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

Chapter 93 Account Settlement Meeting

Qian Rong did not survive to reach the Ministry of Justice prison.

When the news reached the Censorate, I was just about to take a sip of hot water.

Before the water even touched his lips, Gu Xingzhi's men arrived.

"Lord Shen, Qian Rong is dead."

My hand paused.

Hot water splattered out and burned my fingertips.

The pain felt very real.

I asked, "How did they die?"

The guard whispered, "During the transport, the carriage wheel axle broke. The carriage overturned, and Qian Rong was injured. When the accompanying imperial physician examined him, he was already lifeless."

I chuckled.

Everyone in the room looked at me.

Ah Liu was so frightened that his face turned pale.

"Young master?"

I put the teacup down.

"The carriage wheel axle broke, killing a man who had just confessed his crimes in the Golden Palace and had just mentioned the Accountability Meeting."

Ah Liu whispered, "What a coincidence."

I looked at Gu Xingzhi.

He stood at the door, his face still cold.

"No surprises in the capital."

Gu Xingzhi continued with the next sentence.

"Only arrangements."

well.

He still remembered what he had said.

I asked, "Where are the people escorting them?"

"The center-back has been detained."

"A constable from the Ministry of Justice?"

"It was deducted too."

"The imperial physician?"

"Deducted."

"Where is the body?"

"Send it to the Ministry of Justice for examination."

I remembered He Buyi's sour face.

"Why not let them test it?"

Gu Xingzhi said, "They've already gone."

He moved very quickly.

It was so fast, as if they already knew Qian Rong might die.

I looked at him.

"Is His Majesty aware of this?"

"Know."

"What did His Majesty say?"

Gu Xingzhi remained silent for a moment.

"His Majesty said that Qian Rong's death proves that Shen An's investigation was correct."

I closed my eyes.

This is like an appreciation.

It's like a death knell.

Qian Rong died, and the words "Clearing Accounts Meeting" were barely visible before they were covered in blood.

But it was precisely because of his death that the accounting scandal went from being a rumor to a reality.

No one would risk silencing a mere insignificant, useless official right after the Golden Palace.

Unless he says more.

Ah Liu asked in a low voice, "Young master, then haven't we wasted our time?"

"no."

I shook my head.

"Qian Rong is dead, but his words are not."

I asked Lu Huaizhou to write it down.

Qian Rong whispered outside the palace: "You're investigating the people around His Majesty, the Accounting Committee."

Lu Huaizhou wrote very slowly.

Each word felt like it was burning.

After reading it, Zhao Guanlan said in a deep voice, "This cannot be used as a formal confession."

"I know."

"But it can serve as a clue in investigations."

That's enough.

Gu Xingzhi said, "His Majesty has summoned you to the palace."

I looked at him.

"Now?"

"Now."

I pointed to myself.

"I just came back from the Golden Temple."

Gu Xingzhi said, "His Majesty knows."

"Then His Majesty will still summon him?"

"Um."

The emperor really isn't afraid of me dying suddenly.

Ah Liu hurriedly stuffed the hot pancake into my hand.

"Young master, eat on the way."

I took it.

I'm used to it now.

I now feel that if I were to die on the road one day, I would most likely still have half a hot pancake given to me by Ah Liu in my arms.

On the way to the palace, Gu Xingzhi did not ride a horse, but sat outside the carriage.

I lifted the curtain and asked him, "Did Qian Rong see anyone before he died?"

"no."

"Are there any people from the Prince's residence in the escort team?"

"Not openly."

"What about in the shadows?"

Gu Xingzhi turned to look at me.

"Investigating."

"That's possible."

He didn't answer.

I asked again, "Have you heard of a 'clearing accounts committee'?"

Gu Xingzhi remained silent for an even longer time this time.

Then he said, "I've heard of it."

My heart sank.

"When?"

"Very early."

"Does His Majesty know about this too?"

"Shen An".

His voice turned a little cold.

"Some things, you can't just say them just because you know them."

"If you know but don't speak up, someone will die."

"Speaking out will kill someone."

I shut up.

Because this statement is probably true.

When the imperial carriage arrived at the side hall, the emperor was not behind his desk.

He stood by the window, looking at the sky outside.

Xiao Jingheng's figure appeared thinner from behind than it did in the Golden Hall.

I bowed.

"Your subject Shen An greets Your Majesty."

The emperor did not turn around.

"Qian Rong is dead."

"I understand."

"Who do you think killed him?"

"Account Settlement Meeting".

The emperor finally turned back.

His eyes were deep.

"Did he tell you?"

He said three words.

"A debt settlement meeting?"

"Yes."

The emperor remained silent for a moment.

"He didn't die unjustly."

A chill ran through me.

"Did His Majesty know about the accounting meeting beforehand?"

"I knew there was such a net."

"Why wasn't it investigated sooner?"

I knew it was taboo to ask that question.

Wei Zhi's eyelids twitched slightly as he stood to the side.

The emperor looked at me.

"You think I didn't investigate?"

I didn't speak.

"How many people died while investigating Qian Rong?"

"a lot of."

"Investigating Wang Huai led to the burning down of an old archive building."

"Yes."

"If I had investigated ten years ago, even more people would have died."

The emperor's voice was steady.

"Shen An, the emperor can't just investigate whatever he wants. Among the people around me, the people in the palace, the people in the Secretariat, the people in the Imperial Treasury, and even the old ministers who were appointed as regents, I may not be able to tell who is clean and who is not."

I recalled Qian Rong's words.

You are investigating the people around His Majesty.

It turns out the emperor wasn't unaware.

It was known, but no thorough investigation was conducted.

This is all connected to the old case of the late Empress and Xiao Lingyi's questioning.

I bowed my head and said, "That's why Your Majesty employs me."

"right."

He did not deny it.

"Because I am an outsider?"

"It's a dead end."

This time he said it himself.

I looked up at him.

The emperor looked at me and said calmly, "A dead end is the best game for probing. You make a move, they will make a move. Only when they move can I see it."

That's a cold statement.

It was so cold it felt like being doused with a bucket of well water from head to toe.

But I wasn't surprised at all.

An emperor is an emperor.

He will protect me.

They'll use me too.

He never claimed to be a good person.

I said, "Does Your Majesty know that even a defeated piece feels pain?"

Wei Zhi suddenly lowered his head.

The hall fell silent for a moment.

The emperor looked at me and suddenly smiled.

"So I have the Imperial Hospital prepare a 'wake-up soup' for you."

I:"……"

That's a shameless response.

The emperor stopped laughing.

"Qian Rong is dead, and the Yongning case is superficially closed. The Ministry of Works will investigate, the old files of the Prince's Mansion will be examined, and Wang Huai will not be touched for the time being."

"temporary?"

"You can't touch him yet."

"I understand."

Wang Gelao is not Qian Rong.

Qian Rong was the Vice Minister of Works, yet he was nailed to death with a red seal.

Grand Secretary Wang is the gateway to a network of old officials.

Before opening the door, you need to know how many people with knives are behind it.

The emperor returned to his desk and picked up a new folded document.

"Next case: the Ministry of Revenue's disaster relief funds."

My heart sank.

Sure enough, it didn't give me a chance to catch my breath.

The emperor handed the folded document to Wei Zhi.

Wei Zhi handed it to me.

I opened it and took a look.

The Ministry of Revenue reported that the disaster situation in the three prefectures north of the Yangtze River had been brought under control, relief funds had been distributed, and the disaster victims had been properly resettled.

Every word is beautiful.

It's so beautiful it reminds me of the clean account book from the Ministry of Works.

The cleaner it is, the more ghosts it may be.

The emperor said, "The accounts of the three prefectures north of the Yangtze River are too impressive."

"It looks so good it's unreal!"

"right."

I looked down at the folded paper.

The relief funds have been distributed.

The disaster victims have been properly resettled.

Grain prices remained stable.

Disease has no place to live.

If this is true, the Ministry of Revenue should erect a longevity plaque.

But I've learned something these past few days.

If the tents of the Great Liang are so beautiful that they look like they were written by a god, they are most likely written by a ghost.

I said, "Does Your Majesty want me to investigate the Ministry of Revenue?"

"Yes."

"May I take a nap first?"

The emperor looked at me.

"Can."

I just breathed a sigh of relief.

He said, "Check after you've slept."

Row.

This can be considered an imperial favor.

The emperor then said, "There is one more thing."

My heart skipped a beat.

Every time the emperor said there was more, I wanted to find a pillar to lean on.

"Your wedding date with Zhaoning will be moved up."

I almost thought I misheard.

"His Majesty?"

"The Ministry of Rites has already set a date. The wedding will take place in ten days."

Ten days.

My first thought wasn't a princess.

It is my short blade.

On their wedding night, where was the dagger hidden?

Pooh.

Why would I think of this?

The emperor looked at me.

"What, you don't want to?"

"Your subject dares not."

"I dare not, not that I am unwilling."

"minister……"

For a moment I didn't know how to answer.

The Emperor said calmly, "Zhao Ning is being watched for investigating the late Empress's old case. You are also being watched for investigating the accounts. If the two of you are separated, you will be easily defeated one by one."

"So, you're getting married?"

"It is perfectly legitimate."

I understand.

This is not a wedding.

This is the merging of two lines.

The Princess's residence and Shen An went from secretly cooperating to openly binding each other.

This will protect me a little.

It would also put me in much greater danger.

Of course, the same applies to Xiao Lingyi.

The emperor finally tightened the lock on the bestowed marriage.

I lowered my head.

"Your subject obeys the decree."

The emperor looked at me.

"Shen An".

"Your subject is here."

"I know you are disloyal."

My back tightened.

The emperor's voice was flat.

"You are disloyal to me, and also to Shen Lie. That's good."

I was stunned.

The emperor continued, "If you were loyal to me, I would not dare to employ you. If you were loyal to Shen Lie, I would have killed you long ago. Now you are loyal to no one but to Zhang."

He looked at me.

"Therefore, of all the civil and military officials, I only trust you."

These words fell again.

It was different from the Golden Temple on the first day.

At that time, I just felt it was a trap.

I still think it's a trap.

But there was one more thing in the trap.

Entrust.

Or rather, the concepts of exploitation and entrustment are mixed together and cannot be clearly distinguished.

I knelt down.

"I dare not accept it."

The emperor said, "I dare not, but I must accept."

well.

This is what an emperor should be like.

When I left the palace, the sky was already setting in the west.

Holding the Ministry of Revenue's edict, with the imperial decree to move the wedding date forward in my heart, and the words "account clearing meeting" still on my mind.

Gu Xingzhi escorted me to the palace gate.

"Lord Shen."

"Commander Gu."

"Congratulations."

I look at him.

There was not a trace of congratulations on his face.

"Commander Gu, your congratulations sound like a funeral."

"almost."

I:"……"

You're really good with words.

Back at the Censorate, Ah Liu breathed a sigh of relief when he saw that I was still alive.

When he saw the folding paper in my hand for the second time, his face fell.

"Young master, another case?"

"Ministry of Revenue Disaster Relief Funds"

Ah Liu covered his face.

"Didn't we just finish inspecting a river?"

"Investigate the disaster relief funds now."

"Can I sleep then?"

"able."

His eyes lit up.

"real?"

"Sleep and then check."

Ah Liu's eyes darkened again.

I placed the folding paper on the table.

Zhao Guanlan and Lu Huaizhou both gathered around.

Nobody asked me if I wanted to investigate.

Because everyone knows that cases assigned by the emperor can only be accepted.

Just then, Qiu Tang arrived.

She brought back a quote from Xiao Lingyi.

"Her Highness said she knows about the wedding being moved up."

I asked, "What did the princess say?"

Qiu Tang looked at me with a strange expression.

"His Highness said that Lord Shen should hide the knife well."

My heart skipped a beat.

"What kind of knife?"

Qiu Tang said calmly, "His Highness didn't say."

After saying that, she turned and left.

I stood there, and suddenly felt a chill down my back.

What does the princess mean by that?

Did she know I had a knife?

Or is it simply a reminder that there are more dangers after marriage?

Ah Liu leaned closer and whispered, "Young master, what kind of knife?"

I remained expressionless.

"kitchen knife."

Ah Liu was even more confused.

I did not explain.

Because this matter cannot be explained.

I was ordered by my father to go to the capital to kill the emperor.

The emperor turned me into an imperial censor.

They then betrothed me to the princess.

Now that Qian Rong is dead, the clearing of accounts will come to light, the Ministry of Revenue's disaster relief fund case is coming, and Shen Lie is still on the outskirts of the north.

And I am getting married in ten days.

These days are becoming more and more like a joke.

This joke, however, has too many deadly consequences.

At night, I finally lay down in bed.

Ah Liu guarded the gate outside.

The wind outside the window is gentle.

I took the short blade "Return to Sheath" from my sleeve and placed it beside my pillow.

The blade is very cold.

As I looked at it, I remembered when I entered the capital in the first chapter, my father told me to bring it to kill the emperor.

It's still there.

The emperor is still alive.

I am still alive.