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

Chapter 124 Blocking the Door

Once the torches outside the courtyard gate were lit, Qinghe Lane no longer looked like an empty warehouse.

Like an execution ground.

The officers from the Military Command stood at the entrance, their armor plates glowing a dark red in the firelight. Behind them were officials from the Ministry of Revenue, impeccably dressed, their faces displaying a familiar composure.

I've seen that composure before.

I've seen it on Zheng Huaien's face.

I've seen it on Master Ma's face too.

Sure enough, it was Manager Ma who walked in.

Behind him followed a military officer, a man in his thirties with stubble on his face and a sword at his waist; he didn't look like someone who was very good at writing.

Good.

These kinds of people are sometimes easier to deal with than civil officials.

Because at least he would display the knife in plain sight.

Unlike the Ministry of Revenue, where knives are hidden in tents.

As soon as Chief Ma entered the room, he looked at me first, then at Zhou Xian, and then at the evidence box that Ah Liu was holding.

His eyes lit up noticeably when they landed on the evidence box.

It brightens very quickly.

But I saw it.

He didn't come to investigate Hexiang.

He came to pick up something.

Steward Ma cupped his hands and said, "Lord Shen, how come you didn't inform the Ministry of Revenue when you conducted a nighttime search of Qinghe Lane?"

I smiled.

"Isn't the Ministry of Revenue quite efficient with its communications?"

Manager Ma's expression remained unchanged.

"Qinghe Lane was involved in the smuggling of disaster relief grain. After receiving the report, the Ministry of Revenue immediately came to seal it off together with the Military Affairs Department."

Who reported it?

"anonymous."

When was it reported?

"Half an hour ago."

I looked at him.

"Half an hour ago?"

"Exactly."

I looked back at Ah Liu.

Ah Liu immediately opened the record.

"Young master, it will take us about half an hour to get into Qinghe Lane."

I nodded.

"What a coincidence. We had just entered when the Ministry of Revenue received the report."

Steward Ma smiled and said, "Cases in the capital can change in an instant, Lord Shen need not be suspicious."

I laughed too.

"My biggest flaw is that I'm too suspicious. If I weren't suspicious, I'd be dead long ago."

The officer in charge of the military affairs was getting impatient.

"Lord Shen, since Qinghe Lane involves the transfer of private grain, according to the security regulations of the capital, the Military Command should first seal off the area, the Ministry of Revenue should verify the grain, and if the Censorate wants to investigate the case, it can retrieve the case file afterward."

The files were retrieved afterward.

These four words sound like "I'll burn paper money for you next year."

I looked at him.

"What is your honorable surname, Captain?"

"Luo."

"Captain Luo, do you know what was just discovered here?"

Captain Luo frowned.

"Our school is only following orders to close the premises."

"On whose orders?"

"Command Order for the Southern City of the Military Command".

"Whose report did the South City Commander receive?"

Captain Luo glanced at Steward Ma.

Ma, the steward, said gently, "Lord Shen, since Qinghe Lane involves the Ministry of Revenue's disaster relief grain, it is natural for the Ministry of Revenue to report to the Military Affairs Department for assistance in the investigation."

I nodded.

"Therefore, the Ministry of Revenue reported the case, the Military Affairs Bureau sealed off the field, the Ministry of Revenue verified the grain, and finally the Ministry of Revenue retrieved the records."

Manager Ma said, "This is the regulation."

I sighed.

"These regulations in the capital are really convenient."

Manager Ma's smile faded slightly.

"What do you mean by that, Lord Shen?"

"It's nothing," I said. "It's just that when a case is investigated, the Ministry of Revenue takes over. When it's investigated, the Ministry of Rites follows the rules. When it's investigated, the inner court cites old precedents. If all six ministries are this considerate, then I, as an imperial censor, feel superfluous."

Zhou Xian lowered his head and coughed.

I don't know if it was from choking, or from wanting to laugh but not daring to.

When Manager Ma saw Zhou Xian, his eyes flickered slightly.

"Why is Lord Zhou here?"

Zhou Xian looked unwell, but he still stepped forward.

"The rivets on the chest of the inner robe worn by the Minister of Rites for his wedding match the rivets on the chest of the empty chest in Qinghe Lane. I have come here at the request of Lord Shen to identify it."

Ma, the head steward, immediately said, "Lord Zhou, the Ministry of Rites is already involved in the wedding attire case, and should therefore recuse itself from any potential conflicts of interest."

Zhou Xian's lips twitched.

He's most afraid of people saying he's avoiding suspicion.

Because he tried to avoid it, he was thrown out of the case file.

"It is precisely because I am involved with the Ministry of Rites that I need to testify. Otherwise, if someone says tomorrow that the Ministry of Rites is unaware of Qinghe Lane, neither Lord Shen nor the Ministry of Rites will be able to explain themselves."

well.

Zhou Xian is getting better and better at saving his life.

Manager Ma's expression darkened slightly.

He clearly didn't expect Zhou Xian to be so cooperative with me tonight.

Ah Liu, carrying the evidence box, quietly moved behind Yan Xiaoyi.

Very smart.

He just moved it too obviously.

Manager Ma immediately looked at him.

"What's in that box?"

Ah Liu's body stiffened.

I said, "Evidence."

"What evidence?"

"The secret markings from Qinghe Lane: wooden pieces, burnt paper, old plaques, rubbings of cart tracks, and a wooden plaque."

"What wooden plaque?"

I looked at Manager Ma.

"Why is Manager Ma so interested in the wooden plaque?"

Manager Ma paused for a moment.

"The Ministry of Revenue is naturally concerned about the smuggling of wooden plaques belonging to disaster victims in Qinghe Lane."

I laughed.

"The Ministry of Revenue is only now showing concern for the wooden plaques erected by disaster victims; it's a bit late."

Chief Ma didn't respond, but said to Captain Luo, "Captain Luo, since there are evidence of smuggled disaster relief grain at the scene, in order to prevent the evidence from being lost, please have the Military Command temporarily seize the evidence box."

Ah Liu's expression changed instantly.

He hugged her even tighter.

"Young master..."

I looked at Captain Luo.

Captain Luo frowned, clearly finding the matter troublesome as well.

He didn't want to offend the Ministry of Revenue, nor did he want to offend the Censorate.

Especially now that I'm a prospective son-in-law.

This identity is annoying.

It annoys me, and it annoys others too.

I said, "It can be temporarily detained."

Ah Liu's eyes widened.

Manager Ma was also taken aback for a moment.

I continued, "But we have to follow the rules."

Manager Ma became alert.

"What are the rules?"

"The Military Command temporarily seizes the evidence collected by the Censorate in its investigation. Lieutenant Luo should first write in his own hand: This evidence box was found by Shen An of the Censorate in Qinghe Lane. It contains wooden pieces bearing the Qinghe secret mark, fragments of burnt paper, old plaques, etc. The Ministry of Revenue's Chief Clerk Ma is present. The Military Command is hereby requested to temporarily seize it. If any evidence is missing, added to, or damaged, the person who seized it shall bear primary responsibility."

I paused for a moment.

"After it was written, Lieutenant Luo, Steward Ma, Lord Zhou, and I all signed it."

Captain Luo's expression changed.

Steward Ma immediately said, "Lord Shen, this is a complicated matter."

I nodded.

"The worst thing about investigating a case is that it's too complicated. If it's not complicated, the evidence will just grow its own legs."

Ah Liu whispered, "It's also easy to have an extra knife."

I glanced at him.

He immediately shut up.

That's a very good point.

I added, "It also makes it easy to end up with an extra knife."

Manager Ma's face was grim.

Of course he knew I was talking about the fake sword Minato used.

I looked at Captain Luo.

"Captain Luo, shall we write it?"

Captain Luo gripped the hilt of his sword, his brow furrowing even more deeply.

He's not stupid.

The moment he wrote that word, he was dragged into the case file.

If he doesn't write it down, he'll have no reason to steal the certificate.

I added, "If you were merely following orders to seal the area, you should have written it down clearly. If a major case arises later, you'll have a record to protect you. If you don't write it down, and people say you stole evidence from the Censorate at night for the Ministry of Revenue, how will you defend yourself?"

Captain Luo glanced at Steward Ma.

Chief Clerk Ma said, "Commander Luo, the Ministry of Revenue can act as guarantor."

I laughed.

"Commander Luo, when Qian Rong died en route, someone from the Ministry of Works vouched for him."

Captain Luo's face immediately darkened.

The Qian Rong case has just concluded.

Everyone in the capital knew that none of the men who escorted Qian Rong ended up pleasing anyone.

No one can vouch for you.

A dead person cannot vouch for a guarantee.

The case file was signed and sealed.

Captain Luo finally said, "Fetch paper and pen."

Manager Ma's expression changed slightly.

"Captain Luo!"

Captain Luo looked at him.

"Manager Ma, since the certificate is being sealed according to the rules, it would be good to write it down clearly."

well.

The military command is not yet fully under the control of the Ministry of Revenue.

Ah Liu immediately handed over the paper and pen.

It was delivered very quickly.

He now enjoys having others sign his name the most.

Lieutenant Luo had only written half of it when Steward Ma suddenly said, "Shouldn't Lord Shen explain the wooden plaque in the evidence box first?"

I said, "Of course."

I asked Ah Liu to open the box and take out the sealed wooden plaque.

The envelope already says:

The wall in Qinghe Lane was discovered, with Shen An on the front and the southwest on the back.

When Manager Ma saw the seal, his eyes darkened.

He probably didn't expect that we had already written down the discovery location so clearly.

If the wooden plaque hadn't been sealed and had fallen into his hands, it could have been interpreted as "found on Shen An's person."

Now, once the seal is written, it becomes "discovered in the wall of Qinghe Lane".

The difference is significant.

Big enough to save a life.

Captain Luo saw it too, and his brows immediately furrowed.

"Shen'an? Southwest?"

The soldiers in the courtyard also stirred slightly.

Ah Liu's palms were sweating with nervousness.

Zhou Xian subconsciously took a half step back.

I am calm.

"Captain Luo, look closely. This is a wooden plaque found hidden in the wall of Qinghe Lane, used to plant evidence. It's from the same source as the fake knife from the Water Gate, the shredded paper from the southwest of the Ministry of Rites' robe, and the false confession from the South Gate."

Steward Ma immediately said, "How does Lord Shen know it's a frame-up? It's also possible that this item was a token used by Lord Shen in communication with his spies in the southwest."

coming.

That's exactly what I was waiting for.

I looked at him.

Why did Manager Ma mention the secret network in the southwest?

He was startled.

"The wooden sign says 'Southwest'."

"Does writing 'southwest' necessarily mean it's a hidden storyline?"

"Isn't Lord Shen from...?"

He stopped abruptly at this point.

I laughed.

"Where are you from?"

Manager Ma's expression changed slightly.

He almost said something he shouldn't have.

My identity is currently known or suspected by only a few people.

It hasn't been made public in the imperial court yet.

If a minor official in the Ministry of Revenue were to publicly state that "Shen An comes from the southwest," things would get quite interesting.

This suggests that the Ministry of Revenue already had the information, or that someone had given him this fabricated charge beforehand.

Ma, the official in charge, forcibly suppressed the urge and changed his words, saying, "I was just saying that the rebels in the southwest have hidden spies all over the capital, and we must be on guard."

I nodded.

"Ah Liu, write this down. Steward Ma said that the rebels in the southwest have secret networks all over the capital."

Ah Liu wrote it down immediately.

Manager Ma's face turned pale.

"Lord Shen, you're taking things out of context!"

"No," I said. "I made him write it all down."

Ah Liu cooperated readily: "Write down all the smaller ones."

Just then, a servant from the Ministry of Revenue stepped forward outside the door, carrying a roll of seals.

"Lord Ma, the seals are ready."

Manager Ma's expression changed, but it was too late to stop him.

I looked at the rolled-up seal.

"Give it to me."

The constable was stunned.

Yan Xiaoyi had already reached out and taken it, then handed it to me.

A few words were written on the seal beforehand.

The Southwest Counter-Evidence of Qinghe Private Warehouse.

The courtyard fell silent.

Captain Luo's expression changed completely.

He looked at Manager Ma.

"Manager Ma, did you know there was evidence of a conflict of interest from the southwest before you came here?"

Manager Ma was sweating profusely.

"This is...this is the pre-sealed seal."

I laughed.

"The Ministry of Revenue is really thoughtful. They knew what to seal before we even entered."

Manager Ma opened his mouth to argue.

I handed the seal to Ah Liu.

"Sealed. It is written: The pre-written seal was brought by the entourage of Ma, the head of the Ministry of Revenue, and it has the words 'Qinghe Private Warehouse Southwest Counter-Evidence' on it."

Ah Liu's hand was practically flying as he wrote.

This time, he wasn't afraid.

Because he noticed it too.

It's true that we were blocked at the door.

But the Ministry of Revenue stepped too hastily and ended up stepping on its own trouser leg.

Lieutenant Luo's face was grim.

"Master Ma, you need to explain this."

Before Master Ma could speak, a very faint sound of wind breaking came from outside the courtyard wall.

Yan Xiaoyi's eyes turned cold.

"Get down!"

He kicked over the wooden crate next to him.

With a whoosh.