Chapter 323

Du Ruo narrowed her eyes.

It was called an invitation, but so many armed forces were dispatched; it was clear that things were not that simple.

It was likely that the visitors were not well-intentioned.

"Fine, then I'll go with him!" Du Ruo said decisively.

Xiong Er scratched his head, very embarrassed. After thinking for a while, he pointed outside. "Madam Du, let's talk a step away."

Du Ruo agreed.

Just right, she also wanted to know what happened, why that bullshit Lord Bi, who popped out of nowhere, wanted to interrogate Jiang Zhan inexplicably on the eve of the list release.

And only interrogate Jiang Zhan alone.

The two walked one after another to the big tree at the entrance of the county hostel, standing two steps apart.

This position was just right; it was broad daylight, so it wouldn't cause misunderstandings, and they wouldn't be afraid of being overheard.

"Madam Du, do you know why it was me who came?" Xiong Er looked at Du Ruo with a solemn expression.

Du Ruo's mind turned. "Does General Xiong mean..."

Xiong Er nodded. "That's right, this errand is not difficult; it didn't need me to come out personally, but I took the initiative to ask for it."

He smiled. "Madam Du is my savior; now that you have encountered difficulties, how could I stand by and watch? Only if I come can Brother Jiang be sent to the government office with dignity, and everyone here can stay safely."

Du Ruo was shocked.

This meant that Lord Bi had given an order to tie Jiang Zhan up and take him to the government office as a prisoner?

And as for Master Yan and the others, if they resisted even a little, they could be dealt with on the spot?

How dare he!

And on what grounds??

Du Ruo was full of anger and sneered: "In broad daylight, with strict laws, the Education Commissioner is so aggressive toward candidates; there must be a reason, right? What crime did my second brother commit to deserve such a big fanfare?"

"Brother Jiang is sincere and pure; he looks like an honest man and naturally wouldn't do those illegal things."

Xiong Er sighed. "It's just a pity that he offended someone he shouldn't have."

As he spoke, Xiong Er glanced around to make sure his words wouldn't be spread, and then lowered his voice to warn: "Madam Du doesn't know, although that Lord Bi is a civil official, he is a famous wolf-official in the capital, acting extremely and using ruthless means. Anyone targeted by him is either dismissed or executed; none of them have a good end."

"Now he is convinced that Brother Jiang is suspected of cheating, so he naturally won't be polite to him."

After a pause, he added: "Lord Bi is a student of the old Grand Scholar of the Imperial Academy, Duan..."

Du Ruo understood everything at once.

So that was it.

No wonder, no wonder that Lord Bi wanted to target Jiang Zhan; it turned out it was all the Duan family's ghost!

Now everything makes sense. The Duan family saw that there was no hope for the Prefectural Top Scholar, so they first sent dead soldiers to plot against Jiang Zhan, but who knew it was ruined by Lao Tietou, ending in failure.

Of course, they couldn't swallow this breath, so one plan failed, and another was born.

The Education Commissioner came forward to investigate Jiang Zhan openly. As long as Jiang Zhan's grades were invalidated, then according to the rules, the crown of the Prefectural Top Scholar would go to the second place.

That is, Duan Xiu.

It's just that they calculated everything, but didn't count on Duan Xiu going crazy in the examination hall and beating the chief examiner, leading to a failure.

But this doesn't mean the Duan family will stop.

With the Duan family's petty nature, they will attribute all the mistakes to Jiang Zhan and even blame Prefect Su.

Once Jiang Zhan's crime of cheating in the imperial exam is established, it will be exile at best, and beheading at worst.

And as the chief examiner, Prefect Su will naturally not be able to avoid punishment; losing his official position is considered good, and there might even be jail time.

What a move of killing two birds with one stone!

The Duan family, what a good method!

Du Ruo took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down. She would take revenge on the Duan family sooner or later, but the most important thing right now is to find a way to protect Jiang Zhan.

"What does Lord Su say?" She asked Xiong Er.

Xiong Er smiled bitterly. "Lord Su is naturally unconvinced; evidence was placed in a basket, and Brother Jiang's exam papers were all placed in front of the Education Commissioner one by one, wanting to prove Brother Jiang's innocence. But the Education Commissioner couldn't listen at all, saying that those articles might have been known by Brother Jiang in advance, so they were prepared long ago and didn't count, making Lord Su very angry."

"No way, he is a third-rank official and is also inspecting the imperial exam by the holy order. The so-called official one rank higher suppresses people; Lord Su has no other way to go except to cooperate with the investigation."

Hearing this, Du Ruo's teeth itched with hatred.

Dog official!

This is determined to put Jiang Zhan to death.

The situation is much more serious than she imagined; Prefect Su is already the biggest official in Fengyang Prefecture, and even he cannot protect himself. Who else can save Jiang Zhan?

For a moment, she was a bit lost.

Seeing her bad expression, Xiong Er hurriedly comforted her. "Madam Du doesn't need to worry too much; although the Education Commissioner is strong, our Lord Su has been an official for many years and is not someone to be slaughtered. He will definitely not let the Education Commissioner act recklessly. You can rest assured; Brother Jiang should not suffer physical pain."

It would be better if he didn't say it; hearing this, Du Ruo's heart rose.

According to Xiong Er's introduction, the dog official has a strange and violent temper. If Jiang Zhan refuses to plead guilty, he will definitely use torture to force him.

Jiang Zhan has delicate skin and tender flesh; how can he withstand it?

At that time, forced confession...

The more she thought, the more afraid she was. Du Ruo's nails poked deeply into her flesh. She steadied her mind, took out a hundred-tael silver note from her purse, stuffed it to Xiong Er, and begged: "General Xiong, this is a small token; please take care of him when the time comes."

Xiong Er wouldn't accept it.

"Madam Du, you are being too polite; I will try my best to help without you saying it. If torture is really used, I will do it myself, ensuring that Brother Jiang's foundation will not be hurt."

He is in charge of the prison department and is an expert in torture, having his own way of hurting the skin without hurting the bones.

Du Ruo sincerely said thank you.

She knew this was already the limit of what Xiong Er could do. Just as Xiong Er said, an official one rank higher suppresses people, not to mention so many ranks higher; Xiong Er is also powerless.

"It's getting late; I have to take the team back quickly, lest that Lord Bi gets impatient and sends someone else, which would be troublesome."

Xiong Er turned back into the lobby, walked straight to Jiang Zhan, and bowed to him. "Young Master Jiang, please come with us."

Jiang Zhan's face turned slightly pale, and he looked at Du Ruo behind Xiong Er.

Du Ruo smiled soothingly at him. "It's okay, go ahead with peace of mind; General Xiong won't make things difficult for you."

But that dog official Lord Bi will definitely make things difficult.

"When you get to the government office, act according to the situation; don't be too stubborn. No matter what the situation is, life is always the first priority."

Du Ruo exhorted. "As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood; nothing else is worth mentioning in front of life, do you know?"

Jiang Zhan nodded. "I know, sister-in-law."

Du Ruo wanted to say a few more words, but Xiong Er walked over to remind her: "Okay, there is no time; it's time to go."

If they dawdle any longer, the government office will be anxious.

Du Ruo could only watch Jiang Zhan walk out of the county hostel gate under the "escort" of a group of soldiers.

The young man's back was thin but firm, as if he had no fear.

Du Ruo suddenly felt her eyes sore and painful.

"Second brother!" Hearing her shout, the young man turned his head obediently to look. "Don't be afraid, sister-in-law won't let anything happen to you!"

The young man raised his lips and smiled. "I know!"

Xiong Er on the side looked at Jiang Zhan, then at Du Ruo, his expression complex.

Wanting to get out, I'm afraid it's not that easy...

Xiong Er took Jiang Zhan to the government office.

However, he left twenty or so subordinates at the county hostel, responsible for guarding Master Yan and the others, not allowing anyone to enter or leave until the interrogation on Jiang Zhan's side had a result.

Especially Lao Tietou, with five soldiers standing beside him, ten eyes staring at him fixedly.

Not even blinking.

These people had followed Xiong Er to handle the water bandit case, so they knew that this old man knew martial arts, and his kung fu was very strong.

Therefore, it was mainly to guard against him.

Lao Tietou didn't even pay attention to them. Seeing Du Ruo come over, he immediately asked: "Madam, will the second young master be in danger? Does the old man need to do something?"

"Er-lang absolutely cannot have anything happen." Master Jiang also walked over quickly, his expression stern. "Madam Dalang, tell us everything you know, and let's analyze it together to see how to solve this matter."

Du Ruo nodded.

She had the same intention; after all, three cobblers are better than one Zhuge Liang.

However, the lobby was crowded and noisy, not a place to talk.

"Let's go, let's go upstairs."

As soon as the three stepped on the stairs, they were stopped by one of the soldiers. "Our boss has an order, no one is allowed to leave the county hostel!"

Du Ruo raised her eyebrows. "Did your boss say you aren't allowed to go upstairs?"

The soldier was choked. "This... no."

"Then that's it, please move aside."

Several people looked at each other and finally gave way.

Du Ruo was about to lift her foot, but thought about it and turned around, saying to the people in the lobby who were worried or discussing: "Everyone don't worry, as long as you don't go out this door, these soldiers won't hurt you. As for Jiang Zhan..."

She paused for a moment, then continued: "The Education Commissioner just invited him to ask some questions, and he will be back soon."

The lobby was instantly silent.

With so many soldiers coming, how could it be just asking some questions? Something big must have happened.

Thinking this way in their hearts, no one said it out loud.

Du Ruo didn't care what they thought; anyway, Jiang Zhan's reputation had to be preserved first. After saying these words, the three quickly went upstairs, entered the room, and closed the door.

The five soldiers were sensible enough not to come in, just guarding outside the door.

Du Ruo relayed what Xiong Er told her, including the relationship between Lord Bi and the Duan family, and the dog official's actions.

After listening, Lao Tietou spoke first. "Or, the old man will go and kill him directly?"

Du Ruo: "..."

It's really simple and rude.

But it won't work.

"This is the worst strategy; that dog official must have experts protecting him. Uncle Lao Tie, you are alone, how can you guarantee to kill him without leaving any traces?"

"Once the matter is exposed, the involvement is too wide. A third-rank official dies unexpectedly, and the authorities will definitely investigate to the end; I'm afraid it will be a river of blood in the end."

"Forget it."

Master Jiang didn't approve either. "This is the last choice; unless it's a last resort, it's best not to act rashly."

Lao Tietou folded his hands and didn't speak.

Master Jiang pondered for a long time. "Unless we can find someone with a higher status than the Education Commissioner to preside over justice, in that case, the Education Commissioner will have to interrogate according to normal procedures. Er-lang didn't cheat, so he won't be afraid of interrogation, and in this way, his innocence can be restored."

After saying that, he shook his head regretfully. "It's a pity that such people are all in the capital; distant water cannot save near fire."

That dog official is third-rank; someone with a higher status than him must be in Fengyang Prefecture right now...

Du Ruo suddenly had a flash of inspiration.

"I know who to find!"