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"Yes, that's him. He forced me to write a contract asking me to proxy him in the exam. He also threatened me that if I don’t agree, he will make things difficult for my whole family."
In the courtroom, Xiao Liulang said with an aggrieved face.
Having the title of Juren, Xiao Liulang didn’t have to kneel down.
In fact, He Jinghong didn’t have to kneel either, but he was too stirred up. He was raging when the officers sent him to the Jingzhao government office, and was forcibly pressed down to kneel on the ground as a result.
He Jinghong was going crazy!
Was there anyone who lies through their teeth like that? Who on earth brought up making a written statement again?
Xiao Liulang sighed and said, "He told me that his cousin is a well-known Duchess, and I can't go against him. If I don't want to die, I should do as he says, or he can easily kick me out of the Imperial Academy tomorrow."
He Jinghong felt like tearing his hair out, "I never said that! Your Excellency, don't listen to his rubbish! It was him who asked me to make a written statement! He also volunteered to take the exam for me! He set me up!"
Xiao Liulang said, "I have no grudge against you. Why would I set you up?"
He Jinghong felt out of breath in anger, "Because, because… Because your wife beat me up! You’re afraid that I will retaliate against her, so you agree to take the exam for me!"
As soon as the word "agree" came out, He Jinghong realized that he had said something wrong.
Xiao Liulang argued with a look of being accused wrongly, "My Lord, this has nothing to do with my wife. My wife has never met him at all. I don't know who he offended to actually throw the dirty water on my wife's head and even threaten me."
It was the first time for Xiao Liulang to act so shameless. He thought it would be embarrassing, but his performance was actually quite smooth——
Did he have a talent in this respect too?
The capital magistrate had seen this trick of charging someone with breaking an already broken pot many times, so he could easily find out whether it was the truth or not.
He called the servants of He Jinghong over, as a result, no one had any recollection of him meeting Gu Jiao.
An irrefutable evidence that He Jinghong was indeed cheating people.
Capital magistrate: "Do you have any other witnesses?"
"None!"
"Yes!"
The two people speak in unison.
The capital magistrate looked at the two men and frowned, "Xiao Liulang, you said there is another witness. Where is the witness?"
Xiao Liulang answered, "In the residence of Lord Zhuang."
The capital magistrate’s heart thumped, "Which, which Lord Zhuang?"
Xiao Liulang replied, unflinching, "Zhuang Xianzhi, the fourth son of Grand Preceptor Zhuang."
Er, the Zhuang Family had suddenly been involved.
The capital magistrate broke into a cold sweat and had to pay more attention to this case, "Who is it, who is your witness?"
"Du Ruohan, the nephew of Lord Zhuang."
Xiao Liulang decisively sold Du Ruohan.
Feng Lin and Lin Chengye only knew that Du Ruohan had an uncle in the capital, but they had no idea who his uncle was. Xiao Liulang knew because he saw Du Ruohan entering the Prefect Residence with Zhuang Xianzhi in the prefectural city.
Du Ruohan also called Zhuang Xianzhi uncle at that time.
Zhuang Xianzhi was Grand Preceptor Zhuang’s son, but because the pair of father and son had different political views, Zhuang Xianzhi lived separately from the Zhuang residence.
Zhuang Xianzhi was not at home. Du Ruohan came by himself.
The capital magistrate said with a stern look, "Jieyuan Xiao said that Juren He threatened Jieyuan Xiao to take the exam for him, and said that you were a witness to it. Is this true?"
Du Ruohan took a glance at Xiao Liulang. This guy really hid himself deeply. He actually discovered already that they were listening from the corner!
"Yes!" Du Ruohan told about how Wang Yun dropped in to their house, making threats and promises towards Xiao Liulang.
He Jinghong turned pale, saying, "You, you, you, you’re lying!"
Du Ruohan rolled his eyes, "Whether I’m lying or not, won't His Excellency know if he investigates? It’s not your place to make thoughtless remarks here!" He looked at the capital magistrate, "If Your Excellency doesn’t believe me, he can send someone to ask. A lot of neighbors have seen his servant come!"
The capital magistrate really sent someone to ask, and it turned out that Wang Yun had indeed been to Xiao Liulang's house.
He Jinghong argued, "Your Excellency! Don't believe his one-sided story! Why is he at Xiao Liulang's house then? They clearly know each other! They... they are in cahoots!"
Xiao Liulang said lightly, "Just because we know each other, we’re in cahoots? Young Master He also knows the Duke. Can it be that Young Master He’s actions were incited by the Duke?"
What a tall hat!
The capital magistrate almost fell off his chair!
He Jinghong also felt choked.
He thought Xiao Liulang was being unreasonable, but he just couldn’t refute it!
Both the witnesses and material evidence were there. He Jinghong's crime of fraud was inescapable.
Imperial examination fraud was a felony, especially this kind that involved making threats and promises; such circumstances were especially serious! He Jinghong would never be able to set foot in the examination hall again!
Not being able to take the imperial exam, he could only be discarded by the Duke Luo Estate.
And the Duke would never ruin his reputation for an abandoned young master. He Jinghong would never be able to find trouble with Gu Jiao.
This matter was a big deal. By night, Gu Jiao learned about it.
Two people walked in the yard.
Gu Jiao asked him, "Aren't you afraid that you will also be implicated?"
After all, he signed it too. If he had run into a muddled capital magistrate, he might have been convicted along with him.
"What about you?" Xiao Liulang asked.
Gu Jiao fell silent.
After a long time, she solemnly said, "I told you I was just helping him!"
Xiao Liulang raised an eyebrow, "Oh, then Luo Du and Zhao Rui, you just happened to give them a hand as well?"
And then they also just happened to not be able to get out of bed for months.
Gu Jiao defended herself to death, "...I just lent them a hand, yes!"
Xiao Liulang smiled.
It was the first time Gu Jiao saw him smile like this. It turned out that he could have such a smile too, an extremely beautiful smile.
Wasn’t there a saying? My older brother's smile was not a smile, but an intoxicating poison.
Gu Jiao's mind suddenly flashed a thought.
In the future, this man could only smile like this for her.
……
In the blink of an eye, the second month had come, and so was the metropolitan exam.
During the provincial exam last year, Xiao Liulang and co suffered the hottest provincial exam. But unfortunately this year, there wasn’t the warmth of the early spring, only a rare wave of cold spell in later spring.
Second month in the capital, the north wind was blowing, and on the fifth day, snow started to pour.
The few Juren who fell into the ice-cold river during the hanging bridge incident didn't fall sick. Instead, they got sick from the chill of late spring.
Business in the medical hall suddenly improved a lot.
Gu Jiao asked Physician Song and others to make the medicine decoction into pills, which were more convenient to carry, and also so that they could continue to take medicine even after the metropolitan exam.
Metropolitan exam was divided into three sessions. The first session was about four books and five classics, the second session was about eight-part essays, and the third session was about political questions. The content and process of the exam was similar to that of the provincial exam. They would all enter the exam one day in advance and leave the next day after the exam.
The first entry was on the eighth day.
On this day, Gu Jiao got up early.
Raz P.'s Thoughts
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