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

When Physician Song arrived at Qinghe Granary, he was so exhausted that he didn't even have the strength to curse.

Tonight, he first rescued thirteen disaster victims from the South Medicine Shed, and then rushed to the underground warehouse of the Charity Granary to rescue people. His face was covered in sweat and cigarette ash. When he saw me sitting on the ground wrapped in a cloak, his first question was not to ask if I was injured.

Instead, he asked, "Lord Shen, what have you done now?"

I think that question is very unreasonable.

"I'm investigating a case."

Physician Song glanced at my soaked clothes, then at the underground warehouse entrance next to me.

"Does investigating a case require going into the water?"

Ah Liu immediately complained from the side: "They were fighting, throwing lime, and dragging a dead person along."

The physician, Song, remained silent for a moment.

"It's truly remarkable that Lord Shen has survived until now."

I looked at Ah Liu.

Ah Liu lowered his head guiltily.

Xiao Lingyi stood to the side without saying a word.

But I know that she agreed with Physician Song.

Old Ding's body was placed on a makeshift wooden plank.

Torches were lit all around.

The Imperial Guards were on guard, as were the Princess's guards and officials from the Ministry of Revenue.

Zheng Huaien stood not far away, his complexion having recovered somewhat.

The most terrifying thing about this kind of person is that no matter how big a flaw they just revealed, as long as they have a breath, they can sew their face back together.

After hearing what had happened, Physician Song's expression turned grave.

"If he really swallowed paper, an abdominal surgery is needed to obtain evidence."

Ah Liu took a step back.

Bai Zhi also turned her head away.

Xiao Lingyi did not avoid it.

She simply stared at the corpse, her voice low: "What was his name?"

I said, "Old Ding, Ding from the Yikuang (meaning 'righteous warehouse')."

Zhao Ji was forced to drink half a bowl of ginger soup and sat down with difficulty.

Upon hearing this, he said in a hoarse voice, "Ding Mancang."

Fully stocked.

The warehouse keeper, named Ding, is called Mancang.

In the end, however, he died in an empty warehouse filled with fake grain.

The name sounds like something out of a satirical poem.

Xiao Lingyi looked at Ding Mancang's corpse.

"Write it down."

Qiu Tang immediately responded.

This is not an account.

It is a person's name.

Before the Song physician began surgery, the imperial guards sent by Wei Zhi arrived, bringing with them an imperial edict.

"His Majesty said that since the investigation has reached inside the stomach of a dead man, the dead man should also be allowed to speak."

The old eunuch didn't come; instead, it was Wei Zhi's personal attendant.

After delivering the message, the young eunuch turned pale and didn't dare to look at the corpse.

The emperor's words came at a very opportune time.

It was as timely as if he had been waiting for this result.

I don't know how much the emperor knows tonight.

But I know he must not be asleep.

Many people in Beijing won't be able to sleep tonight.

Good.

I can't always be the one who can't sleep well.

I didn't see it too closely when Physician Song performed the abdominal dissection.

It's not fear.

There's no need to make things difficult for yourself.

I stood to the side and heard the sound of a knife cutting through flesh, heard Ah Liu retching in the distance, and heard Bai Zhi counting something in a low voice.

Xiao Lingyi remained motionless.

I glanced at her.

Her face was very pale, but she didn't look away.

I suddenly remembered the way she looked when she saw the late empress's old clothes in front of the black wooden box at Qinghe Yicang.

Tonight was much harder for her than it was for me.

I'm investigating a case.

She was investigating her mother's death.

After a moment, Physician Song stopped.

He took out a wad of something wrapped in oil paper from the corpse's belly.

There was also a layer of wax on the outside of the oiled paper.

Ding Mancang did not swallow the paper directly.

He wrapped it in oil paper and wax beforehand.

This was not a spur-of-the-moment decision.

This shows that he already knew he might not survive the night.

The physician Song washed the lump in water and then pricked it open with a silver needle.

Inside is a section of rice coupon base.

There's still half a pharmaceutical raw material invoice left.

Bai Zhi immediately came over.

Her expression changed after just one glance.

"The root cause".

I asked, "What root?"

"For every rice coupon issued, a portion of the stub is kept. The rice coupons issued by Qinghe Charitable Granary to disaster victims were in duplicate, one copy given to the recipient and one copy kept on file. But the rice coupons we received tonight were all loose coupons. Without the stub, it cannot be proven that they were issued in the same batch."

She pointed to the bottom section.

"This is the same batch of rootstock."

I looked over.

It is written on the bottom:

Twenty-seven people from Jingyi in Jiangbei received rice vouchers, which were distributed by Qinghe Charity Granary.

The back is stamped with the seal of Qinghe Yicang, the seal of the Ministry of Revenue, and a small red mark.

Zheng Fang.

I looked up at Zheng Huaien.

He didn't speak.

I looked at the half-finished medicine raw material invoice again.

Bai Zhi has already read it aloud:

"Twenty catties of acacia benzoin and two catties of datura powder, added to the seventh batch of Anmin medicine. Jingyi transferred to the sick file, and the deceased transferred to the land and water transfer."

The last line of text was somewhat blurred by the gastric juices, but it was still legible:

Zheng Fanghe.

It was not written by Zheng Huaien himself.

Still not.

However, the two characters "Zheng Fang" have appeared continuously on the base of medicine bottles, medicine accounts, approval tickets, and rice coupons.

You can discuss official business once.

Both times could be considered coincidences.

Three or four times, it can't be a coincidence.

It is the road.

The road to silver.

The road to medicine.

The path of man.

I picked up the bottom of the container and asked Zhao Ji, "Who gave this to Ding Mancang?"

Zhao Ji burst into tears.

"it's me."

Everyone looked at him.

Zhao Ji said in a hoarse voice, "When Deng Huai came to clear the accounts, I knew something bad was going to happen today. Ding Mancang said his legs were bad and he couldn't run away, but he could hide a card. He told me to give him the most dangerous one."

"Why this one?"

"Because this can link the rice coupons and medicine coupons."

Zhao Ji looked at Zheng Huaien.

"The Ministry of Revenue could say that the granary was abusing its power by issuing rice coupons. The Ministry of Revenue could say that the pharmacy was misusing medicine. But this document shows that the same group of people in mourning clothes were first converted into rice coupons, then into medicine coupons, and then sent to the land and water markets."

His voice cracked from crying.

"This isn't just one instance of corruption; it's repeatedly taking living people into the accounts."

Bai Zhi whispered, "One person, three tents."

I looked at her.

She gritted her teeth and said, "The same disaster victim first receives rice from the granary, then medicine from the medicine shed, and after dying, they donate to the Ci'en Temple. They split the living into three sums of money."

Ah Liu heard this from afar and his face turned pale.

"That's just too unethical."

I said, "That's why it's called the Book of Merits."

Ah Liu was stunned for a moment, and tears almost fell down his face.

This joke isn't funny.

But sometimes, the worst jokes are the most likely to be the truth.

Zheng Huaien finally spoke.

"Lord Shen."

His voice was calm.

"This matter does indeed involve Zheng Fang, but I must still say something. Zheng Fang's review does not equate to my personal approval. Deng Huai, Ma Cheng, Lu Wenjing, and Ming Jue may all be acting in the name of the Vice Minister Fang."

I nodded.

"Minister Zheng is right."

Ah Liu grew anxious: "Young Master!"

I raised my hand to shut him up.

"Minister Zheng always manages to pick everything up very cleanly tonight. Regarding Qinghe Granary, you say the Ministry of Revenue failed in its oversight. Regarding Ci'en Temple, you say it's a Buddhist temple's private account. Regarding the Southern Medicine Shelter, you say the shelter doctors misused their positions. Regarding the Underground Granary, you say Deng Huai and Ma Cheng were using it as a pretext."

Zheng Huaien looked at me.

"What if that's the case?"

"That Vice Minister Zheng is truly the most unlucky vice minister in the Great Liang Dynasty."

I smiled.

"Your subordinates embezzled relief funds, exchanged grain stores for sandbags, hid disaster victims in temples, fed drugged patients in pharmacies, and ran around everywhere with the Vice Minister's seal on his desk, yet you knew nothing about it."

Zheng Huaien remained silent.

I lifted the base.

"But you forgot one thing."

"What?"

"Seals can be borrowed, stamps can be stolen, and approval documents can be forged. But the number of people doesn't choose its own path."

I pointed to the words "Jingyi Twenty-Seven Mouths" above.

"These twenty-seven people, fourteen from the firewood shed of Ci'en Temple and thirteen from the South Medicine Shelter, are exactly the same. To pick out this group of people from the list of Jiangbei disaster victims, first write them into the Qinghe Charity Granary, then transfer them to Ci'en Temple, then to the South Medicine Shelter, and finally into the Water and Land Merit Hall, we need to see four sets of accounts."

I looked at Zheng Huaien.

"Records of Jiangbei Disaster Victims, Disaster Relief Accounts from the Ministry of Revenue, General Records of Rice Coupons from Qinghe Charitable Granaries, and General Records of Merits from Ci'en Temple."

"Ma Cheng can watch two sets."

"Mingjue can watch a whole set."

"Lu Wenjing can oversee the public granary."

"Deng Huai is a clerk, good at running errands, but he has no authority to access the general ledger."

I took a step forward.

"How many people in the Ministry of Revenue could review all four sets of accounts?"

Zheng Huaien's gaze slowly darkened.

Bai Zhi immediately replied, "No more than three."

She unfolded a piece of paper.

"The Minister of Revenue is on sick leave and does not concern himself with disaster relief in Jiangbei. The Vice Minister of the Left is in charge of tax grain but does not touch disaster relief funds. The disaster relief funds for Jiangbei, the grain in lieu of silver, the medicine for the people's relief, and the allocation of funds from the public granaries are jointly signed off, but in reality, they are handled by the Vice Minister of the Right's office."

Zheng Huaien, Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue.

This time, he didn't speak immediately.

Because this is not a single seal.

It refers to the scope of power.

A seal can be borrowed.

The seal can be stolen.

But the path to power cannot be faked.

I continued, "Minister Zheng, you can say that Deng Huai used your name. You can say that Ma Cheng neglected his duties. You can say that Lu Wenjing was greedy. You can say that Shi Jue coveted the merit money."

"But you need to explain why the accounts each of them holds are all connected to your office."

"Why is it that every batch of Jingyi heads is first checked and recorded by Zheng Fang?"

"Why are potent medicines like Albizia julibrissin and Datura powder allowed to be sold in traditional Chinese medicine sheds in the south under the guise of medicines to protect the people?"

"Why were the rice coupons and medicine vouchers of twenty-seven disaster victims swallowed whole by Ding Ding in the charity warehouse?"

The wind blew past the torches.

The firelight flickered across Zheng Huaien's face.

He finally lost his gentleness.

That usually polite face seemed to have cracked from being roasted by fire, revealing the coldness and hardness within.

"Shen An".

This was the first time he called me by my name directly.

"You really think you can bring me down with these?"

I looked at him.

"cannot."

Ah Liu almost couldn't catch his breath.

Bai Zhi also frowned.

Xiao Lingyi looked at me but didn't say anything.

I said, "This is not enough for the Golden Palace to sentence you to death."

Zheng Huaien gave a cold laugh.

"You seem to know the answer."

"Of course I know."

I put the bottom part into the certificate box.

"Therefore, you will not be sentenced to death tonight."

I looked at the gray-clad assassin who was tied up to the side.

"Interrogate him tonight first."

Zheng Huaien's eyes flickered slightly.

The man in gray was kept tied up after Yan Xiaoyi knocked him unconscious.

He was awakened by the splash of cold water, his eyes were still red, and the lime had caused him quite a bit of damage.

Yan Xiaoyi dislocated his jaw to prevent him from biting the poison.

He can't die even if he wants to.

I walked up to him.

"Whose side are you on?"

The man in gray did not answer.

I looked at Yan Xiaoyi.

Yan Xiaoyi raised his hand.

The man in gray groaned, his face turning pale instantly.

I said, "I don't like torture."

Ah Liu whispered from behind, "Young master, every time you say something like that, someone else suffers."

I continued, "That's why I'm asking the simplest question."

I took out the thin needle.

"Han Shangfu, the young eunuch, the scarred man in the hidden compartment of the incense ash cart, and the two warehouse guards in the underground warehouse—were they all killed with needles by you?"

The man in gray's eyes flickered slightly.

I said, "If you don't say, I'll take it as true."

He still wouldn't say.

I smiled.

"Then let's change the question. Where is Deng Huai?"

The gray-clad man's gaze finally changed.

Very subtle.

But I kept staring at him.

I turned to Bai Zhi and said, "It's not about leaving the city."

Bai Zhi immediately understood.

"He's still in Beijing."

I then asked the man in gray, "Is Deng Huai going to the Ministry of Revenue or to the Zheng residence?"

Zheng Huaien said coldly, "Shen An, why involve my residence when you're interrogating the assassin?"

I didn't look at him, I just stared at the man in gray.

When asked about the "Ministry of Revenue", he didn't move.

When asked about the "Zheng family residence," his left little finger twitched.

I laughed.

"Minister Zheng, please don't go back to your residence tonight."

Zheng Huaien's face darkened completely.

"You dare search my residence?"

"I dare not."

I looked at Xiao Lingyi.

"But Your Highness, would you dare to request an imperial edict from His Majesty?"

Xiao Lingyi immediately said, "Qiutang, enter the palace."

Qiu Tang responded and left.

Zheng Huaien looked at me and suddenly smiled.

That smile was no longer gentle.

It's a bit chilly.

"Shen An, your investigation went too smoothly tonight. Haven't you ever wondered why?"

My heart sank.

He hit the nail on the head regarding what had been bothering me.

From Lan Bugui delivering the letter, to finding Aunt Sun in the old clothes shop, to the fire at Ci'en Temple, to rescuing people at the South Medicine Shop, and then to Zhao Ji giving the secret signal in the underground warehouse.

Our investigation went too smoothly.

It was as if someone had been opening the door all the way through.

But behind the door may not be evidence.

It could also be a trap.

Zheng Huaien said slowly, "You think you're pursuing Deng Huai?"

He looked out at the dark night outside the granary.

"By this time, Deng Huai may have already entered the palace."

My expression changed.

"What are you going to the palace for?"

Zheng Huaien smiled.

"Of course, we should appeal to the emperor."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than a rider galloped towards them from the direction of the palace road in the distance.

The ones who arrived were Gu Xingzhi's personal guards.

He dismounted and knelt on one knee.

"Lord Shen, Your Highness."

"Urgent report from the palace."

"Deng Huai, a clerk in the Ministry of Revenue, beat the drum of petition and claimed that he was ordered by Shen An to forge evidence of the charitable granary, medicine shed and Ci'en Temple to frame Zheng Huai'en, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue."

Ah Liu's face turned deathly pale.

The abacus beads in Bai Zhi's hand fell to the ground with a thud.

I looked at Zheng Huaien.

He stood in the firelight, finally regaining his gentle demeanor.

I suddenly understood.

Deng Huai did not flee.

Deng Huai was sent to the palace, but then he turned around and accused me.

All the evidence tonight is a knife.

But now, Zheng Huaien has handed the hilt of that knife to the emperor.

I slowly exhaled.

"it is good."

Xiao Lingyi looked at me.

I looked in the direction of the palace.

"Since he beat the petition drum."

"Then see you at the Golden Palace."