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

Qingxia was quieter than I had imagined.

The small boat traveled along the old salt river for another two hours. The mountains on both sides gradually narrowed, and the river also became narrower.

The dark green mountain walls loomed overhead.

The old salt road was built halfway up the mountain, and from a distance, it looked like someone had drawn a thin line on the mountain with a knife.

There are lights behind the river bend.

There are many lights.

It's not a fishing light.

Fishermen do not hang lanterns in two rows at midnight, nor do they have a person in a Southwest Army uniform stand under each lantern.

Ah Liu squatted in the cabin, only half of his head showing.

"Young master."

"Um."

"This doesn't look like a welcoming party."

"Like what?"

"Like giving it away."

"Who should I give it to?"

"This is for you."

He spoke very seriously.

There is an old stone wharf on the riverbank ahead.

A large flag was erected on the dock.

There is only one word on the flag.

Shen.

The flag is new.

The dew was so fresh that it hadn't even been fully absorbed by the night.

Eight low stools were placed under the flagpole.

Eight people sat on stools with their hands tied behind their backs, wearing the Southwest Army uniforms we had seen in the small boat.

A1 to A8.

Not one was missing.

There were more than thirty people standing behind them.

They were also wearing military uniforms.

It also did not have an official military number.

The man at the front was in his forties, with a scar on his left cheek and a wooden plaque from the Qingxia Transport Office hanging from his waist.

He saw the small boat and raised his hand.

The drums sounded simultaneously from both sides.

thump.

thump.

thump.

The valley was filled with echoes.

"Welcome, young master!"

More than thirty people on the dock knelt down in unison.

The sound traveled very far.

The torches along the old salt road halfway up the mountain were also lit.

There are people there.

Judging from their armor, they are the garrison of Qingxia Village.

They didn't come down.

Only from a high place can you see it.

I understand.

Tonight's troop roll call is not just for the eight Qingfeng River workers.

It was shown to the imperial guards.

As long as I get ashore.

As long as I stand under that banner bearing the character "Shen".

The urgent report to be sent to the capital tomorrow can then be written as follows:

The son of a traitor sneaks into Qingxia at night.

The nameless soldiers knelt to welcome their young master.

Shen An personally mustered the troops.

The paperwork may not be complete.

The visuals must be incredibly realistic.

Ah Liu whispered, "Young master, is it too late for us to turn back?"

"Too late."

Why?

"The drums have started beating."

"Can't we leave once the drum sounds?"

"able."

I said, "But those eight people can't leave."

Two of the people sitting on the eight low stools had already recognized us.

One of them struggled violently.

The soldiers behind him immediately pressed down on his shoulder.

The scarred man shouted, "Jia San, do not disturb the young master!"

The man looked up.

"My name isn't Jia San!"

As soon as he made the sound, a soldier next to him punched him in the back.

He coughed.

Still shouting:

"My name is Cao Shun!"

His name echoed in the valley.

Cao Shun.

Cao Shun.

Cao Shun.

It sounds better than the sound of drums.

I raised my hand, signaling the boatman to turn the boat sideways.

It is not near a dock.

It stopped more than ten feet away.

The scarred man frowned.

"Young Master, please disembark and muster the troops!"

I asked, "Who is the young master?"

He clearly didn't expect me to ask that question.

"Of course it's you."

"Is there any documentation?"

"What?"

"There needs to be some proof to recognize relatives."

I stood at the bow of the boat.

You said I was the young master.

"Who appointed him?"

"General Shen has given the order—"

Yan Xiaoyi looked up.

The scarred man paused after speaking for a moment.

Xu Sandao's secret letter was written very clearly.

General Shen did not take over this army.

If anyone claims to be acting on his father's orders, kill him.

Yan Xiaoyi might not actually jump onto the dock and kill someone in front of more than thirty people.

But when he looks at people, it's easy for them to think he's capable.

The scarred man changed his tune.

"In the Southwest Army, who doesn't know you are General Shen's only son?"

"Knowing that I am his son and recognizing me as the young master are two different things."

"How could the blood ties between father and son be faked?"

"Bloodline cannot receive pay."

I said, "Military orders are acceptable."

"Bring me the military order."

He did not.

No, of course not.

I asked again, "What about the military register?"

"The complete register of the Qingzhou Righteous People's Army has been sent to Qingxia."

"There are 847 people in that book."

I pointed to eight low stools.

Are the eight of them here?

The scarred man said, "All eight, from A1 to A8, are on the register."

Bai Zhi emerged from the cabin.

He was holding an oilcloth tent bag in his arms.

"lie."

She never beats around the bush when she speaks.

Especially reconciliation of accounts.

"The Qingzhou Righteous People's Army General Register contains 847 entries."

"Forty-nine of them have been confirmed dead."

"All 798 living people were recounted in Qingzhou."

"The eight people before us are originally from Qingfeng."

"In the Qingfeng River Works Register."

"If they are also on the Qingzhou military register, then these eight people will receive pay from two places at the same time."

The scarred man said coldly, "Miss Bai has only seen the deputy register of Qingzhou, not the main register of Qingxia. How do you know there was no supplementary record?"

"A recruitment notice is required for supplementary recruitment."

Bai Zhi asked, "Where's the recruitment notice?"

"The military situation is urgent; we can recruit first and then fill vacancies later."

"Where's the receipt for Anjia Grain?"

"Collected by family members."

Where are the families of those eight people?

"Qingfeng".

"Where is the military inspection stamp from Qingfeng County?"

The scarred man fell silent again.

Bai Zhi took out eight sheets of paper from the tent bag.

It wasn't a copy of the reinstatement certificate that was sent from the small boat.

It is a copy preserved in Qingfeng.

There are three signatures on each sheet of paper.

Temporary verification seal of Qingfeng.

The Censorate was ordered to open its accounting seal.

Seal of the Princess's Palace Disaster Relief Supervision Office.

After the magistrate of Qingfeng County was arrested, the county soldiers temporarily verified his identity by checking his seal.

The seal was missing a small piece in the lower left corner.

It wasn't carved on purpose.

The county's military inspection seal had been used for over twenty years, and a small crack had appeared on it.

Bai Zhi raised the military ID card hanging on Jia San's chest.

"You also stamped the Qingfeng Verification Seal on his identity document."

"But this seal has no gaps."

She looked at the scarred man.

"You copied the proofs."

"I've never seen the real seal."

People on the dock began to whisper among themselves.

Not all of those people were members of the Clearing House.

The military uniform didn't fit properly.

Some people have long sleeves.

Some people have narrow shoulders.

Another person's belt was tied in two knots, yet it was still slipping down.

The clothes were made according to the style of another group of people.

The person was inserted later.

I looked at the eight low stools.

"Cao Shun".

The man who had just called out the name suddenly looked up.

"exist!"

"Which village are you from?"

"Liutang Village, Qingfeng County"

Who else is in the family?

"Old lady."

"What's your name?"

"Cao Gu Shi".

"You have a wound on your shoulder?"

"It was caused by rocks falling from the riverbank."

"Left shoulder or right shoulder?"

Right shoulder.

I asked Ah Liu to bring the military uniform from the small boat.

Ah Liu carried the military uniform to the bow of the boat.

Bai Zhi removed the inner lining of the right shoulder.

A soft pad was sewn inside.

The pad is positioned on the left shoulder.

"This garment wasn't made based on Cao Shun's injuries."

She said, "Jia San originally had an old injury on his left shoulder."

"Cao Shun has an injury to his right shoulder."

"The person, the clothes, and the scar don't match up."

The scarred man's expression finally changed.

I called out another name.

"Ma Huai".

Jia Liu suddenly looked up.

"I am here!"

"Zhou Dashi".

"exist!"

"Feng Changgen".

"exist!"

I have seen the original names of all eight people in the Qingfeng General Register.

That's the advantage of the general ledger.

People may not remember me.

I can't at least not know what their names are.

I asked them to report their names, villages, old injuries, and family members one by one.

Angelica dahurica was registered on the spot.

All eight people got it right.

None of the eight abbreviations match up.

These eight identities were not prepared for them.

It was just a temporary measure applied to them.

It doesn't matter who wears it.

It would be enough if eight people dressed in the uniforms of Shen An's personal guard knelt under the banner of Shen tonight.

The scarred man suddenly drew his knife.

"The military roll call must not be disrupted by outsiders!"

As he spoke, he walked towards Cao Shun.

Yan Xiaoyi was no longer on the ship at some point.

I only heard a muffled thud.

The knife in the scarred man's hand flew into the river.

The person was lying on the stone steps of the dock.

Yan Xiaoyi stepped on his back with one foot.

"Who are the outsiders?"

he asks.

The scarred man struggled.

He couldn't struggle.

"This is Qingxia!"

"Um."

"There are only a few of you!"

"Um."

"There are still troops guarding the mountain!"

Yan Xiaoyi looked up at the mountainside.

"Then shout it."

The scarred man really wanted to scream.

I'll speak first.

"Listen up, Qingxia Village garrison!"

Torches flickered on the mountainside.

I took out the imperial edict to open the tent and held it up under the lamp.

They were too far away to see the inscriptions clearly.

But one could clearly see the imperial censor's blue robe.

"This official is Shen An."

"By imperial decree, the records of active households, grain deeds, and false military reports in Jiangbei were reviewed."

"The banners bearing the character 'Shen' that I saw tonight, the personal guards of Shen An, and the young master's troop mobilization, all lacked military orders, recruitment notices, and verification seals."

"If anyone on the mountain wants to shoot arrows, they should first shout out their name and bugle call."

"Write it in the report tomorrow."

The mountain was quiet.

The imperial guards were not most afraid of rebels.

The rebels may run away, but the accounts will not.

Whoever fires the first arrow tonight will have to explain tomorrow why they fired it at the imperial censor who was ordered to do so.

The scarred man still wanted to earn more.

Yan Xiaoyi increased the pressure on his feet.

He then stopped moving.

I brought the boat to shore.

It doesn't start from the center of the Shen character flag.

Instead, it was transported from the salt-carrying slope on the side of the dock.

When I reached the eight men, I did not untie their ropes.

I handed the knife to Cao Shun.

"Cut it yourself."

Cao Shun was stunned.

"Lord Shen..."

"You said your name is Cao Shun."

"Then cut off Jia San yourself."

His hand holding the knife was trembling.

It's not that I'm afraid of you.

He was afraid of the thirty-odd people in military uniforms behind him.

I said, "Qingfeng has already released the list of successful candidates."

"Your name is on it."

"If your mother were still alive, she would see this."

Cao Shun's eyes immediately turned red.

He gritted his teeth and cut the ropes binding his hands.

He then took off his military uniform.

He only wore a tattered short jacket under his military uniform.

It's very thin.

A mountain wind blew, and he shivered all over.

He threw his military uniform on the ground.

I stepped on it.

My name is Cao Shun.

"Not Class A3."

The remaining seven people also moved.

The knife fell onto the rope.

One by one, the military uniforms were taken off.

A1.

A two.

Section 4.

Jiawu.

Jia Liu.

A seven.

Jia 8.

Eight bugles lay in the mud.

The eight people stood up again.

Among those kneeling on the dock, some slowly raised their heads.

I saw a young man reach out and touch the military identification tag on his chest.

Like the first time I doubted whether the name on the sign was really his.

Just then, the sound of door hinges came from behind the dock.

Behind the Shenzi flag stands an old house.

Black tiles.

Gray wall.

The gate remained closed.

Now it slowly opens from the inside.

An old woman carrying a lantern stood behind the door.

Her hair was completely white.

His right leg is slightly lame.

When they saw me, the lamp in their hand visibly swayed.

Then she called out a name.

"Little biscuit".

I stopped in my tracks.

The old woman's eyes were red.

"You're finally home."

I looked at the black door behind her.

Then I looked at the old plaque with the character "Shen" on the lintel that had just been wiped clean.

I did not go there.

"Old man."

I asked, "You've mistaken me for someone else, haven't you?"

She was stunned.

"You are An'er."

"It's also a small pancake."

"That's what Madam used to call you."

I smiled.

"Many people know that I hid cakes when I was a child."

"At least next to the bronze sound-listening cover outside Yong'an Stone Gate, there was an entire notebook filled with notes."

The old woman's excitement slowly froze.

I looked at the place called the Shen Residence.

"If home is real."

There have to be a few things that you can't learn from others.