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

I didn't say a word on the way back to the Censorate.

Yan Xiaoyi didn't say anything either.

This is very rare.

He always manages to deliver a fatal blow when I'm at my lowest point, saying things like, "You're about to die," "You look like a corpse," or "You're about to fall into another trap."

But tonight, he was as quiet as a real guard.

He probably knew that the missing page Qian Rong produced wasn't just about the case.

It touched the place I least wanted to be touched.

southwest.

My dad.

Shen Lie.

The lights in the Censorate were still on.

Only half of the twenty-four hours had passed, but the entire courtyard felt as if it had been burning the midnight oil for three days and three nights.

Ah Liu came up to greet us with a bowl of hot water.

"Young master, Qian Rong didn't lay a hand on you, did he?"

"no."

"Poisoning him?"

"I didn't drink the tea."

Ah Liu visibly breathed a sigh of relief.

"Young master has finally learned his lesson."

I glanced at him.

He immediately stood up straight.

Zhao Guanlan was waiting for me in the main hall.

On the table were the bottom book, fragments of Qian Pifu's records, a copy of Yongfeng Bank's notes, Lu Yaopu's confession, and a small porcelain bottle.

These things, laid out together, resemble a net that is closing in.

Just one dunk away.

I told them about Qian Rong taking out the missing pages.

Zhao Guanlan's face darkened.

"He admits the missing page was in his possession?"

"no."

"You saw it?"

"I saw it."

"Can you prove it's a genuine page?"

I picked up the booklet on the table and turned to the missing page.

The tear is neat, but the paper edges are yellowed.

"The paper age, ink color, and tear edge are all correct."

Zhao Guanlan frowned.

"That's not enough."

"And locust flower ash."

I gently placed my fingertip under my nose.

Just now, when I was very close to that missing page, I smelled a very faint gray odor.

I didn't touch the paper.

But smell doesn't lie.

"The corner of the missing page smelled of locust flower ash and incense ash, which is consistent with the moisture-proof ash outside the stone box in the Locust Flower Courtyard."

Zhao Guanlan pondered.

"In other words, the missing page was once hidden in the stone box along with the original volume."

"right."

"Did Qian Rong take it later?"

"It might not have happened later," I said. "It's possible that the last few pages were already separated before the final copy was even put into the stone box. Or perhaps Qian Rong tore them out to save his life when he periodically took them out for verification."

Zhao Guanlan looked at me.

Why did he show it to you tonight?

"Testing me."

"What are you testing?"

"southwest."

The room fell silent for a moment after those two words were uttered.

Ah Liu stood by the door, his expression changing.

He knew I was from the southwest.

Not many people don't know this.

But we can't say anything about it.

Zhao Guanlan did not ask any further questions.

He simply said, "Shen An, if the missing pages in the bottom register involve old grievances in the Southwest, someone in the court will use it to attack you."

"It has already begun."

"How do you plan to deal with this?"

"Fight Qian Rong first."

I opened the tattered page of the Qian Pi Fu Ji (a type of official document).

Book One of the Locust Trees, I will not destroy it for now, but keep it for self-protection.

Guangchu Gate, seasonally collected.

Three cabinets of silver, money and fortune turn.

Lu Yao, clears the mouth.

If things are urgent, offer blessings and forgo acceptance.

"Qian Rong wants to use the old grudges in the Southwest to drag me away. That means he's almost at his breaking point with the Yongning case."

Zhao Guanlan nodded.

"Attack those you can fight first."

"right."

The old grievances in the Southwest run deep.

Touching it now is like throwing yourself into a well.

But Qian Rong's crimes are undeniable.

As long as we keep an eye on Qian Rong, we can get more clues about missing pages.

I asked, "Where's Qian Fu?"

"Awake."

"bring."

Qian Fu was quickly taken to the main hall.

He looked even more haggard.

He knelt down as soon as he entered the door.

Their movements were so practiced it was heartbreaking.

"Lord Shen, I've told you everything, I really have!"

I showed him the half-line of text before the missing page in the bottom book.

"In the eleventh year of the Chengxi reign, the military funds for the southwest were merged into the central government. Have you seen these pages?"

Qian Fu's face turned pale instantly.

He had seen it.

It's too obvious.

"explain."

Qian Fu stammered, "I...I've only seen it once."

"When?"

"Three years ago, the master asked me to organize the Huai album."

"Is the Huai Ce the record of Huaihua Bieyuan?"

"Yes. The original register was still intact at that time. When the master turned to the last few pages, his expression changed, and he told me to leave."

"You went out?"

"They've gone out."

"and then?"

"After a while, the master called me in and asked me to take a small box and seal the last few pages separately."

Zhao Guanlan and I exchanged a glance.

Qian Rong personally took away the missing pages.

"Where will the lockdown extend?"

Qian Fu shook his head.

"I don't know. The master took the small box away himself and wouldn't let me go with him."

"How many pages?"

"It seems to be four pages."

"Did you see the content?"

Qian Fu had a bitter face.

I only caught a glimpse of a few words.

"What character?"

"The military pay for the Southwest, Shen... and the Imperial Treasury."

My heart sank.

Shen.

He saw the character "Shen".

Is it Shen Lie's Shen?

Or is it another Shen?

I suppressed my emotions.

"Anything else?"

"There's also the character '后' (hòu). It looks like the '后' in '皇后' (huánghòu, empress)."

Zhao Guanlan's expression changed as well.

First Queen.

Southwest military pay.

The character "沈".

Internal warehouse.

These pages probably contain more than just Shen Lie's old case.

It also involves Xiao Lingyi's ongoing investigation into the death of the late empress.

I suddenly realized that Qian Rong's statement, "The Yongning case is nothing more than a shallow river," was not meant to scare people.

Beneath the shallow river lies deep water.

Ah Liu whispered from the side, "Young Master..."

I raised my hand to tell him to shut up.

We can't afford to panic now.

The more chaotic things get, the easier it is for Qian Rong to lead them astray.

I asked Qian Fu, "Where will Qian Rong hide the missing pages now?"

Qian Fu shook his head.

"The master keeps the most important things in the accounting room and the study."

"Where should we put it?"

"I really don't know."

I stared at him.

He was about to cry.

"Lord Shen, if I knew, I would have told you! Ji Qing wants to kill me, and the master wants to abandon me. Why should I keep it from them now?"

That sounds like the truth.

Qian Rong's most crucial trump card will not be revealed to Qian Fu.

I rephrased the question.

Whom does Qian Rong trust most on a daily basis?

"The steward in blue, Qian Gui, and... and an old servant."

"Old servant?"

"His name is Qian Zhong. He has been with the master since he was young. He doesn't usually do anything but guard the ancestral hall."

ancestral hall.

I wrote the word down.

Many people hide their most vital possessions not in their study, but in front of their ancestors.

Because outsiders wouldn't dare to rummage through it, and I felt safe with myself.

But we can't go yet.

I do not have the authority to investigate the Qianfu Ancestral Hall.

Qian Rong, take the money first.

Search the ancestral hall again.

Just as I was about to have someone take Qian Fu away, a soft sound came from outside the door.

It wasn't a knock.

It looked like something had been thrown into the yard.

Yan Xiaoyi stood up instantly.

He went out for a moment and came back with a small bamboo tube in his hand.

There were no bamboo leaves from the Princess's residence on the bamboo tube.

There was only one knife mark.

Very deep.

The slanted marks left by the Southwest knife technique.

My heart sank.

Xu Sandao.

Yan Xiaoyi looked at me.

"For you."

I opened the bamboo tube.

There was only a very thin piece of paper inside.

The characters are thick, as if hastily written with a charcoal pencil.

Young Master.

The master asked if you still had the old accounts of the Southwest military pay from the eleventh year of Chengxi's reign.

If you have it, hand it over immediately.

If not, it will be found within three days.

This account concerns the death of the lady.

I stared at the last four words, my fingertips growing cold.

The death of the lady.

My mother.

I've always known that my father's rebellion was related to an old case.

I also know that he hates the emperor.

But he rarely mentions my mother.

Every time the topic comes up, silence prevails over words.

Now, Xu Sandao delivers these words.

The old accounts of the Southwest military pay from the eleventh year of Chengxi's reign are related to my mother's death.

In other words, the missing pages in Qian Rong's inventory not only involve Shen Lie and the late Empress, but may also involve my mother.

This web has finally wrapped around my own neck.

Seeing that my expression was off, Ah Liu cautiously asked, "Young Master, what's wrong?"

I folded the note and tucked it into my sleeve.

"fine."

Ah Liu, of course, didn't believe it.

But he didn't dare ask.

Zhao Guanlan looked at me.

He didn't ask.

But I know he has already guessed that this connection is related to me.

Yan Xiaoyi leaned against the door and suddenly said, "You'd better get some sleep now."

I looked at him.

He said lazily, "Your eyes look like you want to kill someone. It's best not to look like that when you're investigating a case."

I remained silent for a moment.

He was right.

Anger is useful, but don't let it wield a knife.

I closed my eyes for a moment, then opened them again.

"How much of the twenty-four hours are left?"

Zhao Guanlan said, "About thirteen hours."

"enough."

"What's the next step in the investigation?"

I put the fragments of Qian Pifu's records, Lu Yaopu's confession, and Yongfeng Piaohao's documents together.

"First, nail down those who can nail Qian Rong."

"What about the old grievances in the Southwest?"

I looked at the note in my sleeve.

"We'll ask him for it after Qian Rong falls."

The missing page in Qian Rong's hand was a key.

I'm not going to steal the keys now.

I need to lock the person with the key in jail first.

Then ask slowly.

Outside, it was already quite dark.

Half of the twenty-four hours remain.

Qian Rong used old grudges from the Southwest to sway my heart.

I can't let him have his way.

I picked up my pen and began to write a new outline for the question.

First question: Who approved the issuance of 800 taels of silver from the Ministry of Works' treasury?

Second question: Was Qian Rong's instruction to approve Qian Fu's private accounts?

Third question: Why did Qian Cheng recall the No. 372 silver note?

Question 4: What token did Ji Qing use to obtain the poison from Lu's Pharmacy?

Fifth question: Why is the bottom register of Huaihua Bieyuan hidden in Qian Rong's private property?

I paused when I got to the fifth question.

Another sentence was added.

Sixth question: The bottom volume is missing pages, why did Qian Rong dare not present it to His Majesty?

The ink was very thick as the brush tip touched the paper.

Like a black line just pulled out of an old tent.

I stared at those words, and my mind gradually calmed down.

Qian Rong was trying to scare me by mentioning the Southwest region.

But he forgot.

The first thing my father taught me when I was little was not killing.

It's an audit.