Farm Girl's Manor
Chapter 721: Yanyan Goes to Jail (2)_1

Chapter 721: Chapter 721: Yanyan Goes to Jail (2)_1

Chu Heng looked deeply into his father’s eyes, then he smiled gracefully and said with a bow, "Your Majesty is wise, your humble son shall comply and assist you in investigating the cheating incident involving the County Lord’s father!"

"Very good, let Hengheng assist from the side, with our father and son’s united hearts, we must eradicate all those evil spirits!" Emperor Huian was overjoyed, and the last sentence was filled with a chilling murderous intent.

The smile on Chu Heng’s face became even warmer, and father and son exchanged an unspoken look, their eyes flashing with the cunning light of a fox...

Old Master Lin had waited outside the Palace of Diligent Government for nearly two hours before being summoned inside, where he encountered Chu Heng, who was about to leave the palace.

This time, Old Master Lin had learned his lesson and knew better than to speak and be humiliated, so he stood with his head bowed at the door, waiting for Chu Heng to pass first.

But Chu Heng stopped in front of him and said something that made Old Master Lin feel ice-cold from head to toe, "For the sins you and your daughter have committed, I will make sure the entire Lin Family pays with their blood!"

Until Chu Heng walked away, Old Master Lin still stood in place, unable to move. Once fear was ignited deep within his heart, how could it easily be soothed?

In the end, it took a little eunuch’s reminder for Old Master Lin to snap out of it and compose himself before entering the Palace of Diligent Government. Facing Emperor Huian, seated high above on the Dragon Throne, stirred once more his intense longing for power.

Emperor Huian did not miss the greed in Old Master Lin’s eyes, his gaze suddenly turned icy, but quickly returned to normal.

A man marked for death, why bother being upset over such a fool!

As he fantasized about his grandson becoming the next Monarch and the humiliating Chu Heng tied with a rope, groveling at his feet like a dog, Old Master Lin was utterly oblivious to the fact that Emperor Huian had already harbored the intent to kill him, and he would ultimately pay for all his deeds!

The doors of the Palace of Diligent Government were tightly shut, and no one knew what exactly the Monarch and his subject discussed. However, when Old Master Lin walked out of the Palace, his face as dark as the bottom of a pot, it was ominously grim.

...

The next day, the news of someone cheating in the imperial examinations and becoming a Scholar spread through Jing City like a hurricane. The topic became the talk of the town, with even the old lady who sold tea eggs and had lost all her teeth chiming in, making it a universally known affair.

The Storyteller at the tea house would not miss such a lively and sensitive topic. In just half a day, he concocted a story about a wealthy and powerful young Duke, foolish and lacking talent, who used silver to buy examination questions and answers in his quest to become a Scholar and bring glory to his ancestors.

With a story well-crafted, complete with noses and eyes, as if the Storyteller had witnessed it with his own eyes, it resonated with the current heated scandal of examination cheating, playing into the people’s fear and hatred of the powerful. Instantly, this story spread throughout Jing City, even reaching the secluded young ladies behind closed doors.

In Jing City, there were many students who failed the autumn examinations and did not return home, hoping to stay and find connections, to enter various Academies and study for another chance in three years. When they heard about the cheating in the examination halls, and that the perpetrator was already locked away in the Ministry of Justice’s Prison, they felt that their failure to become Scholars wasn’t for lack of ability, but because the cheater had taken their place.

Having toiled for ten years through cold windows, which student would accept failure lightly and return home to face scorn? The examination cheating scandal rekindled a light of hope for the hundreds of failed students, who came from all directions, gathering at the palace gates, prepared to seek justice for themselves.

In the end, urged on by a "kind-hearted person," the group of failed students collectively submitted a petition, raising two demands to Emperor Huian: one was to uncover the truth and severely punish the cheater, and the second was to nullify the results of the autumn examinations and select another day for a retest, to demonstrate fairness and justice.