Chapter 338: The Army Surrounded

When the people heard Ge Hong's approval of the young men, they looked at each other. They didn't quite understand, but they also noticed his admiration.

Ge Hong took a deep breath, recalled the strategy paper by Shen Yibai that he had just read, and thought about his own article. He quickly turned around and went back to find his notes. He had lost, and he couldn't lose in vain. He had to keep working hard to catch up with these people!

Outside the college.

The five young boys got on the carriage full of fighting spirit, and were still discussing how to improve their strategy. Only Xu Wan glanced in the direction of Ge Hong.

——That’s looking at my past self.

Because of her poverty and lack of educational resources, she was constantly overtaken by others after entering middle school. Even though she studied very hard and scored very high in all subjects, her English score was still too low. The subject that she only started to learn in junior high school and found difficult was something that others had been learning since childhood.

The inequality of birth is something that cannot be changed, no matter in ancient times or today. But should we feel sorry for ourselves and give up trying?

No, she came out of the mountains through studying. Although she just barely passed the entrance exam to a 211 university, she received scholarships every year. After graduation, she found a good job and helped many of her younger brothers and sisters.

Scientific research may not be absolutely fair to every ordinary person, but it is a relatively fair path.

so--

Come on, Ge Hong, I hope you can go further.

general's office.

"Oh~ We're home now. Let's see who can run to the study first?" the little devil suggested while kicking his legs.

"Then I will definitely win!" Shen Yibai was as confident as ever.

"Come on, it's me!" Wei Xinglu was not afraid.

Zong Wenxiu smiled and counted to them: "Ready, three, two, one, go--"

"Go!!!"

The four little dandies started running together, none of them willing to be left behind. Zong Wenxiu also jogged behind them to cheer them on.

Xu Wan smiled for a while before she was about to follow him. But after she had taken a few steps, Cuizhi called out to her, "Madam, look! The general is back."

"Ah?" Xu Wan turned around unexpectedly and looked into Zong Zhao's eyes.

She was used to him going out early and coming back late in the past two months, so she was still a little surprised to see Zong Zhao suddenly in broad daylight. Xu Wan turned around and walked over to ask, "Are you done with your work so quickly today?"

The servants tactfully stepped back to give the two masters some time to be alone. Cuizhi desperately winked at them and tried to hold back the smile on her face.

Zong Zhao lowered his eyes to look at her and said in a low voice: "We are done. The Dali Temple has received the approval from the Ministry of Justice. It is time for us to close the net."

Xu Wan quickly realized that he was talking about the Yan Xiang case, the unjust case that had been sealed for twelve years. She covered her mouth with her hand vainly, blinked her eyes and said, "Then what's next is..."

"——Go get him." Zong Zhao said.

"Then why did you go back home?" Xu Wan asked hurriedly, "Do you need anything else?" She looked behind him and saw many soldiers waiting there.

Zong Zhao lowered his head and said to her, "Call Wen Xiu and Jin Cheng, let's go catch him together."

Xu Wan was immediately excited, but she still held back and asked, "We, we go together, won't that cause any trouble?"

"No," Zong Zhao said firmly, "The area is surrounded by the army, not even a dog can escape."

Xu Wan: “!!!”

What kind of large-scale arrest scene is this? !

She hurriedly said, "Wait a minute, I'll go call them out right away." Then Xu Wan picked up her skirt and ran into the house.

The four little dandies in front were racing and had long disappeared. Xu Wan chased them while muttering, "How can these little bastards run so fast!"

Suburbs of Beijing.

Here lies a manor far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, surrounded by mountains and rivers, with beautiful scenery and fresh air, making it ideal for retirement.

As the carriage stopped, Zong Zhao followed Xu Wan out, and Zong Jincheng rubbed his hands excitedly and jumped off the carriage excitedly.

"Brother, come quickly, I'll catch you." The little devil called him.

Zong Wenxiu was tense and his palms were slightly sweaty.

He once secretly thought that when he entered the official career and held an official position, he might try to investigate the serious corruption case that shocked the government and the public... But that would be at least many years later. Who would have thought that his uncle would only take two months to investigate the matter thoroughly.

And the culprit is right in the yard.

Zong Wenxiu grabbed his brother's hand, quickly jumped off the carriage, and followed Zong Zhao and Xu Wan into the courtyard.

Beside the pond in the main courtyard, there was a half-finished chess game. A gray-haired old man in his sixties placed a black chess piece in his hand, then smiled leisurely at Zong Zhao and said, "General Zong, I heard that you are not only a man of both civil and military talents, but also an expert in chess. I wonder if I could have the honor of playing half a game with you?"

On the chessboard, the black pieces are in the lead and the white pieces are at a disadvantage.

Xu Wan looked around. The servants in the courtyard were in a panic because they were surrounded by the army. They were trembling with fear in the corner, which formed a sharp contrast with the calmness of the old man.

The little devil whispered, "What kind of chess is Dad playing with the bad guy? Let's take him down."

Xu Wan shook her head at him and said soothingly, "Don't worry, wait and see."

Zong Wenxiu was also very anxious. He couldn't wait to know the truth, but with his uncle here, he felt extremely relieved and pulled his brother along to listen.

Over there, Zong Zhao had already sat down. He held the white piece in one hand and began to lay out his moves.

The old man fought with him for a few times, then said with a smile: "The family of Yuanyang Marquis has been full of military commanders for generations, but I never thought that there would be a champion in the imperial examination. When you won the title, I thought you would become a civil servant, but you disappeared on the battlefield for eight years and returned with great military exploits. But I don't understand, since the general has gained both fame and fortune, why would he make things difficult for me, a retired prime minister?"

After saying this, Heizi made his killing move.

And Xu Wan finally knew this person's identity.

He was the prime minister of the previous term - Fan Ding.

Twelve years ago, after Prime Minister Yan was dismissed for corruption, the position of Prime Minister changed three times in succession. No one expected that the mastermind behind the scenes would stand so far away.

"Mr. Fan worked hard to pave the way for his boss, and it took him eight years to get his hands on the cool breeze. His patience is truly admirable. However, justice is clear and people are concerned. I have decided to overturn this serious case."

Zong Zhao's white piece fell, breaking his fatal move.

Fan Ding was stunned.

Then he smiled and made another move, calming himself down, "Young man, don't be too drastic. Yan Xiang's corruption case was tried by the three courts and the emperor himself convicted him. You want to overturn the verdict, do you think it's as simple as just killing me? You are slapping the entire three courts in the face, and you are slapping the emperor in the face."

Zong Zhao continued to make a move and reminded him, "Mr. Fan is wrong."

"Oh?" Fan Ding looked at him in confusion.

Zong Zhao raised his dark eyes and said firmly, "You will not be the only one to be punished. All those who made this case a wrongful case will be punished accordingly. Regardless of the size of their official positions, whether they have retired or not, and regardless of how many people they implicate... none of you will be able to escape."