Without money, what is the point of being a traitor?

Chapter 604 Sophisticated
Yue Xi showed the slips of paper to everyone, then turned to Yang Dan, who was hiding behind the soldiers of the Imperial Guard, and said loudly, holding the slips of paper in both hands, "Your Excellency, these are the three green slips of paper that are said to determine the success or failure of this imperial examination."

"These three blue tokens were found on Tang Gao and the others, which is conclusive evidence. We hope that Prefect Yang will uphold justice!"

Yang Dan looked coldly at Yue Xi and calmly ordered the yamen runners, whose faces were bruised and swollen, to gather again, "Collect the evidence."

Yue Xi immediately presented three green bamboo sticks.

When the yamen runner brought over the green bamboo stick, Yang Dan didn't reach out to touch it, but instead gestured to the Shuntian Prefecture official next to him to take it away.

He then asked Yue Xi, "Where is the petition you were about to submit?"

Just now, Yang Dan ignored Yue Xi's complaint, but now he took the initiative to ask for it.

Yue Xi felt that his evidence must have worked, and he was overjoyed. He quickly handed over the complaint.

Yang Dan had a yamen runner go and fetch it, then took it in his hand and gave it a quick glance.

This refers to the story of Tang Gao and two others joining the Embroidered Uniform Guard in order to gain fame and fortune.

Beneath the petition were the joint signatures of dozens of candidates.

Yang Dan glanced at Yue Xi, then looked at the temporarily calmed crowd and asked loudly, "Anyone else want to submit a petition?"

More than ten people then rushed to hand over their petitions.

Yang Dan gestured for them to come forward.

He then said to one of the yamen runners, "Go and fetch pen and ink."

When the prefect spoke, the man quickly squeezed out of the crowd to find pen and ink.

Fortunately, there were many fortune tellers and word readers outside the crowded area. The constable went up to ask for them and quickly returned.

When the constable returned, he noticed that something was off.

It turned out that Yang Dan only allowed those who wanted to submit their petitions to come forward, but did not allow anyone to receive the petitions.

After the yamen runner returned with the writing brush and ink, Yang Dan asked Yue Xi, "You just told me, where are you a candidate from?"

Yue Xi hesitated for a moment before replying, "I am a candidate for the imperial examination from Hejian Prefecture."

Yang Dan's gaze fell on the petition in his hand. "Then you must have co-signed this petition as well, right?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Xi was taken aback, and his gaze immediately darted away.

The complaint is genuine, and the joint signatures are genuine.

However, those scholars who went to court together had the courage to cause trouble, but they didn't have the guts to take the lead and start trouble.

This petition passed through several hands within the Eastern Depot before finally reaching the hands of this bold and clever fellow.

Forget about a joint signature, even the identity of Yue Xi was fabricated to avoid being exposed.

They wanted to continue lying, but the indictment was in Yang Dan's hands, and Yang Dan could verify it immediately with just a few glances.

Yue Xi could only stammer, "N-no."

Yang Dan's expression was very gentle when he heard this. "The other candidates have already signed the petition. Since you are so eager to help others, why didn't you sign it yourself?"

"This, this..." Yue Xi immediately felt the questioning gazes coming from all directions.

Those who actively stirred up trouble were only a portion of the candidates; most of them were simply driven by resentment and anger, and were incited by them.

The reason these scholars were able to be fooled into blocking people in the street was because they genuinely believed that justice still existed in the world.

These people are easy to incite, but the backlash can be fierce.

Just as Yue Xi was frantically trying to come up with an excuse, Yang Dan asked, "Did you forget about yourself because you personally organized this matter?"

Upon hearing this, Yue Xi quickly replied, "That's true."

Yang Dan smiled warmly as before, "It's alright, just add your name now."

Yue Xi glanced at the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture in front of him, then at the intense gazes behind him, and could only grit his teeth and take the pen.

He had a reason to step forward and incite others before, but now Tang Gao and the others have been dragged off their horses and searched, and the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture has also accepted the complaint.

They just want him to sign the joint petition, what's the big deal?

It doesn't make sense.

Yue Xi could only scribble the words "Yue Xi, a scholar from Hejian" on the petition in a crooked manner.

Yang Dan glanced at the complaint, smiled slightly, and said, "Since you are the chief plaintiff, then add the words 'chief plaintiff' to the complaint."

Yue Xi hesitated for a moment.

Then he realized that since the names were all fake anyway, he wasn't afraid of being the chief plaintiff.

So he readily added the words "the Lord's accusation".

Yang Dan personally took the petition, blew the ink off it, and glanced at the people who had come forward with their petitions.

Many of the people inside immediately considered backing down.

Yang Dan gestured to the yamen runners holding the writing brush and ink, "Go and give them the writing brush and ink, ask them for their names, and if they are not on the petition, have them add them."

Those holding the petitions stirred slightly, but thankfully, they all obediently picked up their pens and wrote their names.

However, a few candidates who had already signed the petition did not write anything further.

Yang Dan took all the petitions, set aside the joint petitions without names, and put the ones with new ink on them on the other side.

Then the yamen runners were instructed to unfold the petition and show it to everyone present.

The people present were quite puzzled.

Yang Dan loudly proclaimed to the crowd, "These petitions with the plaintiff's name on them, and the new ink marks on them were all written in full view of everyone. Our Shuntian Prefecture has absolutely not made any changes."

"Please let everyone present be a witness."

After speaking, he gave Yue Xi a sharp look, and then swept his gaze over the people who had come forward to hand over their petitions.

Yue Xi felt a little flustered, and the others also became slightly agitated.

Fortunately, after witnessing the proceedings, Yang Dan put away the petition and solemnly promised everyone, "I will handle this matter impartially. You may all leave now."

Taking advantage of this opportunity, Yue Xi quickly returned to the crowd.

A hint of disdain flashed in Yang Dan's eyes.

When the name "Yue Xi" appeared on the indictment, it meant that the plan to frame Yang Dan had largely failed.

If the person making the accusation doesn't even have a real name, how can the world believe that what happened is true?

As long as Yang Dan clings to this tiny flaw, he can drag the whole thing out indefinitely.

And what will the other candidates who co-signed the petition think when they learn that someone has secretly forged their name on the petition? Ha.

Yang Dan's gaze swept around and found Tang Gao, the newly appointed top scholar, whose crimson robe was torn and who looked disheveled.

Yang Dan stared at him for a long time, silently thinking to himself, "Rather than both of us being laughed at by the world, it would be better for you to make me successful."

As soon as the thought crossed Yang Dan's mind, he immediately looked around and asked, "Where's the white horse?"

After Tang Gao was pulled off his horse, the yamen runners quickly restrained it. When they heard the prefect asking questions, they hurriedly led the horse forward.

When Yang Dan arrived in front of Tang Gao, he took off his peacock-red robe and draped it over Tang Gao's shoulders, saying in a gentle tone, "If the top scholar is alright, please mount your horse and do not delay the court's ceremony."

Tang Gao was in a sorry state and didn't know what to do next. When he heard Yang Dan's words and saw that Yang Dan was only dressed in plain blue clothes, he hurriedly said, "Your Excellency, you mustn't."

Yang Dan, however, abandoned his previous gentle tone and said sternly, "This is an imperial regulation; how can you or I refuse it?"

Having said that, he said in an unyielding tone, "Mount up!"

Tang Gao was, after all, just a country boy who studied at home. After being attacked by thugs, he finally woke up from his dream of being a high-ranking official with flowers in his hair and a prefect leading a horse.

Seeing Yang Dan's imposing presence, he dared not disobey and could only obediently climb onto the horse.

Those scholars who were waiting to see how Prefect Yang would handle the matter immediately became noisy when they saw Tang Gao still mounted his horse, preparing to parade through the streets.

They worked so well together and found such irrefutable evidence against Tang Gao and the other two. If they still couldn't stop Tang Gao from riding through the streets in glory, then what did all their previous actions amount to?

Seeing that the scholars were about to cause trouble again, Yang Dan refused to compromise. Instead, his beard bristled with anger, and he shouted, "I have already accepted your petition and promised to handle it impartially. If you cause further trouble and disrupt court ceremonies, wouldn't you be turning a just cause into an unreasonable one?"

The scholars, however, refused to give up and shouted, "How can such a despicable person be allowed to parade through the streets on a white horse?!"

Yang Dan continued, "Since you have submitted a petition, you must be aware of the laws of the court. Whether Tang Gao and the others have committed any wrongdoing needs to be determined by the Three Judicial Offices."

“I am not one of the Three Departments, I only know how to act according to orders. If you want an explanation, you can go to the Three Departments for further inquiry.”

After saying that, he scolded, "Why aren't you spreading out?"

Yang Dan's gaze swept across the crowd with an imposing air.

Yang Dan's previous actions of collecting physical evidence and accepting legal documents had earned him the trust of many candidates.

After being manipulated by Yang Dan, Yue Xi and the other treacherous fellows also backed down and dared not show their faces again.

Seeing this, Yang Dan led Tang Gao's horse forward, and slowly, surrounded by the crowd, they left the left gate of Chang'an and entered the market.

When the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture saw that Yang Dan was only wearing his undergarments, he wanted to take off his official robe and present it to him, but Yang Dan gave him a sharp look.

The prefectural official was startled and quickly retreated silently.

Pei Yuan, who was watching from a distance, kept his eyes on Yang Dan and said to Yun Buxian, "Let's go too. Let's go ahead and wait for Tang Gao and the others, and have lunch together."

Upon hearing this, Yun Buxian asked Pei Yuan with a puzzled look, "This matter has become so big, shouldn't the commander avoid suspicion?"

Pei Yuan shook his head, "I imagine the three of them are currently having some doubts. If I cannot answer them in time, they will become increasingly estranged."

After saying that, he smiled faintly and said, "Besides, this commander is exactly what I need to ride this wave to the top."

Yun Buxian was both shocked and secretly impressed.

But then Pei Yuan said, "By the way, did you notice those people who caused trouble earlier?"

Yun Buxian thought for a moment and said, "I remember a few."

Pei Yuan said, "Those people must have been sent by someone to cause trouble, maybe even by the Emperor himself. Go find someone to arrest them privately and question them."

Yun Buxian was startled upon hearing this and asked in a low voice, "The people who captured the Emperor?"

Pei Yuan gave him a strange look. "Aren't we also the Emperor's personal guards? We're all equally matched, so what are you afraid of?"

Upon hearing this, Yun Buxian quickly made the arrangements.

Pei Yuanze took a few people and went to the vicinity of Longhua Temple on his own. He then found a restaurant along the street and waited there in advance.

The procession of the top scholar in the imperial examination usually started from the left gate of Chang'an and proceeded to the scholar's residence.

However, this road is not straight; to maximize its educational effect, it needs to pass through some specific locations.

Pei Yuan waited for quite a while before he heard a lively procession passing by the restaurant.

Pei Yuan leaned against the railing and looked down.

Tang Gao was seen riding his white horse with a distracted expression, while Huang Chu and Cai Ang followed behind listlessly on their horses.

However, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, who was supposed to make a few gestures and leave, was still wearing his undergarments and followed along with great spirit.

Pei Yuan looked at Yang Dan, thinking about the guy's quick thinking and his prestigious family background as a descendant of the Three Yangs, and couldn't help but think to himself, "This old man is quite interesting."

Perhaps it was Pei Yuan's posture of leaning against the railing that was so conspicuous that many people noticed him.

However, while many people in the capital may have heard of Pei Yuan, few have actually seen him in person and are unaware that he is another prominent figure in this imperial examination scandal.

However, Tang Gao, Huang Chu, and Cai Ang, who were riding on horseback, saw it all clearly and plainly.

The three of them had complicated expressions, and managed to force a smile at Pei Yuan.

Pei Yuan also knew that the matter of Qingqian was a secret, and these three people probably already suspected that the secret was leaked from him.

After all, Pei Yuan had repeatedly boasted to his underlings in front of them that the three of them would be the top three in this imperial examination.

For them, this cheating rumor came very suddenly and violently, and the only source they could think of was Commander Pei.

In fact, the three of them did have this idea, but they found it difficult to convince themselves.

Because once a corruption scandal in the imperial examinations is exposed, anyone who gets involved is likely to be destroyed.

Given the meticulousness Pei Qianhu displayed when he plotted against Yang Tinghe last time, he really doesn't seem like the kind of person who would do something so foolish.

Pei Yuan smiled, picked up a wine pot from the table, waved it at the three people on horseback, and extended an invitation to dinner.

He then ignored their response and sat back down on his own.

Not long after Pei Yuan sat back down, Yun Buxian went upstairs with light steps.

He carried a faint smell of blood. When he reached Pei Yuan's ear, he whispered, "It's been figured out. The fight was between two groups. One group was from the Eastern Depot. They were ordered to incite the candidates to attack Tang Gao and others who were parading through the streets, thus escalating the situation."

"The other group was Qian Ning's men, the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. They were also there to cause trouble. Their orders were to beat people up. These two groups happened to come together, which is why things escalated to an uncontrollable point."

"Oh, right, they also received orders to search Tang Gao and the others and find a blue token on each of them."

Pei Yuan was puzzled upon hearing this. Was he doing something in two ways? What kind of operation was Brother Zhaozi using?
Yun Buxian asked in a low voice, "Commander, should we deal with the people we've captured?"

Pei Yuan snapped out of his daze and said, "No need, just let them go back."

Pei Yuan said calmly, "Do these guys dare to tell Zhang Rui and Qian Ning what they said?"

(End of this chapter)