Since I met you, people are dying every day

Xia Shu didn't answer.

Ye Sirui's heart was half cold, but he still managed to show a considerate smile. "If you really don't want to, that's fine. Anyway, it's just a training, and you don't have to meet them."

"Is that so?" Xia Shu shook his head, "I said before that I wouldn't embarrass you, and it's the same now."

Hearing this, Ye Sirui smiled, and went to look at the test paper by himself, but Xia Shu had another sentence behind, "If it were He Ying, I would definitely not cause you such trouble, why did you choose me?" ?”

Ye Sirui's heart tightened again, he lost the test paper and went to squat down in front of the chair and hold his hand, "What's so curious? I like you, and this won't change. Do I still have to force Have you changed it yourself?"

Xia Shu still didn't answer.Ye Sirui just squatted down and wrapped his arms around his chest, hugged him into his arms, and asked anxiously: "You promised to stay by my side, so you won't change it?"

Xia Shu hummed lightly.

This conversation disturbed Ye Sirui's interest, and he didn't bother to take care of the pile of papers, anyway, the Procuratorate would not let others steal them. "We haven't had dinner yet, Malu must be waiting impatiently, let's go back to the restaurant first."

When they returned to the restaurant, the Ma Lu had indeed become ants on the hot pot, restless.Seeing them come back, he immediately wanted to lead them to a secluded place to discuss the case.Ye Sirui pressed his hand, "Call us to eat first, it's been a hard day." Ma Lu had to sit down with them.Ye Sirui greeted the waiter from the shop, "Two bowls of Yangchun noodles, both of which are lying on an egg, no green onions."

Xia Shuden looked at him from time to time, and Ye Sirui grinned, "I don't have any preference, it's not bad to follow along and try something new."

Ma Lu knew that it had nothing to do with him, so he shut up obediently, sitting at the table and playing with the purse he was carrying with him, probably Yunniang or Yunniang's mother made it for him.He has also been away from home for some days.Although it was said that Ye Fu sent him here to help him solve the case, but after a few visits, winter is coming soon, so how could the family not miss him.What's more, as a fast arrester, it is difficult for him to reveal his identity when he leaves the Yamen, so he has to be sent around.

The shop waiter brought two bowls of Yangchun noodles.Ye Sirui glanced at Xia Shu, and the two started at the same time.Ye Sirui first picked up the noodles with chopsticks, it was hot, and he blew a few breaths before eating it, then picked up the poached egg, took a bite, and the warm egg yolk flowed out, Ye Sirui didn't want the egg yolk to flow into the noodle soup In the middle of the day, after eating the poached eggs three times, five times and two times, his mouth was hot and numb, and he couldn't help wrinkling his face.

Ma Lu was distracted.But Xia Shu paid attention to his every move, saw him like this and said: "If you don't like it, don't force it."

"There's no reluctance, it's delicious." If it wasn't for the image, Ye Sirui wanted to stick out his tongue to cool down, so he breathed out a few breaths while talking, and then picked up the noodles and started eating.

Ma Lu finally joined the conversation between the two of them, "Sir, you are too refined to eat noodles. You have to eat noodles with big mouthfuls, and that's the only way to enjoy it! Look at Mr. Xia."

Ye Sirui saw that more than half of the noodles in Xia Shu's bowl were gone, he rolled the noodles with chopsticks suspiciously, rolled a big lump, and then put it in his mouth to eat in one bite. "Not bad, it's really delicious."

He has hated eating noodles since he can remember, and it is really a challenge for a child to pick up one or two sticks of noodles gracefully, and then suck them into his mouth silently.Later, although I got used to eating noodles, I didn't like noodles any more, and I have never had such an experience.

Ma Lu smiled again and said, "Your Excellency is always particular."

Xia Shu finished his noodles and drank a bowl of noodle soup, then put down his chopsticks and waited for him.Ye Sirui had no choice but to speed up silently.After finally waiting for him to eat most of the bowl of noodles, he said: "I'm full, let's go back to the house."

On the way back to the house, Ye Sirui deliberately lagged behind by half a step, walking side by side with Xia Shu.When going up the steps, Xia Shu motioned him to go first, but he wanted to squeeze together with him. It was inevitable that they would bump into each other when they walked up the stairs. Ye Sirui's smiling eyes crooked, and when his sleeves got entangled, he gently hooked his fingers.

Back in the house, Ma Lu immediately took out a few pieces of paper from his pocket, "This is a letter from Wan Chengtiao to his family, and I haven't had time to send it yet."

Ye Sirui picked up the letter and compared it with the test paper that Xia Shu kept, the handwriting was exactly the same, there would be no difference, but the style of the letter on the test paper was more elegant.It seems that Wan Chengtiao's paper was written by him himself, and there will be no substitute for the exam.

After checking the handwriting, Ye Sirui looked at the letter by the way. The letter was a good news. It only said that he had passed the handwriting test and was preparing for the exam in Beijing. He didn't plan to go home during the New Year. Please rest assured at home.

It seems that the two of them can't talk about brotherhood.Ye Sirui returned the letter to Ma Lu. "What do the people in the restaurant say?"

Ma Lu replied: "It's still the same rhetoric. Wan Chengtiao didn't stay at home during those days, and the waiter delivered meals to him every day, and when he delivered the meals, he took out the leftovers from the previous meal. The waiter also said that he didn't know he was there. What to do in the room, and I haven’t seen him reading, it seems that he is sitting at the table in a daze, or sleeping on the bed or something.”

Ye Sirui's eyes lit up when he heard him say "Take out the leftovers from the last meal when delivering the meal", he and Xia Shu Momo looked at each other, knowing it.The neatly arranged tableware before Wan Chengtiao's death was not done by the waiter.The boy was also sent out by him, so who would clean it up?

"As for the boy, the people in the restaurant said that Wan Chengyu only brought a bookboy and a family member with him. They seem to be a father and son. They usually live in the servant's room. Wan Chengyu calls them up if he has anything to do."

From this point of view, the young servant is not always by Wan Chengtiao's side, that's right.Ye Sirui punched the void. "Why doesn't he want the book boy to serve him personally? Is there anything he doesn't want him to know?"

Ma Lu was dumbfounded by his question, "What do you mean, my lord?"

Ye Sirui looked at Xia Shu meaningfully again, all the developments seemed to show that Xia Shu's conjecture was reasonable.

It's just that there was a week between the announcement of the provincial examination and Wan Chengtiao's suicide. When did he start his business?Ye Sirui said again: "Bring me that letter and I'll read it again."

Ma Lu handed him the letter paper, and Ye Sirui scanned to the date behind the signature, August [-]th.August [-]th? "No!" he exclaimed.

"What's wrong?" the two asked him in unison.

"This letter is to announce the good news, but the provincial examination has not yet been announced on August [-]! How does he know that he will definitely pass?"

Ma Lu asked hesitantly, "Maybe he thinks his answer is good?"

"This is a letter to report the letter. It is completely different to tell your family that you have passed the exam. It is completely different from writing a letter saying that you think you have done well in the exam and that you are expected to pass the exam. No one can know whether you have passed the exam before the list is announced, unless... ..." His eyes drifted, and his fingers unconsciously twirled the paper.

"Unless what?" Ma Lu asked.

"Promise students." Ye Sirui slowly said four words that no one could understand.He frowned slightly, looking thoughtful, so even though Ma Lu and Xia Shu couldn't understand, they still didn't dare to interrupt him.

"It may not be small." Ye Sirui rubbed the paper and came back to his senses, "You don't know yet, this is a situation in the officialdom, but it is rare." He thought about it carefully, "The so-called appointment of students is usually aimed at talents and learning. An amazing or prominent student, the examiner reveals the exam questions to him in private, and agrees that no matter who hits his paper in the examination room, he is the examiner's protégé, so it is called the agreed protégé."

"This... this..." Ma Lu didn't say anything after waiting for a long time.

"Isn't this cheating?" Xia Shu asked for him.

Ma Lu chattered for a long time, and then said: "I don't want to ask this, but... what if that student doesn't win the exam?"

"So you wanted to ask this." Ye Sirui laughed, and still explained to Xia Shu: "If you say it's cheating, it's true, but these students are likely to be elected." He turned to Ma Lu again, "That's why it's a student with amazing talent or a prominent position. With amazing talent and knowledge, whether you pass the test or not, you are guaranteed to pass the exam. The examiner just picks up a student for nothing. The high-status..." He smiled and didn't go any further. explain.

Ma Lu already understood it, but Xia Shu was still pondering over his words seriously, "Which type does Wan Cheng Tiao belong to?"

Based on his examination papers, it is definitely not true to say that he is amazingly talented.As for the family background... Wan Chengyu said it lightly, but Ye Sirui recalled a little bit, and reported that the Beijing officials whose Wan family was ranked fifth and above were definitely not enough to count with one hand.Wan Chengtiao is the direct blood of the Wan family in Pu County, and his identity is self-evident.

These analyzes don't need to be told to them. Xia Shu has a straightforward temper, and he can't bear to see these messy things, so he doesn't have to add trouble to him.After making up his mind, he put the letter away. "I have to go to Shuntian Mansion, Wan Chengtiao's servant is still locked in the mansion." Although they may not know anything.

Since Wan Chengtiao even sent his valet to live in the servant's room, he must have made up his mind to hide it from everyone.It was a waste of effort for Shuntian Mansion to lock up his servants all the time.

He said a few more casual words, and told Ma Lu to go back and rest.

As soon as Ma Lu left, Xia Shu came over and stared at Ye Sirui seriously, "Are you... Are you making an appointment with your disciples?"

Ye Sirui blinked, "Of course not, why do you think so?"

Xia Shu was a little embarrassed, and muttered in a low voice: "You just said that, I thought you..."

Ye Sirui didn't feel offended, but thought it was a reasonable problem, "I don't have that talented adult named Jingzhong to forgive me."

"It's enough to teach me." Xia Shu said.

They all tacitly avoided discussing family background.