The reason why Gao Juren almost lost his life was very simple: he got in the way of some people! Gao Juren had been a question-setting official for more than ten years. He was highly respected and adhered to the doctrine of the mean, and rarely asked about official affairs.

This seemed to be a thorn in the eyes of some people! Lu Youtai formed a gang and reached the seventh rank in just a few years, becoming more and more powerful.

If they could further control the Imperial Examinations and monopolize the top three positions...

In the end, wouldn't the entire Wangfeng County be Lv Youtai's county town, where he has the final say? !

Moreover, what role did the county magistrate Lu Yuan play in this? Was he helplessly indulging himself or restraining each other?

Li Qinglin thought about it and felt his brain was in a mess, filled with dirty thoughts!

The world is full of shackles, and he is also among them, trapped in the quagmire.

He just got into a little trouble and seemed to be sinking into this quagmire step by step.

At this time, facing Li Qinglin's question, Gao Juren vaguely understood something and sighed.

“My dear nephew, there are some things that are hard to understand and cannot be fought.

My old bones are gone, so please don’t make mistakes. Don’t investigate this matter any further.”

…

The carriage drove slowly through the streets, the horses' hooves stamped quickly, a loud cry came out of their noses, a puff of white air was exhaled, and a long neigh was emitted.

Lu Youtai sat upright in the carriage, accompanied by several people, including the inspector of the Imperial Examination Hall and an examiner named Zhuang Zhou.

The man driving the horses was an old man as dry as straw, skinny and with age spots all over his skin.

As the carriage was driving, a woman came out on the road, stopped it, and kowtowed repeatedly.

"Please, examiner, please help me!"

The old man driving the horse pulled the reins and the carriage stopped.

Pedestrians on the road stopped one after another.

Lu Youtai stood up, lifted the curtain, got off the carriage, bent down and took the woman up, "More than that, if you have anything to say, just tell me, I will definitely help you!"

The woman choked and said,

"My son studied hard for many years, and was praised by many teachers. He was expected to be the top scorer. But three years ago, during the autumn examination, he suddenly wrote eight quatrains at the beginning of the volume in the middle of the night, and then hanged himself to death!

There are many strange things about this matter. An official named Zhuang once said he was responsible for investigating this matter, but it has been three years and there is still no progress! Please, sir, do justice for me!"

Hearing this, Lu Youtai was filled with grief, and said, "How could this happen? I will investigate Zhuang's dereliction of duty!

It is not easy for a poor family to study, and studying hard until old age is the hope of the whole family. Please leave your name and address, and don't worry, I will take care of this matter!"

Upon hearing this, the woman kowtowed loudly, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

Passersby who saw and heard this also praised it.

"Oh, my Lord!"

"This is Lu Youtai, Lu Dushi, a high-ranking official of the seventh rank!"

"Hey, woman, can you sell me the sleeve that Lord Lu just pulled you to hold? My child will be taking the imperial examination next year, and I want to get some literary inspiration from him!"

The carriage moved forward again.

Lu Youtai returned to the sedan with a warm smile on his face.

But the two people accompanying him were silent and their faces were as pale as paper.

Zhuang Zhou immediately stood up and knelt in front of Lu Youtai, his voice trembling, "Please forgive me, sir! I didn't expect that woman to be so bold as to stop the car in public!"

Lu Youtai sighed, "Seeking justice for my son is a natural thing to do. How can it be considered as so bold?"

Lu Youtai's tone was somewhat melancholy. "All poor families in the world hope to pass the imperial examination, but her child clearly had the talent to pass the imperial examination, but she died in the imperial examination hall. How can we not sigh with regret?"

Upon hearing this, Zhuang Zhou became even more frightened. He lowered his head to the ground, not daring to look up.

"I understand. There are many ghosts in the Imperial Examination Hall, all wanting to be a substitute. The woman's son must be involved in an old grudge! He might be the one who raped the maids, took over the lawsuits, and exploited the villagers!"

"Check it out! I will definitely check it out thoroughly!"

Upon hearing this, Lu Youtai's smile deepened.

Zhuang Zhou knelt on the ground but didn't dare to stand up.

The inspector at the side suddenly said,

"Lord Lu, how should we deal with Li Qingjing? He is a man of great talent. I sent someone to contact him secretly, but he is arrogant and unwilling to join the team. He speaks harshly and seems to want to take the path of reform.

Originally, he was afraid of Wang Shouren, so he just acted a little sneaky towards him, as long as he didn't make it into the top three.

But Li Qinglin is so ungrateful! "

When Lu Youtai heard this, the smile on his face gradually disappeared and his expression became cold.

He was so unruly, so rampant, with eyes as bright as a wolf, and he actually dared to look directly at me, and even interrogated me? Who gave him the courage!

"A dog dares to bite its owner and barks non-stop. It's really noisy!"

"Let's put Li Qingjing aside for now and give Principal Wang some face. As for Li Qinglin..."

Lu Youtai raised the corner of his mouth, revealing a hint of sarcasm.

"Didn't Principal Wang say that there are ghosts in the world that cannot be locked up? I don't know about others, but this dog Li was born in a humble family and was originally a tenant farmer. However, he got lucky and got to where he is today. How could he escape the chains and reins?"

"The transfer order for County Magistrate Lu has come down. In a few days, he will be promoted to the prefecture as a councilor. According to seniority, who else but me can take the position of county magistrate?

In the next few days, just give him a warning or two and make sure he doesn't disrupt Lord Lu's promotion banquet.

Wang Shouren will not stay in Fengxian for long. Once the matter outside the city is over, Wang Shouren will return to Beijing.

By then, won't I be able to control you?"

"That's right!"

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"Your Excellency is absolutely right!"

The educational inspector and Zhuang Zhou both clapped their hands and laughed, with fawning looks on their faces.

The clatter of horse hooves passes over the arch bridge.

The lake reflects the colorful phoenix lanterns on the other side, and the breeze creates ripples like scales. The lakeside market is bustling with people and shops.

Lu Youqin sat in the carriage, his eyes passing through the curtains.

Outside the sedan, the people passing by all had sallow faces and thin bodies, and some were carrying heavy objects.

He sneered, "There are many people in the world who are dog butchers. How dare you be so rampant?"

…

Leave Gao Mansion.

The look of Gao Juren accepting the situation helplessly and unable to resist still remains in my mind.

It was almost dusk, and the vendors on the street had closed their stalls, leaving the place deserted and desolate.

Li Qinglin went towards the outer city with a knife on his shoulder. When he passed the Ministry of Justice, General Bai, whom he had met several times before, seemed to be waiting for him on the road he had to take to go home.

"What's the matter, General Bai?" Li Qinglin said to the person in front of him.

Bai Zongqi looked normal. He stared at Li Qinglin deeply and said, "I'll give you some time off. Go back and have a good rest. Your salary will be paid as usual. Come back after you've rested."

Li Qinglin frowned when he heard this, "But what happened?"

Bai Zongqi said in a deep voice, "Just pretend nothing happened. If something happens, taking a step back may be good for everyone."

Upon hearing this, Li Qinglin was silent for a moment, then bowed and turned to leave.

The lights on the street slowly came on, and the breeze blew gently, and the lanterns swayed in the wind, little by little, like stars falling into the ocean.

A few fireworks floated over, and Li Qinglin breathed a sigh of relief.

On this day, he did not feel at peace, but instead felt depressed.

Seeing the worldly atmosphere all around, my tense mind relaxed a little.

"Take a step back?"

Li Qinglin's eyes showed a thoughtful look as he walked across the street, and subconsciously took the shortcut along the small path.

…

The narrow corridor was more than ten feet wide, with mottled bricks on both sides of the wall, covered with withered and yellow vines. The dusty rock wall was like a child dancing on black charcoal, quietly shedding two lines of silent tears.

A chilly wind blew in from around the corner across the path.

The wind in late autumn was already cold, but this wind was even more biting.

Li Qinglin's eyes moved, he slowly stopped and grabbed the Baishou knife with his right hand.

Whoosh! Li Qinglin suddenly turned sideways, and a long spear that was so black that it almost blended into the night passed in front of his eyes. The gusts of air blew his eyelashes into disarray.

Boom!

The spear was deeply inserted into the wall, and the splashing sand and gravel hit Li Qinglin's face.

Li Qinglin's eyes were as bright as fire, lighting up the alley in an instant.

The white-haired sword is unsheathed.

(End of this chapter)