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

The Xuanzheng Hall was lit up overnight.

It wasn't the morning court session.

It wasn't a grand court assembly either.

Only the chief officials of the six ministries, members of the imperial clan, the Censorate, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, and the commanders of the Imperial Guards were summoned.

Not all of them came.

It's already chaotic enough.

The two princes from the imperial clan arrived first.

They had already changed into plain clothes in the mansion during the day.

Even now, when entering the palace, the outer robe is still the court dress.

A bit of white showed through the lining.

The preparations were very thorough.

The emperor is still alive.

They first put on their mourning clothes underneath.

Fearing the information might be inaccurate, they dared not reveal everything.

People living in the imperial court sometimes wear more layers than people changing clothes.

The emperor did not hold court.

There was only an empty chair behind the curtain.

It was guarded by two former eunuchs of Wei Zhijia.

Han Feng personally verified it.

Both are their real names.

There is at least one for now.

Xiao Lingyi stood in front of the imperial clan seat.

I stand below the imperial steps.

Bai Zhi set up four tables on the side of the hall.

The first picture shows Feng Ying's dregs.

The second picture shows two Wei Zhis.

The third picture shows three Lin Ping'an.

The fourth image shows the future death of Zongzhengji.

When the ministers saw the fourth piece of paper, murmurs began to circulate in the hall.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs had the most unpleasant expression.

"Shen An!"

"His Majesty is ill, yet you dared to bring an unused draft of ceremonial rites to the Xuanzheng Hall!"

"What are your intentions?"

"Verify authenticity."

"The rites are a matter of great importance for the ancestral temple; how can they be made public?"

"His Majesty is not dead yet."

I said, "You've already written down the cause of death."

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs said, "In every dynasty, there have been preparations for grand ceremonies."

"To avoid being impolite in a hasty manner."

"This isn't the Curse King!"

"The preparatory ceremony will say '3:45 AM tonight'?"

I held up the paper.

"Will you write about Princess Zhaoning being imprisoned?"

"Would you write about the execution of the censor?"

"Would it say that the Imperial Medical Academy's treatment was ineffective?"

"The person hasn't been saved yet."

Write the results first.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs turned pale.

"I am unaware of this manuscript!"

"The seal is the genuine seal of the Imperial Clan Court."

"Even genuine seals can be stolen."

"Well said."

I put the paper down.

"Therefore, we will not arrest the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs first today."

"Check the seal first."

"Who will safeguard the seal?"

"The Ceremonial Room".

"How many keys?"

"Two."

"Who holds it?"

"This official is in charge."

"Experience the ceremonial room."

"Where is the experience located?"

"I'm sick."

"how long?"

"Three days."

"name?"

"Lin Ping'an".

The hall fell silent for a moment.

Even the Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs was stunned.

"It's not Lin Ping'an, the official in charge of official duties."

He immediately added, "It's Lin Ping'an, the head of the Bureau of Etiquette."

How big?

"Fifty-two."

"We caught twenty-three today."

"The Zongzheng Temple also reported a 31-year-old named Lin Ping'an."

I had three copies of the Zongzheng Temple register hung up.

Same name.

They are from the same hometown.

The same name for both grandfather and father.

They were born in different years.

Their official positions also differed.

The experience of a 52-year-old in a traditional ceremonial household.

A 31-year-old handyman.

A 23-year-old official.

All three of them received their monthly stipends from the Imperial Clan Court.

The same month.

The same file of a dead person.

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs looked at it for a long time.

"That's impossible."

Bai Zhi said, "I've received the silver."

"How is that impossible?"

She put the three monthly tickets together.

The receipt is genuine.

The person in charge is genuine.

The silver was indeed taken out of the inner vault, cabinet B.

"The actual number of people in the Zongzheng Temple this month is 214."

"The number of people receiving the monthly allowance is 237."

"Twenty-three more people."

"Seventeen of them share the same name."

"Six individuals with different names but identical parents' place of origin."

"You only look at the total?"

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs opened his mouth.

He didn't say a word.

Bai Zhi has never had much patience for people who only look at the general ledger.

Liang Su had already been scolded by her once.

Now it's the Zongzheng Temple's turn.

I had Feng Ying's body carried up.

The body was covered with a white sheet.

The face was not revealed.

Only his hands were visible.

There are fine yellow calluses on the middle finger of my left hand, left from years of testing medicine.

There is an old rope wound on the web of his right hand.

Twelve sheets of medicine residue were placed next to it.

"Feng Ying".

I said, "I'm from Qingfeng."

"Died from the plague ten years ago."

"After entering the palace, he served as an examiner of medicines before the emperor for ten years."

"Today I will die by the well in the Western Garden."

An official from the Imperial Academy immediately said:

"Since she died of the plague, how can it be proven that the body is that of Feng Ying?"

"cannot."

I admit it.

"So I'll write it first."

"I have lived."

He once served as a palace attendant in charge of testing medicines for the emperor, using the name Feng Ying.

"The true old name is yet to be verified."

The official frowned.

"With the former name unknown, how can a case be filed?"

"What preconceived notions have you had?"

"The name will be added later."

"If everyone did this, wouldn't the household registration system be in complete chaos?"

"Isn't it chaotic now?"

I pointed to the three Lin Ping'an.

"Three people grew out of the crotch of a dead man."

"You think it's very tidy?"

No one spoke.

I continued opening the account.

Wei Zhijia was carried into the palace.

The fake Wei Zhi was also brought in.

The two people were on the left and right.

This time, we won't be wearing the A and B wooden plaques.

Each person had a record of events placed in front of them.

Wei Zhijia:

He disappeared for two hours in the fourteenth year of Chengxi.

He had long been in charge of handling the emperor's medicine bowls.

This time he was imprisoned in Xiyuan.

Whether the medicine was malfunctioning is still under investigation.

Fake Wei Zhi:

He used the identities of Shen Shiqi, Lin Pingan, and Chen Ping, among others.

He entered Changning Palace with the eunuch's badge.

His intention was to obtain the list of fallen soldiers and draft an edict of self-reproach.

Destroy the medicine wall lock.

The order received is pending investigation.

I did not portray the real Wei Zhi as innocent.

He did indeed deliver the medicine for eleven years.

Indeed, after being replaced eleven years ago, he did not leave behind enough public records.

Was he forced?

Do you know about medicine?

They all need to be checked.

After reading it, Wei Zhijia did not argue.

He simply bowed his head and said, "This servant acknowledges."

The fake Wei Zhi asked:

"You wrote so much."

"Who dares to admit to using the identity of a dead person in the palace?"

"Let's start with the Imperial Clan Court today."

I had seventeen empty wooden frames carried in.

Each wooden frame has a name attached.

Lin Ping'an.

Chen Ping.

Shen Shiqi.

Zhang Hui.

Du Heng.

There are also other names that have been confirmed to have been replaced in the supplementary register of military casualties.

"Starting tonight."

I said, "The Six Ministries, the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs, the Imperial Treasury, the Palace Gate, the Imperial Medical Academy, and the Ministry of War's post stations."

"Any one of these forty-one is on the register."

"All reporters."

"Age, injuries, length of service, monthly allowance, and recommendation documents."

"You cannot just give your name."

"The same name and the same day."

"Listed on the spot."

A vice minister of the Ministry of Revenue said, "How can we possibly finish checking all the old files of the six ministries in one night?"

"If you can't finish checking, report where the person is now."

"If they claim to be ill, send someone to examine them."

"If leaving the capital, check the city gates."

"If he is already dead, then opening the coffin is a different matter."

An old prince from the imperial clan finally spoke.

"Shen An".

"His Majesty is still ill."

"You have now opened the case of changing names in the palace."

"If this causes alarm among the officials and suspicion among the imperial guards..."

"Who can bear the responsibility?"

"I cannot bear this responsibility."

"Then stop."

"Never stop."

The old prince's face darkened.

"You can't even handle the burden, so what right do you have to drive?"

"Because it doesn't have to be borne solely by the ministers."

I pushed the paper and pen into the hall.

"Everyone present today."

Write down whether you agree or disagree.

"Those who oppose it also provide their reasons."

"If anything happens in the future, don't just ask Shen An why he opened the account."

"I also ask you all why you want to close down."

No one immediately put pen to paper.

It's easy to let someone speak in the hall.

It's difficult to get people to write things down.

The old prince didn't move either.

A cough suddenly came from behind the curtain.

It's very light.

Everyone in the hall knelt down at the same time.

The emperor did not come out.

Only the sound came from the rear hall.

"open."

One word.

His breathing was very weak.

But it was loud enough for the whole hall to hear.

The old prince prostrated himself on the ground.

"His Majesty!"

"Major cases within the palace should not be leaked—"

"Start with Feng Ying."

The emperor said.

"Reopen Wei Zhi's territory."

"The rest...we'll discuss it tomorrow."

He did not agree to open all the old accounts.

I still want to divide it into segments.

I still want to control it.

But at least the first breach has been made.

I replied, "Your subject obeys the decree."

The emperor paused for a moment.

"Shen An".

"Your subject is here."

"I am still alive."

I glanced at the notice of the future death from the Imperial Clan Court.

"I have already seen it."

Some people in the hall had sweat on their foreheads.

The emperor said, "Give me that death notice."

"Post it at the entrance of the Imperial Clan Court."

The Minister of the Court of Imperial Clan Affairs suddenly looked up.

"Your Majesty, this is a breach of etiquette at the ancestral temple!"

"I am not dead."

The emperor said, "Who thinks this is improper?"

"Let him come to ask me at midnight."

No one spoke anymore.

The news of his future death was smuggled out of the palace.

It was posted on the main gate of the Imperial Clan Court.

A new sheet of paper was pasted next to it.

Your Majesty is still alive today at dusk.

Witnessed by the imperial physician, the imperial guards, and members of the imperial clan.

The crowd quickly filled the long street.

Ordinary people in the capital might not understand palace etiquette.

But I can see that I am still alive today, yet the paper says I will die tonight.

People started asking questions.

Who knew first that His Majesty would die at midnight?

Who else could have written about the princess being executed by You and Shen An?

The more people ask, the better.

The harder it is to quietly peel off the paper.

Inside the Xuanzheng Hall, the list of people with the same name and date of birth began to be filled out.

The first round of feedback arrived quickly.

Forty-one soldiers died in the old name.

Seventeen of them hold current positions in Beijing.

Nine of them shared the same name.

Lin Ping'an and two others.

Chen Ping and another person.

Zhang and Hui.

Du Heng and the other person.

Four other people have reported being ill.

The three left Beijing last night.

One person died suddenly this morning.

Bai Zhi read the report.

"It's not forty-one people."

"There are forty-one identity holes."

"Whoever needs it, can put it in."

I asked, "Which gate will the three people leaving Beijing use?"

"One person at the East Gate."

"Only Ximen."

"One person at the South Gate."

Who is Nanmen?

She looked up.

"The carriage of Princess Zhaoning's residence."

Xiao Lingyi stood in the hall.

Everyone looked at her.

Her princess mark was on her waist.

I was there too.

However, an hour earlier, Princess Zhaoning's carriage was released from the south of the city.

The document is genuine.

The co-signature is genuine.

The accompanying roster reads:

Princess Zhaoning was ordered to leave the city to recuperate.

I looked at her.

"Your Highness."

"Um."

"Another one more person in the capital."

Xiao Lingyi remained expressionless.

"I know."

"What should we do?"

She turned and walked out of the hall.

"Go after them first."

"After catching up."

"Let her say what her name is."