activa-t Chapter 344 is now open to the public!
Chapter 344 is now open to the public!
Before she could react, Zhang Fan had already grabbed Fusu beside him and said matter-of-factly, "Come on, young master! This kind of arduous task of showing your face and investigating corrupt officials should naturally be left to your subordinates. Let's go back and catch up on some sleep!"
Before the words were even finished, the two slipped out of the room without a word of explanation, leaving Yu Miaoyan completely bewildered.
"This..." Yu Miaoyan froze on the spot, bewildered.
Seeing her stunned expression, Mi Yueyao, who was checking Ji Honglou's secret accounts, couldn't help but cover her mouth and chuckle. Her captivating peach blossom eyes were full of charm and allure.
Hearing the giggles, Yu Miaoyan snapped back to reality.
Looking at the mountain of exam papers in her hands, and then at the extremely alluring woman in front of her, she felt a surge of anger.
She hadn't forgotten that this woman had used Zhang Fan's big black stick to spank her before!
She even kept a record of this in her little notebook!
Seeing Mi Yueyao swaying her slender waist as she prepared to go downstairs, Yu Miaoyan's eyes flashed with anger, and she took a step to the side, blocking her path.
"What are you laughing at?"
Yu Miaoyan snorted coldly and slammed half of the test paper directly into Mi Yueyao's arms without any politeness. She said through gritted teeth, "You think you can stand idly by and do nothing about the task assigned by the master?"
"You're not going anywhere until you've sorted all these exam papers and rosters into their proper categories today!"
To Miao Yan's surprise, Mi Yueyao did not refuse this time, which was unusual.
She glanced down at the pile of test papers in her arms, and instead of being annoyed, she covered her red lips and giggled.
Those large, watery peach blossom eyes looked Yu Miaoyan up and down, puffing up her cheeks, and she leaned closer, her breath sweet as orchids, and said:
"Oh, Commander Yu, why are you so angry? Are you still thinking about how I did it the other day? If you really miss it, after we finish sorting these test papers, I'll go get the adults' 'big black stick' and give you a good spanking!"
"You...you have no shame!"
Yu Miaoyan was already thin-skinned, and upon hearing these lewd words, her pretty face instantly turned bright red. She stomped her foot in anger and didn't bother arguing with this vixen anymore.
He slammed the door and left, fleeing to the next room to organize his exam papers.
Hearing the sounds of papers being rummaged through next door, a shrewd glint flashed in Mi Yueyao's eyes. A slight smile appeared on her lips as she put away her joking thoughts and began to carefully categorize the test papers.
……
As dawn broke, a red sun pierced through the clouds.
As the autumn rains of last night ceased, the gates of the neighborhoods and houses, which had been tightly shut all night, finally began to creak.
A large number of people cautiously pushed open the crack in the door and peered out in fear.
The sound of horses' hooves and the continuous flames last night kept the entire city awake all night. Fearing being caught in the crossfire, no one dared to go out and see what was going on.
Now that it was daylight and the streets seemed to have returned to normal, everyone relaxed a little and mustered their courage to go out into the streets.
"What exactly happened last night? The noise was like the sky was falling!"
"Indeed! I was eavesdropping by the wall in the middle of the night, and the neighing and screams of warhorses terrified my wife so much her legs were shaking! Could it be a mutiny?"
"I think it's most likely that Ji Honglou's place was attacked by river pirates! The fire was so big it turned half the sky red..."
Just as everyone was making wild guesses, a gong suddenly sounded from the end of the long street.
"Bang! Bang! Bang!"
A squad of fully armed guards marched in unison along the street, loudly announcing:
"By order of the Imperial Envoy! The evidence in the case of cheating in the Jiangnan imperial examinations is conclusive. A thorough investigation will be conducted today in the prefectural government office! All officials and candidates involved will be severely punished without exception! All unrelated persons, please step aside!"
Upon hearing this, the people gasped in shock, and the crowd erupted in uproar.
"My God! Cheating in the imperial examinations? Wasn't that something the Xiang family had been secretly orchestrating all along?"
"No wonder there was such a commotion last night. Could it be that the Imperial Envoy led his troops into battle against the Xiang family, those local bullies?!"
"This is truly gratifying! The imperial examination system in Jiangnan has long been corrupt. My nephew, who studied diligently for ten years, couldn't even get through the formalities because he couldn't afford to bribe his way in! Heaven has eyes! Finally, a just and upright official has dared to touch these cannibalistic officials!"
"Let's go! Let's go together! We want to see how this imperial envoy will handle this monumental case!"
The crowd was immediately outraged.
People who came to watch the spectacle, cry out for justice, or simply wanted to catch a glimpse of the imperial envoy flocked to the Wu County government office from all directions.
……
At this moment, inside the Wu County government office.
"Snapped!"
A gavel resounded throughout the courtroom.
Yu Miaoyan was dressed in a smart men's outfit, with her long hair tied high in a crown. With her sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, coupled with her cold and stern face, she really had the imposing presence of an iron-faced judge.
She sat upright in the high hall, her expression solemn and dignified, exuding an air of authority without anger, looking down at the candidates and officials who had been escorted there, trembling like leaves.
On the surface, he exudes an aura of power and intimidates the entire audience.
But at this very moment, she was already cursing that unreliable man a thousand times over in her heart!
"Zhang Fan, you bastard! Zhang Fan, you stinking bastard!"
"When danger strikes, I'm the first to take the blame; when it comes to hard labor, I'm the one sorting exam papers; and now, for this unfortunate job that requires me to show my face and offend the entire Jiangnan gentry class, I'm being forced to dress as a man to take the fall!"
Yu Miaoyan gripped the gavel tightly, gritting her teeth inwardly: "Do you really think I, the commander, have to do everything? Do you really think I'm some kind of beast of burden?"
Outside the government office, a large crowd of people surrounded the main hall, craning their necks to see what was happening inside. A heated discussion immediately broke out.
"Oh my, look! Is that the Imperial Envoy in the hall? He looks young and handsome, but can he outmaneuver those old foxes from Jiangnan?"
"Who says otherwise! I heard that the foolish son of the wealthy Li family in the east of the city can't even recite the Qin Laws completely. The other day, he actually spouted nonsense in a restaurant, saying that he was sure to pass the imperial examination this time!"
"Bah! They're just relying on their families' stinking money! The imperial examination was supposed to be a way for us ordinary people to make a living, but now it's become a business for these rich and powerful people!"
"Shh... Keep your voice down! Are you out of your mind? There are a lot of high-ranking officials involved here. Be careful, or you'll get your names written down and punished later!"
"What's there to be afraid of? The imperial envoy has already taken to court; do you think we commoners will be forever condemned to never rise above our circumstances?"
The crowd chattered, their anger tinged with a hint of fear of authority.
Just then, a masked man with a coarse cloth wrapped around his head suddenly jumped out from the crowd.
He strained his voice, deliberately using a rough, hoarse tone, and suddenly let out a loud roar:
"Your Honor! The imperial examination system is a wise national policy established by His Majesty to provide a clear path for scholars throughout the land! How can cheating occur here in the Jiangnan region?"