"Are you sure this puppet was dropped by Dongfang Yi?"
Su Yan nodded, then shook her head. "Actually, neither Xie Yu nor I saw that the puppet fell from Dongfang Yi. We only found it on the ground after Dongfang Yi left, and Xie Yu and I both suspect that it was dropped by Dongfang Yi."
"So that's why you wanted to go to Yingtian Academy to find Luo Boze?"
Su Yan nodded, "That's right..."
After thinking about it, Shen Yao decided that since he was going to take a few days off anyway, he might as well accompany Su Yan to check on the situation.
"Okay... wait until I get back to camp and ask for leave, then we'll go together..."
Su Yan agreed without hesitation.
Soon, Shen Yao brought Su Yan back to camp, and not long after, the two arrived at Yingtian Academy.
With the spring imperial examinations over, the academy was extremely deserted; not a single student could be seen on the road, as they had probably gone to relax and socialize.
Su Yan didn't know if Luo Boze was at Yingtian Academy, so she could only try her luck.
The two arrived at the study, but there was no one there.
Su Yan sighed in disappointment and was about to leave when she saw an old man sweeping the courtyard. She quickly went up to him and asked, "Excuse me, is Dean Luo in the academy?"
The old man straightened up, turned around, and was surprised to find that the person standing behind him was Su Yan. "Isn't this Lord Su from the Oversight Council?"
When Su Yan saw that the old man sweeping the floor was the person she was looking for, she was full of surprise. She hadn't expected the old man to be Luo Boze. "Dean Luo, what's this?"
Su Yan couldn't understand why Luo Boze had taken on odd jobs.
Luo Boze smiled, knowing what Su Yan meant. "It just so happens that the hospital is on holiday for rest and recuperation. I'm too old to stay idle, so I'm doing some odd jobs."
Su Yan sincerely praised, "Dean Luo truly deserves to be called a renowned teacher; he personally handles everything..."
"It's just sweeping, it doesn't take much effort. Did you two come here specifically to see me?"
After saying that, Loboze's gaze shifted from Su Yan to Shen Yao behind him. When he saw Shen Yao, he was clearly taken aback.
"You...you are Shen Yao, right?"
Shen Yao walked up to Luo Boze and bowed respectfully, "Student Shen Yao greets Master..."
When Luo Boze saw Shen Yao, his face showed displeasure. He suddenly clenched his fist and punched Shen Yao's shoulder hard, speaking in a scolding tone, "You brat, I told you to study hard and pass the imperial examinations, but you wouldn't listen. You secretly ran away from Chang'an to join the army on the frontier. Do you even respect me as your teacher?"
Upon hearing this, Shen Yao immediately knelt down, "I, Shen Yao, was young and ignorant in the past and have failed your teachings. Today, I am willing to accept your punishment..."
Seeing Shen Yao's tall and strong appearance, Luo Boze was no longer angry and quickly helped him up. "Alright, alright, so many years have passed. Even if you were still angry, it has mostly subsided now. Besides, it's not a bad thing for a man to protect his country. I was just angry that you ran off without even saying goodbye."
Standing to the side, Su Yan was so surprised by what she saw that she couldn't close her mouth. She hadn't expected that Shen Yao was so highly regarded by Luo Boze.
After a brief exchange of pleasantries, Loboze suddenly asked, "You didn't come here today just to exchange pleasantries, did you?"
Su Yan and Shen Yao looked at each other, and in the exchange of glances, they nodded in perfect unison.
"Dean Luo, we two have indeed come here today with a request..."
After saying that, Su Yan took out the puppet from her bosom and asked, "Does the Dean know who made this?"
Loboze took the puppet and examined it closely. "Isn't this an Eastern puppet?"
"Dean Luo, are you sure this puppet is Dongfang Yi's?"
Loboze nodded firmly and affirmatively, "That's right, it's his. He carved this puppet based on his mother, and he also gave one to me... Wait a minute, I'll go find it and show it to you..."
After finishing speaking, Luo Boze turned and walked towards his own yard, leaving Su Yan and Shen Yao alone in the same spot.
Despite Su Yan's attempts to deny in her heart that the case had nothing to do with Dongfang Yi, all her illusions shattered when Luo Boze told her the truth.
"Lord Shen, it really is him... So the person Miss Leng was willing to die for was actually him..."
At this moment, Su Yan's heart was like a calm lake thrown with a boulder, stirring up huge waves.
No wonder when she first met Leng Qiuling, the young lady told her those painful memories. It turned out that this was just a bait deliberately thrown out to divert attention.
Su Yan was furious. "How could I be so stupid? I knew perfectly well that Miss Leng had no skill in carving puppets. I'm such a complete and utter sister-in-law, to be fooled by such a little trick..."
The reason Leng Qiuling chose to die was probably to put an end to this matter completely with her.
Seeing Su Yan slapping herself in regret, Shen Yao stepped forward to comfort her, "Su Yan, this is not your fault... This was Leng Qiuling's own choice, and you have never let go of this matter, otherwise you would not have traced it back to Dongfang Yi."
Su Yan felt increasingly sorry for Leng Qiuling, a pang of sorrow rising in her heart, and her eyes reddening slightly.
"Lord Shen, but I can't understand why Miss Leng would do this... She clearly didn't kill the person."
"Perhaps Miss Leng has long wanted to be free..."
These words stirred up a storm in Su Yan's heart, and she fell silent again.
Although Leng Qiuling was used by Dongfang Yi, the pain that had befallen her had ultimately overwhelmed her.
Not long after, Loboze returned to the yard carrying a small box.
With great joy, he took the wooden puppet out of the box. "The carving skills of the East are among the best in the academy, but it's a pity he doesn't like to talk about this skill. This was a gift from him for my fiftieth birthday..."
Look, doesn't it look just like me...?
At this moment, Loboze was like a child who had received candy, showing it off to Su Yan and Shen Yao.
Su Yan took a look at the puppet and found it to be lifelike, perfectly capturing the essence of Loboze's appearance.
"Dean, what kind of person is Dongfang Yi usually?" Su Yan subtly inquired about Dongfang Yi's past.
Upon hearing this, Luo Boze's initially happy face immediately turned to regret. He sighed softly and said, "Dongfang is a good child, with extraordinary perseverance. He never worries me about his studies, but unfortunately, he is too thoughtful. Too much intelligence can be a double-edged sword..."
Listening to Luo Boze's story, Su Yan knew that Dongfang Yi had suffered a lot.
At this moment, Su Yan remembered that Dongfang Yi had mentioned failing the imperial examination twice, so she asked, "Dean, I remember Dongfang Yi failing twice, what was the reason for that..."
Upon hearing this, Luo Boze's face was full of regret. "Dongfang was an illegitimate child born to a courtesan for a wealthy family. The first time, the legitimate son of the wealthy family came to his door and broke his hand, causing him to miss the imperial examination. The second time was when his mother passed away."
Sigh... It was such a pity the first two times, but this time, I believe Dongfang will definitely get into high school.
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