Zhonglongmen Examination
The group spent the night working, and as dawn broke, the Fire Festival had passed, the East Street was desolate, and the pastry shops remained dilapidated.
The deceased Li Shuying leaned against the wooden cabinet, facing Sun Fang. She was not "boneless and able to stand" as rumored, but rather her leg was broken and she could not stand.
Li Xingge found a wooden stick and tied it to her leg, then used her dress to cover it up.
Even so, Li Shuying was unable to stand. The crowd could only set up a wooden frame under her skirt for support, intimidate others, and seek a safe place on East Street.
Chang Ying threw the rag out of Sun's mouth and asked sternly, "Tell me, how did Sister Shuying die?!"
Sun Fang lowered his head, not daring to look at her.
“Sun Fang, Sister Shuying treated you quite well.” Chang Ying slapped him across the face and pointed at Li Shuying’s corpse, saying, “When you killed her, did you have a clear conscience?”
“I did not lay a hand on her,” Sun Fang argued. “I just called her to the Zhao residence, and then, and then,” he saw Li Shuying’s body, paused for a moment, lowered his head in panic, and whispered, “and then, I watched her get beaten and ordered to be thrown into the mass grave.”
"What did you say?" Li Xingge said, "You mean, my sister was thrown alive into a mass grave!?"
A living person was beaten and thrown into a mass grave, where he bled to death.
Sun Fang said, "I thought you went to the mass grave to find her and could bring her back to life..."
He felt guilty, but he and Zhao Lang were in the same boat, their fates intertwined. Therefore, he couldn't do much, and he could only tell Chang Ying about it while he was drunk.
He knew Chang Ying would definitely tell Li Xingge.
Perhaps, perhaps.
So Li Shuying was saved?
"Do you know how many wounds my sister has? Do you know how many times she was stabbed? Thirty-two times, a full thirty-two times!"
Li Xingge was suddenly transported back to that night. She dared not tell her parents, and only dared to secretly go to the mass grave to investigate the truth. She prayed countless times that she would not see her sister in such a place, but she still saw her.
Li Shuying lay in a sea of blood, her clothes torn, her eyes tightly closed.
Li Xingge had no idea that a person could bleed so much, nor that a person could survive being stabbed thirty-two times.
Each cut is not fatal; the patient will only die when the blood runs dry.
"Why!?" Li Xingge asked in a hoarse voice, "Why? What did my sister do wrong!?"
Sun Fang replied, "Because she passed the exam..."
What?
The crowd was puzzled for a moment.
Yi Shen listened silently without saying a word.
Wu Qi pondered Sun Fang's words and then realized what he meant, "You mean Li Shuying passed the Dragon Gate Examination and could take a position in the capital? And then... you wanted someone else to take her place in the capital, but Li Shuying refused, so you... you killed her?"
In the capital, there are some official positions that are open to all ages, genders, and regions. As long as no one in your family for three generations has been imprisoned, you can apply. After passing the exam and undergoing review, you can go directly to the capital to take up your post.
If one were to achieve the highest rank in all three levels of the imperial examinations and gain the emperor's favor, it would be possible to rise to the position of prime minister. However, the Longmen examination is different from the imperial examinations; at most, one could only reach the sixth rank.
Officials' children used this exam as a stepping stone; after passing it and taking up a post for a year or two, a high-ranking member of their family would transfer them away, promoting them to higher positions. Poor families regarded this exam as the "Dragon Gate Exam," believing that passing it would bring glory to their family and ensure a worry-free life.
Therefore, everyone flocked to the "Dragon Gate Examination".
This exam is extremely difficult.
If a poor and remote person could actually pass the "Dragon Gate Examination" and obtain an official position, it would be a great blessing from their ancestors. But Li Shuying actually passed the examination!
However, since the review order and appointment order had to go through Zhao Lang's hands, he took advantage of the loophole and had wicked thoughts.
Wu Qi asked, "Approximately when will Longmen Kao assume his post?"
Yi Shen replied, "It's already over. The person who replaced her is probably already in office in the capital."
"Lord Zhao, what an arrogant official you are! You dare to cheat in the Longmen Examination!" Wu Qi felt a nameless fire rise in her heart, wanting to burn away all the cheating in the world. She asked Sun Fang, "Who is the one who impersonated Li Shuying?"
"Zhao Lang's younger sister, Zhao Xiwei."
The examination for the Dragon Gate Examination was extremely rigorous. Zhao Lang dared to falsify documents, probably because someone in the capital vouched for him. However, the problem was that Wu Qi and Yi Shen were both from aristocratic families and were not familiar with the important officials of the court. Naturally, they did not know who was in charge of the Dragon Gate Examination, or who could cover up the truth and deceive the authorities.
This matter still needs further investigation.
As for how Zhou Lang died?
The others were unaware of this.
Suppressing his anger, Wu Qi continued to ask, "How did Lord Zhou Lang die?"
Sun Fang replied, "I really don't know about this. I just sent two highly skilled martial artists to the capital with Zhao Lang's group. When they came back, those two men told me that Lord Zhou Lang was dead. I didn't intend to kill Lord Zhou. He was a good official."
Two people?
As luck would have it, Wu Qi saw two people buried in the peach blossom forest.
"What about the other two?" she asked.
“They’re dead… Zhao Lang killed them.” Sun Fang briefly recounted what he knew. “That day, besides wanting to kill Sister Shuying, Zhao Lang also wanted her to write a letter to Lord Zhou Lang. As for the contents of the letter, I really don’t know. I only know that Sister Shuying refused, and every time she refused, she was slashed with a knife…”
"Enough!" Li Xingge couldn't take it anymore.
Her body went limp and she collapsed, accidentally bumping into Li Shuying's corpse. The corpse slammed and fell into Li Xingge's arms, where Li Xingge held the body and wept bitterly.
She never imagined her sister would die like this.
Why did they die like this?
Why does knowing the truth cause even more pain?
Zhou Liuhu asked doubtfully, "How can we believe that Young Master Sun, who is in cahoots with that corrupt official Zhao Lang, is telling the truth today?"
They haven't done anything yet, all Wu Qi did was cut his arm, and he's already saying so much?
“You can believe me.” Sun Fang turned to look at Chang Ying and said with a wry smile, “Yingying, everything I said today is true. Please… don’t look at me like that, please…”
Chang Ying said firmly, "From now on, I sever all ties with you. As for the marriage agreement, get out of here."
"No, I beg you..."
Before Sun could finish speaking, the sound of horses' hooves and footsteps came from the east street.
Wu Qi sensed something was wrong and exchanged a glance with Yi Shen. Yi Shen quietly opened the window and peeked out, then said succinctly, "Zhao Lang."
Although he had never met Zhao Lang, he was afraid that only Lord Zhao Lang would dare to go out in Pingwu City with such a grand display.
Why did Zhao Lang arrive so timely and without warning?
After figuring it out, Wu Qi scoffed and kicked Sun Fang. "You did it on purpose? You pretended to faint so we could take you to the pastry shop, and then that corrupt official would use kidnapping as a pretext to arrest us all, right?"
No wonder Zhao Lang didn't care about the woman in human skin.
No wonder Sun Fang fainted after being poisoned by the incense.
These two had long planned to capture them all, especially her and Yi Shen, who were ordered to thoroughly investigate the case.
The sounds of horses' hooves and footsteps grew closer. Sun Fang remained silent in the face of Wu Qi's question, only saying, "Everything I just said is true. Yingying, you are my wife. Don't worry, you will be alright."
"Today, I will only live and die with them as Chang Ying, not as your wife," Chang Ying said. "I will never be your wife in this life."
The sounds of horses' hooves and footsteps stopped outside the pastry shop. Inside, all that could be heard from Lord Zhao was that he said, "The young master of the Sun family has gone missing. Coincidentally, someone reported seeing him tied up in this pastry shop. It seems the thief hasn't left yet."
They did indeed fall for it.
It's likely that no one reported it at all; it was something these two had planned long ago.
Zhao Lang sat on his red-brown horse outside the pastry shop, smiling as he stared at the door, like a wolf that had finally caught its prey, which had no chance of escape.
He snapped his fingers crisply and laughed nonchalantly, "Men, surround this area."
"yes!"
The crowd surrounded the pastry shop.
The people inside were like trapped beasts, suppressing their inner resentment but powerless to do anything.
Li Xingge snatched the dagger from Wu Qi's hand, trying his best to calm himself down, and said to Wu Qi, "I'll just say that I kidnapped Sun Fang. This has nothing to do with you. You and that young master were just passing by, or you can just say I threatened you. Please..."
She took a deep breath and changed her wording.
"My parents are over fifty years old and their fate in prison is unknown. If possible, please, please save them."
If Zhao Lang dared to treat Li Shuying this way, who knows how he would treat her parents who were speaking out for her? But Li Xingge was truly powerless. She tried everything she could but couldn't get even a mile away from the Zhao residence. She beat the drum to appeal for justice all night, but no one paid any attention.
Therefore, she came up with the idea of using the threat of "woman in human skin" to find out the truth and expose Zhao Lang's true colors. Unexpectedly, it backfired, frightening many women and turning the once peaceful East Street into a "ghost street".
I'm so sorry.
She originally wanted to use the name of the "woman in human skin" to help the women remove their veils and take off the "many children and many blessings" lines that they had to draw every day. She thought that one day, after discovering the truth, she would dress up as the "woman in human skin" to avenge her sister.
She forgot that no one helps you for no reason.
Until she met Wu Qi.
Wu Qi looked at the dagger in Li Xingge's hand and was speechless for a moment. Seeing Li Xingge holding the dagger tightly and preparing to go out and fight Zhao Lang to the death, he couldn't help but feel both sorry for him and amused.
What kind of misfortune and suffering could drive this woman, who grew up in a pastry shop, to wield a dagger?
Wu Qi didn't know.
I will not comment on someone else's actions if I have not followed their path.
However, it's not time to fight to the death yet.
Wu Qi suppressed a laugh as he pulled the dagger from Li Xing's hand, saying nonchalantly, "Sorry, I can't give you this dagger. It was a gift from Young Master Yi. I've always cherished things he gives me, and..."
She looked around and saw the bitter and resentful expressions on the faces of the women, and said with a mix of emotions, "Who said we're finished today?"
They were still being hunted down in Qingcui City, but they were able to escape unscathed in Pingwu City. It would be strange if this didn't arouse suspicion.
She was already mentally prepared.
The women looked up at Wu Qi in surprise, their eyes filled with confusion.
Lord Zhao has already surrounded the pastry shop with his men, and Sun Fang is still bound by ropes. Moreover, someone saw them kidnapping Sun Fang. With witnesses and physical evidence, aren't they going to let this go today?
It's probably completely over!
"Don't worry." Wu Qi held Li Xingge's hand and asked sincerely, "Do you want to kick Sun Fang? This is a golden opportunity. After today, it will be much harder to kick him."
Upon hearing this, Yi Shen looked at Wu Qi, a slight smile playing on his lips.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
