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

After the princess left, I sat in the front hall for a long time.

The tea has gone completely cold.

Ah Liu stood to the side, not daring to say a word.

This is very rare.

He usually can't help but find something to talk about whenever he has free time. For example, what to eat for dinner, whether the princess is pretty, or whether the prince consort will no longer have to queue to buy steamed buns.

But he didn't ask today.

He probably realized that I don't look like someone who has just been betrothed.

It's more like he's just been given a suspended sentence.

He bestowed official titles, houses, and marriages upon the people.

The emperor acted too quickly with these three moves.

It happened so fast I didn't even have time to pretend I was confused.

Ah Liu finally couldn't hold back any longer and asked in a low voice, "Young Master, what do we do next?"

I glanced at him.

"Have a meal."

Ah Liu was stunned: "Huh?"

Even the most important things require eating.

"But the princess just said she doesn't believe you."

"She doesn't trust me, and it doesn't conflict with me having dinner."

"But what about the master..."

"He wants me to kill the emperor, but that won't stop me from eating."

Ah Liu thought about it and felt it made a lot of sense, so he immediately ran to the kitchen to see what was edible.

Living in the capital, it's hard to say what else matters, but it's always good to have enough to eat first.

Otherwise, if I were to die someday, it would be a huge loss to go on my way hungry.

Unfortunately, I didn't enjoy the meal in peace.

The food had just been set on the table when more people from the palace arrived.

He was still a young eunuch.

He still smiled very politely.

He still had that "Lord Shen, you are blessed again" look on his face.

I looked at him, feeling somewhat numb.

When someone has had a lot of bad luck, even seeing an imperial edict can feel like seeing a familiar face.

The young eunuch bowed and said, "Lord Shen, His Majesty summons you to the palace."

Ah Liu's chopsticks fell onto the table.

I also fell silent for a moment.

Yesterday, the court held a roll call.

I was granted a residence yesterday.

Today, the marriage is bestowed upon us.

Now he has been summoned separately.

Xiao Jingheng was afraid I was dying too slowly, so he personally gave me a push.

I changed into my official robes and followed the young eunuch into the palace.

This is my second time entering the palace, but the route I took was different from yesterday.

Yesterday, the candidates for official positions entered Xuanzheng Hall through the main road. Today, a young eunuch led me around a side corridor, through two moon gates, and finally into an unusually quiet palace path.

I initially wanted to write it down.

Turn left twice, turn right once, cross the stone bridge, see bamboo shadows, and then walk through the long corridor.

I understood it halfway through memorizing it.

Useless.

This road isn't for me to memorize.

This was intentionally made so that I couldn't remember it.

The roads in the palace are like a net; you think you can see the lines, but it's just the section that others are willing to let you see.

My dad made me memorize the route last night.

The emperor changed his route today.

coincidence?

I don't really believe in coincidences anymore.

The young eunuch led me to the outside of a side hall and whispered, "Lord Shen, His Majesty is inside."

I straightened my sleeves and went inside.

The side hall was not large.

It was much smaller and quieter than the Xuanzheng Hall. Several clumps of bamboo grew outside the window, their leaves rustling in the wind. Inside the hall, there were no officials or guards, only Xiao Jingheng sitting behind his desk, flipping through a stack of documents.

He looked up when he saw me come in.

"They're here."

That tone is too casual.

He acted as casually as if I were an old minister whom he often summoned to the palace for casual chats.

But I know very well that I only met him for the first time yesterday.

He was still acting as someone who was about to kill him.

Although only I know about this right now.

I knelt down and bowed, saying, "Your subject Shen An pays his respects to Your Majesty."

Get up.

I got up.

Xiao Jingheng pointed to the chair next to him: "Sit."

I looked at the chair.

I didn't dare to move.

It seems highly unusual that a seventh-rank censor was offered a seat by the emperor on his first private audience with the emperor.

The emperor seemed to read my mind and said calmly, "I'm offering you a seat, not a death sentence."

I had no choice but to sit down.

They sat very properly.

They were so well-behaved that they didn't even dare to sit on the edge of the chairs.

Xiao Jingheng glanced at me, and the corner of his mouth seemed to twitch slightly.

"You were granted a residence yesterday; are you comfortable living here?"

"Your Majesty, the residence is very nice."

"What's so good about it?"

This sounds familiar.

Manager Chen asked about it yesterday as well.

I thought for a moment and said, "The gatehouse is sturdy, the courtyard is clean, and the walls are solid."

The emperor finally smiled.

"You do have a good eye."

My heart skipped a beat.

His words didn't sound like a compliment.

It's more like a confirmation.

After confirming that I had entered the house, they could tell that it was no ordinary reward.

I could only lower my head and say, "I am new to the capital and everything is new to me."

"And what about the princess?"

My eyelids twitched.

This topic came up so fast, I almost strained my back.

"Her Highness is dignified and composed."

"Upright?" The emperor put down the case file in his hand, his tone somewhat subtle. "When she was young, she angered the Grand Tutor so much that he fell ill for three days. You call her upright?"

I didn't reply.

At this point, accepting anything is wrong.

To say that a princess is not proper is tantamount to courting death.

To say that the emperor is right is tantamount to courting death.

I choose to keep quiet.

Xiao Jingheng didn't seem to really want to hear my evaluation of the princess. He pushed a case file on the table in front of me.

"There's something I need you to do."

I looked down.

The case file cover had a few words written on it.

The case of disbursement of funds for the repair of Yongning River.

Old archives of the Ministry of Works.

A slight thought crossed my mind.

The first task the emperor gave me was not to copy documents at the Censorate, nor to write a few innocuous impeachments.

Instead, it's about investigating the case.

It's still the Ministry of Works' money.

Xiao Jingheng said, "Last year, the Ministry of Works reported the repair of the Yongning River, and the Ministry of Revenue allocated 43,000 taels of silver. The accounts are clear, and the inspection has been completed."

The accounts are clear.

The inspection has been completed.

Putting these two words together is usually not a good thing.

I asked, "Then why does Your Majesty want to investigate?"

As soon as the words left my mouth, I knew I had asked a rather direct question.

A newly appointed seventh-rank censor should not respond to the emperor in such a manner.

But Xiao Jingheng wasn't angry.

He looked at me and said slowly, "Because the riverbank started to leak after autumn."

I understand.

Forty-three thousand taels were spent to repair a section of the river embankment. The accounts were clean, and the project passed inspection, but it started leaking in less than a year.

It's either a natural disaster.

It's either a man-made disaster.

And most of the so-called natural disasters in this world, if you dig deeper, you can find a few human hearts.

Xiao Jingheng continued, "I've heard that you're good at reading accounts."

My heart tightened again.

The fact that I can read accounts shouldn't be written in too much detail in the case file.

At least that fake recommendation letter wouldn't have mentioned that I followed my traitorous father to investigate salt administration accounts since I was a child.

"I know a little."

"A little knowledge is enough," the emperor said. "There are many people in the Censorate who can write articles, and many who can curse. But there are not many who can read accounts."

I looked down at the case file and didn't say anything.

The emperor is handing me a knife.

No, they used me as a knife and handed me over to the Ministry of Works.

"To what extent does Your Majesty wish me to investigate?"

Xiao Jingheng looked at me.

The side hall fell silent.

The bamboo leaves rustled softly outside the window.

He did not answer immediately.

After a while, he said, "I've investigated to the extent that you can."

That sounds generous.

That's actually the most dangerous thing.

Having no boundaries means I don't know where I can stop.

If I investigate too superficially, the emperor will think I'm useless.

If the investigation goes too far, the Ministry of Works will think I deserve to die.

On my second day in the capital, before I had even settled into my official post, the emperor had already chosen my first batch of enemies.

This efficiency is something even my dad might not be able to match.

I stood up and took the case file with both hands.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

Xiao Jingheng looked at me and suddenly said, "Shen An."

"Your subject is here."

"I said yesterday that all the officials in the court only trust you."

My scalp tingled slightly.

The emperor continued, "Many people will be unhappy with this statement."

nonsense.

More than just unhappy.

I bet someone already hurled voodoo dolls at me in their dreams last night.

I replied respectfully, "Your Majesty, I am deeply apprehensive."

"Being fearful is useless," Xiao Jingheng said. "Just do your job well."

I lowered my head and said, "Yes."

As I stepped out of the side hall, a gust of wind made me realize that my palms were sweaty again.

The case file was pressed against my chest; it didn't feel heavy.

But I felt like I was hugging a piece of red-hot iron.

The young eunuch led me outside.

This time, we took a different route.

I'm too lazy to remember anymore.

Anyway, even if I remember it, it might not be true.

As soon as I stepped out of the palace gate, before I could even catch my breath, someone walked towards me.

The man was around fifty years old, wearing a dark purple official robe. He had a thin face and a neatly trimmed beard. When he saw me from afar, he stopped and greeted me with a smile and a cupped-hand salute.

"Lord Shen."

I stopped and returned the greeting: "And you are, sir?"

Pei Shen.

His smile was gentle, like that of a very approachable elder.

But when he gave his name, my heart sank.

Pei Shen, Vice Minister of the Chancellery.

Rank 3.

I, a seventh-rank censor who just took office yesterday, was actually stopped and greeted by a third-rank official at the palace gate.

This is definitely not because I'm likable.

Pei Shen glanced at the case file in my arms and asked casually, "Did His Majesty send someone?"

News travels fast.

I had barely finished drinking half a cup of tea after leaving the side hall when he knew the emperor had sent a messenger.

I'm starting to have some doubts about who this palace wall is actually blocking.

I smiled and said, "His Majesty has asked me to look at some old documents."

"It's a good thing that young people are willing to work." Pei Shen nodded. "However, the Ministry of Works has always had a lot of old accounts. If you, Lord Shen, are new to officialdom and have any questions, you can come and ask me."

That's very polite.

Their politeness sent chills down my spine.

A third-rank official, a vice minister of the Chancellery, said to a seventh-rank censor, "If you have something to ask me, come and ask me."

This doesn't seem like a mentorship.

Like opening the door first and then letting me walk in myself.

I cupped my hands in thanks: "Thank you, Lord Pei."

Pei Shen smiled and stepped aside to let him pass.

Just as I was about to leave, he seemed to remember something and said gently, "By the way, the people in the Ministry of Works aren't known for their good temper. Lord Shen is young, so there's no need to be too hasty in everything."

I looked up at him.

He was still smiling.

There was no threat, no coldness, and even a touch of elder-like care.

But I understood.

There's no need to rush.

In other words, there's no need to investigate too deeply.

I bowed again and turned to leave.

After walking a short distance, Ah Liu came up from outside the palace gate. When he saw the case file in my arms, his face fell.

"Young Master, you've picked up something again?"

"Um."

"What is it this time?"

"A errand."

Ah Liu's expression was even uglier than when he heard about the arranged marriage.

He probably already understood that nothing the emperor gave him in the capital was free.

Just as I was about to get on the bus, a cold voice suddenly came from behind me.

"Lord Shen."

I turned around.

In the shadow of the palace gate stood a man dressed in a dark blue, narrow-sleeved robe.

He was in his thirties, tall and slender, and although he didn't wear a knife at his waist, he looked more like a knife than if he did.

He looked at me with a calm expression.

It's as flat as a non-reflective bronze mirror.

"Gu Xingzhi," he said, "Commander of the Inner Guard."

Internal guard.

The emperor's eyes and his knife.

My heart sank slightly, but I bowed respectfully and said, "Lord Gu."

Gu Xingzhi glanced at the case file in my arms.

"Yongning River?"

"Yes."

He nodded, his tone as indifferent as if he were talking about the weather.

"This case isn't big."

I didn't respond.

Sure enough, he said his next sentence.

"But three imperial censors have already died."

After saying that, he turned and left.

Ah Liu stood next to me, completely frozen.

After a long while, he asked in a low voice, "Young master, can we still resign from our official posts now?"

I held the case file and looked in the direction Gu Xingzhi had left.

"cannot."

"Can I fake being sick?"

"No, not either."

"What should we do then?"

I sighed.

"Let's go home first."

"Why go back?"

I looked down at the old Ministry of Works archives in my arms.

"Check the accounts."

Ah Liu said with a bitter face, "Young Master, didn't we come here to kill the Emperor?"

I got into the car and glanced at the palace gate.

"yes."

"So why are you starting to investigate corrupt officials for the emperor?"

I also want to know.

Unfortunately, no one told me.

The donkey cart slowly drove out of the long street in front of the palace gate.

The wind blew a corner of the case file in his arms open, revealing densely packed numbers inside.

Forty-three thousand taels.

Yongning River.

Old accounts of the Ministry of Works.

Three imperial censors who died.

I suddenly realized that Xiao Jingheng hadn't just given me a job.

He gave me a coffin.

They even made me find out for myself who bought the coffin board.