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

The day after the stone gate opened, He Xiuniang's daughter arrived in Yong'an.

Thirteen years old.

He is not tall.

Her hair was tied up with an old strip of cloth.

After being adopted by her maternal uncle's family, she changed her surname and is now called Chen Xiaohe.

When the county government sent people to pick her up, they only said they had found a woman who appeared to be an old relative.

He didn't say he was alive.

It wasn't said that he was dead.

You can't teach the answers to these things in advance.

After being taught, no matter how genuinely you cry, it doesn't count as proof.

When Chen Xiaohe walked into the backyard of the old warehouse and saw the corpse, he did not immediately rush over.

Both hands gripped the hem of her clothes tightly.

Lin Huan asked, "Do you know them?"

No one around was disappointed.

A child grows from six to thirteen years old.

My mother's face was burned again by the medicine.

I asked, "Does your mother have any old injuries?"

Chen Xiaohe thought about it for a long time.

"Left wrist."

"It was scalded with alkaline water during the dyeing process."

"Anything else?"

"Right back teeth."

"One less."

We already know about these two places.

We cannot rely solely on her repeating.

Bai Zhi changed her questioning style.

Which hand does your mother usually use to comb her hair?

"Right hand."

"Can you sew?"

"It will be made up."

"What's different about the stitching?"

Chen Xiaohe's eyes slowly reddened.

"When she reels in the line, she makes an extra small loop."

"They said this way the loose threads won't prick you."

The female physician lifted the plain clothes on the right side of the corpse a little.

It's not about looking at the clothes they changed into later.

It involves examining the inside of the deceased's original clothing.

There were three old stitches that I had repaired myself.

Each end of the line had an extra small loop.

Bai Zhi prevented Chen Xiaohe from getting close.

Let her draw on paper first.

The child can't write stitches.

He then drew a crooked little circle with a charcoal pencil.

Then trace the stitches on the shroud.

I asked, "Is there anything your mother doesn't like to eat?"

Chen Xiaohe was stunned for a moment.

They probably didn't expect that examining a dead person would involve asking about their diet.

"fish."

Why?

She said she had a fishbone stuck in her throat when she was a child.

"Does she have any markings or marks that only her family knows about?"

After a long while, he whispered:

"There is a blue birthmark on my lower back."

It's in the autopsy record.

There was indeed a light blue birthmark about the size of a copper coin on the left side of the deceased's lower back.

The female physician covered it with a screen.

Only Chen Xiaohe and one female relative were allowed to witness the entry.

A moment later, the sound of crying came from inside.

It was the sound of someone who had been holding back for a long time suddenly finding themselves unable to breathe.

Chen Xiaohe came out from behind the screen and knelt on the ground.

"It's my mother."

"The birthmark on her waist looks like a leaf."

The autopsy record originally only noted a light blue birthmark.

The female physician reviewed it again.

It is indeed pointed at one end and round at the other.

Bai Zhi crossed out the word "suspected" in "suspected He Xiuniang".

It is drawn with only a thin line.

So that future generations can see it.

What was the basis for later confirmation?

He Xiuniang.

A native of Nanhefang, Yong'an.

He was written to have died from the epidemic seven years ago.

He was later taken away from his old residence.

He used to work in sewing and dyeing.

Ultimately, she was dressed in the late empress's sick clothes and Zhao Ning's everyday clothes, and transported out of the capital as a substitute for the princess.

He is now dead.

The diagnosis was made by his daughter, Chen Xiaohe, based on birthmarks, old injuries, missing teeth, and stitches.

The female physician, the old neighbor, and the dyehouse workers' register were re-examined.

This time, the name is finally no longer pending verification.

Chen Xiaohe asked, "Why is my mother wearing princess clothes?"

No one can answer that in a single sentence.

"Because someone wanted others to believe that it was Princess Zhaoning who died."

"And what about my mother?"

"They don't care."

Did she do something wrong?

"Nothing has been found so far."

"Then why did she die?"

The little girl looked at me.

"Because someone needs a corpse with a similar body size."

"And so she was chosen."

Chen Xiaohe's tears fell.

"Just because it looks like it?"

"Just because it looks like it."

But if she doesn't explain it clearly, someone will eventually tell her.

Her mother died because she was involved in a palace case.

Because of bad luck.

It's easier to hide the people who actually get things done.

Chen Xiaohe asked, "Who are they?"

"Some have already been caught."

"There are still some under investigation."

"Can they catch them all?"

"uncertain."

I said, "But we'll write down the details for each one we catch."

"Your mother won't skimp on this expense anymore."

We are simply returning the name that originally belonged to her mother.

He Xiuniang's body was temporarily left in Yong'an.

It was up to Chen Xiaohe and her maternal uncle's family to decide how to arrange the burial.

The princess's residence provided travel expenses.

The Censorate issued a complete record of the cause of death.

The three locations cannot offset each other.

Lin Huan originally intended to use all the relief funds from the county.

Angelica dahurica is not allowed.

"Relief funds save lives."

"The funeral expenses shall be borne by each party involved in the case."

"We can't wipe it all out from one sum of money again."

Xiao Lingyi stood in front of Chen Xiaohe.

"I have retrieved the court robes your mother was wearing."

"Take the hospital gown and open the door."

"Do you want to keep her old undergarments and sewing supplies?"

"want."

"Then stay."

"If anyone later says that your mother is impersonating a princess..."

"Take out the medical record book."

"Take out the stitches too."

Chen Xiaohe looked at her.

"Are you really a princess?"

The expressions of those around them changed.

This problem is very dangerous now.

Xiao Lingyi replied, "Yes."

"How can you prove it?"

"You don't need to prove it for now."

"Then who should I believe?"

Xiao Lingyi thought for a moment.

"Believe your mother first."

Chen Xiaohe nodded again.

This is a good answer.

It's not about making children believe in imperial power first.

The first thing to do is let her know that her mother is not impersonating anyone.

Only after He Xiuniang was recognized did we prepare to return to Beijing.

My mother cannot ride a horse.

Physician Song had a shock-absorbing soft car made.

The wheels were covered with thick hemp.

Add only a thin layer of gauze by the window.

Zhaoyue and her mother rode in different carriages.

It's not that we have a bad relationship.

Two former witnesses cannot be in the same car at the same time.

Wang Heng was imprisoned in the third vehicle.

Her legs are still immobile.

There are still three locks on the car.

Gu Xingzhi, Bai Zhi, and Cao Shun each held one.

Cao Shun originally wanted to return to Qingfeng.

Hearing that Wang Heng was to be escorted to the capital, he stayed behind.

"Why?" I asked.

"She asked my mother if she had received the grain."

"I want to see if she'll still ask after she goes to Beijing."

That reason is sufficient.

The six genuine cards did not accompany us.

Water, fire, medicine, doors, food, and clothing were all left in the Liufangzhengku outside Yong'an Stone Gate.

The door is already open.

The plaque, however, remains evidence.

Just because people have come out doesn't mean they can all be taken away by one person.

The documents sent to Beijing included six rubbings, six copies of the ledger, and the door opening record.

The original documents were kept in Yong'an, Qingxia, and Beijing.

After hearing the arrangements, the mother only said one sentence:

"More stable than your father was back then."

I asked, "How was your father back then?"

"He would keep everything in his own military tent."

Why?

He believed that only his people would never betray him.

"And then?"

"The most betrayers."

If his father heard this, he probably wouldn't admit it.

They might not dare to refute it.

We did not sneak back to Beijing.

Before leaving Yong'an, Lin Huan hung another itinerary notice next to the revised list.

Gu Qinghe.

Shining on the moon.

Wang Heng.

The three of them boarded separate vehicles.

At each post station, the local official, the inner guard, and the living register witness each made a record.

The axles of the three vehicles also had different engravings.

The mother's axle is a wheat ear.

The axle of the moon-shaped wheel is a half-moon.

Wang Heng's axle has three straight lines.

You can't change the ruts along the way.

Ah Liu inspected the three cars.

"Young master, what about yours?"

"I ride a horse."

"What if someone replaced you?"

"have."

"Where?"

"One was arrested in the capital."

Ah Liu looked unwell.

"Then why don't you also make a mark?"

"Where should we carve it?"

He looked at me carefully.

"Forehead?"

I deducted half a month's salary from his pay.

On the first day, they only traveled sixty li.

The next day, when they reached the border of Qingzhou, they encountered a group of imperial cavalry.

The head eunuch carried the imperial warrant.

Instruct Gu Qinghe and Zhaoyue to immediately transfer to an express train to Beijing.

The reason given was that the emperor's illness was recurring.

We urgently need a witness to identify the medication.

The warrant bears an imperial seal.

The eunuch card is genuine.

After reading it, I asked, "Where is the source of the facts?"

"What?"

"Provisional Palace Decree".

"Imperial edicts and urgent orders must be accompanied by factual sources."

"Who said His Majesty's condition is fluctuating?"

"The Imperial Medical Academy".

"Which physician?"

"Judge Zhao."

"Judge Zhao is currently suspended from his duties pending investigation."

The eunuch's expression changed.

"This servant does not know."

"Who gave you the warrant?"

"Eunuch Wei."

"Which one?"

He couldn't answer either.

What can now be proven to be fake is not the seal.

The missing piece of paper is a requirement of the new regulations.

If preparations are made quickly.

But they just followed the old procedures.

They didn't keep up with the new rules for the past three days.

I had someone send the eunuch and the warrant to the Qingzhou post station.

He might only be responsible for delivery.

First, memorize the face, hands, feet, and real name.

The eunuch said his name was Gao Fu.

It is indeed listed in the palace register.

We need to verify if it's really the person in question.

The mother watched for a while through the car window.

"The emperor can't even issue a decree outside the capital now?"

"able."

"It just means one more sheet of paper."

"Is he willing?"

"temporary."

"how long?"

"We will discuss this again in three days."

The mother smiled.

"He is still himself."

"I'm afraid of being scammed."

"What I fear most is that I won't be able to lie to people easily in the future."

This assessment is also quite accurate.

When they arrived at the north gate of the capital, the area outside the city was already crowded with people.

It wasn't someone who publicized Gu Qinghe beforehand.

The news of the future death of the Zongzheng Temple official has not yet been revealed.

The emperor lived to the third day.

Every hour, a new line is added to the doorway.

Someone came all the way from the south of the city.

Just to see if the emperor is still alive today.

As soon as our convoy arrived, the crowd parted to both sides.

The gatekeeper held the identity verification register.

Then check the number of people inside the vehicle.

Then, through the veil, they asked for the person's name.

Mother replied:

"Gu Qinghe".

Zhaoyue replied:

"Tetsutsuki."

Wang Heng replied:

"Wang Heng".

There were no palace maids of the late empress.

The gatekeeper asked the mother, "Do you have any proof?"

The mother said, "It's an old wound."

"There is an account."

"I have a son."

Many people on the city gate were looking at me.

I suddenly felt a little uncomfortable.

The captain then asked, "What if the son admits his mistake?"

His mother looked at him.

"Then continue the investigation."

She didn't say I was her biological child, so she must be telling the truth.

Even the mother and child cannot substitute for evidence to skip steps.

Only after the carriages were inspected by three parties at the city gates were they allowed to enter the capital.

The mother did not lower the gauze curtain.

Someone outside called for Madam Shen.

Someone called for Manager Gu.

She raised her eyes slightly.

Another elderly woman knelt by the roadside and cried, saying that she had helped her carry grain in Qingxia back then.

The mother told the car to stop.

The old man could answer all of them.

She didn't let anyone get on the bus.

Just say:

"Go to the Censorate to leave a record."

"Don't just recognize me on the street."

Ah Liu rode next to me.

"Young master."

"Um."

"Why didn't Madam ask so many questions when she saw you?"

"I asked."

"when?"

"Inside the stone gate."

My mother didn't acknowledge me first.

She just called out once.

Every step after that is being verified.

When the carriage arrived outside the Xuanzheng Hall, the emperor did not allow us to enter through the side gate.

The main entrance was open.

The mother glanced at the imperial steps.

"He wanted everyone to see that he wasn't hiding anyone."

"Is this a good thing?" I asked.

"half."

"What about your other half?"

He also wanted everyone to see it.

"He released the man."

I felt that my mother had only been gone for two days.

He has come to see through the emperor again.

She gripped the armrest of the soft chair.

"Carry me inside."

"I can't walk by myself."

"There's no need to pretend with this."