In the seventeenth year of Chongzhen’s reign, the Ming dynasty was on the verge of collapse.
The officials at court all claimed there was no money, and none of them wanted to defend the city.
Chongzhen dragged me out of prison and gave me a job: find out who had cuckolded him.
I was just a food delivery guy. What did I know about catching people cheating?
But I knew how to find my way around, tail people, keep track of what time someone’s household shut its doors, and listen at the wall.
Wasn’t that just an upgraded delivery job?
My first assignment: Consort Tian.
The deeper I dug, the more I uncovered about the Duke of Cheng’s residence.
Then I found leads pointing to the Ministry of Revenue, the Ministry of War, and the Grand Secretariat.
In the end, I discovered someone was plotting to replace the crown prince.
Chongzhen: “I asked you to investigate an affair, and you’ve turned it into a whole mess!”
Me: “Your Majesty, how about you get someone else to investigate?”
Chongzhen: “There’s no one else who can do it.”
Me: “Then shall I keep going?”
Chongzhen: “Stop investigating! I’m begging you, stop!”
Too late.
Someone down in Jiangnan had started investigating, too.
And it was a woman.
