Li Lao Er replied, "Alright, go arrest them. It's best to question the pageboy and the two students separately, otherwise they might easily collude!"
Dean Zhou immediately called for his personal attendant and servant. Li Lao Er's eyes flickered, and he gestured for Ye Shan and Dong Mei to step forward, saying, "This is the Marquis's personal attendant. He knows some martial arts. Why don't we let him go and help?"
Dean Zhou and the others dared not say anything negative, so Ye Shan, Dong Mei, and Dean Zhou's personal servant, the four of them, went out together.
To the south of the academy, near the foot of the mountain, there are some thatched pavilions and the like, which are a favorite spot for students to cool off and escape the summer heat.
At this moment, two students sat in the thatched pavilion, their outer robes unbuttoned and thrown aside, then they waved their fans wildly, behaving very improperly.
One of them complained, "Why hasn't Moxiang come back yet? Did that kid go off to play somewhere on the way?"
"No, he doesn't have the guts. He probably had to wait in line a bit longer because there were too many people buying fruit drinks!" another person chimed in. Just as they were about to speak, the dean's attendant walked over with a strange man.
The two instinctively pulled off their outer garments and quickly put them on.
They had assumed the dean's attendant would just be passing by, but to their surprise, he came straight towards them.
"You must be Liu Kui and Wang Sheng... two young gentlemen. Please come with us. The dean has something to ask you personally!" The dean's attendant spoke, without any politeness, and his face was also very cold.
Liu Kui and Wang Sheng immediately sensed something was wrong and quickly stood up.
Wang Sheng asked nervously, "Is there anything the dean can't ask tomorrow? We're about to have our evening class!"
The dean was about to speak when Ye Shan, who was standing beside him, lost his patience. He stepped forward and struck Wang Sheng and Liu Kui hard on the back of the head twice.
The next instant, the two of them stared wide-eyed, their faces filled with disbelief, and fainted.
Ye Shan deftly ripped off their socks, stuffed them into their mouths, then pulled off their belts, tied their wrists, bent down, and with a burst of strength, hoisted one of them onto his shoulder and turned to walk back.
The dean's attendant's mouth was agape the entire time, so surprised he didn't know what to say.
It took him a while to realize what was happening. He quickly caught up with them, instinctively bowing slightly and being extremely respectful the whole way.
Both are personal attendants, but this one is far more skilled and decisive in his actions...
When they returned to the Zhou family, the pageboy Moxiang had already been brought back by Dongmei.
Mo Xiang was only twelve or thirteen years old. He was thin and small, with shifty eyes and a cunning look. He didn't look like a steady person at all.
Seeing that his master had also been brought back bound and was half-dead, he began to have some guesses.
His face was deathly pale, and his eyes darted around, looking as if searching for a chance to escape.
But Mr. Cheng didn't give her a chance. He took out two wooden plaques and waved them in front of Mo Xiang, then asked in a cold voice, "You'd better tell me the truth about these wooden plaques. Otherwise, you'll not only suffer a beating today, but you'll also be sold into hard labor."
Mo Xiang's eyes flickered, and he said softly, "Sir, I don't understand what you're saying..."
He still tried to deny it, so Dongmei kicked him down and then stepped on a spot on his back with her toe.
Mo Xiang screamed in agony, as if countless ants were gnawing at his internal organs. It wasn't excruciating pain, but a numb, itchy, and painful sensation that he couldn't bear.
Dongmei ignored his screams and said calmly, "Tell the truth and you'll suffer less. Otherwise, if I press down hard on your foot, this bone of yours will break, and you'll be bedridden for the rest of your life."
Dean Zhou and the other gentlemen watched with complicated expressions.
They didn't know whether to be amazed by how powerful a woman was, or to feel sorry for a child suffering such torture...
Mo Xiang could only hold back for a few breaths before shouting, "I'll talk, I'll talk! It was all the young masters who made me do it! They told me to find a peddler, sell the wooden plaque to the Li family, and preferably have Li Jiaren and Li Jiali take it to the exam!"
"They didn't tell me anything strange about the wooden plaque. But I overheard them saying that they were going to expose Li Jiaren and Li Jiali for cheating during the imperial examination, so that they could never study again!"
Dongmei was furious and couldn't help but press harder on Moxiang's stomping foot. Moxiang screamed even louder, "Ah, spare me! Don't blame me! I disobeyed the young master, so I got beaten. I dared not disobey!"
Dongmei then put her foot down, raised her hand and lifted the pageboy's clothes, and sure enough, he had many scars on his body.
Some colors are dark, some are light, clearly indicating that they have been frequently beaten.
Dean Zhou and Mr. Peng's faces grew increasingly grim. Not only did Wang Sheng and Liu Kui plot against their classmate, but they also turned out to be so cruel and mean to the pageboy in private!
Academies are places for teaching and nurturing people. I dare not say that every student can be educated to be as virtuous as a sage, but at least they should have basic kindness...
Clearly, Wang Sheng and Liu Kui did not exist.
"Wake them up! I want to ask them what happened!" Dean Zhou said with a dark face, pointing to Wang Sheng and Liu Kui, who had been thrown to the door by Ye Shan.
Everyone initially thought they were going to pour cold water on the two of them to wake them up.
As a result, Ye Shan stepped forward, pulled the socks out of their mouths, and then kicked each of them in the stomach.
Liu Kui and Wang Sheng cried out in pain and immediately woke up.
The two struggled to get up, only to find their hands were tied. Looking at the cold-faced dean and the teacher, as well as the Li family, what else could they not understand?
The truth has come out!
Mr. Peng, who had taught them for so long, could no longer contain himself and was the first to ask, "Wang Sheng, Liu Kui, your page has confessed. You instructed him to sell the wooden plaque containing the examination papers to the Li family, intending to frame Li Jiaren and Li Jiali in the examination hall. Why did you do this?!"
"No, no! He's talking nonsense, we have no idea about this!" Wang Sheng immediately retorted.
Liu Kui also came to his senses and shouted, "Yes, someone must have bribed him to frame us!"
The young pageboy, Moxiang, was bewildered. He was clearly just following his master's orders. Otherwise, why would he frame Li Jiaren when he had no grudge against the Li family?
"No, no, young master, you can't do this! You were the ones who sent me! You even gave me ten taels of silver, five taels to the peddler first, and another five taels after the job was done."
"If you hadn't ordered me to do this, where would I have gotten so much money to do it?!"
Seeing that Dongmei seemed about to kick again, Moxiang was terrified and started to speak recklessly, "You guys always talk badly about Li Jiaren behind his back, saying he's a cripple."
"You also bought croton powder, intending to put it in the cafeteria food, but couldn't find an opportunity. The croton powder is still hidden in your boxes!"
Everyone gasped in shock, especially Li Laosan, whose eyes turned red.
Fortunately, the canteen was well-staffed, and even at night, Aunt Wu and Dazhu's three families stayed in the side rooms next to the canteen.
Otherwise, if they find an opportunity to add something to the food, and the students get sick, the cafeteria's reputation will be ruined...
Dean Zhou, his hand trembling, pointed to the attendant and told him to go to the dormitory to find the two people's luggage.
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