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

Chengpingfang is located in the east of the capital.

I was not familiar with the capital, and when I first heard the name, I thought it was just a place of residence that the emperor had casually given me.

When Ah Liu went out to inquire, his expression became even more complicated than when he heard about my promotion the day before.

His first words as he walked in were, "Young Master, we might really be rich this time."

I was packing my bags when I heard this, and I almost dropped the short blade in my hand.

What does it mean to be truly successful?

Ah Liu lowered his voice, as if afraid the medicinal herbs on the wall would hear: "Chengping Ward, that's a good place. The Minister of the Court of Judicial Review lives to the east, the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Revenue lives to the west, two streets to the south is the villa of the Minister of Rites, and further north..."

He paused for a moment after saying this.

I looked up at him: "What if we go further north?"

"Further north is the princess's residence's annex."

I stopped what I was doing.

Ah Liu was still counting on his fingers: "Young master, think about it, a seventh-rank censor lives in a place like this, and his neighbors are either third-rank or second-rank officials. He can even run into the Minister's carriage when he goes out to buy a steamed bun. What does that mean?"

"What does that mean?"

"This shows that His Majesty values ​​you."

I put the dagger back into the bottom of my bag and earnestly corrected him: "It could also mean that His Majesty is afraid my death won't be conspicuous enough."

Ah Liu choked for a moment.

He probably never understood why other people's ancestral graves seemed to emit auspicious smoke when they were promoted and given houses, but when it came to me, it was as if my ancestral graves had been set on fire.

But you can't really blame me for overthinking this.

On my first day in the capital, the emperor told all the officials that he only trusted me.

Before the next day even arrived, they granted me an official position and a residence.

This doesn't seem like a favor.

It's like someone was afraid I'd run away, so they first tied a rope around my neck and then hammered the stake in.

Manager Chen personally escorted us there.

He spoke very little throughout the journey.

When they reached the entrance of Chengpingfang, he whispered, "Young Master Shen, His Majesty's bestowal of this residence is a great favor from Heaven."

I glanced at him.

He added, "But imperial favor in the capital can sometimes be heavier than a knife."

This sounds like a reminder.

It also sounds like a warning.

Chengpingfang is indeed impressive.

The streets were much cleaner than those in the south of the city, even the roadside tea stalls were neatly arranged. The stone lions in front of each house were more imposing than the last, their gazes seeming to ask: What rank are you?

Our house was in the middle of the alley.

It wasn't large, with two courtyards, including a front hall, study, backyard, and side rooms. There were no extravagant plaques or vermilion gates at the entrance; it looked quite understated.

It was deliberately low-key.

Two gatekeepers stood in front of the gate.

One was in his early forties, and the other was in his thirties, both dressed in ordinary gray clothes. When they saw me get out of the car, they immediately stepped forward and bowed.

"Greetings, Lord Shen."

I glanced at them.

The two men bowed steadily, their heads at just the right angle, neither overly enthusiastic nor dismissive.

When an ordinary doorman meets a new owner, he will be somewhat obsequious.

They didn't.

This is not a servant.

At least not an ordinary servant.

Ah Liu clearly didn't notice and was quite pleased, whispering, "Young Master, His Majesty is so thoughtful, he even arranged a gatekeeper for us."

I whispered back to him, "It's very thoughtful; they even arranged for a doorman for me."

Ah Liu blinked.

After a while, he finally realized what was happening, and his face turned pale.

Once inside the courtyard, I didn't look at the house first.

I'm looking at the wall.

There are two signs of recent repairs on the backyard wall; the mud hasn't completely dried yet. The repairs were done carefully; they're not obvious from the outside, but you can see the difference in color between the old and new sections from the inside.

I squatted down and touched the base of the wall with my hand.

Ah Liu, following behind, couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, what are you looking at?"

"Let's see if anyone has climbed over this wall before."

"Has anyone already checked this?"

"I don't know." I stood up, dusting my hands off. "But some people are afraid I'll rummage through them."

Ah Liu took a half step back, as if the wall might bite.

Then I went to the study.

The study is very clean.

It's excessively clean.

The shelves were empty, the desks were empty, not even an inkstone. The windowsills were polished to a shine, there was no dust on the floor, and no cobwebs in the corners.

There are gray lines on the bookshelf.

Someone recently moved a lot of books away in a hurry, without having time to wipe away all the traces.

I reached out and touched the bookshelf, my fingertips leaving a very thin layer of dust.

Ah Liu leaned closer: "Young Master, is there a problem?"

"This is a big problem."

"Empty bookshelves can also be problematic?"

"It's unlikely that a residence bestowed by an emperor upon a minor official of the seventh rank would happen to have a study that looks as empty as if it had been ransacked."

Ah Liu swallowed hard: "Who lived in this house before?"

"That's the problem."

Who was your ex?

Why did you leave in such a hurry?

Why did the emperor bestow this house upon me?

I was standing in the study when I suddenly felt that it was colder inside than outside.

The window was open, the sunlight shone on the ground, and you could even see the dust. But it felt like there was a hand in my heart, slowly unrolling that imperial edict once more.

To confer an official title.

He was granted a residence.

Of all the officials in the court, I only trust you.

Others hear what they call divine grace.

What I heard was the sound of a lock clicking.

Manager Chen was still in the front hall.

When I got back, he was drinking tea with his head down.

The tea was brought by the gatekeeper; the liquor was clear and bright, and the aroma was pleasant. For the residence of a minor official of the seventh rank to have even the gatekeeper brew tea so skillfully was hardly a good thing.

Manager Chen put down his teacup and glanced at me.

"What does Young Master Shen think?"

"Good."

"What's so good about it?"

"The gatehouse is sturdy, the courtyard is clean, and the walls are solid."

Manager Chen remained silent for a moment.

I sat down and poured myself a cup of tea: "It just doesn't really feel like a house."

Ah Liu chimed in quietly from the side, "What does that look like?"

I looked out the window at the courtyard wall.

"Like a cage."

Ah Liu shut up.

Manager Chen didn't say anything.

After a moment, he took out a section of bamboo tube from his sleeve and placed it on the table.

"The master has sent a message."

I looked at that section of bamboo tube and sighed inwardly.

coming.

My dad found out really quickly.

The Emperor appointed me as an Imperial Censor yesterday in court, and today my father's letter arrived. This shows that the eyes of the Emperor are not only on the capital, but also on my father's.

I opened the bamboo tube, and inside was still a very thin sheet of paper.

There are very few words.

There is only one sentence.

How did you become the emperor's man on your very first day?

I watched it for a long time.

Ah Liu peeked out to look, but I glared at him and shut him up.

The words on the paper were written with great force, as if each stroke was imbued with anger.

I am all too familiar with the word "dad".

When I was a child, I was lazy when copying military books, and he made me rewrite them. When he took the pen and demonstrated for me, it was with this kind of force.

It wasn't anger.

He was suppressing his anger.

He didn't understand why the emperor would do that.

I don't understand why I went from being a hidden pawn to becoming the emperor's trusted confidant known to the entire court on the very first day.

Actually, I don't understand either.

If my father were here, I would love to shove the imperial edict into his hand and let him ask the emperor himself.

But I can't.

I could only hold the paper close to the candlelight and watch it slowly curl up, turn black, and turn to ash.

After watching me burn the letter, Manager Chen said in a low voice, "The master is waiting for a reply."

"Tell him I want to know too."

Manager Chen didn't move.

I looked up at him.

He whispered a reminder: "Young Master Shen, that's not what the master meant."

I chuckled and said, "Then can you think of one for me?"

Manager Chen fell silent.

I stopped laughing.

"Tell my father that I haven't even met the emperor a second time, and I haven't figured out how to navigate the palace. Being thrust into the open on the very first day was not part of my plan. Ask him to give me a little more time."

"how long?"

"He said three months."

Manager Chen looked at me with a complicated expression.

I know what he's thinking.

He probably thought that what I said sounded like procrastination.

But I'm telling the truth.

I am now being watched by the emperor, by all the officials, and suspected by my father. Even the house I just moved into feels like a cage.

In this situation, I'm already doing quite well that I'm still alive enough to drink a cup of hot tea.

After Manager Chen left, Ah Liu finally couldn't help but ask, "Young Master, is Master angry?"

"no."

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

I continued, "She's about to get angry."

Ah Liu's breath caught in his throat again.

I sat in the lobby for a while.

As darkness fell outside, the shadows in the courtyard grew longer. Two gatekeepers stood guard at the entrance, like two nails, firmly planted in place.

Ah Liu went to tidy up the house, but ran back a little while later.

"Young master, I just asked the old man who sells steamed buns at the alley entrance."

"What did you find out?"

He said that the side street to the north of us is frequented by imperial carriages and horses.

"The carriages and horses from the palace?"

"Hmm." Ah Liu lowered his voice, "They say it's a villa of the princess's residence. The current emperor's legitimate daughter, Princess Zhaoning, lives over there."

My hand, which was holding the teacup, froze in mid-air.

The Princess's Residence.

It's just outside three alleys.

The emperor granted me an official position, placing me before the entire court of civil and military officials.

The emperor bestowed a residence upon me, placing me right under the noses of all the high-ranking officials in the capital.

Now, to the north of this house, there is actually a detached courtyard of the princess's residence.

coincidence?

What I disbelieve least in now is coincidence.

Seeing my expression, Ah Liu cautiously asked, "Young Master, the Princess's residence is nearby, that shouldn't be a bad thing, right?"

Why?

"What if the princess is beautiful?"

I looked at him.

Ah Liu immediately lowered his head: "I was wrong."

I put down my teacup, stood up, and walked into the courtyard.

Night had fallen outside the wall to the north. Three alleys away, nothing could be seen.

But I know there must be someone over there.

The Emperor's Eyes.

The princess's eyes.

Perhaps there are other people's eyes as well.

I suddenly remembered the look Xiao Jingheng gave me in the Xuanzheng Hall.

That doesn't seem like a spur-of-the-moment decision.

It's more like a net that's been laid out all along, just waiting for me to walk in.

I originally thought that the most difficult thing after arriving in the capital would be how to get close to the emperor.

I'm only now realizing that I was overthinking things.

The emperor had already taken the initiative to bring me to his side.

But what he gave me wasn't an opportunity.

It's a cage.

A night breeze blew in from the top of the wall, carrying a hint of chill.

Just as I was about to go back to my room, the study window slammed shut with a soft thud.

Knock, knock.

It's not the wind.

I raised my hand to stop Ah Liu, signaling him to be quiet.

The next moment, a very light footstep came from outside the window.

They came from the north.

They went north again.

I stood in the courtyard, slowly turned my head, and looked at the night behind the wall.

Ah Liu's voice trembled: "Young Master, isn't that the Princess's residence over there?"

I didn't say anything.

Because I suddenly had a very bad feeling.

I might not be the only one locked in this cage of the emperor.