Chapter 54 How could things go wrong in the very first step...?
A moment later.
The man was washed clean of blood, changed into a clean prison uniform, and then brought before Ji Chengnin.
A warm, sweet fragrance wafted over my face.
He had just been released from the filthy prison, and the fragrance was like entering a fairyland. He subconsciously looked up at the figure in front of him. The latter had his head down and his brows furrowed, as if he had a hint of sorrow. Because of this gentle demeanor, the fierce aura on this person was greatly diluted.
He was so flustered at the examination hall that he didn't dare to pay attention to Ji Chengnin's appearance. Now it seems that he was really too young.
At such a young age and with such a prominent status, he couldn't help but doubt Ji Chengnin's ability to investigate cases.
"Are you Meng Xian?"
Ji Chengnin's voice came from not far away.
Separated by layers of fragrance, it felt as distant as an insurmountable chasm.
Meng Xian was startled, but composed himself and said, "This student is Meng Xian."
"If you have anything to say to me, then speak."
Meng Xian swallowed hard. "Before I report back to you truthfully, could you grant me two small requests?"
Ji Chengnin paused, his hand still holding the pen.
act recklessly.
Li Bi scoffed inwardly.
Now that things have come to this, the wisest course of action for Meng Xian is to tell the director the truth about everything, down to the smallest detail.
After all, by explaining things clearly, he could atone for his mistake. Otherwise, if the other students spoke up first, there would be no chance for him!
"Speak."
Meng Xian said, “Firstly, the prison is too crowded, and it’s holding a bunch of lunatics,” he said indignantly, “I want to change my residence.”
"Can."
Ji Chengning readily agreed to this.
"Secondly," he raised his eyes, looking in Ji Chengnin's direction, his Adam's apple bobbing so tightly it seemed about to burst through his skin, "this student's actions can be considered as reporting a villain. I hope Your Excellency will consider the appropriate course of action against this student."
Ji Chengnin smiled slightly.
Meng Xian's heart was beating faster and faster.
One after another.
And as Ji Chengnin smiled enigmatically, he went faster and faster!
Just as he was trembling with anticipation, he finally heard Ji Chengnin's reply, "As long as what you say is the truth."
Meng Xian understood the unspoken words.
He had waited too long, and when he heard Lord Ji condescend to respond, it was as if he had heard an imperial edict. He immediately said, "Your Excellency, I dare not conceal anything. Ten days before the imperial examination, I was studying poetry and prose with my classmate Xia Yuming. In the evening, Xia Yuming mysteriously approached me and said that he had a method to guarantee success in the examination. I," he rolled his eyes, "was so curious that I asked him what the method was."
Ji Chengnin nodded.
He instructed the clerk to record everything Meng Xian said.
Meng Xian, his mind tense but oblivious to this, continued, "Xia Yuming deliberately showed me a piece of paper, claiming it was the exam question for this year's imperial examination. He said someone predicts the question every year, but I didn't take it seriously, thinking I'd been tricked. After that, perhaps because I saw the question, it kept flashing through my mind..."
He was caught red-handed, unable to think of a better excuse, and was sweating profusely with anxiety.
"So you had someone write a beautifully written inscription and put it inside your undergarments, just in case?" Ji Chengnin replied with a smile.
"Yes...no, it's not."
The young man who had been smiling suddenly turned stern and demanded sharply, "Yes, or no?"
Meng Xian trembled in fright, "Yes, yes!"
Ji Chengnin tilted his head. "I'll remember."
Meng Xian then realized what was happening. "Sir, what are you writing down?"
Then, his pupils contracted sharply as he suddenly remembered that according to the laws of this dynasty, all confessions of prisoners had to be clearly written down by clerks, and then checked and signed by the prisoners.
If the confession is found to be inconsistent with the facts and to have concealed the crime, the punishment will be doubled!
This is not a crime that his status as a tribute student can protect him from.
Meng Xian was shocked and his mind raced. "My lord, I suddenly remembered something. I only vaguely remember what happened before..."
"Vaguely?"
Although his voice was calm, it contained an awe-inspiring authority that made people tremble.
Meng Xian's knees buckled, and he collapsed to the ground with a thud. "Please, sir, please allow me to change my testimony."
"You mean that everything you just said wasn't the truth?"
Meng Xian said in a panic, "Everything I said at No. 10 Middle School is the truth. Your Excellency is discerning and would never dare to lie!"
Ji Chengnin said coldly, "You're already lying."
He seemed to regret wasting his time on such people, and said impatiently, "The criminals deceived the court and showed no remorse. According to the law, they should be punished with ten strokes of the cane."
Meng Xian was terrified and his face turned completely pale.
"Drag him out. He doesn't need to be brought back after he's been beaten."
Li Bi had finally gotten his chance, and he stood up abruptly, saying, "Your subordinate obeys!"
It was a resounding statement.
Meng Xian stared wide-eyed in horror. The stick used to punish prisoners was not an ordinary wooden stick, but a large stick filled with lead and wrapped with iron. If the executioner had enough strength, he could beat a living person into mincemeat!
Meng Xian had seen prisoners being beaten with large sticks; their lower bodies were a bloody mess, their legs limp and hanging down behind them, making them look like cripples.
Meng Xian felt a chill creep up from the soles of his feet. He couldn't care less about anything else and pounded his head on the ground. "My lord, my lord, I was wrong. I was blind and dared to deceive you. I deserve to die. I beg you to forgive me this time, since this is my first offense!"
The sounds of banging heads and sobbing mingled together, creating an eerie atmosphere that sent chills down one's spine.
"Click".
Ji Chengning threw the brush into the brush washer.
Meng Xianru froze as if he had been frozen in place.
A line of bright red blood rolled down his hair.
He only now began to regret not telling the truth from the beginning, which led to his current predicament. He also hated Ji Chengnin for being ruthless and merciless.
"explain."
This is Lord Ji's answer.
Meng Xian knew he wouldn't have a second chance.
In an instant, he spilled the beans, explaining the whole story clearly. He said that he and Xia Yuming went out for drinks and talked about the imperial examination. Someone came up to them, claiming that he had a way to find out the examination questions and that he could also hire a great scholar to write an essay for Meng Xian. He offered 3,000 taels of silver per person, no cheating.
Ji Chengnin's face darkened. "Continue."
Meng Xian cried and said, "I was possessed by a ghost and my mind was clouded, so I agreed. Then, they gave me the essay topic, and four days later, they gave me the essay and told me to memorize it."
However, somehow, those poor students with lofty ambitions also found out about the leaked exam questions, causing chaos and confusion.
Meng Xian was frightened and burned the article to ashes.
However, thanks to Ji Chengning killing Zhang Yuhuai, the imperial examination proceeded normally. The man also said that leaked exam questions occurred in every imperial examination, it was just a matter of how big the commotion was. This time, His Majesty's confidant killed the ringleader to cover up the fact that everything was peaceful. What are you afraid of?
Moreover, the law does not punish the masses.
The man's seductive voice lingered in my ears.
Meng Xian's voice choked with emotion, "I've really been deceived."
If he had known that Ji Chengnin was such a troublesome troublemaker, he would have preferred to fail the exam rather than cheat!
"Since you knew the question in advance, why..." Ji Chengnin paused in his speech.
Before he could finish asking why the article was written inside his clothes, he already knew the answer.
Because this short-sighted and opportunistic good-for-nothing didn't even memorize the article!
All the cheating he discovered was blatant. But what if someone had already memorized the article? Ji Chengning's breathing suddenly became heavy.
But what if there were examiners to help revise the examination papers?
To be even more direct, bribing the examiner to secure a bright future is far more discreet and unknown than the previous two methods!
A layer of goosebumps rose on the back of the neck of the fearless young master Ji.
The feeling of horror and disgust was no different from Ji Chengning lifting the brocade quilt on the soft bed and finding it crawling with millipedes.
Ji Chengnin gritted his teeth and asked, "Where did you drink?"
"Zhuji Tower, it's Zhuji Tower!" she cried, then collapsed to the ground and wept.
Seeing that he was limp and weak like mud, Ji Chengning knew that he would not be able to answer any more questions, so he ordered him to be locked up alone and sent his men to surround Zhuji Tower and search for suspicious people.
Meanwhile, in the prison, with Meng Xian as an example, everyone's thoughts began to stir.
Looking at the steamed buns on the ground being gnawed on by rats, he felt even hungrier and filled with regret, as if those were not ordinary steamed buns, but dragon liver and phoenix marrow.
Not to mention...
Someone's nostrils twitched. "Does it smell like meat?"
"The meat smells delicious! Are you starving? Where did this meat come from? Wait a minute!"
He took two deep breaths. The air was filled with a faint aroma of spiciness and oil. What else could it be but the smell of roasted meat?
Everyone present had breakfast before dawn. Some were so nervous that they only drank two cups of strong tea in the morning. After a long day of fussing and being both scared and tired, they hadn't even had a sip of water. When they smelled the aroma of meat, they felt as if their internal organs had grown teeth and were gnawing at each other.
Saliva quickly welled up in my mouth.
They never knew that such common meat could be so delicious. At this moment, they would be willing to spend a hundred taels of silver to buy a piece of roasted meat.
“That one, that superior,” someone called to the guards while untying a jade pendant, “this is a family heirloom passed down for three generations. It’s warm to the touch, you…”
The guard looked at him warily. "What are you doing?"
His mouth watered, and he couldn't help but swallow as he spoke. Seeing this, his face turned bright red. "If you, sir, would have mercy and could cut a piece of meat for me from the kitchen, I would gladly give it to you."
"It's past mealtime," the guard replied curtly.
He was firmly rejected and had no choice but to retreat awkwardly.
However, though people can retreat, the fragrance can penetrate everywhere.
Before long, everyone realized that the meat being roasted was not pig, but themselves.
It's like being surrounded by burning coals; one would find it difficult to sit or stand still.
"M-My lord!" After an unknown amount of time, a voice rang out, startling everyone. He seemed to have made up his mind, "I want to see Lord Ji!"
This person was quickly taken away.
It was like a cloth bag full of soybeans being torn open, and the soybeans tumbled out instantly.
In an instant, dozens of people crowded in front of the railing, all wanting to see Ji Chengnin, their eyes shining with a gleaming green.
One of the younger guards couldn't help but take a half step back, afraid of being caught and bitten.
It's not so bad if it hurts, but what if you catch a contagious disease?
...
Once the initial hurdles were overcome, the case progressed rapidly.
Jiang Linzhou first led his men to capture a peddler of exam questions at Zhuji Tower and escorted him back to Qingluwei.
Under torture, he confessed without reservation, "Sir, sir, I was just a middleman. Each policy question was worth three thousand taels of silver, and I could only take two-tenths of it, risking my head. The higher-ups took eight-tenths!"
"above?"
"I've only heard them mention something about the Nine Hills Palace,"
The word "殿" was only uttered in a soft, breathy sound.
"Bang!"
Before the guards present could hear clearly, they were all focused on the first net seller, caught off guard and startled, looking angrily toward the source of the sound.
But then they saw Young Master Ji rubbing his head while kicking the empty tie post that had fallen to the ground with the tip of his boot.
Beneath the slender fingers, a faint bluish-red mark was visible, clearly indicating that the finger had been struck quite hard.
"How was it erected?" Ji Chengnin muttered.
"My lord, my lord, are you alright?"
All of them were Ji Chengning's trusted and capable subordinates. Since Ji Chengning took office in Qinglu Guard, things have been constantly happening, with danger and opportunity coexisting. These people surrounded Ji Chengning and gradually became his confidants.
Li Bi's reaction was the most exaggerated. She jumped to Ji Chengnin's side in three steps, "My lord, my lord, are you alright? My lord, I'll go find Mr. Chen. If you're in pain, I'll blow on it for you..."
Jiang Linzhou, who had been silent all along, gave Li Bi a meaningful look.
Ji Chengnin covered his head and said, "It's nothing."
"My lord," Jiang Linzhou said, "the prisoner has fainted."
Li Bi hurriedly said, "Please invite Mr. Chen over so he can examine the gentleman first and then treat his injuries."
Ji Chengnin couldn't resist the subordinate who was jumping around in front of him like a big dog, so he sullenly grunted in response.
He lowered his eyes, a hint of disbelief flashing across them.
The Jiuqiu Hall was the palace's library, where a group of learned officials gathered to write books, compile biographies, and revise national history. It was understandable that the Ministry of Rites would consult the officials in the Jiuqiu Hall before setting exam questions, which naturally led to the possibility of leaks.
However, while this place cannot be considered peaceful and undisturbed, it is certainly not like other government offices in the imperial court.
Moreover, the Nine Hills Palace is located within the palace grounds.
The normal procedure for setting exam questions should be: the Ministry of Rites consults the scholars of the Nine Hills Hall to prepare five questions, which His Majesty then selects from. The selected questions are then sent back to the Ministry of Rites, and the questions are then publicly announced to the candidates on the day of the imperial examination.
Every step should have been kept absolutely confidential.
Ji Chengning pressed hard on the lump on his head.
If what that person said was true, Ji Chengnin's expression grew even uglier. How could things have gone wrong in the very first step!
-----------------------
A note from the author: I'm currently resting in bed. Thank you for my wife's concern.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
