Su Yan smiled and said nothing more.
Just as the two turned to walk towards the examination hall, Su Yan's foot suddenly bumped against something.
Su Yan winced in pain, looked down, and saw that it looked like a small wooden puppet, about the size of a finger.
"Huh... what is this?"
Xie Yu curiously picked up the small wooden puppet from the ground, held it in her hand and played with it, exclaiming in surprise, "This thing is really exquisite..."
Xie Yu's words piqued Su Yan's curiosity, and she snatched the puppet away.
The puppet depicts a beautiful woman from Jiangnan. Just by looking at the puppet, one can feel the gentleness and kindness emanating from the woman, full of maternal radiance. The more Su Yan looked at the puppet, the more familiar it seemed.
"Dean Xie, don't you think this puppet and the puppets carved with Yan Shuo and Meng Heng seem to be made by the same person?"
After Su Yan's reminder, Xie Yu really felt it seemed to be the work of one person, "Could it be..."
Xie Yu hesitated, while Su Yan's heart was in turmoil. The carving skills of the puppet in her hand were no different from those of Yan Meng and the other person, the only difference being the material.
The two figures, Yan and Meng, were carved from ebony, while the female doll was carved from the finest rosewood.
Since Leng Qiuling's passing, Su Yan has never given up searching for the origin of the puppet. She knows that Leng Qiuling alone could not have controlled such a large-scale game.
I never expected that I would find it so easily, even though I had searched high and low.
"This puppet wouldn't have fallen here for no reason. Did Dongfang Yi just walk by here...?"
Xie Yu echoed Su Yan's words, "It seems like only him. Could it be that he's the one who left it behind?"
Upon hearing this, Su Yan frowned. Everything was just speculation, and there was no evidence to prove that the puppet was dropped by Dongfang Yi.
Moreover, with the exam just around the corner, even if we were to investigate who the puppet's owner is, we would have to wait until after the exam.
Su Yan then put the puppet away. "Let's leave this matter for now and talk about it after the imperial examinations are over."
Xie Yu agreed with Su Yan's decision, and the two walked into the gate of the examination hall.
"The time has come, seal the gate..."
With a loud shout, the gates of the examination hall slowly closed.
Each candidate will be assigned to a room, where they will eat, drink, and relieve themselves.
In fact, Su Yan and Xie Yu were just sent by the Crown Prince to put on a show. On the last day, Crown Prince Li Shen would personally come to the examination hall, and ten days later, the results would be announced.
Time always comes quickly and slips away unnoticed.
Soon, in the blink of an eye, four days had passed.
For the first time, Su Yan experienced what it felt like to be a prisoner, trapped in one place with no way in or out. She could only stare blankly at the ceiling above her head, or stand in the courtyard counting how many birds flew by in the sky.
Xie Yu was alright. After all, he had gone through the imperial examination once, so he remained calm. Apart from accompanying the proctors to inspect the examination hall every day, he would boast with a group of off-duty guards, living a very comfortable life.
Because Shen Yao had to maintain the security of the examination hall at night, Su Yan didn't even catch a glimpse of him during the four days.
As soon as Xie Yu stepped out of the examination hall, she stretched out her arms and breathed in the fresh air. "My god, I'm finally out! I was about to suffocate if they hadn't let me out..."
Without pausing, Su Yan pulled Xie Yu toward Yingtian Academy.
Although she suspected Dongfang Yi at this moment, she did not intend to confront him directly, but instead thought she would make a decision after finding evidence.
Before Xie Yu could react, Su Yan grabbed him by the neck and pulled him toward the carriage. "What are you doing? I still need to see Princess Jingning. I haven't seen the princess for four days."
"What's the rush? It's not like we're running out of time. Let's go to Yingtian Academy first."
Xie Yu was completely bewildered and subconsciously pushed away Su Yan's hand that was gripping his neck. "What are we going to Yingtian Academy for?"
"Of course it's Cha Dongfangyi!"
"Ugh... can't I rest for a few days first? I'm going crazy from being cooped up in the exam hall..."
Xie Yu pleaded pitifully with Su Yan.
Su Yan refused without hesitation, "No way. Do you think it's like picking an auspicious day? When a murderer is killing a victim, can the victim plead with the murderer to wait two days before dying?"
After hearing this, Xie Yu looked up to the sky and sighed, "Heavens above, are you trying to kill me...?"
"Who told you to be the academy's envoy? Between the two of us, you have the highest rank. Without your influence, I'm afraid I wouldn't even be able to get through the gates of Yingtian Academy."
Xie Yu was extremely unwilling, but due to Su Yan's firm attitude, he could only reluctantly board the carriage.
As soon as Xie Yu lifted the carriage curtain, he saw a familiar figure on the street and immediately waved and shouted, "Shen Yao, Shen Yao, I'm here..."
Shen Yao was riding his horse, about to lead the Jinwu Guards back to camp, when he heard someone calling his name from behind. He turned his horse around and looked back.
Xie Yu was waving his arms on the carriage, but Shen Yao didn't know what Xie Yu wanted him to do.
But after saying something to the other person beside him, he rode his horse toward Xie Yu.
"What do you want?"
Shen Yao looked at the two of them. He looked haggard, but Su Yan looked better and was quite energetic.
Xie Yu didn't immediately reveal what was on her mind. Instead, she kept him in suspense, saying, "Shen Yao, we've been classmates for many years. You should know Yingtian Academy much better than I do, right?"
Su Yan naturally knew what Xie Yu was planning to do with Chen Yao, but she did not stop him.
Su Yan only needed someone she knew to take her to Yingtian Academy to find Luo Boze. It didn't matter to her who it was, which is why she didn't stop Xie Yu from plotting against Chen Yao.
Although Shen Yao didn't understand why Xie Yu suddenly asked about these things, he simply nodded and replied, "Spit it out, I have important business to attend to."
Upon hearing this, Xie Yu clapped his hands with delight and pushed Su Yan into Chen Yao's arms. "Su Yan, I'm entrusting you with my life. I'm going to see the princess, so I'll leave the investigation to the two of you."
After saying that, Xie Yu rushed into the carriage without waiting for their reply, urging the driver to hurry up and leave, afraid that he would be caught and taken back.
Shen Yao watched the carriage drive away, speechless.
Su Yan withdrew from Shen Yao's embrace and coughed awkwardly, "Ahem... Lord Shen, the imperial examination is over, so you should not be on duty today. Would you be willing to accompany me to Yingtian Academy?"
Shen Yao, realizing it had been a long time since he'd chatted with Su Yan, readily agreed, "Okay, I'll go with you..."
"But what are you going to the academy for?"
Xie Yu left before he could even finish speaking, leaving Shen Yao puzzled as to why Su Yan wanted to go to Yingtian Academy.
Su Yan thought for a moment and then told him about finding the puppet before the exam.
After listening, Shen Yao carefully examined the puppet he had found, and as Su Yan had said, the carving technique was done by the same person.
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