My family has been wielding knives for generations, but now it's my turn to wield a pen!

"May I ask what favor Lord Pei wishes to ask me to do?"

Seeing Pei Shen's slightly excited expression, Jiang Xiaobai looked puzzled.

"Oh……"

Just as Pei Shengang was about to speak, Tang Ningshuang's voice suddenly rang out from the side: "Huh, I think I know."

Ok?

Jiang Xiaobai turned his head and looked at Tang Ningshuang with some surprise.

No, how would Tang Ningshuang know what Pei Shen asked him to do?

Just as he was wondering, Tang Ningshuang looked at Pei Shen and said, "Lord Pei, what you're saying... could it be related to Tianji Workshop?"

"Oh?"

As Tang Ningshuang finished speaking, Pei Shen looked surprised, then glanced at her and smiled, saying, "This beautiful young lady seems to be a martial artist as well!"

"What do you mean?"

Jiang Xiaobai was completely confused: "What's wrong with Tianji Workshop?"

Yes, he was quite familiar with Tianjifang.

Liu Guan was someone who came from Tianji Workshop.

Moreover, the little gadget that was made yesterday was thanks to Liu Guan and the people from Tianji Workshop behind him.

"Oh, Tianji Workshop recently made a suit of armor."

Pei Shen said, "The material of this armor is very special, and it is said to be difficult to damage by any weapon in the world, and difficult to break through by any kind of qi."

"They even... announced that whoever could break that armor would receive a very high reward from the Heavenly Mystery Workshop."

"Armor-piercing suit?"

Jiang Xiaobai raised an eyebrow and asked curiously, "What kind of reward can this give?"

"Inside the Heavenly Mystery Workshop, there is a martial arts storehouse and an armory."

Pei Shen explained, "If you can break through the armor, you can enter and choose any item."

At this point, Pei Shen looked at Jiang Xiaobai, his expression becoming more serious: "If Young Master Jiang can help me break through that armor..."

"I... Pei Shen, will certainly follow Prince Jiang's lead!"

what?

Jiang Xiaobai was even more surprised upon hearing this.

Yes, Pei Shen's words... were a bit harsh!

Who is Pei Shen?

Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, former Commander of the Zhenying Division.

His Majesty appointed someone to assist in investigating his examination scandal.

Such a person would actually say something like "follow his lead" just for a reward from Tianji Workshop.

What kind of things are in that armory or martial arts storehouse that would make Pei Shen ask such a question?

Jiang Xiaobai was filled with curiosity about this.

Tang Ningshuang was also surprised.

While the martial arts and armory were indeed attractive, surely they weren't enough to entice Pei Shen to such a state?

As far as she knew, the sword in Pei Shen's hand was not simple.

Therefore, in her opinion, Pei Shen probably had other motives.

Jiang Xiaobai didn't think much of it. After a brief moment of contemplation, he nodded and said, "Okay, I'll help you!"

Yes, Pei Shen may have an eccentric personality, but he is indeed capable.

If someone like that provides strong support, it is definitely not a bad thing, either now or in the future.

"Shall we leave now?"

Upon seeing Jiang Xiaobai agree, Pei Shen immediately spoke up, his expression full of anticipation.

"what?"

Jiang Xiaobai was taken aback: "So rushed?"

As he spoke, Jiang Xiaobai glanced inside the Dali Temple: "Our case..."

That's right, the matter of this case hasn't been settled yet.

"case?"

Pei Shen smiled slightly: "Oh, leave the case to me."

Before Jiang Xiaobai could speak, Pei Shen continued, "I've already arranged for people to keep an eye on the Ministry of Rites."

"The examination records have been sealed. As for the people involved, I will continue to investigate them. I will not delay the important matters."

"this……"

For a moment, Jiang Xiaobai didn't know how to refute, and finally nodded and said, "Then... okay."

"Walk!"

Seeing that Jiang Xiaobai agreed, Pei Shen immediately turned around, not even glancing at the recently deceased escaped prisoner, and led Jiang Xiaobai and the others away from Dali Temple.

On the carriage.

Jiang Xiaobai sat to one side, looking at Pei Shen opposite him with a puzzled expression. Finally, he couldn't help but ask, "Lord Pei, may I ask a question?"

"What exactly is inside this Heavenly Secrets Pavilion that attracts you so much?"

After Jiang Xiaobai finished asking his questions, Tang Ningshuang also looked curiously at Pei Shen.

In her opinion, Pei Shen must have had ulterior motives.

Just as she expected, Pei Shen's voice rang out: "This... cough cough, it's not a thing, it's a person!"

"people?"

Jiang Xiaobai looked surprised.

Tang Ningshuang frowned as well, clearly also somewhat puzzled.

"Yes, it's a person!"

Upon hearing this, Pei Shen first looked embarrassed, then coughed lightly and lowered his voice, saying, "Young Master Jiang, you are unaware of this."

"Well, about six months ago, I took a liking to a girl from Tianji Workshop. For this girl, I've been completely single for the past six months and haven't had any other thoughts!"

"I finally won her over!"

"what?"

Jiang Xiaobai was taken aback: "Then what does this have to do with breaking through the armor?!"

"Oh, don't even mention it. We're mutually in love, but... but the girl's master absolutely refuses to approve!"

Pei Shen sighed and continued, "After that armor appeared, his master left a condition, telling me that if I could break that armor, he would no longer stop me."

"If you can't break through it, then don't bother his disciples! That's why I've always wanted to break through that armor."

"But that thing is really strange; it can't be cut by swords or blades, nor can it be shattered by internal energy."

"I tried several times but failed. Today, after seeing Prince Jiang's One-Finger Divine Skill, I suddenly felt that there might be a chance."

"..."

Jiang Xiaobai was completely speechless after hearing this.

Good heavens, he thought Pei Shen had his eye on some divine weapon.

Or perhaps, they are eyeing some unparalleled martial art from the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion.

The results of it?

Pei Shen, actually, did it all for a girl?

It seems that Zhang Xinnian was right after all.

This guy is definitely quite attentive to women!

"so……"

Pei Shen said, "I don't want either the weapons or the martial arts techniques from Tianji Workshop."

"All I need is Prince Jiang to help me break it."

"Okay, then."

Jiang Xiaobai nodded in agreement: "But I can't guarantee success!"

"It's alright, as long as Young Master Jiang tries!"

Pei nodded solemnly.

"Hmph, men are all the same, not a single one of them is any good!!"

As Tang Ningshuang listened to their conversation, she crossed her arms in front of her and her expression became noticeably colder.

Jiang Xiaobai shrugged helplessly, pretending not to hear, and instead changed the subject back to the examination scandal.

"Lord Pei, what is your opinion on this imperial examination fraud case?"

"Well..."

Upon hearing this, Pei Shen quickly regained his composure and said, "As the Vice Minister of Rites, An Zhiyuan is indeed qualified to be involved in matters concerning the imperial examinations, and if nothing unexpected happens, he is also a key figure!"

"But after all, he still has Minister Chen above him."

"Therefore, I absolutely do not believe that this matter has nothing to do with Chen Zhanqiu."

"And I've heard about it too."

At this point, Pei Shen smiled and looked at Jiang Xiaobai, saying, "In the imperial court, Minister Chen targeted Jiang Xiaobai several times, and even tried to completely pin the matter of buying the top scholar's title on Jiang Xiaobai."

"so……"

Pei Shen looked at Jiang Xiaobai and said calmly, "If I'm not mistaken, the person that Young Master Jiang really wants to find out is Minister Chen, isn't he?"

"yes!"

Jiang Xiaobai nodded slightly.

Pei Shen is indeed clever.

The person he most wants to expose right now is indeed Chen Zhanqiu.

Although An Zhiyuan was the Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, his influence was still insufficient.

Chen Zhanqiu was different; he was the Minister of Rites, and the most ruthless people in the court were against him.

If we can apprehend Chen Zhanqiu, we can further confirm whether he is connected to Chief Minister Meng.

"Actually, when they used the title of top scholar to suppress Jiang Shizi, An Zhiyuan was already a discarded pawn!"

Pei Shen smiled and said, "Originally, if An Zhiyuan had confessed his crimes in front of His Majesty and someone had spoken on his behalf, he could have been spared the death penalty. But Young Master Jiang is quick-witted!"

"Not only was his title of top scholar not removed, but he also became an imperial investigator tasked with uncovering cheating in the imperial examinations. Therefore, An Zhiyuan, this discarded pawn, had no choice but to die!"

"Therefore, we won't find anything by starting with An Zhiyuan!"

"That makes sense..."

Jiang Xiaobai nodded slightly.

If An Zhiyuan wants to confirm his claim of buying the top scorer's name, he must make an appearance.

Now that An Zhiyuan has been pushed into the spotlight, the backlash against him has probably already been wiped clean.

He hadn't thought about it that much before, but now that Pei Shen had pointed it out, he understood it completely.

"So we need to start with the case files and do a thorough investigation; there's bound to be something the other side overlooked!"

Pei Shen said, "I've been handling cases for so many years, I have that much confidence!"

"Then I'll leave it to Lord Pei!"

Jiang Xiaobai smiled and spoke.

He wasn't particularly skilled at investigating cases, but with Pei Shen's strong support, things became much easier.

Pei Shen smiled and shook his head. Just then, Zhang Xinnian's voice came from outside: "Your Highness, we've arrived at Tianji Workshop!"

No sooner had he finished speaking than Zhang Xinnian's voice rang out again: "Wow, so many people!"