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

After nightfall, Chengpingfang was quieter than it had been in the previous days.

This silence is not a good thing.

If it's too quiet, it means what's coming is still on its way.

Ah Liu sat at the door of the study, holding a wooden stick and keeping watch.

I asked him, "What are you doing with that stick?"

He said in a serious tone, "The palace guard's robe."

"If someone comes to steal your palace robes, will you stop them with a stick?"

"We can't stop them."

"Then what are you guarding?"

"To bolster courage."

well.

At least be honest.

The palace robe had been folded again and put back into the ebony box.

The bottom compartment of the box was disassembled and not put back together; it is now empty.

I asked Ah Liu to separate and seal all the thin wooden pieces, yellow silk, and sealing nails that had been dismantled.

As Ah Liu sealed the items, he muttered, "Young Master, there are more things to seal in our manor now than food."

"This shows that we are living life seriously."

"It could also mean that we're so poor that all we have left are evidence."

He realized after he finished speaking that what he said was not something a servant should say, and immediately lowered his head.

I didn't curse him.

Because he's right.

The house in Chengpingfang now resembles a small storeroom of the Ministry of Justice.

The rice bag seal at the West Congee Stall.

South porridge stall medicine package auxiliary account.

Rubbings of wooden plaques belonging to the Fang Deshun and Fang Liu families.

Old children's clothes.

The book of clothes and clothing is incomplete.

Old disaster relief cloth salvaged from the inner robes of the Ministry of Rites.

Fragments of the Southwest Road sign.

Watergate fake knife.

Wei San's false confession.

Bottom cover of the palace clothing trunk.

None of them are very big.

But each one of them could be deadly.

I relisted all the evidence items and divided them into three groups.

Group 1: Ministry of Revenue.

The dead receive rations, the living are nameless, soup kitchens provide firewood and rice, and medicine sheds offer solace.

Group Two: Ministry of Rites.

Old disaster clothing, a collection of human clothing, Du Heng, Feng Ke, and wedding inner robe.

The third group: the inner court.

Palace robes, old orders from the Imperial Clothing Bureau, Qin Shangyi, Hehuan Anxingxiang (a type of incense), and the Empress Dowager's old palace.

There is one thing in common among the three groups.

Qinghe.

Qinghe Yicang, Qinghe Lane, Qinghe transfer, Qinghe shed.

These two characters are like a seal, pressed into the shadows of each line.

As I was looking, I heard soft footsteps outside the door.

Not an assassin.

An assassin's footsteps wouldn't be so orderly.

Qiu Tang has arrived.

She was holding a small porcelain box in her hand.

"His Highness sent this servant to deliver it."

I took it.

"What?"

"Incense ash".

I looked up at her.

"Acacia benzoin?"

Qiu Tang nodded.

"His Highness heard that the palace robes had this fragrance, so he ordered someone to take a little bit of ash from the late Empress's old belongings."

These are items belonging to the late empress.

These few words instantly changed the atmosphere in the room.

I opened the porcelain box.

It contains only a tiny bit of very fine gray, which is whitish in color with a hint of brown.

bland.

almost none.

But when I brought the cuffs of the palace robes closer to my eyes, they were indeed similar.

Not exactly the same.

The fragrance on the palace robes was lighter and fresher.

The incense ash in the porcelain box was even older, carrying a cold scent that had settled over the years.

I asked, "Did the late Empress use this incense?"

Qiu Tang said, "His Highness said that before and after the late Empress was seriously ill, the bedchamber was infused with aphrodisiac benzoin."

My fingers paused slightly.

"Before and after the illness became serious?"

"Yes."

"Who opened it?"

Qiu Tang shook her head.

"His Highness is still investigating. The old medical records in the palace are incomplete, and some of the records from the Imperial Medical Academy have been cleared out."

It's been cleaned up again.

The accounting committee loves to settle accounts.

Clear the accounts of money and grain, the accounts of names, the registers of clothing, and the medical records.

How much stuff did they actually clean up?

I looked at the incense ash in the porcelain box.

"Why did Your Highness send this?"

Qiu Tang said, "His Highness said that if Lord Shen only investigates the Ministry of Revenue, he will be dragged down by the Ministry of Revenue. If he only investigates the Ministry of Rites, he will be burned alive by the Ministry of Rites. The fact that this kind of incense is found in the palace robes means that someone wants you to know that there are also old grievances in the inner court."

"let?"

"That's the word Your Highness used."

I fell silent.

This sentence is very important.

It wasn't me who found out about the inner court.

Someone wants me to see the inner court.

The cover of the book of clothes belonging to the people at the bottom of the palace wardrobe was not necessarily left behind by mistake.

It's possible someone deliberately put it in my hands.

The same applies to Albizia julibrissin and Benzoin.

If the accounting committee truly wanted to conceal all evidence, it shouldn't have left these two items behind.

Who is leading me to the inner palace?

emperor?

Gu Xingzhi?

Wei Zhi?

Qin Shangyi of the Imperial Wardrobe?

Or is it someone else who doesn't want to show their face?

I asked Qiu Tang, "What does Your Highness think?"

Qiu Tang said, "His Highness said that the bait is also real bait. Whether it can be eaten depends on Lord Shen's teeth."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Does Your Highness really say that?"

Qiu Tang remained unfazed.

"This servant will make some minor revisions."

I knew it.

Xiao Lingyi shouldn't speak in such a vulgar way.

However, that's the meaning.

Bait is also bait.

Even if you know it might have a hook, you still have to see if there's enough meat hanging on it.

The cover of the book containing the people and their clothes is sufficient.

Albizia julibrissin and benzoin are sufficient.

The old case of the late empress is even more serious.

Qiu Tang handed over another small note.

"His Highness also said that he will go to the palace to pay his respects tomorrow."

I read the note.

The above is Xiao Lingyi's calligraphy.

Tomorrow, upon entering the palace, incense will be checked, but clothing will not.

Just six words.

She looks a lot like her.

I asked, "Check the incense, but not the clothes?"

Qiu Tang said, "His Highness said that the clothes are too conspicuous now. Everyone is staring at the clothes. The fragrance is too faint."

I nodded.

Xiao Lingyi's judgment was correct.

The Ministry of Rites, the Ministry of Revenue, the Qinghe Court, and the Inner Court all know that I have my eye on palace robes.

If you insist on checking someone's clothes at this point, you're likely to be led astray.

Cha Xiang might actually uncover a previously overlooked old clue.

Benzoin from the Albizia julibrissin plant was used during the illness of the late Empress.

Now it's appeared on my palace robes again.

It doesn't come for no reason.

After Qiutang left, I sealed the incense ash and palace clothes separately.

Ah Liu squatted at the doorway, holding a wooden stick, watching me busy.

"Young master, can this incense really harm people?"

"able."

"How do I hurt you?"

"It can make people sleepy, sick, forgetful, and even make the dead look like they died of illness."

Ah Liu shivered.

"Then I won't burn incense anymore."

"You couldn't afford it anyway."

He wanted to argue, but after thinking about it, he gave up.

In the middle of the night, a letter finally arrived from Manager Chen.

This time it's not a wax pellet.

It's a medicine packet.

When the doorman, Old Zheng, brought it in through the back door, he didn't look too good.

"Young master, the pharmacist said they need medicine urgently."

I took the medicine packet.

There were two words written on the outside of the medicine packet.

Calming the mind.

My heart sank.

This is no coincidence.

After opening it, there was no medicine inside, only a thin piece of paper.

The paper bears the words of Manager Chen.

In a corner of the medicine stall at the South Congee Shop, three knives have already been delivered.

San Dao did not get angry after seeing it.

But the master replied:

Before the wedding, if there is no real account, the Southwest will take it.

As I looked at those words, my brow furrowed slightly.

Ah Liu leaned over to take a look, and his face turned pale again.

What does "take it yourself" mean?

I didn't answer immediately.

The meaning of "take it yourself" is very simple.

If I refused to give it to him, Shen Lie sent someone to take it himself.

Collect the bill.

Or take the emperor's life.

I continued reading.

There was another line of even smaller text at the end of the paper.

Xu Sandao left Chengpingfang today, and his whereabouts are unknown.

My fingertips tightened.

Xu Sandao left Chengpingfang.

This shows that he didn't just come to urge me.

He needs to make arrangements for the next step.

There are only seven days left until the wedding.

Shen Lie is no longer willing to place all his hopes on me.

Ah Liu's voice trembled.

"Young Master, did Master San Dao go to see the person who wanted to assassinate the Emperor?"

"possible."

"So what do we do?"

I looked at the three sets of evidence on the table.

Ministry of Revenue.

Ministry of Rites.

The inner court.

None of them have been broken yet.

But the knife in the southwest is about to be drawn.

I suddenly realized that I couldn't keep investigating line by line.

Too slow.

The accounting will be settled by burning the certificates.

Shen Lie is sharpening his knife.

The emperor is waiting for me to get dressed and enter the palace.

The princess will be checking the incense tomorrow.

Every moment was being squeezed towards the wedding day.

I need to find someone who can break the deadlock first.

Zheng Huaien is too steady.

Feng Ke is too far away.

Qin Shangyi is in the palace.

Du Heng died.

Zhou Xian is usable, but not heavy enough.

Wei San did not wake up.

Both Chief Jiang and Chief Ma were insignificant.

The most suitable place now is Qinghe Lane.

Qinghe Lane connects grain, medicine, secondhand clothes, carts, boxes, and fake knives.

There must be an account there.

Even if it's not the general ledger, there's still a middle ledger that can influence the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Rites.

I looked up.

"Ah Liu."

He immediately stood up straight.

"Young master?"

"I will not go to the South Soup Dishes Tomorrow."

"Where to?"

"Qinghe Lane."

Ah Liu's face stiffened.

"That Qinghe Lane?"

"How many more Qinghe Lanes are there?"

"But that place sounds like a place where people are likely to die."

I burned Manager Chen's letter on the lamp.

The flames swept past the four characters "Southwest Self-Take" and quickly turned to ash.

"So we need to hurry."

"Young master, who should we bring?"

"Yan Xiaoyi, Zhou Xian, servants of Lord Zhao."

"Why did you bring Lord Zhou along?"

I looked at the old clothing certificate from the Ministry of Rites on the table.

"If there are Ministry of Rites boxes in Qinghe Lane, someone from the Ministry of Rites must be able to identify them."

Ah Liu swallowed hard.

"Should we bring Commander Gu along?"

"Please don't move."

"Where is the princess's residence?"

"Your Highness will be entering the palace tomorrow to inspect the incense offerings; you must not be distracted."

Ah Liu looked miserable.

"So, are we just going to send ourselves to our deaths?"

I corrected him.

"Investigate the case."

"There's not much difference between these two things now."

I did not refute it.

Because what he said was indeed not big.

The night outside the window was very dark.

The palace robes lay on the table, their moonlight blindingly white.

The incense ash was sealed in the porcelain box, as quiet as a pinch of old snow.

The note from Manager Chen had been burned to ashes.

Looking at that speck of ash, I suddenly realized that everything in this book would eventually turn to ash.

Accounting meeting.

Clothing Association.

Humans can do that too.

The secret-clearing party excels at leaving only the one line of text they want to keep after everything is burned.

But this time, I'm not going to wait for them to burn it.

I'm going to Qinghe Lane. First, I'll lift up the firewood before I light the fire and take a look.