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

Qian Rong placed the old piece of paper on the table.

It's very light.

So light that it made no sound at all.

But as I looked at it, I felt that the lights in the main hall dimmed for a moment.

In the eleventh year of the Chengxi reign, the military funds for the southwest were merged into…

That's all.

Only half a line.

Half a line of text, yet colder than money, banknotes, poison, or corpses in an old warehouse.

Because it points southwest.

My father is in the southwest.

Shen Lie.

I was ordered by him to go to the capital to assassinate the emperor, but now in Qian Rong's mansion, I see a missing page in a book that may bring up old grievances in the southwest.

There is no limit to how deep the pits in this world can get.

Qian Rong looked at me.

His face remained gentle, even showing the patience of an elder advising a younger person.

"Lord Shen, please have a seat."

I did not sit.

He didn't touch the paper either.

Qian Rong smiled.

"Afraid?"

"Afraid."

He seemed surprised that I answered so quickly.

I said, "If you investigate a case and reach Minister Qian in his own court, and find that the records are missing pages, and you're still not afraid, that's not being bold, that's being out of your mind."

Qian Rong sighed softly.

"You are more honest than many young censors."

"Honest people live longer."

"not necessarily."

He raised his hand, and the steward in blue brought him a cup of tea.

Qian Rong pushed the tea towards me.

"This time there's no poison."

I looked at that cup of tea.

The last time I had tea at the Qian residence, I ended up with a whole bunch of impeachment petitions.

If I drink again this time, I'll probably drink myself half to death.

I said, "Minister Qian's tea is too expensive; I cannot afford it."

Qian Rong didn't press the matter.

He picked up his teacup and slowly took a sip.

"Lord Shen, now that you've investigated this far, you should understand one thing."

"What?"

"The Yongning River case is not what you think."

"What I'm thinking is that the Ministry of Works is embezzling funds and has murdered people to cover it up."

"It's just foam on the surface of the water."

Qian Rong looked at the missing page on the table.

"The following are old accounts."

"Old grudges in the Southwest?"

"good."

My heart tightened, but I didn't show it.

"Why did Vice Minister Qian tell me this?"

Qian Rong smiled.

"Because I admire you."

I almost burst out laughing.

The people in the Qian family really admire me.

After you've finished admiring it, hand over the knife.

Qian Rong said slowly, "Shen An, you are young, talented, and courageous. His Majesty's use of you is not without reason. But one cannot live in the court with only one immediate goal in mind."

"Then what should we look at?"

"See which way the river flows."

He pointed to the piece of paper with his finger.

"The Yongning River flows downstream, to the Ministry of Works, to the Inner Treasury, to the Guangchu Gate, and also to the southwest."

I asked, "Is Minister Qian suggesting that this case shouldn't have been investigated?"

"No," Qian Rong shook his head. "It should be investigated. But we need to be careful about where we go from here."

"Does 'knowing when to stop' mean making Qian Fu take the blame?"

Qian Rong remained expressionless.

"Qian Fu is indeed guilty."

"Where is Qian Cheng?"

"Young people are foolish."

"Lu's Pharmacy?"

"Merchants are greedy for money."

"Ji Qing?"

Qian Rong paused for a moment as he held the teacup.

It's very light.

But I saw it.

"I cannot comment on the people of the Pei family."

That's a good "I can't comment" statement.

Qian Rong categorized everyone and pushed them out.

The counting house is guilty.

My nephew is muddle-headed.

The pharmacy was greedy.

Ji Qing is not under his jurisdiction.

He was simply negligent in his own observation.

I looked at him.

"And what about Minister Qian?"

"I am guilty of oversight," he said frankly. "If Your Majesty wishes to punish me, I will accept it."

"Only admitting to oversight?"

"Lord Shen, what you have is not enough to convict me of a serious crime."

He said this very calmly.

It's also very accurate.

The bottom book could drag Qian Rong down with him.

But to seal the deal, one final step is still needed.

Qian Fu's confession can be translated.

Qian Cheng can refuse.

The silver notes can be said to be the work of the accounting department.

Qian Pi’s private seal could also be accused of being stolen by Qian Fu.

What Qian Rong was truly afraid of was not the Yongning case itself.

It was by digging deeper into the Yongning case that we uncovered these missing pages in his possession, the old accounts in the Southwest, and the people behind him.

I said, "So, Minister Qian invited me here tonight to discuss something?"

Qian Rong put down his teacup.

"good."

"How do we negotiate?"

"The Yongning case ends with Qian Fu. There is sufficient evidence that Qian Fu stole the ledgers, laundered banknotes, and colluded with carriage and horse shops and pharmacies. I admit my oversight and resign as Vice Minister of Works to return to my hometown to recuperate."

I looked at him.

That sounds like a very generous offer.

A third-rank official resigned, Qian Fu was imprisoned, the Yongning case was resolved, and the court was able to settle things.

For many people, that's enough.

But that's not enough.

Far from enough.

"Where is Fang Yuanshi?" I asked.

Qian Rong remained silent.

"Where is the old warehouse guard?"

He remained silent.

"Liu Laoqi was poisoned, Bai Laoxiu was tortured, the Tao family's ironworks was silenced, and the gray-clad assassins ambushed and killed Fang Zhou and her son—were all these things done by Qian Fu, just one of the accountants?"

Qian Rong looked at me.

"Lord Shen, not every case in this world can be resolved, not every life can be saved."

I smiled.

"Then you should say those words, Vice Minister Qian, at the mortuary."

His eyes were slightly cold.

"Are you really going to continue investigating?"

"check."

"They're investigating even the Southwest region?"

My fingertips tightened slightly.

"check."

Qian Rong said slowly, "Shen An, you can't touch the old scores in the Southwest."

"Minister Qian knows I can't touch it, so why did you take it out anyway?"

He looked at me.

I looked at him too.

The main hall was quiet for a moment.

I suddenly understood.

Qian Rong took out the missing page, not just to threaten me.

It was also a test of me.

He wanted to see if I would panic, be afraid, or show any inappropriate reaction when I heard the word "southwest."

He may not know that I am Shen Lie's son.

But he had his doubts.

Or perhaps someone behind him suspects something.

I slowly exhaled.

"Minister Qian, may I take a look at this paper?"

Qian Rong smiled.

"Of course you can watch it."

He didn't let me touch him.

The steward in green took a small wooden clip, clipped the missing page together, and hung it in front of me.

To prevent me from robbing them.

It also prevents me from touching it.

I looked down at the paper.

The paper edges are old and yellowed, the ink is deep and rich, and the tears are neat.

The gap in the bottom volume does indeed suggest it's from the same volume.

But I noticed something else even more.

There was a tiny bit of very fine ash on the corner of the paper.

It's not ordinary gray.

The gray color carries a faint scent of locust blossoms.

There's also a slightly dry smell from the ash used to suppress moisture.

This same scent can be found in the stone box of the Locust Blossom Courtyard.

This missing page was once kept together with the bottom volume.

It wasn't some fake paper that Qian Rong casually gave me to scare me with.

It is indeed a missing page.

After I finished reading it, I took a step back.

"Minister Qian, you must keep this paper safe."

His brow twitched slightly.

Why?

"Because I will come to collect it."

Qian Rong finally turned cold.

"Shen An, do you think His Majesty can protect you forever?"

I replied, "Whether Your Majesty protects me or not, I do not know."

I looked at the missing page.

"But the tent will protect the minister."

"account?"

"The accounts don't consider personal relationships or official positions. They record everything: who took the money, who approved the documents, who transferred the goods, who poisoned the goods, and who tore out a page."

I looked up at him.

"Minister Qian, people can lie, but accounts can't."

Qian Rong stared at me for a long time.

Then, he suddenly laughed.

"it is good."

He tucked the missing page back into his sleeve.

"Then I will wait for Lord Shen to come and collect it."

I cupped my hands in greeting.

Goodbye.

As they reached the door, Qian Rong spoke again.

"Lord Shen."

I stopped.

"Before you investigate the old accounts in the Southwest, you'd better ask yourself this question first."

"What do you want to ask?"

Qian Rong's voice was very soft.

"If the truth would kill your father, would you still investigate?"

My fingers tightened suddenly.

This time, I didn't look back.

"Your Majesty, I will examine the accounts."

"Whoever's name is on the ledger, that's who they are."

After saying that, I walked out of the main hall of the Qian residence.

A night breeze blew, and I realized my back was covered in cold sweat.

Yan Xiaoyi was waiting for me outside the door.

He glanced at me.

You don't look well.

"The tea was bitter even though I didn't drink it."

"What did Qian Rong show you?"

"The bottom volume is missing pages."

"southwest?"

I looked at him.

He shrugged.

"It's written all over your face."

I remained silent for a moment.

"Yan Xiaoyi".

"Um?"

"Do you think the accounts might be deceiving people?"

He thought about it.

"I don't know the accounts."

I felt a little relieved.

He added, "The person who does the accounting will."

I looked at the night sky and smiled.

well.

I know this all too well.