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

The Xuanzheng Hall is quieter today than yesterday.

Yesterday was quiet because Wang Song handed over his official seal.

It's quiet today because everyone is watching me.

When I entered the palace, the nineteen officials who had jointly submitted the memorial were already kneeling.

They were arranged very neatly.

Left-hand censor.

Right-hand official.

There were also two Ministry of War officials in the middle.

It doesn't look like an opening act.

It's like a funeral hall that was set up for me in advance.

Ah Liu is not allowed to enter the palace.

Otherwise, he would probably count how many people there were and then advise me to prepare a coffin in advance after returning home.

Xiao Lingyi stood in front of the clan members' seats, not beside me.

It was also a way of telling the entire court that if they wanted to interrogate her as well, she would be right here.

The emperor arrived later than usual.

The court had not only just learned of the emperor's poor health.

But as soon as Wang Song fell from power and Shen Lie's son's identity was revealed, every cough of the emperor would prompt someone to start calculating another account.

If the emperor falls, who will maintain order in the court?

Xiao Lingyi?

What about the remaining members of the regent's original ministers?

Or was he the son of a traitor whom the emperor himself said he "only believed"?

"Kana."

The emperor spoke.

"Your Majesty, we request that the seal of Imperial Censor Shen An be temporarily confiscated."

"reason."

"Shen An is the son of Shen Lie, the leader of the rebel army in the southwest."

"Although his identity was made public yesterday, he did not evade responsibility in his previous investigations of the Wang family, the Ministry of Revenue, and the Court of Imperial Sacrifices."

"Now that the Wang family's grain route leads directly to the southwest, Lady Wang has fled with more than 30,000 shi of grain deeds."

"We have reason to suspect that Shen An used the case of the Clearing Accounts Association to purge old officials in the court for the southwest and to support Shen Lie."

After he finished speaking, the eighteen people behind him said in unison:

"We second that proposal."

The emperor looked at me.

"Shen An, what do you say?"

I removed the imperial censor's seal.

The eyes of the nineteen officials lit up.

I held the seal in my hand.

"I should indeed avoid suspicion."

The old censor immediately said, "Your Majesty, Shen An himself has already admitted it. Please withdraw the seal immediately!"

"Lord He, I haven't finished speaking."

When Wang Song handed over his official seal yesterday, he knelt lower than anyone else.

Bending too quickly and straightening too accurately usually indicates that there are springs hidden in one's waist.

I said, "Your subject should avoid suspicion."

"But where can I hide from this disgrace?"

"Hand over the seal, close the door, and await investigation."

"Who's investigating?"

"The Censorate, the Ministry of Justice, and the Imperial Guard will conduct a joint investigation."

"Who is in charge of the Censorate?"

"I am simply handling the case according to regulations."

"The Minister of Justice just presented Grand Secretary Wang with his letter of introduction yesterday."

"The Imperial Guard is under the command of Commander Gu."

"Commander Gu was named as a trustworthy person in the late Empress's old letters, and he also released Aunt Zhaoyue out of the palace."

"According to Lord He's rules on avoiding suspicion, he should also recuse himself."

Gu Xingzhi remained expressionless.

I continued, "Xiao Lingyi is the daughter of the late Empress and also my wife."

"She wants to avoid it."

"His Majesty sealed off the imperial tent years ago, so we must avoid it even more."

"Wang Song's disciples are spread throughout the Six Ministries, and the Six Ministries should all avoid him."

"So, the only ones who can investigate this case are the two stone lions at the city gate of the capital."

"Shen An, in the imperial court, one must not engage in clever words or jokes."

"I was not joking."

I hung the imperial censor's seal back on my waist.

"I only ask Lord He to explain clearly."

"Recusal is to ensure a fairer outcome in the case."

"Or is it to hand the case back to someone who has no connection to the Wang family?"

He Wenzheng said, "Not everyone in the court is related to the Wang family."

"Then please tell me about your family's assets, Lord He."

"What?"

"His Majesty already said that yesterday."

"Those who are convicted based on their birth status shall first be identified as students, relatives by marriage, those who own land, and those who work for money exchange."

"If Lord He cannot remember clearly, I have remembered part of it for you."

"The He family owns two estates in Qingzhou."

"In one location, the grain was transported by Luo's Grain Company."

"Last year, Lord He's second son married the daughter of Chen Jing, the prefectural judge of Jingzhao Prefecture."

"And it was Chen Jing who approved Madam Wang's document to return home."

"Shen An, are you investigating me?"

"I just checked last night."

Why?

"Because Lady Wang's documents bear the seal of the Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Chen Jing was the person who handled it."

"While investigating him, I happened to see Lord He's name."

"Tents are like that, the road is narrow."

"As you walk along, you'll always run into someone you know."

He Wenzheng said, "In-law relationship does not equate to complicity!"

"certainly."

"Therefore, I did not say that Lord He was an accomplice."

"I am merely saying that, according to your own rules of avoiding suspicion, you should also keep your doors closed."

The officials who had signed the petition behind He Wenzheng subconsciously moved to the side.

The worst thing about a joint petition is not that the emperor will reject it.

"Even if Lord He has a family relationship with Shen An, it does not change the fact that Shen An's identity is still in question."

"Your Majesty, I request that you first investigate the correspondence between Shen An and Shen Lie."

"Can."

I took out the message I intercepted last night: "Your son has finally become a knife."

"Your Majesty, I request to investigate this matter in the palace."

They probably thought I would hide the letter from the Southwest more carefully than my own life.

The first letter was checked by Bai Zhi last night.

Jiangbei Luo's Grain Shop Paper.

The content consists of only one sentence:

He Wenzheng immediately said, "Your Majesty, this letter is sufficient proof that Shen Lie and the Wang family had been in contact for some time!"

"Lord He."

I asked, "Where in the letter does it say 'Shen Lie'?"

"Your son, I'm obviously referring to you."

"There are also people in the capital who call His Majesty Father Emperor."

"Could this letter be addressed to His Majesty?"

The emperor glanced at me.

"A salutation alone cannot determine the recipient of a letter."

"We also need to look at the delivery route, the sealing wax, and the person who handled it."

Bai Zhi was summoned to the palace.

The letter was written in the southwest direction, but it was delivered to Lady Wang first.

However, this does not prove that the letter writer was Shen Lie.

He Wenzheng asked, "Why did Madam Wang send it to Shen Lie on behalf of someone else?"

"That's exactly what I've been looking for."

"Therefore, it's more appropriate for someone else to investigate!"

"Does anyone know what kind of ink, seal, or communication habits Shen Lie uses?"

"You know?"

"I know a little."

"That's precisely why you're most likely to forge it for him!"

Previously, people didn't know I was Shen Lie's son; they only suspected whether I had connections with the Southwest.

Now they know that any detail of the Southwest that I am familiar with can simultaneously become evidence and incriminating evidence.

The emperor asked, "And the second one?"

Gu Xingzhi placed the old letter on the long table.

The seal on the seal read "Southwest".

The letter from eleven years ago is more dangerous than the one from last night.

The accounting sign was altered.

The royal tent was sealed.

It was during those years that Shen Lie gradually transformed from a commander of the southwestern border army into a leader of the rebel army.

If Wang Song and he had already been in contact at that time, many old matters would need to be re-examined.

I said, "Your Majesty, please verify the seal first."

After examining the sealing wax and paper, he said, "The sealing wax has been used for more than ten years."

"The style of the military seal is also consistent with the transport seal of the Southwest Army during the Chengxi period."

The Ministry of War retrieved the old seals.

The inscriptions match.

He Wenzheng immediately said, "Shen An, even now, you still want to say that Shen Lie has nothing to do with this?"

"related."

"This military seal did indeed come from Shen Lie's former subordinates."

"But it wasn't Shen Lie who personally signed it."

"What's the difference?"

"Shen Lie's personal seal is a tiger-head seal with the character 'Lie' on it."

"The two characters 'Southwest' are the seal for transporting military rations."

"Back then, at least seven transport officials and three deputy generals were able to use this seal."

Six of them are dead.

The two followed Shen Lie in rebelling against Liang.

He probably never imagined that his name, which he had kept hidden for eleven years, would be unearthed from an old seal.

Gu Xingzhi ordered his men to bring him to the palace.

"Your Majesty, this humble subject is unaware."

I asked, "What were you doing in the southwestern army in the fourteenth year of the Chengxi reign?"

"Grain and grain transport office."

"Have you used this seal?"

"I've used it."

"Whom are you delivering the message for?"

"Military official documents".

"Did you send it to Wang Song?"

"No!"

"The letter was found under the floorboards of the East Study in the Prince's Mansion."

"The seal is the grain transport seal you handled."

"The paper came from Qingxia Post Station."

"Luo Chenghai, if you didn't deliver it, then say someone stole your seal."

He Wenzheng suddenly said, "Shen An should avoid interrogating people related to his father."

"Master He, what are you anxious about?"

"I simply..."

Luo Chenghai hasn't said who wrote the letter yet.

"Lord He then concluded that it was Shen Lie."

Have you read the content?

He immediately said, "Since the envelope is addressed to Lord Shen and the military seal comes from the southwest, it is easy to deduce that."

"Shen Gong was not on the envelope."

When the constable told me this morning, he did indeed say that the envelope only had the title "Shen Gong" on it.

Bai Zhi had already been examined before entering the palace.

Only in the fourteenth year of Chengxi did Qingxia turn.

How did He Wenzheng know about "Master Shen"?

Unless someone told him this before the letter was sent to the Censorate.

I reached out my hand to Gu Xingzhi.

"Search for Lord He."

"Shen An, how dare you!"

Gu Xingzhi had already walked over.

"You have no right to search me without His Majesty's order!"

The emperor said, "Search."

The first clause is to force Shen An to hand over the seal.

Thirdly, if the military seal on the letter is genuine, please immediately arrest Shen An.

They also arranged in advance for He Wenzheng to interpret the letter as Shen Lie and Wang Song being in cahoots.

If I rush to defend my father, I'll appear guilty.

Because the entire court was willing to believe that the son of a traitor would collude with the enemy.

"Your Majesty, I only received an anonymous letter last night!"

"Where is the letter?"

"It's already burned."

Gu Xingzhi pulled him aside.

The emperor looked at the remaining eighteen officials who had signed the petition.

"You also received letters?"

The emperor then looked at the imperial censor's seal on my waist.

"Are you still trying to avoid suspicion?"

I replied, "I still have grievances."

I continued, "Therefore, from today onwards, all relevant evidence in the Southwest will be examined simultaneously by the Censorate, the Imperial Guard, and the Princess's Residence."

"Your subject is not permitted to open the city gates alone."

"No one may meet with witnesses from the Southwest privately."

"No single person may determine the authenticity of evidence."

"But I will not hand over the seal."

He Wenzheng asked, "Why?"

"It is precisely because I cannot avoid suspicion that I know where the suspicion comes from."

On the throne, the emperor chuckled softly.

He then said:

"allow."

"Shen An will continue to lead the investigation."

"Gu Xingzhi supervised the inspection."

"Zhaoning, please assist in the investigation."

He Wenzheng has been suspended from his duties pending trial.

Nineteen people jointly submitted a memorial.

If Ah Liu had heard this outside the palace, he would probably have felt that his breakfast today hadn't been in vain.

The emperor then said, "Open the old letter."

Gu Xingzhi cut open the sealing wax in the palace.

The handwriting was compared with old files from the Ministry of War and was found not to be Shen Lie's handwriting.

It's more like the scribes who wrote for the grain transport office in Southwest China back then.

In the fourteenth year of Chengxi, the southwest suffered a shortage of supplies in April.

The grain stored in Qingxia Granary can be transferred to old households in Beijing.

If the royal tent is not opened, then proceed according to the old agreement.

There is only one private seal.

The character "烈" (liè, meaning fierce/fierce) is engraved on it.

It's not the Tiger Head Army Seal.

However, it is very similar to Shen Lie's private seal from his early years.

"Your Majesty, Shen Lie and Wang Song indeed had a prior agreement!"

Bai Zhi placed the paper under the lamp.

Wang Song personally reviewed it.

Shen Lie was unaware that the letter had already reached the capital.

This letter was not sent by Shen Lie to Wang Song.

At least Wang Song believed back then that Shen Lie was unaware that it had arrived in the capital.

Someone stole the seal of the Southwest Grain Transport Bureau.

They intercepted Shen Lie's private messages.

It was then delivered to Wang Song.

Eleven years ago, a third person was hiding between the Wang family and the Southwest Grain Transport Route.

The emperor looked at Luo Chenghai.

"Who told you to deliver it?"

"This humble citizen cannot speak."

Gu Xingzhi asked, "Why?"

"If I say it, my whole family will die."

I walked up to him.

Even if you don't speak up, you might not survive.

Luo Chenghai raised his head, his lips pale.

"It's not Grand Secretary Wang."

"It's not General Shen either."

"It's a woman."

"What woman?"

He glanced at the broken orchid seal on the table.

The sound was so soft it was almost inaudible.

"She told us all to call her—"

"Aunt Lan".