As they were about to leave the courtyard, Xiaoman handed the gold-inlaid jade she had taken from Ying Changming to Shen Huaixu, "Miss, the person you sent to the Marquis' Mansion to call us was a beggar?"

"Well, this man is called Ying Changming, and I met him at Changyufang."

Xiaoman and Shuangjiang knew that their young master had been going to Changyufang recently and had asked no one to follow him. They didn't expect that he was there to look for clues.

Shen Huaixu remembered something and said, "There is a well under a tree outside the main courtyard. Inside is the body of the person killed by that old slave. Let's bury him and let him rest in peace."

After a pause, she continued, "Find out if this man has done anything bad besides stealing. If not, find his family and help them out."

Grain Full and Frost Descent came one after another.

As soon as she walked out of the courtyard, Shen Huaixu saw a thin figure wandering not far away. She quickly walked to Ying Changming and took out a purse from her pocket, "Thank you so much today, this is your reward."

Ying Changming didn't refuse and took it. "Have you found the person you're looking for?"

Shen Huaixu shook his head, "Not yet, but soon."

"That's good." Ying Changming scratched his head. He didn't know what he felt in his heart. He always felt that the experiences of the past few days were like a dream.

He hesitated for a moment and said, "Then I'll take my leave."

"Wait a minute." Chen Huaixu stopped Ying Changming, "How old are you now?"

Ying Changming was confused and replied, "Eleven."

"If you want to get rid of your beggar status, I can help you, just like before, I help you and you help me."

"I..." Ying Changming said hesitantly, "How can I help you?"

"Believe in yourself, you can do it. Isn't it your contribution that we were able to catch him this time?"

Ying Changming thought Shen Huaixu wanted him to sell himself into slavery, and his face was conflicted. Once he entered slavery, it was like entering the sea, his life was in someone else's hands. There was nothing good about being a beggar, the only thing he had was freedom.

He wanted to find a job for himself two years ago so that his grandfather would not have to go out to beg. However, he was too thin and small, so even if he went to the dock to work as a foreman, the contractor would not accept him.

Seeing that he remained silent for a long time, Shen Huaixu did not force him.

"How about this, whenever you change your mind, come find me at Jishitang."

After leaving these words, she left with Xiaoman and the others.

Ying Changming looked at the long street with few people around, and did not stay any longer, but hurried towards Changyufang.

On the way, Shen Huaixu asked about Shen Su's experience in the palace. Xiaoman and Shuangjiang didn't know much, they only knew that Shen Su was no longer involved in the Zhongli Bridge case. Shen Huaixu knew that the emperor did not take the prisoner's words seriously.

When he returned to the Xuanping Marquis Mansion, Shen Huaixu went to his father's yard and handed over all his earnings that night to Shen Su.

Chen Su looked at He Ling and the roster with a look of heartache on his face. However, he was not one to show his emotions, so he simply asked, "Is this the reason you've been going to Changyufang every day these days?"

Shen Huaixu knew that Shen Su was well aware of his whereabouts, so he was not surprised. "There are all kinds of people there, so there are more channels to get information. I never thought it would be so smooth."

Chen Su was silent for a moment, "Miao Miao is thoughtful. But don't put yourself in danger next time. You have to trust Daddy."

"I believe it, why not?" Shen Huaixu smiled and nodded, "I just saw you going out early and coming back late every day, and I have nothing to do, so I wanted to help."

Regarding the Zhongli Bridge case, Shen Su was not completely without gain, and the two of them talked about it based on what happened tonight.

"On the eve of the Dragon Boat Festival, that group of people were indeed spreading false information in order to create the illusion that Zhongli Bridge had been trampled. Their subsequent actions were nothing more than smearing Your Majesty, declaring that Your Majesty's reign was not granted by heaven. Because you saw many flaws on the spot, their subsequent actions were unable to proceed.

All of them are connected to the previous dynasty's royal family, or they are ministers of the previous dynasty whose families have declined and are now attempting to restore the monarchy. As for who is leading this, it was not clear before, but the Crane Order you brought back may provide the answer."

"Dad, please carefully interrogate that old servant. His identity must be extraordinary."

"Okay." Chen Su's eyes fell on the Crane Token on the table, and he said slowly, "I saw the portrait of this token at my grandparents' house when I was young. In the early days of the previous dynasty, the Crane Token was a symbol of status for the royal family, and all those below the emperor wore jade tokens.

Later, a demonic Taoist bewitched the Emperor's heart and, using the Crane Order granted by Emperor Xin, ordered his men to search for thousands of Celestial Yin bodies, behead them at Piaomiao Peak, and use their blood to soak the alchemy furnace, refining elixirs for the Emperor. This incident nearly sparked a popular uprising, leading to Emperor Xin's tragic death. To appease the people, the ascendant executed the demonic Taoist and placed him atop the Imperial City for forty-nine days. He also abolished the Crane Order, thus preventing widespread chaos. If the Crane Order you retrieved isn't a forgery, the possessor must be connected to Emperor Xin. It's only now, a century after the events, that they've only just begun to reveal their true intentions.

Shen Huaixu didn't expect that there would be such a tragic incident.

She pondered for a moment, "Then I'll have to take a good look at this list. I flipped through it a while ago, and some of the people here have the same names and surnames as ministers in the court. Their official positions aren't high, but if it's not a coincidence, when a few of them gather together, their influence could be enormous."

Chen Su sighed, "Your grandmother rarely interacted with her family during her lifetime. Seeing your grandfather's peaceful disposition and his lack of competition, she chose to marry into the Jiang family, seeking nothing more than a peaceful life. I rarely heard from her about the previous dynasty's royal family; she seemed to be deliberately hiding it from me. Now it seems your grandmother intentionally kept me from the previous dynasty's royal family."

Shen Huaixu was a little curious, "Dad, didn't those people approach you?"

Chen Su gave a bitter laugh, his eyes becoming a little colder, "Silly Miaomiao, the person I saved was the one who overthrew the previous dynasty. It's good enough that they don't hate me to the bone."

"They're petty and narrow-minded," Chen Huaixu commented. "They should hate the aristocratic families the most, right? At the end of the previous dynasty, the aristocratic families almost controlled the government, and the emperor became a puppet. Even if there wasn't the current emperor, there would be someone else. Why blame Daddy?"

"Miaomiao's thoughts coincide with those of many court officials. They think the person behind the scenes shouldn't blame me, and should even recruit me," Chen Su said slowly. "From now on, you must be accompanied by Xiaoman or Shuangjiang when you go out. After tonight, everyone in the court and the previous dynasty will regard you and me as thorns in their eyes."

Seeing his father so serious, Shen Huaixu also became serious, "Don't worry, Dad, I know."

The next day, Chen Su entered the palace early in the morning with the Crane Order and the list.

The emperor flipped through the list in his hand, his expression becoming increasingly solemn.

Finally, he slammed the list shut and asked, "Where did the list come from?"

Chen Su briefly recounted the process of Chen Huaixu's search for someone, "...there was only an old servant in the courtyard, and he has been thrown into prison."

"Mr. Shen, do you think the people on the list have any connection with the remnants of the previous dynasty?"

"Your Majesty, I have no idea. Last night, I saw some names crossed out. I remember that many of them were already dead. I suspect there are some strange reasons for their deaths."

The emperor paced back and forth for a moment, and finally stood still. "I will give the matter of the list to Mr. Shen to handle. What do you think?"

"I am grateful for your majesty's trust. I will never decline it even if it means death."