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

When I rushed back to the Censorate, the gate was already in complete chaos.

In places like the Censorate, even arguments follow set rules.

Today is different.

The bailiffs ran around, the lanterns swaying as if they were about to fly. Ah Liu stood by the threshold, his face deathly pale, clutching half a wooden stick in his hand.

His eyes welled up with tears when he saw me come back.

"Young Master!"

The first thing I asked after getting out of the car was, "Where's Qian Fu?"

Ah Liu hurriedly said, "Alive!"

"Liu Laoqi?"

"Already alive!"

"Xiao Xiu?"

"It's in the backyard, it's not stolen!"

I breathed a sigh of relief.

Fortunately.

The emperor said that if another witness is lost, I will be removed from my post.

Although Qian Cheng was robbed, strictly speaking, it's still debatable whether he is a witness.

Of course, if the emperor insists that he is the one in charge, I can only kneel down and argue.

Zhao Guanlan had already arrived at the front hall, his face extremely grim.

"Qian Cheng was taken away from the west wing. The two guards at the gate were drugged, but they did not die."

"Who came?"

"People from the Ministry of Justice."

I frowned.

"The real Ministry of Justice?"

Zhao Guanlan did not answer, but simply had someone hand me a waist token.

Ministry of Justice waist tag.

It looks real.

But things that look real are usually the most suspicious.

I turned it over and found some new scratches on the corner.

"Fake."

Lu Huaizhou followed him in, took a look at it, and nodded.

"The back of the Ministry of Justice waist tag has three fine serrations, but this one only has two and a half. It's a good imitation, but it's not an authentic Ministry of Justice tag."

I look at him.

Lu Huaizhou said, "I once wrote a memorial impeaching the Ministry of Justice for forging official documents, and I have studied it."

It's true that everyone has their own area of ​​expertise.

I asked Ah Liu, "Where were you then?"

Ah Liu immediately straightened his back.

"I'll stay in the backyard and watch over Xiaoxiu and Liu Laoqi."

"What did you hear?"

"Hearing a commotion ahead, I wanted to go out and see, but Physician Xu said that Liu Laoqi had just stabilized and we couldn't make a fuss. So I didn't dare to leave for too long, and only ran to the corridor to take a look."

"Did you see someone?"

"I saw two men in the uniforms of the Ministry of Justice leading Qian Cheng out."

Did Qian Cheng struggle?

Ah Liu's expression was somewhat strange.

"I made money."

I looked at him.

"How did you earn it?"

"They shout a lot, but they walk pretty fast."

The room fell silent for a moment.

Yan Xiaoyi chuckled.

I understand now.

This is not kidnapping.

It wasn't just a simple kidnapping.

If real money were forcibly taken away, one should be terrified.

But Ah Liu said that he "talks a lot but walks fast."

This means he's acting.

Qian Cheng is being held in the Censorate. If the Qian family wants to rescue him, there are two ways.

One option is to silence them.

Secondly, take it back to wash and offer it.

Qian Cheng is Qian Rong's nephew, unlike Qian Fu.

Qian Fu can be pushed aside, but it would be best to save Qian Cheng.

After rescuing him, make him say that he was forced to confess by Shen An, that the banknotes were obtained from gambling debts, and that the note was forged by Shen An.

In this way, the Qian family's kinship ties that I just established will be betrayed and bitten back.

I asked, "Did he leave anything behind?"

Ah Liu immediately pulled out a small piece of jade from his sleeve.

"have."

I was taken aback.

"Where did it come from?"

"When Qian Cheng left, he bumped into the threshold, and a piece of his jade pendant broke off. I picked it up."

He added, "I'm afraid they'll clean it up later."

Looking at Ah Liu, I suddenly felt a sense of relief.

This kid is finally doing more than just buying pancakes.

There was blood on the edge of the broken jade.

Very few.

Like the scratch Qian Cheng made with his own finger.

I picked it up and smelled it.

Besides the smell of blood, it also has a slight fragrance.

It's very light.

Like a calming incense.

I asked Zhao Guanlan, "How did the gatekeeper faint?"

"He inhaled a sleeping potion."

"Where did it come from?"

The constable handed over a piece of incense ash.

I unfolded it to take a look.

It's a fine gray color, mixed with a little sandalwood powder.

It smells similar to the aroma of the main hall of the Qian family mansion.

People from the Qian family.

I looked at Ah Liu.

"What did the person who took Qian Cheng say?"

Ah Liu tried hard to recall.

"The leader said that he was ordered by Lord Han of the Ministry of Justice to question Qian Chengfu. At first, Qian Chengfu refused to go, but then the man whispered, 'Young Master Qian, the master is waiting for you.' And then he left."

master.

Qian Rong.

Qian Cheng was not robbed.

They were called back.

I turned to Zhao Guanlan and asked, "Has this news gotten out yet?"

Zhao Guanlan said, "Some people have already seen that the Censorate is in chaos."

"Then let it continue to be chaotic."

Zhao Guanlan looked at me.

I said, "Tell the outside world that Qian Cheng was abducted by the Ministry of Justice and his fate is unknown."

Lu Huaizhou frowned.

"That's a lie."

I look at him.

"Has Qian Cheng left?"

"Yes."

"Did the person who came have a Ministry of Justice badge?"

"Yes."

"Do we not know if he is alive or dead?"

Lu Huaizhou remained silent for a moment.

"It's not clear either."

"Then it's not a lie."

Lu Huaizhou looked at me with a complicated expression.

They probably thought it was dangerous for me to be an imperial censor.

I continued, "Since the Qian family wants Qian Cheng to go back and clear his name, they will definitely make him write a confession against his previous statement. As long as we don't pursue him for the time being, Qian Cheng will show up on his own."

Ah Liu asked in a low voice, "Young Master, if we don't chase after them, what about His Majesty?"

I looked at the official seal of the Ministry of Works on the table.

"Qian Cheng is not the most crucial witness at the moment."

"Then who is it?"

"Qian Fu, Manager Lu, and Old Liu the Seventh."

I paused for a moment.

"There is also a missing internal database receipt."

Qian Chengneng can prove that the Qian family has taken back the silver notes.

Even without Qian Cheng, we still have Qian Fu's account book, Yongfeng Bank, Lu Pharmacy's confession, and the Ministry of Works' official seal.

What's really missing is the internal warehouse receipt.

Once the receipt is obtained, the process of temporarily storing 800 taels of silver in the Ministry of Works' treasury at the inner warehouse is complete.

Even if Qian Rong were to accuse Qian Fu of embezzlement, he still wouldn't be able to explain why the Ministry of Works' approval could be used to enter the Imperial Treasury.

Zhao Guanlan said, "The Imperial Treasury receipt is probably not in the Ministry of Works."

"I know."

"Not at the Qian residence either?"

"If we were at the Qian residence, Qian Rong would have used it to threaten me tonight, along with the missing page."

Yan Xiaoyi suddenly said, "The character 'Guang' is fourteen."

I looked at him.

He said lazily, "Old Liu said there was a coughing sound in the car."

Correct.

The character "广" (Guang) is associated with the fourteenth character, and the carriage is decorated with green curtains.

The vehicle was changed to "remaining in the warehouse and not yet dispatched" in the Guangchumen ledger.

Besides the box, there was also a person coughing in the car.

If the Imperial Treasury receipt is not in the Ministry of Works or the Ministry of Finance, then it may be in the hands of the person who entered Guangchu Gate with the carriage that night.

Who is that person?

Why am I coughing?

Is he a minor official in the Imperial Treasury?

Or was it the person who handled the kidnapping?

I immediately said, "Let's go see Liu Laoqi."

Xu Shen was administering acupuncture to Liu Laoqi in the east wing.

He looked very annoyed when he saw me come in.

"Lord Shen, I just caught the man, don't kill him with a single question."

"Just three questions."

"You said the same thing last time."

"This time it's really three sentences."

Xu Shen glanced at me.

"Ask away. If you ask more than three questions, I'll stab you."

He spoke very seriously.

I squatted down beside Liu Laoqi's bed.

Liu Laoqi opened his eyes, but his gaze was cloudy.

I whispered, "Liu Laoqi, do you remember the people in car number fourteen, Guang?"

His eyes moved slightly.

"Cough...cough..."

"What kind of person?"

"Like...a patient."

The first sentence.

I continued, "Did he speak?"

Liu Laoqi gasped for breath a few times.

"I said...I said it once."

second sentence.

I held back my racing heart.

"What did you say?"

Liu Laoqi's lips trembled.

"Receipt...cannot be given..."

The third sentence.

Xu Shen immediately blocked my way.

"That's enough!"

I shut up.

These three sentences are enough.

The person in the fourteenth carriage of the Guangzi brand had a receipt in his hand.

He was unwilling to give it.

Therefore, he is not the one who settles accounts.

He was probably taken into Guangchu Gate by the people clearing accounts and forced to hand over the receipt.

I stood up.

"Let him rest."

Xu Shen sneered: "At least you've said something sensible."

I returned to the main hall.

Zhao Guanlan looked at me.

"Find the person in the fourteenth carriage with the character 'Guang' on it."

"right."

"Where should we look?"

"Guangchumen".

I took out the supplementary register of Guangchumen and copied it.

The official on duty, Liu Cheng, is ill.

The person who submitted the supplementary report was Ji Qing with six fingers.

The Qingwei cart was nominally for "the return of old items from the inner warehouse."

Inner warehouse/material storage room.

cough.

receipt.

I suddenly thought of someone.

"On the day of the Guangchu Gate incident, did anyone in the inner warehouse/material storage room take sick leave?"

Lu Huaizhou immediately asked, "Could we check the roster of the palace servants?"

Zhao Guanlan shook his head.

"It is not convenient for officials outside the capital to check the names of people in the imperial treasury."

It's not that it's impossible to check, but rather that it's difficult to find.

The emperor gave me twenty-four hours, but he didn't give me the list of names in the imperial treasury.

This means he wants me to figure out a solution myself.

Just then, the gatekeeper came to report that a list of medicinal herbs had been sent from the princess's residence.

List of medicinal herbs?

I took it and saw that it listed several medicines for treating coughs.

Below the payment details, there is a line of small print.

Feng Baoquan, a minor official in the inner warehouse.

Persistent cough.

Three days ago, he left through Guangchu Gate and was sent to Ci'en Temple for quiet recuperation.

Xiao Lingyi.

She added another half-sentence.

Ci'en Temple.

As I looked at these three characters, I suddenly thought of the gray-robed man at the bell tower of Ci'en Temple.

This wasn't the first time that place had appeared.

Looks like I'll have to go again tonight.

Ah Liu's face fell when he heard about Ci'en Temple.

"Young master, haven't we been to that place several times already?"

I nodded.

"Um."

"Something always happens every time I go there."

"Try to make it smaller this time."

Ah Liu wasn't comforted at all.

I looked at Zhao Guanlan.

"I'm going to Ci'en Temple to find Feng Baoquan."

Zhao Guanlan said, "I will send someone to accompany you."

"There are few people, don't be alarmed."

Yan Xiaoyi stood up straight.

"I'll go."

Ah Liu immediately said, "I'll stay and guard the gate."

I glanced at him.

He learned his lesson this time.

Yeah.

The Censorate is no longer necessarily safer than the outside world.

I sealed away the broken jade, the fake Ministry of Justice waist token, and the ash from the sleeping incense.

Qian Chengxian did not pursue the matter.

Let him come out on his own.

Now I need to find someone who is coughing.

Someone who might be holding the internal receipt.

Less than ten of the twenty-four hours remain.

I suddenly realized that the time the emperor gave me wasn't for investigating the case.

It's meant to prolong one's life.