on his horse as if he were leaning against the headboard of his own bed, and even yawned.

I get angry when I see him like that.

Are you sleepy?

"Um."

"Are you still sleepy at a time like this?"

Yan Xiaoyi said lazily, "If there's nothing to do, I can take a nap before killing someone."

Zhou Xian's hand trembled upon hearing this, and he almost reined in his horse.

I reminded him, "Lord Zhou, don't be afraid. He usually speaks first, but he may not actually kill you."

Yan Xiaoyi glanced at me.

"Not necessarily."

Zhou Xian's complexion worsened.

The south gate is just ahead.

The city gate tower was shrouded in darkness, torches flickered in the gatehouse, and guards were clearing the way. The last group of people to enter or leave the city before curfew were stopped at the gate, with carts, horses, porters, and merchants crowding together.

From a distance, two carriages could be seen parked beside the gate.

The vehicle body was inconspicuous, covered with a gray cloth, with narrow wheels and low shafts.

There is no emblem.

But there was a small wooden sign hanging at the back of the vehicle.

Qinghe.

My heart sank.

We made it.

It's also possible that someone deliberately made us catch up.

The captain guarding the south gate saw several fast horses charging towards them and immediately raised his hand.

"The curfew is about to close; who is riding a horse so freely?"

I dismounted, and my legs almost buckled when I landed.

Fortunately, it was dark and no one could see clearly.

I showed my badge from the Censorate.

"Shen An of the Censorate is hereby ordered to investigate the case. The carriage in Qinghe Lane, South Gate, is hereby impounded."

The captain, who was around thirty years old and had a shallow scar on his face, frowned upon hearing this.

"Imperial Censor Shen, there are regulations regarding the night curfew. Only the Imperial Guards and the Military Command are authorized to issue orders at the city gates; the Censorate has no authority to impound vehicles at the gates."

This is true.

So it's very troublesome.

Before I could even speak, Zhou Xian had already arrived.

He took a breath and took out his Ministry of Rites badge.

"Zhou Xian, the Minister of Rites. The carriage carries a document from the Ministry of Rites for leaving the city, but the document is suspected of being forged. Please, Captain, postpone its passage."

The captain's expression softened slightly when he saw the Ministry of Rites' badge.

But he remained cautious.

"Are the documents from the Ministry of Rites forged? Is there a written order from a superior?"

Zhou Xian paused for a moment.

He did not.

I don't have any either.

Ah Liu climbed down from the carriage and whispered, "Young master, how about we talk about the princess's residence too..."

"Shut up."

Before he could finish speaking, Qiu Tang's voice came from the side.

"have."

I turned around.

Qiu Tang also arrived.

She was riding a horse belonging to the princess's residence, followed by two guards who held up a princess's residence token.

I was a little surprised.

"Miss Qiutang arrived quickly."

Qiu Tang glanced at me.

"His Highness said that Lord Shen will most likely be stopped by the rules once he arrives at the South Gate."

I was speechless for a moment.

Xiao Lingyi really understands me more and more.

This is not a good thing.

Qiu Tang handed the princess's residence token to the captain.

"Princess Zhaoning's residence is hereby ordered to assist in the investigation of the carriages and horses involved in the wedding attire. If there is no problem with the carriages, the Princess's residence and the Censorate will share responsibility. If there is a problem, the carriages and horses involved will be released through the South Gate, and the officer may explain the situation to His Majesty himself."

The captain's expression changed slightly.

These two characters are very useful in the capital city.

Especially when explaining to the emperor.

Most people wouldn't want this opportunity.

The captain finally turned around.

Stop the car.

Several guards immediately surrounded the two Qinghe carriages.

The driver panicked.

"Sir, we have documents from the Ministry of Rites! The carriage was carrying used clothing for epidemic prevention transport. If we miss the appointed time, the Ministry of Rites will hold us accountable!"

I walked over.

"Documents".

The driver hesitated.

Yan Xiaoyi stood next to him, said nothing, and only glanced at him.

The coachman immediately handed over the documents.

This is the advantage of force.

It's faster than reasoning.

The documents were written neatly.

The old disaster relief clothing from the Ministry of Rites' Ceremonial Office was transferred for epidemic prevention and transported out of the South Gate to the temporary warehouse in the south of the city for storage.

Below it was the private seal of Feng Ke, a secretary in the Ministry of Rites.

The print is very clear.

Too clear.

I handed it to Zhou Xian.

Do you recognize it?

Zhou Xian's face turned ugly after reading it.

"The impression is real."

"Where are the words?"

"It's not Dr. Feng's handwriting."

Who wrote it?

Zhou Xian shook his head.

"I don't know."

I looked at the driver.

"Who gave you the document?"

The coachman's face turned pale.

"I don't know. It was given to me by the manager of Qinghe Lane."

"What's the manager's name?"

"have no idea."

"You pull a rickshaw in Qinghe Lane, don't you know the foreman's name?"

The driver had a bitter face.

"We cart drivers only care about money and license plates, not people."

That sounds like something a slippery person would say.

But it could also be the truth.

In places like Qinghe Lane, people who only care about money are most likely to be asked to do things that require life or death.

I asked, "What's on the bus?"

"Old clothes".

"How many boxes?"

"Two boxes."

"Who installed it?"

"have no idea."

I laughed.

"You know very little, and you have a hard life."

The coachman was on the verge of tears.

"Sir, I really am just a driver."

I've heard that a lot lately.

It's really just for starting a fire.

He was just a medicine boy.

It's really just a clerical job.

I was just rushing to catch the train.

The major cases in the capital seem to be handled by a group of "real people".

I turned to look at the captain.

"Unboxing."

The captain hesitated.

"Used clothes for epidemic prevention, if contaminated with the virus..."

I said, "I just came from the South Soup Dishes today. If there really is an epidemic, I'll collapse before you."

Ah Liu whispered from behind, "Young master, please don't say that, I'm scared."

I ignored him.

With a wave of his hand, the guards pried open the first box.

As soon as the lid was opened, a calming fragrance immediately wafted out.

Ah Liu covered his nose.

"It tastes the same again."

It was filled with old clothes.

Grayish-white, bluish-black, broken, and used for fumigation.

I turned over the clothes with a stick and found that some old clothes still had holes for the wooden tags.

These clothes, along with the old children's clothes in the Ci'en Temple's old clothes basket and the Fang Liu family's cloth pieces in the Chengpingfang inner robe, share the same origin.

Zhou Xian's face turned even uglier.

He now probably finally understands what the old disaster relief clothing from the Ministry of Rites had been used for.

The second box was heavier.

When the guard pried open the box, a soft sound came from inside.

It felt like someone bumped into it from inside.

Ah Liu was so frightened that he took a step back.

"Young master, are there any alive ones in the box?"

Yan Xiaoyi drew his sword and stood beside the box.

The moment the box lid was pried open, a person was found curled up inside.

A man.

He was wearing the gray robes of a clerk in the Ministry of Rites, his face was pale, his lips were purple, his hands were bound, his mouth was stuffed with cloth, and his chest was rising and falling slightly.

Zhou Xian exclaimed in surprise, "Wei San!"

The clerk in charge of guarding the old treasury of the Ministry of Rites has disappeared.

Wei San.

He didn't die.

But it seems he's not far from death.

I immediately had him carried out.

Wei San had a strong smell of sedative medicine on him, just like the sweet, cloying smell of charred corpses in the fire.

I reached out to check his pulse.

Chaotic, stagnant, weak.

She was given drugs.

Ah Liu asked anxiously, "Should we call a doctor?"

"try to find."

The captain immediately sent someone to the medical shop at the city gate.

The cloth was removed from Wei San's mouth, and he made a muffled sound in his throat.

I squatted down.

"Wei San, can you hear me?"

His eyelids twitched.

I said, "I am Shen An from the Censorate. The old treasury of the Ministry of Rites caught fire, and you were shoved into a Qinghe carriage. Where is Du Heng?"

Wei San made a sound like wind breaking in his throat.

I approached.

He uttered a few words intermittently.

"Du...Heng..."

"Where?"

"Water...Minato..."

My eyes narrowed.

Which water gate?

Wei San's lips trembled, as if he wanted to speak but couldn't.

I pressed further, "Did Du Heng bring the book of human clothing?"

His eyes suddenly opened a little.

That reaction is enough.

Ah Liu whispered from the side, "Young master, it really is the official register!"

Wei San coughed a few more times, his throat filled with the taste of medicine.

"Go...through the water gate..."

Then his head lolled to the side and he fainted again.

I stood up.

The south gate is the bait.

Du Heng entered through the water gate.

Besides the main gate, there was also a hidden water gate on the south side of the capital city, used for nighttime wastewater collection, palace wastewater transport, and the passage of some grain transport goods. It was not as heavily guarded as the city gate, but there were still patrolmen on the inner canal.

If someone carries a document from the Ministry of Rites and walks through the South Gate, it will attract us to follow.

The real document could then leave the capital through the water gate.

I looked at Yan Xiaoyi.

He already understands.

"I'll go."

"Bring people."

"No, it'll get in the way."

"Du Heng may not be without people around him."

"You'll only get in the way."

After he finished speaking, he mounted his horse and galloped off towards the water gate.

I didn't even have time to stop them.

Ah Liu watched his retreating figure and murmured, "Master Yan is so convenient."

I looked at Wei San and the two boxes.

It's really convenient.

But the problem now is that the south gate isn't empty either.

Someone put Wei San into the car, not simply to let him live so we could find him.

Something must have been left behind.

I ordered the guards to continue searching the chests.

Underneath the old clothes was an oil paper package.

The paper package was thin, yet it concealed the contents well.

Upon opening it, there was a confession inside.

The handwriting was messy, as if it was written in a hurry.

But the content is very clear.

The confession reads:

Shen An, the Censor-in-Chief, secretly ordered Du Heng of the Ministry of Rites to transfer old disaster-stricken clothing from Jiangbei, intending to frame the Ministry of Revenue; he also secretly hoarded old travel permits from the southwest, colluding with disaster victims from Jiangbei, and planned to assassinate the emperor under the pretext of the wedding ceremony.

The signature was Wei San.

There was also a bloody fingerprint next to it.

Ah Liu's face turned pale after reading it.

"Young master, this...this is a trap for you!"

Holding that confession, I suddenly smiled.

He didn't laugh much.

But the wind was cold at the south gate, and the laughter sounded very soft.

These people are really hardworking.

The old warehouse burned down, Du Heng escaped, Wei San was drugged, a bait was set at the south gate, and he didn't forget to write my confession.

Having been in the capital for so long, this is the first time I've felt like I'm someone important in the eyes of the Accounts Clearance Committee.

The evidence they presented to me was even more meticulous than the Ministry of Revenue's disaster relief accounts.

As Qiu Tang looked at the confession, her face turned as cold as frost.

"If this confession is sent to the Ministry of Justice first, Lord Shen will have a hard time explaining himself."

I nodded.

It's not just hard to explain.

It means immediate death.

Every sentence in the confession hit my sore spot.

Du Heng.

Old clothes worn during disasters.

Southwest Road Guide.

Disaster victims in Jiangbei.

She entered the palace for her wedding.

Assassination of the emperor.

They don't know the full truth about how I killed my father on his orders, but they've already gotten close enough to nail me to the ground.

I folded the confession and put it in a sealed bag.

"So it's fortunate that we saw it first."

Ah Liu asked in a low voice, "Young master, what should we do now?"

I looked out at the deep night outside the South Gate.

"Wait for news from Yan Xiaoyi."

"What if he can't catch up?"

I didn't answer immediately.

Because that's the worst part.

If Du Heng leaves the city through the water gate with the complete register of human clothing and the main register, then even if we capture Wei San and fabricate a confession, we will only have saved half our lives.

However, the most crucial records in the Ministry of Revenue case were lost.

I looked at that Qinghe car.

Suddenly I noticed a ring of wet mud around the edge of the wheel.

It's not just the mud on Nanmen Road.

The mud contained bits of aquatic plants.

The car came to the water's edge.

I squatted down and looked at it for a moment.

Then look up.

"I'm not waiting anymore."

Ah Liu was taken aback.

"what?"

"This car came from the South Gate and went to the vicinity of the Water Gate."

Qiu Tang immediately asked, "Is Lord Shen sure?"

"The wheels were covered in weeds and mud, but the South Gate wasn't. The route from Qinghe Lane to the South Gate shouldn't pass by the water's edge."

I stood up.

"This carriage is not just a decoy; it may have first taken Du Heng to the water gate, and then circled around to the south gate to deliver Wei Sanhe's confession."

Zhou Xian's face turned pale.

"Has Du Heng already left?"

"not necessarily."

Why?

"If they've already left safely, there's no need to risk sending this car to the South Gate. Unless they need to hold us off for a long enough time."

I looked towards the water gate.

"In other words, the water gate issue might not be over yet."

Ah Liu was so anxious he almost cried.

"Young master, please stop talking. The more you say it, the more it sounds like we're about to run away again."

I mounted my horse.

"Congratulations, you guessed right."

Ah Liu held the booklet, on the verge of tears.

The torches at the south gate swayed behind us.

Ahead lay an even deeper night.

That night, the old treasury of the Ministry of Rites burned down.

The South Gate is framing someone, waiting.

On the other side of the water gate, Du Heng is likely carrying the complete list of clothing belonging to the three prefectures of Jiangbei, heading down a path that could cause countless living people to disappear completely from the tent.

I can't let him go.

At the very least, we can't let that booklet go.