Chong Guang looked at Zhan Feiyu and continued, "The Qin family has been hiding behind the scenes all these years. Wan Yunhao handled these matters. This time, Feng Er's death was planned by her wet nurse and Huang Bin."
Perhaps women in the inner chambers lacked the broader perspective of men, but their actions were more cautious and meticulous. If Wan Yunhao were still alive, Madam Qin would never have exposed her wet nurse and trusted confidant, Huang Bin.
Chong Guang could arrest these two, but the Jinlong Guard was not convenient for direct intervention, so they had to rely on the local authorities.
However, Governor Zhang was not familiar enough, and Magistrate Chen could be useful. But Madam Qin came from the Qin family of Nanxuan Prefecture, so Magistrate Chen could not help.
Moreover, according to Chong Guang's investigation, Huang Bin was infatuated with Madam Qin. Once arrested, he would commit suicide rather than betray Madam Qin. Even if there were a confession, there would be no evidence to convict Madam Qin. Chong Guang had to admire Madam Qin's meticulousness.
"Fat girl, do you need me to leak the information I've found to the Qin family and use a borrowed knife to kill?" Chong Guang asked with a smile, not worried that Zhan Feiyu would find him ruthless.
As soon as he thought of Zhan Feiyu slitting the throat of the Jade-Faced Gentleman, Hou Fei, with a single knife, Chong Guang felt they were on the same side. He firmly believed that their Seventh Master liked young girls, and they might be of the same mind when it came to killing.
Madam Qin had also committed murder, although she hadn't acted directly, all were at her behest. However, compared to Madam Qin, this insidious woman who disregarded human life for profit and ambition, Chong Guang truly liked Zhan Feiyu's character. She was ruthless but a gentleman, open and aboveboard.
"Even if the Qin family doesn't fall for it, just by taking away all of Madam Qin's connections, she could be angered to death," Chong Guang thought, feeling his plan was excellent.
For an ambitious woman like Madam Qin, cutting off her path to success would be more severe than killing her.
Zhan Feiyu shook her head. "The Qin family might cultivate Madam Qin. Wan Yunhao is dead, and the Qin family has no successor. Previously, they were implicated due to Liu Jian's affairs, and now the Qin family is in a phase of韬光养晦 (lying low and biding time). They cannot cultivate another Wan Yunhao, but Madam Qin's plan to secretly recruit scholars is more suitable for the Qin family's development."
After thinking for a moment, Chong Guang clicked his tongue twice. "You scholars are truly intelligent, born to manipulate the court with a wave of your hand."
As a transmigration individual who had lived two lifetimes, Zhan Feiyu, who was a teacher in her previous life, smiled guiltily. "I've been reading the historical texts sent by my teacher recently, and the more I read, the more I think ahead."
Seeing Zhan Feiyu's unusual expression, Chong Guang looked at her with surprise but couldn't discern anything. He assumed she was still thinking about how to deal with Madam Qin and jokingly asked, "Fat girl, do you need your Uncle Chong Guang's help? A single knife, and it's done, I guarantee Governor Zhang won't find any clues."
Rolling her eyes, Zhan Feiyu glared at the loose-lipped Chong Guang. "Do you think those are just for decoration?"
Zhan Feiyu pointed her fair, tender finger upwards, referring to the hidden Dragon Guards around the Emperor.
Although the Jinlong Guard was feared, they did not disregard human life. However, when the Jinlong Guard investigated a case, it would inevitably lead to bloodshed. Over the years, too many families had been raided and executed by the Jinlong Guard. Coupled with the Jinlong Guard's deep trust from the Emperor, they had become public enemies.
But the Emperor was skilled in balancing power. The Jinlong Guard operated in the open, while the hidden Dragon Guards lurked in the darkness. Only a handful of people knew of their existence. The hidden Dragon Guards were few in number and held no official power, but they were the Emperor's eyes.
Whether the Jinlong Guard abused their power or used it for personal gain to eliminate rivals, the Emperor might not know immediately. But if he found out later, it would be a grave offense, and the entire Jinlong Guard could be eliminated. The Emperor gave Yin Wuyan such great authority, partly because he was selfless.
"Then can you just swallow this?" Chong Guang had only been joking. If he dared to disregard human life, even if the Emperor didn't know, their Seventh Master would definitely uphold justice.
With a cunning glint in her eyes, Zhan Feiyu smiled ingratiatingly and leaned closer to Chong Guang. "Uncle Chong Guang, help me investigate another old case."
Feeling an inexplicable chill down his spine, Chong Guang placed a hand on Zhan Feiyu's forehead and unceremoniously pushed her away. He narrowed his eyes and asked suspiciously, "Fat girl, are you trying to scheme against me?"
"How could I?" The denial was firm. Zhan Feiyu's bun-like face was serious, her dark eyes wide open. "Mainly, I have to participate in the prefectural examination and don't have time to bother with this. Uncle Chong Guang, you are capable, so please bear the burden."
"Tell me what kind of help first." Not falling for it at all, Chong Guang looked at Zhan Feiyu's fair, soft, chubby face and felt a sense of danger. The fat girl must have ill intentions!
After a while, upon hearing Zhan Feiyu's words, Chong Guang jumped up and pointed at Zhan Feiyu, shouting angrily, "Aren't you afraid I'll be beaten to death by Instructor Zhao?"
Smiling guiltily, Zhan Feiyu's gaze darted around. "Instructor Zhao is one of the chief examiners for the county examination. As a candidate, I must avoid suspicion. If I interact too much privately, it will inevitably attract gossip."
"Lie, keep lying! Do you think I'm a fool to be easily deceived?" Chong Guang gritted out. Digging up the grave of someone's granddaughter, Chong Guang could imagine the consequences, and more importantly, it all stemmed from the fat girl's deduction.
As a member of the Jinlong Guard, Chong Guang was usually fearless, but he also knew those pedantic scholars in the court. Although they were physically weak, if they were truly angered, those old fogeys could really smash their heads against the Golden Throne. In terms of spirit, they were no less than martial artists.
Although Instructor Zhao was a minor official in the county school, he was also a scholar with integrity. Chong Guang did not want to court disaster.
"Opening the coffin for exhumation and examination is the fastest way. If we investigate directly, it's an old matter, and if my deduction is wrong, it would be a waste of time for Uncle Chong Guang to investigate," Zhan Feiyu said, her deduction based on her judgment of Madam Qin.
Since Madam Qin had long fancied Wan Yunhao, how could she let his childhood sweetheart live? Only by her death could the marriage proceed smoothly.
...
Nanxuan Prefecture was not too far from Shangsi County. Traveling at full speed, one could make a round trip overnight.
Because of the mourning period, the two-courtyard house looked plain white and desolate. The maids and servants were also dressed in simple attire, not daring to show a smile even in private.
Madam Qin managed her household strictly and adhered to rules. Although outsiders said she was gentle and kind, the servants in the house dared not break any rules.
The door to the Buddhist hall was tightly shut. Outsiders assumed Madam Qin was kneeling inside chanting scriptures, but they didn't know that the one kneeling was a young maid who cleaned the Buddhist hall, deaf, mute, and illiterate, so there was no need to worry about her leaking anything.
"Miss, you've grown thinner again," wet nurse Hao said with concern, looking at Madam Qin, who sat in the inner chamber with a sinister expression. In just a few months, Madam Qin had visibly lost weight.
Slowly fiddling with the Buddhist beads in her hand, Madam Qin raised her eyelids, her gaze chillingly frightening. "So, Zhan Feiyu received the letter but had no reaction?"
"Yes, Zhan Feiyu has already changed her family registry and had it filed with the yamen. Even if Zhan Da is brought to court for murder, Zhan Feiyu can completely deny any involvement," wet nurse Hao replied in a low voice. She had no children of her own and treated Madam Qin, whom she had nursed since childhood, as her own daughter. Even after Madam Qin got married, wet nurse Hao still called her Miss.
"Mama, seeing Zhan Feiyu reminds me of myself back then, but she has a better fate than me!" Madam Qin laughed. In an instant, her thin but fair face became gentle and kind, making her look like an elder who cared about Zhan Feiyu. However, if one looked closely, they would notice that Madam Qin's eyes were still as cold as if they were poisoned.
Before wet nurse Hao could speak, Madam Qin's voice, suppressed with palpable anger, revealed her resentment and unwillingness. "The Qin family is a scholarly lineage, but its core has long rotted. If the Qin family had been willing to cultivate me, how could I have ended up in this state?"
In her childhood, Madam Qin heard the head of the Qin family lament that the Qin family had no successor and that the younger generation lacked talent in studies, making it impossible to uphold the Qin family in the future. Madam Qin then crisply said, "Father, there's no need to worry. With your daughter here, I will study diligently in the future and bring glory to the Qin family."
The head of the Qin family laughed heartily and picked up the delicately made-up Qin Shi. "Good, Father awaits that day."
From then on, Madam Qin studied even more diligently. In the clan school, she outshone all her male cousins. She had asked the tutors, and women could also study for the imperial examinations. Although rare, it was not impossible.
However, a year later, Madam Qin, who had embarrassed the male members of the Qin family, received not her father's praise or the elders' commendation, but the cruel beating of a ruler. Her right hand swelled, making it impossible for her to practice calligraphy. On New Year's Eve, she was punished by kneeling in the ancestral hall.
Her mother, holding her almost fainting self, cried bitterly. Through those heart-wrenching accusations, Madam Qin finally understood that her father and the Qin family did not need her to inherit anything. She was a woman, and all she needed was to be virtuous and proper, marry a suitable husband, and forge good relations between families.
At that moment, young Madam Qin realized that the daughters of the Qin family were not noble. They were merely commodities to be traded, tools for the family to form alliances. They were skilled in zither, chess, calligraphy, and painting, and could compose poetry and couplets, all to fetch a good price during alliances.
From then on, the young Madam Qin lost her lofty ambitions. She became as virtuous and docile as her sisters in the clan, until she married Wan Yunhao.
The elders and siblings of the Qin family had long forgotten that years ago, Madam Qin had intended to study for the imperial examinations to revitalize the Qin family. But only Madam Qin had not forgotten.
Therefore, when Wan Yunhao died because of Zhan Feiyu, Madam Qin's hatred was enough to transform into a raging inferno, wanting to burn Zhan Feiyu to ashes!
She had endured for so many years, seeing everything about to succeed, only for it to turn to nothing. She was even destined to live the rest of her life under the guise of a chaste and virtuous woman.
If Madam Qin were not accustomed to enduring, she would have taken a knife and flayed Zhan Feiyu alive the moment she saw her in Shangsi County to vent her anger.
With a crack, the string of Buddhist beads broke, and the beads scattered on the floor. Madam Qin's hand, which had been holding the beads, trembled from the force, her fingernails digging deeply into her palm.
"Miss, why are you torturing yourself like this?" Wet nurse Hao had to forcefully pry Madam Qin's hand open. Seeing the imprints of her fingernails on her palm, she felt even more heartbroken. "Master said Zhan Feiyu has already apprenticed herself to Grand Scholar Gu. Let alone our Qin family, no one in the entire Daqing Dynasty dares to harm Zhan Feiyu."
Wet nurse Hao was even more worried that Madam Qin would act impulsively and ruin herself. She earnestly advised, "Miss, think of the young master and young lady. If you spread rumors, Grand Scholar Gu will follow the clues and find us."
If it were ordinary people, wet nurse Hao would not be worried. But Zhan Feiyu was different; she was Grand Scholar Gu's disciple, with a noble status. The Qin family dared not act rashly. If Madam Qin made a move, she would be doomed.
"It's not convenient to act in Shangsi County, but it might be different once she reaches Nanxuan Prefecture. There is still more than a month before the prefectural examination. If I make arrangements in advance, even Grand Scholar Gu might not be able to find me," Madam Qin said. Despite her hatred, she had not lost her reason. What wet nurse Hao had thought of, she had already considered. This matter could not be rushed. She had endured for so many years, and for revenge, she could endure for another three to five months, or even three to five years.
...
Zhan Feiyu continued to study diligently every day. Feng Er's death seemed like an accidental illness. Except for occasional mentions by neighbors, the matter passed by silently.
Magistrate Chen had been busy with the last three sessions of the county examination in the past few days, but he also allocated some energy to Feng Er's case. Seeing how calm things were, he breathed a sigh of relief.
"The results are posted..."
Today was the day of the county examination results. Shangsi County became lively again. Every county examination had over three hundred candidates, but only about thirty could pass and participate in the prefectural examination.
Even more cruelly, out of these thirty who went to the prefectural examination, fewer than ten would be recognized as Tong Sheng (a preliminary degree), let alone the subsequent provincial examination.
From enlightenment to the provincial examination, one had to study diligently for decades. Perhaps only two or three would be able to obtain the Xiucai (a higher degree) title. If they encountered a year with bad luck, Shangsi County might be completely wiped out.
"You can still read at a time like this?" On the second floor of Leshan Residence, Chong Guang looked at Zhan Feiyu with admiration. The streets were crowded, and the榜单 (list of successful candidates) was packed with people. The fat girl was sometimes so composed that she didn't seem like a child.
Her gaze remained on the book, and Zhan Feiyu replied without looking up, "I've eliminated Qian Pingchao, the second-place finisher. I'm already the first place, so it doesn't matter if I look at the results or not."
With a snort, Chong Guang, who had just taken a sip of tea, spurted it out. He stared at the calm young girl in disbelief. Her words made so much sense that he couldn't refute them!
Slightly disgusted, Zhan Feiyu flicked away the tea stains on the book. Her small voice sounded faintly, "Uncle Chong Guang, the county examination results are posted. You should go to the county school to see Instructor Zhao."
"If you have the guts, you go!" Chong Guang gritted out hatefully. To arbitrarily dig up someone's granddaughter's grave, even Chong Guang, with his thick skin, couldn't bear it.
Grinning, Zhan Feiyu ungraciously brought up her powerful backer. "Big Brother told me to obey your command."
Their Seventh Master must have been deceived by the fat girl's cute and obedient appearance... Chong Guang, gnashing his teeth, glared fiercely at Zhan Feiyu and directly got up to walk downstairs.
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