Prime Minister.

Chapter 7 007 [Tip of the Iceberg]

Chen Quan's expectations were destined to be dashed.

Xue Huai wasn't as fiery as the original owner, but he wasn't intimidated by this scene either.

Thanks to the ample experience he gained in his previous life in his official career, he had long since developed the composure to remain calm in the face of crisis. Moreover, Liu Huaide had provided him with a lot of information along the way, which had prepared him mentally for the current situation.

He seemed not to hear Chen Quan's contemptuous words and continued to look at Liu Pingshun, saying, "Liu, can you describe my attire that day?"

Liu Pingshun stammered, "The editor was on duty that day, and he must have been wearing a blue official robe. However, because it rained lightly at noon, the editor specially changed out of his black boots and put on a pair of leather boots. I was quite envious of him."

Xue Huai remained noncommittal and continued to ask, "The bundle I carried that day was made of moon-white silk, wasn't it?"

Liu Pingshun quickly shook his head and said firmly, "The editor is mistaken. The files in the office have always been wrapped in indigo coarse linen. You left with such a bundle in your arms."

Xue Huai paused slightly, staring intently at the middle-aged man in front of him, a faint smile appearing on his lips.

His smile made Liu Pingshun uneasy. Why was this young man so different from usual?
In the past, he probably would have lost his temper and acted recklessly.

"Liu the servant," Xue Huai said calmly, "one last question: when did I leave Kuiwen Pavilion that day?"

"Around 3:45 PM!"

Liu Pingshun answered with certainty, then turned to Lin Miao and said, "Your Excellency, the reason I remember it so clearly is because I go off duty at the end of the day. Not long after Editor Xue left that day, it was time for me to go off duty."

Lin Miao remained silent, his gaze fixed on Xue Huai's face.

At this moment, he was certain that this troublesome subordinate had changed a lot, and he would never have been this calm in the past.

Xue Huai seemed oblivious to Lin Miao's gaze. He took a step forward towards Liu Pingshun and said unhurriedly, "According to your account, around 3:45 PM four days ago, I was wearing an official robe and leather boots, and hurriedly slipped into Kuiwen Pavilion. I packed those files into a bundle made of indigo coarse linen and then rushed away, is that right?"

Liu Pingshun grew increasingly flustered and lowered his head, saying, "This humble one dares not lie in front of the Dean. If I have offended you in any way, please forgive me, Editor."

"It's not that I've offended you," Xue Huai smiled. "I just admire your good memory; it would be a waste of your talents to be a menial servant."

Liu Pingshun naturally dared not respond.

On the other side, Lin Miao coughed lightly and looked at Xue Huai, asking, "What's your explanation?"

Xue Huai shook his head and said, "Reporting to the Dean, I have no way to explain. Liu the servant described it so realistically that even I couldn't help but believe him. Perhaps I really did go to Kuiwen Pavilion that day."

Liu Huaide was anxious and couldn't help but remind him, "Editor Xue, I know you are always diligent. Did you go to Kuiwen Pavilion to look for books that day, and then take advantage of your vacation to study hard at home?"

No matter how good Liu Pingshun's memory was, he had no right to search Xue Huai's bundle, so Xue Huai could easily deny that the bundle contained the lost files.

Before Xue Huai could respond, Chen Quan said coldly, "That's simple. We just need to check the collection of books in Kuiwen Pavilion. Apart from the books borrowed by others, are there any other missing books? If not, then what Editor Xue took that day was not other books, but rather those lost scrolls."

Without a doubt, he had already thought of this.

At this moment, Lin Miao sighed and said with great regret, "Xue Huai, since you cannot explain yourself and refuse to hand over those files, I cannot help you cover it up. You... take care of yourself."

"Please wait a moment, Dean."

Xue Huai's expression turned cold. He turned around and stared directly at Liu Pingshun, saying each word clearly, "Liu, you servant, do you know what the punishment is for slandering an official of the imperial court?"

Liu Pingshun was stunned.

Chen Quan immediately stood up and said angrily, "Xue Huai, as a member of the Hanlin Academy, you have committed such acts of favoritism, and now you are openly threatening others. Do you have no respect for the law?"

"Scholar Chen should know very well who has the audacity to slander an official of the imperial court!"

Xue Huai suddenly raised his voice, pointed at Liu Pingshun, and said sternly, "This man's memory is so good that even if he really saw me at Kuiwen Pavilion that day, it was just a fleeting glance, but with just those few glances, he can clearly remember that I was wearing leather boots instead of black boots, remember the color and texture of the bundle in my arms, and remember the exact time I left."

"So what?" Chen Quan retorted decisively. "There are many talented people in this world, and besides, Liu the servant just has a good memory. Don't make a fuss about it."

Xue Huai laughed sarcastically, "Yes, he has a good memory. He remembers so many details, but he just can't remember which day it was!"

Upon hearing this, Chen Quan froze, and the hall fell into a deathly silence.

After a moment, Lin Miao looked at Xue Huai and asked, "What do you mean by that?"

Xue Huai solemnly replied, "Reporting to the Dean, I mentioned to this servant Liu twice that it was four days ago, but he didn't react at all. If his memory is really that good, why didn't he think about how many days ago it was?"

Liu Pingshun stammered, "Yes...it's four days..."

Xue Huai turned to look at him and said sternly, "I'm telling you now, the day I asked for leave was October 23rd, not four days ago, but five days ago! You can recount all the little details of that day in great detail, yet you can get the exact date wrong? I now suspect that you were instructed by someone to slander and frame an official of the court. Do you think this is worth a death sentence?"

Liu Pingshun was immediately terrified, his face turning deathly pale, and his body trembling uncontrollably. Xue Huai took a step towards him, his eyes sharp as knives, carrying an intense sense of oppression like dark clouds, and said in a cold voice, "Liu Pingshun, you said you saw me enter Kuiwen Pavilion that day. Did you see it with your own eyes, or were you deliberately slandering me under someone's orders?"

"Villain..."

Liu Pingshun swallowed hard and involuntarily stepped back.

Xue Huai pressed on, staring into his eyes, and said, “My late father was a loyal minister praised by the court and the public, and my mentor was renowned for his integrity. I have always taken them as my role models and have never dared to do anything wrong, much less allow anyone to slander me! And now you, a mere servant, dare to spout nonsense in front of the Grand Secretary! Liu Pingshun, do you really think the laws of the court are just for show?!”

Upon hearing that final angry shout, Liu Pingshun collapsed to the ground, his lips moving but unable to utter a single word.

Xue Huai gave him no chance to delay and continued to question him: "Speak, who instructed you to do this! If you don't speak, I will ask the officials from the Ministry of Justice to question you properly!"

"I know nothing..."

Liu Pingshun looked fearfully into the distance, seemingly glancing at someone, but ultimately refused to confess.

But regardless of whether he kept his mouth shut or not, everyone present could at least be certain of one thing: his previous accusations against Xue Huai were untrue.

Xue Huai composed himself, turned to Lin Miao, and bowed, saying, "Reporting to the Dean, I did not steal anything from Kuiwen Pavilion that day, and the so-called bundle is utter nonsense. Liu Pingshun's actions clearly demonstrate that he forcibly memorized those fabricated details and then used them to frame me before the Dean. Normally, even if a person has memories of unrelated people and events, they wouldn't remember all the details. Liu Pingshun clearly did it on purpose. There must be something fishy about this. I request the Dean's permission to send Liu Pingshun to the Ministry of Justice for a thorough investigation!"

Lin Miao's face revealed no emotion; he simply nodded slightly and said, "That makes sense."

Seeing this, Chen Quan became anxious and quickly said, "Editor Xue, you are just making excuses! The so-called error in the date is clearly something you intentionally misled us with. Liu Pingshun is just a menial servant; how could he possibly be a match for you in terms of cunning and scheming?"

Xue Huai did not answer, but calmly dusted off his sleeves as if shaking off dust.

It wasn't that he lacked patience, but rather that the case was truly dangerous.

If Xue Mingzhang's corruption charges are proven true, he will not only find it difficult to continue serving in the court, but he will also find it difficult to extricate himself from the situation safely.

After all, serving a ruler is like serving a tiger. Who can be sure that the one in the palace won't push the father and son out to quell public opinion?

Therefore, he absolutely cannot allow the situation to escalate to an uncontrollable point.

Liu Huaide looked at him with satisfaction, then said to Lin Miao, "Head of the Academy, this Liu Pingshun is indeed strange. Compared to him, I have more faith in Compiler Xue's character. In the past two years, he has not cared about his own gains or losses at all, and has been working tirelessly for the common people. How could such a person steal the academy's files?"

Lin Miao pondered for a moment and said, "Brother Xiwen is absolutely right. Xue Huai is of upright character and should not do such a thing."

Seeing the change in the Grand Secretary's attitude, Chen Quan said anxiously, "Editor Xue, even if you are eloquent, you cannot explain one thing: you have never asked for leave in the past two years, but when the Ministry of Works discovered the shady dealings from back then, you suddenly disappeared for several days. Is this just a coincidence?"

Xue Huai calmly replied, "To be honest, I've been feeling down lately and not feeling well, so I'm taking leave to rest at home for a few days. What's wrong with that? Could it be that Scholar Chen can't stand to see me doing well?"

"You bullshit!"

In a moment of panic, Chen Quan bluntly said, "After you left the Hanlin Academy that day, you didn't go back to the Xue residence at all. Instead, you ran to the banks of the Nine Bend River in a daze and ended up drowning yourself! If it weren't for the fact that the place where you jumped into the river was right next to the Green Green Villa, and that Princess Yun'an's guards hadn't found you and rescued you, you would have been dead long ago! If you had nothing to hide, why would you want to die for no reason?"

Xue Huai's pupils contracted slightly as he stared coldly at the other person.

Thanks to the outspokenness of this lecturer, a corner of the thick fog before him was finally lifted.

Meeting Xue Huai's icy gaze, Chen Quan instantly stiffened, finally realizing the flaw in his words.

He turned his head and saw that Liu Huaide looked unfriendly, while Lin Miao seemed to be deep in thought. He quickly explained, "Reporting to the Dean, my brother-in-law is on good terms with a guard from the Princess's residence. I learned about this from him and used it as a topic of conversation at the banquet. I only learned about Xue Bianxiu's drowning yesterday."

This explanation seemed weak and unconvincing, and Chen Quan was filled with regret. Why was he so impatient?
Perhaps it was because Xue Huai had acted too calmly today, which was completely contrary to his expectations.

If Xue Huai were still as tough and irritable as before, he would probably be struggling to prove himself by now, unable to explain himself no matter how hard he tries.

On the other side, Xue Huai had already turned his gaze away.

A hypothesis emerged in his mind.

On October 23, the original owner may have learned from Chen Quan that his deceased father was involved in a corruption case, and he also saw some evidence that was difficult to verify. He suffered a great shock, and coupled with his own increasingly difficult situation, the pressure in his heart had long been stretched to the limit.

When the string snapped, the original owner lost the will to live.

Xue Huai took a slow breath, his eyes becoming firm and clear.

……

……

(A huge thank you to the generous patron "曦夜精灵" for the generous donation! There will be extra chapters later, but updates will be slower during the new book period, so please bear with me!)
(End of this chapter)