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

The two characters "御帐" (Yuzhang) are like a piece of ice falling into hot tea.

The room fell silent.

Ah Liu is not here.

That's a good thing.

If he were here, his first words would probably be: "Young master, even the emperor has accounts, right?"

I want to ask that now too.

But I can't ask that directly.

Xiao Lingyi stood in front of the table, her face so cold that it was almost impossible to tell her emotions.

"Pei Shen, do you know what you're saying?"

Pei Shen looked at her, still with that gentle expression.

"I understand."

"You said the third set of old debts owed to Bai Song is in Father Emperor's hands."

"Yes."

"You saw it with your own eyes?"

"no."

Xiao Lingyi's eyes suddenly turned cold.

Pei Shen said, "But I know where it is."

I couldn't help but laugh.

"Lord Pei, you people are all so eloquent. You've never seen them before, but you know where they are. You weren't involved, but you just happened to be there to receive the token. You didn't take the bill, but you were the first to arrive."

Pei Shen glanced at me.

"If Lord Shen wishes to hear something simpler, that is also acceptable."

"please."

"The third set of old accounts of Bai Song was handed over to His Majesty by the late Empress."

Xiao Lingyi's fingertips twitched slightly.

Pei Shen continued, "It wasn't the night before he died. It was earlier. In the summer of the fourteenth year of Chengxi, after Bai Song died, Zhao Yue sent half of the old account book left by Bai Song to the palace. The late Empress made three copies, one of which was hidden in Lan Yi's clothes, one of which was kept in the Yongfeng Three Cabinet, and one of which was given to His Majesty."

I asked, "How did you know?"

"Because that ticket for entering Yongfeng Third Counter was delivered by me."

This time he spoke very decisively.

I stared at him.

"So Lord Pei is finally not just 'following orders' anymore?"

Pei Shen smiled.

"When I was young, I always thought that following orders would absolve me of my sins. Later I realized that what people have done doesn't disappear just because they follow orders."

That sounds like regret.

But I can't believe it.

Even if Pei Shen truly regrets something, he'll fold his remorse into a paper knife.

Xiao Lingyi asked, "Why did Mother give one copy to Father?"

Pei Shen remained silent for a moment.

"Because at that time, the late Empress still trusted His Majesty."

These words made the room feel even colder.

I remembered that letter.

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

The one time I trusted the wrong person was the emperor.

Xiao Lingyi asked in a low voice, "And then?"

Pei Shen said, "Later, His Majesty did not make a move."

Why?

Pei Shen looked at her: "Your Highness should ask His Majesty this question."

"Are you telling me all this so I'll ask my father?"

"Yes."

Why?

"Because the Prime Minister also knows that the Imperial Guard is in His Majesty's hands."

My eyes darkened.

That's the crucial point.

If Grand Secretary Wang knew that the third set of Bai Song's old accounts was in the Emperor's hands, what would he do next?

To break the agreement?

Force the emperor to hand over the accounts?

Or will they turn around and accuse the emperor of knowing about it but not reporting it back then?

Neither of them is a trivial matter.

I asked, "How did Grand Secretary Wang know?"

Pei Shen said, "The fact that the old accounts were made in triplicate in the fourteenth year of Chengxi could not have been kept from Prime Minister Wang."

"Then why didn't he move the imperial tent earlier?"

"Because he doesn't dare."

Pei Shen looked out the window at the palace walls.

"As long as Your Majesty remains on the throne, the imperial tent will be a sword hanging over the heads of the old ministers. Whoever touches it first will die."

I sneered: "So they first purged Lanyi, then Yongfeng, and finally forced the imperial tent to show itself."

"right."

"And you?"

Pei Shen looked at me.

"I don't want the imperial tent to fall into the hands of the Prime Minister."

"You don't want it to fall into our hands either?"

He did not deny it.

"Lord Shen, once the imperial tent is opened, the old cases of the late Empress, the Ministry of Revenue's disaster relief funds, the old accounts of the regents, and the Jiangbei grain tax system will all be connected. At that time, it won't be just about investigating Zheng Huai'en or seizing a Wang family's private seal."

I asked, "What will happen?"

Pei Shen said slowly, "It would threaten the very foundation of the nation."

I'm so tired of hearing those four words.

Whenever someone doesn't want to investigate, they threaten the very foundation of the state.

The foundation of the nation is like a very expensive porcelain vase; everyone says it's untouchable.

But when they were using people's lives to fill it with dirty silver, they didn't care that it was fragile.

I said, "Lord Pei, when the disaster victims were starving to death, was the foundation of the nation shaken?"

Pei Shen remained silent.

"When the late Empress died, was the foundation of the nation shaken?"

He remained silent.

"When Bai Song committed suicide, was the foundation of the nation shaken?"

I looked at him.

"Why is it that when it comes to Grand Secretary Wang, the foundation of the nation suddenly becomes so delicate?"

Pei Shen sighed softly.

"Lord Shen, you have a good scolding. But if it really comes to that, it won't just be Prime Minister Wang who dies."

"Who will die then?"

He looked at me.

"Many innocent people."

I didn't answer immediately.

Because this statement may not necessarily be false.

Wang Ge Lao, a veteran official, had students and former subordinates throughout the Six Ministries, and his relatives were connected to banks, the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, the Ministry of Rites, and local charitable granaries.

If we really touch him, the imperial court will be shaken.

The capital city will also be shaken.

But what if we don't move?

Without any change, the disaster victims continue to be written into the book of merit.

The child continued to lie in the medicine shed.

The dead continued to devour the tent.

The late empress continued to be used as a pretext for murder.

Xiao Lingyi suddenly said, "I'm going to see my father."

Pei Shen looked at her.

"Has Your Highness made up your mind?"

Xiao Lingyi said coldly, "Since you say that the imperial tent is in the Emperor's hands, I will naturally go and ask."

Pei Shen lowered his eyes.

"Your Highness, once you ask, there will be no more gossip about father and daughter."

Xiao Lingyi did not answer.

She turned and walked out.

I followed.

As I reached the door, Pei Shen suddenly called out to me.

"Lord Shen."

I turned around.

"Is there anything else that Lord Pei happens to know?"

Pei Shen looked at me, his tone very calm.

"If His Majesty is unwilling to give it, do not force him."

I smiled.

"How dare I force Your Majesty?"

Pei Shen said, "You dare?"

That's so accurate.

It was so accurate that I couldn't even refute it.

He added, "Also, Prime Minister Wang won't wait."

I frowned: "What do you mean?"

"Go ask the Imperial Household Department; even the Prime Minister will be involved."

"Where should I move?"

Pei Shen said softly, "Disaster victims."

My heart sank.

Pei Shen continued, "The Qinghe Granary has already opened, and the famine victims in the southern soup kitchens know that their grain has been swallowed up. Public opinion in the capital has already risen. If Prime Minister Wang wants to suppress the imperial court, the best way is not to kill you."

"It's about letting the capital city descend into chaos first."

I turned and left.

Xiao Lingyi heard it too.

She walked even faster.

After leaving the side hall, Gu Xingzhi was waiting in the corridor.

Xiao Lingyi said directly, "I want to see my father, the Emperor."

Gu Xingzhi did not ask why.

"His Majesty is in the warm pavilion of Mingde Hall."

I look at him.

"Did Commander Gu know we were going?"

"His Majesty knows."

well.

The emperor also knew.

Is there anything in this palace that he doesn't know?

Gu Xingzhi led us to the Mingde Hall.

The palace road was quiet along the way.

It was so quiet that it didn't seem like the old materials room had just been burned, the sparrows had been caught, or the accounting tablets had just been sent out.

But I know that this quiet is only on the surface.

The situation below is in complete chaos.

Perhaps even thicker than the soup pot at the South Soup Vendor.

In the warm pavilion of Mingde Hall, Emperor Xiao Jingheng sat on a couch.

He wasn't wearing court robes, but only a dark-colored casual robe, with a medicine cup beside him.

The medicine hasn't been touched yet.

Wei Zhi stood to the side, his head bowed and eyes downcast.

When the emperor saw us, he first glanced at Xiao Lingyi, then at me.

"Did Pei Shen say that?"

Xiao Lingyi stopped.

"Did Father already know?"

The emperor did not deny it.

"Know."

My heart sank.

That felt great.

The pleasure is even more terrifying.

Xiao Lingyi's voice was steady: "The third set of old accounts concerning Bai Song, is in Father Emperor's hands?"

"exist."

"Did Mother give this to you?"

"Yes."

Why don't you investigate?

The question was finally asked.

The room was eerily quiet.

Wei Zhi lowered his head, as if he wished he could turn into a pillar.

The emperor looked at Xiao Lingyi.

In those eyes, there was weariness, illness, and something that had been suppressed for many years.

"I have investigated."

Xiao Lingyi asked, "Did you find out that the Empress Dowager is dead?"

The emperor's fingers trembled slightly.

This is the first time I've seen Xiao Jingheng so deeply affected by a single sentence.

He closed his eyes.

"Yes."

Xiao Lingyi's face turned even paler.

"So Father Emperor still hasn't finished investigating."

The emperor remained silent.

This silence carries more weight than any explanation.

After a long pause, he said, "In the fourteenth year of Chengxi, the old ministers of the late emperor were not yet settled, the southwest was not yet pacified, there was war in the north, and there was disaster in Jiangbei. I have only recently ascended the throne, and I have too few people at my disposal."

"So, the Empress Dowager can die?"

The emperor raised his eyes, his voice low and deep: "It's not possible."

Xiao Lingyi looked at him.

The emperor said, word by word, "It was I who failed to protect her."

I stood to the side and suddenly felt that I shouldn't be there.

This is a wound that the father and daughter haven't been able to talk about for over ten years.

But the case has led me here.

I can't get a refund.

Xiao Lingyi asked, "What about the imperial tent?"

The emperor looked at Wei Zhi.

Wei Zhi turned around and took out a black lacquered box from a hidden cabinet at the back of the warm pavilion.

The box is old.

There were no gold ornaments or dragon patterns on it, only a blue seal.

The seal had been broken and then resealed.

The emperor placed his hand on the lid of the box but did not open it immediately.

"This is the third one."

Xiao Lingyi stared at the box.

She did not reach out.

The Emperor said, "When your mother gave this to me, she said that if I am still Xiao Jingheng, then open it. If I am just the Emperor, then do not open it."

That's a really harsh statement.

It was so ruthless that it made my heart tighten.

Xiao Jingheng was her husband.

The emperor is the master of the land.

The late empress wanted him to make a choice.

But he probably chose the emperor back then.

Xiao Lingyi asked softly, "Has Father opened it?"

The emperor paused for a moment.

"It's open."

"and then?"

"Then, I sealed it."

Xiao Lingyi smiled.

This time it was a genuine laugh.

There was absolutely no temperature.

"Mother is right."

The emperor's face turned even paler.

Wei Zhi said in a low voice, "Your Highness..."

Xiao Lingyi looked at him.

Wei Zhi immediately shut up.

The emperor said slowly, "Zhaoning, you can hate me."

"Your Majesty, I have no time for resentment now."

She looked at the black lacquer box.

"Your subject demands payment."

The emperor looked at her.

After a long while, he pushed the box in front of her.

"Take it."

I froze for a moment.

Is it that easy?

wrong.

The emperor looked at me.

"Shen An".

"Your subject is here."

"Once the imperial tent is deployed, the king and prime minister will surely move."

"I understand."

"It's not me who's affected, it's the hearts of the people in the capital."

Pei Shen said the same thing.

Disaster victims.

The Emperor continued, "The Qinghe Granary has been opened, Yongfeng has been sealed off, Zheng Huai'en is dead, and the Qing tent has been taken into the palace. If Prime Minister Wang spreads the news that the relief grain has run out, the princess's palace has hidden the tent, and Shen An has framed the Ministry of Revenue, the disaster victims in the south of the city will riot."

I asked, "Is His Majesty prepared?"

The emperor said, "We are not adequately prepared."

These words sent a chill down my spine.

If even the emperor says there's not enough preparation, then that's a real problem.

Xiao Lingyi picked up the black lacquer box.

"Your son is going to the south of the city."

The emperor frowned: "Zhao Ning."

"Father just said that the Prince and Prime Minister would harass the disaster victims."

You can't go.

Why?

"Too dangerous."

Xiao Lingyi looked at him.

"Empress Dowager was also in danger back then."

The emperor was speechless.

Looking at the father and daughter, I felt a chill run down my spine.

But I had no choice but to speak up.

"Your Highness, go to the south of the city, and I will go to the Censorate to open the tent."

Xiao Lingyi immediately looked at me.

"no."

I said, "Your Highness is more useful in stabilizing the disaster victims than I am. I will open the imperial tent and, together with Bai Zhi, verify the medical records of Yongfeng's three warehouses, Qinghe's granary, and the southern medicine shed, and first nail down the Wang Xiang's account."

The emperor looked at me.

"Prime Minister Wang will prevent you from opening."

I laughed.

"I can hide in the Censorate."

"What if the Censorate also falls into chaos?"

I paused for a moment.

The emperor said, "Prime Minister Wang has students in all six ministries, and also in the Censorate."

well.

Nowhere is safe.

This capital city is truly moving.

Just then, an urgent report came from the Imperial Guards outside.

"Your Majesty, chaos has broken out in the south of the city!"

Xiao Lingyi turned around abruptly.

The guards knelt down.

"Someone is spreading rumors at the South Soup Dishes that the Qingheyi Granary is out of food, Princess Zhaoning is withholding grain, Lord Shen is fabricating a disaster relief case, and the disaster victims are surrounding the soup dishes!"

The emperor closed his eyes.

Pei Shen was right.

Grand Secretary Wang acted even faster than we did.

I took the black lacquered box from Xiao Lingyi's hand.

She looked at me.

I said, "Your Highness, go to the south of the city."

"And you?"

"Your Majesty, open the tent."

"Where?"

I looked at the emperor.

"Right here."

The emperor raised his eyes.

Holding the imperial tent box, my primal fear of death resurfaced.

But there's nothing we can do now.

"Mingde Hall Warm Pavilion".

"Right under His Majesty's nose."

I smiled.

"You can't very well have Grand Secretary Wang storm in with his men and accuse me of rebellion, can you?"

The emperor looked at me and suddenly smiled.

"It's not impossible."

My smile froze a little.

There's no need to be so serious about it.

Xiao Lingyi looked at me.

"Shen An".

I whispered, "Your Highness, please rest assured."

Her eyes were deep and somber.

"Don't die."

I was taken aback.

The emperor also glanced at her.

Xiao Lingyi seemed not to find anything wrong with what she said and turned to leave.

Qiu Tang followed.

Gu Xingzhi sent a team of imperial guards to accompany him.

She walked very fast.

The hem of the court robe swept across the threshold, like a cold gleam.

I watched her leave, then looked down at the black lacquer box in my arms.

Royal tent.

The third set of Bai Song's old accounts.

The cold case that has been shelved for over a decade is inside.

The emperor asked, "Shen An, are you afraid?"

I honestly replied, "I'm scared."

"Are you afraid to open it?"

"We'll have to open it, even if we're afraid."

I placed the black lacquer box on the table.

"Your Majesty, on the second day of my marriage, I have already been forced to open the imperial tent."

"If we don't open it soon, even the wedding night expenses might be considered treason."

The emperor looked at me.

Wei Zhi lowered his head and coughed, as if he was trying to suppress a laugh but dared not.

The emperor finally said, "Open."

I reached out and pressed my hand against the orchid-patterned seal.

The moment the seal cracked, I suddenly had a strange feeling.

It's like a night more than a decade ago, when a light was finally turned on again today.

Under the lamp stood the dead, and also the living.

And the ledger pages were turned.

All those who owe money should look up.