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

Ji Qing's confession was presented to the emperor.

That's not ordinary paper.

It was a rubbing of a thin wooden board used for temporary writing.

The original three seals were kept in the Princess's residence, and were jointly sealed by the Imperial Guard, the Princess's residence, and the Censorate.

The characters on the rubbing are crooked and broken.

Like a dying person scraping their life away bit by bit on a wooden board.

I read aloud:

Winter of the eleventh year of Chengxi.

Ji Liu held the old plaque with the character "Wei".

Open the old laundry room at night.

They sent Lan's shroud out.

Shi Feilan.

The gatekeeper's token comes from the old Zhongshu (Secretariat).

The card is a Wei.

The king is destined.

When the last three words were uttered, the hall was as quiet as a tomb.

The king is destined.

These three words have finally seen the light of day.

Grand Secretary Wang did not move.

He didn't even raise an eyebrow.

His composure is even more terrifying than Qian Rong's.

Qian Rong was just putting on a show.

Grand Secretary Wang seemed to truly believe that there were few words in the world that could break his back.

The emperor looked at Grand Secretary Wang.

"Wang Qing."

Grand Secretary Wang bowed.

"Your old minister is here."

What do you think?

Grand Secretary Wang said slowly, "In my opinion, this testimony should not be taken lightly."

Many people in the hall seemed to breathe a sigh of relief.

Many people also looked even more tense.

The emperor asked, "Why?"

Grand Secretary Wang said, "Firstly, Ji Qing is a close attendant of the Pei family and is deeply involved in the case. He is dying from the poison, so his words may not be clear."

Pei Shen stood among the court officials, his eyelids slightly lowered.

This name has nothing to do with him.

Grand Secretary Wang continued, "Secondly, regarding the incident at the old laundry bureau's night gate, which occurred eleven years ago, there are no records, no gate registers, and no official records of the guards on duty that day. The testimony of a single seriously injured person is insufficient to shake the old officials."

I did not interrupt.

He added, "Thirdly, the so-called 'decree originates from the king'—the word 'king' refers to the countless people in the world who bear the surname 'king.' In old texts, the phrase 'royal decree' often refers to the emperor's orders or imperial edicts. If Imperial Censor Shen uses this to point at this old minister, I'm afraid he's being too hasty."

That's the old fox.

No.

This is no longer a fox.

This is Laoshan.

He didn't hide.

He laid out all the possibilities.

Ji Qing is unreliable.

There are no proper records of the past.

The character "王" does not necessarily refer to Wang Huai.

Every single sentence is correct.

Every sentence can be dragged out.

In the imperial court, delaying means victory.

I cupped my hands and said, "What Grand Secretary Wang said is reasonable."

Grand Secretary Wang looked at me.

I continued, "Therefore, I do not rely solely on Ji Qing's testimony to implicate Grand Secretary Wang."

Someone in the hall breathed a sigh of relief in a low voice.

I asked, "Your Majesty, I would like to inquire whether the old Zhongshu (Secretariat) seal with the character 'Wei' was ever sealed by the old Zhongshu around the eleventh year of the Chengxi reign?"

Grand Secretary Wang said calmly, "The old memorial tablets were in disarray at the end of the late emperor's reign, and they were cleaned up several times in the early years of the Chengxi reign."

"Who will be in charge of the cleanup?"

"Zhongshu" (Secretariat).

Was Grand Secretary Wang in charge of the Imperial Secretariat at that time?

Grand Secretary Wang said, "At that time, I was the Chancellor of the Secretariat and did participate in sorting out the old files."

A thought struck me.

He admitted it.

But he recognized it very well.

Participating in the cleanup of old files does not equate to releasing old cards.

I continued, "Should the old plaques bearing the character 'Wei' have been destroyed in the third year of the Chengxi era?"

Grand Secretary Wang said, "According to old practice, it should be destroyed."

"In the eleventh year of the Chengxi reign, Ji Qing used an old plaque with the character 'Wei' to open the night gate of the old laundry bureau. Grand Secretary Wang wondered, where did this plaque come from?"

Grand Secretary Wang looked at me.

"Imperial Censor Shen should go and question the person who stole the token."

I asked, "Was the person who stole the cards Ji Qing?"

"Possibly."

"It might not be."

"nature."

"Therefore, I wish to see the old seal of the Secretariat."

The hall fell silent.

Grand Secretary Wang finally narrowed his eyes slightly.

"What does Imperial Censor Shen wish to see?"

"The old seal of the Secretariat is sealed in the duplicate register."

I looked at the emperor.

According to Qian Rong's confession, the main register was destroyed in the third year of the Chengxi reign, while the supplementary register was taken back to his residence by Grand Secretary Wang under the pretext that "the old records of the late emperor should not be destroyed." If the supplementary register still exists, there should be traces of where the old Wei-character plaque went.

Grand Secretary Wang did not look at Qian Rong.

He was still looking at me.

"Qian Rong, implicated in the case, tried to protect himself by framing a senior official. And Imperial Censor Shen actually believed him?"

Qian Rong knelt to one side, his forehead pressed to the ground, without uttering a word.

He knew very well that now Grand Secretary Wang didn't even look at him, which was even colder than scolding him.

I said, "I do not trust Qian Rong."

"Then who do you believe?"

"Letterbook".

Grand Secretary Wang chuckled softly.

"Censor Shen really can't stop talking about account books."

"Because I know nothing else."

"But what if the supplementary register doesn't contain the trace you need?"

"Then it proves that I made a mistake."

"One wrong step, and the reputation of this old minister will be tarnished?"

I lowered my head.

"If Grand Secretary Wang's reputation is spotless, the supplementary register will clear his name."

After these words were spoken, many of the senior officials in the hall looked rather displeased.

Asking someone to provide proof of their innocence is inherently offensive.

Especially for someone like Grand Secretary Wang.

He doesn't need to prove his innocence.

His name itself is a testament to his innocence in the eyes of many.

The emperor finally spoke:

"Minister Wang, is the supplementary register available?"

Grand Secretary Wang turned to the Emperor, cupped his hands, and said, "Here."

The hall fell silent once more.

in.

He actually admitted it outright.

"Indeed, this old minister followed the late emperor's wishes to preserve some old archives and copies for future verification. The old copy of the Secretariat's seal is among them."

The emperor asked, "Would you like to present it?"

Grand Secretary Wang bowed.

"If Your Majesty wishes to see it, this old minister will naturally present it."

He turned his head and gave an order to the people outside the hall.

"Have someone fetch it."

People from the Prince's residence were already waiting outside the palace.

What does this tell us?

This shows that Grand Secretary Wang guessed I would request the supplementary register before he went to court today.

He was even waiting for me to bring it up.

I felt no relief whatsoever.

It's actually heavier.

A truly guilty person would not be so composed.

Unless he is certain that the supplementary register is clean.

The wait wasn't long.

In less than half an hour, the old servant of the Prince's mansion entered the hall carrying a sandalwood box.

The wooden box was old, but the seal was new.

Grand Secretary Wang personally took out the key and handed it to Wei Zhi.

Wei Zhi opened the box.

There was a thin booklet inside.

The cover is old and yellowed.

It says:

A copy of the old document from the Central Secretariat, sealed and preserved.

Wei Zhi presented it to the emperor.

The emperor turned a few pages, his expression unchanged.

It was then handed over to Pei Shen.

After reviewing it, Pei Shen said gently, "There is indeed an entry for the old plaque with the character 'Wei' in the register. It was marked as destroyed in the third year of Chengxi."

The booklet was then handed to Zhao Guanlan, and then to me.

When I took it, the paper was very dry.

There is no musty smell.

It also lacks the musty feel of an old book.

I turned to the old page with the character "Wei".

It's written very clearly above.

Seventeen old Wei-character plaques.

In the autumn of the third year of Chengxi, the debt was written off.

Supervisor: Wang Huai, Chancellor of the Imperial Secretariat.

Wei Qingping, a former official of the Imperial Treasury.

Ji Liu, a clerk.

The Fire Record is complete.

I looked at the last four words.

The Fire Record is complete.

The pages are clean.

The ink marks are neat and tidy.

The seal across the seam is also correct.

Everything was too perfect.

It was as complete as the Ministry of Works' supplementary register that had had its pages replaced.

I didn't speak.

Grand Secretary Wang asked calmly, "What did Imperial Censor Shen see?"

I looked up.

"It looks very clean."

Grand Secretary Wang said, "A clean record will naturally be clean."

"Too clean."

The hall fell silent.

Grand Secretary Wang looked at me, his voice still calm.

"Imperial Censor Shen, you suspect this old minister of secretly keeping a copy of the register. Now the copy is presented. The destruction record of the old Wei-character plaque is clear; the supervisors, former officials, and scribes are all listed. Do you still have doubts?"

I said, "I doubt it."

A low commotion immediately arose in the hall.

Grand Secretary Wang finally fell silent.

"What do you suspect?"

"It is suspected that this page was not written in the third year of Chengxi."

Grand Secretary Wang looked at me.

"evidence."

I looked down at the book.

The paper is old.

The ink color has also been treated.

But even the best fake antique has one flaw.

Feel.

I've brought up too many old grievances these past few days.

Old records from the Ministry of Works, records of deceased persons, receipts from the Imperial Treasury, and missing pages in the bottom register.

Old paper absorbs moisture.

Old ink will seep into the paper's texture.

The booklet looks old, but the paper core is dry and stiff.

It looks like it's been repeatedly baked.

Or, it may have been rebound in recent years.

But this is not enough.

A decision cannot be made based on touch in the Golden Palace.

I continued flipping through the pages.

When I turned to the end of the book, my fingertips suddenly stopped.

There was a tiny bit of ash in the crevice at the end of the book.

It's not ordinary gray.

It's agarwood ash.

Agarwood was frequently used in the royal palace.

However, the old treasury of the Imperial Secretariat will not be used.

I rubbed the ash on my fingertip and smelled it.

"Your Excellency, may I ask if you regularly burn agarwood in your study?"

Wang Ge Lao said, "I am old and sensitive to the cold, so there is occasional incense in my study."

"Has this supplementary register been seen in your study recently?"

"This old minister has been ordered to enter the palace and naturally needs to examine the records."

When should we review it?

"last night."

"last night?"

"good."

I nodded gently.

"So, the supplementary register was taken out, turned over, and resealed last night?"

Grand Secretary Wang looked at me.

"What's wrong with it?"

"Not at the moment."

I closed the supplementary booklet.

"But there's one more thing I'd like to see."

Grand Secretary Wang asked, "What else would Imperial Censor Shen like to see?"

"The Fire Chronicle"

The hall fell silent again.

"Since the supplementary register states that the fire record is complete, then the fire record of the old Wei character plaque that was destroyed back then should also have a copy."

Grand Secretary Wang looked at me.

This time, he did not answer immediately.

I know I've reached the edge.

Old plates can be erased by writing.

The booklet pages can be edited.

To truly burn down an old plaque, a fire mark is required.

The fire record documented the date, location, furnace, person supervising the pyrolysis, and the weight of the remaining ash after the fire.

These things are very complicated.

The more complicated it is, the harder it is to fix.

Grand Secretary Wang said slowly, "The fire record is old and may not still exist."

I said, "That's strange."

"What's strange?"

"The supplementary register says the fire record is complete, but the record itself may not still exist. Grand Secretary Wang, was the word 'complete' written in the third year of the Chengxi era, or was it written last night?"

The hall fell completely silent.

Grand Secretary Wang finally stopped laughing.

His gaze fell on me.

not heavy.

But it's cold.

The emperor looked at us without speaking for a long time.

Pei Shen also lowered his eyes, seemingly lost in thought.

Qian Rong knelt on the ground, his shoulders trembling slightly.

I know we haven't won this round yet.

Grand Secretary Wang was only slightly taken aback by my question.

Half a step is enough.

Because in the imperial court, the most difficult thing is to move an old mountain.

Grand Secretary Wang finally spoke:

"Imperial Censor Shen, this old minister will send someone back to the mansion tomorrow to find the fire record."

I cupped my hands in greeting.

"I believe that tomorrow is unnecessary."

Why?

I looked at the emperor.

"Your Majesty, I request that the Imperial Guards immediately go to the Prince's residence with the Censorate to seal the old files. If the fire record is present, retrieve it. If the fire record is not present, check the entries and exits of the old files."

A low murmur rippled through the hall.

The residence of the Grand Secretary.

This is more serious than investigating Qianfu.

Grand Secretary Wang looked at the Emperor.

Xiao Jingheng sat on the throne, his face somber.

After a long while, he slowly said:

"allow."

As soon as the word was uttered, many people's expressions changed.

Grand Secretary Wang finally slowly raised his head.

"His Majesty."

The emperor looked at him.

"Since Minister Wang is innocent, the file will simply be closed."

This is the logic that Grand Secretary Wang just told me.

The emperor has now returned it to him.

I stood there with my head down, my heart pounding.

Grand Secretary Wang bowed slowly.

"Your humble servant obeys the imperial decree."

But I know he won't just sit and wait for us to go to the Prince's Mansion to find Huo Ji.

A person like him would never leave his last resort in a situation where someone else is searching for him.

Sure enough, just as Wei Zhi was about to deliver the imperial decree, someone outside the hall suddenly made an urgent report.

"Your Majesty! A report has arrived from the Prince's residence!"

The emperor frowned.

"What is it?"

The person who came knelt down, his voice trembling.

"The old archives building of the Prince's Mansion... has caught fire!"

An uproar erupted in the hall.

I closed my eyes.

coming.

It wasn't an accident.

It's an arrangement.

The old archive building caught fire, and the fire is most likely destroyed.

Grand Secretary Wang stood in the hall, a trace of sorrow finally appearing on his face.

"Your Majesty, the old archives in my residence mostly contain relics of the late Emperor..."

He spoke with deep sorrow.

But looking at that excessively clean supplementary book, I felt a chill in my heart.

The fire was fired with perfect accuracy.

It was so precise, it was as if someone had been waiting for this moment.