"What did you say, you lowly commoner?" Lu Tiansu was furious.
"Who's making a ruckus here?" A guard shouted.
Wang Yuanqing glanced at Lu Tiansu, indicating for him to calm down. Then he said indifferently, "Don't think you've risen to the top just because you defeated Zhang Zhixiong. In the upcoming internal examination, I will let you appreciate the lowly and powerless lowly commoners."
Yan Li was too lazy to respond.
The guard walked down, and when he saw Wang Yuanqing, his anger disappeared, and he said politely, "So it's Second Young Master. Registration is a small matter, you could have just told me, why did you come personally? "
His superior was this young master's big brother, how could he not be respectful?
Wang Yuanqing waved his hand, "Don't mind me."
Now it was his and Lu Tiansu's turn. He didn't even look at Yan Li, and walked into the hall. Lu Tiansu, on the other hand, glared fiercely at Yan Li.
This was only a side hall of the Official Desk, and it wasn't very big. At the head of the hall was a minister, an assistant minister, and a registrar. His gaze was dignified as he scanned the entire hall.
Below him, there were three tables, each with a minister and an official. They asked about origins, places of birth, local customs, and were rather strict.
"So it's the two young masters."
Wang Yuanqing and Lu Tiansu were both born and raised in Yong Ling. When the official saw the two, he didn't ask anything, and just stamped the official seal on the document, and handed it to the two.
This document was newly recorded, and had details such as hometown and birthplace. It was the admission ticket for the internal examination.
Wang Yuanqing took the document, but didn't leave immediately, and said in a low voice, "Your master must have given instructions."
The official didn't know what was going on, and hurriedly turned to look at the registrar.
The registrar had already noticed Wang Yuanqing, and walked down to invite him to the side, and said, "Master has instructions, but …"
Wang Yuanqing frowned, and said, "But what?"
The registrar said in a low voice, "But this is a serious matter. If he makes a fuss, not just the Official Desk, but even Wushen Manor will lose face."
"Wushen Manor has lost face for a long time." Wang Yuan calmly stuffed a banknote into the registrar's hands.
The Registrar Official took it carefully and laughed, "I will give him two questions to test him. If he doesn't have any real talent, we will use this as an excuse to chase him out and tell him that he can't register."
Yan Li did not know that the two people in the hall had made their decision. When it was his turn, he entered the hall and walked straight toward the official who was in the same row as him.
The official took out the document with his name on it and asked, "Your name is Yan Li?"
"Yes," Yan Li said.
"Yes, the official seal on the document is real. Green Elegant Market Town's Lord and this official are schoolmates and good friends, he has always only recommended candidates with real ability. "
The official twirled his mustache and spoke in a bureaucratic tone, "Since you've received his approval, you must be able to pass the test. I'll give you a few questions, and you'll answer them on the spot. How about it?"
Out of the corner of his eye, Yan Li noticed that Wang Yuanqing and Xiao Luo had not left, but were watching from the sidelines with a cold smile on their faces. His heart was as clear as a mirror, so he asked, "Daren, is there a problem with the documents?"
"There's no problem with the documents itself." The official said.
"Then, is there a problem with the student's identity?" Yan Li said.
"Don't worry, this isn't only aimed at you, this official is also doing a routine job. If you're really talented, why would you be afraid of just a few questions?" The official said, "As long as you answer the questions correctly, this official will approve of your qualification to take the internal examination."
"Daren, what this student is asking is, is there a problem with the student's identity?" Yan Li emphasized.
The official raised his head and took a look at him, then said, "There's no problem with the student's identity."
"Since there's no problem, why don't you register me?" Yan Li said coldly.
"It's just a few questions, why do you need so many reasons?" Towards Yan Li's inability to appreciate favors, the official got a little angry.
Yan Li sneered, "As the saying goes, don't worry about the scarcity, but worry about the unevenness. This student has never heard of needing to answer questions when registering for the internal examination. Since the Registrar Official made such a decree this year, there's no harm for Daren to set up a test. "
"How dare you!" The official's expression changed. "Not to mention that you're not an Inner Courtyard student, even Inner Courtyard students have to obey the laws of the imperial court. I'm an official, and you're a commoner. Do you dare to disobey?"
Yan Li said leisurely, "It's not that this student doesn't want to take the test, I'm just carrying on the spirit of the Great Ancestor and expressing my thoughts."
"What a sharp-tongued lowlife." The official was so angry that he laughed. "You're pestering endlessly just to cover up the problem of your identity. Who knows, you might even be a scum sent by the underworld. Someone, chase out this lowlife who's using the name of the Great Ancestor and causing trouble in the examination hall! "
"Wait!" At this moment, two voices rang out at the same time. One belonged to Yan Li, and the other came from a burly man who walked in with a majestic gait.
The burly man was about forty years old, with a square head and a big face. He wore azure clothes and a dark black cloak that was embroidered with a few clouds. A sheathed ghost-headed chain knife hung from his waist.
Behind him, there were six people dressed similarly, but the color of the cloak was different, which was used to distinguish the rank of the official.
As soon as the assistant minister saw this person, he couldn't sit still. He hurriedly stood up and cupped his hands. "Isn't this Zhu Tongzhi? What brings you here? "
Zhu Tongzhi's eyes wandered around the hall, and finally fixed on Yan Li. "Boy, what do you want to say? Say it boldly."
Everyone's eyes immediately turned to Yan Li.
Yan Li said calmly, "I'm afraid you've made a mistake. The underworld is under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Department. If you casually portray black and white, where does the Judicial Department stand?"
He keenly grasped the faulty wording of the official and gave him a head-on blow.
Coincidentally, this Zhu Tongzhi was a big shot in the Judicial Department.
"Haha!" Zhu Tongzhi's eyes lit up, and he laughed. "Well said, did you hear that? You stupid pig! "
"Just do your job well. The underworld is under the jurisdiction of the Judicial Department. Even if he was really sent by the underworld, it's not your business."
He glanced at the official and said with an unfriendly face, "Now, is he still sent by the underworld? If he is, I'll immediately arrest him for investigation. If the investigation proves that he's innocent, I'm afraid you, stupid pig, will have to pay a visit to the Judicial Department. "
The official was just a seventh-rank official, and if he was sent to the Judicial Department, he would probably be skinned alive.
At this moment, he suddenly realized something and hurriedly said, "No, no, I was confused just now, so I spoke without thinking. According to the documents, there's no problem with his identity."
The official hated Yan Li, but he didn't dare to lose his temper. He could only stare at the assistant minister.
The assistant minister walked down and glared at the official, blaming him for falsely accusing him of the underworld. He was in a dilemma, and the banknotes in his pocket became like firewood at this moment. He didn't show it on his face, and only smiled. "Lord Tongzhi, this is all a misunderstanding …"
"Lord Assistant Minister," Yan Li suddenly interrupted him, "Since there's no problem with the student's identity, this official still deliberately made things difficult for me. He must have received a bribe to deliberately drive the student away. If I can't register, I can't participate in the internal examination. It's related to the student's future. I'm afraid you can't use a misunderstanding to explain it, right? "
"This …" The assistant minister's heart skipped a beat.
"Or," Yan Li continued, "there's someone else who received the bribe?"
"If you don't want to answer, then don't. No one is forcing you. Why do you have to be so aggressive?" The assistant minister's face darkened. He thought to himself, "No matter how bad I am, I'm still an assistant minister. What can you do to me?"
The corner of Yan Li's mouth rose slightly, and he said, "I'm just stating the facts. Or, it's not a bribe, but this official is simply a spy of the underworld. You want to drive away as many as you can? "
As soon as he said this, the entire hall burst into an uproar. Wang Yuanqing looked at Yan Li in disbelief. He had a whole new understanding of him.
"Bastard!" The official's face flushed red. "How dare you bully me like this!"
"Hahaha!" Zhu Tongzhi suddenly laughed. "I was just about to capture a few people to establish my authority, so that you idiots don't have to impeach the commander every day. Capture this idiot who's suspected to be an accomplice of the underworld. I want to interrogate him personally. "
The attendants rushed forward and detained the official. The official's face instantly turned pale. He shouted, "No, I'm innocent. This bastard is falsely accusing a superior. If you don't arrest him … Lord Assistant Minister, save me …"
He screamed as he was dragged out. The assistant minister stood rooted to the ground, not daring to say a word.
The Judicial Department's tyranny and madness were obvious to everyone in the imperial court. If they wanted to arrest you, they would arrest you. Even if you were innocent, you had to survive the "interrogation." Even if you survived and were released, it would just be a "misunderstanding."
Wang Yuanqing's expression was ugly. This surnamed Zhu was famous for being stubborn. Even if Wang Yuanqing went up, he would be stopped. He knew that it was difficult to succeed, so he didn't hesitate and left the back yamen with Lu Tiansu.
Zhu Tongzhi didn't even bother to say goodbye and turned to leave. But when he reached the door, he turned and looked at Yan Li with admiration. "You're not bad. If the inner court doesn't accept you, you can come to the Judicial Department to find me."
Yan Li smiled slightly and cupped his hands to bid farewell.
"Mad dog!" The assistant minister clenched his teeth and trembled in anger.
Yan Li glanced at him and said, "Milord, do you have any more questions?"
The assistant minister suppressed his anger and stamped his official seal on the document. Then, he looked at Zhu Tongzhi's back as he left, his heart filled with hatred.
… …
"Pa!"
In the main hall of the Martial God Manor, Wang Yuanqing swept away the high quality flowers on the white ground, smashing them along with a few blooming white chrysanthemums. A few servant girls hurriedly came over with brooms.
A fragment splashed under Lu Tiansu's feet. He stepped on it and rubbed it back and forth, making an unpleasant sound. "This lowly commoner has some luck."
Wang Yuanqing said with a gloomy face, "Don't you know you're very noisy?"
Lu Tiansu's eyes flashed fiercely. He stopped moving and shrugged his shoulders indifferently. "Brother Wang, why are you so upset over a lowly commoner? Think of something that's worth being happy about. Tomorrow night is the day that the top hostess of the Rainbow Cloud House receives customers. "
Wang Yuanqing's expression softened. "Have you contacted Lu Cuiche? We still need his help for the three entry tests. "
Lu Tiansu was about to speak when a person walked in. It was a middle-aged man in his fifties.
"Uncle Wan, have you investigated?" Wang Yuanqing immediately stood up when he saw him.
The man was called Wan Wanxing, the chief steward of the Martial God Manor. He nodded. "Second Young Master, I've investigated. Zhu Hou just happened to pass by. He originally wanted to capture someone to establish his authority. That lowly bastard gave him an excuse, so he conveniently helped."
Wang Yuanqing revealed a cold smile. "Good. Since he has nothing to do with the Judicial Department, it'll be much easier."
He paused for a moment before continuing. "We'll deal with Zhu Hou in the future. How should we deal with Yan Li now? Do you have a plan?"
Wan Wanxing said, "Second Young Master, since we can't stop him from registering, why don't we take drastic measures and tamper with the written examination?"
Wang Yuanqing was interested. "How?"
"Steal the beam and replace the pillar." Wan Wanxing said meaningfully.
Lu Tiansu's expression changed. "Chief Steward Wan, are you saying that we should steal his examination paper and make him get an inferior grade?"
"Yes!" Wan Wanxing nodded.
Lu Tiansu couldn't help but become excited. "He was late today and had all his points deducted by Shen Liuyun. Isn't that good? Without points, he won't be able to participate in the combat examination. No matter how capable he is, he won't be able to enter the inner courtyard. "
Wang Yuanqing asked, "How did you do it? Did Ye Shiqing agree?"
Wan Wanxing smiled. "It doesn't matter if Ye Shiqing agrees or not. He's not the only invigilator. I've already invited one of the examiners. He used to be the disciple of Minister of Ministers Li Boyong. He's now the Left Minister of the Minister. He also has the unique skill of 'steal the beam and replace the pillar'. "
"Quick, invite him in!" Wang Yuanqing said happily.
The examiner was quickly invited in. He was a man in his early forties. His face was pale and beardless, but there was a bump on his forehead. It looked like he had an extra eye.
"I am Gu Shiyu. Greetings, Second Young Master." He raised his head and smiled like a fox.
Wang Yuanqing said solemnly, "Hmm, I heard that Official Gu has the unique skill of 'steal the beam and replace the pillar'?"
Gu Shiyu asked a maid to bring a pen and paper. "Second Young Master, please write your name on the paper."
Wang Yuanqing wrote it down and asked a maid to bring it to him.
Gu Shiyu then asked a maid to borrow a pair of scissors and cut out Wang Yuanqing's name. He then placed it on a blank piece of paper. His expression was solemn as he placed his palm on the paper. A faint green light flickered.
This method seemed to be very strenuous. In a short while, he was sweating profusely.
"Can you do it, Official Gu?" Lu Tiansu looked at him suspiciously.
After about two seconds, Gu Shiyu smiled faintly and moved his palm away, presenting the piece of paper in front of the three people.
The paper with Wang Yuanqing's name on it had disappeared, and the words "Wang Yuanqing" had appeared on the blank paper. Moreover, it was as if the words had been written on it from the beginning, without any sense of incongruity.
Wang Yuanqing was overjoyed. "What a good 'steal the beam and replace the pillar'! Then Official Gu, please take action and let that bastard have a taste of handing in a blank paper! "
"I'm willing to serve Second Young Master."
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