What the heck is this?

Wei Yu was stunned.

He looked at He An’s outstretched hand, which was clutching a small piece of gray hemp cloth.

The item itself wasn’t eye-catching, but it was a piece of evidence that He An had hidden carefully for two years without telling anyone.

From a lecherous villain to a murder case, from a murder case to collusion between officials and bandits—the leap was huge. Wei Yu didn’t say anything.

He simply exhaled and signaled Fang Sheng to take the item.

Fang Sheng retrieved the small piece of cloth from He An’s hand.

“Your Highness, there are blood-written characters on it.”

Afraid of dirtying His Highness’s hands, Fang Sheng didn’t hand it over directly but warned him first.

“No matter. It’s just the blood of wronged commoners; a little bloodstain is nothing.”

Wei Yu took it calmly, without the slightest hint of distaste.

Hearing this, He An couldn’t stop his heart from aching; he lowered his head to wipe his tears, knowing that his desperate gamble this time had finally paid off.

The cloth was ordinary coarse hemp, about the size of a palm, but it was covered with broken, scattered blood-written characters.

Because so much time had passed, the blood had long dried and blackened, and the cloth was quite dirty, making it very hard for Wei Yu to decipher the writing.

“Officials colluding with bandits… ‘Three Yang’… ‘Two Ling’… mutual protection among officials?”

Wei Yu murmured as he read, then looked up and asked He An, “Did your son write all of this?”

He An nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. I taught my son how to write. I recognize his handwriting. It’s his.”

“Then what does ‘Three Yang’ and ‘Two Ling’ mean?”

It sounded like a clue about some place names. Wei Yu figured it must relate to locations within Ji Prefecture.

But He An explained, “In our Ji Prefecture, ‘Three Yang’ refers to Ziyang, Heyang, and Yuanyang Counties. ‘Two Ling’ refers to Lingbei and Qiling Counties.”

All five counties in the prefecture involved in collusion?!

If Wei Yu remembered correctly, Ji Prefecture only had nine counties in total!

Wei Yu couldn’t help but laugh—laughing in anger.

He folded the bloodstained cloth and set it on the table, shaking his head with a sigh. “What a prefect! Has the Jiaozhou Administrator gone blind? Such corruption under his watch, and he didn’t even report it? If he’s not in on it, then he’s useless.”

Either way, it wasn’t good.

And to think his old man had previously told him that Jiaozhou was a good place, unlike Yizhou, where all the officials were incompetent and couldn’t even suppress the noble clans…

Truly wonderful, indeed.

Though the Wise King’s voice sounded light and devoid of anger, no one present dared to even breathe loudly.

Fang Sheng kept his eyes down, pretending to be a wooden dummy.

It was actually easier when the master exploded with rage—better an immediate outburst than this kind of quiet seething, which usually meant trouble would brew in the dark and terrify people for a long time.

His previous superior, Lord Huo Tingyu, had been exactly this type…

Staring at the people in front of him, Wei Yu tapped the table in thought for a moment, then said, “He An, I promise you this: I will see justice done. But this case involves many people. To convict Guo Xiu, we must thoroughly investigate and gather solid evidence. It won’t be done in just a day or two. You will need to be patient. Do you understand?”

He An understood.

Just having the chance to seek justice was already a blessing—especially when it was a prince who promised it personally. Waiting a few more years after already waiting two was nothing!

“Thank you, Your Highness! Thank you, Your Highness!”

He An wept with relief and couldn’t help knocking his head on the ground in gratitude several times.

The thuds were so loud that even Wei Yu felt a headache listening to them.

He quickly motioned for Yi Shisan to pull the man up.

“No need for that. It’s the court that owes you all. It’s our fault for appointing someone like Guo Xiu to harm the people.” Wei Yu stepped forward and reached out to lift He An.

Frightened, He An waved his hands desperately. “Your Highness overpraises. A filthy commoner like me dare not let Your Highness personally help me.”

Wei Yu watched him scramble awkwardly to his feet and adjust his clothes. Out of the corner of his eye, he noticed a group of children behind them.

Pointing to one, he asked, “Is that your granddaughter?”

There were nine children in total. Six wore clothes made of tree bark. Of the three wearing real clothes, besides the oldest girl, the remaining two were a short boy and girl.

Wei Yu had pointed at the little girl.

He An turned and saw that Wei Yu had indeed pointed to his granddaughter. He quickly nodded.

“Yes, Your Highness. That’s my granddaughter. A-Hua, come here, kneel and thank His Highness!”

The little girl didn’t really understand but did as her grandfather told her.

Wei Yu didn’t want their kneeling thanks, so he signaled Yi Shisan to stop them.

“It’s the court’s duty to protect the people. There’s no need for thanks. You and the children can stay at this estate from now on. No need to hide anymore. Just wait for news.”

He An grew even more emotional, hugging the child while wiping his tears, and instinctively wanted to kneel again—luckily Yi Shisan caught him quickly.

“Thank you, Your Highness! This humble man cannot repay your great kindness. I am willing to be a slave of burden for Your Highness for life!”

Wei Yu sighed silently.

He was getting a headache.

He glanced again at the children and met several pairs of timid eyes. He paused.

Come to think of it—

Elite education was important, but ordinary basic education was even more necessary, right?

Liu Jiuyuan and Liu Chanyi were special cases. Most of the future would be about helping ordinary kids like these who had never received an education.

Even if Liu Jiuyuan and Liu Chanyi mastered math and science, if there was no one else around to help, wouldn’t they just die from exhaustion?

The sudden idea of starting an elementary school to teach the children new knowledge popped into his head. Wei Yu blinked and shifted his gaze back to He An.

He asked, “You can read, and you know medicine too?”

He An froze, nearly unable to react.

“Ah—yes, Your Highness. My father once saved an old doctor. I studied with that doctor for seven years since childhood. I can read and know some basic medicine.”

How convenient!

Wei Yu smiled warmly and asked kindly, “Since you can read, would you be willing to teach these children to read and write? I’ll pay you two taels a month, plus food and lodging. Would you like to do it?”

He An—and even the fat blue-robed man standing at the side—were both dumbfounded.

They had thought that being discovered hiding things would either land them in court or get them beaten to death.

But the reality was not only were they forgiven, they had a chance to seek justice!

Even more, His Highness was offering him a teaching job!

He An had never dared to dream of such fortune. After a brief daze, he was overwhelmed with gratitude and nodded vigorously, tears brimming in his eyes.

“I’m willing! I’m willing! Thank you, Your Highness, for your immense kindness!”

“No need to thank me. Just teach the children well.”

Wei Yu also smiled and even patted A-Hua’s head.

Good. Willing was enough.

He didn’t have a single extra coin to offer.

He still had to save up to renovate the estate and build a proper school, after all!

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