Chapter 107: Chapter 67 Unexpected Guest _1
The night was deep, Xia Rongrong and her servant had already gone to bed, but the lamp in Lu Tong’s room was still lit.
The small courtyard was silent, with only the chirping of insects from the dense bamboo and trees in the distance reaching one’s ears. Yin Zheng sat beside the couch, leaning to one side, with the couch piled high with scrolls. Lu Tong sat at the desk, meticulously flipping through the books under the light.
In recent nights, Lu Tong had not been making medicine. As soon as it was time to light the lamps, he would be at the desk reading the scrolls, scarcely stopping day or night.
Yin Zheng yawned, rubbed her eyes, and said, "Lord Fan’s cases in Yuan’an County are numerous and lengthy, each one more thrilling than the last; they’re truly more exciting than storybooks."
Lu Tong turned a page, "Indeed, more exciting than storybooks."
The books on the table were about the most famous cases handled by Fan Zhenglian during his years as the Magistrate of Yuan’an County.
Lord Cao, no matter how well-connected, could not get his hands on the official case files. Fortunately, Fan Zhenglian had a widespread reputation for integrity in Yuan’an County and was much beloved. The storytellers in the teahouses turned several of his unresolved cases from his time as Magistrate into storybooks, which were passed around in the marketplace day after day. Lu Tong had Yin Zheng spend silver to buy all of those storybooks.
"Cases of in-laws slandering a widow for adultery, a younger brother and sister killing their older siblings, brothers competing for family property, boatmen drowning passengers to rob them...," Lu Tong closed the scroll in his hands, "Fan Zhenglian seems to have been quite busy as Magistrate."
Yin Zheng sat up straight, "With so many cases, Lord Fan solved every single one, he really seems like a good official."
"A good official?" Lu Tong laughed, "Then look closely, can you see any poor people among these victims? And in every case, is there any nobility behind the complainants?"
Yin Zheng was stunned, hastily looked back over the books, and then looked up at Lu Tong, "Indeed there is none! Do you mean to say that Lord Fan is fishing for fame, deliberately seeking out poor people to bring lawsuits to create a reputation for himself, while the real gentry remain unscathed? But still, he must have some ability to have cleared so many cases."
Lu Tong scoffed lightly, "Perhaps, but don’t forget, he also had Qi Chuan by his side."
Qi Chuan was the ’Lord Qi’ that Lu Tong had encountered at the Fan Mansion the last time. It was said that he was Fan Zhenglian’s most trusted and capable assistant.
Lady Fan Zhao’s personal maid, Cui’er, said that Fan Zhenglian specifically had Qi Chuan transferred back to Shengjing from Yuan’an County, showing his intimacy. When Lu Tong asked Lord Cao to help gather information, he also inquired about Qi Chuan.
It was alright not to inquire, but once he did, indeed, Lu Tong sensed something unusual.
Qi Chuan was the son of Fan Zhenglian’s wet nurse.
They were of similar age, the wet nurse took care of Fan Zhenglian, and Qi Chuan also grew up in the Fan Mansion. As they grew older and it was time for studying, Qi Chuan’s family was poor, but the Fan Family, deciding to be charitable, provided silver to assist Qi Chuan with his studies.
Qi Chuan and Fan Zhenglian attended the same academy.
When Fan Zhenglian was studying, his scholarship was mediocre and his talents ordinary, but Qi Chuan was the opposite: he had a photographic memory and could produce essays as soon as he set pen to paper, a truly brilliant talent.
Since they had grown up together, their relationship was more intimate than with others. When it came time to take the next imperial examinations, Qi Chuan fell ill, missing that year’s autumn exam.
A hint of deep meaning flashed in Lu Tong’s eyes.
What a coincidence.
Fan Zhenglian advanced to the middle level examinations, and in the following years when Qi Chuan took the exams, he too passed.
One after the other, in the same household, the son of the master and the son of the servant both passed the examinations; in the entire Liang Dynasty, it was a remarkable coincidence.
Clutching a brocade quilt, Yin Zheng asked, "Miss, are you guessing that Qi Chuan deliberately claimed to be ill and not attend the exam, actually helping Lord Fan cheat in that autumn’s imperial exam, and after Lord Fan passed, Qi Chuan would then take his own exam? That could be possible, but what’s in it for Qi Chuan? After all, his placement in the exams later on wasn’t as good as Lord Fan’s initial ranking."
Lu Tong smiled, "The son of the family’s slave, without the support of the Fan Family, Qi Chuan wouldn’t even have been able to enter the clan school, let alone compete in the exams. As such, the Fan Family did Qi Chuan a favor, and it would be natural for him to help Fan Zhenglian cheat."
"As for why Qi Chuan’s exam placement wasn’t as high as Fan Zhenglian’s..."
"The autumn exam’s questions change with each session, and Qi Chuan couldn’t be certain that he would always produce top-quality essays. Moreover, if his ranking was worse than Fan Zhenglian’s, the Fan Family might still remember his past service and give him opportunities. If he really achieved the highest honor, it’s not just about how the Fan Family would see him; given the Qi Family’s background, without support from behind, his career might not be so smooth."
"There have been stories of top scholars falling into obscurity in the past."
Yin Zheng nodded, somewhat understanding, "So that’s how it is. But how do you know about these things in the examinations, miss?"