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

When I shouted, the lights outside the old warehouse visibly flickered.

well.

If people panic, it means they weren't there to put out the fire.

When people actually come to put out the fire, their first reaction upon hearing someone shout "Fire!" is to grab a bucket and rush forward.

The arresting officers would only stop when they heard "Shen An of the Censorate is here."

Ah Liu was watching me from the side, his eyes wide open.

"Young master, shall we really shout?"

I continued shouting at the top of my lungs, "Fire! Fire at No. 37 Old Warehouse in the South of the City!"

Ah Liu shuddered at my outburst and shouted, "Fire! Fire! My young master is still here!"

I glanced at him.

"Don't shout the second half of the sentence."

Ah Liu immediately changed his tune: "Lord Shen of the Censorate is here to put out the fire!"

This sentence is acceptable.

Yan Xiaoyi stood behind me, holding the crossbow in his hand, his gaze towards me somewhat complicated.

"Lord Shen, that's a shameless tactic of yours."

Thank you.

I wasn't praising you.

I'll take that as a compliment.

The fire had spread from the warehouse door to the roof beams.

The old barn wood, dried out over time, was as dry as kindling. When kerosene was poured on it, the flames leaped up extremely quickly, crackling so loudly it sounded like someone clapping and cheering inside.

The group of soldiers in the distance finally rushed over.

Leading the way were several constables, followed by people from the Ministry of Works.

I know the person at the very front.

Zhou, the head of the department.

That junior clerk in the Ministry of Works, whose tea was exceptionally delicious and whose account books were particularly difficult to handle.

When he saw me standing in front of the fire, his expression was quite interesting.

It's like going out to catch a thief in the middle of the night, only to find the thief standing at the door shouting for him to catch the thief.

"Lord Shen?"

Zhou, the steward, stopped in his tracks, his voice changing.

I was even more surprised than he was.

"Master Zhou?"

Ah Liu immediately chimed in from the side, "What a coincidence!"

I almost considered giving Ah Liu a raise.

That's a good question.

What a coincidence!

When the old warehouse caught fire, the Ministry of Works' men arrived even faster than the night watchman.

Zhou, the person in charge, was clearly not thin-skinned and quickly regained his composure.

"It's quite a coincidence that Lord Shen is here so late at night."

I nodded.

"What a coincidence. Was Steward Zhou also here to admire the moon, leading his men to the old granary in the south of the city late at night?"

Manager Zhou glanced at Warehouse No. 37, which was burning brightly.

"The Ministry of Works received a report that the old warehouse in the south of the city was flooded."

Who reported it?

Chief Zhou paused for a moment.

"Someone reported it."

"Who is it?"

"In urgent situations, expediency is necessary; there's no time for detailed inquiries."

I laughed.

"The fact that Chief Zhou arrived so quickly suggests that there wasn't enough time to ask in detail."

His face darkened.

"Lord Shen, the old warehouse has caught fire, and it concerns the Ministry of Works' treasury. You've appeared here so late at night; you must give an explanation."

There are different versions of this story.

I raised my hand and pointed to the fire.

"Put out the fire first."

Zhou, the official in charge, did not make a move.

The servants and laborers behind him didn't move either.

The fire burned brighter and brighter.

I looked at them and raised my voice.

"What? The Ministry of Works was ordered to investigate the fire, but instead of putting out the fire?"

Chief Zhou said coldly, "The fire is too big. Rushing in could kill people."

"Then let's get water."

"The night is deep and the water is far."

"The old canal is right next to it."

Zhou, the steward, looked even more displeased.

I took another step forward and shouted to the people carrying lanterns behind me, "What are you all standing there for? Get water from the old canal! Anyone who dares to block the fire is destroying evidence!"

Upon hearing this, the people in the Ministry of Works finally took action.

I don't want to move.

They dared not remain still.

There were more than just a few of us in front of the fire.

The residents of the southern city were awakened by the firelight, and people in the distance ran out to see what was happening, still wearing their clothes. The night watchman also arrived, banging his clapper and shouting incoherently.

When there are many people involved, it becomes harder to cover things up.

There are two things that are most feared in the shady dealings of the capital.

First, the emperor suddenly wanted to investigate.

Secondly, the people suddenly saw it.

Zhou, the official in charge, clearly understood this principle as well.

He gritted his teeth, turned around, and shouted, "Fetch water to put out the fire!"

The crowd then became chaotic.

Some people went to the old canal to fetch water, some dismantled the wet straw curtains of the abandoned warehouse next door, and some used long poles to poke away the sparks.

Ah Liu wanted to run after me, but I grabbed him.

"where did you go?"

"Fire!"

"Can you?"

"Won't."

"Then what are you going to do?"

Ah Liu thought for a moment: "Would that make us look innocent?"

I looked at him.

That makes some sense.

But I still didn't let him go.

Ah Liu is no good at putting out fires, but he's perfect for watching my things.

I whispered, "Send the letter in my arms."

Ah Liu was taken aback.

"Now?"

"Go to the Censorate now and find Zhao Guanlan. Tell him that the Ministry of Works is involved in the case and is conducting an internal investigation at the old granary in the south of the city."

Ah Liu glanced at Steward Zhou and swallowed hard.

Will he let the younger one leave?

"So don't take the main road."

"Where to go then?"

I glanced at Yan Xiaoyi.

Yan Xiaoyi sighed.

"It's me again?"

"Weren't you ordered to protect me?"

"I'm protecting you, not him."

Ah Liu immediately said, "Brother Yan, I'm back alive, I'll buy you some hot steamed buns."

Yan Xiaoyi thought for a moment.

"two."

"Three."

"make a deal."

I suddenly realized that these two were getting down to business more smoothly than I had imagined.

Yan Xiaoyi shoved the crossbow back into my hand, grabbed Ah Liu by the back of his collar, turned into a dark alley, and disappeared.

When Chief Zhou saw this, he frowned.

"Lord Shen, where did your attendant go?"

I retorted, "Do we need to report to the Ministry of Public Works to put out a fire?"

"He seemed to be carrying something in his arms."

"Steamed buns".

Zhou, the official in charge, clearly did not believe it.

I don't care whether he believes it or not.

He winked at a constable beside him.

Just as the constable was about to give chase, a muffled thud suddenly came from the dark alley.

A moment later, Yan Xiaoyi slowly walked out and clapped his hands.

Chief Zhou's face darkened.

"Lord Shen, did your men injure an official?"

I glanced at Yan Xiaoyi.

Yan Xiaoyi said lazily, "He fell."

"What a coincidence that you fell like that?"

"The roads are slippery at night."

The head of the department was so angry that his fingers tightened.

I spoke up promptly: "Chief Zhou, the most important thing right now is to put out the fire. If you insist on arresting people first, why don't I write a memorial tomorrow to ask His Majesty why the Ministry of Works is still on fire and yet you're already rushing to block the Censorate's people?"

After mentioning the emperor, Chief Clerk Zhou finally dared not make another move.

I know what he's afraid of.

I'm not the one who's afraid.

What I fear is that the phrase "I only trust you" hasn't cooled down yet.

Everyone knows the emperor sees me as a weapon, and everyone knows that weapon is still in the emperor's hands. Until they figure out who the emperor actually wants to kill, no one dares to break the weapon directly.

At most, they would do it secretly.

On the surface, rules still need to be followed.

It took nearly half an hour to finally extinguish the fire.

Half of Warehouse No. 37 collapsed.

The timber beams were burned through, and the walls were blackened by smoke, turning the already dilapidated warehouse into nothing more than a skeleton.

Manager Zhou led his men to go inside.

I reached out to stop him.

"Director Zhou, those involved in the case should not enter the scene first."

His face turned ashen.

"What does Lord Shen mean?"

"The meaning is simple. The Yongning River case is currently being investigated in the Ministry of Works' accounts, and the old warehouse in the south of the city is also related to the Yongning stone materials. Now that the old warehouse has caught fire, it's inappropriate for the Ministry of Works to investigate itself."

Chief Zhou sneered.

"Does Lord Shen have evidence that this warehouse is related to the Yongning case?"

I took the burnt piece of paper from my sleeve.

I didn't take it all.

Only the two characters "Yongning" were visible.

With a flicker of firelight, Chief Zhou's expression changed.

Although it was only for a moment.

But I saw it.

"Does Chief Zhou recognize him?" I asked.

He immediately said, "Scrap paper from a fire may not be reliable."

"Then the Censorate should seal it up even more."

"This warehouse belongs to the Ministry of Works."

"This case falls under the jurisdiction of the Censorate."

"Lord Shen is only a seventh-rank censor."

"Even a seventh-rank official is an imperial censor."

I looked at him and said, word by word, "We're investigating people like you who don't want to be investigated."

The surroundings suddenly became quiet.

That's a rather impolite statement.

You're very impolite.

But I can't be polite.

You're too kind. Everything will be taken away by the Ministry of Works tonight. Tomorrow, they'll come up with a perfectly clean explanation.

The old warehouse in the south of the city had been in disrepair for many years and occasionally caught fire at night.

Shen An, from the Censorate, happened to be passing by late at night and kindly helped put out the fire.

All doubts will be burned to ashes.

Manager Zhou stared at me, his eyes as dark as the smoldering ashes under a burning ember.

"Lord Shen, do you know what you're saying?"

I smiled.

"Know."

"You're making an enemy of the Ministry of Works."

"Master Zhou has misunderstood."

Looking at the burned-down warehouse, I slowly said, "It's not that I want to be enemies with the Ministry of Works, it's that someone pushed the Ministry of Works into the fire."

Upon hearing this, Chief Clerk Zhou was taken aback.

He probably didn't expect me to say that.

I did not continue to explain.

Zhou, the head of the department, was just a nobody.

He dragged my money around, served me tea, and was ordered to make things difficult, but he probably didn't know what the whole network looked like.

Some minor officials are the most pitiful.

They thought that doing a small favor for their superiors would at most earn them a few taels of silver and a few words of praise.

When the lightning struck, I realized I was standing at the highest point.

After the fire was completely extinguished, several laborers used long poles to clear away the burnt-down wooden beams.

A burnt smell wafted out.

With Ah Liu gone, I lost someone to speak up for me, so I could only frown to myself.

Yan Xiaoyi suddenly straightened up.

"There are people inside."

My heart sank.

Hearing this, Chief Zhou immediately shouted, "Step back!"

This time, he was truly anxious.

I'm faster than him.

"No one is allowed to touch it!"

I stepped forward, picked up a damp stick, and parted the half-burnt straw mat.

A hand peeked out from the corner of the warehouse.

A hand blackened by smoke.

His fingers were curled up, as if he were still clutching something tightly before he died.

The surrounding crowd gasped in surprise.

Some people stepped back, while others covered their mouths.

Chief Zhou's face turned deathly pale.

"How come there's someone here?"

I looked at him.

"Did Master Zhou ask me?"

He shut his mouth.

When the body was dragged out, it was burned beyond recognition.

The color of his clothes was indiscernible; only his build suggested he was an adult man. He had marks from straw rope binding his body and wore old cloth shoes, making him appear neither like a government official nor a clerk from the Ministry of Works.

More like a coachman, or a laborer in a warehouse.

Yan Xiaoyi squatted down and took a look.

"Die first, then burn."

I look at him.

"You know how to perform autopsies?"

"Won't."

"How did you figure that out?"

"A living person being burned will struggle. His hands and feet were bound, and there wasn't much ash around his mouth."

He pointed to the corpse's mouth and nose.

"He was probably already dead before the fire started."

He said it casually.

Those around them turned pale upon hearing this.

Chief Zhou retorted sternly, "Nonsense! How can you make such a judgment about corpses from a fire?"

Yan Xiaoyi didn't even bother to look at him.

I crouched down next to the corpse.

The acrid smell made one's throat tighten.

The corpse's right hand was clenched tightly, and its fingers were already burned stiff.

I didn't force it open; I just gently pried open the gaps between my fingers with a short blade.

There's something inside.

A small piece of paper.

The edges were charred, and the middle was soaked in sweat and blood, yet a few words were preserved.

I held my breath and took out the piece of paper.

In the firelight, the remaining characters gradually became visible.

Money approval...

There is another half-word after that.

It's like a "turn".

My heart skipped a beat.

The money was approved and transferred into the internal treasury.

This statement now has another piece of empirical evidence.

And it wasn't something I took out of the dark room.

It was taken from the hands of a corpse found in the fire.

The surrounding people all saw it.

The people from the Ministry of Works also saw it.

In an instant, Chief Zhou's face turned as white as paper.

I stood up and held the piece of paper high.

"Master Zhou."

My voice isn't loud.

But it was very quiet all around, and everyone could hear it.

"Is the Ministry of Works also going to investigate this body themselves?"

Zhou, the head of the department, moved his lips but did not utter a word.

Suddenly, a series of hurried footsteps came from afar.

Someone pushed through the crowd and strode over.

He wore a blue official robe and had a stern expression.

Zhao Guanlan.

Ah Liu followed behind him, panting heavily, but his face shone with the light of relief after surviving a disaster.

"Young master! I've brought the person!"

Zhao Guanlan glanced at the fire, then at the corpse, and then at the scraps of paper in my hand.

His face darkened.

"Shen An".

I cupped my hands in greeting.

"Your humble servant is here."

Zhao Guanlan said in a deep voice, "From now on, the old warehouse in the south of the city will be sealed off by the Censorate. Everyone from the Ministry of Works, step back three zhang."

Zhou, the official in charge, finally changed his expression.

"Lord Zhao, this granary belongs to the Ministry of Works!"

Zhao Guanlan looked at him.

"There's a murder here."

His voice wasn't loud, but it commanded respect.

"If the Ministry of Works is not satisfied, we will discuss it in the Golden Hall tomorrow."

Zhou, the person in charge, turned pale and then flushed.

I finally felt a little relieved.

Only half a mouthful.

Because the other half is still carrying it.

Zhao Guanlan is here, so I won't be detained by the Ministry of Works tonight.

But once the body was discovered, the matter could no longer be suppressed by the false account of the river channel.

Someone died in the Yongning case.

It wasn't just Fang Yuanshi.

Moreover, he died in the old warehouse, clutching a "money voucher" in his hand before his death.

Just then, a little beggar squeezed through the crowd, threw something at my feet, and ran away.

Yan Xiaoyi wanted to chase after him, but I stopped him.

I looked down.

It was a charred wooden plaque.

A line of small characters was engraved on the wooden sign.

Liu Laoqi, a traveling caravan owner.

My heart sank.

What was the name of the body?

Or is he the next one to die?

The firelight gradually dimmed.

In the ashes of the old warehouse, something seemed to still be burning.

It's not wood.

It's this ever-growing net.