Chapter 16 Solution

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

Zhuang Dongqing: "…………"

Taking a step back opens up a vast expanse; enduring a moment brings calm and tranquility.

Not only was Zhuang Dongqing patient, but he also knew how to take advantage of the situation, nodding and flattering, "Your Highness is wise."

Cen Yan's smile deepened. He pointed to the two statements and got back to business: "Let's take a look first."

The story told to Master Zhuang was exactly the same as what Zhuang Dongqing had told him when they met.

He was just doing normal work, going to and from get off work, and didn't get involved in any core tasks. He mainly did odd jobs, and given his rank, he wouldn't have had access to exam papers.

After reading what Master Zhuang had written, Zhuang Dongqing cautiously looked up at Cen Yan.

Cen Yan was in a good mood, so she reached out and helped him uncover the confession on the cover, then pointed to the next one with her long, slender index finger.

Zhuang Dongqing lowered his head and read.

The original owner's older brother was quite pretentious.

I felt a little uneasy halfway through, and when I finished watching, I shifted my body uncomfortably.

After calming down, I ran through the list of crimes in my mind: cheating on the imperial examination, colluding with examiners, using coded language on the exam paper, and, to put it more seriously, manipulating the examination, disregarding the law, and great disrespect.

In particular, Zhuang Yue has the blood of the Bi family flowing in his veins, and is a distant branch of the imperial family, so it is impossible for him to be let off easily.

Zhuang Dongqing was sweating profusely.

She slightly raised her eyes to glance at Cen Yan.

The person sat right in front of him, resting his chin on one hand and tilting his head slightly as he looked at him. He was undeniably good-looking, but the curve of his lips, no matter how Zhuang Dongqing looked at it, seemed to be someone gloating and waiting to see him make a fool of himself.

“Your Highness,” Zhuang Dongqing said, pondering for a moment before cautiously adding, “I’ve finished reading it.”

They still handed over the initiative to Cen Yan.

After all, he was the one who showed me the statement first.

If you're showing this to yourself, you must have something to say about it.

"Hmm." Cen Yan nodded. "What did you figure out?"

Zhuang Dongqing felt like a villain had collapsed to the ground inside.

Under Cen Yan's piercing gaze, he forced himself to say, "My father does his job honestly and hasn't made any mistakes."

"And what about your older brother?"

Fine, you did it on purpose.

Zhuang Dongqing took a deep breath and told the truth, "My elder brother colluded with the examiners, used coded language on the exam papers, and cheated on the imperial examination."

Cen Yan asked leisurely, "Do you know what the punishment is for cheating in the imperial examinations, according to the rules?"

"I know a little."

"Oh, tell me about it."

Zhuang Dongqing looked at Cen Yan again, and Cen Yan returned his gaze with a sly smile, well, he was asking that question on purpose.

Knowing something was going to happen, Zhuang Dongqing had already learned about the punishments for cheating in past imperial examinations.

"At best, the candidate will be disqualified from the imperial examination and paraded in shackles; at worst, they will be expelled from the examinations, stripped of all previous academic titles, and banned from taking the examinations for life; at the very worst, they will be tortured..."

Zhuang Dongqing's eyelashes trembled slightly, while Cen Yan remained silent, still wearing that slightly smiling expression.

Their eyes met for a few moments, but the other person didn't respond. Zhuang Dongqing had no choice but to continue: "First, they'll be put in shackles, for a few weeks or a few months, the time varies. Then they'll be caned. If that's not enough after the caning, they might be exiled..."

"What if it gets even heavier?" Cen Yan's smile faded as he asked again.

Zhuang Dongqing felt a chill run down his spine and, feeling the intense gaze, had no choice but to reply, "Those with serious offenses will be executed."

Cen Yan sat up straight, and the distance between the two increased slightly, which reduced the oppressive feeling of confinement.

"That's a very comprehensive explanation."

With his well-defined knuckles pointing to the confession again, Cen Yan said softly, "So, young master, what do you think your elder brother will end up like?"

Zhuang Dongqing opened his mouth but remained silent.

Her lips trembled slightly, then closed again.

Then he closed his eyes.

Just when Cen Yan thought the other party wouldn't answer, Zhuang Dongqing met his gaze again. This time, his eyes were no longer timid, and his spirit was restrained as he said, "According to the law, stripping him of his exam qualification and giving him a beating is enough; but this time is different. Right now, I'm afraid it's already a blessing if he can save his life."

Cen Yan's eyebrows twitched slightly.

Zhuang Dongqing let him scrutinize her, her gaze resolute, appearing quite determined, however—

As your gaze descends, you can see the fingers clenched tightly inside the sleeve.

I'm still nervous, but I'm no longer avoiding it.

Cen Yan's expression turned solemn. "Not bad."

"That's exactly the situation the bookmakers are in right now."

There is a way to solve this.

Zhuang Dongqing breathed a sigh of relief and listened attentively.

Cen Yan: "Firstly, according to the rules, Lord Zhuang has not committed any crimes. As for your elder brother, as long as your father doesn't protect him, at most he will be dismissed from his post or demoted for failing to discipline him properly, or even sent away from the capital. In short, his life is not in danger."

After all, the Crown Prince's case was a result of poor parenting. The Emperor would only punish him leniently, as they were in the same boat.

"Secondly, if you want to keep your official position, what's that old saying again? When disaster strikes, everyone flies away. If Lord Zhuang is determined to divorce his wife, then the Zhuang family and the Bi family can be completely separated and each can deal with their own affairs. Your elder brother's matter can perhaps also be judged as being instigated by the Bi family members."

ah?

Zhuang Dongqing was surprised.

Cen Yan: "Generally speaking, there are only these two types."

"What do you think, young master?"

Zhuang Dongqing thought for a moment, then hesitated, "Then, what about Zhuang Yue?"

Neither of these two methods mentioned what would happen to Zhuang Yue, so does that mean they're just giving up?

Will Zhuang Yue be executed?

Cen Yan: "You want to protect him?"

Zhuang Dongqing stammered, "I want to ask, is there any other way..."

When asked this question, something else came to mind. In ancient times, families were closely connected. If Zhuang Yue were to die, would it really have no impact on the Zhuang family or on him? If it really had no impact, then why would Cen Yan ask himself this question?

"Of course there is. Didn't you find the Prince's mansion? So, what do you plan to do?"

Cen Yan's gaze was flat, revealing neither joy nor anger, and he had completely suppressed his emotions.

Zhuang Dongqing couldn't understand it, and her mind was a bit blank.

Liu Qi, standing to the side, was sweating bullets; he was nervous too.

"I want to?" Zhuang Dongqing asked, puzzled.

Cen Yan smiled and said, "Didn't you ask for help? We can't expect the Prince's Mansion to do the work again and make all the decisions for you, can we?"

He paused, then said meaningfully, "After all, the two methods mentioned above are enough to prevent him from falling into the status of a lowly person."

Talking about children.

Click on him.

They used the excuse that Zhuang Dongqing had come to their door for help to shut him down.

Hmm.

That makes sense too.

After all, this is not a matter for the Prince's mansion.

Zhuang Dongqing quickly recalled the plot and considered what to do if she wanted the Zhuang family to have a better ending and to have an extra layer of protection for herself.

Right, back then, he remembered...

Zhuang Dongqing's unfocused gaze sharpened again, and she slowly looked at Cen Yan once more, hesitating to speak.

Cen Yan spoke softly, "What have you thought of? Tell me."

It seemed like encouragement, yet also like coaxing.

Zhuang Dongqing always felt there was a trap in those words.

But he couldn't tell.

Only by being true to himself and honestly stating, "The deed is done, and things have come to this. If Zhuang Yue still wants a reduced sentence, could he... could he report this to the authorities?"

"Is it possible to reduce one's sentence under the pretext of assisting the three judicial departments in handling cases?"

"?" Cen Yan, "Hmm?"

Zhuang Dongqing repeated it again, this time speaking fluently.

Cen Yan was surprised, then suddenly chuckled, "Do you know what you're saying?"

“I know, it might be difficult to handle, but Zhuang Yue is not surnamed Bi after all.”

Cen Yan became truly interested and suddenly moved closer to Zhuang Dongqing, almost touching his face, scrutinizing him inch by inch.

Zhuang Dongqing felt a chill run down her spine, but dared not back down, so she stiffened her back and held on.

After a while, Zhuang Dongqing's eyelashes trembled, she was terrified.

Suddenly, Cen Yan felt a bit playful. He abruptly raised his hand, and in a swift motion, Zhuang Dongqing's forced composure crumbled instantly. He closed his eyes and shrank back, trembling.

"Ha ha ha ha."

Am I that scary?

Zhuang Dongqing: "..."

You've killed the most people in the entire story, don't you think, bro?!

Perhaps it was because his gaze was too melancholy that Cen Yan laughed even more heartily.

Don't get angry, don't get angry, anger will make you sick and no one can take your place.

Zhuang Dongqing tried to get back to the point, "Isn't this okay?"

Cen Yan crossed his arms, his eyebrows relaxed, and his voice became much lighter because of the smile. "I am the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review. Why don't you ask me to be lenient and instead go to such lengths?"

Because you can't solve it either.

Brother, you're always acting on behalf of the emperor...

Zhuang Dongqing was stunned for a moment, and then slowly realized what the pit he had just felt was.

Lowering his eyes, Zhuang Dongqing chose to speak kindly, "If it could be resolved with a mere flick of the wrist, Your Highness wouldn't have needed to ask me. Since you have, then this case must be far-reaching and cannot be easily dismissed."

Cen Yan: "Like this."

Zhuang Dongqing was already tired of hearing those two words again.

Cen Yan stopped laughing and said seriously, "Although it's difficult, this method is indeed quite good."

It is also currently the only solution without any future problems.

"But will Zhuang Yue listen to you?"

The Bi family is Zhuang Yue's maternal family, so it takes some courage and decisiveness for him to denounce his maternal clan.

Zhuang Dongqing shook her head. "He won't listen to me."

"But there is one person who will definitely listen."

Cen Yan: "Who?"

"Madam Zhuang, Bi Shuyu."

Cen Yan raised an eyebrow. "You want Bi's daughter to persuade her son to report Bi?"

"Is it for personal revenge?"

It's not hard to find out that the Bi family treated Zhuang Dongqing badly.

Asking her to persuade her son to denounce her own clan... is tantamount to killing someone by breaking their spirit.

Zhuang Dongqing, however, did not appear smug. He simply said from the heart, "I just feel that, compared to my father, Madam is more concerned about protecting her own son."

As soon as he finished speaking, Cen Yanshen glanced at him.

Zhuang Dongqing, however, kept her head down, completely unaware.

*

Now that we have a plan, we must go back to the dealer.

After lunch, Zhuang Dongqing got into the carriage, and Cen Yan followed.

Zhuang Dongqing was puzzled, but Cen Yan simply said, "If I go with you, I might be able to help you persuade Madam Zhuang."

Zhuang Dongqing didn't believe a single word.

But he couldn't control Cen Yan, so he said nothing and let it be.

Upon arriving at the Zhuang residence, Cen Yan did not accompany Zhuang Dongqing. Instead, he assigned Hao Sanyi's team to him and calmly instructed, "You are still in charge of these men. We can't let things go wrong every time."

Hao San reluctantly agreed.

Zhuang Dongqing felt she couldn't refuse, so she didn't say anything more.

After everyone went to the main courtyard, Cen Yan finished a cup of tea, got up, and asked the servants to lead the way so he could go and see Zhuang Dongqing's courtyard.

Just as the servants were about to refuse, they saw the guards of the Prince's Palace draw their swords, a flash of silver light that made their hearts race.

He dared not say anything more and immediately bowed and led the way.

It wouldn't be an exaggeration to call Zhuang Dongqing's courtyard simple.

Cen Yan walked around and saw that, not to mention that it was surrounded by walls and completely bare, it was obvious to the naked eye.

Liu Qi went to look at the wardrobe. Zhuang Dongqing and Liu Fu each brought a set of clothes, and it would take time to make new ones. He thought he would take some old ones to use first. When he saw the patches, Liu Qi fell silent.

Looking at Cen Yan, Cen Yan chuckled: "This mistress is quite good at managing the household."

After picking and choosing, Liu Qi didn't find any she liked. She looked at Cen Yan again and tentatively said, "How about I send someone to a large cloth shop to make a couple of sets of clothes for the young master of the shop as an emergency measure? We can make the rest for the Prince's Mansion later."

Cen Yan didn't care. "You can decide what to do with the people you left behind."

Liu Qi agreed.

Nothing special about it. After leaving the main house, Cen Yan stopped in front of a withered potted plant.

Liu Qi quickly stepped forward, observed for a while, and then used tools to turn over the soil and carefully distinguish it. He reported, "There should be mercury and cinnabar in the soil. The medicinal materials have absorbed a lot of it. I can only tell that the main medicinal material should be of the blood-activating type."

"However, why..."

Cen Yan broke off a dry twig and thought for a moment: "It's an abortion pill."

Liu Qi was horrified.

Cen Yan toyed with the withered branch, pondering whether what he had told him that night was the truth.

The lowered gaze at least proves that it's true that medication alone can't eliminate it.

A moment later, a servant came to report that a commotion had broken out in the main courtyard. Madam Zhuang was furious and wanted to punish the second young master with a board. Commander Hao refused to allow it, and a group of people had already drawn their swords. The two sides were deadlocked, so they asked Cen Yan to come over.

Upon hearing this, Liu Qi became anxious.

Cen Yan pressed his temples, his expression unreadable, and shook his head with a laugh, "He really said it exactly as he said it..."

I don't know if she's straightforward or just stupid.

"Lead the way, let's go take a look."