"You're finally awake? Is there anything wrong with your body? You scared me to death."
As soon as Shen Cong saw Yun Xiujin open his eyes, he rushed to the bedside and asked with a worried expression.
Yun Xiujin gave Shen Cong a deep look and finally made up his mind.
With a solemn expression, he asked, "May I see your father?"
Shen Cong didn't ask any further questions and readily agreed.
He simply said, "After you were injured, my parents told me to let them know when you woke up. I've already sent someone to call them, and they should be here soon."
Just as he finished speaking, a knock sounded at the door.
Shen Cong quickly said, "Hurry up and come in."
Upon seeing Qu Jingyun and the male lead enter, Yun Xiujin immediately struggled to get up.
Seeing this, Shen Cong quickly intervened, saying helplessly, "Just say it like that. We barely managed to save your life, so don't cause any more trouble."
Yun Xiujin did not insist anymore, but looked at the male lead with hope, her lips trembling slightly.
He then said, "I come from an ordinary background and I really don't know what to do in such a situation. I thought I would die at the hands of villains, but I didn't expect to be saved by Brother Shen."
“If Brother Shen were just an ordinary citizen, I certainly wouldn’t have told you about this, so as to avoid implicating you. But I know that if General Shen knew about this, he would definitely be able to give justice to the students of the world.”
"Not to mention that Brother Shen is also involved in this matter. I beg General Shen for your help."
Seeing this, the male protagonist spoke up to remind him, "I am no longer General Shen. You can just call me Uncle Shen."
Ignoring the other person's reaction, he asked directly, "Is what you're saying related to the imperial examination cheating incident?"
Yun Xiujin nodded: "It is indeed related to this matter. Uncle Shen, have you already noticed?"
The male protagonist nodded and then said, "When A Cong's name was not on the list of successful candidates in the imperial examination, he felt that something was amiss. He showed the article to his mentor, who happened to know the Third Prince. So, he asked the Third Prince to secretly investigate the matter."
"His original intention was just to find out if A Cong's writing did not meet the examiners' preferences, but he unexpectedly discovered the matter of cheating in the imperial examination."
"The Third Prince should have already informed the Emperor about this matter, but it involves too many things and has not yet been made public."
Hearing the male lead's explanation, Yun Xiujin's expression gradually softened, and a smile appeared on his lips.
"That's good." Yun Xiujin breathed a sigh of relief.
"Would it be convenient for you to tell us now what exactly happened to you?" Qu Jingyun asked from the side.
Yun Xiujin responded and then slowly began to explain.
After failing to make the list of successful candidates in the imperial examinations, he was filled with disappointment and felt utterly ashamed to face his fellow villagers.
It also caused deep self-doubt.
From a young age, he was seen as a child prodigy and a genius student, and he was always greeted with praise.
But unexpectedly, this time they suffered a major setback.
He couldn't help but wonder if it was because he came from a humble background and was completely inferior to the young masters of prominent families in the capital.
Is it necessary to take the test again after that?
Unexpectedly, at this time, he was found by a family in the capital who hired him as a retainer.
Yun Xiujin was naturally very happy and readily agreed.
With the appreciation of such a family, even if one is unknown in the imperial examinations, one will surely be able to enter the imperial court in the future and serve the country and its people.
To his utter surprise, on his very first night at the hotel, he overheard the affair of cheating in the imperial examinations and was deeply shocked.
However, he did not stand up to confront them, but was focused on escaping.
Unexpectedly, he was still discovered. Fortunately, he grew up in the countryside and although he was not good at martial arts, his years of experience working in the fields gave him a strong physique, so he was not killed on the spot.
Instead, after dealing with the other party for a long time, he managed to escape.
The other party's guards, in a grand procession, threatened to arrest him under the pretext of catching a thief, and everyone around kept their distance.
Just when he thought he was about to be captured and silenced, Shen Cong appeared.
Although the other party kept insisting that he was a thief, Shen Cong didn't believe a word of it and instead protected him behind him.
The other party recognized Shen Cong. At first, they were somewhat hesitant, but later, in a fit of ruthlessness, they decided to kill them all.
Anyway, their family head also has a grudge against the Shen family.
If Qu Jiu hadn't arrived in time, the two of them would probably have died on the street.
At this point, Yun Xiujin looked at Shen Cong with gratitude and said, "I really have to thank Brother Shen this time. If it weren't for you, I'm afraid I would have really lost my life."
Yun Xiujin knew very well how serious his injuries were at the time.
Therefore, it becomes even clearer how much effort Shen Cong went to save his life.
Shen Cong smiled sheepishly and then said, "Actually, I didn't do anything. It was all my parents' help. Luckily, Qu Jiu saw us today, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to save you, let alone protect myself."
As he said this, a hint of confusion appeared on his face.
He muttered to himself, "These people are really arrogant. They dare to attack people in broad daylight. They knew who I was, but they still wanted to kill me to silence me. They are simply heartless and insane."
Those who offended him recently lost face and their official positions, and people in the capital kept their distance from him.
Shen Cong could sense that after the imperial examinations, not many people dared to come up to him and spout nonsense.
This must be what made everyone wary of what happened that day.
"It should be someone from the Zhang family," Qu Jingyun said with certainty.
Yun Xiujin was taken aback upon hearing this and couldn't help but ask, "How did you know?"
Qu Jingyun chuckled lightly, a hint of sarcasm playing on her lips.
"Besides the Zhang family, who in the capital would dare to openly harm my son like this? Not to mention, the young master of the Zhang family only got first place in the imperial examination, so it's obvious there's some exaggeration involved."
"I've always known that the Zhang family are no good, but I never expected them to dare to interfere in the imperial examinations now."
"Isn't the Zhang family highly regarded by the Emperor? How could they dare to do such a thing?" Shen Cong asked, somewhat puzzled.
Do they really think the Emperor won't do anything to them?
"Fortune favors the bold," Qu Jingyun scoffed.
He then said, "The Zhang family is more skilled in martial arts, but a general has to risk his life. The Zhang family of today is no longer the Zhang family of the past; they are all cowards."
"Especially the younger generation, who are neither good at academics nor martial arts, if they were sent to the battlefield, they would probably lose their lives very early."
"The older generation was eager to cover for them, and given that they weren't exactly benevolent people to begin with, it's not surprising that they did such a thing."
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