Class is starting.
Headmaster Chen was very efficient. The next day, they changed into the uniforms of Zhushi Academy and officially became students of Zhushi Academy.
Because the operation was kept secret, apart from Headmaster Chen, no one in the school knew what they were there for and genuinely thought they were just transfer students.
At Zhushi Academy, the wealthy students received small group classes, while students from poor families could only attend large lectures. Only a very few courses were taught together with everyone.
What a coincidence! Zhu Qinghe didn't see any of those arrogant ladies from yesterday all morning, and for no apparent reason, she felt much better.
The professor in the first class was an elderly gentleman who seemed to be struggling to read, holding up his crystal glasses. The students were whispering amongst themselves, but the old gentleman appeared completely oblivious, suggesting that his hearing wasn't very good.
Zhu Qinghe leaned to the side, nudged the person next to her with her elbow, and lowered her voice: "Lord Shen, I don't think this Bamboo and Stone Academy is as good as people say."
They were new faces, and no one knew them well. Although some people were secretly curious about them, they didn't dare to look at Shen Wumei's icy eyes for long and hurriedly turned away.
Therefore, they sat in the last row, so their movements were not too restricted.
Shen Wumei's posture was not upright. The desks and chairs in this school were extremely low, so he had nowhere to put his long legs. He had to lean to one side and stick his legs out to feel a little better.
Because of her casual sitting posture, Shen Wumei was practically leaning against Zhu Qinghe, which made it much easier for her to speak.
Shen Wumei was not surprised to hear her previous words: "In this world, there are hardly any people who are true to themselves. More often than not, their reputation is undeserved."
Zhu Qinghe nodded in agreement, resting her chin on her hand and sighing, "The world is truly going to the dogs."
The old gentleman in front finally found the part he hadn't finished in the previous lesson, cleared his throat, and said, "Let's begin the lesson."
"Master." Someone raised their hand high. The old man looked over in surprise: "What is it?"
He was an ordinary-looking young man with a thin face and a malicious smile: "You spend all day lecturing on the ways of sages, how can you let a murderer sit in the front row and listen to your lectures with dignity?"
"To be so unable to distinguish between good and evil is to insult the way of the sages."
His gaze maliciously fell on the straight-backed figure in the first row. Zhu Qinghe narrowed her eyes; this back view looked somewhat familiar.
"What? You know him?" Shen Wumei asked, noticing her expression.
"Ten coins." Zhu Qinghe's words were concise, and Shen Wumei understood what she meant.
So this is the person who broke the plate yesterday and forced this tightwad to pay.
The old man didn't quite understand the intricacies of the situation. Before he could even speak, Cong Yan picked up her book and walked to the last row.
She was already used to this situation and didn't want to put the old man in a difficult position. Besides, the old man was useless here.
They can teach knowledge, but they cannot correct people's hearts.
Although the last row wasn't full, everyone tacitly placed their bags on the empty seats when they saw her coming, clearly indicating they didn't want her to sit there.
Her heart grew increasingly gloomy and desperate, and her once stubbornly upright shoulders slowly slumped down.
She is really, really tired.
A gentle voice rang out from not far away: "There are seats here."
She stared blankly ahead, meeting a pair of bright, smiling eyes—the same girl who had helped her yesterday.
The old gentleman continued his lecture, while Cong Yan sat absentmindedly next to Zhu Qinghe, as if she had been pulled up from the bottom of a cold well.
Finally, they saw the light of day.
For those living in darkness, even the smallest bit of warmth can rekindle their dormant spirits.
Shen Wumei raised an eyebrow, listening as Zhu Qinghe and the girl quickly became engrossed in conversation. Sometimes he really admired Zhu Qinghe's ability to so easily extract the information he wanted.
At this moment, Zhu Qinghe had begun to probe for information. Her tone was somewhat puzzled, yet she appeared completely innocent and naive: "Sister Cong, why are they treating you like this, and even calling you a murderer?"
After Xu Yishu, everyone's opinion of her changed drastically, and they all believed that she was the murderer. Although she hated Xu Yishu to the core, she was just a weak woman; what ability did she have to kill Xu Yishu?
She clearly embodies the saying, "Those who do many evil deeds will surely perish."
A look of pain and resentment flashed across Cong Yan's eyes, and her fingers clenched into a fist: "They're always like this. They never care about the truth. They just want to satisfy their own perverse pleasures."
"It was the same before, and it is the same now; it has never changed."
Zhu Qinghe and Shen Wumei exchanged a glance. It seemed that Cong Yan really knew a lot of inside information. This trip "deep into the tiger's den" was indeed worthwhile.
The Bamboo Stone Academy was not as simple as they imagined. Ever since the first upright and strict headmaster stepped down, the atmosphere had become increasingly corrupt.
This place has become a playground for wealthy young men to bully others and abuse their power. Because of their noble status, even if they make a mess, their families and plenty of money will clean up the mess for them.
They took pleasure in bullying and mocking those from poor families. No matter how talented someone was, they were still inferior and subject to their bullying. Before Cong Yan, their target had always been Fang Xiaoguo.
The reason was simple: Fang Xiaoguo was simply too outstanding. He transferred to Zhushi Academy with exceptionally high grades, and his essays consistently drew praise from the teachers. How could those good-for-nothing young masters tolerate someone being more dazzling than them?
So their attention fell on this poor genius, and after learning that he came from a poor family, they could no longer suppress their wicked desires.
Before class, they spilled ink on Fang Xiaoguo's desk and chair, laughing at his frantic attempts to wipe it off; after class, they rudely snatched Fang Xiaoguo's essay, which had been praised by the teacher, and tore it into pieces without mercy, throwing piles of white fragments at his face, mocking his face, which was flushed with anger.
After school, they used even more tricks on him. They would surround him in a secluded place, force him to kneel and kowtow, and ridicule his poor clothes and impoverished family background.
In their eyes, no matter how talented or promising a person is, as long as he is still a poor wretch, he will never be able to rise up in their presence.
Seeing the tear stains on Cong Yan's face, Zhu Qinghe searched her body for a long time but couldn't find a single handkerchief. She looked at Shen Wumei, who raised an eyebrow, as if to say, "Do you think I would have a handkerchief on me?"
"Never mind," Zhu Qinghe sighed, "we can't count on him."
Fortunately, Cong Yan quickly adjusted her state. She wiped away her tears and returned to normal.
"So, Fang Xiaoguo was indeed killed by Xu Yishu?" Zhu Qinghe lowered her voice. Fortunately, the room was big enough and the old gentleman was hard of hearing, so he couldn't notice them in the last row.
Upon hearing Zhu Qinghe's words, Cong Yan paused, as if she had thought of something extremely terrifying, and her whole body trembled slightly: "It was her... it was Xu Yishu who did it!"
Sure enough, it seems that the masked killer also knew this before he decided to avenge Fang Xiaoguo. However, if that person was not a student of Zhushi Academy and did not witness Xu Yishu killing Fang Xiaoguo, how did he know?
Who told him?
At lunchtime, Cong Yan politely declined Zhu Qinghe's invitation to eat together and turned to go back to her room. Seeing her lonely and forlorn figure, Zhu Qinghe felt a pang of sympathy.
This Bamboo and Stone Academy is truly not a place for humans to stay.
During the meal, Zhu Qinghe sorted out the clues they had gathered and felt that the final breakthrough still lay with Cong Yan.
“I think Cong Yan and Fang Xiaoguo’s relationship is definitely not simple,” Zhu Qinghe said. “Maybe the murderer learned the truth about Fang Xiaoguo’s murder from her.”
"The truth behind Fang Xiaoguo's murder?" Shen Wumei scoffed. "Do you really think Fang Xiaoguo was killed by Xu Yishu for that absurd reason?"
Zhu Qinghe was taken aback, her expression hesitant, and the chopsticks she was using to pick up food stopped in mid-air: "Isn't that right?"
"If, as Cong Yan said, Fang Xiaoguo is exceptionally talented and devoted to studying the classics, how could he possibly give Xu Yishu even a second glance?"
Zhu Qinghe bit the end of her chopsticks, deep in thought: "But that's exactly what the murderer said back then. Maybe it's because Fang Xiaoguo hasn't seen much of the world. Xu Yishu is quite pretty, and it's normal for a young man to be attracted to her."
Shen Wumei disagreed: "Let's not even talk about the fact that Xu Yishu's appearance is not stunning at all. Even if it is true, as you say, that Xu Yishu is a great beauty, Fang Xiaoguo is her classmate and they see each other every day. There is no need for her to give her a second glance."
"Besides, Cong Yan also said that Fang Xiaoguo was bullied at school. If nothing unexpected happens, Xu Yishu should also be one of them."
"If you were Fang Xiaoguo, would you think a girl who bullies you all day long is very beautiful, and even risk your life just to see her a little more?"
Zhu Qinghe imagined it for a moment, and when she thought of Xu Yishu's arrogant face, she immediately got goosebumps. She definitely wouldn't feel that way; she would probably only feel disgust and hatred.
"Could it be... that Cong Yan is lying?" Zhu Qinghe frowned. She had originally thought that Cong Yan was simply a victim, but now it seemed that it wasn't that simple.
"I don't know the specifics either, it's up to you now." Shen Wumei raised an eyebrow at her. "Isn't this your forte?"
Zhu Qinghe felt exhausted. She complained weakly, "Lord Shen, this is not fair of you. I've been the one doing all the work today. You are a dignified head constable, how can you just sit back and do nothing?"
Shen Wumei said inscrutably, "Of course I have things to do. You just need to do your own job."
Seeing that she still looked unwilling, Shen Wumei narrowed her eyes and tempted her, "As long as you do well, you'll get plenty of benefits."
Zhu Qinghe's eyes lit up immediately, and she perked up: "Alright, don't worry, Lord Shen, I'll definitely handle things perfectly for you."
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