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

I finished writing the six questions, and before the ink was even dry, Qian Fu had already started trembling.

He knelt below the door, his eyes constantly glancing towards the entrance.

It felt like a six-fingered hand could reach in from outside at any moment and drag him out to settle accounts.

I tapped on the desktop.

"Qian Fu".

He shuddered suddenly.

"Lord Shen, I am here."

"Look at me."

Qian Fu struggled to raise his head.

I said, "You're afraid of Ji Qing, afraid of Qian Rong, and afraid of the Qian family now, aren't you?"

He nodded vigorously.

"We're all afraid."

"Then there's one more thing to be afraid of."

"what?"

"You're afraid of me."

Qian Fu was stunned.

Ah Liu whispered from the side, "Young master, you are indeed quite frightening right now."

I ignored him.

I looked at Qian Fu and slowly said, "If you tell the truth, I guarantee you'll live to see the court. If you hide anything more, and Qian Rong wants to settle accounts, I'll throw you in jail as a false witness. Then, it'll be easier for Ji Qing to find you while you're in jail."

Qian Fu's face turned green.

"I'm telling the truth! I'm telling the truth!"

I laid out my six questions in front of him.

"First, who approved the disbursement of 800 taels of silver from the Ministry of Works' treasury?"

Qian Fu swallowed hard.

"Minister Qian."

"Is it handwritten?"

"have."

The hall fell silent.

Zhao Guanlan sat beside him, his gaze slightly narrowed.

I continued, "Where is the handwritten note?"

Qian Fu hurriedly replied, "It's not at the Qian residence. When the Ministry of Works releases funds from its treasury, a red slip is required. The main slip is used for the treasury's operations, and the secondary slip is used for the supplementary register. Vice Minister Qian personally wrote a red slip approving the disbursement of eight hundred taels of treasury funds, with the item listed as 'replenishment of materials for the Yongning River channel.'"

"Where is the deputy clerk?"

"Ministry of Works Treasury and Silver Room".

My heart skipped a beat.

Finally, I got my hands on the official approval document.

Qian Rong could pass on his private seals, secret accounts, and banknotes to his servants.

However, the seal in the Ministry of Works' Treasury's deputy register was not something Qian Fu could simply slip in.

I asked, "Does Wu Zheng know?"

Qian Fu hesitated.

I put the poison bottle on the table.

He immediately replied, "I know! Physician Wu handled it, but the imperial edict was approved by Vice Minister Qian."

Zhao Guanlan whispered to the servants to write it down.

I continued, "Secondly, was the private record of Qian's approval authorized by Qian Rong?"

Qian Fu nodded.

"Yes. The money approval is a secret record of expenditures that you, sir, cannot conveniently enter into the official accounts. I only record it, and dare not approve it myself."

"Third, why did Qian Cheng recall the No. 372 silver note?"

Qian Fu glanced at Qian Cheng, who was being held on the other side.

Qian Cheng's face turned pale; his earlier arrogance had vanished.

Qian Fu said, "Because Yongfeng announced that it would buy back double the amount of money, the master was afraid that the money exchange involved in the case would be used by others to redeem the money, so he ordered the people in the mansion to buy it back first."

Qian Cheng hurriedly said, "It wasn't my uncle who sent me directly! It was the manager!"

I look at him.

"Then are you willing to sign this document, saying that you are acting on Qian Rong's orders?"

Qian Cheng's lips trembled, and he dared not speak.

Qian Fu became anxious.

"Young Master Qian Cheng, stop pretending! How could Qian Gui dare to transfer you to the bank on his own? If it weren't for the master's approval, who would dare to send a relative of the Qian family to collect ransom notes?"

Qian Cheng's face alternated between pale and flushed.

He finally lowered his head.

"All I know is... my uncle said that someone outside is using old banknotes to make trouble, and that I should follow Qian Gui's instructions to collect the banknotes."

This is enough.

It's not a conviction, but it proves that Qian Rong knew there was something wrong with the "old tickets".

I asked Manager Lu, "Fourth, what token did Ji Qing use to obtain the poison from Lu's Pharmacy?"

Manager Lu was held down in the hall, his face even more pale than Qian Cheng's.

He's now kicking himself for it.

"Gold-threaded crane sleeve lining".

How many times do I need to pick up the medication?

"three times."

"What did you retrieve most recently?"

"Wu Fu San, Almond Cream, and a small amount of Poison Sand."

Ah Liu turned pale upon hearing this.

I glanced at him.

He immediately covered his water bag.

Very good, they're becoming increasingly vigilant.

I asked Manager Lu, "Who paid the money?"

"Yongfeng Three Counters Silver Notes"

"Who gave you the ticket?"

"The person picking up the medicine."

"Six fingers?"

"Yes."

I turned to Qian Fu.

Fifth, why was the inventory book of the Locust Blossom Villa hidden in Qian Rong's private property?

Qian Fu looked miserable.

"It was hidden by the master himself. I only knew that the book of books should not be burned, because it was said to save one's life. Later, Ji Qing conveyed the message that clearing the accounts should not be about people, and people would become accounts, so the master ordered the books to be destroyed."

"Sixth, the bottom volume is missing pages. Why didn't Qian Rong submit it to His Majesty?"

Qian Fu suddenly lowered his head.

"Because those pages are not related to the Yongning case."

"What is it?"

"Old accounts from the Southwest".

"besides?"

Qian Fu hesitated.

I didn't rush him.

Zhao Guanlan remained silent.

The only sound in the hall was the soft popping of the lamp wick.

After a long while, Qian Fucai whispered, "The master said that those few pages can keep many people awake at night, and they can also shut many people up."

"Who are these many people?"

"I don't know."

This time it doesn't seem like a lie.

Someone at Qian Fu's level might know that Qian Rong had a knife, but they might not know who the knife was meant to kill.

I made him sign the document.

When Qian Fu pressed his fingerprint, his hand trembled so badly that he smeared red clay onto half of his palm.

Qian Cheng refused to sign the document, so Lu Huaizhou, with a cold face, transcribed his words into a confession and read it aloud on the spot.

When Qian Cheng heard about "making a fuss over old tickets", his face turned pale.

"I didn't say the old tickets were involved!"

Lu Huaizhou said, "You mentioned the old ticket."

"I didn't say I was involved in a case!"

Lu Huaizhou picked up his pen and added, "Qian Cheng was unaware that the old tickets were involved in the case."

Qian Cheng was stunned.

Lu Huaizhou added: "But it is true that he was ordered by the Qian family steward to take back the bank."

Qian Cheng: "..."

I almost burst out laughing.

Lu Huaizhou's written confession was even more forceful than his impeachment petition.

Manager Lu signed the document the fastest.

He had already witnessed the gray-clad man silencing him, and now he just wanted the Censorate to lock him up more tightly.

The three testimonies were finally completed.

Zhao Guanlan glanced at it and said in a deep voice, "We are currently lacking vermilion slips."

I nodded.

"Go to the Ministry of Works' treasury."

Ah Liu immediately said, "Young master, you've just returned and you're leaving again?"

"Um."

"Those hot pancakes..."

"Eat on the way."

Ah Liu handed me the hot pancakes that he had prepared beforehand.

There are four this time.

I took two, and gave the remaining two to Yan Xiaoyi.

Yan Xiaoyi glanced at it.

Is it poisonous?

Ah Liu said earnestly, "I smelled it first."

Yan Xiaoyi thought about it and accepted it.

Zhao Guanlan also stood up.

"I'll go with you."

Lu Huaizhou said, "I'll go too."

I look at him.

"Lord Lu is not defending Yongfeng?"

"Someone has already been left in Yongfeng. If the Ministry of Works' treasury can obtain the official seal, I can write three impeachment memorials tomorrow."

I said, "One for Qian Rong, one for Wu Zheng, and one for the Ministry of Works warehouse?"

Lu Huaizhou nodded.

"Perfect."

This guy is truly born to make a living by shooting bullets.

Just as we were about to leave, Xu Shen came out from the east wing.

"Liu Laoqi woke up once."

I stopped.

"What did you say?"

He said that in the carriage with the character "广" on the fourteenth, there was a box and another person inside.

I frowned.

"Who is it?"

"I don't know. He only heard coughing."

"Male or female?"

Xu Shen shook his head.

"Too weak, can't get any information out of them."

This line is temporarily suppressed.

Are there still living people fourteen miles from Guangzi?

That car had no record of leaving the vehicle, and it was later added to the record of remaining in the garage.

If there was someone in the car, where did that person go?

Internal warehouse?

Imperial Palace?

Or is it somewhere behind Guangchu Gate that can't be written into the accounts?

My heart sank.

But we can't split the lines now.

First, take the red slip.

When I left the Censorate, the sky was already as dark as if it had been splashed with ink.

Only about ten of the twenty-four hours remain.

The Ministry of Works' treasury is a nut we must crack tonight.

Ah Liu stood at the door and called out softly, "Young Master."

I turned around.

It was rare for him not to say he was afraid of dying.

He simply handed me a small cloth bag.

It contains lime powder.

"New."

I looked at him.

He whispered, "Didn't we run out of the old ones?"

I smiled and tucked it into my sleeve.

"You've made progress."

Ah Liu puffed out his chest, then quickly shrank back down.

"Then please come back soon, young master."

I nodded.

"As much as possible."

Lately, I've become increasingly hesitant to speak definitively.

Because in the capital, people love to slap those who say things they're not sure they're talking about in the face.