Guo Zhi was shocked. “All of the records? That’s a lot of work to go through. May I ask what Sir Eleven is investigating? I can help you narrow down the scope a bit first.”

After a bit of hesitation, Zu An said, “I wish to investigate the records of the palace maids who have entered and exited the palace.”

Guo Zhi sighed in relief. “That’s not too difficult. There are four palace gates in the palace. The southern Zhuque Gate is a gate that only opens where there are important ceremonies or court gatherings. The western Yunlong Gate is what the civil and military officials use. The eastern Wenhua Gate is for the nine ministers’ men and some imperial secretaries. The palace maids and eunuchs can normally only move through the northern Xuanwu Gate. That’s why you only need to investigate one gate’s records.”

Zu An hesitated. “What if they left through another gate?” 

Guo Zhi shook his head. “That’s absolutely impossible. There are so many eyes around the...