Prime Minister.

Chapter 8 008 [Following the Clues]

After a brief silence, Lin Miao slowly said, "Scholar Chen, those rumors cannot be entirely believed. This academy does not believe that Compiler Xue would commit suicide by drowning. There must be some error in them."

Chen Quan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and replied, "This humble official was foolish and actually took the rumors as truth. Fortunately, the Dean reminded me, so I did not misunderstand Editor Xue."

Lin Miao stopped there. If it weren't for the powerful figure behind Chen Quan, whom he couldn't afford to offend, he wouldn't have had the leisure to smooth things over for him.

He didn't believe that the guards of the princess's residence would dare to gossip outside, so Chen Quan knew Xue Huai's whereabouts that day, either because he was deliberately spying on him, or because he was involved in the matter.

With this in mind, Lin Miao looked up at Liu Pingshun, who was slumped on the ground, and said in a deep voice, "Do you choose to confess here, or do you want me to send you to the Ministry of Justice?"

Liu Pingshun's face was ashen, but he still forced himself to say, "Your Excellency, I am not lying. I did see Editor Xue outside Kuiwen Pavilion that day."

Although he had been caught off guard and routed by Xue Huai, he knew in his heart that if he stubbornly refused to admit defeat, he still had a sliver of hope; otherwise, he would never see the sun rise tomorrow.

In any case, neither side has concrete evidence. He cannot prove that Xue Huai left Kuiwen Pavilion with the bundle, and Xue Huai cannot prove that he did not do it.

This sounds absurd, but it all comes with a premise: the Ministry of Works reported that Xue Mingzhang had engaged in embezzlement and corruption, and there was relevant evidence in the old archives kept by the Ministry of Works. Therefore, Xue Huai had the motive to destroy the archives of the Hanlin Academy.

Without this premise, no matter how eloquently Liu Pingshun speaks, his argument is untenable.

Lin Miao frowned slightly and summoned two clerks, saying, "Take Liu Pingshun away and temporarily detain him in the kitchen and stables. We will make a decision after we find out the truth of this matter."

The two men agreed, stepped forward, and helped Liu Pingshun away.

Lin Miao then said to Liu Huaide, "Brother Xiwen, regarding the unexplained loss of relevant files, the academy needs to immediately conduct an internal investigation. You will be in charge of this matter, what do you say?"

Although he had just smoothed things over for Chen Quan, he knew very well that he couldn't be too biased. Since Xue Huai had exposed Liu Pingshun's accusations on the spot, he had to take control of the situation and make it reasonable for Liu Huaide to investigate the matter. Presumably, that Vice Minister Shen wouldn't be able to find fault with him.

Liu Huaide was rigorous in his studies, simple and honest in his character, and not cunning. He immediately replied with pleasure, "Please rest assured, Dean, I will do my best."

Xue Huai took in the whole scene and roughly judged the positions of the three scholars.

Xue Huai was not surprised by Lin Miao's ambiguous attitude, nor did he hold a grudge. After all, he had long understood a principle from his previous life: there is no hatred without a reason in officialdom, let alone love without a reason.

Moreover, given his previous situation in the Hanlin Academy, Lin Miao's ability to maintain such a relatively neutral attitude was mostly due to his mentor, Shen Wang.

The farce temporarily came to an end. Lin Miao looked at Xue Huai and comforted him, "Jing Che, I believe you would not do something like stealing files. It was only because Liu Pingshun took the initiative to report it, and His Majesty had already ordered the Ministry of Justice to thoroughly investigate the corruption case at the Yangzhou dike, that I asked you to come back and find out the truth. I was afraid that you would act impulsively and go astray."

He was all smiles now, as if he wasn't the one who had been so disappointed in Xue Huai earlier.

Xue Huai cupped his hands and said, "Thank you for your care, Headmaster."

To be fair, this head scholar put on a good show, so Xue Huai knew when to stop.

This does not mean that he has lost all suspicion of Lin Miao; on the contrary, he has become even more wary.

Throughout history, these gentle and refined high-ranking officials are never short of cunning; who knows what their true thoughts are?
Xue Huai is now in a quagmire and cannot afford to be careless.

Lin Miao seemed particularly pleased with Xue Huai today, and said gently, "I have the utmost respect for your father's integrity and incorruptibility. Moreover, he was in charge of building the Yangzhou river embankment ten years ago. Ten years is enough time to change many things. I believe that the serious consequences caused by this year's summer floods have nothing to do with him, and the court will definitely clear his name."

Xue Huai would take such kind words at face value with a grain of salt; he obviously wouldn't take them seriously.

Lin Miao added, "However, the court will conduct a thorough investigation this time. Officials may ask you some questions. I hope you will remain calm and not get anxious or agitated."

Xue Huai lowered his eyes and said, "This humble official understands, thank you for your guidance, Headmaster."

"Then let's call it a day."

Lin Miao got up and walked towards the back hall, and everyone bowed and took their leave.

Upon reaching the door, Liu Huaide spoke first: "Jing Che, don't worry, I will find out the whereabouts of those files as soon as possible and will not let you suffer an injustice."

Having just arrived, Xue Huai wouldn't easily trust anyone other than the Cui family, but he also wouldn't turn away the kindness of others. Moreover, everyone knew about the relationship between Liu Huaide and Shen Wang, so Liu Huaide could naturally be considered his elder. Therefore, he sincerely thanked him, saying, "Thank you for your trouble, Scholar."

Liu Huaide hesitated slightly before asking, "Did you really go to the banks of the Nine-Bend River that day?" Xue Huai glanced at Chen Quan, who was whispering with a clerk not far away, and raised his voice slightly, "Yes. The scholar knows about my recent situation. Because I was really troubled, I took a few days off to wander around the city and clear my head. I happened to come across the vicinity of the Green Green Villa. Perhaps because I was thinking too much, I accidentally fell into the water, but fortunately I was rescued by Princess Yun'an's guards."

Liu Huaide sighed, "I had no idea such a thing had happened. Luckily you're alright; good people are always blessed. Jing Che, after this ordeal, you should really try to change your temper. You're still young; you don't need to put too much burden on your shoulders."

Xue Huai readily agreed and nodded, saying, "What the scholar says is absolutely right. I have been reflecting on myself these past few days and I realize that I have indeed been somewhat impulsive in the past. In the future, I will think twice before I act."

Having witnessed the transformation of this younger man firsthand, Liu Huaide naturally had no doubt about his determination and said with satisfaction, "That's excellent."

The two said their goodbyes, and Xue Huai turned to walk away. A short while later, a hurried voice sounded behind him: "Editor Xue, please wait."

Xue Huai stopped under the ancient locust tree, calmly watching Chen Quan catch up, as if he had expected it.

"Editor Xue, I didn't mean to target you just now, please don't take it to heart."

Chen Quan wore a smile, but his eyes held a scrutinizing and probing look.

Xue Huai's words and actions today were very unusual; he was like a completely different person compared to his usual self.

If it were Xue Huai's previous upright temperament, he probably wouldn't have had the patience to set a verbal trap for Liu Pingshun. He would most likely have given him a scathing rebuke, which would certainly not have cleared him of suspicion.

Chen Quan recalled the conversation between Xue Huai and Liu Huaide, and became even more puzzled. This guy had just escaped death, and then his personality changed drastically. He was now able to act with composure and ease. Could there really be such a thing as enlightenment in this world?

Xue Huai roughly knew what he was thinking, and said with a forced smile, "Scholar Chen, you flatter me. Liu Pingshun's account was so vivid that even I almost believed it. Scholar Chen has always been law-abiding and intolerant of injustice. He would definitely stand up for what is right, not the person. How could I be petty?"

Hearing this, Chen Quan became even more certain of his judgment. Xue Huai was indeed not the same as before. So his smile became even more sincere: "Although there were too many coincidences, it was ultimately my oversight that almost wronged Editor Xue. I apologize to you here."

He then made a gesture of respect.

Xue Huai quickly raised his hand to stop him, saying, "Scholar, please don't be so disrespectful to a junior like me."

Chen Quan straightened up and tentatively said, "This corruption case is fierce, but your father's reputation cannot be tarnished. If Editor Xue needs any help, please let me know."

Xue Huai ignored his changing expressions and said firmly, "Thank you for your concern, Scholar. I firmly believe that my father was framed by a villain. His Majesty has keen insight and there are countless virtuous officials in the court. This case will surely be thoroughly investigated and my father's innocence will be restored."

Chen Quan nodded and said, "Of course, it's fortunate that you were quick-witted and decisive, exposing Liu Pingshun's true colors on the spot. To be honest, I'm more than ten years older than you, yet I was deceived by his lies. Alas..."

"Liu Pingshun is just a menial servant. He has neither the guts nor the motive to frame me for no reason, so there must be a dark hand behind him."

Xue Huai's expression was solemn, his eyes fixed on Chen Quan. Taking advantage of the other's attention being drawn to this topic, he suddenly changed the subject and said, "Scholar, it was fortunate that you told me about the problem with the dikes along the Yangtze River in Yangzhou that day, which gave me some mental preparation."

How did you know about that letter—?

Chen Quan's words came to an abrupt halt. He looked at Xue Huai with an uncertain expression, then instantly gave a fake smile and said, "Editor Xue, don't joke around. I don't have the ability to predict the future. How could I know in advance that someone was going to lift the lid on something from ten years ago?"

Xue Huai smiled and said calmly, "I see. I must have misremembered. Please don't mind, Scholar."

Seeing that he didn't pry, Chen Quan breathed a sigh of relief. The next moment, he heard Xue Huai continue, "Speaking of which, if Scholar Chen hadn't pushed me that day on the banks of the Nine Bend River, I certainly wouldn't have fallen into the water. But I want to thank the scholar for that push, which made me understand some things at the critical moment of life and death."

Chen Quan's expression changed drastically, and he angrily said, "Editor Xue, don't make false accusations! I already said that I heard about you falling into the water from someone else. We are colleagues and have no deep-seated hatred for each other, so why would I want to kill you? I was trying to help you out of kindness, but you're turning around and accusing me. This is simply outrageous!"

After saying that, he angrily turned and left.

Xue Huai coldly watched the other person's back, a mocking smile appearing on his lips.

If it weren't for the need to uncover the clues hidden in the fog, why would he have bothered to feign compliance with such a petty person?
Fortunately, we did manage to gain something.

Now it seems that the original owner was indeed framed. He was distraught that day because of Chen Quan's anonymous letter. As for the incident of falling into the water, even if it had nothing to do with Chen Quan, he must have known some clues.

The road ahead is difficult...

Xue Huai composed himself, turned around, and walked outside.

(End of this chapter)