Emperor Yuan Jing gently tossed the approved memorial to the old eunuch, smiling: “Trusted One, tell me, did this top scholar Xu Xin Nian cheat in the exam?”
The old eunuch quickly scanned the memorial after receiving it, then said: “This old servant is foolish, but I feel there is indeed something suspicious about this matter.”
Emperor Yuan Jing stared at him for a few seconds, then ordered: “Instruct the Magistrate’s Office and the Ministry of Justice to handle this case. They must investigate thoroughly until the truth is revealed.”
After the old eunuch accepted the order and withdrew, Emperor Yuan Jing sat on the dragon throne, gazing at the blue sky outside the Imperial Study, suddenly smiling: “Killing three birds with one stone.”
The old eunuch in the python robe left the Imperial Study, walking quickly with his head down. After walking about a hundred meters, he patted his chest, his heart pounding, his face gloomy:
“Asking me after approving it… Wei Yuan, oh Wei Yuan, it’s not that this old servant doesn’t want to help you, but this old servant’s life is most important.”
Soon after, imperial edicts were sent separately to the Ministry of Justice and the Magistrate’s Office.
Minister Sun of the Ministry of Justice seemed to have anticipated this. Upon receiving the edict, he immediately sent people to arrest Xu Xin Nian.
When Magistrate Chen received the edict from the palace, he sighed and shook his head: “There will be a time when long winds break through the waves… but I fear a big wave might come and destroy the boat and drown the people.”
He immediately called for the Deputy Magistrate and said sternly: “Send people at once to arrest Xu Xin Nian and bring him back to the yamen for questioning. We must apprehend him before the Ministry of Justice does… Send someone to inform Silver Gong Xu.”
…
At the Xu mansion.
On a warm spring day, Xu Xin Nian had his desk set up under the shade of a tree. Sunlight filtered through the branches, casting dappled shadows on the table, books, and his incomparably handsome face.
A teacup and pastries were at hand.
Aunt was preparing to go out with the sisters Xu Ling Yue and Xu Ling Yin, as well as Li Na who was staying at their home.
Li Na saw Xu Xin Nian under the tree and generously praised: “Second Young Master Xu is truly handsome. If he were in our tribe, the women would fight until their heads bled to get him.”
Aunt immediately became vigilant, as if she had seen a sow trying to dig up her family’s cabbage.
Is this little dark-skinned girl from the Southern Borderlands hinting at something? Does she have intentions toward Second Young Master? Bah, wishful thinking, a toad wanting to eat swan meat.
Aunt’s beautiful eyes glared at Li Na, urging: “It’s getting late, let’s head out early.”
This outing didn’t include escorts. A hundred escorts wouldn’t be worth one little dark-skinned girl from the Southern Borderlands. The little dark-skinned girl’s strength was certified by both Second Uncle Xu and Eldest Young Master Xu.
Aunt had personally witnessed the little dark-skinned girl effortlessly crush a fist-sized stone into powder.
Li Na immediately put the handsome Second Young Master Xu out of her mind and walked out excitedly, eager to explore the capital of Great Shang.
Back in the Southern Borderlands, she often heard the elders in her tribe talk about the capital of Great Shang, the most prosperous city in the world.
“This dead girl eats so much and even has improper thoughts about my Second Young Master. I need to find a way to drive her away…” Aunt thought secretly.
This foreign girl who had fallen from the sky had aroused Aunt’s xenophobic thoughts.
As she was plotting how to drive away the foreign girl, she saw a group of officials rush in, pushing down Old Zhang the gatekeeper, and heading straight for the inner courtyard.
The lead constable, holding a portrait in his hand, compared it and then pointed at Xu Xin Nian reading under the tree shade, shouting: “This is Xu Xin Nian, take him!”
“Who are you people? By what right are you arresting my Second Young Master?” Aunt was shocked and, out of a protective instinct, didn’t hesitate to stand in front of the officials with furrowed brows.
“The Ministry of Justice is making an arrest. Do you dare to obstruct? Take her away too!” The constable waved his hand, ordering his subordinates to apprehend Aunt.
Two officers immediately stepped forward, taking out ropes to put over Aunt’s head.
“Bang!”
Li Na stepped forward and gently pushed on the chests of the two officers. With two cries of “Ah…”, the officers flew back, falling in a daze.
Clang!
The officers all drew their weapons, pointing their blades at Li Na. The little barbarian girl from the Southern Borderlands licked her lips, somewhat excited. She could kill all these people within ten breaths.
Aunt, still in shock, hid behind Li Na, suddenly realizing how reliable this little dark-skinned girl was, worthy of dependence.
“Stop!”
Xu Xin Nian shouted, putting down his book and walking over. His gaze swept coldly over the officers as he said sternly:
“I am the top scholar, with an official rank. You barge into my mansion and brandish weapons – this is a serious crime.”
At this moment, the two officers who had been thrown back got up, rubbing their chests. The constable, seeing they were unharmed, pondered briefly, then sheathed his sword and took out a warrant, saying:
“We are following orders from the Ministry of Justice to bring Top Scholar Xu back to the yamen for questioning.”
Xu Xin Nian frowned: “What crime has this Xu committed?”
“Top Scholar Xu will know once he comes with us.” The constable waved his hand and shouted: “Take him away.”
Li Na was about to act but was stopped by Xu Xin Nian. He stepped towards the Ministry of Justice officers: “I’ll go with you.”
Aunt and Xu Ling Yue followed to outside the mansion until the officers escorting Xu Xin Nian disappeared at the street corner.
Li Na whispered: “Did Second Young Master Xu steal silver too?”
She knew that stealing silver would lead to arrest by officials.
At this moment, Old Zhang the gatekeeper brought Xu Xin Nian’s horse, saying: “Madam, Young Miss, this old servant will send someone to inform the Master right away.”
Aunt and Xu Ling Yue turned simultaneously, calling out: “Go find Eldest Young Master (Big Brother).”
…
“What? Officers from the Ministry of Justice came to the mansion to arrest Second Young Master?”
In the Night Watchmen’s Office, Xu Qi An was stunned upon receiving the news, somewhat caught off guard.
“Eldest Young Master, please think of a solution quickly. Madam and Young Miss are crying with worry,” Old Zhang’s son said anxiously.
“Why did they arrest him?”
Old Zhang’s son shook his head, saying: “A group of officers suddenly rushed in, even knocking my father down, and took Second Young Master away.”
“I understand. You go back first,” Xu Qi An instructed. “Tell Aunt and Ling Yue not to worry, I’ll handle this matter.”
“Eldest Young Master, you should go back and tell them yourself,” Old Zhang’s son said.
Xu Qi An nodded, waving him away. He sat at the desk, pondering for a moment, then stood up to leave the One Sword Hall, planning to visit the Ministry of Justice to first understand why they had arrested the Second Young Master.
“It can’t be that the Minister of Justice is deliberately causing trouble to avenge his niece, can it? If that’s the case, it would be easier to resolve. The second Young Master has an official rank, minor issues can’t harm him…
“But the way these big shots in the court act, even if it’s to avenge a niece, they wouldn’t arrest someone without reason. They must have caught hold of something, confident of succeeding in one strike, before making their move.
“So, Second Young Master must have gotten into some trouble, but I just don’t know what yet…”
Thinking this, he left the courtyard, about to turn towards the stable to get his little mare, when he saw Chief Constable Lü Qing from the Magistrate’s Office, leading two quick-hands, hurriedly entering the courtyard.
“Lord Xu.”
As they met face to face, Lü Qing’s face showed joy, quickly replaced by anxiety. He said urgently: “The Magistrate sent me to inform you that Top Scholar Xu is in trouble.”
“I know, he was taken away by people from the Ministry of Justice not long ago,” Xu Qi An nodded calmly.
“It seems the Ministry of Justice’s people were a step faster,” Lü Qing sighed.
“Chief Constable Lü, please come inside. I have something to ask you about.”
Xu Qi An abandoned the idea of going to the stable and led Lü Qing back to the One Sword Hall.
Lü Qing accepted the tea offered by a clerk, symbolically took a sip, and got straight to the point: “His Majesty has issued an edict to investigate Top Scholar Xu for exam fraud.”
The four words “exam fraud” made Xu Qi An’s brow twitch.
That “The Difficulty of the Journey” poem was indeed given to Second Young Master by me, but does this count as exam fraud? I guessed the exam topic, and while the court doesn’t support topic guessing, it has never been forbidden. It’s a common practice among scholars to guess exam topics. Strictly speaking, it’s not fraud… No, the problem itself is not fraud.
Xu Qi An sensed the smell of conspiracy and asked solemnly: “Is it His Majesty who wants to investigate?”
Lü Qing glanced at the clerk in the hall and said in a low voice: “This official doesn’t know, and Lord Xu shouldn’t speculate recklessly.”
“I spoke out of turn,” Xu Qi An said.
But this point is very important. If Emperor Yuan Jing wants to target the Second Young Master, it will be difficult to handle. Second Young Master’s future is almost ruined. The goods in the imperial family, if the imperial family doesn’t want them, a scholar is finished… Xu Qi An thought to himself.
“Thank you for the reminder, Chief Constable Lü. I’m eager to handle this matter and won’t keep you any longer.”
“Lord Xu, please see me off,” Lü Qing said meaningfully.
The two left the One Sword Hall and walked side by side towards the exit. Lü Qing lowered his voice and said:
“Lord Xu had better go to the Ministry of Justice. Once a person is in the hands of the Ministry of Justice, they’re at their mercy. If it’s too late, I’m afraid he might confess to everything. That’s all I can say.”
Lü Qing had practiced martial arts since childhood and had worked in the Magistrate’s Office for many years. He had seen many similar cases and was well aware of the intricacies of officialdom.
After seeing off Lü Qing, Xu Qi An turned and entered the Tower of Integrity to seek help from Wei Yuan.
His instinct told him that this matter wasn’t so simple. The intrigue and complexities of officialdom were something he lacked experience in and wasn’t at the right level for. Fortunately, he had a big leg to hold onto.
Entering the Tower of Integrity, in the tea room, Xu Qi An informed Wei Yuan of the situation and asked for help: “Please teach me, Lord Wei.”
Wei Yuan held his teacup and pondered: “I haven’t received any notice from the palace. This means His Majesty doesn’t want me to know, at least not immediately.”
Xu Qi An’s face changed: “Is His Majesty targeting me?”
“How crude the word ‘targeting’ is,” Wei Yuan said disapprovingly, then shook his head. “You Xu brothers are not yet worthy of His Majesty personally taking action. It should be someone impeaching you.
“As for the purpose, firstly, according to the examples of past exam fraud cases, since it’s a fraud, there must be an examiner who leaked the questions. The three chief examiners for this spring exam were the Grand Secretary of the Eastern Hall Zhao Ting Fang, Right Censor-in-Chief Liu Hong, and the Grand Secretary of the Wuying Hall Qian Qing Shu. We’ll ignore the minor figures for now.
“Among the three chief examiners who might have leaked the questions, Qian Qing Shu can be ruled out first.”
Xu Qi An frowned: “Why?”
Wei Yuan answered: “The impeachment memorial must first pass through the Imperial Cabinet, which is Wang Zhen Wen’s territory, and Qian Qing Shu is Wang Zhen Wen’s man. Understand?”
If Prime Minister Wang didn’t reject the memorial, it means this matter is unrelated to Qian Qing Shu… Xu Qi An nodded: “I understand.”
Wei Yuan continued: “Secondly, your cousin Xu Xin Nian is from the Cloud Deer Academy. Although there are many factions in the court, suppressing the students of the Cloud Deer Academy is an unspoken consensus among all civil officials. This is the main reason for this exam fraud investigation.”
“The great scholars of the Cloud Deer Academy… didn’t warn me?” Xu Qi An frowned.
“Encountering suppression is inevitable, but it doesn’t have to be in the form of exam fraud accusations. Even if Xu Xin Nian became the top scholar, they could still relegate him to an insignificant position. There’s no fixed strategy, there are too many methods. How can one guard against them all?” Wei Yuan shook his head.
“Lastly, Xu Xin Nian is your cousin, and you are my confidant. When faced with a major issue concerning his future, wouldn’t you seek my help? If I don’t respond, there will inevitably be discord between us. If I do respond, their next move will come,” Wei Yuan said with a cold smile:
“Our Emperor enjoys seeing me struggle with the civil officials, so the news from the palace hasn’t been released.”
Killing two birds with one stone… No, if there’s also that examiner who leaked the questions and the person behind them, it’s killing three birds with one stone. As for Second Young Master, being involved in an exam fraud case has only three possible outcomes: One, if the evidence is conclusive, exile, or execution. Two, if the evidence is conclusive but the crime is less severe, stripped of his rank and barred from official positions for life. Three, if found innocent after investigation, but missing the palace exam and his reputation ruined.
Xu Qi An took a deep breath, his head feeling enormous.
Scholars are truly disgusting. If there’s a conflict, why not draw swords and fight it out, decide once and for all? How clean and straightforward that would be.
Always resorting to these sneaky, venomous tricks.
“Lord Wei, what should I do?” Xu Qi An humbly asked for guidance. When it came to solving cases, he was confident. But in terms of political struggles, he was like a silver rank facing a group of kings.
Fortunately, I have a peak king-level big shot behind me.
“I can step in, but if I do, Xu Xin Nian will become my man, and that label will stick to him for life,” Wei Yuan said, drinking tea and looking at him with gentle eyes.
This matter is very troublesome. Even if Lord Wei intervenes to help the Second Young Master out of this predicament, it will likely be at a great cost. After all, we’re not facing just one faction, but possibly a tacit agreement among multiple factions…
Moreover, if the Second Young Master becomes part of the eunuch faction like me, it might be better for him to leave his hometown and the capital…
Xu Qi An frowned deeply, sat silently for a long time, then said hoarsely: “Lord Wei, is there… any other way?”
“There is!”
This answer both surprised and delighted Xu Qi An.
But Wei Yuan changed his tone and shook his head: “But you can’t do it.”