Mid-game

Shen Changqing can be released from prison, which means there is evidence to clear his name.

The Imperial Guards have already identified who bought the exam questions, and Shen Xiuwen has finally decided to sacrifice one pawn to save the other.

After all, Shen Changqing was his only son, so Shen Xiuwen's actions were not hard to predict.

It's not hard to figure out where the Embroidered Uniform Guard got the roster. Since Shi Zhixuan, the chief examiner of the imperial examination, is already implicated in this matter, Shen Xiuwen will definitely take advantage of the situation and pin the blame for the roster and the selling of exam questions on him.

Originally, Shi Zhixuan shouldn't have had any leverage over Shen Xiuwen, but she just happened to give him one...

This dog-eat-dog drama is only just beginning, so please don't disappoint her, Lord Shi.

"Amitabha." Gu Yu revealed two beautiful dimples on her cheeks. "Please, Bodhisattva, bless my father and brothers so that they may return in triumph soon."

May the Shen family be blessed... They should at least suffer the fate of being destroyed and dying, so that the wronged spirits of the Tang family in heaven may find solace.

Gu Yu was gambling, betting on Shen Xiuwen's greed. And Shen Xiuwen was indeed an insatiable man, who almost ruined his own son for gold and silver.

Gu Yu held three incense sticks in her hand, bowed sincerely three times, and prayed for many people before inserting the three incense sticks into the incense burner in front of the Buddha shrine.

"If the Bodhisattva protects you, everything will go smoothly, right?"

Gu Yu waited a long time before receiving her answer.

Yes, everything will be fine.

Two days ago.

Shenfu.

Shen Xiuwen paced anxiously until the butler knocked on the door.

"How's it going? Have you put everything away?"

The butler carried a mahogany tray with calming tea that Madam Shen had brewed for Shen Xiuwen. He put the tray down, turned around, and carefully closed the door to the study behind him.

"Sir, everything is ready. Please have some tea and rest."

Upon hearing this, Shen Xiuwen let out a long sigh of relief, slumped into a pearwood armchair, looked at the pile of official documents in front of his desk, and remembered that he had been absent from court for several days under the pretense of illness.

He didn't go to the Ministry of Personnel to handle affairs. He was like an ant on a hot pan in his residence, anxiously pacing around, afraid that he might accidentally get himself into trouble.

At this moment, he regained his composure, reached for the teacup, and took two sips of calming tea.

"Give me the order: I need to take a bath, and I'm going out after dark."

Shen Xiuwen originally didn't want his son to get involved in selling exam questions, but he didn't expect Shi Zhixuan to leak the information.

He never expected things to turn out this way.

A few days ago, he found an excuse to approach Grand Secretary Sun, wanting him to vouch for his son's release. Unexpectedly, Sun remained unmoved, as if what he had done had nothing to do with him.

Shen Xiuwen both feared and hated Sun Gu. Because Sun Gu held leverage over him, he usually dared not make any demands. He would do his best to do whatever Sun Gu asked him to do.

He had considered the day when he would be discarded as a pawn, but at that time he held the rank of second-grade official, was a favorite of the emperor, and was married to the granddaughter of the former prime minister.

Even without a distinguished family background, he had already obtained everything that the world respected. He simply couldn't imagine that he would be in such a sorry state.

At this moment, he had no choice but to cut off his tail to survive.

but......

What a coincidence! It's just too much of a coincidence. Guan Yiyun had an accident a few months ago, and now, only a few months later, it's him who's in trouble.

It's as if some unseen hand is controlling their fate. Will good and evil ultimately be rewarded?

No, he didn't believe in those supernatural tales; he only believed in himself.

The butler had not yet left the study, waiting for Shen Xiuwen's next instructions.

Shen Xiuwen's thoughts drifted away, and after the dust settled, he remembered some other things.

"I heard that two scholars from the previous poetry gathering were quite famous. Are they also in the imperial prison?"

"I'm not sure, but it should be there," the butler replied, shaking his head.

"What's your name again?"

Shen Xiuwen recalled the records made by Li Shiqin during his interrogation a few days ago, which Li Shiqin had shown to him when he visited Li Shiqin's residence.

"One of them is surnamed Dongfang, probably from the Dongfang aristocratic family in the north. They don't have many people left in the court."

The butler looked to his left, pondering deeply, and said, "Dongfang... oh, right, his name is Dongfang Hongyao."

"I've heard you mention the other one, young master. His name is Wei Cong. He comes from a poor family, probably from a remote village."

Shen Xiuwen recalled the interrogation records he saw that day and did not seem to have seen those two names before.

"Go check if those two are also in the imperial prison. If they are, we can see if we can use this opportunity to win them over. If they aren't..."

His eyes were deep and his expression was hidden. "...Please come to my residence for tea."

Just as the steward was about to investigate the whereabouts of the two men, someone came to report that the madam had locked two men in the woodshed, and when asked their names, they turned out to be the very men the master was looking for.

Isn't this a perfect coincidence? And where did the lady get the letter from?

He hurriedly went to report to the master, whose expression flickered. After learning that the madam had gone to the imperial prison, the master let out a long sigh.

"It must be Changqing's idea. No rush, let's lock them up for two days first, and I'll go see these two people again after two days."

As night deepened, Shen Xiuwen visited the Sun residence once more. This time, in front of Sun Gu, he recounted how he had placed the roster at Shi Zhixuan's residence.

Now that the truth has come out, the best course of action is to sacrifice the pawn to save the king and shift all the blame onto Shi Zhixuan.

"Please send someone to guard Shi Zhixuan's elderly mother, wife, and children, just in case."

"Oh? You want to do this?"

He stood tall and elegant, leaning against the window of the study, gazing at the beautiful moonlight that bathed the floor outside, his tone indifferent.

There were no candles in the study, and in the dim darkness, his expression was not clearly visible.

Shen Xiuwen hung his head, his bowing motion frozen, motionless, like a wooden decoration.

After an unknown amount of time, the person at the head of the table finally spoke, "Then let's do it this way."

"If you can't even manage your own tail, no matter how high you're raised, you'll still end up back where you started..."

"Whose residence is this? If they wanted to invite us as guests, they wouldn't be making such a fuss, would they?"

Dongfang Hongyao's eyes were blindfolded with black silk and his hands were bound with hemp rope, so he could only obediently follow the people in front of him.

Wei Cong followed quietly behind Dongfang Hongyao. He smelled something like swill and guessed that they had entered the back door of a house.

The threshold in front of him tripped him up, but luckily the rope in his hand was connected to the one belonging to Dongfang Hongyao, and he was pulled by the rope so that he did not fall.

"Brother Hongyao, save your energy. These people who handle things may not know the reason."

Wei Cong thought of the paper dragonflies flying all over Shengjing City. He and his brother Hongyao had managed to stay out of the situation due to unforeseen circumstances, and some people must suspect that they were involved in this matter.

The two were quickly led to a place piled with hay and firewood. The black silk covering their eyes was removed, and a dizzying white light suddenly entered their vision.

A burly man ripped off the black silk covering the two men and pushed them to the ground. "Stay put and wait for our lady to come and question you."

After he and another companion left, they locked the door to the woodshed.

The rope in their hands hadn't loosened, and now the two of them were like grasshoppers on the same rope. Dongfang Hongyao got up cursing, and Wei Cong could only stand up with him.

"Damn it, what's going on in Shengjing City? They dare to kidnap people in broad daylight."

Wei Cong rubbed his eyes, which were still uncomfortable, and said calmly, "Brother Hongyao, don't worry. We should be able to go back after that lady finishes her questioning. After all, we know nothing about those paper dragonflies, don't we?"

Dongfang Hongyao sighed repeatedly, "This trip to Shengjing City has been incredibly unlucky. First, we encountered a greedy and corrupt official at the city gate. After finally gaining a good reputation at the poetry gathering, those jealous villains tied us up before the imperial examination and left us to languish on the street all night."

"Unexpectedly, this misfortune turned into a blessing in disguise. By not attending the imperial examinations, we avoided the leak of questions, and we were even invited to our residence by the wife of an official we suspected of being involved with..."

Dongfang Hongyao summarized the big and small things that had happened since they arrived in Beijing in just a few words, and the more he thought about it, the more unlucky he felt.

Of course, the most unlucky one was getting on Gu Yu's pirate ship; otherwise, he would definitely be locked up in the imperial prison right now, his mind blank.

What is meant to be will be; what is meant to be will be.

He found a spot piled with hay and sat down, and Wei Cong sat down with him. "The only good thing is that we are really innocent, even more innocent than Dou E who suffered a snowfall in June."

Wei Cong patted his shoulder, a gesture that was difficult to make even with his hands bound. "Brother Hongyao, don't say anything discouraging."

“Even if they are the wives of officials in the capital, they can’t touch us without solid evidence. At least our lives are not in danger.”

Wei Cong thought about many things, but something was always missing from the key points of these events, so he couldn't connect all the events together.

After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes to rest. The waters in Shengjing City were far deeper than he had imagined. Even the imperial examinations, which required the utmost fairness and impartiality, had run into trouble. What kind of chaos and corruption must have spread to other places?

So, with the Great Prosperity reaching this point, whose fault is it really? The superiors set an example for the inferiors, yet Sun Gu, who is reviled by the people, is still second only to the emperor!

Is it Emperor Shengyuan?

Wei Cong couldn't bear to think about it. The more he thought about it, the heavier his heart became. The suffocating feeling of drowning as a child came rushing back to him, making it almost impossible for him to breathe.

He had some doubts about himself. Even if he won the top scholar title, how much could he do for the common people?

Wei Cong didn't know how long he had been locked up. He used to keep track of the time, but because no one brought him food, he fainted from hunger and lost track of time.

"The lady who invited us here must have forgotten about her distinguished guest in the woodshed, right? I'm starving."

Dongfang Hongyao rubbed his rumbling stomach, then looked at Wei Cong, whose face was pale and even somewhat weak, and got up to knock on the door.

To avoid falling, Wei Cong could only drag his weak body and follow him. "Brother Hongyao, save your energy. This woodshed has been so quiet all this time. It must be too remote. Even if you shout yourself hoarse, you might not be able to attract anyone."

He pursed his pale, peeling lips, feeling his body growing heavier and heavier. When he stood up, his vision went black, as if he was about to faint again.

Seeing him like this, Dongfang Hongyao quickly helped him sit down and said with a wry smile, "If only I had suffered this, it wouldn't be so bad. My body is much stronger than yours. I didn't expect even you to suffer like this..."

He stopped there, rubbing his dizzy head. He vaguely realized that he seemed to have grasped something, but when he opened his eyes again, he only saw Dongfang Hongyao's concerned expression.

He shook his head. "Don't worry, I know my body. I'm not going to die."

"Although I can't quite remember, I estimate it's been two days. A person will die if they are dehydrated for three days. He wouldn't dare let us die. He will definitely see us again tomorrow."

Dongfang Hongyao's nonchalant attitude from the previous two days was replaced by a more composed demeanor. "Alright, you can sleep for a while. I'll wake you up later."

He remembered what Gu Yu had told him: on the third day of the third lunar month, a little beggar had delivered an invitation letter, and he had accepted the invitation, which connected all the events.

He had considered distancing himself from those matters, but since Gu Yu dared to confront him, she must have her own reasons. Besides, some things had indeed only passed through his hands.

Gu Yu did not leave him any leverage.

Such sheltered young ladies are truly terrifying. Even if Gu Yu were to be implicated, she might not necessarily be in any trouble, but he would definitely be in trouble.

He couldn't bring himself to kill anyone to cover it up, and he also wanted to have a backup plan. He simply tried to discuss it with his family and threatened all the merchants who had sold him paper and ink, giving them money to move their businesses to another location.

After all, everyone has their dirty tricks. The Eastern gentry of Hejian Prefecture still have a lot of prestige. With just a few words, they can make it impossible for them to stay in Hejian Prefecture.

He remembered Gu Yu's initial request; she had already been making plans for the present back then.

So, will you win this round, Miss Gu?

Just as dawn was breaking, Wei Cong heard a commotion outside the woodshed door. The footsteps of about two or three people were coming this way.

"Brother Hongyao, wake up, someone's here." Wei Cong nudged Dongfang Hongyao, who was fast asleep beside him.

"Huh?" He was still a little confused. His stomach growled twice more, and then he heard the door lock click shut.

The door to the woodshed, which had been closed for several days, finally opened, and a chilly breeze slipped in through the crack.

Dongfang Hongyao instantly snapped back to reality and looked at the newcomer warily.

Although he didn't think Shen Xiuwen would do anything to harm the candidates, if something really happened to Shen Changqing, Shen Xiuwen might really go crazy.