By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

The first stage of the legal education competition eliminated more than 90% of the participants, leaving only 200 qualified for the second stage. Of these 200, more than half will be eliminated in the second stage, leaving only 10 to enter the third stage.

Hearing the number of people who passed each stage, the candidates felt a sense of urgency. Even after entering the second stage, they could not relax; there were still more difficult challenges waiting for them.

With three days remaining before the start of the second phase of the exams, some candidates chose to go out for a stroll to relax, while others continued to bury themselves in memorizing the law, not daring to waste a single moment.

Time passed slowly, and the second phase of the exam would begin tomorrow.

Shuntian Prefecture received a report that someone had mistakenly eaten croton seeds and was suffering from severe diarrhea, to the point of exhaustion.

Logically speaking, Xing'an County should be able to handle a case like this, which neither resulted in death nor involved poison.

However, the person who accidentally ate croton oil had a special identity; he was a candidate for the second stage of the legal education competition tomorrow.

This person insisted that someone was trying to harm him in order to affect his exam the next day.

Cutting off someone's money is like killing their parents; the victim grits their teeth and demands justice.

Xing'an County knew this was troublesome. The county magistrate, a shrewd old fox, directly reported the case to Shuntian Prefecture, thus passing the trouble on.

Upon receiving the case, the officials of Shuntian Prefecture immediately reported it to Wen Zongji.

Wen Zongji sneered: "I held this legal education competition to instill more respect for the law in people, not to encourage them to break the law. Investigate this case thoroughly. If it is found that the perpetrator was indeed a candidate from the legal education competition, punish him severely as a warning to others."

"Yes."

Upon receiving Wen Zongji's instructions, the Shuntian Prefecture immediately dispatched a head constable with a group of yamen runners to investigate the case.

The case itself wasn't difficult to investigate; it was just that the issues involved were a bit complicated.

After all, the legal education competition is still in progress, and a case has already occurred among the candidates. It is very likely that a candidate drugged a fellow candidate for personal gain.

This incident is a slap in the face to Wen Zongji.

That's why Wen Zongji was so angry.

The investigators, aware of the importance of the case, quickly investigated and brought the drugger and the victim back to Shuntian Prefecture.

In the main hall of Shuntian Prefecture, the examinee who had drugged the candidate confessed to the crime.

Because the victim was more capable than him, he wanted to use such underhanded methods and dirty tricks to eliminate a competitor.

But he didn't expect the victim to be so defiant, and immediately reported the incident to the authorities, prompting them to investigate.

As a result, the person who administered the drug was not careful enough, and the authorities reacted too quickly, leading to his rapid discovery.

With witnesses and physical evidence readily available, and the person who administered the drugs having confessed, the case is now closed.

But the trouble had only just begun.

The news that a candidate participating in a legal education competition had broken the law quickly spread throughout Beijing.

The public began to question: "Is this legal education competition truly about the law, or is it fostering criminals?"

While this statement may seem like an overreaction, many people do believe that if Wen Zongji doesn't handle this matter well, public opinion will be very negative towards them.

Wen Zongji noticed the changes in public opinion in the capital and went to the Beijing Gazette Office immediately.

Since this involves official public opinion, the Beijing Gazette Bureau naturally had to step in to quell the unrest.

The editor of the Beijing Daily changed again, but Yao Maofang remained in charge of the intelligence section.

"This humble official pays his respects to Lord Wen."

Although the editor of the Beijing Daily held a lowly but powerful position, he would never dare to put on airs in front of Wen Zongji.

Wen Zongji nodded and said, "Master Liu, you know the current public opinion in the capital is very negative towards Shuntian Prefecture and the Legal Popularization Competition. I need tomorrow's Beijing Gazette to report on this matter and reverse public opinion towards Shuntian Prefecture and the Legal Popularization Competition."

After several years of development, the Beijing Daily has become a daily newspaper. Because it is published daily, its content has become more diverse, and anything related to politics may be published in the Beijing Daily.

"I have no objection, but according to Your Excellency, how should public opinion be reversed?"

Wen Zongji said calmly, "The examinee who was slapped was originally just a fisherman who made a living by fishing. Under normal circumstances, if a fisherman was framed and harmed, would he immediately think of reporting it to the authorities?"

"But this candidate thought of it!"

"This is the significance of holding the legal education competition. As for the person who drugged him, he is a despicable person who is willing to harm others for his own benefit. Even without this legal education competition, he would still do such selfish things for his own benefit in the future."

"But without the legal education competition, fishermen might not dare to report to the authorities immediately."

The chief editor of the Beijing Gazette, with bright eyes, cupped his hands and said, "Your Excellency has found a way to break the deadlock so quickly. I admire you. I will personally write this article and guarantee to reverse public opinion."

"Thank you for your help, Mr. Liu, in charge of the draft."

……

Back to the County Princess's Mansion

Pei Rujing, having also learned of today's events, asked, "Husband, do you need the newspaper's help to control public opinion?"

After several years of development, Fusheng Newspaper has firmly established itself as the leading civilian newspaper in Beijing, second only to Jingbao in influence in Beijing and surrounding prefectures and counties.

Wen Zongji shook his head: "I have already contacted the Beijing Gazette Bureau. After all, this is a matter for the government, and the newspaper should not get involved."

Pei Rujing trusted Wen Zongji and nodded, "Okay, I'll listen to my husband."

Rui-ge'er was helping Ling-jie'er learn to walk.

The maids watched nervously from the side, fearing that something might happen to the two young masters.

Upon seeing this, Wen Zongji couldn't help but say, "Rui'er is only five years old. Is Madam asking him to teach Ling'er to walk?"

He had previously wanted Rui Ge'er to leave the manor alone, but Pei Rujing firmly refused. Now, however, she was quite bold.

Pei Rujing leaned back on the couch: "There are so many people watching. The main problem is that Ling-jie is clingy to Rui-ge and insists that Rui-ge teach her. What can I do?"

It wasn't that she was carefree; it was that she had no other choice.

Wen Zongji understood: "Since Ling'er was born, Rui'er has cared for her more than anyone else. In order to be able to hold Ling'er, he even took the initiative to exercise. No wonder Ling'er is so attached to him."

Pei Rujing thought so too: "Their sibling relationship is good, so we can feel more at ease."

As soon as she finished speaking, Ling'er got tired and reached out her arms to Wen Zongji: "Daddy~ hug~"

Pei Rujing looked at her helplessly: "Father has been busy all day and is very tired."

The little one is very affectionate and clingy, and the elders basically spoil her.

Wen Zongji smiled and picked up Ling'er, patting her head: "It's alright, I still have the strength to carry our Ling'er... Did you miss Daddy?"

Ling'er nodded her little head immediately: "Yes~"

"Did you have fun playing with your brother?"

"Heart~"

Seeing that she still couldn't say two words, Wen Zongji turned to Rui Ge'er and said, "Rui Ge'er, you can try teaching Ling Jie'er to say two words every day. Teach her more, and she will learn quickly."

Rui-ge nodded: "Okay, Father."