A black folded blanket was sent to Kangxi's study. Yin gazed out the window, watching the backs of the dragon guards disappear from sight. He recalled that when they went to have breakfast, it seemed that no one had followed them on the way.
One kilometer away from Yuelai Inn, there is an ancient temple with a history of over a thousand years, where the monks are all former officials of the previous dynasty.
"Don't go there for now!" When Yin had breakfast, he heard what Yin said and shook his head, telling him not to mention it again.
The ancient temple had always been under Emperor Kangxi's surveillance. For many years, the monks had kept to themselves, and Emperor Kangxi strictly forbade anyone from disturbing them.
"I heard from Xiao Shunzi that the local people have all placed Buddhist statues in their homes, and it's said that some people have been resurrected," Yin asked, looking at Yin with concern.
Yin nodded and said, "Ah? How could such an absurd thing happen?"
A resurrection?! Could it be that there's some injustice involved?!
"Master, the second scholar who has returned to life has appeared. The two dead scholars took the provincial examination. It is said that someone bribed the chief examiner to have someone else take their exam paper. They hanged themselves a few days ago. Today is the scholar's funeral, and it is said that he returned to life in the mourning hall." Su Peisheng rushed in from the door, his face panicked and sweat pouring down his forehead.
Yin put down his chopsticks, straightened his clothes, and hurried outside.
"Sisi, I'll go out with you too." Qingyan had a subtle feeling that the clay figure was warning someone.
The carriage sped towards the scene of the accident. Qingyan looked at the scenery rushing past the window, feeling uncertain.
“Little darling, I have a bad feeling about this. It’s clearly talking about the darkness of officialdom, how money can pave a bright road for people…” Yin was really furious. The imperial entourage had come to Jiangnan, and yet this kind of terrible incident had occurred. “Moreover, Yin Zhi had always liked these two scholars. Just a few days ago, he even sent servants to take them to Yangzhou to participate in a gathering of scholars. How could they have hanged themselves?”
Accepting bribes?! And still attending parties?
At the gathering, they could become Yinzhi's advisors, which would be even more glorious than passing the imperial examinations.
"He probably didn't hang himself, Fourth Brother. I'm worried that someone did it on purpose." Qingyan was also a little scared.
Yin nodded. In the past, there had been instances of scholars from the south attempting to storm the examination hall, so he had to be careful.
Upon arriving at the scholar's house, they found many local residents gathered around. Some of the people who had helped with the funeral procession were still shaken by what they had just witnessed and were being helped home by their families.
Qingyan alighted from the carriage and looked around the scholar's courtyard. His family was of modest means, and it was truly remarkable that they could support the scholar's studies and attempts to obtain official rank.
As Yin and his companion approached the door, they could hear bursts of weeping coming from inside; officials from the county government had already arrived.
"Grandpa, what's wrong? Everyone looks terrified." Qingyan asked the old man beside her softly.
Why.....
"Madam, please don't come near. The Ruan family is really strange. Everyone says behind their backs that they don't have the fortune to serve the Emperor. Now, they're all gone." The old man watched Ruan Chong grow up. The boy was smart and studious from a young age, but due to his family's poverty, he failed the imperial examinations twice.
This year, when the emperor made his southern tour, the Third Prince personally sent a servant to invite Ruan Zhong to a banquet. The local people were overjoyed, as a noble person had appeared in their lives.
In just a few days, Ruan Zhong's house was almost overwhelmed by matchmakers, many of whom wanted to introduce their daughters to him so that when the Third Prince returned to the capital, he could bring his family with him.
Yin stood beside her, listening intently to what they were saying.
Two days ago, Ruan Zhong suddenly hanged himself at home, leaving behind a letter. After investigation, the county magistrate said that Ruan Zhong was worried that he would not be able to stay by the side of the Third Prince and that his silence would only increase the burden on his elders.
Too much stress?!
As Qingyan listened to the story pieced together by everyone, she felt that something was missing.
"You old man, what nonsense are you spouting here?" An old woman came out from the side gate and led the old man back inside.
Qingyan looked at the old woman's mouth and realized that things were not so simple.
"Brother, we've seen the excitement, let's go have some tea over there." Yin glanced at Yin and then quietly led the group away.
Later, Yin and the others sat in the private room. He was puzzled. If he had just gone over and asked them, wouldn't the problem have been solved?
Various tea snacks were laid out on the table, with Longjing tea on top.
“Brother, there’s something wrong here. The old man was clearly only telling half the story, and the old woman’s behavior seemed more like she had been paid.” Yin had been observing closely, and the local officials were trying to cover up the truth.
Yin snorted coldly: "Didn't you hear what those people said? It involves bribery during the imperial examinations!"
The chief examiners of the scientific expeditions in the south would basically all encounter similar problems. Some of them died under the executioner's blade, while others were promoted peacefully.
"I know, it depends on Father's opinion." Yin rarely mentioned his father outside, and he understood that all their actions required Kangxi's approval.
Yin sighed. The prefects were probably acting on the orders of the Cao family. With the emperor on his southern tour, these minor matters had to be covered up, so the scholars had nowhere to turn for help.
“It can’t be murder. After all, the third prince sent me here, which is definitely a huge leap forward!” Yin realized the seriousness of the situation.
"Sigh... the arrival of the third brother's men is probably a death warrant." Yin felt regretful. It should be an honor for the whole family for someone with talent to be noticed by the higher-ups.
Yin sipped his tea and asked Erlu to investigate. It turned out that neither of the two scholars came from wealthy families and were unable to offer a large reward to their teacher. Therefore, the two scholars could only rely on their own talents to pass the exam.
Qingyan stood up and stood at the window. The private room on the second floor faced the scholar's house where the funeral procession was taking place.
"Master, I've gone to investigate. It's said that the advisors of both examiners were at their homes. However, the neighbors were silenced with money, supposedly because a fierce argument had taken place." Erlu was very disdainful of those who bought exam questions; they were using their family's influence entirely.
Erlu's words made both princes frown, and thus, the officialdom in Jiangnan presented a different picture.
"Fourth Brother, let's try not to get involved. You can see that the Prefect has clearly reached an agreement with the scholar's family." Qingyan pointed out the window, where the scholar's relatives and the yamen runners were talking about something.
Yin looked out the window and secretly rejoiced that they hadn't gone out beforehand; otherwise, they might have fallen into a trap.
"Brother, we'll keep watch here. Luckily, the Yuelai Inn isn't far from here. When the opportunity arises, we can send spies to keep watch from here." Yin prepared to leave. Their group of four was too conspicuous, and it was best to get away from this precarious situation quickly.
"Let's leave through the back door!" Yin glanced at Xiao Shunzi and told him to hurry up and go out first, then drive the carriage to the back.
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