"Explain clearly what happened on the day of the imperial examination. If there's any basis for your claims, don't blame me for being ruthless."

Shen Yunting looked at the group of people in front of him and snorted coldly, saying, "Take these people to different rooms and question them carefully. No detail should be missed."

After everyone had been pulled away, he turned his attention back to the only person left and began to question him in detail.

The other person lowered their head, looking guilty.

Shen Yunting observed this and had a general idea of ​​what was going on.

Before arriving, he had already done some research on everyone, so he naturally knew who the person in front of him was.

The man in front of me was named Lu Qi, and he was in charge of collecting the examination papers at the imperial examination venue.

Shen Yunting had investigated and found that this person was related to the Zhang family by marriage.

"Lu Qi, do you have something to say?"

Shen Yunting shouted sharply, and Lu Qi's body immediately trembled.

He hurriedly spoke up, saying, "This official is completely unaware of this matter. How could there be any cheating at the imperial examination? Could there be some misunderstanding?"

Shen Yunting snorted coldly: "Whether it's a misunderstanding or not is not for you to decide. Now you should tell me what happened at the imperial examination that day?"

“I have already investigated. On that day, you were in charge of collecting the exam papers of all the candidates around my son. You are the most likely person to have switched the exam papers. If there is anything wrong, I will hold you accountable.”

Lu Qi was so frightened by these words that his body trembled uncontrollably.

He said tremblingly, "This humble official truly knows nothing. How could this humble official possibly do such a thing? I beg Lord Shen to thoroughly investigate this matter and not to frame an innocent person."

"You make it sound as if I would frame you. If you are innocent, there will naturally be no problem." Shen Yunting looked at the other party coldly.

Lu Qi gave a wry smile and said, "It is common knowledge that I am related to the Zhang family by marriage, and Lord Shen and the Zhang family have never had a good relationship. I have no choice but to have this concern."

"Heh." Shen Yunting sneered, then said, "You can rest assured about that. I am not as despicable as the Zhang family, who would falsely accuse others at will."

Lu Qi's expression turned somewhat grim, and he felt increasingly uncertain.

They probably won't be discovered by Shen Yunting.

Shen Yunting questioned the other party carefully, remembering every word he heard, and a smile appeared on his lips.

Seeing the smile on his lips, Lu Qi felt increasingly uneasy.

Sure enough, the next moment, Shen Yunting asked in a low voice, "You said that you stayed in the examination room the whole day according to the rules, but I heard that you left the examination room once halfway through the day."

Lu Qi's body stiffened abruptly, and he hurriedly replied, "At that time, I had an upset stomach and went to relieve myself, but as you know, this is not allowed in the examination room, so I told a little lie."

"So you used your status to gloss over this matter back then, didn't you?" Shen Yunting continued to question.

Lu Qi nodded reluctantly.

Shen Yunting spoke up again and asked, "But I also asked the maids near the examination hall, and they didn't seem to have seen you leave the examination hall, so where did you go at that time?"

“This…” Lu Qi felt that he was covered in sweat.

He stammered for a long time but couldn't come up with a coherent explanation.

Shen Yunting's stern voice rang in his ears again: "You'd better think this through. I have more than just this much evidence in my hands. Someone has even filed a formal complaint against you for your suspicious behavior."

“If there is any discrepancy between what you said and what you said, and you cannot explain it, you will not be able to escape this crime.”

His words were accompanied by a powerful aura emanating from Shen Yunting.

This pressure forced Lu Qi to bend lower and lower.

Finally, he knelt down abruptly: "Your humble servant, your humble servant..."

"Lu Qi, now that things have come to this, are you still not going to tell the truth? Do you want the entire Lu family to be buried with you? Cheating in the imperial examinations is no small matter."

Shen Yunting slammed his hand heavily on the table and sneered.

He continued, "I have already sent people to search your home, and we should have results soon. Are you still going to be so stubborn?"

A bitter smile immediately appeared on Lu Qi's face.

Finally, he kowtowed heavily and resignedly said, "This humble official knows his crime."

"Who told you to do this?" Shen Yunting asked sternly.

"It's Yu Cheng," Lu Qi replied obediently through gritted teeth.

His eyes were filled with nothing but death.

Even if Shen Yunting lets him go now, Zhang Jia won't.

No one knows what fate awaits him in the end.

"Yu Cheng? The Zhang family's steward?" After thinking for a moment, Shen Yunting asked, "Do you have any evidence?"

Before the other party could say anything, Shen Yunting said directly, "You should know very well that if you can't produce solid evidence, then you will have to bear all the blame."

"Such a serious crime as cheating in the imperial examinations is not something you can afford to bear."

Lu Qi did not answer directly, but instead looked up at Shen Yunting.

Suddenly, he spoke up and asked, "If I tell the truth, will Lord Shen be able to save my family's lives?"

Shen Yunting nodded and then said, "I have already arranged for someone to secretly protect the lives of your family members and to keep them under safekeeping."

"They won't get anything until the truth comes out."

Lu Qi's expression softened.

If someone else had done this, he would probably have thought that the other person was trying to use his family to threaten him.

But if it were Shen Yunting, he wouldn't think that way.

Although the two had different stances, Lu Qi had great faith in Shen Yunting's character.

Upon hearing this, he readily replied, "I was forced into this position. If I hadn't taken up this post, I fear my entire family would have been in grave danger."

"My wife is Lord Zhang's half-sister. Although we are of the same bloodline, Lord Zhang doesn't care about her life or death at all. He only talks about blood ties when he threatens me."

A mocking smile appeared on Lu Qi's lips.

If his wife respected the Zhang family and made things difficult for him in every way, then so be it.

He can still be ruthless and ignore the other person.

But his wife also hated the Zhang family, yet she couldn't do anything about it.

The two could only threaten each other in this way.

Shen Yunting nodded knowingly and said sarcastically, "This is indeed something the Zhang family would do."

“I have a letter that Butler Yu wrote to me back then. He told me to burn it, but I kept it and hid it. However, this can only prove that it was Butler Yu who did it, and it cannot prove that it is related to the Zhang family.”

Lu Qi respectfully presented the letter, and immediately felt much more relaxed.

He actually kept the letters on his person at all times?

Upon realizing this, Shen Yunting raised an eyebrow.

It seems he really wants to deal with the Zhang family.

"Keep the letter with me for now, I will continue the investigation." Shen Yunting put the letter away.

He looked up at Lu Qi and said, "But your career in officialdom ends here."