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

Chapter 161 Teruyue Temple

There is a small path behind Ci'en Temple.

The road was narrow, and the bluestone slabs were slippery from the mountain rain. The bamboo shadows on both sides were low, and the bamboo leaves rustled in the wind.

This place must be very quiet and peaceful during the day.

But now I only think it's suitable for burying people.

Ah Liu didn't come along.

I had him stay at the Censorate to work with Bai Zhi to organize the medical records of the Southern Medicine Shed, the rice coupons of the Qinghe Granary, and the merit book of Ci'en Temple.

Ah Liu originally wanted to try and win it over.

Upon hearing that there was a hermitage on the back mountain, where old friends and Pei Shen's people might come in the afternoon, he silently swallowed his desire to try.

"Young master, I think Miss Bai's side also needs someone."

He spoke very seriously.

I didn't expose him.

After all, I understand the fear of death very well.

Not many people came to Zhaoyue Temple this time.

I, Xiao Lingyi, Yan Xiaoyi, Qiu Tang, and two bodyguards sent by Gu Xingzhi.

Gu Xingzhi himself did not come.

The emperor kept him in the palace, keeping an eye on Zheng Huaien, Deng Huai, Qin Shangyi, and Aunt Sun.

Now every line in Beijing looks like a rope about to burn out.

If you look at it too little, it might break.

Xiao Lingyi remained silent the entire way.

She walked very steadily.

But I could tell that she was not at peace.

Aunt Zhaoyue.

The Empress Dowager's former servant.

The late empress left the palace in her sick clothes.

Bai Song's Old Tent

Any one of these words, if thrown at her, would be enough to leave her speechless for a long time.

Now everything has been destroyed in one place.

I walked beside her, thought for a moment, and then spoke: "Your Highness."

"Um."

"You can't believe everything Zheng Huaien says."

"I know."

"Zhaoyue Nunnery might be a trap."

"I know."

"It's also possible that Pei Shen's men were deliberately lured here by him."

"I know."

I remained silent.

She finally glanced at me.

"What are you trying to say?"

I thought about it.

"I would like to say that if there is a pit later, Your Highness, please remember to stand behind me."

Xiao Lingyi looked at me.

"Can you stop them?"

"It can't be stopped."

"Then what did you say?"

"At least it shows that I have a sense of responsibility."

Yan Xiaoyi couldn't help but say from behind, "Lord Shen, this isn't how you use responsibility."

I turned to look at him.

"Guard Yan, you've been talking a bit too much today."

Yan Xiaoyi yawned.

"Because I didn't sleep last night."

Nobody was asleep.

He just couldn't be more self-righteous.

Xiao Lingyi's lips twitched slightly.

It's like a smile, yet it's also like nothing.

The commotion was quickly blown away by the mountain wind.

Zhaoyue Temple is located halfway up the mountain.

Not big.

Gray walls, blue tiles, an old wooden door, and a faded wooden plaque hanging at the entrance.

The plaque had three characters written on it:

Zhaoyuean.

The handwriting was delicate, but it looked very old, as if no one had cleaned it for many years.

The temple gate was half-closed.

There was no chanting or the sound of wooden fish drums in the courtyard.

There was only one water vat, filled with fallen bamboo leaves.

Yan Xiaoyi stepped forward first.

He pushed open the door.

The door hinges creaked.

There was no one in the yard.

The door to the main room was also open.

There was an oil lamp on the incense table, and the lamp was still warm.

The person just left.

My heart sank.

"Are you late?"

Xiao Lingyi didn't say anything and went straight into the house.

The furnishings inside were very simple.

A wooden couch, a small table, an old clothes trunk, and a painting of orchids under the moon hanging on the wall.

Xiao Lingyi stood in front of the painting, her gaze fixed on it.

"This was painted by the Empress Dowager."

I walked over.

The paper is yellowed, the orchid is painted with light strokes, and the moon is rendered with only light ink, inconspicuous yet suppressing the overall atmosphere of the painting.

There is a very small private seal on the corner of the painting.

Orchid pattern.

It's the same print as the paper in the lining of my dress.

Qiu Tang's eyes immediately reddened.

"Your Highness, how did the late Empress's painting end up here?"

Xiao Lingyi did not answer.

She reached out and took the painting.

Behind the painting, there is a hidden compartment in the wall.

The hidden compartment was open.

empty.

There are fresh scratches inside.

The things were taken away.

I crouched down to look at the edge of the hidden compartment, and my finger touched a bit of paper dust.

Someone burned something.

not much.

It's like they destroyed a small portion of what they didn't have time to take with them before leaving.

Yan Xiaoyi walked around the room.

"The back window is open."

I walked to the back window.

There is a bamboo forest outside the window.

There are footprints on the ground.

Both.

Something small and light should be a woman.

A steady and profound presence, like a man who has practiced martial arts.

Pei Shen's men came.

Or perhaps Zheng Huaien's men came.

It's possible that they've been to both sides.

I asked Yan Xiaoyi, "How long?"

"Within half an hour."

Another half hour passed.

It seems that all the bad things in the capital city happen half an hour in advance.

I suddenly miss that half-slept I didn't finish.

Xiao Lingyi opened the old clothes trunk in the room.

There were no clothes in the box.

There were only a few old needles, a roll of faded red thread, and a cloth rabbit.

The rabbit is old.

One ear is long, and the other ear is short.

Xiao Lingyi stopped.

I stopped too.

Aunt Sun once said that she sewed a cloth rabbit for His Highness.

The rabbit's ears are of different lengths, supposedly so it can run faster.

This rabbit is now at Zhaoyue Temple.

This shows that there is indeed a connection between Aunt Sun and Aunt Zhaoyue.

This also shows that this is not a place Zheng Huaien made up on the spot.

Xiao Lingyi picked up the cloth rabbit.

She moved very gently.

It's as if they're afraid that if they exert too much force, the old days will shatter.

There's a seam on the rabbit's belly.

Qiu Tang whispered, "Your Highness, there seems to be something inside."

Xiao Lingyi handed me the rabbit.

I froze for a moment.

She said, "Demolish it."

Without saying much, I took out the short blade and carefully pried open the stitches.

There was a small roll of oil paper stuffed inside the rabbit's belly.

The oiled paper was coated with wax.

It's very similar to the way Ding Mancang handled the root that he swallowed.

I took it apart.

It's not Bai Song's old account inside.

It is a letter.

The handwriting on the letter was very fine.

Xiao Lingyi's expression changed as soon as she read the first line.

Because that was the late empress's courtesy name.

The letter is short.

Respectfully presented to Zhao Ning.

If you see this letter, it means that Zhaoyue is still alive and the old clothes are still intact.

The clothes that the Empress Dowager wore when she was ill had a page of disaster account folding method hidden inside the collar, which involved old grain from Jiangbei, palace clothing records, and old treasury of the Central Secretariat.

This account must not be given to the Secretariat, the Ministry of Revenue, or the Imperial Treasury.

If there is no one you can trust, go to Gu Xingzhi.

When we saw the name Gu Xingzhi, Xiao Lingyi and I were both stunned.

Gu Xingzhi?

The letter left by the late empress surprisingly mentioned Gu Xingzhi.

How old was Gu Xingzhi at that time?

He is now the commander of the Imperial Guard.

In the fourteenth year of Chengxi, he was probably not yet.

Xiao Lingyi's fingertips turned slightly white.

I continued reading.

The last line is even more astonishing.

If Xiao Jingheng asks, tell him:

I believe that if I've made a mistake once, I won't make the same mistake a second time.

There was no signature.

Only the blue-patterned private seal.

The room was eerily quiet.

I suddenly felt as if I had touched a very deep piece of ice.

When the late empress left this letter, she no longer trusted the emperor.

But the emperor has wanted to investigate old cases for years.

Does he really want to investigate?

Or is he trying to find something he lost back then?

I do not know.

All I know is that if this letter were delivered to the emperor, the imperial court might break down prematurely.

Xiao Lingyi took the letter from my hand.

She read it once, and then read it again.

There were no tears on her face.

There is only one kind of deep, oppressive cold.

"The Empress Dowager has sent someone to find Gu Xingzhi."

I nodded.

"Um."

Did Father Emperor know back then?

"not necessarily."

"Does Gu Xingzhi know?"

"Not necessarily."

Xiao Lingyi put the letter away.

"Go back to the palace and ask him."

Before I could speak, Yan Xiaoyi suddenly whispered from outside, "Someone's coming."

We immediately turned off the lights.

Footsteps could be heard outside the courtyard.

Two people.

No, three people.

The footsteps were very light.

One of them stopped at the doorway, his voice gentle.

"Lord Shen, Your Highness, now that you're here, why hide?"

Pei Shen.

He did indeed come.

Xiao Lingyi and I exchanged a glance.

Yan Xiaoyi's knife was already half an inch out of its sheath.

I carefully tucked the letter away from my body and walked out of the house.

Pei Shen stood in the courtyard, still wearing his official robes, with two attendants behind him.

He saw us as if he wasn't surprised at all.

"The Zhaoyue Nunnery is quiet and peaceful, not suitable for someone as lively as Lord Shen."

I smiled.

"Lord Pei's arrival has been quite a lively affair."

Pei Shen looked at Xiao Lingyi and bowed.

"Your Highness."

Xiao Lingyi said coldly, "Pei Shen, what brings you here?"

Pei Shen sighed, "Let's find an old grudge."

"Did you find it?"

"Looks like we're a step too late."

He looked at me.

"Lord Shen found it?"

I said, "No."

Pei Shen smiled.

"When Lord Shen lies, he is more composed than before."

I won't respond to that.

His gaze swept over the orchid painting that had been taken down in the room, and then he saw the cloth rabbit in Xiao Lingyi's hand.

His eyes flickered slightly.

"So that's where it was hidden."

My heart sank.

Pei Shen knew there was something there.

But they didn't know it was hidden inside the cloth rabbit.

In other words, he hasn't seen the letter yet.

This is a good thing.

That's also a bad thing.

Because he'll figure it out soon enough.

Pei Shen slowly said, "Your Highness, the late Empress's belongings involve old cases and also imperial secrets. If Your Highness trusts me, these items can be temporarily handed over to the Secretariat for safekeeping."

Xiao Lingyi looked at him.

"Why should I hand over my mother's things to you?"

Pei Shen's voice was gentle: "Because if Shen An continues to investigate this case, people will die."

I laughed.

"Lord Pei speaks as if no one has died yet."

Pei Shen looked at me.

"More will die."

"Does that include me?"

"Including many people you don't want to die."

These words made Xiao Lingyi's eyes turn cold.

I stopped laughing too.

Pei Shen is not threatening me.

not completely.

It was as if he was reminding me.

But a reminder from someone like Pei Shen is usually only a thin line away from a threat.

I asked, "Does Lord Pei know where Aunt Zhaoyue is?"

Pei Shen did not answer.

I then asked, "Where are Bai Song's old accounts?"

He still didn't answer.

Xiao Lingyi said coldly, "Pei Shen, if you don't talk, I'll take you away right now."

Pei Shen sighed softly.

"Your Highness cannot subdue me."

No sooner had the words left his mouth than footsteps sounded outside the nunnery.

They are not one of ours.

He is not one of Pei Shen's men.

Gu Xingzhi walked in from outside the bamboo forest.

Behind him were his bodyguards.

Black clothes, cold blade, like a silent night.

Pei Shen frowned slightly when he saw Gu Xingzhi.

"Commander Gu."

Gu Xingzhi remained expressionless.

"His Majesty's oral decree."

Everyone fell silent.

Gu Xingzhi looked at Pei Shen.

"Pei Shen, the Vice Minister of the Chancellery, entered Zhaoyue Nunnery without imperial permission and touched the late Empress's belongings. He is hereby asked to return to the palace for questioning."

Pei Shen looked at him, his gentle smile gradually fading.

"Gu Xingzhi, are you getting involved too?"

Gu Xingzhi said, "I've been in the bureau the whole time."

Xiao Lingyi looked at Gu Xingzhi.

His eyes held a complex expression.

I recalled the late Empress's letter.

If there is no one you can trust, go to Gu Xingzhi.

Gu Xingzhi stood there, like a cold, lifeless bronze mirror.

He looked at us too.

"Lord Shen, Your Highness."

"Aunt Zhaoyue has been found."

I immediately asked, "Where?"