Song Xing: I am cultivating immortals in Qingcheng Mountain

Chapter 564: Thunderbolt Revealed in Dust-sealed Documents, Bai Xiao Hall Master Talks about the Past

Tianqi City, Baixiao Hall.

The night rain had just stopped, and the sound of dripping water from the eaves echoed on the bluestone slabs. The lights were still on in the Baixiaotang headquarters. It had been working day and night for the past few days, almost at full capacity. What happened in the Imperial Examination Hall was too difficult to handle and could not be delayed any further.

Ji Xue was leaning over the desk, her fingertips running across the yellowed files, the candlelight making her furrowed brows flicker.

"Zhuge Jingxuan's Provincial Examination in Liangzhe in the Eighth Year of Mingde"

She whispered, and suddenly her fingertips paused.

Bai Xiao Tang is the world's top intelligence agency. From the imperial palace to the countryside, anyone who can afford the price can buy the intelligence they want.

The file in her hand recorded everything that happened in the imperial examination in Liangzhe area that year. Although the course of events was also meaningful, she was more concerned about how it was handled at the time. As her gaze gradually moved downwards, a line of small words appeared in her eyes.

"The red comment at the end of the memorial was blurred with ink, and only the word 'fraud' could be vaguely discerned."

Seeing this, Ji Xue paused, and many thoughts suddenly emerged in her mind. Who approved the memorial reporting the fraud? Why was it covered with ink in the end? These seemingly insignificant things may hide one truth after another.

"There is indeed a problem."

Ji Xue sneered, raised her hand and pulled out another stack of files. As the pages turned, dust flew, as if uncovering a period of time that had been deliberately buried.

"Cough cough."

A familiar cough sounded from behind. Ji Xue turned around abruptly and saw her father Ji Ruofeng standing at the door wearing a half-wet cloak. His white hair at the temples was transparent due to the rain, but his eyes were as sharp as a knife.

"father?"

"Are you out of seclusion?"

A hint of surprise flashed in Ji Xue's eyes, and she hurriedly stood up, but saw Ji Ruofeng sigh, and then walked straight to the desk. His eyes swept over the files, and his hands clenched unconsciously, his knuckles turning slightly white.

"I've heard about the recent chaos in Tianqi."

His voice was hoarse, as if he was carrying a heavy weight.

"There is so much injustice in the world, blood leads to thunder."

"Heh~~ This tone reminds me of someone."

Ji Xue's heart skipped a beat when she heard this. She had put a lot of effort into this sentence in the past few days, but to no avail. Now that Ji Ruofeng mentioned it, it seemed like there was a direction. She was more surprised than shocked.

"Father, who is that man?"

Ji Ruofeng closed his eyes, and the rainy night twenty years ago emerged in his mind. The poor candidate's blood was splattered in the Imperial Examination Hall, and it was these last words that he roared before his death.

But when he received the information and rushed over, it was already too late. He even went to Jiangnan in person, but by that time the storm had been secretly suppressed.

"Prepare the horses and go to Snowfall Villa."

Ji Ruofeng suddenly turned around, and the raindrops swung out in an arc from his cloak.

Ji Xue did not dare to hesitate and quickly called on others to make arrangements. Looking at her father's back, Ji Xue couldn't help but have a feeling in her heart: is the truth finally going to be revealed to the world?

The backyard of Snowfall Villa.

Xiao Se was playing chess with Ye Ruoyi. The black piece was hanging at his fingertips and had not fallen yet. The white pieces on the board had already formed a siege, just like the current dilemma. Although he could clearly smell the scent of conspiracy, he could not grasp the thread.

"Xiao Se, your heart is in turmoil."

Ye Ruoyi looked at the person in front of her and sighed slightly. "Too many things have happened in the past few days. You should take a good rest. How about asking the kitchen to make you a bowl of soothing soup so that you can have a good sleep first."

"Anshen decoction cannot cure heart disease."

Xiao Se sighed softly in his heart, but before he could say anything, he suddenly heard the sound of hurried horse hooves outside the yard, and Ji Ruofeng and his daughter strode towards them through the puddles.

"Master, are you out of seclusion?"

After saying this, Xiao Se couldn't help but laugh twice, and then said: "It's time for you to end your retreat."

Ji Ruofeng glanced at the chessboard and shook his head gently. He knew Xiao Se's chess skills. How could he not see that Xiao Se was in a bad condition after playing a game like this?
"I heard from Ji Xue that a big incident happened in the Imperial Academy recently. Many students died tragically, causing a stir in Tianqi. You three brothers are investigating the matter."

Xiao Se nodded.

Ji Ruofeng suddenly sighed and said something shocking.

"In fact, twenty years ago, there were also people who wanted to stain the road of the imperial examination red with blood!"

Xiao Se frowned, very surprised. From what Ji Ruofeng said, a similar case happened many years ago, but why didn't he have any impression of it at all?

Ji Ruofeng took out a file from his sleeve and handed it to Xiao Se.

When the files were opened, they were actually detailed records of what had happened that year, including the time, place, names, and even the officials involved and the contents of their joint secret memorials, as well as the emperor's reply. Everything was complete.

As Xiao Se looked at the file, his eyesight became worse and worse. When he finally saw the line of small words, he felt as if a huge rock had suddenly fallen on his heart, pressing him so hard that he couldn't breathe.

"I have learned of this and ordered the Ministry of Rites to close the case secretly. The candidate involved will be treated as having epilepsy."

Xiao Se's pupils suddenly shrank. He knew the rules of Bai Xiaotang. Without absolute evidence, these words would not be written on paper. Now, the clear handwriting on the file actually explained everything.

His father, Emperor Mingde, knew about what happened back then.

"The candidate's surname was Shen, but his name is unknown."

Ji Ruofeng's voice was very low, with a hint of regret and a hint of admiration.

"After he failed the exam three times, he found out that the examiner had accepted bribes and was falsely accused of cheating. On the day of his bloody remonstration, he swallowed the strange poison 'Qianjiyin' from the Western Regions. After his death, his body was still stiff and his face was full of sneers. People called it a punishment from heaven. For this reason, the matter even reached Tianqi and alarmed the emperor."

Thunder roared outside the window, illuminating Xiao Se's suddenly pale face. He finally understood why the murderer targeted the children of the rich and powerful. If this was revenge, it would be better to say it was a trial that was twenty years late!
"Does Shen Buyan have any descendants?"

Xiao Se was silent for a while, then asked with difficulty.

Ji Ruofeng shook his head.

"They died completely, both old and young. A huge fire burned everything to ashes when I arrived in Jiangnan."

Xiao Se slowly closed his eyes.

He didn't know whether other people knew all this, but this was not the result he wanted.

At this moment, Ji Ruofeng handed over another piece of paper, a piece of paper that was not preserved so well, with traces of tearing at the corners, more like the torn pages of a book.

Xiao Se didn't understand what it meant, but he took it anyway. When he saw a few lines of words on the torn page, he suddenly felt enlightened.

"The rich and powerful protect each other, while the poor and the poor wither; the justice of heaven is clear, and the blood bell tolls of its own accord."

He had been feeling something was wrong with today's situation, but he had never figured out what was wrong. Now he finally knew.

Emperor Mingde and the officials in the court tried to suppress the matter again.
(End of this chapter)