Chapter 65

“Who… who are you!”

Sheng Mingcheng’s voice trembled as he spoke, his legs nearly turning to mush.

“Don’t move!”

The voice behind him was deep and icy, allowing no room for resistance.

Immediately, a large hand reached into Sheng Mingcheng’s embrace, extracting a bundle of silver notes and a tightly sealed envelope from within.

Seeing this, Sheng Mingcheng immediately began to struggle fiercely.

Even if he were dim-witted, he could now see that these individuals had been lying in wait here early, all for the list he held in his arms!

Who!

Who knew that the Duke Qingguo’s mansion was doomed and thus waited here, hoping to catch him off guard?

Who knew that the Duke Qingguo’s mansion possessed such a list?

“Your Highness truly possesses extraordinary foresight! The list has been found!”

The man in black lowered his voice and uttered heavily.

Upon hearing this, Sheng Mingcheng felt the world spinning around him!

The Second Prince!

Indeed, it was the Second Prince!

Who else but him could have known about the cheating in the imperial examinations and been so eager for this list?

Grandfather had always regarded the Second Prince as the last hope, but who could have thought that the Second Prince was actually the true savior of their Duke Qingguo’s mansion!

“Gran—”

Sheng Mingcheng opened his mouth in despair, but before he could shout, he was struck unconscious with a single blow!

The two black-clad individuals looked at the siblings lying unconscious on the ground, then exchanged a sudden smile beneath their dark hoods.

As per the Young Master’s orders, they needed to relocate these two to avoid them being easily discovered by the court or by individuals sent by the Second Prince.

Indeed, the true identities of these two were secret guards of the Qiao family!

According to Tan Hanchi’s speculation, the Duke Qingguo must have known that his situation was dire and would do everything in his power to preserve the bloodline of the Duke Qingguo’s mansion.

And both Sheng Mingcheng and Sheng Xiuran were unsuitable for such a task. Only by relying on the Second Prince could they have any hope.

And the only thing that could move the Second Prince to action was the list mentioned by General Qiao!

Taking everything into account, Tan Hanchi was convinced that the Duke Qingguo would take Sheng Mingcheng and the list to escape before the court’s decree arrived, then find an opportunity to seek the Second Prince.

And the Qiao family only needed to arrange for people to wait at every exit of the Duke Qingguo’s mansion. Anyone who saw Sheng Mingcheng and Sheng Xiuran leaving without any attendants, looking suspicious, would definitely be carrying the list!

They were powerless; all they needed to do was seize the list when the time came.

At this moment, Qiao Tianjing had a sudden flash of inspiration but also thought of another trap within a trap.

At the Spring Examinations, Father would surely speak up for Brother Tan in Jinluan Palace. This might arouse suspicion from the Second Prince, prompting him to act against the Qiao family preemptively, so they must give him some trouble.

For example, when snatching the list, they could shift the blame onto the Second Prince, then ensure the safety of Sheng Mingcheng and Sheng Xiuran.

After surviving, Sheng Mingcheng would surely resent the Second Prince for taking away his last hope.

A frivolous young man like Sheng Mingcheng, accustomed to a life of luxury, would become even more desperate once he had nowhere to turn.

Then, they could use his words to spread the news that the Second Prince had known about the cheating at the Spring Examinations all along but deliberately covered it up to profit from it.

With a few more people to incite the situation, the matter would become big enough to give the Second Prince a headache!

In the study that night, when Qiao Tianjing heard this plan, both Qiao Zhongguo and Qiao Diyi gave him a thumbs-up simultaneously.

Tan Hanchi spoke first, “Brother Qiao, you’re truly brilliant!”

Qiao Diyi looked uneasy, “The convoluted schemes of you literati are truly terrifying!”

Qiao Zhongguo smiled knowingly, “Eldest Brother still has half of his former brilliance!”

Qiao Tianjing modestly smiled, “You flatter me, you flatter me, causing trouble for others, I’m an expert at that.”

After Tan Hanchi was admitted to the palace, Qiao Diyi took Qiao Jiaojiao back to the Qiao mansion.

He had deliberately taken the day off today and was currently sitting in Qiao Zhongguo’s study, anxiously awaiting news from the secret guards.

About half an hour later, two figures landed outside the study window.

Qiao Diyi, skilled in martial arts, immediately stood up upon hearing the sound, only to see two black-clad figures jumping in.

“How did it go?” Qiao Diyi went straight to the point.

“Back to Young Master Second, we have completed the task successfully!”

The black-clad person handed over an envelope, a thick stack of silver notes, and two sachets to Qiao Diyi.

“You even retrieved the sachets?” Qiao Diyi finally smiled with relief.

The black-clad person in front of him grinned.

“Following the Young Master’s orders, we made sure they were left penniless, so we even took off Miss Sheng’s jewelry and put it all in the sachets.”

“Good job, my brothers. I’ll be sure to report back to Father truthfully when I return!”

Qiao Diyi dealt with everyone in such a straightforward manner.

The secret guards quickly smiled and waved before disappearing into the shadows, their mission accomplished.

---

In the Jinluan Palace, the tension was palpable.

The Yong Emperor clenched the arms of the dragon throne tightly, his veins bulging with exertion.

When Tan Hanchi entered the palace, the Yong Emperor asked about his grievances. Tan Hanchi, neither humble nor overbearing, spoke of the unfairness of the Spring Examinations, shocking everyone present.

The Yong Emperor then asked for evidence, and Tan Hanchi shamelessly claimed that his article was the evidence!

At this point, everyone thought that Tan Hanchi had gone mad after failing the exams, hence his audacious behavior in beating the drum.

But now that he was in front of them, the Yong Emperor asked him to recite the article and let all the scholars present judge it.

As Tan Hanchi began to speak, the Yong Emperor was stunned.

Because the article Tan Hanchi recited was one that the Yong Emperor had read just two days ago, and he had even praised it in front of the Crown Prince!

Upon hearing this, Xin Ruizhi’s face turned pale, his body trembling, knowing that his end was near.

The Yong Emperor exclaimed “Good!” three times, then tore off the pearl string from his wrist and smashed it on the ground!

“The Spring Examinations were meant to select talented individuals for the court and for the prosperity of Great Yong. Yet now, they have been manipulated by malicious individuals for personal gain, deceiving their superiors and subordinates!”

At this point, everyone in the hall was still somewhat puzzled.

The article was indeed excellent, but was it not too early for the Yong Emperor to make such a judgment?

What if this person’s article started strong but ended weakly, and that’s why he was rejected?

However, seeing everyone’s confusion, the Yong Emperor suddenly stood up in anger and shouted, “Xin Ruizhi, get out!”

“This was one of the three articles you submitted to me. Can’t you recognize it?”

Upon hearing this, Xin Ruizhi’s face turned ashen, and he crawled on his knees towards the Yong Emperor, begging for mercy.

Only then did the courtiers finally realize.

The scholar’s Spring Examination entry was actually ranked first!

Xin Ruizhi was truly audacious, daring to tamper with the Spring Examinations!

He was finished!