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

The next morning, I changed into my new official robes.

The light blue round-necked robe had a neatly embroidered patch on the chest, and the fabric was fairly crisp. But when I wore it, I always felt like I was wearing someone else's clothes.

Ah Liu circled me twice and gave a serious evaluation: "Young Master, this outfit is quite nice."

I glanced at him.

He added, "It just doesn't look like yours."

"Who does that look like?"

"Like what the paper effigy you'll wear at your grave later."

I paused for a moment.

Ah Liu also fell silent for a moment.

Then he lowered his head and said, "I'll shut up."

I already thought this official robe looked like it was a death knell, and now it looks even more so.

The Censorate was located in the southeast corner of the Imperial City. The plaque at the entrance was written in a square and solemn style, with the three characters resembling three knives hanging overhead.

I stood outside the door and watched for a while.

To put it bluntly, this place was the yamen (government office) that kept an eye on the emperor's officials.

In any country, the Censorate has the power to impeach any official who is corrupt, lazy, or acts arrogantly in their locality.

As for me, the son of a rebel ordered to go to the capital to assassinate the emperor, I was personally handed over by the emperor yesterday to this place that is specifically for checking people.

This arrangement cannot be said to be inappropriate.

One can only say that even the most divinely ordained characters couldn't be as cruel as Xiao Jingheng.

After entering, a young clerk led me to see the Left Vice Censor-in-Chief.

The old man was in his fifties, with a sallow complexion and slightly drooping eyelids. He looked at me as if I were a stone that had just been pulled out of the river.

I don't know if it's jade or mud.

"Shen An?"

"Your humble servant is here."

"His Majesty personally appointed you to the Censorate, which is quite rare in our institution."

He meant "rare".

What I heard was "abnormal".

I bowed my head and said, "This humble official is of limited talent and learning, and I hope that you will give me more guidance in the future."

The old man glanced at me and said calmly, "The Censorate doesn't judge people by their words. Whether they can investigate cases, read accounts, and write impeachment memorials will be revealed in the future."

I immediately agreed.

Although this is a blunt remark, it's better than a forced smile.

Genuine discontent is at least more reassuring than a smiling test.

The young clerk led me to a duty room.

The room was small, with an old table, two chairs, and a chipped teacup in the corner. There were several old ink stains on the tabletop that couldn't be wiped off, like a last message left by the previous owner.

As soon as I sat down, several pairs of eyes drifted over from outside.

My colleagues looked at me with subtle expressions.

They're so reserved, I feel tired just looking at them.

Some were curious, some were unconvinced, some wanted to get closer but were afraid of getting close too soon. Others were engrossed in copying documents, pretending not to see me, but their pens remained motionless for a long time.

I understand them very well.

An official who had just entered the palace for an audience yesterday has become the censor personally appointed by His Majesty today.

If it were me, I'd also like to see how many heads this person has.

Unfortunately, I only have one.

It's not very reliable yet.

I had been sitting in the duty room for less than half an hour, and before the tea had even cooled down, it suddenly became quiet outside.

It wasn't the usual quiet.

It was the kind of quiet where everyone stopped what they were doing at the same time, even holding back their coughs.

My heart skipped a beat.

I heard this kind of quiet yesterday in the Xuanzheng Hall.

It's usually not a good thing.

The young clerk peeked out and his expression changed.

"Lord Shen, an imperial decree has arrived."

I slowly put down my teacup.

Ah Liu isn't around, so there's no one to ask me "What's wrong now?"

But I had already asked him in my heart.

What's wrong now?

I was just promoted and granted a residence yesterday. Even if the emperor wanted to continue using the ropes, he couldn't be in such a hurry, could he?

The young eunuch carried the yellow silk into the Censorate.

Everyone in the courtyard knelt down.

I knelt down too.

The yellow silk was unfurled, and the high-pitched voice of the young eunuch rang out in the courtyard. As usual, it began with a string of beautiful words, praising the emperor's boundless grace, the man's virtuous character, and the suitability of him as a good match.

The more I listened, the more something seemed off.

Should I choose a good match?

What do these words have to do with me?

The next moment, the crucial line came.

"A special marriage is bestowed upon Princess Zhaoning, and an auspicious day will be chosen for the wedding."

The courtyard was quiet.

This time it was truly quiet.

Even the wind seemed to be being strangled.

I knelt on the ground, my mind blank for a moment.

A marriage arranged by imperial decree?

Princess?

Give me?

My first reaction wasn't surprise.

I wanted to ask if the emperor had sent the imperial edict to the wrong place.

A seventh-rank censor married a princess on his second day in the capital.

This is no longer a case of ancestral graves emitting auspicious smoke.

This is like my ancestral grave being split open by lightning, and a dragon flew out of it. Then the dragon turned around and bit me.

The young eunuch reminded him, "Lord Shen, thank you for your kindness."

I kowtowed.

"Your Majesty, I thank you for your great kindness."

I said that yesterday.

He said it again today, so skillfully it was heartbreaking.

After I got up, I could feel that everyone in the courtyard was looking at me.

Those gazes yesterday were still probing.

Today it has become a revaluation.

A seventh-rank censor is nothing special.

A seventh-rank censor personally appointed by the emperor is quite troublesome.

A seventh-rank censor personally appointed by the emperor and expected to marry a princess—that would be no problem at all.

That was a problem that no one in the entire courtyard dared to touch.

The Left Vice Censor-in-Chief stood on the steps and looked at me for three breaths.

He said nothing and turned back to his office.

I think there was a lot to say in that turn of his head.

For example: This person is not under my jurisdiction.

For example: This person will get into trouble sooner or later.

When I came out of the Censorate, Ah Liu was already waiting for me at the alley entrance.

As soon as he saw me, he immediately came up to me: "Young Master, did you have a smooth registration process?"

"good."

"No one bullied you, right?"

"no."

"That's good."

"The emperor has bestowed another marriage upon us."

Ah Liu tripped and almost knelt down in the street.

He leaned against the wall, his voice trembling: "Give me what?"

"marriage."

"to whom?"

"I."

"With whom?"

Princess Zhaoning.

The way Ah Liu looked at me was like he was looking at someone who had just fallen from the sky and smashed into his rice bowl.

After a long while, he whispered, "Young master, will you be the prince consort from now on?"

"Um."

"Is a prince consort higher in rank than a seventh-rank censor?"

"That's hard to say."

"Will the prince consort die?"

I glanced at him.

Ah Liu immediately changed his tune: "What I meant was, how do prince consorts usually die?"

"Killed by the emperor."

Ah Liu stopped talking.

He probably finally realized that this marriage, which sounded like a prestigious engagement, was actually like pushing his neck an inch closer to the noose.

When I returned to Chengpingfang, the two gatekeepers already knew the news and were even more respectful to me than they had been in the morning.

They were as respectful as if they were seeing me off on my deathbed.

I went into the front hall, sat down, and took a sip of cold tea.

Appointing an official title is the first barrier.

The bestowal of a residence is the second layer of protection.

An arranged marriage is the third barrier.

The three locks were put in place in a day and a night.

What exactly does Xiao Jingheng want to do?

If he doesn't know I'm Shen Lie's son, then he's insane.

If he knew, then he wanted to tie the son of a traitor to the royal carriage.

He was tied up so that all the officials in the court could see it.

Let everyone know that from this day forward, regardless of who I originally belonged to, I, Shen An, have been labeled "one of our own" by the Emperor.

Just as I was thinking this, the gatekeeper came to report.

"Lord Shen, we have a guest."

I looked up: "Who?"

The doorman's voice was a fraction lower than usual.

"Your Highness Princess Zhaoning."

I stopped holding the teacup.

Ah Liu gasped in shock.

"Young Master, you've arrived so quickly?"

I'd like to ask that too.

Yes.

They arrived so quickly?

Before I could figure out how to respond, I heard footsteps outside the courtyard.

No rush, no chaos, very steady.

When the footsteps emerged from behind the screen wall, the first thing I saw wasn't her face, but her steps.

She walked very steadily.

It's not a girl's deliberate display of composure, but a composure that doesn't require others to make way for her.

It was as if all the roads in the world were meant to be under her feet.

She wore a plain-colored, narrow-sleeved long dress, with only a silver hairpin in her hair. She was not adorned with jewels, nor did she display the ostentation expected of a princess.

But as soon as she entered, the entire front hall fell silent.

Princess Zhaoning, Xiao Lingyi.

The emperor's legitimate daughter.

She is also my newly betrothed.

I rose and bowed: "Your subject Shen An greets Your Highness the Princess."

She did not immediately tell me to dispense with the formalities.

She just looked at me.

His eyes were somewhat similar to Xiao Jingheng's.

It's not about looks, it's about the way you judge people.

The emperor looked at me as if I were a chess piece, ready to be used.

The princess looked at me as if I were a knife and she was checking if it would hurt someone.

After a moment, she spoke: "Lord Shen."

"Your subject is here."

Do you know why Father Emperor arranged this marriage?

I lowered my head and said, "I do not know."

"I don't know either."

I was slightly taken aback.

She took two steps forward and stopped three steps away from me.

This distance is perfect.

Neither close nor distant.

It's perfect for interrogating people.

She continued, "Yesterday, my father said in front of the entire court that they only trust you. Today, he bestowed me upon you. Lord Shen, do you think this is a coincidence?"

I really want to say, Your Highness, I also think it doesn't seem like it.

But I can't say that.

I could only reply, "Your Majesty's will is beyond my ability to fathom."

She looked at me, her eyes growing colder.

Have you ever met my father before?

This statement is more frightening than an imperial edict.

Because she didn't ask, "Why does Father believe you?"

She asked, "Have you known each other for a long time?"

An emperor cannot trust a stranger without reason.

She would not marry her daughter to him for no reason.

She knows this better than anyone else.

I looked up and gazed into her eyes.

"No."

She did not speak.

The front hall was so quiet that you could hear Ah Liu holding his breath beside him.

Three breaths later, she finally looked away.

"Lord Shen is very eloquent."

That sounds like a compliment.

It doesn't resemble it at all.

I humbly replied, "I am merely telling the truth."

"You can choose which truths to tell."

I shut up.

This princess is not easily fooled.

She's more direct and smarter than I imagined.

Xiao Lingyi turned and walked out.

As she reached the door, she suddenly stopped, without turning back, leaving only one sentence behind.

"Father believes you, but I don't."

After saying that, she left the hospital.

From entering to leaving, it took no more than the time it takes to drink a cup of tea.

There was no small talk.

There were no formalities.

There wasn't a single word of shyness or dissatisfaction regarding the marriage.

She seemed to be there to inspect the goods.

After the inspection, the conclusion was: there is a problem, pending further investigation.

Ah Liu only dared to speak after she had walked far away.

"Young master, the princess seems unhappy."

"She's not unhappy."

"What is that?"

"She's investigating a case."

Ah Liu was taken aback: "What case are you investigating?"

I sat back down in my chair and picked up the cup of tea that had gone cold.

"Investigate me."

Ah Liu's face gradually turned pale.

I took a sip of tea.

The tea turned bitter when it got cold.

But suddenly I felt that this taste matched my current situation perfectly.

The second day in the capital.

I got an official position, a house, and a marriage.

I also have a fiancée who decided to investigate me as soon as we met.

I haven't even seen the emperor a second time yet.