Chapter 53 Cheating

Xu Qingyue returned to the Duke's Mansion in a happy mood. In the next few days, she thought about how to put the blame on Xu Qingyan. But before she could take action, something happened at the Xu family.

"Madam Second Young Master, the Xu family has just sent a message saying that your brother is in trouble, and they ask you to return to the Xu Mansion immediately." Xu Qingyue was lying leisurely in the room at this moment, when suddenly a servant came in hurriedly to report.

"Kai'er? What happened to him?" Xu Qingyue stood up suddenly when she heard it, and a bad premonition suddenly arose in her heart.

Two days ago, I just went with my mother to send Kaier to the examination room, and today Kaier got into trouble. Could this be... No way! Kaier will definitely not get into trouble!

Xu Qingyue tried hard to comfort herself and not let herself think too much, and immediately asked someone to arrange a carriage and prepare to return to the Xu Mansion to figure things out.

——Xu Mansion——

"Woo woo... Qingyue, you're finally back! Hurry up and ask your husband to save Kai'er. Kai'er was wrongly accused and he was taken away by the government!" As soon as Xu Qingyue stepped into the gate of the Xu Mansion, Xu's mother rushed towards her.

At this moment, Xu Qingyue was panicked and asked her mother, "Mother, what are you talking about? Why was Kai'er taken away by the government?"

"Kai'er was reported by someone, who found out that he cheated in the exam. They even said that he got the first place in the scholar title by cheating! Now, he is being imprisoned in the Dali Temple. You are his sister, so you must think of a way!" Xu's mother urged Xu Qingyue while crying.

Suddenly, Xu Qingyue felt as if she was hit by someone. Did he cheat? Her good brother got his grades by cheating? In the past, her brother had always been her pride. No matter where he went, people would say that her brother was a young genius, the youngest scholar in the academy, and that he might even be the youngest champion or third place winner in the imperial examination! But now, she was suddenly told that all of this was obtained by her brother by cheating? If this was true, then what future did her brother have?

"Okay, I'll go find my husband for help right away! But mother, if we rely on my husband alone, he may not be able to rescue Kai'er. Now, apart from the Duke, the highest-ranking official in the Duke's Mansion is the young master. If the young master can take action, then my brother's chances of clearing his name will be higher. Mother, do you think about calling Xu Qingyan back and letting her ask the young master to help?" Xu Qingyue agreed immediately, and at the same time, she also thought of asking Xu Qingyan to help.

Although they had a bad relationship with Xu Qingyan, she was still a member of the Xu family after all. If her parents asked her to save her brother, she would have no reason to refuse.

When Xu's mother heard this, she also felt that Xu Qingyue's words made a lot of sense. Pei Jingchuan was now working in the Ministry of Personnel. She had originally liked this son-in-law, but later she learned that he would not live for more than two years, so she agreed to exchange the marriage. But now he is not dead, so he is still worth using, so why not use him?

So, Xu's mother hurriedly sent someone to the Duke's Mansion to deliver a letter to Xu Qingyan, but what she didn't expect was that this time she had sent the letter for a long time, but there was no response. They waited in Xu's Mansion for a whole day, but Xu Qingyan didn't show up.

On the other hand, Xu Qingyue also took the initiative to bow to Pei Jingyuan for her brother. Pei Jingyuan also gave her face and helped her go to the government office, but the result was not ideal. The people in the government said that the evidence of Xu Shikai's cheating was very sufficient, and it was almost a foregone conclusion. Now they just had to wait for the punishment notice from above.

After the Xu family found out, they became even more anxious. In the end, Xu's father and mother had no choice but to shamelessly come to the Duke's Mansion to find Xu Qingyan.

——Tingyuxuan——

"Qingyan, Kai'er is your younger brother. We share weal and woe. You must help him this time!" Mother Xu changed her previous attitude and spoke to Xu Qingyan in a rare pleading tone.

Father Xu also nodded and said, "Yes! Your stepmother is right. Kai'er originally had a bright future, but now he has been framed and his future is about to be ruined. You can't just ignore it. Besides, Qingyue has asked the second young master for help, but his ability is limited. You still need to talk to the young master. If you let the young master take action, there may still be hope."

At this moment, Xu Qingyan looked at the father and mother who were speaking kindly to her, and couldn't help but feel confused. [This imperial examination was clearly written in the book, so Xu Shikai should have passed it, right? Not to mention that he failed this time and was found to have cheated, even if it was his previous cheating incident, that was several years ago, how could anyone find out? ]

"Qingyan, did you hear what I said?" Seeing that Xu Qingyan didn't speak for a long time, Xu's mother began to get anxious.

Xu Qingyan finally came back to her senses, looked at them calmly, and said with a faint smile: "I'm so sorry! I'm a woman, I'm afraid I can't help you. I believe the government will investigate this matter carefully. If Xu Shikai is really wronged, he will definitely be released, so you don't have to worry too much."

Seeing Xu Qingyan's nonchalant look, Mother Xu was so angry that she almost vomited blood. She thought: You actually told us not to be anxious! How can we not be anxious!

Mother Xu couldn't pretend any longer, so she stood up and loudly rebuked, "Kai'er was wrongly accused, and now someone wants to harm him and put him to death, how could he be released! As his sister, you must help with this matter, go find the young master now and ask him to help release your brother, otherwise..."

Mother Xu's eyes turned fierce and fierce, and she was about to say something threatening, but before she could say anything, a low and cold voice came from outside the door.

"Otherwise, what are you going to do?" Pei Jingchuan, wearing the scarlet official robe that he had not had time to change, stepped over the threshold with his slender legs and walked in slowly from outside.

"Young...Young Master, you're back?" At this moment, Xu's mother was so frightened by Pei Jingchuan's voice that her whole body trembled.

At this moment, Pei Jingchuan tightened his lips, and his dark eyes slowly glanced at Xu's father and mother. When his eyes finally fell on Xu Qingyan, a trace of heartache flashed across his eyes.

"There is overwhelming evidence that Xu Shikai cheated in the imperial examination. He got the exam questions in advance and even bribed the last year's number one scholar to write his essay for him. Now the number one scholar has confessed everything. This is a fact that cannot be changed. Do you still want me to smooth things over for you and bend the law for personal gain?" Pei Jingchuan lifted his official robe, sat next to Xu Qingyan, and said coldly.

After hearing this, Father Xu still couldn't believe it. He looked at Pei Jingchuan in astonishment and said, "How is this possible? Kai'er has been talented since he was a child, how could he cheat? Young Master, he must be wronged!"

After hearing what Xu's father said, Xu Qingyan couldn't help but complain in her heart: "What's so unfair about this! He is a habitual cheater since he was a child, and even you, his own father, don't know! Can't you think about it? With your genes, you still expect to give birth to a champion? Your wife has almost emptied the money in the mansion without your knowledge. Now, not only your son is finished, but when you check the storehouse, you will find that you really have nothing!"

In the original book, Xu's mother emptied all the money in the Xu family to pave the way for Xu Shikai. If Xu Shikai could successfully pass the imperial examination and become the top scholar, then the money they spent would be earned back in other ways.

But now that Xu Shikai has been arrested, the outcome will naturally be different.