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

Qinghe Granary is located three miles south of the city.

Logically, public granaries should be built near disaster victims so that it is convenient for them to obtain and distribute food.

However, the Qinghe Yicang was built behind a high wall.

The walls were very high, the doors were very thick, and the words "Qinghe Yicang" (清和义仓) hung at the entrance.

The characters are written neatly, the door is clean, and even the grass on the wall is trimmed neatly.

If it weren't for the fact that the disaster victims outside looked like rows of dry firewood, I would have almost thought this was the villa of some wealthy family.

Ah Liu helped himself off the carriage, looked up at the gate of the granary, and murmured, "Young master, this place doesn't look like a granary."

I asked, "What does it look like?"

"Like a place you don't want people to go in."

That's very well said.

The granary was originally meant for people to go in and collect food.

A public granary that doesn't want people to enter is no better than a Ministry of Revenue that doesn't want people to look at its accounts.

When we arrived at Qinghe Granary, we were followed by many disaster victims.

I didn't let them get too close.

Firstly, they fear chaos, and secondly, they fear the other party deliberately creating conflict.

Xiao Lingyi ordered the princess's guards to guard both sides, and the inner guards to guard the back gate. Yan Xiaoyi led his men around first, and when they returned, he looked rather unwell.

There are tire tracks at the back door.

"Is it new?"

"Very new."

"Where to?"

"Heading west, it seems to be heading towards Ci'en Temple."

It's Ci'en Temple again.

These two places now resemble left and right hands passing a knife to each other.

A dozen or so granary guards stood in front of the granary gate, each holding a stick. The leader was a middle-aged man in a blue robe, with a slightly protruding belly and a smile on his face.

He first bowed to Xiao Lingyi, and then cupped his hands to me.

"Your humble servants Qinghe and Lu Wenjing, supervisors of the granary, greet Your Highness Zhaoning and Lord Shen."

He referred to himself as "your humble servant".

The supervisor of the Ke Yi Granary was not considered a proper government official.

This kind of person is the most slippery.

When encountering common people, he would say he was acting in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Revenue; when encountering officials, he would say he was merely handling matters at the charitable granary. If something really happened, he would immediately become an innocent local gentry who had helped with charitable work.

I asked, "How much grain is in the granary?"

Lu Wenjing's smile remained unchanged: "Reporting to Lord Shen, there is not much grain left in the granary today. It was allocated to various soup kitchens in accordance with the Ministry of Revenue's order a few days ago."

Ah Liu whispered from behind, "Not much again."

I laughed too.

"Where's the bill?"

"The account books are all there, but since Lord Shen came suddenly, I did not have any documents from the Ministry of Revenue and dared not open the granary accounts without authorization."

I nodded.

"We don't have much grain, so we dare not open the tents, but the people are quite bold in stopping us."

Lu Wenjing's expression stiffened slightly, but he quickly smiled again.

"You jest, sir. The granary has regulations. If the granary is opened without the approval of the Ministry of Revenue, and the grain quantity is not accurate in the future, I cannot bear the responsibility."

"If you can't take the responsibility, I will."

Lu Wenjing looked at me.

I looked at him too.

His smile faded slightly: "Lord Shen is an Inspector-General of the Censorate, and naturally has the power to impeach officials. However, the Qinghe Granary is jointly managed by the Ministry of Revenue, private donations, and temple donations. Without an imperial edict, I'm afraid..."

He didn't finish his sentence.

Xiao Lingyi said coldly, "Am I enough?"

Lu Wenjing immediately lowered his head.

"Your Highness's status is so noble that it is certainly sufficient. However, the opening and closing of the granary must ultimately be in accordance with the regulations of the Ministry of Revenue."

Xiao Lingyi looked at him.

"Are the disaster victims starving, while Zhang Cheng is well-fed?"

Lu Wenjing's face turned pale.

A low murmur arose from the crowd.

I sighed inwardly.

The princess speaks much more directly than I do.

I was about to walk around the tent again when she just ripped the person's face off.

Lu Wenjing, however, remained adamant.

"This humble official dares not. However, if the granaries are opened today, we need to request that someone from the Ministry of Revenue come to jointly inspect them."

"Can."

I say.

Lu Wenjing was taken aback.

He probably didn't expect me to agree so quickly.

I laughed and said, "Send someone to invite Zheng Huaien."

Lu Wenjing's expression changed.

"Minister Zheng is busy with official duties, so it's unlikely..."

"Then please have anyone from the Ministry of Revenue who can speak."

I looked at him.

"We'll wait."

Ah Liu whispered, "Young master, are you really waiting?"

I nodded.

"wait."

Lu Wenjing had just breathed a sigh of relief when I added another sentence.

"When they arrive, seal off the warehouse first."

Lu Wenjing's face twitched.

"Lord Shen, shall we seal off the warehouses?"

"right."

I looked at Yan Xiaoyi.

"The front and back gates are sealed off. No one, not even the granary guards, accountants, or coachmen, is allowed to leave. The lamp oil, incense ash, rice coupons, account books, and cart tracks inside the granary must not be touched."

Yan Xiaoyi immediately led his men forward.

The guards instinctively raised their sticks.

The inner guard's knife extended half an inch.

The atmosphere suddenly became tense.

The disaster victims were also becoming restless.

Lu Wenjing hurriedly said, "Lord Shen! You are forcibly sealing off the charitable granary!"

"It wasn't a forced ban."

I corrected him very seriously.

"It's about protecting evidence."

"Qinghe Charity Granary is a virtuous granary, not a sinful one!"

"Then we must protect them even more."

I smiled.

"To prevent someone from cleaning up the ashes in the middle of the night and ruining your good reputation."

Lu Wenjing's pupils contracted.

I saw it.

He understands the word "cleaning up the ashes".

This is enough.

I slowly approached him and lowered my voice: "Supervisor Lu, the rice coupons in the hands of the dead, the rice coupons collected by Liu Chengshou at the palace gate, and the rice coupons where disaster victims cried out for justice while holding their children—all of them bear the seal of your Qinghe Charity Granary."

Lu Wenjing's Adam's apple bobbed.

I continued, "If you move aside now, I can still assume you're just messing up the accounts in the warehouse. If you continue to block my way, I can only assume you know who the dead man under the cart is and why Han Shangfu died."

He finally couldn't laugh anymore.

But he's still holding on.

These kinds of people are the most difficult to deal with.

They won't shed a tear until the very last moment, until they see the coffin.

Even though the coffin was already parked on the palace driveway.

Just then, the sound of horses' hooves came from afar.

A team of officials from the Ministry of Revenue arrived.

The person in charge was not Zheng Huaien.

It was Ma Cheng, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue.

I met him at the Ministry of Revenue.

He was someone who was good at handing over account books, good at bowing his head, and good at hiding himself in Zheng Huaien's shadow.

When Ma Cheng dismounted, his face was anxious and his forehead was sweaty.

"Lord Shen! Your Highness! Qinghe Granary is a registered granary with the Ministry of Revenue. How can it be sealed off without an order?"

I looked at him.

"Manager Ma arrived quite quickly."

He cupped his hands in greeting: "Upon hearing of the unrest at the South Soup Dispensary and the siege of the Qinghe Granary, I rushed here."

"Who told you that?"

Ma Cheng paused.

"Rumors are circulating throughout the city."

"The news spread so fast?"

I laughed.

"From the south soup kitchen to here, the fast-moving disaster victims hadn't even caught their breath before the Ministry of Revenue had already heard about it. Chief Ma's ears are faster than Yan Xiaoyi's legs."

Yan Xiaoyi lazily remarked from the side, "Don't compare me to the Ministry of Revenue."

Ma Cheng's face was grim.

"Lord Shen, this is no joke."

"I also think it's not a joke."

I took out the half of the rice coupon that read, "Tonight at midnight, the granary will be cleared of ashes."

"Does Manager Ma recognize this?"

He glanced at it, his expression remaining calm.

"I don't recognize him."

That's too stable.

They've been too cautious.

An ordinary official would at least be surprised to see rice coupons related to public granaries. He didn't even need to be surprised.

This means they already knew about it on the way.

I then took out the rice coupon that the woman had written "cry for justice" on.

"What about this one?"

"I don't recognize him."

"What happened to Liu Chengshou's Qinghe Granary rice coupons?"

"I don't recognize him."

I nodded.

"Very well. If you don't recognize any of these three, then we'll open the warehouse and acknowledge the debt."

Ma Cheng's face darkened.

"Lord Shen, you opened the public granary without the approval of the Ministry of Revenue or His Majesty's decree. If this incites a popular uprising, can you bear the consequences?"

"I can handle it."

"If the grain registers don't match, the charitable granaries will suffer losses, and the disaster victims will have no food left. Can you bear that responsibility?"

"I can handle it."

"If someone takes advantage of the chaos to loot grain and harms the people..."

I interrupted him.

"Manager Ma, are you asking so many questions about whether I can handle the responsibility, because you're afraid I can't, or because you're afraid I actually will?"

Ma Cheng shut up.

Xiao Lingyi suddenly said, "I will share the burden with Lord Shen."

Ma Cheng suddenly looked up.

The disaster victims' side also quieted down.

I looked at her.

Xiao Lingyi didn't look at me, but only at the gate of Qinghe Yicang.

"The granaries will be opened today. If the opening is wrong, I will be held responsible for the crime of opening a public granary without authorization. If the opening is correct, the Ministry of Revenue must give the disaster victims an explanation."

Ma Cheng's expression finally changed.

The princess's words put her in a very difficult position.

She is the emperor's legitimate daughter, Princess Zhaoning, and my nominal new wife.

With her stepping forward to share the responsibility, it won't be so easy for the Ministry of Revenue to pin the blame on me alone.

Of course, it wasn't without its costs.

Tomorrow, those old men in the Ministry of Rites will probably write the phrase "princess interfering in politics" in all sorts of fancy terms.

I whispered, "Your Highness, there's no need."

She finally glanced at me.

"It's too late to talk about this now."

Ah Liu whispered from behind, "Young Master, His Highness really protects you."

I look at him.

He immediately added, "Protect the case."

Ma Cheng said in a deep voice, "Your Highness, your status is noble, why should you let Shen An drag you into a dangerous situation?"

Xiao Lingyi looked at him.

"Ma Cheng, are you teaching me how to do things?"

Ma Cheng immediately knelt down.

"This humble official dares not."

"Then shut up."

Four words: clean and efficient.

I think if the Ministry of Rites saw this scene, they really wouldn't be able to sleep.

But it was really fun.

I turned and looked at the gate of the granary.

"open."

Lu Wenjing tried to stop him.

Yan Xiaoyi had already kicked the door latch.

The bolt was thick; the first bolt didn't break.

Yan Xiaoyi looked down at himself, as if he felt ashamed.

The second kick.

A snap.

The door opened.

Ah Liu clapped very quietly beside him.

"Guardian Yan has great legs."

Yan Xiaoyi glanced at him.

Ah Liu immediately put his hand down.

When the gates of the granary were opened, there was no aroma of grain inside.

There was only a damp, musty smell.

The moment that smell wafted out, the faces of the disaster victims outside changed.

Grain warehouses are most vulnerable to dampness.

Rice gets moldy when it gets damp.

Moldy rice is deadly.

I went inside.

The first warehouse was full.

The sacks were piled up neatly, stretching from the doorway all the way to the base of the wall.

It looks like a small mountain.

Lu Wenjing seemed to have finally regained some confidence.

"Lord Shen, please look carefully, there is grain in the granary."

I didn't say anything.

I walked up to the nearest bag of rice and patted it.

The feel is off.

Too hard.

I drew my short blade and slit open the sack.

With a whoosh.

What fell out wasn't rice.

It's sand.

The crowd outside erupted instantly.

Lu Wenjing's face turned deathly pale.

Ma Cheng's expression also changed.

I cut open the second bag.

The top layer is a thin layer of rice.

It's still sand below.

The third bag contained old rice mixed with pebbles.

The fourth bag contained moldy rice.

The fifth bag contained hay.

Ah Liu's eyes turned red as he watched.

"This isn't a granary, it's a swindler's den!"

The refugees began to push forward, but the guards and inner guards held them back.

Someone is crying.

Some people are criticizing it.

Some people shouted that they wanted to rush in.

Xiao Lingyi stood in front of the granary gate and said coldly, "Anyone who dares to rush into the granary will not be able to distribute a single grain of rice today."

This sentence is more useful than a knife.

The disaster victims abruptly stopped.

I continued walking inside.

The first warehouse contained fake grain.

The second warehouse was mostly empty.

There were drag marks on the ground, and some incense ash jars were piled up against the wall, with paper from Ci'en Temple sealing the mouths of the jars.

The third warehouse door was locked.

The lock is new.

Lu Wenjing suddenly rushed over: "Lord Shen! That room can't be opened!"

Yan Xiaoyi grabbed him and pressed him down.

I looked at the third warehouse door.

"Why can't it be opened?"

Lu Wenjing's face was ashen, his lips trembled, and he couldn't speak.

Ma Cheng also said urgently, "Lord Shen, the inventory of the granaries should be recorded for each granary; it cannot be opened arbitrarily!"

I laughed.

"The more you try to stop me from opening it, the more I feel there's something good inside."

Ah Liu whispered, "It could also be something bad."

I look at him.

He immediately changed his tune: "Something that will bring them bad luck."

That's more or less.

The lock on the third compartment was broken.

When the door was pushed open, there was no grain inside.

There was no sand either.

There was a row of wooden shelves inside.

The wooden shelf held account books, rice coupons, incense ash jars, and old clothes chests.

There is also an offering table at the very back.

A book of donations was placed on the offering table.

The cover reads:

Qinghe Yicang Water and Land Merit Book.

Recorded by Ci'en Temple.

Xiao Lingyi stepped inside.

Her gaze did not fall on the book of merit.

Instead, it was a black wooden box that had fallen beneath the offering table.

A piece of charred cloth was pressed on the black wooden box.

Orchid pattern.

Just like the charred cloth on the car.

I walked over and opened the black wooden box.

There was an old garment in the box.

The color of the clothes had long since darkened, the blue pattern on the cuffs had been blackened by smoke, and there were several fine stitches on the collar.

Xiao Lingyi stood there, motionless.

It took her a long time before she reached out her hand.

The finger stopped in mid-air.

I didn't touch it.

Her voice was so soft it was almost inaudible.

"Mother Empress."

No one spoke in the warehouse.

Even Ah Liu didn't dare to make a sound.

Looking at that old garment, I finally understood why the Qingzhang Society led us to Ci'en Temple, and why they brought in an old cloth cart from the palace, killed Han Shangfu, forced Aunt Sun to mend the needles, and made Qinghe clean the ashes.

Because of this garment, it was hidden in the granary.

It is hidden at the intersection of the Ministry of Revenue's relief funds, temple donations, and old cases of the Imperial Clothing Bureau.

It is not clothing.

It is an account book.

Xiao Lingyi slowly raised her head.

She looked at Ma Cheng.

Why is this garment at Qinghe Granary?

Ma Cheng's face drained of all color.

He knelt there, unable to utter a single word.

I picked up the donation book on the altar and turned to the first page.

The first page only had eight characters written on it.

Settle old scores and stabilize the court.

Below is a line of smaller text:

Recorded by Zheng Huaien.

I looked at that line of text and smiled.

"Master Ma."

"Go back and tell Minister Zheng."

"No need to clean the dust at midnight tonight."

I closed the book of merits.

"I opened the warehouse for him."