In the darkness, a figure quietly approached the place where the exam papers were placed.
The white tiger on the roof beam had been waiting there, just so Jing Le could see the shocked expression on the other person's face when they couldn't find the exam paper.
The man tiptoed through the window and went straight to the cabinet on the left.
He skillfully pulled out clothes from his pocket and easily unlocked the cabinet.
He reached into the cabinet and rummaged around for a while, but found nothing.
"Isn't it in this cabinet? Why is there nothing there?"
The man in black was puzzled, and checked several more times, but still found nothing.
I searched through the cabinet on the other side as well, but couldn't find the exam paper; it seemed to have vanished into thin air.
Unable to find the exam paper and fearing discovery, the man in black climbed out of the window he had come from and disappeared into the darkness.
After the man in black left, Baihu leaped down from the roof beam and disappeared into the night.
...
Liu Mansion.
Headmaster Liu waited in the study until midnight when a dark figure rolled in and knelt on one knee.
"Master, we didn't find anything."
"What? Impossible? My cousin sent someone who said it's in the cupboard."
Headmaster Liu was initially full of confidence, but after hearing this, his face turned pale.
Without finding the exam papers, they didn't know if the people they were watching had made it ashore, so how could they switch the exam papers with the real ones?
They already took the money, what should we do?
"No, you need to go to your cousin's place, explain the situation clearly, and ask him what to do."
Headmaster Liu wasn't good at official matters, so it was better for his cousin to handle these things; he just needed to follow orders.
"Yes, Master."
The man in black left after he finished speaking.
The next day, the Minister of Rites got up with a splitting headache, urged on by his servant.
"Ugh... hiss..."
Shaking his head, he washed up and finally woke up.
"Oh dear, I shouldn't have drunk so much. Ningfu, what time is it?"
He looked out the window at the sky and asked the servant who was attending him.
"Master, there's only a quarter of an hour left before court begins," a servant reminded him.
The morning court session was at 5:00 AM, and the Minister of Rites also had to go and collect the examination papers, so the time was indeed a bit rushed.
"Let's go, we'll be late for court."
Upon hearing this, the Minister of Rites immediately sensed something was wrong and anxiously left the house on an empty stomach.
They rushed as fast as they could and finally made it to the morning court session, but the Minister of Rites was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan.
He was covered in sweat.
The reason for this was that all the exam papers that made the list were lost.
I locked it properly in the cabinet before I left yesterday, but when I went to get it this morning, it was empty.
There's nothing there!!
How could he explain this to the emperor?
That would be the end of my life!
When Emperor Jing sat down with Jing Le in his arms, the Minister of Rites knelt down with a thud.
The sound of kneeling echoed throughout the hall.
"Your Majesty, I have failed your trust; the examination papers are lost!"
The Minister of Rites was practically in tears, looking utterly pitiful.
"The exam papers are lost? No way, with so many exam papers, how could they be lost?"
"Exactly, which thief stole all the exam papers? What does that mean?"
"That's right. When it comes to stealing exam papers, one might assume that person is trying to cheat. But then again, that doesn't make sense. You wouldn't need all the exam papers to cheat."
The ministers discussed the matter extensively, each holding their own opinion.
[Look how pitiful the Minister of Rites is, he's almost in tears. If I hadn't had Baihu keep an eye on him, who knows how much more they would have lost.]
Jing Le sat next to Emperor Jing, happily eating melon seeds.
Emperor Jing thought so too; without Jing Le's words, the Minister of Rites might have come true today.
His face, however, was full of authority: "Hmph, Ning Pengtao, is this how you promised me you would handle things well?"
"All the exam papers I prepared are lost!"
"Your Majesty, I confess my guilt."
The Minister of Rites was heartbroken and immediately confessed his guilt.
What can we do? He had the key, and the exam paper was lost while he was in his possession. Who can we blame?
Liu Hongyi, the prefect of Jingzhao, stood to the side, his eyes gleaming as he lowered his head in deep thought.
The exam papers did indeed disappear into thin air; they couldn't find them, and Ning Pengtao's papers weren't there either. So who took them?
Only the Emperor's Dragon Shadow Guards have the ability to take away the exam papers without them noticing; no one else could do it.
It was the Emperor who took it. Did he discover something?
Impossible. He hasn't shown his face in these matters, so the investigation can't trace it back to him.
Liu Hongyi's pupils constricted for a moment, then relaxed.
His subtle expression could not escape Jing Le's notice.
[Does this Prefect of Jingzhao think their actions are foolproof? Does he think that with Headmaster Liu protecting them, no one will find out?]
[How naive! You haven't realized it because you haven't encountered me yet. Now that I'm in charge of Dayong, all of you petty scoundrels will be caught.]
The downfall of the prime minister's faction is just the beginning.
Jing Le took a bite of the large meat bun that Eunuch Xu handed her; it was specially made for her by the imperial kitchen at Emperor Jing's behest.
Thin skin, lots of meat, and delicious!
Inside the main hall, many court officials who had been eating dry rations on the way to the morning court session were all tempted by the aroma and swallowed hard.
They were devastated and would only eat a few bites before attending the morning court every day. But ever since Princess Anle started accompanying the Emperor to court, snacks would be served in the palace from time to time.
They're even serving hot, large meat buns now.
They could smell the aroma of meat; weren't these people preparing for the postgraduate entrance exam?
The Minister of Rites, who was kneeling on the ground, also smelled the aroma of the meat buns; he hadn't eaten anything this morning.
Now look what happened! All the emotions I had built up have vanished, and I can't cry anymore.
My dear reader, there's more to this chapter! Please click the next page to continue reading—even more exciting content awaits!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
