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

My heart sank.

Small stone.

bluestone.

Stone.

Fang Yuanshi hid the clues from half of the secret book in the child's toys.

That really sounds like something a bookkeeper would do.

It's inconspicuous, worthless, and nobody will give it a second glance.

But as long as family members remember, the connection won't be completely severed.

I asked, "Where is Little Stone now?"

Fang Zhoushi's face turned even paler.

"At home."

I closed my eyes.

it is good.

well.

We just ran away from home.

The pursuers had just kicked the door open.

The real clue that leads to the half-finished book might still be in that dilapidated house.

I suddenly realized that Buddha hadn't just failed to bless me so that I could run easily.

He probably added a bit of difficulty for me as well.

The lame woman gritted her teeth and said, "We can't go back. Those people are definitely still in the village."

Of course I know I can't go back.

But if we don't go back, and Little Stone falls into those people's hands, half of the secret book might be lost forever.

Fang Zhou looked at me, as if afraid that I would really turn back.

"Lord Shen, don't go back." Her voice trembled. "My husband is already dead. I don't want anyone else to die."

I didn't speak.

I'm thinking.

It's too dangerous to go back to Zhao Family Village from here.

But most of the pursuers are now chasing the wood path on the right, and the rest are probably searching the house.

Small stones are children's toys; they may not notice them at first glance.

The problem is, I don't have time.

Carriages can only stop at Ci'en Temple for one hour.

If I delay any longer, it will be very difficult for Xiao Lingyi to handle the situation.

I stuffed the old paper back into my pocket.

"Go back to Ci'en Temple first."

Fang Zhoushi was stunned.

"That little stone..."

"Going back now is suicide," I said. "If the things are still there, we can find a way to retrieve them later. If they've already taken them, at least we still have these five pieces of paper."

"It could be half a secret book..."

"The ledger is only useful when it's in someone's hands." I looked at her. "If you die, even half a ledger won't save Fang Yuanshi."

She stared at me blankly.

It's like not knowing whether to believe or not.

I don't know whether she should believe me or not.

I don't even really believe in myself.

But now, I am the only blade of grass she can grasp.

Even if this blade of grass is about to break.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from outside.

It's not from the right-hand firewood path.

It's from the slope outside the abandoned kiln.

The lame woman's face changed drastically.

"They've come all the way back!"

My heart sank.

The pursuers were faster than I expected.

Or rather, some of them understand what people who are trying to escape think.

This is troublesome.

I glanced quickly at the abandoned kiln.

Behind the cave dwelling is a collapsed opening, about half a person's height, with a slope outside.

It's difficult for adults to crawl through, but a child can.

"Go from the back."

The lame woman immediately helped Fang Zhoushi into the cave.

I was the last one to go in.

The cave dwelling smelled damp and earthy, and dust kept falling from the ceiling. The entrance was very narrow, so I took the child first and pushed him out through the opening.

The child is very light.

It was so light that it didn't look like a four or five-year-old child.

When Fang Zhou crawled out, her hand was cut by a splinter, but she gritted her teeth and didn't make a sound.

The lame woman was the last one.

She had difficulty walking and got stuck at the collapsed point, her face turning red.

I reached out and pushed her.

The footsteps outside had reached the abandoned kiln entrance.

Someone whispered, "There's someone inside."

Another voice said, "Don't let them get away."

I pushed the lame woman out and was about to crawl in myself when I suddenly heard a whoosh behind me.

A short arrow was embedded in the earthen wall at the edge of the collapsed area.

The arrow fletched, less than half a foot from my face.

My scalp tingled.

I almost saved myself a dinner.

I ducked down abruptly and crawled out through the collapsed opening.

Another short arrow came from behind, grazing my back.

My clothes are torn again.

This time, it's not the princess's clothes that hurt.

It's my own pain.

After crawling out of the collapsed area, there was a slope.

Before I could regain my footing, I tumbled down the slope.

The world spun around.

Grass, stones, mud, and tree roots were all thrown at my face.

When I rolled to the bottom of the slope, I almost threw up my breakfast.

Unfortunately, I didn't eat breakfast.

I could only dry heave.

Fang Zhoushi, holding her child, hid behind a crooked tree; the lame woman's face was deathly pale.

I stood up, leaning against the tree.

Voices could be heard coming from the hillside.

"They've gone down!"

"Block it from below!"

I wiped the mud off my face and looked ahead.

There was a ravine in front of us.

There is water at the bottom of the ditch, flowing down the rocks.

Further away, you can vaguely see the bamboo forest behind Ci'en Temple.

Not far away.

But it's not close either.

And there were at least three more people chasing us from behind.

I asked the lame woman, "Does this ditch lead to Ci'en Temple?"

"Yes, but it will take a while through the open fields."

"How long?"

"About a hundred steps."

About a hundred steps.

It's nothing unusual under normal circumstances.

When being chased, it can make you run yourself ragged.

I looked at Fang Zhoushi.

She was holding the child and could barely stand.

I held out my hand: "Give me the child."

She instinctively shrank back.

I said, "You can't run fast if you're carrying him."

She bit her lip and handed the child to me.

The child is very light.

It was also very quiet.

I picked him up, and suddenly my heart ached.

Was Ah Liu this light when he was a child?

Forget it.

Now is not the time to think about this.

"run."

We rushed out of the ravine.

Loude was indeed very empty.

To the left are scattered rocks, to the right is a sparse bamboo forest, and in the middle is a low slope with no obstructions.

The pursuers behind us shouted as soon as they saw us.

"There!"

Holding my child, I realized for the first time why I wasn't a military general.

I ran less than fifty steps before I felt like my lungs were going to explode.

The child leaned on my shoulder and suddenly whispered, "Uncle."

I gasped for breath, "Huh?"

"Will you save my mother?"

I paused for a moment.

I almost fell.

"meeting."

"Then will you save my dad?"

I did not answer.

Because the dead cannot be saved.

As if knowing I couldn't answer, the child whispered, "My dad said Little Stone will help him."

A thought struck me.

What's on the small stone?

The child thought about it.

"There's a hole."

"What hole?"

There's a hole in my stomach.

I suddenly realized.

The stone doll is empty.

There's something hidden inside.

This is not a clue about where the secret account is located.

The small stone itself may contain part of a secret book.

I cursed inwardly.

We absolutely cannot let the pursuers get it now.

But we can't go back now.

The only option is to get back to Beijing alive first, and then figure out a solution.

Just then, a clear bell rang out from the bamboo forest ahead.

Horse bells.

I looked up.

A car was parked by the bamboo grove.

It wasn't the princess's main car.

It was the third carriage carrying incense and candles.

Qiu Tang was standing next to the car.

Her expression remained calm, as if she had known all along that we would rush out from here.

Ah Liu stood beside her, his eyes wide open.

Upon seeing me, he almost shouted out, but Qiu Tang's gaze silenced him.

Qiu Tang said, "Get in the car quickly."

The sound wasn't loud.

But to me, it was even more moving than a miracle from Buddha.

I rushed over with the child in my arms, put the child in the car, and then turned back to help Fang Zhoushi.

Fang Zhou's legs went weak, and she almost fell over.

Ah Liu finally realized what was happening and quickly dragged her into the car.

The lame woman was also helped up.

I was the last one to get on the bus.

The carriage was filled with incense, candles, and prayer flags; the space wasn't large, but it was enough to hide a few people.

Qiu Tang lowered the carriage curtain and said to the driver, "Let's go."

The carriage started moving immediately.

Unhappy.

It's even quite stable.

It looked like an ordinary horse-drawn carriage that had just retrieved the lamp offering booklet from the back gate of Ci'en Temple.

By the time the pursuers reached the edge of the bamboo grove, it was too late.

Someone shouted, "That car!"

Another voice lowered its voice and said, "The princess's carriage."

With just those five words, the pursuers stopped.

Princess House.

These three words still carry weight in the capital.

They dared to chase after Shen An, dared to search Fang Zhou's house, and dared to shoot arrows in the ravine.

But they might not dare to stop Princess Zhaoning's carriage in public.

At least not today.

The carriage slowly moved forward along the path behind the temple.

I sat in the car, clutching the old paper in my arms, my whole body aching.

Ah Liu looked at my muddy body and tattered clothes, and his lips moved for a long time.

Finally, he managed to stammer out, "Young master, your clothes... make you look more like an accountant."

I leaned against the car wall and closed my eyes.

"It's like a refugee's tent."

"Yes," Ah Liu said sincerely, "the one with the most debts in the accounting office."

I can't be bothered with him.

Fang Zhoushi sat in the corner holding her child, her whole body still trembling.

The lame woman bowed her head and gasped for breath.

Qiu Tang sat by the car door, still holding the book of merit in her hands.

I glanced at her.

"Miss Qiutang arrived just in time."

She calmly said, "His Highness said that if Lord Shen truly values ​​his life, he would run to the nearest path to survival."

"What if I hadn't run this way?"

"Then His Highness said that she had mistaken the person."

I smiled.

My laughter twitched my shoulders, and the pain made me gasp for breath.

Xiao Lingyi is a really stubborn person.

But his hands are really fast.

As the carriage circled back to the outer courtyard of Ci'en Temple, the temple bell rang again.

The religious ceremony seemed to have just ended.

The timing was perfect.

It was so accurate that even her miserable journey was included in the auspicious time for her offerings.

I lifted a corner of the car curtain and saw that the princess's main car was already preparing to return to the city.

Xiao Lingyi did not get out of the car.

The carriage curtains were hanging down.

I can't see her.

But for some reason, I always felt that she knew I was back.

Qiu Tang whispered, "Madam Fang and the child cannot show themselves for the time being. His Highness will arrange for them to be hidden behind the offering boxes in the third carriage."

I asked, "Can we get through the city gate?"

"No one dares to inspect the princess's carriages."

I remember thinking that the cage was an advantage when I left the city.

I've only just realized that cages can sometimes be used to block a knife.

But this knife was very expensive.

It's so expensive that I don't know how I'll ever be able to pay it back.

The carriage began its return journey to the city.

I finally had the chance to reopen the old papers in my arms.

The train carriage was shaking violently, and the light was dim.

But I still took out the fourth sheet of paper and stared at the blurry words.

The remaining silver entered...

The rest is unclear.

Treasury? Government?

The tiny character for "money" below it still lies there quietly.

I gently wiped the corner with my fingertip.

There appear to be words on the back of the paper.

I carefully turned it over.

The back is empty.

Only a very small line of text was written in the very bottom corner.

So small that you have to get so close to your eyes to see it clearly.

That's not an account.

It's like a mark that Fang Yuanshi left for himself.

There are seven characters in total:

The money was approved and transferred into the internal treasury.

My fingers stopped.

Money approved.

Internal warehouse.

The carriage was very quiet.

It was so quiet that I could hear my own heartbeat slowly getting heavier.

If money is just money, there's no need to list it separately.

But what if it's money with a surname?

Money approved.

Did Qian Rong approve it?

Was it approved by someone surnamed Qian?

Where is the inner warehouse?

Ministry of Works Treasury?

The Ministry of Revenue's inner treasury?

Or is it some private warehouse that shouldn't be included in the river channel repair project?

I do not know.

But I know one thing.

This piece of paper is heavier than the child I've been carrying all the way here.

Because it was the first time that the destination of this money was traced back a step further than "fake stone materials".

It's not as simple as the workers cutting corners.

Some people have criticized it.

Someone has received it.

Someone transferred the remaining silver.

And this person is very likely located high up in the Ministry of Works.

I closed the paper again and tucked it back into my pocket.

A spring breeze blew through the car curtains.

But I suddenly felt cold.

Ah Liu asked in a low voice, "Young Master, what's written on the paper?"

I glanced at him.

"It says we're probably going to be in trouble again."

His face turned pale.

How much mold is there?

I leaned against the car wall and closed my eyes.

"The kind that can keep the Vice Minister of Works up at night."