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

There was indeed more than one box under the emperor's desk.

To be precise, there are six slots.

When the emperor ordered the old imperial desk from Xuanzheng Hall to be moved to Changning Palace, Han Feng's face turned very ugly.

That case is important.

More importantly, it took the emperor eleven years.

Every day, he reviewed memorials, used the imperial seal, and even cursed people—all of this was done on the scroll.

Now, in front of the Imperial Guard, the Secretariat, the Censorate, and the Princess's residence, the criminal record is being turned upside down, much like investigating the emperor himself from the inside out.

The emperor sat on a soft couch.

His complexion was still not good.

"Why are you looking at me?"

Han Feng lowered his head.

"Your subject dares not."

"Then lift it."

Four imperial guards turned the imperial desk to one side.

There are no hidden doors in the criminal record.

There are only six slightly darker-colored wooden planks.

Each wooden board is engraved with a very shallow pattern.

water.

fire.

Herbs.

Clothing folds.

doornail.

Ears of wheat.

It matches the pattern on the back of six genuine Qing dynasty account cards.

The water and fire signs are already in Yong'an Shimen.

The medicine card and door number have just been found.

They are still lacking clothing and food.

Ah Liu squatted by the table and looked at it for a long time.

"Young master."

"Um."

"Does His Majesty sit on six tablets every day?"

The emperor glanced at him.

Ah Liu immediately stood up straight.

"This servant is saying that I am sitting very steadily."

The emperor ignored him.

Wei Zhijia recognized this case.

"In the fourteenth year of Chengxi, the late Empress distributed the six-line plaques to six different departments."

"For each card handed over, a settlement slip would be sealed under the emperor's desk."

"Why is it placed under the emperor's desk?" I asked.

"The Empress said..."

"If Your Majesty wishes to seal the tents..."

"At least when I sit down each day, I'll know which part is missing."

The emperor closed his eyes.

This statement must have sounded quite harsh eleven years ago.

Now it sounds even harsher.

Pei Shen took out a small knife.

I didn't pry it open directly.

Prioritize the edge of the wooden board.

The nails on the six boards are not the same.

The water trough was made with old copper nails from the palace.

The fire pit is made of black iron nails from Southwest China.

The medicine trough is made of silver nails.

The door groove has no nails, only tenons.

There is a ring of extremely fine silk thread in the trough.

The grain troughs were sealed with vermilion wax used by the emperor.

Each line was sealed by a different person.

Anyone who tries to go all out will leave a trace.

The late empress's method of mutual corroboration even extended to the imperial desk.

I asked the emperor, "Has it been opened?"

"The grain troughs have been opened."

"when?"

"The fourteenth year of Chengxi."

"Who's driving?"

"I."

"What about the others?"

"no."

Bai Zhi looked around the case file.

"The medicine tank was recently moved."

"where?"

"The silver studs are of different colors."

"The new one in the upper left corner."

Wei Zhijia said, "It was opened three months ago when Lord Pei retrieved the old medicine bottle."

Pei Shen nodded.

"I only need the copy of the settlement statement."

"Why don't you say so?"

"Nobody asked."

I really want to put him back in the palace.

The emperor said, "Distribute the grain first."

The vermilion wax seal on the grain trough was the emperor's private seal.

You don't need to use real cards.

The wax was personally tested by the emperor.

There is a very fine crack on the waxed surface.

It wasn't pried open.

It cracked naturally over eleven years of temperature changes.

Use a thin knife to cut along the old cracks in the Angelica dahurica.

The wooden board was opened.

Inside was a roll of yellowed delivery slips.

A bronze plaque with a wheat ear design.

And an unsealed grain-sealing order.

The fifth real card.

Grain brand.

The front of the card only shows the clearing of old debts.

The wheat ears on the back are engraved below:

Grain was inspected and stored in the warehouse.

No empty contracts are verified.

Bai Zhi's expression softened slightly upon seeing these words.

She's checked far too many empty contracts these days.

Yong'an: 10,000 shi (a unit of grain).

The Qingzhou Righteous People's Army settled down and provided grain.

Qingxia Guiming Cang Wushi Ticket.

Every piece of paper says that the grain has been distributed.

The warehouse might only contain moldy grains and empty walls.

The late empress already knew about it back then.

Therefore, grain certificates do not recognize contracts.

Only recognize positions.

"Why have you been staying with His Majesty all this time?" I asked.

Wei Zhijia said, "The grain tokens should have been given to Gu Qinghe."

"Madam Gu did not accept it."

Why?

The emperor looked at the grain-sealing order that had not yet been stamped with the imperial seal.

She said that if I refused to open the Jiangbei warehouse...

"Therefore, I am not qualified to hand the cards to her."

My mother even dared to refuse the emperor's card.

She looks a lot like her.

"And then?"

"The late Empress is seriously ill."

Gu Qinghe's third letter failed to reach the palace.

"The grain ration certificate has been sealed here ever since."

"Does His Majesty know?"

"Know."

"Hasn't opened in eleven years?"

"no."

The emperor looked at me.

"You want to ask why it wasn't sent to Yong'an?"

"I do indeed wish to."

"I did not know that Shimen was in Yong'an."

"What about Qingxia?"

"Shen Lie refused to meet with the imperial envoy."

"What about Jiangbei?"

"The Wang family controls the grain supply line."

"So the cards have to be kept?"

"Yes."

I nodded.

"Just like the edict of self-reproach."

The emperor's expression darkened slightly.

"I wrote it."

"Keep it."

"Watch."

"I just don't need to."

Pei Shen, standing nearby, said, "At least it wasn't lost."

I turned my head.

"Lord Pei's words were brief again today."

He stopped speaking.

The grain delivery slip lists six parties.

First Queen.

Emperor.

Bai Song.

Gu Qinghe.

Wang Song.

Shen Lie.

There are no records under Gu Qinghe's name.

Shen Lie's name is also blank.

Bai Song made the final decision.

Wang Song wrote "Pending verification".

The emperor's seal read "temporarily sealed".

Everything that happened in the next eleven years can be traced back to these two words.

Temporarily closed.

It's not a permanent ban.

But no one has written when it will reopen.

Bai Zhi sealed the grain tokens separately in the certificate box.

Not delivered immediately.

First, check the four lines of the tent: water, fire, medicine, and door.

She then looked at the clothes rack.

"The thread broke."

There's a new splice at the bottom right corner of the old silk thread outside the garment trough.

The wiring is not done with single-strand wire from the palace.

It is a double-strand Suzhou line.

The same thread as that commonly used in fake clothing and blue clothing stores.

"Someone drove it recently," she said.

"how long?"

Within a month.

The emperor looked at Wei Zhijia.

Wei Zhijia's expression changed.

"The trough should not be opened."

"What's inside?"

"Clothing brand transaction slip".

"Is there possibly a final card?"

"The clothing brand was handed over to Zhaoyue back then."

"It should not be on the emperor's desk."

"Then why would anyone drive it?"

"Find the cards."

I said, "If I can't find it, I'll look for clothes."

Pei Shen removed the wooden board from the clothes rack.

There are no bronze medals inside.

There are only three things.

First, the clothing brand transaction slip.

Second, a medical record book for the late Empress Dowager.

Third, a small piece of old gray-blue cloth.

The settlement statement should read:

Clothes three.

The moon is shining.

Zhaoning Commandery.

It will not be included in the burning records.

The last line of the collection book:

A sick coat from Changning.

Grey orchid.

Originally belonged to the Empress.

Zhaoning Commandery.

The moon shines again.

There is a slight scorch mark on the right shoulder of the fabric sample.

Xiao Lingyi accepted it.

"The Empress Dowager's sick clothes."

"Why is His Highness leading the way?" I asked.

"After the Empress Dowager's death."

Her voice was cold.

"Aunt Zhaoyue handed over the last few pieces of clothing to me."

"Sick clothes should be burned as per usual procedure."

She said it couldn't be burned.

"Where was it put later?"

"The Princess's Residence Old Clothing Warehouse"

"Who can open it?"

"This Empress."

"Qiu Tang".

"The head nanny."

"There are also two storeroom maids."

The clothing tag was handed to Zhaoyue.

Zhaoyue then asked Zhaoning to collect her hospital gown.

The cards may not be kept separately.

It's very likely sewn inside the garment.

The Wang family once ran the imperial clothing vat.

Take away the clothing sample and the copy of the receipt.

They knew which one to look for.

I looked at Xiao Lingyi.

Has the princess's wardrobe been touched in the past month?

"This title was bestowed upon me before I left the capital."

"After the deputy seal was lost."

"Someone might have gone in."

"Who is the head clerk?"

"Granny Meng."

"Place of origin?"

Qiu Tang answered from the side:

"Qingzhou".

It's Qingzhou again.

Xiao Lingyi turned around.

"Return to the manor to check the clothes."

The emperor said, "Send the grain tokens first."

"The clothes have already been changed."

"It's too late, even half a moment later."

"The grain tokens cannot be delivered by just one person."

The Angelica dahurica has been separated into individual sheets.

"Liangpai Six-Sided Rubbing".

"The original card will take the inside lane tonight."

"The delivery slip will be sent through the Censorate's official post station."

"Real-money account records are routed through the Princess Mansion line."

"Split into three routes."

The emperor looked at her.

"You arranged things faster than my Secretariat."

Bai Zhi said, "The Secretariat should first ask who is responsible."

"Let me ask if there's enough silver first."

The emperor was not angry.

Perhaps he is too sick to have any energy.

They might also think it makes a lot of sense.

I looked at the five empty slots remaining under the imperial desk.

water.

fire.

medicine.

door.

grain.

All five cards have been found.

In the end, only clothes were missing.

That sick gown remained in the princess's residence for eleven years.

Xiao Lingyi suddenly stopped when she reached the palace gate.

"Shen An".

"Your subject is here."

"There are a total of forty-eight boxes of old clothes from the Princess's residence."

Ah Liu's face instantly fell.

"Your Highness."

"Why so many?"

"Sixteen chests belonging to the Empress Dowager."

"This palace has thirty-two chests."

Ah Liu was even more desperate.

"Shall we try them on one by one?"

Xiao Lingyi looked at him.

"Would you like to try?"

Ah Liu immediately shook his head.

I got up and followed.

Being afraid of death is not shameful.

It's not shameful to be afraid of rummaging through your wardrobe.

But what if one item is missing from the forty-eight boxes of old clothes?

What's missing isn't just cloth.

It was the last name that would allow the person inside the stone gate to come out.