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

Three imperial edict boxes were placed in the sleeping quarters of Changning Palace.

Redwood.

Copper lock.

Seal with yellow silk.

Each one is a genuine Chinese calligraphy style.

The person who delivered the box was genuine.

Three secretaries knelt outside the hall.

The documents were drafted by them.

The paper was sourced from the Secretariat.

The original draft is on file.

Even the order of who should hold the seal, who should read the imperial edict, and who should keep track of the time when the seal is used has been arranged.

The procedures were so complete that it was reassuring.

Until the content is opened.

First course:

Censor Shen An was found guilty of plotting treason and murdering the emperor, and was executed at Donghua Gate.

The second course:

Princess Zhaoning was imprisoned for trespassing into the Forbidden City and colluding with rebels. Her official seal for supervising disaster relief was revoked.

The third course:

The cases concerning the living register of Jiangbei, the late Empress's old case, and the Changning drug case are far-reaching and are temporarily sealed off. They may not be investigated again without imperial approval.

The three decrees were issued together.

A person dies.

The princess was imprisoned.

The tent is sealed.

It's easier than announcing the future death of the Zongzheng Temple.

The news of his death would only arrive after the emperor had passed away.

These three dishes only require the emperor to wake up and nod.

It can be done while you're alive.

The head of the secretaries had his forehead pressed to the ground.

"Your humble servants have urgently drafted this in accordance with the Emperor's oral decree."

I asked, "Who delivered the oral message?"

"Eunuch Wei."

"Which one?"

"Who else is Eunuch Wei?"

People who are still unaware of the two Wei Zhis are not suitable to be too close to Changning Palace.

When will it be sent?

"The hour of Chou (1-3 AM)".

"Where?"

"The inner office of the Secretariat."

"Did you see the face?"

"see."

"Where are your hands?"

"Not yet viewed."

"Walking?"

"Why does Lord Shen ask these questions?"

"Because it's the hour of Chou (1-3 AM)."

I said, "Wei Zhi is tied up in the West Garden."

"The other one has already been taken to Changning Palace."

"You met the third one."

The three servants' expressions changed.

The leader said, "Even if the messenger's identity is questionable, the contents of the edict are still supported by physical evidence!"

"What evidence?"

"The sword is returned to its sheath."

"Deputy Censor's Seal".

"Shen An's Self-Confession of Killing the Emperor"

"And there's also the secret order from Shen Liehu in the Southwest."

He explained each point one by one.

All of them are real or real enough to be true.

The first three items have already been found on the fake Shen An.

The father's tiger seal, which symbolized the emperor's assassination, did indeed exist.

I cannot say that my father did not order me to kill the emperor.

He said it himself.

Denying it would only make it seem like I'm hiding something from the whole chain of evidence.

"The Tiger Seal Order is genuine."

Everyone in the hall looked at me.

Even Xiao Lingyi glanced at it.

I just didn't expect that I would recognize him so quickly, even in front of the Imperial Secretary.

"Shen Lie ordered his ministers to kill the emperor."

I continued, "My father's orders remain unchanged."

"But I did not comply."

The head servant said, "Words are no proof!"

"Therefore, we cannot only listen to our ministers."

I pointed to the three imperial edict boxes.

"We cannot simply listen to Wei Zhi, who relays verbal orders."

A cough came from inside the bedchamber.

The emperor woke up.

This time, the third dose was not taken.

He woke up on his own after stopping two doses of the sedative.

I just wake up slowly.

Judge Zhao and two medical officers stayed by the bedside.

No one dared to use the medication alone anymore.

The emperor ordered the curtain to be drawn back.

I saw three imperial edict boxes.

"What?"

Wei Zhijia stood at the foot of the bed.

His neck was wrapped in a bandage.

He said, "The Central Secretariat has sent an urgent edict."

"Who authorized this draft?"

The three servants dared not speak.

I said, "Wei Zhi."

The emperor looked at Zhen Weizhi.

Wei Zhijia immediately knelt down.

"This servant has none."

"another?"

"Arrested."

"Who is that?"

"The third one hasn't been caught yet."

The emperor closed his eyes.

He probably felt that the number of people in his palace had suddenly increased, which was a waste of his salary.

After a moment, he said, "Read it."

The first imperial edict was read aloud.

The emperor looked at me.

"Shen Lie still wants you to kill me?"

"Yes."

"Why don't you do it?"

"His Majesty is currently ill."

"Kill him as soon as he recovers?"

"Not necessarily."

"What do you mean by 'not necessarily'?"

"We need to open the account first."

The emperor did not drink the Ming soup today.

However, his temper still seems to be bad.

It's also possible that just hearing someone wants to kill you makes it hard to feel good.

"Drive to the very end."

"Does this mean I deserve to die?"

"Let's discuss how to die next."

The three secretaries all lowered their heads.

The needle in Judge Zhao's hand trembled slightly.

The emperor stared at me.

"You're honest."

"If I were to say that Father did not give the order..."

"His Majesty wouldn't believe it either."

"Then why are you staying in the palace?"

"Someone is wearing my clothes to kill you."

"I must first prove myself."

Not every Shen An obeys his father's orders.

The emperor remained silent for a moment.

"The second one."

Xiao Lingyi was imprisoned.

The reasons given were unauthorized entry into the Forbidden City, leading troops to seal the gates, and secretly keeping a secondary box containing the princess's seal.

Each one also has its facts.

She did indeed break into Changning Palace.

They did indeed lead people to seal off the gate.

Indeed, there was more than one box hidden inside.

The emperor asked, "What is the proper etiquette?"

"Your subject is here."

Do you admit it or not?

"Acknowledge half."

Which half?

"Breaking into the palace."

"Seal off the gate."

"Hidden box".

"I accept them all."

"Which half do you not acknowledge?"

"Colluding with traitors."

"This person is troublesome."

"Not yet connected."

But at least it's not kicking someone when they're down.

The emperor then asked, "Why did you break into the palace?"

"Because there are two Wei Zhis in the palace."

Why is the gate sealed off?

"I'm afraid a third person will come in."

Why was it hidden in the box?

"I'm afraid someone might use my things to become a second Zhao Ning."

There is evidence for these three reasons.

The fake Zhaoning carriage.

female corpse.

The princess has died.

It was written in the imperial edict that the princess was plotting to seize power.

It was written in the evidence that the princess stopped the replacement of the emperor's identity.

The problem isn't the printing.

It depends on who said the truth first.

The emperor said, "The third way."

Seal the old debts.

He didn't speak immediately upon reading this.

I saw his gaze linger on the four words "widespread involvement".

This edict is most like the one he would issue.

You don't even need medicine.

He did the same thing eleven years ago.

When everyone can bear it.

The final wait lasted eleven years.

The head of the Secretariat whispered:

"His Majesty."

"The palace has seen a constant turnover of notable figures."

"The reinstatement of Jiangbei residency also involves the Southwest."

"Opening up old grievances at this time could cause upheaval across the land."

"Your Majesty, please close the case for three months."

The emperor twitched his finger.

"Xi".

The eunuch holding the seal stepped forward instinctively.

Xiao Lingyi blocked it first.

"Father."

The emperor looked at her.

"You're defying the imperial decree too?"

"The imperial decree has not yet been affixed."

"I say, take the imperial seal."

Which section would you like to have covered?

The emperor did not answer.

The bedchamber was very quiet.

I looked into his eyes.

Just because someone is awake doesn't mean everything they see is true.

This doesn't mean that one's old habits won't return.

The accounting committee doesn't necessarily have to give him a third dose.

As long as you present things in the way he fears most.

The son of a traitor wields a knife.

The seal of the Southwest Tiger was used to kill the emperor.

The court officials requested that the situation be stabilized.

The emperor himself might then make the same choice he made eleven years ago.

They can also fake things.

I walked up to the three imperial edict boxes.

"His Majesty."

"I request that a factual source be added before each imperial edict."

The emperor frowned.

"What do you mean?"

"Who discovered the evidence of regicide?"

"Who will take the sheathed sword?"

"Where does the deputy seal come from?"

Who verifies the signature on the confession?

"Who delivered the secret order with the tiger seal to the Secretariat?"

"Who should report the princess's intrusion into the palace first?"

Why must old grievances be sealed for three months?

"Every single one."

Write down the names.

The chief attendant said, "Drafting an imperial edict doesn't need to be so complicated!"

"That's why it's easy."

I said, "The evidence is conclusive."

"This eliminated the need for all the intermediaries."

"If there is a mistake in the end, only His Majesty can personally affix his seal."

The emperor looked at the imperial edict.

After a long time, he asked:

"Who gave you the sheathed sword?"

The Imperial Secretary said, "Chen Ping of the Imperial Treasury."

Where is Chen Ping?

"Report illness."

Where are they?

"Missing".

"Where's the deputy seal?"

"Take it from the duty room of the Censorate."

"Who will take it?"

"Shen An, the Censor-in-Chief."

"Which Shen An?"

"The Tiger Seal Secret Order?"

"Referred to by Soshoji Temple."

"Who will collect it?"

"Lin Ping'an".

"Which Lin Ping'an?"

Still no one answered.

The emperor's face gradually darkened.

"The princess stormed the palace."

"Who reported it?"

"Wei Zhi".

"Which Wei Zhi?"

Still no one answered.

Every source of this fact lies in a dead person's identity that is being used by many people.

The emperor slowly withdrew his outstretched hand.

"Take the seal back."

The eunuch holding the seal immediately withdrew.

The head retainer urgently said, "Your Majesty, even if there are doubts about the handling of the evidence, Shen Lie's order to assassinate the emperor is still true!"

"real."

The Emperor said.

"But Shen An really didn't kill me."

"At least not today."

I replied, "Even if I try, it won't be possible tomorrow."

The emperor ignored me.

He asked someone to bring him a blank sheet of paper.

I wrote a few lines myself.

It wasn't three urgent imperial edicts.

It is a temporary palace decree.

All imperial edicts must be recorded on the spot by two different guards.

Whenever an imperial seal is used, the source of the seal and the names of those who handled it must be attached.

All orders involving the sealing of cases, murder, or imprisonment of members of the imperial clan must be reviewed once in the Xuanzheng Hall.

Unable to attend in person due to illness, the event was witnessed by Princess Zhaoning, the Imperial Guard, and the Central Secretariat.

"His Majesty."

"Um."

"There are also dead people in the Zhongshu."

"I know."

"Then why bother writing the imperial edict?"

"I can't just write about you."

The emperor said, "Otherwise, you will become another Wei Zhi."

That makes sense.

No one can hold the door alone.

Before the emperor stamped the seal, he added a sentence at the very bottom:

This decree will be reconsidered in three days, and the imperial power shall not be granted indefinitely under the guise of being temporary.

He is still wary of others using the tripartite review process to undermine his authority.

He looks a lot like an emperor.

It's not that I suddenly became a good person who is willing to be supervised.

I just know that if I don't let anyone watch me today...

One's true self will kill for a false cause.

The three urgent edicts were immediately invalidated.

Each one was stamped with a "Not Approved" mark.

Retain the original manuscript, its source, and the person who handled it.

The head of the Secretariat officials was ashen-faced.

I said, "You won't take it for now."

"Back to duty room."

"Write down everything: who delivered the oral edict, who provided the evidence, and who urged the drafting of the edict."

"What if it's not complete?"

"I wrote that I didn't know."

"You don't have to know."

"We can't pretend no one asked."

He bowed his head and accepted the order.

The emperor leaned back on his pillow.

I've already used up a lot of energy in just a short while.

The Imperial Physician asked, "Does His Majesty wish to take any medicine?"

The emperor looked at the medicine box containing the Ming Dynasty medicine.

"Not needed today."

"But His Majesty's blood and qi are in danger—"

"Write down the risks."

Judge Zhao was taken aback.

The emperor closed his eyes.

"Shen An taught me."

"Write it first."

"Use it again."

Outside the door, Han Feng delivered the second batch of medicine from the Imperial Tea Room for inspection.

The medicine was not given to the emperor.

Lu Qiu, the old medicine deliveryman, has been arrested.

She had the rubbings used for medicine tags on her body.

There's another piece of paper.

It says above:

I present the late Empress's blood-written letter again.

I asked, "Where's the blood-written letter?"

Han Feng said, "I couldn't find it."

The emperor opened his eyes.

"What blood oath?"

"It might be fake."

"Write what?"

"have no idea."

Lu Qiu, who was being held captive outside the door, suddenly spoke.

"It's not fake."

She knelt on the ground.

The sound was very clear.

"It was written by the late Empress herself."

"Written for His Majesty."

"Only one sentence."

"Xiao Jingheng".

"If you close the tent again..."

"I will die with my eyes open in disgrace."

All the color drained from the emperor's face.

Is this statement true or false?

It hasn't been tested yet.

The person who administered the drug knew very well.

What could have made the emperor, in a state of anger and guilt, personally stamp those three edicts?