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

The central office, room C, is now empty.

The offering box for the Grand Master only contained stones.

Nobody knows where that box of old talismans went.

The only thing we know is that Lan Gu went to the capital.

This statement is very useful.

It's also useless.

The number of people entering the capital city every day is in the tens of thousands.

There are more women.

Old, young, wearing veils, missing fingers, with white spots in their eyes.

If they were to arrest everyone according to the patterns Luo Chenghai had seen, the Jingzhao Prefecture would have offended every woman in the city by now.

If Lan Gu is not caught by then, the princess's mansion will receive tens of thousands of abusive letters first.

The emperor ordered Gu Xingzhi to seal the old treasury of the Imperial Secretariat.

Pei Shen remained confined to the palace.

Luo Chenghai was escorted back to the Censorate.

He Wenzheng and Chen Jingyi, the judge of the Jingzhao Prefecture, were arrested together.

Nineteen people jointly submitted a memorial, and in the end, two of them were carried out.

The remaining seventeen people left the hall quickly.

Perhaps fearing that if they walked too slowly, Bai Zhi would find their in-laws in someone else's grain store account.

Xiao Lingyi and I did not return to the mansion immediately.

The Wang family's assets are still sealed off.

Since Lady Wang took away the grain deeds for 32,000 shi of grain, and the old seal of the Zhongshu Bingfang was transferred away on the same night, these two events are most likely not coincidental.

It was a coincidence that he had a very hard time living in the capital.

They are usually killed as soon as they appear.

The Prince's Mansion has been sealed off.

The former residence of the regent, which was bustling with visitors yesterday, is now only occupied by the Imperial Guards and Censorate staff.

The door wasn't even removed.

Once a person relinquishes their official seal, even the stone lions at the entrance look several years older.

Ah Liu followed behind me, looking around.

"Young master, could there be hidden traps in the Prince's mansion?"

"Afraid?"

"Afraid."

"Then you stand outside."

Ah Liu immediately followed even closer.

"There are too many people outside, it's more dangerous."

Bai Zhi was already waiting for us in the East Study.

The ground was pried open in three places.

One of them was an old letter box.

"The sizes are different."

"A booklet."

"A seal box."

"They were all taken in advance."

I crouched down to look at the edge of the wooden grid.

The smallest cell was only recently emptied.

The largest compartment has been empty for at least six months.

"Seven days ago, Madam Wang prepared documents for her return to her hometown."

I said, "But she started moving things six months ago."

Bai Zhi nodded.

"The Wang family is not the same as Wang Song, who was defeated only yesterday after handing over his seal of office."

"They started dismantling the accounts from the Zheng Huaien case onwards."

Xiao Lingyi asked, "What was demolished?"

There are five places on the surface.

Angelica dahurica has been used to illustrate the transfer of Wang family property over the past six months.

It wasn't drawn too complicatedly.

She knows I don't like looking at a tangled mess of thread.

The worst thing you can do is deliberately mess up the accounts.

If something that can be explained in a single line is drawn into a spider web, it's mostly because the person doing the accounting wants to appear very knowledgeable.

The first place is the Wang family ancestral home.

They transferred old clothes, sacrificial objects, and the private property of the women.

The second location is Chongyi Village outside the city.

They transferred copper coins, carriages, horses, and grain sacks.

The third place is Yongfeng Bank.

Transferred to Account B, hidden silver.

The fourth location is the old warehouse west of the city of Taichang Temple.

They then transferred the old records and documents from the palace to the old accounts.

The fifth location is the Qingxia Grain Transport Route.

Transfer the grain contract and cart contract.

I watched for a while.

"The first four locations were all sending supplies to the fifth location."

Bai Zhi glanced at me.

"good."

The Wang family ancestral home provides legal status for female relatives and ancestral property rights.

Chongyi Village prepared carts, grain sacks, and laborers along the way.

Yongfeng Bank exchanged silver for easily dispersed copper coins and grain payments.

The Imperial Treasury provides old tokens, old seals, and documents that can convince local officials along the way.

Finally, everything converged at the Qingxia Grain Transport Route.

Madam Wang took away more than just a few contracts.

She took away a road that allowed for the legal transport of grain, the legal exchange of vehicles, the legal passage through checkpoints, and even the legal deployment of troops for escort.

Ah Liu's face grew increasingly pale after hearing this.

"Young master, what's the difference between this and taking away an army?"

"have."

"What's the difference?"

"People will be afraid when the army marches on the road."

"When grain carts are on the road, everyone will give way."

The grain contract for 32,000 shi was merely a formality.

The real treasures are the warehouses, banks, old talismans, and the Wang family's network of connections along the way.

Once the grain contract is signed, the grain carts can travel westward from Jiangbei.

The truck can be used to store grain.

Clear the nameplates.

They were found to be carrying forged Southwest Military Documents.

They even sent a group of people dressed in Southwest Army uniforms.

Ultimately, the gate at which they were "robbed" and which army drew their swords first were all decided by the person holding the road.

Xiao Lingyi said, "Check the location of the grain exchange."

Turn to the next page for Angelica dahurica.

"It has been investigated."

"The three contracts are not redeemed in the same place."

"Ten thousand shi of grain were exchanged at Yong'an Granary."

"The Luo family grain store in Qingzhou exchanged 12,000 shi (a unit of dry measure)."

"Ten thousand shi of grain were exchanged at the Qingxia transshipment warehouse."

"Divided into three places?"

"right."

Why not concentrate?

I said, "It's easy for centralized gatherings to be shut down."

"Even if something happens in one place after we separate, we can still get around to the other two."

Bai Zhi added, "Moreover, the timing of grain exchange is different at the three locations."

"Yong'an Warehouse, in three days."

"Luo's Grain Store in Qingzhou, five days later."

"Qingxia Transit Warehouse, no date specified."

The absence of a date means that it can be redeemed at any time.

This also means that the 10,000 shi (a unit of dry measure) may no longer be in the account.

I asked, "Who owns the Qingxia Granary?"

"Nominally, it's a branch warehouse of Luo's Grain Store."

The actual manager's name is Du Chang.

"Who is Du Cheng?"

Bai Zhi looked at me.

"younger brother."

Du Cheng, who was sent to deliver a letter in the fourteenth year of Chengxi and was later written as having died of an epidemic.

His younger brother now runs the Qingxia transshipment warehouse.

Grain contract.

Eleven years ago and today, the connection has finally been made.

Xiao Lingyi asked, "Where is Du Changren?"

"I left Qingxia last month."

"Where to?"

"The capital city."

When will you arrive in Beijing?

"The day before yesterday."

I asked, "Where are you staying?"

"No hotel stay record."

"Where's your travel permit to enter the city?"

"have."

Bai Zhi handed over a copy.

Du Chang entered Beijing as the owner of Luo's Grain Store, claiming he was settling old accounts.

The old woman had a white film over her right eye.

Xiao Lingyi and I both looked at Luo Chenghai's confession.

Lan Gu received the letter at the West Counter of Yongfeng in the fourteenth year of Chengxi.

Eleven years later, she went to Beijing again.

Ah Liu whispered, "Young master, this person has lived quite a long time."

"What are you trying to say?"

"It's nothing."

"It's just that so many people die in the capital, so it's remarkable that he's lived this long."

Witnesses at the accounting committee usually don't live long.

This Lan Gu has lived from the fourteenth year of Chengxi to this day.

This means she wasn't a last-mile delivery person.

They are the ones who decide who is at the bottom.

Gu Xingzhi's men have gone to investigate Du Chang.

We continued searching the Prince's Mansion.

Madam Wang's west courtyard was searched yesterday.

But Bai Zhi insisted on turning it over again.

She said that the first time the accountant searched for items, they were looking for valuables.

The second person they looked for shouldn't have been there.

It was only on the third attempt that they searched for what should have existed but did not.

I also felt that it was really unlucky for a thief to run into her.

The dressing table, hidden compartment under the bed, and wardrobe in the west courtyard have all been sealed off.

Qiu Tang led the female official to re-check.

Soon, something was discovered.

Madam Wang's clothes are not enough.

She lived in Beijing year-round and must have had at least dozens of sets of formal dresses, everyday clothes, sacrificial robes, and court dresses for noblewomen throughout the four seasons.

Now there are only seven items left in the wardrobe.

She didn't take all of it.

Some of the clothes were sent out of the palace in the past six months.

The delivery record states:

Which temple should we send it to?

Ci'en Temple.

Ci'en Temple is back.

This place has been used to burn firewood sheds, hide merit books, imprison disaster victims, and now collect old clothes for Lady Wang.

Ah Liu's face turned very ugly when he heard about Ci'en Temple.

"Young master, won't that place catch fire again?"

"The temple has been sealed off."

"It can still be burned even if it's sealed off."

He already had his own understanding of fire.

Bai Zhi said, "The clothes are not the point."

"The records show that every time old clothes were given away, the Wang family's accountant would allocate a sum of money for donations."

"The amount is not large."

"Three hundred taels each time."

"Six times in six months."

"One thousand eight hundred taels."

I asked, "Was it added to the Ci'en Temple's donation ledger?"

"no."

"Where did you go?"

"Yongfeng Bank's accounting records".

"Old clothes" is just a name.

Each time clothes were delivered, a box could be legally carried out of the mansion.

No one will check what's in the box.

Because the noblewoman donated old clothes to the temple, it was inconvenient for outsiders to open them.

Furthermore, because Ci'en Temple accepts donations, they will not be stopped along the way.

I looked at the empty hidden compartment in the floor.

"The largest compartment is for books."

"The book was moved when we started delivering clothes six months ago."

"What book?"

Bai Zhi did not answer.

She walked to the wall and pointed to a row of old bookshelves.

The Wang family genealogy is displayed on the top of the bookshelf.

The family genealogy consists of twelve volumes.

From the first volume to the twelfth volume, they are very well organized.

The serial number is incorrect.

Between the fifth and sixth volumes, there is a noticeable gap of about one finger's width between the spines.

There is a shallow mark on the wall behind him, made by paper pressing over a long period of time.

The thirteenth volume was once displayed there.

The Wang family genealogy consists of only twelve volumes.

The thirteenth volume is naturally not a family genealogy.

Bai Zhi found a line of ink writing on the inside cover of the sixth volume.

The names of the people in the Yitang family are listed separately and not included in the family genealogy.

Wang's second tent.

We have been looking for the list of members of the debt settlement committee.

Only fragments of characters remain in the old records of the Imperial Academy.

The second batch of account books and registration forms were burned.

Wang Song's connections are scattered across the Six Ministries.

However, in order to distribute the silver, issue orders, and assign each person to a specific section, Wang would definitely need a register that could be found.

That is the thirteenth volume.

I asked, "Send it to Ci'en Temple?"

Bai Zhi shook her head.

"Ci'en Temple is just a stopover."

"Each time clothes were delivered, the temple kept only the clothes, not the box."

"Where did the box go?"

"The alms cart leaves the city through the south gate."

Who owns the car deed?

"Luo's Grain Store"

Madam Wang began removing the Yitang register from the Wang Mansion six months ago.

They borrowed old clothes and sent them to Ci'en Temple.

Then, they borrowed a donation cart to deliver the grain to the grain route.

She didn't take the accounting committee with her when she left.

While Wang Song was still in a high position, she shifted the name of the person who could reorganize the accounting committee to Qingxia.

Xiao Lingyi asked, "If the thirteenth volume has already left the capital, why would Madam Wang risk returning to the West Courtyard to leave a letter?"

"Because the book may not be complete."

I looked at the Wang family genealogy.

"Wang Song is in charge of former officials."

"Madam Wang is in charge of the outside line."

"Feng happy is in charge of the palace."

"The Clan Office of the Secretariat is in charge of the old seals."

"The thirteenth volume may only record the Yitang Silver Road and the outer line."

"She also needs medicine, clothing, and doorknobs from the palace."

"So last night we had to switch the old talisman for the Bingfang room."

Bai Zhi nodded.

"The old talisman is now lost."

"This means someone has already filled in the gap for her."

It wasn't to take Madam Wang away.

The purpose was to hand over the Inner Court Commander to her, or to take over the Southwest Grain Transport from her.

Regardless of which one, Qingxia will become the next headquarters.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps came from outside the courtyard.

Gu Xingzhi's men have returned.

The guard knelt on one knee.

"Your Highness, Lord Shen."

"Du Chang has been found."

"Where?"

"The backyard of Luo's Grain Shop in the south of the city."

"A person is alive?"

The guard paused for a moment.

"To live."

Has the accounting committee suddenly learned to value witnesses today?

"Bring it back."

"We can't bring it back."

Why?

"He refuses to come out."

"Holding hostages?"

"no."

"What is that?"

The guard took out a notice from his pocket.

The ink on the notice was still wet.

Du Chang personally signed the document.

The content is:

The 32,000 shi of grain exchanged at Qingxia Grain Transport Station were all carried out on the orders of Censor Shen An to supply the Shen army in the southwest.

The area outside Luo's Grain Shop was already crowded with people.

The officials from the Jingzhao Prefecture, the Ministry of War, and seventeen other officials who had just left the Golden Hall were all present.

Du Chang locked himself in his shop.

They're just waiting for me to arrive.

Ah Liu looked at the notice for a long time before saying:

"Young master."

"This time, your name is on the invitation."