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

Qian Rong admitted that Zhu's signature was genuine.

That "yes" was like a stone falling into water.

The water was calm at first, then an undercurrent suddenly surged forth.

The Ministry of Works official's expression changed.

The eyes of several censors from the Censorate lit up.

Pei Shen remained standing in the same spot, his expression gentle and unwavering.

Emperor Xiao Jingheng looked at Qian Rong.

"Since you acknowledge the imperial seal, why do you state in your own memorial that Qian Fu embezzled treasury silver?"

Qian Rong prostrated himself and said, "I acknowledge the red seal, but I do not acknowledge the mastermind."

it is good.

Not finished yet.

Qian Rong looked up, his voice steady.

"Your Majesty, it is true that 800 taels of silver were spent on replenishing the Yongning River channel. I approved it at the time because an urgent document from the Secretariat was sent, stating that the Imperial Treasury needed to temporarily hold the replenishment for Yongning, pending verification before the document was completed. I was negligent and did not realize that there was fraud involved."

I sneered inwardly.

That's a very clever way of absolving himself.

Qian Rong acknowledged the use of the Zhu seal, but claimed that he was misled by the old document plaques from the Central Secretariat.

Ji Qing held the old Zhongshu plaque.

Feng Baoquan also revealed the old official seal of the Secretariat.

Now Qian Rong is taking the opportunity to shift the blame onto the old regime of the Central Secretariat.

In this way, the case changed from "Qian Rong embezzling" to "Ji Qing forging old documents from the Secretariat to trick Qian Rong into approving silver."

At most, Qian Rong was negligent in his investigation.

The emperor asked, "Where is the urgent dispatch?"

Qian Rong lowered his head.

"It has been retrieved by Ji Qing."

well.

There is no way to verify the truth since the dead are dead.

I stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, if Vice Minister Qian was merely deceived by Ji Qing, how do you explain the statement in Vice Minister Qian's annotation, 'Book One, do not destroy for now, keep it for self-protection'?"

Qian Rongdao: "The origin of the fragments is questionable."

"What about Qian Cheng's acceptance of bank drafts?"

"Young people are misled by the accountant."

"Is Lu's Pharmacy serving up some fresh air?"

"It was done by Ji Qing."

"Qian Fu's private account?"

"Qian Fu framed someone to protect himself."

Qian Rong answered each message quickly.

He has changed his tactics.

Acknowledge some of the genuine evidence.

Deny all masterminds.

They pushed every responsibility onto Ji Qing and Qian Fu.

I continued, "Then why was the original copy hidden in the Locust Blossom Villa?"

Qian Rong said in a deep voice, "Qian Fu kept it for himself."

"Qian Fu, a mere accountant, would hide the complete ledgers in a stone box under the old locust tree in your villa, and even hang dried locust blossoms and incense ash to prevent moisture?"

"The servants in the mansion were bribed by him."

"What about the fake books in the study?"

"I do not know."

"What happened to the servants at the other residence?"

"Ji Qing was silenced."

I stopped.

Qian Rong looked at me.

His meaning is very clear.

The more information you find, the more it proves how ruthless Ji Qing is.

However, this may not necessarily prove that Qian Rong was the mastermind.

This is the difficulty of being in the imperial court.

Arresting people in the streets and alleys is as long as you have a knife in your hand.

When sentencing someone in the golden palace, the sword must have a sheath, the sheath must have a seal, and the seal must be able to silence everyone.

I looked at the emperor.

Xiao Jingheng remained silent.

He is waiting.

Wait until I deliver the final blow.

But I didn't have the final blow.

At least not now.

The evidence I have is sufficient to prove that Qian Rong personally approved the treasury funds, that the evidence is highly questionable, that he was extremely negligent in his oversight, and that he was deeply involved in the case.

But to get him to acknowledge the mastermind in the palace, Ji Qing is still needed.

Ji Qing is not here.

Qian Rong found an opening to exploit.

I took a deep breath.

"Your Majesty, I request that Qian Rong's seal of office as Minister of Works be temporarily confiscated and that he be handed over to the Censorate for custody and interrogation. At the same time, Ji Qing should be apprehended, and the origin of the old official document of the Secretariat should be investigated."

Qian Rong glanced at me.

It seemed somewhat unexpected.

He probably thought I would stick to my guns and fight to the bitter end.

Of course I want to.

If you can't kill it with a bite, you can't bite it indiscriminately.

Biting randomly will only give him an opening to escape.

Seize the seal first.

Once the Ministry of Works' seal was taken away, he could no longer access the Ministry's account books, treasury funds, or manpower, nor could he continue to conduct audits.

They were put back under guard.

Once you leave the Qian residence, you'll have the opportunity to investigate Qian Zhong, the steward in green robes, the ancestral hall, and the missing pages.

Lu Huaizhou stepped forward.

"Your subject seconds this proposal. Qian Rong's signature is already clear, and the Ministry of Works' treasury ledger has been altered. If he continues to hold the Ministry of Works' seal, the evidence may be lost again."

Zhao Guanlan also stepped forward.

"I second that opinion."

Someone from the Ministry of Works wanted to speak, but seeing the old page with the red signature, they swallowed their words.

Pei Shen suddenly stepped forward.

"Your Majesty, I also believe that Qian Shilang's seal and ribbon should be temporarily revoked."

Many people in the hall looked at him.

Pei Shen's voice was gentle.

"If Ji Qing truly acted by using the old official document of the Secretariat, the Secretariat would also be unable to shirk its oversight. I am willing to cooperate with the Censorate to investigate the whereabouts of the old document."

He spoke so beautifully.

It's as beautiful as a freshly cleaned window.

I looked at him.

This old fox is even more shrewd than Qian Rong.

Ji Qingming was clearly his personal attendant, yet he spoke of "cooperating with the investigation" first.

It will prevent you from biting him for a while.

The emperor finally spoke.

"Qian Rong".

Qian Rong lay prone on the ground.

"Your subject is here."

"Official seal of the Ministry of Transport".

Qian Rong closed his eyes.

At that moment, the gentleness on his face finally crumbled a little.

The seal is not an official hat.

Taking away the official seal is tantamount to taking away half a life.

He could no longer clean up the Ministry of Works' accounts with a flick of his finger, just like before.

Qian Rong took out the personal seal of the Vice Minister of Works from his sleeve and presented it with both hands.

Wei passed it directly to the emperor.

The emperor did not look at it, but said: "Qian Rong will be temporarily detained in the Censorate, pending Ji Qing's return to court for a joint trial by the three judicial departments."

A low murmur arose again in the hall.

He was temporarily detained at the Censorate.

This is not a conviction.

However, it was an extremely severe punishment.

Qian Rong slowly raised his head.

"I obey your decree."

His gaze was calm as he looked at me.

It was so calm it sent chills down my spine.

Qian Rong did not admit defeat.

He was keeping accounts.

I know that look.

I can do it myself.

The emperor then said, "Ji Qing, arrest him."

Gu Xingzhi appeared in the shadows beside the palace at some unknown time.

He cupped his hands in greeting.

"The Imperial Guards obey the order."

"The old documents of the Secretariat shall be examined by the Secretariat itself and verified by the Censorate."

Pei Shen bowed.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

My heart sank.

Self-inspection.

The two most troublesome words.

If Pei Shen really has a problem, having him examine the old documents in the Secretariat is like having a fox take stock of a chicken coop.

However, the emperor added the Censorate as a subordinate body.

In other words, he threw me back in.

The emperor looked at me.

"Shen An".

I'm stepping forward.

"Your subject is here."

"Within 24 hours, you produced the official seal, banknotes, receipts, and the money approval document. The military order is temporarily waived."

Temporarily exempt.

It's not canceled.

His Majesty really knows how to leave a rope.

I kowtowed.

"Thank you, Your Majesty."

The Emperor continued, "You shall continue to investigate the Yongning case. Qian Rong shall be temporarily detained at the Censorate to prevent him from being silenced. Investigate Qian Cheng's recantation as well."

"Your subject obeys the decree."

"besides."

My heart skipped a beat.

Every time the emperor says there's more, it's never good news.

really.

"The bottom volume is missing pages; I want to see it."

The hall fell silent.

Qian Rong knelt on the ground, his eyes slightly shifting.

I bowed my head and said, "Your subject will investigate."

"It's not that we'll investigate," the emperor said, "it's that we'll find out."

My scalp tingled.

"I obey your decree."

As I left the court, I carried a half-empty certificate box, my steps faltering.

Qian Rong was taken out of the Golden Hall by the Imperial Guards and the Censorate's officers.

He paused for a moment as he passed by me.

"Lord Shen."

I looked at him.

His voice was very low.

"You think the case is closed just because I've handed over my seal?"

"no."

"Then how can you still laugh?"

I touched my face.

I didn't laugh.

Perhaps he was too tired, because his facial expressions became uncontrollable.

Qian Rong continued, "If Ji Qing dies, many accounts will be settled."

"So he better not die."

"He will die."

Qian Rong looked at me.

"Because there are more people who want him to live than people who want me to die."

After he finished speaking, he was taken away.

I stood at the entrance of the palace and suddenly felt a chill in the wind.

Qian Rong handing over the seal is not the end.

This marks the beginning of another group preparing to cut their losses.

Ah Liu was waiting for me at the bottom of the steps.

He was holding a hot pancake in his hand.

There are two this time.

He saw Qian Rong being taken away, and his eyes shone like lamps.

"Young master, did you win?"

I took the cake.

This time, I finally took a bite.

"We've won by a hair's breadth."

Ah Liu was puzzled.

"Even half a step counts as a win?"

I looked out of the palace gate.

"Calculate."

At least today, Qian Rong can no longer sit in the Ministry of Works, drinking tea, writing memorials, and telling others to die.

However, the bottom page is still missing.

Ji Qing is still on the run.

Pei Shen was still smiling gently in the court.

The old tents in the southwest have just begun to emerge.

I swallowed the hot pancake and felt a bit more life returning to my stomach.

"Return to the Censorate."

Ah Liu hurriedly asked, "Is the young master finally asleep?"

I glanced at him.

"Trial Qian Rong."

Ah Liu's face fell immediately.

"Young master, are you really not afraid of suddenly dying?"

I sighed.

"Afraid."

"Then why are we still conducting a trial?"

I watched as Qian Rong was taken away in the distance.

"Because he's afraid too."

"What are you afraid of?"

I whispered:

"I'm afraid someone will kill him to silence him before I wake up."