Chapter 56
The system's sudden inspiration made Chu Huan a little stunned, but then she thought: This is a very good move.
Chu Huan hooked her drooping hair to her ears and curled the ends. The system understood and temporarily turned off the sharing function - this was the private chat hint they had agreed on in advance.
System: [Sister Huan, we can chat privately now.]
Chu Hua: [Why did you think of investigating the cause of Pei Mingcheng's uncle's death?]
The system's voice was calm, yet hinted at a hint of pride, "Praise me!" "It's because you want to kill Bao Qizi."
I happened to see that one of the people he killed was named Pei. A flash of inspiration struck me, and I clicked on it and saw that he was indeed related to Pei Mingcheng. This guy deserved to die.
Chu Huan inexplicably felt loved by her younger brother. Not bad, could you give her a little more?
【Tong'er is awesome! 】
[That's right!] If the system had a tail, it would have been raised into the sky in the form of a propeller by now.
The time and place of Pei Mingcheng's uncle's death can be checked. If you ask too many questions, it will seem suspicious.
Chu Huan enabled the system to share data, took a sip of tea, and continued with the previous topic: "Besides falsely reporting agricultural output, is there anything else?"
System: [That’s a lot.]
Pei Mingcheng: “…”
Why don’t you continue to talk about how your uncle was murdered?
He wasn't sure whether Chu Huan didn't care about her uncle's murder, or whether she was more focused on Bao Qizi, but he did have an idea: he had to find a way to make his presence felt in front of Chu Huan.
To be fair, everyone is more interested in gossip about acquaintances than strangers.
If it was Jia Yi or Cai Gang's uncle who was murdered today, Chu Huan would be more interested.
System: [The practice of falsifying agricultural production figures was abandoned four years ago, when natural disasters struck various parts of Dasheng. If he had continued to falsify figures, his achievements would have been significant, and he would have attracted even more attention.]
If the central government ordered him to send grain to other places for disaster relief, where would he get the food? He was doing this for promotion and wealth, not to pay out of pocket to buy grain and give it away, so he ended it quickly.
But how can one explain this? As time went on, more and more people were brought in, and there were too many people on board. He, the helmsman, wanted to quit, but the others refused to do anything.
To extricate themselves from this incident, they found several scapegoats and fabricated relevant evidence. He had done this many times before and was quite skilled at it. The central government was preoccupied with its own affairs at the time and didn't notice anything was wrong.
All I can say is that Bao Qizi chose a perfect time for this matter.
If it had happened a little earlier or a little later, when the court was not in a state of panic and unable to take care of itself, the abnormality might have been noticed by the court, which would have prompted the imperial envoy to conduct on-site investigation and discover clues.
This kind of criminal is really not easy to catch because he is bold, careful, vicious and knows how to choose the right time.
Chu Huan sighed sincerely: [If he had been involved in Li He's affairs, Li Chen would probably not have been able to leave Yining County.]
This is also what everyone thinks: Fortunately, Bao Qizi did not participate, otherwise the grass on the graves of Li He and Li Chen, father and son, would be very tall.
However, the system soon shattered their elation: [No, it was precisely because of his participation that Li Chen was able to escape Zhuangzhou and survive time and time again.]
Chu Hua: ???
Everyone: ???
What's the meaning?
At this point, the system sighed with regret, feeling somewhat negligent: [I had only previously investigated who was involved in Li He being used as a scapegoat, but I didn't expect there was someone helping him.]
Chu Huan: “…”
She thought that Li Chen had gone through many hardships and life-and-death experiences along the way, and that he was able to escape to the capital because he was lucky. He met Chu Qin on the way who showed him the way, and it was also because God could not bear to see them father and son die unjustly.
Who knew that there was someone else involved, and it was someone like Bao Qizi.
Chu Huan had a guess, which was outrageous but very consistent with Bao Qizi's usual practice.
[Isn't he thinking that by dragging these people into this, he can easily become the prefect?]
The system immediately turned into a boastful one: [That's right, Sister Huan, you are so smart.]
It should often praise the host so that the host knows how good she is and continuously accumulates self-confidence to become the empress!
Everyone: “…”
This is not a question of being smart or not. The fact that Bao Qizi was able to successfully become the prefect shows that he is the biggest beneficiary of this matter.
Li He and his son Li Chen were still toiling away at building a dam by the river. Their promotion would have to wait until it was completed, which would take at least a year and a half. And since Li Chen was still a juren, his work would be in vain unless the emperor issued an edict to grant him an exception.
The father and son achieved their success through real political achievements, but Bao Qizi got his wealth entirely by scheming against others. It's disgusting!
This was the first time Chu Huan encountered an example in real life where someone could pull others down in order to get ahead.
[What a pity! If Li He were a county magistrate, he could have taken over after finding a way to get rid of Bao Qizhi.]
If this were the case, Bao Qizi would be furious—he had treated Li He like a tool, painstakingly planning everything, only for the fruits of victory to be eaten by this tool he hadn't taken seriously.
system:! ! !
Everyone:!!!
This wave sounds like a sure win! Super cool!
The only pity is that Li He's starting point was too low. He had to jump too many steps from county magistrate to prefect, so he couldn't do it.
The system had already considered Li He as Chu Huan's future younger brother, and was heartbroken to learn that his younger brother had missed such a good promotion opportunity.
Is it really impossible? Isn't it common for the emperor to issue an imperial decree and make an exception to admit an official?
The situation described by the system does exist. The previous emperor did this, and the current emperor has never made an exception.
Chu Huan couldn't guarantee it completely, so she only gave a conservative answer: "If the emperor is willing and the ministers don't object, it should probably be possible."
The use of three uncertain words in a row is enough to show that the probability of this happening is not very high.
The system is heartbroken.
The host is the first little brother on the road to becoming the empress, so has he lost the chance of promotion?
【It is clear that the emperor of the previous dynasty conferred the title arbitrarily.】
Chu Hua: [So he died.]
[The previous dynasty also collapsed.]
System: [……] All right.
【Do you still want to eat melon? 】
Everyone perked up and straightened their backs quietly. Eat! Of course!
Chu Huan was unwilling: [I don’t want to eat anymore. I’m tired.]
Everyone: “…”
Is eating melon tiring? This is a good question.
For the rest of the time, Chu Huan and the invited female relatives enjoyed afternoon tea to their heart's content, and both the host and the guests had a great time.
*
Today's report was delivered to the palace by Pei Mingcheng himself. He also volunteered to go to Zhuangzhou to investigate Bao Qizi.
After reading the report, the emperor knew that what Pei Mingcheng wanted to investigate most was the murder case of his uncle.
However, everyone is selfish.
Pei Mingcheng had served him loyally over the years, and it was a rare occasion that he openly abused his power for personal gain, yet the emperor was able to forgive him.
Anyway, Bao Qizi has committed such serious crimes over the years since he took office, so he is already a dead man in his eyes.
As long as Pei Mingcheng's actions are not out of line, the emperor will not interfere.
Wanton killings, false reporting of agricultural output, fabrication of political achievements, deceiving superiors and subordinates, collusion with bandits, killing officials... Most of these cases are old ones, and it is unknown how long it will take to collect all the evidence.
The emperor agreed to let Pei Mingcheng go to Zhuangzhou, and the vacancy on the Chu family's side would be chosen from among the commanders.
There were two commanders in the Zhenfu Division, one in charge of military training and the other in charge of military farming.
The emperor didn't quite understand the personalities and ways of doing things of these two people. "Lin You, which one do you think is more suitable?"
This is not a promotion, it's just that one person is chosen to guard the Chu family and be ready to work at any time until Pei Mingcheng returns from Zhuangzhou to take over.
Lin You doesn't feel any psychological burden. "Tu Wenguang occasionally mentions his sister in front of other people."
emperor:"……"
Lin You often followed him around and had heard of it "occasionally", but he probably mentioned it often.
Tu Wenguan has a good relationship with his sister. Chu Huan is nice to women and is quite willing to help them. There should be no conflict between the two.
"Let's take him." The emperor thought to himself: If it doesn't work, I can change him.
The Jinyiwei acted extremely quickly. When Pei Mingcheng was handing over the task to Tu Wenguang and Chu Qin was reminding Tu Wenguang of many things that needed attention, he arrived at Qianhuaju.
Chu Qin deliberately waited until the female members of the family had left and the family had finished dinner before finding an opportunity to come over.
He did not set off on the day of returning to the capital to report on his work as several ministers had hoped, but instead planned to rest at home for a night.
Furthermore, he had another task given by the emperor: to dispel Chu Huan's doubts.
After not seeing each other for three months, the brother and sister had a rare chance to spend time alone together and chat. Chu Hua's first question was: "Brother, what do you mean by having so many tricks?"
The girl's slightly childish face was smiling like a flower, but with an obvious soft threat.
Chu Qin: “…”
The face, which was slightly similar to Chu Huan's but with a darker complexion and more handsome features, suddenly froze.
Li Chen’s mouth is not tight at all!
How could he relay the words that entered his ears to people at that time exactly as they were?
It really made him suffer!
Chu Qin has been cheated by his sister since he was a child. Don't get to know your sister too well.
Although Chu Huan was smiling at the moment and didn't look angry at all, if he dared to talk nonsense, he didn't know what would be waiting for him next.
What happened the last time he lied to his sister?
Yes, "Three Years of Imperial Examinations, Five Years of Simulations", "Must-Practice Questions for the Imperial Examinations", "Thirty-Eight Sets of Questions for the Imperial Examinations", and "Have You Really Mastered the Policy Essays" were all produced at that time.
The thing is good, and Chu Huan spent a lot of energy and money on it, and the effect is also good. After completing the whole set, the teacher said that he has made a lot of progress.
He was so dizzy from doing so many exercises that he even dreamed of his sister holding a teaching stick to urge him to do the exercises. This scared him so much that he did the exercises during the day and memorized the lessons in his dreams, and he didn't dare to be lazy at all.
Chu Qin's eyes were filled with tears: My title of Tanhua was not easy to come by!
A child's voice, slightly hesitant, rang out: "Sister Huan, why do I feel like your brother is a little afraid of you?"
Chu Hua: [I guess I've left you with a psychological trauma.]
Chu Qin almost blurted out: Do you know how many times you have betrayed your brother?
The system laughed heartily: [I've read "Chu Qin's Bloody and Tears of Being Tricked Over the Years" from beginning to end. It's truly fascinating.]
What a bloody and tearful story! Chu Qin suspected there was something wrong with his ears.
He thought that what his parents said was all, why did it seem like there was something else that he didn't know?
Worried that his sister might notice his abnormality if he remained silent for too long, Chu Qin quickly bowed his head and admitted his mistake: "Brother, I said the wrong thing. Huan'er is so smart, no one can compare to her."
Chu Huan had no intention of harping on the issue, so she let it go. "Don't bother with that last part. I know my limitations."
Chu Qin looked unconvinced. His sister had achieved so much in just three months. Who in the whole court could compare to her? Of course, no one could match her.
But since his sister said it was not necessary, he naturally would not make her unhappy.
"How have you been these days since my brother is away?"
Chu Huan answered truthfully, "Except for getting up at 3:00 AM every day and being too cold to go to court, everything else is pretty good."
Chu Qin knew very well that his sister liked to sleep until she woke up naturally, so it was really difficult for her to get up two hours early. He sighed sincerely, "It's really difficult for you to get up so early."
"Isn't it?" In her previous life, Chu Huan was a humble worker and she didn't have to get up at three in the morning every day, so of course, there was no need to mention such a heartbreaking thing as what time to go to bed.
"Brother, there's something I need to ask you."
Here we come!
Chu Qin's heart tightened, but he didn't dare show it on his face. "What?"
Chu Hua: "Do you know why the Emperor asked me to disguise myself as a man and attend court in your place?"
The system became excited: [Yes, yes, I want to know too!]
Chu Qin and Jia Yi and Cai Gang who were guarding the door were all heartbroken.
What they fear most now is that the system will become curious and find out that their conversation with Chu Huan was overheard by others. They don’t know what the consequences will be.
"I know." Chu Qin was afraid that the system would be too impatient to check it himself, so he replied immediately, "Although I am a third place winner in the gold examination and have just entered the Hanlin Academy, I can still take a month's sick leave by making up a difficult-to-cure illness."
"As long as I can hurry up and reach Jiangnan sooner, even if there are corrupt officials in the capital, they won't be able to do anything."
This is the normal way of thinking.
Chu Huan's disguise as a man and attending court on behalf of her brother attracted a lot of attention. Seeing the fake Chu Qin making such a fuss, many people paid attention to where the real Chu Qin had gone.
Chu Qin: "Actually, before me, the emperor had already sent people to Jiangnan to investigate the case secretly, but the progress was not very smooth."
"The Emperor came up with a plan. He threw out a bait, letting those people know that the Emperor was preparing to conduct an investigation and that I was still on my way to Jiangnan. The more they tried to cover up and destroy evidence, the more clues they would reveal."
"With all the witnesses and evidence, they couldn't deny it. I handled those matters and also took care of some of the aftermath work. That's why I could make it back and forth every three months."
Otherwise, given the distance between the capital and Jiangnan, even if he could take a boat south along the canal, it would not be possible for him to complete the investigation so quickly in less than a month.
——His father was a doctor in the Ministry of Justice of the Simensi, and was not responsible for investigating cases. He did not learn anything from his father and did not learn the essence of his work.
The system chuckled repeatedly: [So you're just testing the waters.]
Chu Qin who was voted in: “…” The truth is so heartbreaking.
Seeing his sister's calm expression, as if not surprised at all, Chu Qin understood: "Did you guess it?"
Chu Huan nodded slightly: "We are siblings, not twins. No matter how hard we try to pretend, we can't be the same."
"Compared to asking me to disguise myself as a man and attend court on your behalf, taking sick leave is obviously more covert. As long as the imperial physician doesn't leak the news, even if someone really comes to visit you, I can disguise myself and it will be more effective than attending court directly."
"The Emperor would resort to such an outrageous method, which is enough to prove that he deliberately revealed your whereabouts."
[Huh? Sister Huan, you actually knew this a long time ago! You didn't even tell me!] The system felt wronged. They were clearly good partners for eating melons together, but the host had no idea and didn't even tell it!
Chu Huan had never talked to the system, and the Jinyiwei were completely kept in the dark. They looked at each other and lowered their heads in embarrassment. This shouldn't be considered as their incompetence, right?
Chu Hua first tried to appease the system: [It's just a guess, no evidence.]
Then he asked Chu Qin: "You left for the capital more than a month ago. Why did the emperor let me continue to pretend to be you?"
Everyone shouted in their hearts: Of course it’s because the melon-eating system is bound to you!
Unable to reveal the truth, Chu Qin gave a pre-prepared excuse: "The Emperor saw you discover cowpox and penicillin and felt a pity for your talent."
Chu Huan: “…”
system:【……】
Others: “…”
Isn’t this reason a bit too careless?
Chu Huan had originally wanted to go through the process with them, but after hearing this reason, she couldn't help but question herself, "Why should I use your identity when I can just do it as Chu Huan?"
Now, Chu Qin stuttered.
"Maybe, maybe it's because it's not convenient for women to enter the court."
As soon as he finished speaking, he and Jia Yi, Cai Gang, and the others recalled what Chu Huan had said in the afternoon: "Not allowing women to take the imperial examination is the greatest injustice."
The imperial court received many tangible benefits, such as cowpox, which can prevent smallpox, penicillin, which can fight bacteria and reduce inflammation, and the treasures of Princess Anle of the previous dynasty. However, Chu Huan herself did not benefit from it.
The Jinyiwei in public and the Anwei in secret said they were protecting Chu Huan, but in fact they were monitoring and imprisoning her.
Chu Qin really felt sorry for his sister.
A large part of the credit for his passing the imperial examination and becoming the third place in the imperial examination went to his sister, and he did not want the credit that his sister had earned through her own ability.
He is an official of Dasheng and should work for the court and the people. He is also willing to take risks and become bait. But his sister is still a thirteen-year-old girl and should enjoy the happiness before getting married. She has no official position and no obligation.
"If you don't like it, don't do it." Chu Qin said shockingly.
Jia Yi and Cai Gang, the gatekeepers, turned around in shock. "How dare you say that? Do you have a trick up your sleeve?" You definitely have a trick up your sleeve!
"Okay." Chu Huan responded with a smile.
She must express her dissatisfaction with the woman disguising herself as a man and replacing someone else's identity at the right time, so that the tacit cooperation between the two parties will be in crisis. Now is the right opportunity.
Otherwise, the emperor and those ministers would only know how to take advantage of her and the system for free. When would she be able to work for the welfare of her female compatriots?
Jia Yi and Cai Gang: ???
Jia Yi and Cai Gang:!!!
Ahhhh it's over!
Chu Huan wants to quit!
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