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

Lady Wang's letter was very short.

It was so short it was as if she had already crossed out all my choices.

Seventy-three lives were lost in Yong'an Granary.

If I go, I will become the young master of the southwest.

Since I didn't go, she accepted the seventy-three people on Shen Lie's behalf.

The word "accept" is used very well.

It doesn't look like murder.

Like harvesting grain.

People from the accounting committee always talk like that.

Silver is called water.

Killing someone is called settling accounts.

They dressed the disaster victims in anti-military clothing and called them "recruiters from the southwest."

By simply changing the wording, the knife seems to have never struck the person.

I folded the letter.

Xiao Lingyi reached out her hand.

I handed it to her.

After she finished reading, she asked, "When are you planning to leave?"

"Tonight."

"no."

I looked at her.

"Seventy-three people can't wait."

That's why I can't leave tonight.

Xiao Lingyi pressed the letter onto the wooden tag that read "Young Master of the Southwest".

"If you sneak out of the city tonight, the entire court will receive the news tomorrow."

"Shen Lie's son took the secret manual of the Qingzhang Society and fled to the southwest overnight."

"Even if you manage to rescue all seventy-three people, they will still say that they were former troops from the Southwest."

"You killed Sun Jing, and they say you silenced him."

"If you don't kill them, they'll make Sun Jing publicly acknowledge you as their young master."

"Shen An".

"This path cannot be taken by stealth."

Of course I know.

Knowing and doing are two different things.

To leave the capital openly and legitimately, an imperial edict is required.

A meeting of the court is needed.

It is necessary to keep records of the Ministry of War, the Princess's Residence, the Censorate, and the Imperial Guard at the same time.

If this group gets into a fight, they might argue for three days about what color official robes they should wear, but they might not be able to decide whether or not they should save the seventy-three people.

Xiao Lingyi said, "Return to the palace."

"Now?"

"Now."

I glanced at the sky.

It was past noon.

The emperor is coughing badly today.

Before leaving, the physician said that if His Majesty discussed court affairs for another half a day, he would be able to drink two more bowls of medicine in the evening.

When he said "two bowls of medicine," his tone was very similar to "two bowls of last meal."

"His Majesty may not be able to see him."

"He will meet with you."

"Why is Your Highness so certain?"

"Because I will brave the danger."

That makes a lot of sense.

There weren't many people in the palace who dared to brazenly barge into the emperor's bedroom.

Xiao Lingyi is one of them.

Wei Zhi is sometimes included as well.

The difference is that Wei Zhi had to kneel after he barged in.

Xiao Lingyi did not use it.

When we came out of the Black Stone Kiln, Gu Xingzhi left people behind to seal off the basement.

Du Rong and several other survivors were sent to the Princess's residence for protection.

Bai Zhi herself held the five-line handover book.

The way she held the tent was even tighter than Ah Liu's.

Before getting on the bus, I asked Gu Xingzhi, "Do we have a portrait of Chen Ping?"

"have."

"Who was responsible for guarding him after he was taken into the Imperial Guard on the wedding day?"

"Tian Shuo, a former subordinate of Feng happy and deputy commander of the Imperial Guard."

Where are they?

"Not on duty today."

"Where is home?"

"Sold out".

I nodded.

Not surprisingly.

Chen Ping died of illness.

Tian Shuo asked for leave.

Cao Heng first signed the military order.

Sun Jing took the county magistrate's seal.

Each person is only responsible for one section.

Finally, in the five-line handover book, these paragraphs were joined together.

As long as this document can be presented in the imperial palace, the emperor will have a legitimate reason to allow me to leave the capital.

There's also a reason to take another group of people along the way.

As expected, Wei Zhi stopped him when he entered the palace.

It's not that they won't let you in.

First, observe Xiao Lingyi's expression.

"Your Highness, His Majesty has just taken his medicine."

Xiao Lingyi asked, "Asleep?"

Not yet.

"Then we will see."

Wei Zhi looked at me again.

I'm very sensible.

"Eunuch Wei, I can wait outside."

Xiao Lingyi said, "He can't."

Wei Zhi sighed.

"My lord, your words carry little weight in the princess's residence these days?"

I said seriously, "It didn't work very well before either."

Wei Zhi looked at me with pity.

He was probably thinking back to the days when he served the emperor.

We're both people who don't keep their word.

The room smelled strongly of medicine.

The emperor leaned back on the soft couch.

The memorial to the emperor was still lying in front of him.

To be so ill and still need medical treatment—I don't know whether to call it diligence or a lack of appreciation for the skills of Song Dynasty physicians.

The emperor looked at Xiao Lingyi first.

"What did you find this time?"

Xiao Lingyi placed the handover book of the five lines on the table.

"Lady Wang is still in the capital."

The emperor raised his eyes.

Where are they?

"We have already left the city through the secret passage of the Black Stone Kiln."

"Are you sure it's her?"

Gu Xingzhi presented the wooden slips, the list of carriages leaving the palace, and the testimonies of the rescued palace women.

The emperor was quick to read.

My finger paused for a moment when I saw "Madam Wang - Seventh in Qing Dynasty Armor".

She used the palace gate to leave.

Gu Xingzhi lowered his head.

"I have failed in my duty."

The emperor did not offer forgiveness.

There was no immediate punishment.

He simply said, "I'll remember that."

I think Gu Xingzhi's feelings today when he heard "make a note of it" were probably similar to when I heard Xiao Lingyi making accounts at the Princess's residence.

The accounts haven't been settled yet.

It's even more painful than having already been stabbed.

Bai Zhi presents the recent handover booklet for the five lines.

The medicine thread led to Liu Shen's old subordinates.

The thread of clothing connects Chen Ping with the Qingyi Bureau.

The door line connects Feng happy's old plaque, Tian Shuo, and the sick clothes cart at the palace gate.

The grain line connects Sun Jing, Du Chang, and Luo's grain shops.

The waterline connects Yongfeng's tent to Cao Heng's military supplies.

The five lines are no longer just scattered names.

They recently worked together on a project.

He led Shen An out of the capital.

After the emperor finished reading, he asked me, "Do you want to go?"

"think."

"The way out that Madam Wang left for you."

"I understand."

"You knew that, yet you still left?"

"The road belongs to her."

"Human life is not."

The emperor looked at me.

"Seventy-three people died in the tents."

"Is it worth risking your identity?"

I thought about it.

"Your Majesty used me to investigate the accounts because my status was worthless."

The emperor coughed.

I don't know if it was because I made it angry, or if it was just about to cough.

Xiao Lingyi glanced at me.

I quickly added, "What I mean is that identities are meant to be verified."

"The son of the Imperial Censor, the Imperial Son-in-Law, and Shen Lie."

"Since others are using it to set up schemes, I must take it back and use it myself."

The emperor did not ask again whether it was worth it.

He asked, "How do I get there?"

"An imperial decree was issued ordering him to leave the capital."

"name?"

"Review the three grain deeds of the Wang family."

"Investigate Yong'an's fake urgent report."

"Inspect the Ministry of War's military supplies and local granaries."

"Anything else?"

"Investigate Shen Lie."

The warm room quieted down.

These three words carry more weight than any of the previous case charges.

The emperor asked, "You're investigating your father?"

"If I don't investigate, someone else will."

"Anything others find can be written as 'the minister colluding with the enemy.'"

"If I investigate myself, I can at least uncover the truth."

The emperor looked at Xiao Lingyi.

"Are you going too?"

"go."

"The Southwest is not the capital."

"Your subject understands."

"What if Shen Lie wants to trade you for Shen An?"

Xiao Lingyi remained calm.

"Then we'll see if Shen An is worth it."

I think it's time to make a statement.

"I will try my best to make a difference."

She ignored me.

Even the emperor didn't have one.

The father and daughter sometimes look very alike.

Especially when they ignore me together.

The emperor remained silent for a long time.

"Zhao Ning cannot accompany the army to inspect grain supplies as a princess."

Xiao Lingyi frowned.

Why?

"If you leave the capital with a princess's entourage, the local government along the way will make preparations in advance."

"You won't be shown the real warehouses, the real disaster victims, or the real accounts."

"Then, in what capacity shall I appear?"

The emperor looked at the book of five lines.

"Disaster relief supervision".

"Princess's residence, please assist in the investigation."

"No grand procession will be set up."

"He only brought guards and female officials."

Xiao Lingyi did not object.

The emperor looked at me again.

"Shen An".

"Your subject is here."

"I hereby issue a decree to you."

"I'll also give you a secret decree."

My heart skipped a beat.

When the emperor issues a secret decree, it's usually not something that will prolong my life.

"A clear order was issued to inspect grain supplies, post stations, and county seals."

The secret order was to investigate whether the Qingxia grain route was related to Shen Lie.

"What if it's relevant?"

"Keep accounts."

I didn't expect it to be those two words.

The emperor said, "We must not cover for him first."

"We must not prejudge the court's guilt."

Write down everything you see.

"Yes."

"besides."

The emperor looked at me.

"Wang Song handed over his official seal yesterday, and today there have been twenty-seven memorials pleading for his life."

"The reasons are all the same."

"The southwest is about to descend into chaos; we must not rashly move our old ministers."

"These people will be even more anxious after you leave the capital."

"What about the capital?"

I instinctively looked at Xiao Lingyi.

She said coldly, "Why are you looking at me?"

"I believe Your Highness has a solution."

"I'm asking you."

This is what an exam is.

If you don't answer well, you might get stabbed before you even leave Beijing.

I thought about it for a while.

"Please, Your Majesty, do not announce the full itinerary immediately."

"Tomorrow, the court will only summon officials to Jiangbei to review the grain relief efforts."

"The secret operations in Qingxia will not be written into the official decree."

"At the same time, make three copies of the five-line handover book."

"A copy from the Censorate."

"One guard."

"Keep a copy at the Princess's residence."

The emperor asked, "Where is the original record?"

"Stay in the palace."

"If I suddenly collude with the enemy after leaving the capital, Your Highness shall make the original records public."

Xiao Lingyi looked at me.

"You've made the arrangements for me."

"It wasn't arranged."

I immediately replied, "It is Your Highness's decision."

Her expression softened slightly.

The way couples speak to each other is very important.

Especially when the other side can mobilize the princess's guards.

The emperor said, "Granted."

Wei Zhi brought paper and pen.

The emperor did not order the Secretariat to draft an edict.

The official seal of the Secretariat has been used to issue far too many false orders.

He personally wrote this imperial edict from the capital.

The first imperial decree:

The censor Shen An was ordered to review the household registration records of the three prefectures north of the Yangtze River, the grain deeds of the Wang family, and the false report from Yong'an.

Princess Zhaoning assisted in the investigation in her capacity as the disaster relief supervisor.

The Censorate, the Imperial Guard, and local government offices were summoned for their duties.

The second secret decree contained only one sentence:

If Qingxia sees Shen Lie, he must not disregard the law of the land because of their father-son relationship, nor can he use the law of the land to suppress human feelings.

I watched it twice.

I didn't quite understand it.

The emperor didn't seem prepared to explain.

Emperors often liked to write seemingly reasonable but ultimately unfeasible statements in their edicts.

I asked, "Your Majesty, what should we do specifically with this?"

The emperor leaned back on the soft couch.

"Aren't you good at auditing accounts?"

"Investigate thoroughly before making a decision."

"I fear I may make the wrong decision."

"If you made a mistake, come back and admit your guilt."

"What if we can't come back?"

The emperor looked at me.

"That means I trusted the wrong person."

That sounds very cold.

But I know the second half of the sentence was left unsaid.

If he believes the wrong person, it won't just be me who dies.

Seventy-three people, the Jiangbei grain transport commissioner, Xiao Lingyi, and the entire Southwest region will pay the bill together.

The secret decree was sealed.

The emperor suddenly started coughing violently.

Wei Zhi immediately handed over the medicine.

Physician Song rushed out from the side room, his face grim.

"As I have said, no business should be discussed within a moment after taking the medicine."

The emperor said, "I only said a few words."

The Song physician looked at the two imperial edicts, a handover book, and three confessions on the table.

"His Majesty's understanding of those words is similar to Lord Shen's understanding of cherishing life."

I don't think this fire should have burned me.

But Physician Song had already gotten used to cursing on the spur of the moment.

Before the emperor drank the medicine, he called me back again.

"Shen An".

"Your subject is here."

"Before leaving the capital, go to the inner prison to see Wang Song."

I froze for a moment.

Why?

"He wants to see you."

"I do not wish to see him."

"Then we should see him even more."

The emperor closed his eyes.

"Wang Song said he knew who the real person waiting for on the Qingxia grain route was."

Inside the prison, Wang Song had already handed over his seal.

Madam Wang, however, led the way.

Lan Gu took away the old talisman.

Shen Lie's fake letter also pushed me towards Qingxia.

Everyone says Qingxia is waiting for me.

Wang Song, however, said—

The person actually waiting there is someone else.