The children were of age but hadn't had much experience riding horses. Lu Baichuan felt it was necessary to teach them, even the girls. It was a skill that would only benefit them.
The group of kids were very excited; this was something they had always wanted to do, and learning to ride a horse was really a cool thing.
The group of children are now studying at the academy. The academy not only teaches reading, but also various other courses, including riding and archery. However, they have only been studying for a short time and do not have much cultural knowledge. They still need to learn cultural knowledge first, and the riding and archery course will be offered in two years. So they can only watch others take the class, and they are extremely envious.
Now that's great! Lu Baichuan has taught them in advance, so when it's their turn to attend class, they can show off in front of their classmates.
I'm so excited just thinking about it!
"Once you've learned your skills, each of you will be given a horse. From then on, you'll learn to take care of your own horses and develop a bond with them. They will become your best companions."
This was the first time he had taught the children to do something, and Lu Baichuan was more serious than ever. At this moment, he wanted to set an example for the children and be fully focused.
"good!"
A group of children were incredibly excited, jumping and skipping around, creating a lively atmosphere.
He was on leave taking care of his child, but the other people in the Fire Cloud Division who were still on duty had secretly arrested and interrogated the examiners from the previous scientific expedition.
Of course, they didn't arrest all the invigilators in a big way; they only arrested the three in Kang Xiucai's examination room.
All three were arrested in the middle of the night while they were sleeping soundly, and their families were warned not to spread the news of the Fire Cloud Division's investigations. As a result, they were all detained in their cells for several hours, and no one outside knew what had happened.
"Sir, we really don't know anything!"
The men squatted in the cell, looking at each other for a long time. Finally, when they saw someone coming, they all clung to the cell door, shouting that they were innocent.
Looking at these people's lifeless, unyielding demeanor, Lou Chong didn't want to say anything and simply ordered his men, "Start the torture."
That's right, Huo Yunsi is like that, ruthless and taciturn.
"My lord, we are innocent! My lord, please don't torture us!"
"We know nothing! Really!"
No matter how they shouted, Lou Chong ignored them and turned to wait by the torture rack. For the sake of visual effect, he even deliberately played with the red-hot branding iron.
After being tied to the rack, he lashed them several times without saying a word, and the three of them instantly began to wail and scream.
After a lash, Lou Chongcai said, "You all cry foul, so why don't you dare to see the falsely accused Scholar Kang after the imperial examination? When cheating notes were found in the examination hall, you first said it was Scholar Kang, but then you said it wasn't him. So, who brought the cheating notes into the examination hall? As examiners, do you really know nothing about it?"
"My lords, we are all officials in the same court, and I don't want to make things difficult for you. But if you don't tell the truth, this cheating case will have far-reaching implications. It won't be as simple as just a whipping. Not only will you be implicated, but your entire families will also be held accountable!"
As Lou Chong spoke, he raised the branding iron, which was red-hot. If it were to fall on flesh, it would burn instantly.
The three men's faces grew increasingly grim. They had thought that as long as they kept quiet, nothing would happen, but they hadn't expected that the other party had already investigated so thoroughly and was now probably looking for evidence to point directly at the prefect.
I thought this matter had been handled very discreetly, but I never expected the problem to lie with this scholar Kang. It's truly...
They looked at each other, closed their eyes, and agreed to confess.
"Why didn't you say so earlier? You could have saved yourself a beating. What were you trying to achieve?"
Lou Chong threw the branding iron back into the charcoal fire and ordered his men, "Have them write confessions, sign them, and send them to me after you've checked them."
"yes!"
After saying that, he turned and left. The three of them would be sent back the same way they were brought here, without disturbing anyone.
But they all knew that now that they had betrayed the prefect, they would also be held responsible when the matter came to light. They could only hope that the higher-ups would spare their families because they had told the truth.
Lu Baichuan had just returned home after a day of horseback riding lessons with a group of kids when Lou Chong and a few others came over for a free meal.
Yes, deliberately choosing mealtime, the intention is quite obvious.
Lu Baichuan had the servants take the children to wash up first, while he tidied himself up briefly before going to his study to discuss important matters.
He Jiuniang returned shortly afterward and went to the study to join in the fun.
"The three confessions were written separately, but they all said the same thing. Qian Xing had given them benefits in advance, asking them to help cover it up. He said that they were his future brother-in-law and that they would all work together after he became an official. He said that if they did him a favor now, there would be countless benefits in the future... Anyway, the promises were quite grand."
Lou Chong laughed as he spoke. Only those three fools would believe such words. Once they are really promoted, who will remember them?
Moreover, if the other party is ruthless, they might not only fail to offer them benefits in the future, but also find an opportunity to eliminate them.
This is, after all, a very big handle.
He Jiuniang's eyes sparkled as she said, "The imperial examination results will be released the day after tomorrow. Should we give Qian Xing a little push and cause a ruckus on his wedding day?"
"That's good, it made a better impression on him. You know, cheating is unacceptable!"
Lou Chong is a big fan of He Jiu Niang, so naturally he believes everything she says is right.
The others also found it interesting. When they first returned from Nantai, Qian Xing thought they were easy to bully. Before Lu Baichuan officially took office, he spoke to them very loudly. They were determined to take this opportunity to get revenge.
Lu Baichuan then said, "Let's compile a list of these things and send it to His Highness first, and then we'll find a time to make the arrest."
Arresting people also requires following procedures; let them gloat for a few days first.
"yes!"
Lou Chong and the others were very excited. Although there was not much progress in the matter of Dongting for the time being, catching someone who cheated in the imperial examination was still a merit!
After finishing their business, everyone went out to prepare for dinner. Lu Baichuan asked, "Old Qin didn't come?"
"Don't even mention it! She's offering herself up at that theater, hahaha! I heard that woman was mistreated by my sister-in-law yesterday, and she's been pestering Second Master all day to keep him from coming back!"
"Tsk tsk, Second Master has made quite a sacrifice this time!"
"Who says otherwise? Hahahaha!"
The group laughed heartily, but Lu Baichuan said seriously, "Don't talk nonsense. Old Qin has always been clean-living and wouldn't do anything reckless. Besides, he's doing this for the sake of investigating the case, so we can't discuss it in private. Be careful that someone overhears and ruins the plan."
"yes!"
The group immediately stopped laughing and dared not say anything more.
He Jiuniang didn't interrupt. Lu Baichuan was right; walls have ears, so it was best to be careful.
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