In the side hall of Yong'an Marquis Mansion, Xu Zisheng is sitting at the top, and Xu Qi'an is sitting at the bottom on the right. They have different expressions. Xu Zisheng is extremely calm, but Xu Qi'an has a bit of impatience on his face. After all, his cousin is still in the prison of the Ministry of Punishment. In the middle, I have suffered a lot of physical pain, which is worrying.

"This time, on the surface, it seems that Yuan Xiong, the censor of Zuodu, and Qin Yuandao, the minister of the Ministry of War, joined forces, and at most they added their gang members. In fact, there are also your previous cases in the Sangbo case, the Pingyang Princess case, and the Yun Dao case. Anyone offended in the state case will definitely seize the opportunity to retaliate against you two brothers, Sun Shangshu is an example."

"But these people are just side effects. As long as Yuan Xiong and Qin Yuandao are dealt with, the matter will be solved!"

"Leave this guy Qin Yuandao to me. I've long been unhappy with him. He's been causing trouble for me in the Ministry of War. I just took this opportunity to kill him! As for Zuodu Yushi, you can handle it yourself!"

A cold glint flashed in Xu Zisheng's eyes. He had long been dissatisfied with the Minister of War. He just didn't bother to pay attention to him. Now he actually jumped out. Let him know who is the boss of the Ministry of War.

As for Zuodu Yushi, Xu Qian may not be able to deal with him, but he has the support of Father Wei behind him. This eunuch in green has been in charge of the Dudu Procuratorate for many years, and he has many ways to deal with Yuan Xiong.

Xu Qian nodded, indicating that he understood, and went straight to Haoqi Tower without waiting any longer. He gave full play to his principle of not seeking help from Wei's father when something happened.

Xu Zisheng narrowed his eyes slightly and looked at Xu Qi'an's leaving back with a cold look on his face. In fact, there was another person involved in the case. He did not tell Xu Qi'an that that person was Cao Guogong Song Shanchang, and that this person was Wu. Xun has a close relationship with King Zhenbei. This is an internal matter within the Wu Xun Group, and Xu Zisheng has his own way to solve it.

"Somebody come!"

"Master Hou!"

A guard walked in. He was tall and powerful. He was a fourth-grade martial artist and the head guard of the Yong'an Marquis Mansion. He was deeply trusted by Xu Zisheng.

"Go to Duke Cao's mansion in person and tell Song Shan that Xu New Year is mine, and ask him to be noble and stop getting involved in this matter!"

"yes!"

The leader of the guards didn't say much, turned around and left. He was straightforward and neat in his work and obeyed Xu Zisheng's orders.

"Song Shanchang should be willing to sell me this face. The only one left is Qin Yuandao. He really thinks that I don't know about the things he did in the Ministry of War. I just don't care about it. Now I can settle the accounts with him!"

After a day and night of fermentation, dissemination, and the promotion of caring people, the rumor of the imperial examination fraud case finally broke out. From the nobles to the common people, everyone was discussing the matter as a topic of conversation after dinner.

The most intense discussion was among the scholars. Some people did not believe that Xu Huiyuan cheated, but more scholars chose to believe it and applauded the case. They praised the court for its beautiful work. Those who cheated in the imperial examinations should be severely punished and give an explanation to the scholars all over the world.

Xu Xinnian's reputation took a turn for the worse. From Huiyuan, who was praised and admired, he became a villain. Xu Xinyin, who was in prison, knew nothing about it. The first interrogation in Jingzhao Mansion.

"Bang! Bang! Bang!"

The jailer knocked on the fence with a stick and yelled at Xu Xinnian inside.

"Xu New Year, come out with me, the adults will interrogate you."

In the interrogation room, the Minister of Criminal Affairs and Shaoyin of Jingzhao Mansion sat behind the table, drinking tea and discussing the case.

"Your Excellency, why are you not allowed to use torture?"

Shaoyin of Jingzhao Mansion showed a puzzled look on his face and raised his doubts.

"Sun Shangshu's order!"

The Minister of Justice explained and shared the news he knew with Shao Yin.

"I heard that Xu Zisheng visited Sun Shangshu, and Xu New Year is his man!"

Jingzhao Mansion Shaoyin's face showed a look of surprise. He didn't expect that the case actually involved Xu Zisheng. His heart sank and he became a little more cautious. He made up his mind and decided to be impartial to avoid accidentally capsizing the ship.

"Then Xu New Year is just a young boy. Later, I will give him a slap in the face to make him lose his composure, and then we will slowly interrogate him. Then I will have to trouble Mr. Shao Yin to put on a red face."

There was a look of contempt on the face of the Minister of Justice. He thought he could manipulate the young man Xu New Year at will. As long as he frightened him a little, he could get Xu New Year to confess.

Shaoyin of Jingzhao Mansion nodded slightly, but did not refuse, but he had other plans in his heart.

"There are many big names involved behind Xu New Year, so it's better for me to stay out of it."

All the officials smiled. They were all experienced interrogators, and they could deal with a young student at their fingertips.

The jailer took Xu New Year out of the cell and came to the interrogation room. He bowed to several officials in the room and said.

"My lords, I would like to bring you the New Year."

After saying that, the jailer wisely withdrew, leaving only a somewhat embarrassed Xu New Year. His white prison uniform was stained with dried blood and turned dark red.

Xu New Year stood at the door and glanced at the scene in the interrogation room. There were two officials in scarlet robes sitting behind the main table, namely the Minister of Justice and the Shaoyin of Jingzhao Mansion.

On both sides were a number of officials accompanying the interrogation, clerks taking notes, and a white-robed warlock from the Tianjian.

"Snapped!"

The Minister of Punishment grabbed the gavel tree and slapped it hard, making a loud noise, giving Xu Xinxin a head start, and said in a deep voice.

"Xu New Year, someone reported that you bribed the examiner Zhao Tingfang and participated in imperial examination fraud. Is it true?"

Xu New Year said with an unyielding look on his face, extremely coldly.

"That's nonsense!"

The Minister of Justice sneered and didn't take it seriously. He had seen too many tough people, but after arriving at the Ministry of Justice, they all turned into weaklings. He had many ways to manipulate Xu New Year, and said in a deep voice.

"You bribed Zhao Tingfang three hundred taels of silver through Zhao Tingfang's housekeeper, and used the housekeeper as a medium to get the test questions in advance. Zhao Tingfang's housekeeper Zhu You has already confessed. This is his confession. Take a look for yourself."

As he said that, the Minister of Punishment had a cold look on his face, took out a confession from his sleeve and asked the officials to hand it to Xu Xinnian.

Xu New Year took the confession and read it carefully. The confession was very detailed, even accurate to the details of the transactions between the two parties, the time, location, and the content of the conversation. On the surface, there were almost no loopholes.

"As expected of someone from the Ministry of Punishment, even I, the client, can't see any flaws. But I also have a certificate here. Would you like to see it, sir?"

Xu New Year's face didn't show any emotion and he said very calmly.

"What proof?"

The Minister of Justice asked curiously, leaning forward slightly and showing a proud smile, thinking that Xu New Year was ready to confess.

"Get pen, ink, paper and inkstone."

Xu Erlang was very calm and asked the Minister of Justice.

The Minister of Justice nodded and signaled, and the officials immediately brought in a small table and put pen, ink, paper and inkstones on it.

Xu New Year was wearing handcuffs and shackles, standing at the table, dipping his pen in ink, and writing furiously. It only took a moment, and the paper was filled with small regular script. Xu New Year dipped his thumb in ink, made his fingerprints on the paper, and threw the pen. , said loudly.

"Please take a look, sir."

The Minister of Punishment ordered someone to fetch it, and after a closer look, his face suddenly solidified and became extremely gloomy, his breathing was heavy, he tore up the paper angrily, pointed at Xu New Year with his trembling right hand, and shouted angrily.

"To punish me, I will punish you."

Shao Yin was stunned. This was different from what he said just now. Before the prisoner could lose an inch, the minister lost an inch first.

The officials present subconsciously looked at the torn paper, guessing what Xu New Year had written that made the dignified Minister of Justice so angry and hysterical.

"Oh, Sir, do you think the student is talking nonsense?"

Xu New Year spread his hands, sneered disdainfully, and said sarcastically.

"If you write down the time, place, people, and the specific process, and then press your fingerprints, you can prove which housekeeper I bribed. Then, Mr. Minister, everything that your mother and I have done is clearly written down. It's obvious. Bai Bai, should you call me dad?!"

The officials looked at the shredded paper again, with a somewhat strange expression on their faces. They finally knew what Xu New Year had written. No wonder it could make the Minister of Punishment furious and hysterical.

"Torture! Give me torture! I will make this crazy creature unable to survive or die."

The Minister of Punishment's eyes were splitting, and he was furious. He stared at Xu New Year, feeling secretly angry in his heart.

"A mere Xu New Year dares to insult my late mother. A mere Hui Yuan dares to publicly humiliate me, a minister of the fourth rank, in public. You must pay the price!"

The Minister of Justice's blood rushed to his face instantly, and he was so angry that he picked up the token and was about to throw it out.

"Your Excellency, Sir, please calm down. Your Excellency, the Minister, has an order and cannot be punished."

An official from the Ministry of Punishment hurriedly went up to comfort him, whispering in his ear to persuade him to calm down.

"snort!"

The Minister of Punishment took a deep breath and forced himself to suppress his anger. His whole body was like a silent volcano, and he no longer asked for punishment.

Shaoyin of Jingzhao Mansion coughed, took over the burden of interrogation, and interrogated Xu Xinnian.

"Xu New Year, have you cheated?"

Xu New Year shook his head firmly and answered decisively.

"No, Xu behaves aboveboard and has never committed any fraud."

Upon hearing this, Shao Yin looked at the white-robed warlock in Si Tianjian, hoping to discern the truth of Xu Xinnian's words.

Si Tianjian and Xu Xinnian have a close relationship. From Si Tianjian to Jianzheng, to Chu Caiwei and other Jianzheng disciples, they all look at Xu Qi'an in a different light. Si Tianjian's white-clothed warlock has long been entrusted, and whatever Xu Xinnian says will be ignored. It's the truth. He nodded and said with great certainty.

"Not lying."

Shao Yin withdrew his gaze, looked at Xu New Year in the hall again, and asked.

"Did you really write that song "It's Hard to Travel"?"

Xu Xinnian puffed up his chest, said proudly without changing his expression.

“It’s exactly what the students did!”

The white-clothed warlock's eyes flickered slightly, turning a blind eye to the fluctuating luck above Xu New Year's head, and answered mechanically.

"Not lying."

Shao Yin glanced at the Minister of Punishment, thoughtfully. Si Tianjian was obviously favoring Xu New Year. He pondered for a moment and discussed.

"This case is intricate and complex. Why not retry it at another date?"

The Minister of Justice was not a fool, so he naturally saw the clues and nodded in agreement.

"good!"

The two left the prison and entered the side hall to drink tea and talk.

"As expected, Si Tianjian is really helping Xu New Year!"

The Minister of Punishment looked gloomy and said in a hateful voice. He had just been greatly stimulated by Xu New Year. A little Hui Yuan dared to insult his late mother and wanted to be his father. He hated Xu New Year in his heart.

Shaoyin of the Jingzhao Mansion smiled and said nothing. In this case of imperial examination fraud, the Jingzhao Mansion adopted a wait-and-see attitude and go with the flow.

The next day, at dawn, the civil and military officials remained silent and walked through the Meridian Gate in an orderly manner to attend the court meeting.

Xu Zisheng drifted with the flow, his pace was calm, his face was calm, his eyes occasionally shot out a cold light, and he glanced at Qin Yuandao, the Minister of War behind him, with the corners of his mouth slightly raised, showing a bit of coldness, which made people shudder.

The princes entered the Jinluan Hall and remained silent for a quarter of an hour. Emperor Yuan Jing arrived belatedly. The old emperor, whose white hair had turned black, was wearing a simple Taoist robe with fluttering sleeves. He looked more like a Taoist priest than an emperor.

After the normal performance, Sun Shangshu of the Ministry of Punishment suddenly came out and spoke loudly.

"Wei Chen has something to report."

In an instant, one after another looked at the back of the man in Fei Pao's official uniform. The slightly dead atmosphere of the court seemed to be stirring up a turbulent undercurrent, with vortices spreading among the princes in the court.

The foreplay was over and the curtain was slowly opening. Yuan Xiong, the censor of Zuodu, who planned the matter, and Qin Yuandao, the minister of war, quietly straightened their backs, showing strong fighting spirit and confidence.

The ministers of Dali Temple and others involved in this incident all raised their eyebrows, not only waiting for the show to begin, but also impatiently wanting to retaliate against Xu Qian and Wei Yuan.

Academician Zhao Tingfang's faction was alone and frowning. Normally, he would not be afraid of provocations between parties or the Minister of War. It’s just that now the Minister of War has come with great momentum and tied the Dongge Grand Scholar to the students of Yunlu Academy. If he wants to clear the grievances of the Dongge Grand Scholar, it is equivalent to clearing the grievances of Xu Xinnian, and there will be too many enemies. .

Inside and outside the palace, neutral parties were watching the excitement in tacit understanding and waiting to see what would happen.

"My dear, please speak."

Emperor Yuan Jing sits high on the throne, with indescribable majesty. He is the referee and does not need to be dismissed. He only needs to make a ruling. No matter what the result is this time, he is invincible.

"I was ordered to investigate the case of Dongge University Scholar Zhao Tingfang accepting bribes and leaking questions to candidate Xu Xinnian. Now the truth has come to light. There are three people involved in the case, namely Xu Xinnian, a student from Yunlu Academy; Dongge University Scholar Zhao Tingfang and his actions The intermediary’s butler. In addition, according to Xu New Year’s account, he is through his brother Xu Qian, a solid bachelor of Dongge University.”

The Minister of Punishment only relayed the results of the investigation by the Minister of Punishment and did not interfere. Ever since Xu Zisheng came forward, he has hidden behind the scenes and no longer intervened in the case.

After Sun Shangshu finished his report, he returned to the queue and said nothing more. The Ministry of Punishment had already submitted the corresponding confession to the emperor for review. However, all matters discussed at the court meeting were submitted one day in advance.

Yuan Xiong, the censor of Zuodu, turned sideways and glanced at Wei Yuan expressionlessly. The other officials also looked at Wei Yuan, waiting for his response and counterattack, wanting to drag Wei Yuan into the water by force and prevent him from doing so. Opportunities up your sleeve.

"Everyone, how do you think this case should be handled?"

Emperor Yuan Jing nodded and looked at Wei Yuan and Zhao Tingfang. He was waiting for their counterattack to see if they could turn the tables and reverse the case.

Yuan Xiong, the censor of Zuodu, took a step forward, bowed and saluted, wanting to pull Wei Yuan into the water, and spoke.

"Your Majesty, I feel that the nature of this case is extremely serious. After many days of fermentation, everyone in the capital has become aware of it. The students are resentful and the people are filled with indignation. If it is not dealt with strictly, it will not be enough to arouse the anger of the people."

Yuan Xiong knew that Xu Qi'an was the most important person to Wei Yuan, so he had to deal with it severely so that Wei Yuan had to step forward.

At this time, the Minister of Dali Temple also came out, shook his head slightly, and gave Xu Qi'an eye drops.

"Then Xu Qi'an represents Si Tianjian in a battle of wits. He has made great achievements and cannot be disposed of."

These words of the Dali Temple Minister were heart-breaking and created an arrogant image for Emperor Yuan Jing of Xu Qi'an who was proud of his achievements.

Zhao Tingfang's followers came out to refute one after another. The princes in the court waited for a moment and were shocked to find that Wei Yuan did not speak, and the censor under him also stopped playing.

The most troublesome person in the court, as long as there is an impeachment of Wei Yuan, there will definitely be a figure in the matter. The official's figure was the first to stand up and bowed.

"What the Minister of Dali Temple said is absolutely true. This case must be handled strictly and must not be tolerated. Otherwise, the imperial court will lose all its authority and your Majesty will lose all his prestige."

For a time, the six subjects came out one after another to support the views of the Minister of Dali Temple. The Minister of War, who was one of the promoters but did not speak, turned to look at Cao Guogong.

Now that the civil servants have expressed their opinions, Duke Cao Guo, who is the first-class Duke, can add fuel to the fire and form a powerful force. Even Emperor Yuan Jing needs to worry a little and has to deal with Xu Qian. At that time, Wei Yuan can be implicated Come in.

Cao Guogong walked out of the procession with an expressionless face, attracting the attention of the surrounding ministers and nobles, and spoke calmly.

"Your Majesty, I feel that the Ministry of Punishment and the Government Office handled this case too lightly. Zhao Tingfang, a bachelor of Dongge University, has always been honest and has an excellent reputation. How could he accept bribes?

"In addition, although Xu Xinnian is only a student, no Huiyuan has appeared in Yunlu Academy for many years. How can the great scholars of the academy give up if such a rash decision is made."

The Minister of War looked at Duke Cao Guo's back in disbelief. This was not how they discussed it at the beginning. Duke Cao actually betrayed their alliance and joined them. Why is this?

The corner of Xu Zisheng's mouth curled up slightly. As the spokesperson of Wuxun Group, Cao Guogong would naturally sell him face and turn the target to target the Minister of War and others.

"How is this going?!"

All the princes in the palace could not hide their astonishment. Did Duke Cao change his camp? Then what was the significance of his previous efforts to add fuel to the flames? Suddenly, the princes were startled and looked at Xu Zisheng.

Xu Zisheng ignored everyone's gazes and walked out of the queue without saluting. He looked directly at Emperor Yuan Jing and said.

"I have this note!"

Emperor Yuan Jing glanced at Xu Zisheng in surprise, not expecting that he would stand up and remained silent for a moment before speaking.

"Send it over!"

Xu Zisheng took out the memorial from his sleeve and handed it to the eunuch at the side. The other eunuch quickly took it, climbed up the steps, and handed it to Emperor Yuan Jing.

Emperor Yuan Jing opened the memorial, looked down, his face gradually changed, his eyes emitted a frightening light, he raised his head and looked down at the crowd, and said coldly.

"What a coward! Where is Qin Yuandao, the Minister of War?"

The Minister of War quickly came out of the queue, bowed and saluted, and said loudly.

"Your Majesty, I am here!"

"Come here, put him in the prison of the Criminal Department, and order the three divisions to interrogate him!"

Emperor Yuan Jing was extremely angry, his eyes were full of coldness, and he ordered loudly.

Immediately, two Royal Forest Army guards, wearing armor and swords, walked up to the main hall, took down the still confused Minister of War, and dragged him outside.