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

I finally got some sleep.

I didn't sleep for very long.

It's not exactly peaceful either.

In my dream, Wang Song chased after me with an abacus, saying that the Liang dynasty had lost a total of 3.72 million taels of silver, which he would deduct from my monthly salary.

I asked if I could pay in installments.

He said yes.

Deduct it from my next life first.

Just as I was about to yell at someone, I suddenly heard hurried footsteps outside the door.

Immediately afterwards, Ah Liu's voice rang out.

"Young master."

"Report it after he dies."

"You're not dead."

"Then wait until I wake up."

"Everyone outside says you're dying."

When I returned from the palace last night, it was nearly midnight. Xiao Lingyi and I read the letter from the Wang family's grain commissioner three times, and then I asked Bai Zhi to go and check the Luo family's grain store in Jiangbei overnight.

All things considered, I slept for at most an hour.

I don't know if an hour is enough to fully recover one's energy.

But that's enough for the capital to compile a person's entire family history, including their ancestors, marriages, official positions, and manner of death.

Ah Liu pushed open the door and came in, his eyes were dark and he was carrying a stack of papers.

"Young master, there are all sorts of rumors about you outside."

The most polite one said you have a tough life.

A sharp pain tugged at my injured shoulder, making me gasp for breath.

"And the most impolite one?"

"They say you're a knife that was plunged from the southwest into the capital. You were the one who got rid of Grand Secretary Wang, Zheng Huaien, and Zhou Bingli for Shen Lie."

"Some people say that His Majesty arranged the marriage to take the princess hostage."

"Some say that His Highness already knew your identity, and the couple were preparing to work together from the inside and outside."

"Was it mentioned that I was actually the emperor's biological son who was exiled to the southwest?"

Ah Liu was stunned.

"Not yet."

"The people of the capital have a poor imagination."

Ah Liu's face wrinkled.

"Young master, do you still think they haven't made up enough stories?"

"If you're going to make something out of nothing, make it something valuable."

A new set of official robes was placed beside the bed.

The clothes I wore last night were torn by stones from the south of the city and stained with wet mud from the palace gate, so they are no longer wearable.

The new official robes were delivered by the Censorate early this morning.

The official seal was still on his waist.

This shows that, at least until dawn, the emperor had not regretted his statement from the previous day, "Of all the officials in the court, I only trust you."

As for whether they will regret it after dawn, it depends on how many people climbed the folding board today.

When Ah Liu helped me tie my belt, he glanced at my cuffs several times.

"The knife isn't there."

"what?"

"Return to its sheath."

After Xiao Lingyi returned the knife to me last night, I did not tie my arm back up.

Now it is kept in an inner box and is watched over by the people of the princess's residence.

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

"Has the young master finally come to his senses?"

"no."

"That is?"

"Today, the entire court sees me as a knife; if I were to carry another one, it would make it seem like I admitted it too quickly."

Ah Liu thought it made sense.

Then I realized something was wrong.

Before he could figure it out, Qiu Tang's voice rang out from outside the door.

"Your Highness, an urgent report from the Censorate."

I got dressed and went out.

Xiao Lingyi was already in the main hall.

There was also an urgent report that had just been opened next to it.

When she saw me come in, she first looked at my shoulder.

"pain?"

"He can still live."

"I didn't ask if you could live."

"Then there is a point."

She pushed a medicine bottle towards her.

"It was given to me by Physician Song."

I took the medicine bottle.

"Has he finally remembered that I was injured?"

"He said if you don't change the dressing on time, he'll just stitch the wound up next time."

This sounds like something a physician from the Song Dynasty would say.

Ah Liu stood behind me, his eyes constantly glancing at the urgent report on the table.

Xiao Lingyi said, "Look if you want to."

Ah Liu immediately shook his head.

"I can't read."

Bai Zhi just happened to come in from outside.

"You recognized the four characters 'Wang's Private Treasury' last night."

Ah Liu said earnestly, "Miss Bai, it's because I'm more sensitive to danger."

Bai Zhi ignored him and placed the three thin books on the table.

"There's a problem with the sealing of the Wang family's property."

"What's missing?"

"The silver wasn't less."

"The estates haven't been reduced either."

"What's missing is the contract."

The Wang family owned 21 estates in the suburbs of Beijing, 37 shops, and 6 shares in a secret bank. All the silver and artifacts have been sealed up.

The accounts appear to be in good condition.

The more complete it is, the more it seems to be something specifically made for people to see.

Bai Zhi pointed to several blank spaces.

"These three warehouse deeds are missing."

The first location is Yong'an Warehouse in Jiangbei.

The second location was the warehouse of Luo's Grain Store in Qingzhou.

The third location is the Qingxia Old Road transfer warehouse.

It's all grain.

All the grain was transported from the capital southwestward.

I asked, "How many are in the warehouse?"

"There is no actual grain in the accounts."

"Only redeemable grain contracts are available."

"A total of 32,000 shi."

Ah Liu's eyes widened when he heard the number.

"How did she manage to take away 32,000 shi of grain?"

Bai Zhi glanced at him.

"Bring a piece of paper."

Ah Liu, shut up.

The grain is heavier.

The grain contract was very light.

So light that a woman could slip into her sleeve and ride in a carriage belonging to the Wang family's female relatives, exiting through the main gate of the capital.

Lady Wang did not take any gold or silver with her when she fled.

She took with her the credentials that could turn silver into grain.

I asked, "When did you transfer the property?"

"The latest was yesterday morning."

"Before Wang Song handed over the seal?"

"right."

"Who organized this?"

Bai Zhi took out the second book.

"The Wang family accountant said that Madam Wang used the old lady's documents to return to her hometown and retrieved the ancestral property storage deeds, without needing Wang Song's personal signature."

"Where's your travel permit?"

Qiu Tang placed a document on the table.

The women of the Wang family returned to their hometown to visit relatives.

They carried clothing, medicine, and ancestral property deeds.

The document bears the seal of the Jingzhao Prefecture.

There are also small slips of paper verified according to the old practice of the Central Secretariat.

I looked at Xiao Lingyi.

"Wang Song only handed over the seal last night, and she received the legal documents yesterday."

"It wasn't done on short notice."

Xiao Lingyi said, "It will be approved seven days ago."

Zheng Huaien had just died at that time.

Wang Song was still sitting in the position of a former regent.

My identity has not been made public.

Lady Wang, however, was already preparing to leave the capital.

This shows that from the moment Zheng Huaien was silenced, she knew that the Wang family would fall sooner or later.

I asked, "Who approved the documents?"

Qiu Tang said, "Chen Jing, the Prefectural Judge of Jingzhao Prefecture."

Bai Zhi then pushed the third booklet over.

"But there's one thing wrong."

"The document issued by the Jingzhao Prefecture for returning to one's hometown only proves that female relatives are allowed to leave the capital."

"If the value of the ancestral property warehouse deed exceeds 10,000 shi (a unit of dry measure), according to old practice, it must be verified by the Ministry of Revenue or the Secretariat."

"The signature on this verification paper is blank."

There is only a small hidden mark with the character "乙".

I looked at the character "乙".

I saw it at the Golden Hall just yesterday.

Wang's second tent has a hidden tail.

Now they've gone back to using legal road signs.

Accounts are indeed things that hold grudges.

Just when you think it's been pressed down on the desk, it will turn around and peek out from another piece of paper.

"Check the office of the Secretariat."

Bai Zhi shook her head.

"I've checked."

"This document was not included in the re-examination records for the seven days prior to yesterday."

"The print is genuine, but it's not in the records."

"Is this another case of genuine documents being printed with fake paperwork?"

"It's more troublesome than fake paperwork."

Xiao Lingyi said, "The paperwork is genuine."

"It's just that someone took the file away after they finished processing it."

I finished the last mouthful of porridge.

The porridge tastes good today.

Unfortunately, the news is too juicy.

"Madam Wang is not a fugitive."

"At least not when she left the city."

"She carried legal documents and ancestral property deeds, and followed the Wang family's route for visiting relatives."

"The post stations along the way will not stop them, and local officials will even send people to escort them."

Ah Liu asked in a low voice, "If we chase them now, can we still catch up?"

Yan Xiaoyi climbed in through the window.

"Can't catch up."

Ah Liu was so frightened he almost threw the medicine bottle away.

"Master Yan, could you please use the door?"

There are many people outside.

Yan Xiaoyi sat down in the chair and casually picked up a cold steamed bun.

"Madam Wang changed carriages three times after leaving the city."

"The first car went to the Wang family ancestral home."

"The second vehicle went to Qingzhou."

"The third car track disappeared at Tongzhou Wharf."

Where are they?

"Not in any of the three cars."

It wasn't his fault that he lost the chase.

Actually, that's mostly not true.

Since Madam Wang has prepared the legal documents seven days in advance, she wouldn't have only prepared three carriages.

"What did you find?"

Yan Xiaoyi took out a small wooden plaque from his pocket.

It's not a clearing of accounts.

It is a grain truck inspection tag.

The front is engraved with "Luo's Grain Store".

A broken orchid is painted on the back.

The seal is the same as the one on the grain transport letter from the Wang family's west courtyard last night.

Bai Zhi took it and looked at it.

"The inspection certificate of Luo's Grain Store in Qingzhou, one certificate per vehicle."

"Where can I find it?"

"Underneath the abandoned ships at Tongzhou Wharf."

"Did someone leave this behind on purpose?"

"picture."

Lady Wang escaped with great composure.

They calmly left the door open for us the whole way.

First, there was the wax powder used to seal the bank in the broken hairpin.

Now it's another grain truck inspection sign.

She wasn't afraid we would catch up.

I looked at Xiao Lingyi.

"This is an invitation."

"An invitation to the Southwest."

Ah Liu's face turned pale when he heard this.

"Young master, how can you refuse such an invitation?"

"able."

"real?"

"Send her 32,000 shi of grain."

Ah Liu stopped talking.

Thirty-two thousand shi of grain.

Enough to support an army.

That would be enough to truly starve many of the dead people in the tents north of the Yangtze River.

If Lady Wang hands over the grain deeds to Shen Lie, the court will say that the rebel army in the southwest has seized the grain.

If she transfers the grain to the merchant warehouses controlled by the Qingzhanghui and then forges Shen Lie's order, the imperial court and the southwest will simultaneously draw their swords.

In either case, the first to die are the ordinary people on the road.

Qiutang sent another name card.

"Your Highness, the Censorate has sent someone to urge you."

"What is it?"

"At the morning court session this day, nineteen officials jointly submitted a memorial."

"Your Majesty, please withdraw your imperial censor's seal, seal the princess's residence, and thoroughly investigate your relationship with the Southwest."

Ah Liu gasped.

Nineteen isn't a lot.

Someone must have stayed up all night, busy deciding which side to take today.

Xiao Lingyi stood up.

"The car is ready."

"Is Your Highness going too?"

"I am in the folded book."

"I can handle this on my own."

"That's what you thought yesterday too."

The most troublesome thing between husband and wife is not that the other party holds a grudge.

The other party has an account.

Every stroke can be accurately translated.

As soon as we reached the gate of the mansion, the sounds from outside rushed in.

Someone knelt on the side of the street, holding up the revised household register that had just been changed back yesterday.

Someone even hung a piece of cloth on the teahouse opposite the princess's residence.

There were eight characters written on the cloth.

With rebels entering the court, the Great Liang Dynasty is doomed.

They were afraid I wouldn't see them.

Ah Liu was so angry that he rolled up his sleeves.

"Young master, I'll go tear it."

"No need."

"Should we just leave it hanging?"

I looked towards the second floor of the teahouse.

A figure flashed behind the window.

"hang."

"The person who wrote the cloth paid for it."

"We should let him hang it up for a while so it's easier for us to find out who paid."

Yan Xiaoyi had already turned and walked towards the back alley of the teahouse.

He never likes to hold meetings for things he can solve with a single stroke.

The carriage stopped in front of the door.

Xiao Lingyi got into the car first.

Just as I was about to follow, a constable from the Censorate squeezed out from the crowd.

"Lord Shen."

He handed over a sealed box.

"An old letter was found in the Wang family property."

"where?"

"Under the floor of the East Study."

"To whom is it written?"

The constable glanced around and lowered his voice.

There was no name on the envelope.

There is only one name for it.

"Master Shen".

There are quite a few people with the surname Shen in Daliang.

There aren't many letters worth hiding under the floorboards.

The letter paper has turned yellow.

An old military stamp was pressed onto the wax seal.

The inscription contains only two characters.

southwest.

Xiao Lingyi sat in the car looking at me.

"Shen Lie?"

I did not answer.

Because there was a line of small print on the back of the envelope.

In the fourteenth year of Chengxi, Qingxia turned.

Eleven years ago.

The year the late empress passed away.

There was already a letter between Wang Song and Shen Lie, written after they traveled along the old Qingxia Road.