The Ming Dynasty took an unconventional approach

Xue Shao frowned and looked at the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard said, "...It seems that the man surnamed Zheng is currently in the Imperial Prison, but he was imprisoned because he offended the late emperor. It was the late emperor and Wang... Wang Zhen who ordered his arrest, not because of this case. Our Embroidered Uniform Guard has not protected Feng Hongde."

Xue Shao withdrew his gaze and nodded slightly to Prefect Lin: "I understand. Since you reported him, you must have more than just these account books, right?"

Of course, that's not all. Given Xue Shao's infamous reputation in Jiangnan, Prefect Lin didn't even doze off before happily handing over all his chips to him.

Xue Shao had made a great harvest. When Pan Yun returned from his arduous business trip and was about to sort out his scattered gains, Xue Shao had already written the impeachment memorial and attached a lot of evidence. He made two copies, one of which was sent to the capital by the post station.

One copy was given to the Embroidered Uniform Guard, who secretly sent it back to the capital.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard has its own channels, and their speed is faster than that of the official post stations.

Moreover, the secret reports of the Embroidered Uniform Guard could reach the emperor directly, while his reports to the Censorate had to go through the Censorate and the Grand Secretariat.

The Embroidered Uniform Guards were happy to help deliver the memorials. They arrived late and missed many investigations, so they were practically taking advantage of what was already there. Xue Shao was willing to write a memorial to include them and hand over the memorial and evidence together, so they deserved half the credit for this case.

They're not imperial advisors; they don't remember good deeds. In the court, who doesn't want to make contributions and advance their career?
The Imperial Guards urged the messenger to deliver the message to the capital as quickly as possible, making sure it arrived before the official post stations.

Upon hearing that the letter had been sent, Pan Yun picked up the things she had sorted out and asked, "What about these..."

Xue Shao took it and said with a smile, "That was for reporting to the imperial court, but this is for bringing him to justice."

Pan Yun's eyes flickered slightly: "I forgot, you are an inspecting censor, you can handle this case directly and escort the criminal back to the capital. But you only have these three or five Jinyiwei, while Feng Hongde controls the entire Chaozhou Guard. What if he resists?"

“So I need to borrow troops,” Xue Shao said. “Tomorrow is the day of the martial arts contest to choose a husband, so we’ll leave tonight.”

"where to?"

"Go and borrow troops."

Pan Yun hesitated between watching the spectacle and her good friend, then tentatively asked, "Can you borrow soldiers if you go alone?"

Xue Shao looked at her quietly: "Haven't we investigated almost everything that needed to be investigated? All that's left is to interrogate people and uncover things that can't be found in secret. Do you still want to stay here?"

Pan Yun touched his nose and said, "I've never seen a martial arts contest to choose a husband before."

Xi Jin: "Young Master, let's go by ourselves. In the Imperial Preceptor's heart, watching the martial arts contest for marriage is much more important than us."

"Xi Jin, don't try to sow discord. I didn't mean that. I meant that we've been making quite a few moves these past two days, especially with Xue Shao. He's been appearing and disappearing. If I don't stay and keep an eye on him, what will happen when Feng Hongde wakes up?"

Xue Shao: "If you come with me, he won't wake up."

Pan Jun asked, puzzled, "Why?"

Xue Shao calmly replied, "He will think we eloped and will never guess that I am Xue Shao."

Pan Yun: ...

Xue Shao urged her, "Are you coming or not?"

Pan Yun hesitated for a moment, feeling that he shouldn't prioritize the festivities over his friends, so he asked, "Whom do you want to borrow troops from?"

Xue Shao: "We need to be prepared for both possibilities. You wanted to know if Cao Rong could be saved, right? I'll go find him."

"What if he doesn't work out?" "Jiao Tong, the Guangdong Provincial Governor, is my great-uncle's student. When my uncle was exonerated, he wrote a letter to plead for my uncle, even at the cost of offending Wang Zhen. Most importantly, he has only been in Guangdong for three years. Whether for public or private reasons, I am confident that I can borrow troops from him."

Pan Yun sighed, "Alright, I'll go with you."

A smile flashed in Xue Shao's eyes. After thinking for a moment, he said, "If you really want to watch the excitement, we can leave tomorrow afternoon."

Pan Yun tilted her head: "Afternoon?"

“Yes,” Xue Shao said, lowering his eyes, “In order to let me win, Feng Hongde will first conduct a written test tomorrow morning, and then the martial arts competition in the afternoon.”

Pan Yun looked him up and down: "Although I know your martial arts skills are not low, with your weak and scholarly appearance, how can he be sure that you can pass the martial arts exam after the written exam?"

Xue Shao: "He arranged for someone else to take the written exam with me. He would go on stage to fight before me, and I would go on stage to defeat him in the end."

Pan Yun: "...He really went to great lengths to get you to be his son-in-law."

Xue Shao smiled: "It's alright, it's just that the aura of being a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations) is a bit too strong."

"Not only that, our young master is also good-looking, and he comes from the Xue family of Hedong."

Pan Yun: "He actually believed that the Xue family of Hedong would become his son-in-law?"

"As for the collateral branches, our young master said that there is an elder brother in the family who is also a scholar. There is really no extra money or connections to help the young master. Anyway, Feng Hongde likes our young master, and he believes whatever our young master says."

Pan Yun was amazed. The next day, she packed her bags and happily went with Xue Shao to see the excitement.

Perhaps because the Feng family was too prominent in Chaozhou City, news about them spread very quickly, and everyone in the courtyard knew that Xue Shao was highly regarded by Feng Hongde.

As soon as he checked out today, the landlord led the remaining tenants and escorted him out of the alley and onto the main road.

Xue Shao looked embarrassed and kept pushing the door open. The crowd stopped at the street corner and reluctantly told him, "Scholar Xue, don't forget us when you become successful."

"Scholar Xue, if you can't beat them, just recite poems and essays. Warriors may say they don't like scholars, but they actually love them very much. As long as Feng Bancheng likes you, it's up to him to decide who you marry."

"That's right, I think you and Miss Feng are a perfect match. I even heard magpies chirping when I woke up this morning, which is a good omen. You're sure to win!"

"Scholar Xue, you go and take the written exam first. We'll cheer you on when the martial arts competition starts this afternoon."

"Excellent, excellent! Everyone, put aside what you're doing this afternoon and go cheer on Scholar Xue."

Xue Shao hurriedly waved his hand to refuse, but the day laborers in the courtyard had already become excited and ignored Xue Shao. They had already decided where to meet in the afternoon and even wanted to come up with a catchy slogan.

Xue Shao: ...

Pan Yun suppressed a laugh and nudged him: "It seems that Scholar Xue is very popular. Everyone is eager for you to become Feng Bancheng's son-in-law immediately."

Pan Yun's words touched a nerve with everyone. The busy laborers immediately turned around and surrounded Xue Shao again, repeatedly emphasizing, "Scholar Xue, you mustn't forget us once you're in the Feng family!"

The landlord, squeezed at the back, couldn't help but sigh, "When one person attains enlightenment, even their chickens and dogs ascend to heaven."

Pan Yun was also pushed out and stood right next to him. Upon hearing this, she asked, "Is the landlord one of them?"

The landlord said with a serious expression, "There's nothing wrong with being a chicken or a dog." (End of Chapter)