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

Chapter 63 Ji Qing left one finger

The Qian Family Ancestral Hall is located at the deepest part of the backyard.

It's not easy for outsiders to get in.

Dead people are easier to get in.

Yan Xiaoyi arrived first, followed by Luo Wanqian.

When I arrived with my men, an old man selling sugar figurines was squatting by the outer wall of the Qian residence.

Luo Wanqian changed his clothes and smeared ash on his face, making him look even more weathered than the real old man.

Upon seeing me, he whispered, "Lord Shen, it's too late."

My heart sank.

"Is the person dead?"

"A sack was carried out of the ancestral hall."

"Who carried it?"

"The servant from the Qian family was loading the firewood onto the cart at the back gate, but Brother Yan stopped him."

I immediately went into the back alley.

Yan Xiaoyi was sitting next to the wood cart, his feet resting on the shaft.

The two servants knelt on the ground, their faces as white as paper.

There was a burlap sack on the firewood cart.

Blood was seeping from the bottom of the sack.

I lifted the sack.

There was an old man inside.

He was in his sixties, thin, dressed in gray cloth, and clutching a bunch of old keys in his hand.

His throat was slit.

He died cleanly.

Qian Zhong.

You know without even asking.

Because he had a bronze plaque from the ancestral hall hanging from his waist.

I closed my eyes.

I'm late.

Again.

Luo Wanqian whispered, "Lord Shen, there is still blood in the ancestral hall, but the Qian family said that the old servant was old and made a mistake, and cut his own throat."

I glanced at the two servants.

"You cut it so neatly yourself?"

The servant was trembling and unable to speak.

Yan Xiaoyi said, "The one who killed him used a short dagger."

Ji Qing.

I crouched down to examine Qian Zhong's hands.

There was ash between his fingers.

It's not ordinary gray.

Incense ash.

There were also some broken locust blossoms.

He must have grabbed onto something before he died.

I asked, "Where is the ancestral hall?"

Yan Xiaoyi pointed to the back wall.

"Inside the wall."

"How do we get in?"

"Door."

"The Qian family is allowing us in?"

"Won't."

"Then how did you get in?"

He glanced at me.

"wall."

I was silent.

Lately, I've had a deep connection with walls, dog holes, and windows.

This time I decided to go through the door.

I took out the Censorate badge and led the constables directly to the back gate of the Qian residence.

The steward in blue was already waiting there.

He saw Qian Zhong's body being stopped, and his face turned grim.

"Lord Shen, what do you mean by this?"

I said, "Qian Rong, the prisoner temporarily detained at the Qian residence, had just entered the Censorate when the old servant guarding the ancestral hall in the residence had his throat slit, was stuffed into a sack, and sent out. The steward asked me what this meant."

The steward in blue said in a deep voice, "Qian Zhong committed suicide out of fear of punishment."

"What crime are you afraid of?"

"This old servant has kept old items without permission, and I am ashamed before my master."

"Committing suicide and stuffing it into a sack?"

The steward in green robes did not answer.

I didn't wait for his answer.

"Get out of the way."

"Lord Shen, the Qian family ancestral hall is not a place you can search."

"Then let's go and request His Majesty's oral decree."

I looked at him.

"However, once the imperial edict returns, the ancestral hall will probably be even cleaner than the Ministry of Works' deputy clerk's office."

The steward in blue had a livid face.

Just as the stalemate was at hand, a woman's voice came from inside the Qian residence.

"Let him in."

His voice was cold, carrying suppressed anger.

The steward in blue was slightly taken aback.

I looked over.

A middle-aged woman stood under the eaves, dressed simply, with only a jade hairpin in her hair.

She looked to be in her forties, with dignified features and a somewhat pale complexion.

The steward in blue bowed his head: "Madam."

Mrs. Qian.

Qian Rong's legal wife.

She looked at me.

"Lord Shen, Qian Zhong served the Qian family for thirty years. If he was truly murdered, please investigate thoroughly."

Upon hearing this, the manager in blue changed his expression.

I cupped my hands in greeting.

"Don't worry, Madam."

She didn't say anything more and turned to leave.

The Qian Family Ancestral Hall has finally opened its doors.

The incense in the ancestral hall had not yet dissipated.

There was a bloodstain on the ground, which had been wiped away, but dark red blood still remained in the cracks between the bricks.

The incense burner in front of the offering table was slightly tilted.

Qian Zhong was probably killed here.

I'll look at the incense burner first.

The incense ash in the burner was turned over.

The incense ash between Qian Zhong's fingers must have come from here.

I used a fine needle to pry open the incense ash.

There is no paper below.

There was only a small piece of charred gold thread.

Golden-lined crane.

My heart skipped a beat.

Ji Qing has been here.

He took something from under the incense burner.

Missing page?

I continued searching.

There was a hidden compartment under the altar, but it was empty.

There are new scratches on the edges, as if it was hastily pried open.

The key in Qian Zhong's hand should be the one to open this door.

I asked the steward in blue, "Who touched the incense burner in the ancestral hall?"

He replied coldly, "I don't know."

Mrs. Qian suddenly came in from outside.

"Qian Zhong holds the key; besides him, only the master knows about it."

The steward in blue turned even paler.

I glanced at Mrs. Qian.

Her expression was calm.

But that calmness was not Qian Rong's gentle pretense.

It's more like they've been holding back for a long time, and finally they don't want to hold back anymore.

I continued searching.

The hidden compartment is empty.

The incense burner is empty.

There was nothing behind the offering table.

Just when I thought Ji Qing had taken everything, Yan Xiaoyi suddenly said, "Zhu Zi."

I looked at the wooden pillar on the left side of the ancestral hall.

There was a bloodstain on the pillar.

Not a single slap.

It is half a mark left by a six-fingered hand.

Ji Qing is injured.

I walked over and found a bit of cloth stuck under the bloodstain.

Half-sleeve shirt.

Golden-lined crane.

The sleeve lining was torn, and there was blood on the edges.

Yan Xiaoyi squatted down and pulled something out from the shadow of the pillar.

One finger.

Very fine.

Extra little finger.

One of the six fingers.

Everyone in the room fell silent.

Ji Qing lost a finger.

But he left.

Looking at that severed finger, I felt no relief whatsoever.

Because I knew that losing a finger was not good news.

It means that Ji Qing has encountered someone even more ruthless.

Qian Zhong wasn't the only debt he needed to settle.

He himself began to be purged.

Luo Wanqian peeked out from the doorway and whispered, "Lord Shen, someone has left a message for you outside."

"Who?"

"I don't know. It was a piece of paper tucked under the sugar figurine stall."

I took the paper.

The handwriting on it is unfamiliar.

Leave your finger behind, take your life with you.

The missing page is not on Ji Qing.

If a page is missing, check Madam Qian's dowry chest.

I looked up at Mrs. Qian.

Her expression finally changed.

Not surprised.

It is pain.

I asked in a low voice, "Does Madam know about the missing page?"

Mrs. Qian closed her eyes.

"I don't know what page is missing."

"What about the dowry chest?"

She looked at the memorial tablets on the altar for a long time before saying:

"The master never lets me touch that box."

This is enough.

Qian Rong kept the most vital items hidden away, not in the accounting room, not in the study, and not in the secret compartment of the ancestral hall.

Instead, it was hidden in the lady's dowry chest.

A place that no one would easily search.

A place that even Madam Qian herself might not dare to touch.

The steward in blue immediately said, "Lord Shen, how can an outsider be allowed to search the dowry within the inner quarters!"

I looked at Mrs. Qian.

Mrs. Qian remained silent for a long time.

Then, she took off a bunch of keys from her waist.

"Lord Shen."

The steward in blue exclaimed urgently, "Madam!"

Madam Qian gave him a cold look.

"Qian Zhong died in the ancestral hall, and you still want to stop him?"

The steward in green dared not say anything more.