Chapter 124 Chapter 124 The first case of the palace examination

Before the results of the provincial examination came out, something shocking happened in the city.

Something unexpected happened to the Kang family in the capital city. The maternal family of the third prince, the maiden family of the current Concubine Rong and Concubine Yu. In just one night, hundreds of people in the Kang family were detained and imprisoned.

The Kang family was also sealed off.

The person in charge of handling this matter was Yuan Chongshan, the governor of Nanjun Province.

This happened without any warning, and no one reacted at all. As a result, the Kang family was also unprepared, so they couldn't even pass on the message to delay time or seek help from outside.

Those who were on good terms with the Kang family were dumbfounded, and some even feared that the Kang family would implicate them, so they closed their doors and quickly distanced themselves from the Kang family.

As the world was in uproar, news soon spread from the government about the various illegal things the Kang family had done. When people heard about all the illegal things the Kang family had done, many people were frightened.

Even these are only a small part of it, there are still some crimes that are being tried by the government.

Even so, these alone are enough to make people feel uncomfortable and feel that the Kang family has done all kinds of evil.

The evidence against the Kang family is irrefutable and there is no chance of recovery.

Even if the Third Prince wanted to plead for the Kang family in the future, facing the bloody evidence, not to mention that the victims would not be willing to let the Kang family go, even the officials in the court would not be willing to let the Kang family get away with it. Even the Third Prince's political enemies would have to contribute their efforts to bring the Third Prince down.

Of course, at this time, this matter had not yet spread to the capital, and was only circulated in the provincial capital.

I heard that Governor Yuan has ordered people to report the illegal activities of the Kang family to the capital as soon as possible.

The Yao family soon heard about this.

Old Madam Yao was stunned for a long time.

She asked in confusion, "Why would Yuan Chongshan suddenly attack the Kang family? Has he been secretly looking for evidence of the Kang family's crimes?"

Yuan Chongshan became the governor of Nanjun Province three years ago.

Old Madam Yao recalled carefully, and for a moment she couldn't be sure who Yuan Chongshan belonged to, but she was sure that he was definitely not from the Third Prince's faction, otherwise why would he take action against the Kang family?

Yao Yunhe said hesitantly: "Mother, could it be Fu Xiao——the Master Fu?"

If the Xuan family wanted to take action against the Kang family, they would have done it long ago, and would not have waited until now, right?

Moreover, the Xuan family led the Zhennan Army, and their every move attracted much attention. Naturally, the Kang family was on guard against the Xuan family attacking them, and they should not be stupid enough to let the Xuan family find evidence of their crimes.

This is indeed suspicious.

Maybe because he was stimulated by Fu Wenxiao recently, Yao Yunhe always remembered the way this man stirred up trouble when he was in the capital. When he heard that something happened to the Kang family, he was the first person to suspect.

It was because the Kang family had no chance of getting into trouble earlier or later, but it happened just when Prince Fu came to the city.

"Master Fu?" Old Madam Yao frowned at first. "On the surface, he is just a scholar in Shanping County. The Kang family has not offended him. Why does he need to get involved in this matter..."

Suddenly she thought of something and suddenly shut her mouth.

Yao Yunhe had only guessed before, because he couldn't imagine why Yuan Chongshan, such a cautious person, would risk offending the third prince to bring down the Kang family.

However, seeing the strange look on his mother's face, he felt a little confused.

"Mom, what's wrong?"

After a long while, Old Madam Yao smiled bitterly and said, "Maybe it really has something to do with him."

"What?" Yao Yunhe was stunned and whispered, "Is it really Fu Xiao?"

Madam Yao nodded silently. "Although I don't know much about Yuan Chongshan, I heard that he supported Prince Yide in the past. Later, when Prince Yide got into trouble, not only did he not get into trouble, but he escaped unscathed and came here to serve as the governor..."

Of course, some people also say that this is because the saint is still thinking about Prince Yide.

After Prince Yi De passed away, it was said that the emperor was extremely regretful and treated the people left behind by Prince Yi De even better.

Of course, this was just nice talk. None of the old foxes in the court believed it. They would rather believe that this was a trick used by the saint to restrain the princes.

Yao Yunhe said: "Yuan Chongshan supports Prince Yide, so it has nothing to do with Prince Fu, right?"

You have to know that Prince Fu is the son of Princess Yuan'an. At the beginning, Princess Yuan'an had the support of the Queen Mother and openly interfered in the affairs of the court. The Sage has been trying to suppress Princess Yuan'an's faction.

It seems that the relationship between Prince Fu and Prince Yide is not very good.

Madam Yao glanced at him and said, "Even if the Saint treated the Prince's family well out of guilt, old friendships will fade with time. This Yuan Chongshan... who can be sure which side he is on?"

If he really supported Prince Yide, could he have come to Nanjun Province to serve as governor three years ago?

She always felt that there was another master behind Yuan Chongshan, or maybe even...

Yao Yunhe couldn't help but remain silent.

The waters in the capital are too complicated, and many things are difficult to distinguish between true and false. Even if you are in it, you cannot discern the truth.

So when my mother suddenly said she missed her parents' home and wanted to go back home, my father not only did not dissuade her, but also let her come and serve her.

Soon, Old Lady Yao added, "But the Kang family did go too far. Yuan Chongshan did a good thing."

Yao Yunhe nodded, that was indeed the case.

Although I knew that the Kang family was not clean in private, I didn't expect them to be so arrogant and not take human life seriously. Just hearing about the crimes spread outside, people feel that the Kang family deserves to die.

Yuan Chongshan's choice to take action against the Kang family instead won him a round of applause. The people all called him an honest and upright official who was eliminating harm for the people.

Under such surging public opinion, even if the third prince of the capital wanted to do something, he would have to think twice.

I just don’t know where Yuan Chongshan got so much evidence of the Kang family’s crimes. Is there someone helping him secretly?

Suddenly thinking of something, Yao Yunhe said, "Mom, I heard that when Governor Yuan sent people to arrest the Kang family, he didn't find the Seventh Master of the Kang family at the Kang family. It is said that this man has killed many people, so people thought he had escaped after hearing the noise. So they sent people to look for him in the other courtyard of the Seventh Master of the Kang family, but they found..."

"how?"

Old Madam Yao looked at him in confusion, thinking that her son's expression was a little strange.

Yao Yunhe said implicitly: "They found that Mr. Kang Qi was in the other courtyard. He was seriously injured and in a dangerous situation."

He felt a little embarrassed when he said this.

Any man would feel uncomfortable seeing the wounds on Kang Qiye's body, but when he thought about what he had done, he felt it was not surprising. Being castrated was a bargain for him. Now he was thrown into the dungeon, and no one in the prison would be kind enough to call a doctor for him. The wound would soon fester, and the result was already doomed.

"How did you get injured?" Old Madam Yao asked puzzledly.

Yao Yunhe shook his head and briefly explained to his mother what Mr. Kang Qi's villa was used for.

As expected, Madam Yao showed an expression of disgust and nausea on her face, and even said, "What a beast!"

Madam Yao was a refined person and seldom cursed people like that, but what Mr. Kang Qi did was simply inhumane, and calling him a beast was a compliment to him.

Without Yao Yunhe telling her, she knew that the reason why Mr. Kang Qi ended up like this was definitely because someone was seeking revenge.

He has that kind of special hobby, and who knows how many innocent women he has killed. It is normal that he would be sought for revenge, but I don't know which hero did it.

Madam Yao quickly smiled again and said, "Fortunately, something happened to the Kang family, so that hero doesn't have to worry about being dealt with by the Kang family."

"Indeed." Yao Yunhe said, and then thought of something, "Mom, this hero couldn't be a girl? I heard that the Kang family did something in the gambling house in Shanping County. It was also a girl. Could it be the same person?"

He felt that the girl must have a grudge against the Kang family, and might have been harmed by the Kang family.

Old Madam Yao was stunned for a moment, as if thinking about something.

She suddenly felt that it might be the same person who did it.

I don't know who that hero is, but she is truly an admirable female hero.

**

Because of the incident that happened to the Kang family before, not many people cared about Mr. Kang Qi's affairs. Those who cared were those who had been harmed by Mr. Kang Qi.

For example, there was a girl in the family who was killed by Mr. Kang Qiye.

As for other people talking about Master Kang Qi, especially the men, they all mentioned it in a very strange tone, and they all thought it would be better if he died, otherwise wouldn't it be a torture to live?

Which man would rather die after being treated like this?

This incident also frightened many of the playboys in the city. Even if they had any special fetishes, they would not dare to commit them in the future, fearing that they would be hunted down like Mr. Kang Qi one day...

The Kang family's affairs caused such a sensation in the provincial capital that even when the results of the provincial examination were announced, there was not much attention paid.

On the day of the announcement of the results, the steward sent people to wait at the government office early in the morning.

Yu Li was eating breakfast and turned to ask Fu Wenxiao: "Do you want to go and take a look too?"

Fu Wenxiao shook his head, "There should be a lot of people over there, so let's just forget it."

There must be a lot of scholars who want to see the list, so it will be very crowded there.

Hearing this, Yu Li thought that this person was a social phobic. It would be really difficult for him to go over there and squeeze with the others, so he didn't say anything else.

After they had breakfast, the person sent by the steward to check the list came back.

The other party said happily: "Congratulations, Mr. Fu, you are the first in the case again this time."

Everyone in the house was very happy and came over to congratulate them.

The county examination and the prefectural examination were held once a year. Each prefectural examination would select about fifty to sixty people. Those who passed the prefectural examination would become students and could go to the provincial capital to take part in the academy examination.

The fact that Fu Wenxiao won first place in both the county and prefectural examinations shows his ability.

Nowadays, studying is the way out, and people who are good at studying will be respected.

There was laughter and joy in the house, and Yu Li was also very happy. She planned to go to the government office to take a look when there were fewer people around.

But before she could get there, she saw Mr. Wang coming over in person.

Mr. Wang also came to congratulate Fu Wenxiao. He knew that with Fu Wenxiao's knowledge, the provincial examination was nothing. If he didn't get the first place in the provincial examination, it must be that the prefect had no vision or was biased towards other scholars.

Of course, it's not surprising that the prefect would choose Fu Wenxiao as the first in the case.

After the provincial examination, Fu Wenxiao attended a literary gathering held by Yanshan Academy, where he became famous. With such fame, the prefect would consider appointing him as the top candidate, not to mention that he also performed very well in the provincial examination.

Even if those scholars who were also participating in the provincial examination had seen Fu Wenxiao's literary talent at the literary meeting, they would not have any doubts about his being the top candidate.

Fu Wenxiao was very clear about all the twists and turns, and was naturally grateful for Mr. Wang's kindness.

Mr. Wang said with a smile: "Brother Fu, let's go to Yanshan some other day. The scenery there is very nice now."

Hearing this, Fu Wenxiao turned to look at Yu Li, "Do you want to go, Li Niang?"

Yu Li looked at Mr. Wang and saw that he really wanted to go hiking with Fu Wenxiao, so he nodded and said, "Okay, let's go when we have time."

When Mr. Wang heard this, he quickly set a date, saying that it would be better to go today than to wait for another day, so he decided to go in two days.

Then he said that since Brother Fu was the top candidate in the case, why not go to a restaurant to have a meal and celebrate.

Yu Li liked this, and seeing her eyes sparkling, Fu Wenxiao agreed with a smile.

The three of them went out together and came to a restaurant in the city.

This restaurant has a very good reputation in the city. The environment is elegant and the Jiangnan cuisine they serve is very good, but the prices are very expensive.

Of course, restaurants also do business with wealthy people, and the more expensive the food, the more popular it is among them.

When the three of them came to the restaurant to eat, they heard many people in the restaurant discussing the Kang family's affairs.

In the past, at this time, everyone would discuss the results of the provincial examination, especially the top candidates, who were mentioned the most. But now, no relevant content was heard.

Mr. Wang said, "If it weren't for the Kang family incident, I'm afraid that the people discussing this outside would be Brother Fu."

He felt a little uncomfortable. On the one hand, he cheered for the Kang family being detained and imprisoned, but on the other hand, he felt sorry for his brother Fu. What happened to the Kang family did not happen earlier or later, but happened during the announcement of the provincial examination results.

Fu Wenxiao was very indifferent. He didn't care whether people discussed him or not.

Yu Li blinked, looked at Fu Wenxiao, and asked softly, "Are you feeling disappointed?"

It seems that Mr. Wang is quite disappointed.

Fu Wenxiao laughed, "No."

He used to be discussed too much by others, with praise, disgust, caution, and ill intentions... He has been through a lot since he was a child, and now that fewer people are discussing him, he doesn't think it's a big deal.

Yu Li looked at him, and seeing that he really didn't care, he concentrated on eating.

As expected, it is a restaurant recommended by Mr. Wang. The food here is delicious.

Mr. Wang listened to what people were talking about outside for a while and said angrily: "The Kang family is simply not worthy of being human. They only do beastly things. It's a pity for the people who were killed..."

Among the Kang family’s businesses, the most profitable one is the gambling house. There are Kang family gambling houses in many counties under Qing’an Prefecture.

The gambling house in Shanping County alone could allow the Kang family to make an untold amount of money, not to mention other places.

These are nothing, but what makes people angry is that the Kang family is engaged in human trafficking. They secretly kidnap young women and children in various ways and sell them to the north, forming a huge industrial chain.

After Mr. Wang scolded the Kang family, he drank a glass of wine and muttered, "The third prince is not a good person either..."

He said this in a low voice.

Although everyone knew that if the Third Prince had not supported them, the Kang family would not have dared to act so arrogantly. But he was the prince of the current dynasty, the son of a saint. Even if he did something against the will of heaven and earth, he would only be punished lightly at most. It was impossible to treat him as a commoner.

Fu Wenxiao pretended not to hear and picked up some food for Yu Li.

Yu Li listened silently, his eating movements unconsciously slowed down, and a thoughtful look appeared on his face.

After dinner, they walked around the city and then went back.

As soon as he returned to the Xuan family's house, the steward came to greet him and said happily: "Mr. Fu, Madam Fu, our Young Master Xuan is back."

Hearing this, Yu Li looked inside, and sure enough, he saw Xuan Huaiqing striding out with a look of joy on his face.

It was not until he saw Fu Wenxiao walking side by side with Yu Li that the joy on his face turned into surprise and suspicion.

"Young Master Xuan." Yu Li greeted him.

Xuan Huaiqing stared at Fu Wenxiao blankly, without any reaction for a moment.

Fu Wenxiao looked back calmly, bowed to him, and said calmly: "Master Xuan."

Xuan Huaiqing was startled, his face turned blue and red, and even his voice was a little unstable, "Who are you?"

Fu Wenxiao said calmly: "I am Fu Wenxiao."

After hearing this, Xuan Huaiqing still looked at him with suspicion.

Yu Li looked at them in confusion and asked, "Master Xuan, do you know Xiao Ge'er?"

"I don't know him!" Xuan Huaiqing said quickly, "I just think he looks familiar."

"Really?" Yu Li felt that his reaction was quite big and couldn't help but look at Fu Wenxiao.

Seeing her doubt, Xuan Huaiqing quickly restrained his expression and said hesitantly: "Maybe... all the good-looking people look familiar."

He muttered to himself, this Mr. Fu is indeed good-looking, and his face is good at deceiving young girls.

Yu Li said "Oh". Although she was confused, she was not the kind of person who liked to get to the bottom of trivial matters.

Whether Xuan Huaiqing knew Fu Wenxiao or not, it had no effect on her.

When they met Xuan Huaiqing, they first thanked him for the help he provided them and arranged accommodation for them.

"You're welcome." Xuan Huaiqing also regained his composure and waved his hand with a smile, "Miss Yu saved me before, this is what I should do."

The three of them sat down to talk.

Xuan Huaiqing said with a serious face: "Miss Yu, I heard about the Kang family's affairs. I didn't expect that I couldn't help in the end."

He was a little disappointed. He had received some evidence of the Kang family's crimes last year, but because it was not enough, he had to suppress it. In the past few months, he had asked people to find evidence of the Kang family's crimes, but there was no progress. Who knew that it was Yu Li who solved it in the end.

Yu Li didn't take it seriously and said, "I originally thought I would have to trouble Master Xuan, but then I thought it would be better for the governor of Nanjun Province to handle it."

Rather than letting Xuan Huaiqing, the future heir of the Zhennan Army, get involved in these matters, it would certainly be better for the governor to handle them directly. The Xuan family can avoid suspicion and will not attract too much attention.

This was also the reason why she did not object when she learned that Fu Wenxiao said he would hand over the evidence to the governor.

After saying this, Xuan Huaiqing said, "Now that the prefectural examination is over, I wonder when you will return to the county?"

Then he congratulated Fu Wenxiao on passing the provincial examination and winning first place.

He murmured in his heart, if this guy was really the Prince Fu in the capital, a mere first place in the provincial examination was really nothing.

Fu Wenxiao humbly thanked him for his care.

Xuan Huaiqing couldn't help but look at him again, still doubting his identity.

He was only ten years old when he left the capital. At his age, he didn't have many social contacts in the capital. In order to avoid suspicion, his grandmother and mother rarely took him to any banquets. He didn't know the princes and nobles in the capital very well.

It is said that Prince Fu of the Duke of Zhenguo's Mansion is four years older than him.

If he hadn't died, he would only be around 24 this year.

He had met Master Fu at a palace banquet hosted by the Empress Dowager. At that time, Master Fu was only thirteen or fourteen years old. He had changed a lot from the age of twenty-four, and he had no way of confirming whether this Fu Wenxiao was the one.

Although he couldn't be sure, Xuan Huaiqing knew that Fu Wenxiao was definitely not an ordinary person.

Thinking of Yu Li's abilities, she was taught by a talented person, he increasingly suspected that Fu Wenxiao's identity was also not simple.

Xuan Huaiqing quickly calmed down.

Compared to Fu Wenxiao, he values ​​Yu Li's abilities more.

Yu Li said: "Maybe in a few days."

They had previously promised Mr. Wang that they would go to Yanshan Academy to appreciate the flowers and could not return to the county town immediately.

Xuan Huaiqing said: "In that case, I wonder if you are free tomorrow."

"What's wrong?" Yu Li asked.

Xuan Huaiqing smiled, "You still remember Shanniang and the others, right? They are now at my farm. When they heard that you were coming to the city, they wanted to come and see you."

Yu Li naturally still remembered Shanniang and the others, "Did they go to your farm?"

Xuan Huaiqing nodded and sighed, "They didn't want to go home. They said they had no home anymore."

Whether they really have no home or they just don’t want to go back, only they know.

Yu Li said, "Then I will go to the manor to see them tomorrow. I promised them that if I come to the city and they are there, I will go to see them."

Previously, because of the provincial examination and the Kang family's affairs, she had been unable to spare any time.

I can go see them tomorrow and see how their physical training is going.

After Xuan Huaiqing made an appointment with her to go to Zhuangzi together tomorrow, he quickly went back to work.

He just came back and has a lot of things to do.

Later, Xuan Huaiqing came to see Yu Li again and told her something: "Miss Yu, Governor Xi wants to see you."

"To see me?"

He nodded, "Yuqing County Magistrate Shen has reported your bandit suppression. Prefect Xi said you are a hero and wanted to thank you and reward you." Thinking of something, he added, "Don't worry, Prefect Xi will meet you in private and will not reveal your identity."

It would be fine if Yu Li was an official, but she is just a commoner now, and she is fighting bandits as a hero.

If her identity were to be exposed, it would bring danger to her family and friends.

Prefect Xi was naturally aware of this matter and did not want to disclose Yu Li's identity to the public, unless one day, she became an official in the court...

Xuan Huaiqing couldn't help but look at her when he thought of this.

Although there was no precedent for women serving as officials in the Daqing Dynasty, considering her ability, she would sooner or later appear before the world. Moreover, she was a talented person, and perhaps one day a saint would see her and give her an official title...

Yu Li nodded, "Sure, when?"

Xuan Huaiqing said, "Prefect Xi has been very busy recently because of the Kang family's affairs. He said he would make arrangements when he has time in a few days."

"Okay." Yu Li said he had no objection.

The next day, the Xuan family arranged a carriage to take Yu Li and Fu Wenxiao to the farm together.

Xuan Huaiqing accompanied him on horseback.

In fact, Xuan Huaiqing originally wanted to ride a horse, which would be faster. However, when facing Yu Li, the horse might not be able to stand straight, let alone carry her. So she decided to take a carriage.

This also made Xuan Huaiqing reaffirm that Yu Li was a talented person with extraordinary qualities.

Sitting in the carriage, Yu Li looked at Fu Wenxiao and asked, "Why are you here too? Aren't you going to rest in the mansion?"

Fu Wenxiao smiled and said, "It's boring to stay in the house all the time. I want to go over and take a look with you."

"Aren't there a lot of people passing you invitations?" Yu Li said. If you feel bored, you can go to those scholar gatherings.

After the results of the provincial examination were announced, Fu Wenxiao, as the top scorer in this examination, became famous again. More scholars in the city wanted to get to know him, and many people sent him invitations.

Unfortunately, he was unmoved and didn't even leave the door.

Fu Wenxiao shook his head, "Not interested."

Compared to these, he would rather go to the Xuan family's farm with her.