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

When Qian Rong was brought to the Censorate, A-Liu looked at him with a complicated expression.

It's like looking at a big fish that's just been pulled from the river.

It's as if I'm wondering if the fish will suddenly open its mouth and bite someone.

Qian Rong remained calm.

He wasn't wearing prison clothes; his official robes were still on, but his seal of office had been taken away, and a piece of his waistband was missing.

That empty space was glaringly obvious.

For court officials, the seal of office was sometimes more important than a sword.

A knife can kill, but a seal can make someone else kill for you.

The knife is still in someone else's hands, but the seal is gone.

Qian Rong entered the examination room and looked around first.

"Lord Shen, this building in the Censorate is more shabby than I expected."

I sat down and said, "If Vice Minister Qian is not comfortable here, you can ask me to come earlier."

Qian Rong smiled.

"I am only temporarily detained, not a prisoner."

"Minister Qian's reminder is correct."

I looked at Ah Liu.

"Serve tea to Vice Minister Qian."

Ah Liu was taken aback.

"Sir, are you really going to serve tea?"

I said, "Please bring me clear water."

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

Qian Rong glanced at me.

"Lord Shen is very vigilant."

"There's no other way," I said. "Too many people want Minister Qian dead. If you die in the Censorate, I'll lose my official position and my head will be in danger too."

Qian Rong picked up the glass of water but didn't drink it.

"Do you think I'll be silenced?"

"Qian Fu will be silenced, Liu Laoqi will be silenced, Manager Lu will be silenced, Feng Baoquan will be silenced. Minister Qian knows more than all of them combined, how can he be an exception?"

Qian Rong said calmly, "You seem to have a clear understanding."

"Having been killed so many times, one naturally sees things more clearly."

Zhao Guanlan sat to the side, taking notes.

Lu Huaizhou was also there.

This impoverished censor had already written three impeachment memorials; his eyes were red, yet he was as energetic as if he had just eaten ginseng soup.

I asked Qian Rong, "Where is Ji Qing?"

Qian Rong said, "I don't know."

"Where is Qian Zhong, who was in the Qian Family Ancestral Hall?"

Qian Rong's eyes finally twitched.

It's very light.

But I saw it.

"Lord Shen, you've even investigated the old servants in my household?"

"We haven't checked yet," I said, "but your reaction just now tells me that we should."

Qian Rong was silent for a moment, then smiled.

"It's not necessarily a good thing for young people to be too smart."

"Minister Qian also said the same thing."

"But you didn't listen."

"I listened," I said, "but I didn't change anything."

Qian Rong put down his teacup.

"Shen An, the person you should be investigating most right now is not me."

"Then who should we investigate?"

"Ji Qing".

"Isn't he one of Minister Qian's men?"

"no."

"But he settled Qian Shilang's accounts, forced Feng Baoquan to stamp the receipt, and went to Tao's ironworks to kill Qian Fu."

Qian Rong looked at me.

"Lord Shen, don't you understand? Ji Qing isn't working for me. He's working for the accountant."

After those words were spoken, the room fell silent for a moment.

I frowned.

"Working for someone else?"

Qian Rong slowly said, "Some accounts, whoever touches them, must follow the rules. I kept the ledger to save my life. Ji Qing came to clear the ledger, that's the rule. Qian Fu secretly kept the account book, he deserves to die. Qian Cheng's return ticket failed, he should be discarded. Feng Baoquan tore up the receipt, he should be cleared."

He spoke so calmly.

It's like talking about a set of laws that have existed for a long time.

It is not the law of the Great Liang Dynasty.

It is the law of the Clearing House.

I asked, "Who made the rules?"

Qian Rong remained silent.

"Pei Shen?"

He still did not answer.

"The Secretariat?"

Qian Rong lowered his eyes.

"Lord Shen, there are some names that, if spoken aloud, would truly prevent me from surviving the night."

I looked at him.

"So, Minister Qian wants to live?"

"Who doesn't want to live?"

"Then tell me something that will save your life."

Qian Rong remained silent for a long time before saying, "If Ji Qing is going to leave, he will go and retrieve the missing pages first."

My heart skipped a beat.

"Where is the page missing?"

"I won't tell you."

"Does Minister Qian still think he has the right to negotiate?"

"Yes," Qian Rong said, looking at me, "because you want the missing pages more."

I did not deny it.

He continued, "All I can say is that the missing page is not in the accounting office, not in the study, and not on my person."

I said, "An ancestral hall?"

Qian Rong smiled but didn't say anything.

Sometimes, not saying something is the same as saying it.

Qian Family Ancestral Hall.

Qian Zhong.

I immediately looked at Yan Xiaoyi.

Yan Xiaoyi, who was standing by the door yawning, lifted his eyelids slightly at this moment.

"Shall we go now?"

"You go first," I said. "Take Luo Wanqian with you and keep an eye on the Qian family ancestral hall. Don't alert them."

Yan Xiaoyi looked at Qian Rong.

"Where is he?"

"I'm watching."

Qian Rong said softly, "Lord Shen, I urge you to hurry."

I asked, "Why?"

"Because Ji Qing won't just settle accounts."

He looked up, his eyes turning cold.

"He will also settle accounts with the people who hold the accounts."

My heart sank.

Qian Zhong.

That old servant guarding the ancestral hall may have become the next debt to be cleared out.

Yan Xiaoyi turned and left.

Ah Liu watched his retreating figure and whispered, "Young Master, has Minister Qian confessed?"

I looked at Qian Rong.

"Not really."

"What does that count for?"

"Calculate the knife."

Ah Liu didn't understand.

But I know very well.

Qian Rong wanted to use me to save Qian Zhong and to steal the missing pages.

He wasn't entirely acting in the name of the truth.

He was saving his own life.

But I have to go.

Because the bottom book is missing pages, it may concern old accounts in the southwest, the late empress, or even my mother.

Qian Rong and I were both using each other.

He just sat in the interrogation room, like a toothless old fox.

As for me, I was so sleepy I felt like a dog about to bang my head against a wall.

Not long after, a constable suddenly entered from outside the door.

"My lord, Minister Qian's meal has arrived."

I was taken aback.

"Who sent it?"

"In the palace."

Zhao Guanlan frowned: "The palace?"

The constables brought in a food box.

The box has a palace seal on it.

Wei Zhi's seal.

It looks fine.

I stared at the seal and suddenly asked Qian Rong, "Is Minister Qian hungry?"

Qian Rong said calmly, "I can still hold on."

I said, "Then let Ah Liu eat first."

Ah Liu: "..."

His eyes were wide open, like copper bells.

"Young master?"

I smiled.

"joke."

Ah Liu's face turned pale.

I sent someone to invite Xu Shen to taste the food.

When Xu Shen arrived, he glanced at the seal and said, "The seal is genuine."

He opened the food box and took a sniff.

"The food is not poisonous."

Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief.

Xu Shen picked up a jujube and cracked it open.

A small piece of wax was hidden inside the date pit.

Everyone in the room paled.

Xu Shen sneered: "The food isn't poisoned, but the letter is."

I had someone cut open the wax pellet.

There is no poison inside.

There was only a small note.

The note reads:

Before midnight, keep your mouth closed.

Otherwise, there would be no living people in the ancestral hall.

Qian Rong looked at the paper and his expression finally changed.

It's not that I'm afraid of dying.

It was out of fear that the people in the ancestral hall would die.

I said slowly, "Minister Qian, it seems that I'm not the only one who wants to go to the ancestral hall."

Qian Rong closed his eyes.

"Shen An".

"Um?"

"Qian Zhongruo is still alive, bring him back."

I stood up.

"That depends on how tough his luck is."

When I walked out of the examination room, it was already bright outside.

But I felt that this day was even darker than the night before.