“Father, this matter is strange in every aspect…” Chancellor Lu’s eldest son sat under the glazed lamp, half his body leaning against the armrest of his chair, his fingers pinching and rubbing the corner of his clothes. “When Father originally assigned this matter to your son to handle, I thought it wasn’t a big deal, so I sent a steward to settle it with some money. It happened that the Lin family mother and son, along with the physician from Ping’an Hall, were also just trying to extort some money, so I didn’t investigate carefully and just gave it to them, only wanting this matter to pass quickly!”

Chancellor Lu closed his eyes and said: “These years our Lu mansion has had it too smooth, so you’ve all forgotten my admonition to be vigilant in times of peace and think more carefully about everything.”

Chancellor Lu’s eldest son stood up and bowed his head in acknowledgment: “It’s your son’s fault!”

“The administrators of the Imperial Academy have all been called into the palace by His Majesty to grade papers, so these students have nothing to do and insist on finding trouble!” Third Master Lu harbored resentment and had a very poor opinion of the Imperial Academy students. “How has our Lu family offended them?”

“This matter also serves as a warning bell for our Lu family. In the future, when handling affairs, we must be more careful!” Chancellor Lu lowered his eyes to stare at the bird’s tongue tea leaves floating up and down in his teacup. “The neighbors only learned of Lin Xin’an’s death after Lin’s mother went to beat the Dengwen Drum… What kind of mother, when her son dies, doesn’t panic or cry out in heartbreaking grief to alarm the neighbors, but instead calmly and methodically goes to the Imperial Academy to ask students to write a complaint? And then incites Imperial Academy students to accompany her to beat the Dengwen Drum.”

When the incident of Lu Yuanpeng beating someone at Fanque Tower had blown up, Lu’s mansion had already investigated Lin Xin’an. Lin Xin’an’s family lived in Xiling County; his father was a county magistrate, and when Lin Xin’an was young, his mother had privately accepted bribes, nearly causing Lin Xin’an’s father to lose his official position. In anger, Lin Xin’an’s father divorced his wife and remarried. The stepmother wasn’t exactly bad to Lin Xin’an, but she paid him no attention. Later, when Lin Xin’an was admitted to the Imperial Academy, his birth mother came to the capital, rented a courtyard, and accompanied Lin Xin’an in his studies.

Lin Xin’an’s mother only had this one son. For her only child to meet with trouble and for her to remain so calm… that didn’t seem like an ordinary woman.

Chancellor Lu thought about the reason Lu Yuanpeng had beaten someone, then recalled the words Lin Xin’an’s mother had spoken when beating the Dengwen Drum, and narrowed his eyes…

“This matter… it seems it wasn’t aimed at Yuanpeng, but rather at that child from the Bai family.”

Just as Chancellor Lu finished speaking, the person sent to examine Lin Xin’an’s corpse returned.

Chancellor Lu frowned tightly and casually set his teacup aside: “Let him in.”

The subordinate sent by the Lu mansion to examine Lin Xin’an’s corpse said the same thing as Wei Zhong had—Lin Xin’an should have died from the “Jia Guan” technique.

“So it seems this matter was indeed aimed at Duke Zhenguo’s County Princess!” Chancellor Lu’s eldest son lowered his eyes in thought. “It’s just that we don’t know whose handiwork this is.”

“Regardless of whose handiwork it is, this time as long as our Yuanpeng isn’t implicated, that’s enough!” Third Master Lu asked Chancellor Lu, “Can we bring Yuanpeng back soon?”

Chancellor Lu glanced at the disappointing Third Master Lu and instructed his eldest son: “Continue sending people to investigate this matter. It’s still hard to say whether we can cleanly extricate Yuanpeng from this, but… letting that good-for-nothing suffer some hardship in prison isn’t a bad thing either!”

After speaking, Chancellor Lu glared at Third Master Lu again: “When that good-for-nothing returns, you must discipline him properly! If he causes trouble again next time… you can kneel in the ancestral hall together with your son!”

Third Master Lu quickly stood up and nodded in acknowledgment.

After Third Master Lu left, First Master Lu spoke again with Chancellor Lu: “Father, among the students leading the trouble this time, one is from a prominent family in Xiling County and counts as the palace Consort Chen’s cousin’s nephew! Do you think this matter might be related to Consort Chen in the palace?”

“Consort Chen has no sons and bears no grudge against Duke Zhenguo’s County Princess, so she has no motive. Still, have someone investigate who Lin Xin’an had contact with while alive, as well as those leading figures… and also check what Lin Xin’an’s relationships were like at the Imperial Academy during his lifetime.”

“Your son understands!” First Master Lu nodded.

·

In the palace.

Concubine Qiu knelt beside the soft couch, massaging the acupuncture points on the head of the emperor, who was resting with his eyes closed. The emperor’s right hand was clenched in a fist, lightly tapping his forehead—he had a splitting headache.

Those students at the Imperial Academy couldn’t be arrested; arresting them would likely cause chaos.

Ever since Bai Weiting’s death, he simply couldn’t have peace!

That broken Dengwen Drum kept ringing and being beaten—did they think Wude Gate was their front door?

The emperor was truly about to be annoyed to death.

“Your Majesty, Minister Lu from the Court of Judicial Review has arrived.”

Hearing this, the emperor raised his hand to signal Concubine Qiu to stop, braced himself to sit up, but the headache made him want to lie back down. He could only press his forehead with his hand and close his eyes tightly.

After Lu Jin entered and performed his greeting, he said to the emperor, “Your Majesty, the Crown Prince and your minister have thoroughly investigated the imperial examination fraud case. Wen Zhenkang and the four deputy examiners have solid evidence of accepting bribes. Moreover, the Imperial Academy’s administrators and various doctoral scholars have reorganized the palace examination papers and, after repeated deliberation, have reselected ten papers! Among those originally in the top ten, except for Lu Yuanqing, Lu Yuanbao, Qin Lang, Dong Changyuan, and Chen Zhaolu, the rest all ranked at the bottom of the palace examination. The Imperial Academy administrators even found several pearls lost in the sea among the metropolitan examination papers—apparently all from poor families who hadn’t sent gifts, so…”

The emperor opened his eyes, his gaze filled with murderous intent: “Wen Zhenkang and the four deputy examiners are to be executed immediately! Issue an imperial edict… the results of this spring examination are void, and the examination will be retaken in February next year.”

“Your Majesty is wise!” Lu Jin quickly knelt and called out.

Concubine Qiu handed the emperor a handkerchief that had been chilled with ice: “Your Majesty, applying ice can relieve your headache.”

The emperor took the ice-cold handkerchief and pressed it to his forehead, immediately feeling much more comfortable, then asked: “Where is the Crown Prince?”

“Reporting to Your Majesty, the Crown Prince is outside Wude Gate comforting the Imperial Academy students, politely asking them to return first.” Lu Jin kept his gaze lowered without raising his head. He didn’t approve of the Crown Prince lowering his stance so much.

“What do those students kneeling out there want to force me to do?” the emperor asked with obvious impatience.

Lu Jin considered for a moment before speaking: “Reporting to Your Majesty, those students outside say that in Jin’s court… powerful ministers cover the sky with one hand, the people have no recourse for grievances, and noble families protect and collude with each other. They beg Your Majesty to severely punish the killer! They also say…”

“What else do they say?” As the emperor’s voice rose, his head hurt unbearably, and he gripped the square handkerchief tightly.

“They also say that Duke Zhenguo’s County Princess killing prisoners is intolerable to heaven’s justice, and beg Your Majesty to severely punish such brutal people to uphold Jin’s reputation for the benevolence of the strong, lest… those who truly work for the righteousness of setting the Kingdom on the proper path die in vain. Otherwise… they, the Imperial Academy students, will certainly remonstrate unto death!”

Hearing these words, the emperor’s rage shot upward, and he directly threw the cool handkerchief in his hand: “Death remonstration?! Then let them die! Each one of them acts as if they’ve grasped my weakness, beating the Dengwen Drum at every turn, threatening with their lives at every opportunity!”