Chapter 162 Clues
The rain obscured our vision, and the heavy rain washed away the heat.
The servants hurrying past under the covered walkway kept their heads down, not daring to look around, and didn't even dare to take the lucky money.
The news that the second young master had been taken away by the Imperial Guards made those who came to deliver the good news laugh. The imperial edict was still clearly posted on the street, but because of this incident, no one dared to go closer to take a closer look.
Rumors are circulating in the capital. Even if Su Yunyi didn't cheat, his reputation will likely be damaged in the future. Gao Wenyan and Jin Fengnian aren't in much better shape either.
I heard that Jin Fengnian really did have a stroke of good luck this time, as he came in last place. Otherwise, the government wouldn't have believed it so easily.
Yun Jinglan sat by the window, fiddled with her prayer beads, when in a moment of anxiety she snapped the string. The beads fell to the ground with a crisp sound that struck her heart.
"well!"
Su Junyao bent down, picked up a Buddhist bead, and placed it in Yun Jinglan's palm. "Don't worry, I believe Yi'er wouldn't do such a thing. Lord Gao and Lord He will definitely clear his name."
"That's not what I'm worried about." Yun Jinglan naturally trusted her son; she was afraid of Qiuqiu!
"Gao Xun is such a fierce person, if Qiuqiu ruins his wedding, will she retaliate?"
Su Junyao felt that taking revenge on Qiuqiu was unlikely, but whether it would make enemies of other family members was another matter.
"Gaiming, you should try to persuade Qiuqiu. If all else fails, we can afford to hire a matchmaker."
Yun Jinglan wholeheartedly agreed. This little girl, who can't even clearly call her parents, is supposed to be a matchmaker? Isn't that just playing with other people's marriage prospects?!
"My lord, my lady, a servant has come to report that the families of Young Master Gao and Young Master Jin have arrived and are now waiting in the front hall."
Su Junyao: "I'll go, you go and try to persuade Qiuqiu."
The couple split up, each taking care of one of their two children.
Su Junyao went to the front hall first. Jin Huihuang had been so anxious these past few days that he had blisters on his lips. Don't let his wealth fool you; a decade or so ago, he was just a country bumpkin, and if something serious happened, nobody would dare to lend a hand.
This is also why he desperately wanted to befriend government officials.
Jin Huihuang was dressed much more plainly this time. When he saw Su Junyao coming over, he immediately rushed forward, lifted his robe and knelt down, "Please, Lord Marquis, save my good-for-nothing son!"
The Gao couple, standing to the side, had sweaty palms from nervousness. They looked flustered and helpless. Seeing Jin Huihuang kneel down, they followed suit. The honest couple couldn't utter any nice words; they could only keep kowtowing to Su Junyao.
"Please, Your Excellency, save my Wenyan! Your Excellency, please investigate thoroughly. My Wenyan would never do such a thing!"
"Even my Fengnian wouldn't have that kind of guts!"
Su Junyao asked Chen He to help the two up. “I know you are all anxious. Someone is interfering in this matter. You don’t need to worry. Lord He of the Dali Temple and Lord Gao, the commander of the Imperial Guards, will investigate this matter together and will definitely clear their names.”
Mr. Gao, who has a leg disability, sat down with Chen He's help. His eyes were red as he heard the story: "This morning, some officials broke in saying they were searching for evidence. They ransacked the house and finally found a money bag in Wen Yan's room. But we really don't know where the money came from!"
If he really knew that the silver had been hidden, he was afraid that it would become some kind of evidence, which would be troublesome!
In a panic, he tried to find his son's classmate for help, but on the way he met a kind man named Master Jin who led him to the Marquis's mansion for help.
"money?"
Jin Huihuang frowned. "Could it be from my son?"
Fengnian from their family liked to go out and spend money like a child.
Why did your son give my son money?
"How would I know!" Jin Huihuang retorted irritably. "My son has given money to people countless times. I can't possibly ask him about every single one of them!"
"Could it be that they arrested them for such a trivial matter? Could they really bribe their way into letting my Fengnian confiscate that little bit of money?"
Even if a money bag is stuffed full of banknotes, how much money can it hold?
If such a good thing happened, Jin Huihuang would be laughing in his sleep. If the Emperor hadn't issued a decree prohibiting the buying and selling of official positions, why would his Feng Nianfei be so insistent?
"Besides, my Fengnian is a coward, he wouldn't dare!"
Mr. Gao didn't know what to say. He opened his mouth and then closed it again, looking rather pitiful with his honest and simple appearance. Mrs. Gao secretly pinched Mr. Gao, but as a woman, she didn't understand anything and could only worry helplessly.
Su Junyao: "The three of you, please don't get agitated. I've also heard some rumors. Why don't we sit down and discuss this further?"
The three were reassured and sat down to listen quietly to Su Junyao speak.
The imperial examinations were a complex affair, keeping everyone on edge from top to bottom. With the Emperor also watching closely, he couldn't easily make a move.
He and his father-in-law went to Dali Temple several times but couldn't find anyone. Fearing criticism, they had no choice but to return empty-handed.
Fortunately, Gao Xun promised Qiuqiu he would help, which is why a few words were able to get back.
"Someone has filed a complaint alleging that Jin Fengnian bribed Gao Wenyan to cheat in the examination, and that my son Yunyi assisted him. Today, the officials came directly to search our house and found silver so accurately... I'm afraid someone set a trap beforehand!"
Jin Fengnian is a very generous person. He doesn't even know how much money he gives away or to whom. This is no secret; people who know him well are aware of this quirk of his.
Therefore, Su Junyao was certain that the person who framed him was someone Jin Fengnian knew!
"Mr. Jin, think carefully about whether there are any suspicious people around Young Master Jin?"
Jin Huihuang was furious. He slammed his hand on the table and jumped up and down in anger, yelling, "I told this idiot not to hang out with shady characters all the time!"
"You little brat!" he cursed twice, then looked at Su Junyao with a bitter expression and asked for help, "But he's surrounded by a bunch of scoundrels, and I think they all look like them."
Su Junyao was speechless with anger, not knowing what else to say.
"Then list everyone out and check them one by one!"
"Yes, yes, I'll take care of it right away!"
The scholar Su Junyao, who went to the yamen to submit his petition, had already investigated. His family background was clean, but he was stubborn and lacked empathy. He had heard earlier that Jin Fengnian had given Gao Wenyan money to help him cheat, and at first he didn't believe it. However, the sudden warm relationship between Jin Fengnian, Su Yunyi, and Gao Wenyan made him think more about it.
After the results were released, Jin Fengnian was surprisingly the last lucky person to make the list, even before him. How could he not be furious!
The crowd was chaotic at the time, and I only remember that many people were talking about it, and some even went directly to the government office to file a complaint. Furthermore, Jin Fengnian's abilities were indeed insufficient to convince anyone that he could pass the imperial examinations, which is why he was thoroughly investigated.
Today, silver was found in Gao Wenyan's home again. If no solid evidence is found and a conviction cannot be made, these three people's future careers will probably be difficult.
Jin Huihuang fumbled through the paper, his handwriting atrocious, yet he had already written quite a few names. Seeing this, Gao's parents hurriedly asked Su Junyao, "Lord Marquis, is there anything we can do to help? Please, please save our Wenyan… We… we'll do anything to repay you!"
Su Junyao waved his hand, seeing their pitiful state, he wouldn't make things difficult for them: "You two don't need to worry. Young Master Gao is on good terms with my son, I won't stand by and watch them die."
"Since that person knew that Young Master Gao brought the silver home, he must have followed him back. Why don't you go back and inquire whether any strangers have been there recently?"
Suddenly, Gao's mother remembered: "Uncle Wang's son next door has a stall on the street. He also went to the imperial edict that day. He might have seen the person who encouraged that scholar to file a complaint!"
(End of this chapter)
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