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

I stared at the small stone fragments on the table all night.

That thing was originally supposed to be a stone doll.

The things Fang Yuanshi left for his wife and children, the children called it "Little Stone," saying that it had paper inside.

Now, before we've even seen its belly, the fragments have already been delivered to my residence.

Ah Liu stood to the side, his face paler than pebbles.

"Young master, perhaps we shouldn't go?"

I didn't say anything.

He whispered again, "The blacksmith workshop in the east of the city doesn't sound like a good place. There's iron, hammers, knives, and a bunch of burly men swinging hammers. If we go there, what if they just close the door..."

He gestured as if he were smashing something.

"We'll be like a discus."

I looked up at him.

"You've thought of everything."

Ah Liu's eyes lit up: "Then, young master, do you think what I said makes sense?"

"have."

"Then we're not going?"

"No, send someone else."

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief and immediately said, "Young Master is wise!"

I asked, "Who should we send?"

Ah Liu's smile froze on his face.

He thought for a long time, and finally looked at me cautiously.

I looked at him too.

The room was quiet for a while.

Ah Liu's eyes slowly reddened.

"Young master, I have an elderly mother to care for and no children to raise. I believe I can still be saved."

I put the fragments into my cloth bag and sighed.

"Don't worry, I won't send you to your death."

Just as Ah Liu was about to kneel down to express his gratitude, I added, "Let's go together."

His knees buckled, and he almost actually knelt down.

It's not that I'm not afraid.

Because of fear, I cannot sit in the mansion and wait.

The small stone fragment being delivered to me meant that the other party knew I was looking for it. The clue about the ironworks in the east of the city came too smoothly, as if someone had lit a lamp in front of me, afraid that I wouldn't be able to see the way.

These kinds of roads usually have potholes.

But there might be something in the pit.

I changed into an inconspicuous blue cloth robe, without an official badge hanging from my waist. I only hid a short blade in my sleeve and stuffed a packet of lime powder into my bosom.

Ah Liu's face turned even uglier when he saw the bag of lime powder.

"Young master, I feel uneasy every time you take this out."

I said, "I don't feel at ease without it."

He thought about it and couldn't find a way to refute it.

Before leaving, I asked Ah Liu to go to the east of the city to buy steamed buns.

Ah Liu was stunned.

"Young master, aren't we investigating a case?"

"Even when investigating cases, you still need to eat."

"Then why insist on buying it in the east of the city?"

"Because the pancake sellers know best which shops are thriving, which shops are open late at night, and which shops have suddenly had strangers these past few days."

Ah Liu suddenly realized.

Then he became even more afraid.

"What if the little one gets killed with a hammer when he buys steamed buns?"

"Won't."

"Why are you so certain, young master?"

"Because before he kills you, he'll ask you how many you want to buy."

Ah Liu opened his mouth, feeling that what he said made a lot of sense, but also that something was not quite right.

I did not leave the mansion through the main gate.

The house in Chengpingfang was bestowed by the emperor; the gatehouse, the alley entrance, the walls—everywhere was excessively clean. Cleanliness meant someone was watching.

When I climbed over the wall from the backyard, my clothes got caught on the wall, and I almost hung myself.

Ah Liu met me outside the wall, and he was so scared that his face turned green.

"Young master, please slow down. You are now an imperial censor. If you fall and die, will it be considered a work-related injury?"

I patted the dust off my clothes.

"Not really."

"That's too much of a loss."

I wholeheartedly agree.

The east side of the city was more bustling than Chengpingfang, but also much dirtier.

The further you go in, the stronger the metallic smell in the air becomes. The streets are lined with blacksmith shops, carriage shops, and woodworking shops, with furnaces burning red-hot and the sounds of people and hammers mingling in your ears.

Ah Liu bought three steamed buns and came back with a bellyful of news in his arms.

"Young master, I've found out. There are three large iron workshops in the east of the city. Two of them make farm tools during the day and close at night. Only one, surnamed Tao, keeps its furnace running at night, saying it's to rush-produce iron axles for the carriage and horse trade."

"The Tao family's ironworks?"

"Yes. The old lady who sells pancakes said that the Tao family's house has been unusually busy these past few days. The night before last, a horse-drawn carriage went in, covered with a black cloth, as if it was carrying something heavy."

I took the steamed bun and took a bite.

It's cold.

Ah Liu stared at me expectantly.

I asked, "Why didn't you buy a hot one?"

He said, "Hot pancakes take time. I'm afraid that while I'm waiting, I might die."

It also makes sense.

After eating half a cold pancake, I went around to the back street of Tao's Iron Workshop.

You cannot enter through the front door.

Since the other party has delivered the clues to me, there must be someone waiting for me at the front gate. If I were to swagger in with my official badge, that wouldn't be investigating a case; that would be signaling to someone else.

There was a narrow alley in the back street, with piles of scrap iron and broken charcoal against the walls. The smell of furnace ash was strong, and there were several tire tracks on the ground.

I squatted down and took a look.

The ruts were shallow but very new, and the mud on the edges hadn't dried completely.

Ah Liu also squatted down and pretended to watch.

"Young master, what have you noticed?"

"The carriage is not heavy."

"Isn't there something heavy under that black cloth?"

"It's also possible that it was originally heavy, but came out light."

Ah Liu shuddered upon hearing this.

"What do you mean?"

"The items were unloaded inside."

He immediately took a step back.

I touched the dust at the base of the wall.

It was gray with a little bit of fine white powder mixed in.

It's not furnace ash.

I rubbed it between my fingertips and then smelled it.

Stone powder.

It's not surprising to find stone powder in a blacksmith's workshop. Blacksmiths also know how to sharpen stones, knives, and repair axles.

But this stone powder is too fine, like something small has just been chiseled.

I wiped my fingertips clean and was about to get up when a soft sound came from the alley entrance.

Ah Liu instantly shrank behind me.

"Young master, someone's here!"

I didn't turn around, but whispered, "Don't move."

A man carrying firewood stood at the entrance of the alley, his feet not quite those of a firewood carrier.

The woodcutter's heavy footsteps wore his soles flat. He stood so steadily, his toes slightly turned inwards, as if ready to exert force at any moment.

He glanced at us, said nothing, and carried the firewood past the alley entrance.

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

"You scared me to death! Turns out he's a firewood seller."

I watched the person's back.

"The wood seller doesn't watch people's hands."

"He was watching the young master's hand?"

"Um."

"Then who does he work for?"

I didn't answer.

Too many people are watching me now.

People from the Ministry of Works, people from the Emperor, people from the Princess, people from my father.

The most troublesome thing about the capital is that even a wood seller on the roadside might be more sensible than me, a seventh-rank censor.

I went around to the side entrance of the ironworks.

The door wasn't closed properly, and the sounds of a stove and a hammer could be heard from inside.

A young craftsman with half his arm bare was moving iron bars. There was a shallow mark on his wrist, as if it had been worn down by wearing something for many years.

I glanced at Ah Liu.

Ah Liu understood immediately and stepped forward with a smile.

"Hey buddy, can I get something done?"

The young craftsman frowned: "Go to the front gate."

Ah Liu said, "It's a small thing, no trouble at all. Our young master wants to make a button."

Upon hearing the word "button," the craftsman paused for a moment.

It's very light.

But I saw it.

I took the copper clasp out of my sleeve and placed it in my palm.

"Make one like this."

The young craftsman's face darkened after just one glance.

"Never seen it before."

I smiled.

"I haven't even asked you if you've seen it before."

His face stiffened.

The hammering continued inside the ironworks, but a moment of silence fell over the side entrance.

I knew I had come to the right place.

This copper buckle, something that fell from the gray-clad assassin, is indeed related to the Tao family's ironworks.

The young craftsman said coldly, "We forge iron here, not copper buttons."

I nodded and put the brass button back into my sleeve.

"Then, shall we break rocks?"

This time, his eyes changed.

Ah Liu almost gasped out, but I stepped on the toe of his shoe and forced him to hold it back.

The young craftsman stared at me.

"Who exactly are you people?"

I took out my Censorate badge from my sleeve, waved it briefly, and then quickly put it back.

"Just passing by."

Ah Liu looked at me with admiration.

In his mind, anyone who could pull out their badge and claim to be just passing by was exceptionally shameless.

The young craftsman was clearly panicked.

He turned to call inside, but I had already reached out and pressed down on the door, smiling as I said, "Don't rush. I'm not here to take anyone away; I just want to ask you two questions."

"I have no idea."

"It's okay if you don't know." I looked at his wrist. "That mark on your hand, is it from the brass buckle leather cord?"

His face turned pale.

I continued, "Your shop received a carriage the night before last. There was a black cloth on the carriage. It entered through the back door and came out lighter. This morning there was stone powder in the back alley, and the furnace ash was too fresh. If you say you don't know anything, I can believe you."

I paused for a moment.

"But the Ministry of Justice may not believe it."

The young craftsman's Adam's apple bobbed slightly.

Ah Liu whispered behind me, "Young Master, it seems we can't mobilize the Ministry of Justice."

I whispered back, "He doesn't know."

Ah Liu was filled with awe.

The young craftsman indeed didn't know.

He whispered, "We didn't take that thing."

"What is it?"

He shut his mouth.

I laughed.

When people are flustered, they are most likely to answer questions that others haven't asked.

I originally asked about brass buckles.

His answer was "small stone".

"Who delivered it?" I asked.

He gritted his teeth and remained silent.

I glanced at the stove behind him.

"You can choose not to tell me. I'll go in through the main gate, report to the Censorate, seal the furnace, check the accounts, question the craftsmen, and search the backyard. Do you think your manager will protect you, or push you out and say you took all the jobs privately?"

The young craftsman's face turned completely pale.

The firelight shone on his face, and beads of sweat rolled down his face.

"The backyard," he whispered. "The stuff is in the backyard."

I asked, "Are the accounts there too?"

He shook his head.

"I don't know anything about the accounts. All I know is that someone brought a stone doll the night before last and asked the master to cut open its belly. After that, the contents were taken away. The stone shell was useless, so the master said to smash it."

"Who took it?"

"have no idea."

"What does it look like?"

"I couldn't see clearly. He was wearing a gray robe and a straw hat, and spoke in a very low voice."

"Someone from the Ministry of Works?"

The young craftsman hesitated for a moment.

"Like a scholar."

This answer made my heart sink slightly.

He wasn't a pure assassin, nor a rough-and-tumble gangster, but a scholar.

Fang Yuanshi's trustee?

Or are they members of the accounting committee?

Just as I was about to ask again, I suddenly heard footsteps coming from the front yard.

The young craftsman's expression changed drastically.

"The shopkeeper is here."

Ah Liu's legs went weak: "Young master, should we retreat first?"

I looked towards the backyard.

Now that things have come to this point, retreating would be like turning into a pancake.

"lead the way."

The young craftsman hesitated.

I placed the brass clasp back in front of him.

"If you take me to the backyard now, at most it will be considered as withholding information. If you wait for the manager to arrive, you'll be considered an accomplice."

He gritted his teeth, turned around, and pushed open the side door.

We entered the ironworks by hugging the wall.

It's hotter inside than outside.

The furnace was glowing red-hot, and several craftsmen were hammering away at the iron, sparks flying everywhere. The smells of sweat, iron, and charcoal mingled together, making one's eyes sting.

I walked towards the backyard with my head down, trying not to attract attention.

Ah Liu followed behind me with his neck hunched, muttering to himself.

I asked, "What do you mean?"

May our ancestors bless us.

"Did your ancestors run an ironworks?"

"If you pray to a few more, one of them will eventually pass by."

I almost burst out laughing.

Just as I passed through the furnace, a gruff voice rang out from the front yard.

Who opened the side door?

The young craftsman shrugged.

I stopped in my tracks.

The gruff voice was getting closer and closer.

Ah Liu looked at me, his eyes filled with "It's all over."

I glanced around and pointed to a row of wooden racks next to me covered with old leather aprons.

"Go in."

Ah Liu's eyes widened.

"what?"

"hide."

The three of us squeezed behind the wooden frame, our old leather aprons hanging down, obscuring our figures.

It smells terrible.

Ah Liu's face turned green with sullen frustration.

Footsteps sounded outside.

A middle-aged man cursed, "Hurry up, all of you, that batch of stuff needs to be delivered tonight. Anyone who opens the door again, I'll skin them alive."

Someone nearby responded.

Through the gap in the leather apron, I saw that the middle-aged man had a bunch of keys hanging from his waist, one of which was covered in white powder.

Stone powder.

Only when the footsteps faded into the distance did the young craftsman breathe a sigh of relief.

I looked at him.

"Is that Manager Tao?"

He nodded.

"Is he the key to the hidden room in the backyard?"

He nodded again, his face turning even paler.

I didn't plan to take the key.

To get the key, you need to get close, and getting close makes you easier to be discovered. I don't have any bodyguards right now, nor do I have Gu Xingzhi's ability to appear out of nowhere.

I just want to confirm the little stone.

The young craftsman led us around to the woodshed in the backyard.

The woodshed was piled with waste materials, gravel, broken axles, and several sacks of charcoal.

He pointed to the corner.

"There."

There was a pile of rubble in the corner.

I squatted down and brushed away the stone chips on top.

Soon, I saw the face of a stone doll.

The baby's face was cracked, but its eyes were still round, and the corners of its mouth were slightly upturned, as if it were smiling.

Only her belly is gone.

It was split in half and smashed with a blunt instrument, leaving it completely empty inside.

The little stone has been found.

But the paper inside Little Stone's belly was gone.

Ah Liu looked at the shattered stone doll, his voice strained.

"Young master, the account book has been taken?"

I didn't answer immediately.

I pried the pieces apart one by one, and inside the doll's empty belly, I found a small, folded piece of thin paper.

The paper was very light and was hidden under the crack.

Not an account page.

I opened it.

There is only one line of text above.

The handwriting was very faint, as if it had been deliberately written with watered-down ink.

Lord Shen, the account book isn't here.

Ah Liu came over and took a look, and he was completely horrified.

"Did he know the young master would be coming?"

Looking at those words, I felt a sense of calm.

Knowing I was coming isn't necessarily a bad thing.

What I fear is that I will arrive and know nothing about it.

I turned the paper over.

There was a little red ink on the back of the paper, as if it had been rubbed off from the edge of some kind of stamp; it was only half a stamp.

The ink pad has dried.

I looked closely by the light of the fire shining through the woodshed.

The character was missing a border and was blurry.

But the more I look at it, the more it seems to resemble a character.

Inside.

My fingertips tightened slightly.

It's the internal treasury again.

Just then, the hammering in the front yard suddenly stopped.

The entire ironworks fell silent.

It was so quiet that only the crackling of the charcoal fire in the stove could be heard.

The young craftsman's face turned pale.

"The shopkeeper has sealed the door."

Ah Liu looked at me, his voice trembling.

"Young master, are we now in a bind?"

I tucked the tissue into my sleeve and glanced at the approaching firelight outside the woodshed.

"Not really."

"What does that count for?"

I gripped the short blade hidden in my sleeve.

"It's like the turtle brought its own knife."