Food Fairy Lord

Chapter 467: Many Learnings
The Imperial College was quite lively in the afternoon. Without Xu Chuo, the school was not always in good order. The teacher had not arrived yet, and the students in scholar uniforms gathered in groups of three or five, chatting about what they had seen and heard.

".Zhumalou wontons are delicious, with thin skin, tender filling and fresh soup"

"Let's not go there"

"By the way, let me tell you, the pens from Deyiju absorb more ink than those from Chunfengzhai, and the ink color is more even. I have used four or five of them."

"I also found a good study yesterday. Look at this book. It's so beautiful. There are several more books that I want to read but can't."

"Xu Yang, Xu Yang! I've read the poem you wrote yesterday. It's very well written except for two mistakes in rhythm."

Pei Ye walked in. Bright sunlight poured in through the window. There was an inexplicable peace in the hustle and bustle. He found a seat and sat down. Fang Jidao was not there today. He spread the book on the table but did not read it. He opened the case file first.

But as soon as he moved his ears, he heard a loud voice from the other side: "There has been no news about the ban on recommendation recently. The disturbance in Fengchi these two days is not a dispute between Yuan and Li at all, but a case!"

Pei Ye was slightly startled, remembering that the Imperial College was indeed adjacent to the Southern Court, and that it was often the first place to discuss things. But he was still a little surprised that this incident he had personally experienced suddenly reached his ears, and thus realized that the impact of the confrontation between the two sides in the past three days was far beyond his expectations.

"What case?" the person on the other end asked.

"Ah! Is it from Jingzhao Prefecture?"

"I heard about it too. It seems that the imperial guards were also mobilized."

"Is it true or not? How come I don't know?"

"You don't know, go to Pingkangfang tonight and take a look at what the 'Pingkang First Hall' looks like now."

"I went to check last night. The Jinwu Guards were blocking the gate, the walls were dilapidated, and there was no one left."

"I heard that the Imperial Guards found a case of human trafficking and handed it over to the Southern Court for conviction, but someone wants to use it to frame others."

"If you ask me, it's strange for the Imperial Guards to investigate the case. Handing it over to the Southern Court for conviction is a way to put things right, but why can they bring it up again and again?"

"Do you have all-powerful hands and eyes?"

"I don't know. Anyway, this case has been reopened for investigation. I heard that it is related to the Taiping Cao Gang."

"Oh! The Wuyunlou restaurant we often eat at seems to be theirs. When they heard that we were students of the Imperial Academy, they even waived the bill for us."

"Hey, stop talking about the case. Can you guys talk your way out of this?" The one who started the conversation said loudly, "What's really shocking about this matter is the current trend in the court."

".Ah, I heard that too."

"what?"

"The latest news yesterday was that Di Shaoqing of the Dali Temple took on this case alone. The three courts set up the case, but there was no support from the Southern Court, none of the assistant ministers and censors went, and the court also reacted coldly." The scholar said, "Di Shaoqing issued a warrant, saying that the case must be solved within ten days. He went to Jingzhao Prefecture today, and the only people who reported it were the temple secretary Li Zhao and another person who came from nowhere, named Pei Ye."

"No one else came out of the Dali Temple?"

"No, Lord Di took it himself - to put it bluntly, these three people want to overturn this case."

".How can three people investigate a case?"

"Who knows? I heard another story."

"what?"

"Just at noon, the leader of the Taiping Cao Gang, [Taiping Quail] Qiu Tianyu, held a 'Ten-Day Banquet' at the Feijing Tower in Xichi. Three hundred people will be invited every day. He said that the banquet will last for ten consecutive days to entertain the friends of the Cao Gang."

"."

Pei Ye flipped through the papers on the desk and read the case of the robbery of Zhang Mengyuan and his wife carefully again. In fact, there was no apparent connection between this case and the Taiping Cao Gang, and these four words were not mentioned at all throughout the article.

But a sense of disharmony pulled him, and as he repeated the reading, he noticed something wrong again - the autopsy reports of the three people were very vague, the couple's throats were slit with a knife, and Zhang Mingqin was beaten to death, but there were no other details at all.

The simple cause of death is not a problem, but if the cause of death is so simple, and the case happened on September 18, why was Zhang Mingqin's autopsy report completed on September 23, and Zhang Mengyuan and his wife's on September 26?

Is the coroner busy these two days?

Pei Ye frowned slightly. At this time, the teacher finally walked to the front of the classroom with the book. The students gradually stopped talking and sat back in their seats.

Today's lecture is about the Spring and Autumn Annals. The great scholar Li Mingqiu has no accomplishments and is over sixty years old. His face is still upright, but the white hair on his temples can no longer be concealed. The only people who taught the Spring and Autumn Annals in the four schools were Xu Chuo and him. It is said that when he was young, he was a doctor of the Imperial College. He worked his way up to the Minister of Rites and retired, but he did not return home. He returned to the Imperial College to give lectures again.

The great scholar put the book on the table, but did not rush to open it. He straightened his sleeves and said, "I just heard some students discussing the case of human trafficking in Liguan."

There was silence in the classroom.

Li Mingqiu said: "You are the future pillars of the Tang Dynasty. The Imperial College is built under the Phoenix Pond for students to observe and discuss, and for the seniors to set an example for the younger generation."

"And the rumors in the court are the real torrents of the Tang Dynasty. I hope you will not only use them as a topic of conversation, but also have a heart of truth and pragmatism. What role model you choose today may determine your career for the rest of your life."

Li Mingqiu did not express any opinion on the matter itself. He said slowly, then lowered his head and opened the book: "Right and wrong is also a meaning of the Spring and Autumn Annals."

Pei Ye raised his head for the first time and saw that among the students in the classroom, there were quite a few who stood straight, looking as if they were thinking about something.

But when the formal class started, the boy couldn't help but frown again. He couldn't understand "Spring and Autumn Annals" even more, so he used the quail head to divide his mind, and while recording what he learned in class, he still looked at the case file.

In terms of sequence, Zhang Mingqin's case came first, followed by Zhang Mengyuan and his wife, which deviates somewhat from the narrative logic of the case.

Pei Ye frowned slightly and spent the entire class like this.

The setting sun melted into gold, and the school was filled with warmth. After the teachers and students performed the ceremony, Li Mingqiu walked out of the school, and then the noise gradually arose again.

At the end of the day's lessons, the scholars smiled and made plans for where to go after leaving prison. Although some students studied hard, many students preferred to go to the lantern market, enjoy the breeze by the lake, and socialize to relax.

The five or six people who came with him had been sitting nearby. Now, a scholar in front of him leaned on the table at the back seat with a smile on his face, trembling his two long thin eyebrows in a rather happy manner: "Brother Chang, Brother Lin, did you bring the cricket from yesterday? I found a majestic one, let's fight it later."

Lin Yuxian, who met him at the door, rolled his eyes slightly and said, "How can you lead a class? The teacher is lecturing, and crickets are chirping below?"

"Won't you leave it outside?"

"I'm afraid of thieves."

"You look like a petty person, and you are still a minister."

The freckled girl put away her book and tilted her head to shout, "Cheng Youlun, don't worry about the crickets for now - and Chang Yuan, are you going to the Xichi Poetry Festival in the second half of the month?"

Cheng Youlun turned his head and said: "No, I'm tired of poetry gatherings all day long."

The freckled woman took a deep breath. The more stable man on the other side asked, "Tinghua, who are they?" The freckled woman's eyes lit up and she first reached out to the gentle woman next to her, "There is the talented Fu Zhiyun, my classmate."

Then to the right: "There is also the daughter of the General of the Imperial Guards, Yuan Junfang, my classmate."

Then he pointed forward one by one and said, "There are also Li Teng, the second son of the Earl of Jing County, and my classmate, Lang Mei, the talented scholar from Fengyang, as well as Wei Yuanfan, Tang Zhouli, Liu Du and others. There are more than ten of them."

Cheng Youlun turned around and asked curiously, "Is classmate Changsun going?"

The freckled woman glared: "Dream on!"

Cheng Youlun rolled his eyes and turned back. Fu Zhiyun said, "I'll ask her tomorrow when I have a chance."

The freckled girl said, "Although classmate Changsun will definitely not come, we still have a rare guest for this poetry gathering."

"What rare guest?"

The freckled woman pursed her lips and brightened her eyes. She leaned down and whispered, "The other day, Zhiyun and I met a practitioner, and we invited him this time."

"I met a cultivator while eating noodles yesterday." Cheng Youlun said, "He was carrying a sword and looked very impressive, but he looked to be in his thirties or forties and looked ordinary."

"That's different! This guy said he's the direct descendant of 'Nanyue Mountain'. Do you know what 'direct descendant' is? It means the one who will become the leader in the future, a true future giant in the martial arts world!" said the freckled woman.

Cheng Youlun became interested: "Is it true?"

"Of course it's true! He's only 20 years old, but he won ninth place in the Southeast Thirty Sects Sword Contest last year. He's a true genius in cultivation, not just a showman found anywhere," the freckled woman said proudly, "just like the Jinshi among us scholars!"

Lin Yuxian frowned: ".But I have never heard of the name Nanyue Mountain."

"I hadn't heard of it either, but later I asked around and found out that it was from the Southeastern Golden Crow Sect, a very prestigious Sword Sect."

Cheng Youlun rubbed his hands and said, "Then I'll go too!"

The freckled girl nodded with satisfaction. Suddenly she remembered something and looked back at Pei Ye who was leaning on his elbows and frowning. She asked curiously, "My classmate, do you want to go to the West Pond Poetry Festival with me?"

"."

"This classmate?"

"Ah? Oh," Pei Ye was stunned for a moment and looked up, then smiled regretfully, "I really like listening to everyone's poetry, but I don't have much free time these days, so maybe next time."

"Oh, okay." The freckled woman thought it was a polite refusal.

Pei Ye frowned and lowered his head again. It was not that he was oblivious to what was happening around him, but as he stared at the case file, an idea came to his mind.

——What if Zhang Mingqin and her parents were not found at the same time, or even did not die at the same time?
But why weren't they discovered at the same time?
[Zhang Mengyuan and his wife dumped their bodies outside the city, and their daughter Zhang Mingqin dumped her body in Longshou Canal]

Pei Ye's eyes narrowed, and he suddenly raised his hand to hold the arm of the freckled woman who was about to leave: "Classmate, do you have a map of Shenjing?"

The freckled woman froze in shock: "Ah, there is a carving in the pavilion outside the hall."

"Thank you."

Pei Ye strode out of the school and came to the pavilion, frowning and lowering his head.

Longshou Canal is a huge water system surrounding the northeast of Shenjing City. In addition to the main canal outside the city, there are five or six branches penetrating into the city.

What if this "Longshou Canal" is not outside the city but inside the city?
He was robbed and killed outside the city, but the girl's body was dumped into the back canal inside the city?

Yongjia, Anxing, Shengye, Chongren, Yongxing and Longshou Canal pass through these districts, all of which are inhabited by royal relatives, high-ranking officials and dignitaries.

——Is this really a robbery and murder case?

Pei Ye suddenly thought of the girl named Cheng Xiaozhu in the back court of Jingzhao Prefecture.

He put the case file in his arms and strode out of the Imperial College. It was already dark, and students were walking around him and laughing. Pei Ye jumped into the carriage and said, "Let's go to Jingzhao Prefecture immediately."

Pei Ye came to the backyard of the mansion. The whole yard was pitch black. Only the archive room was lit with a dim candlelight, which was like a lone lamp in the night.

This is almost a reflection of the pressure they are facing. Di Jiu and Li Zhao said that they could connect little by little and catch the opponent's flaws sooner or later, but the fact now is that the opponent has already formed a thick shell, and it is really difficult for three people who are not familiar with the Cao Gang to take action against it.

Unless there is a long blade that is sharp enough.

Pei Ye didn't even go in to say hello, but grabbed a clerk in the yamen and asked, "Where is your chief constable?"

"The thief-catching department is right behind the yard."

Pei Ye let go of him and walked towards the place with his sword in hand. This was another government office with the lights still on. When Pei Ye pushed open the door, he saw a middle-aged man with a black beard sitting cross-legged and playing cards with two constables. In the middle of the room was a pot of small purple fruits. Pei Ye had seen them before in the Zhaixing Tower. They were grapes from the Western Regions.

The black-bearded middle-aged man spat out a mouthful of skin and raised his face with a thin scar to look over: "Who is it?"

"Who is Lu Dingwu?"

"I am." The middle-aged man with black beard slowly stood up.

"The Third Division is investigating a case. I want to ask you about a case." Pei Ye walked up to him and opened the case file in his hand. "I want to know the case handling process for Zhang Mengyuan and his wife."

Lu Dingwu paused for a moment, as if he didn't expect that he would take out the case file after such a long time. The next moment, he smiled and said, "Isn't the case written on it? Could it be that the envoy can't read?"

"There are many omissions and contradictions in the case. I want to know how this case started, how it was investigated, and how it ended." Pei Ye said seriously, "You should know about the case you are handling."

"After the bodies were found, the brothers tracked down the four murderers and put them in jail." Lu Dingwu said, looking at the two detectives beside him, "Zhang You, Zhou Yuan - right?"

"Lu Yugu supports you, so you don't say it?" Pei Ye lowered his head, put away the case file, and reached for his waist.

"Your Excellency, you are talking nonsense. We are all officials appointed by the Tang Dynasty. You are rude to question me. What do you mean by support or not?" Lu Dingwu raised his head and said, "I have the official uniform of the Tang Dynasty to support me--"

Before he finished speaking, his pupils suddenly shrank, and a sword light that cut through his vision appeared without warning. He clenched his heart and lungs to gather his energy and draw his sword, but the next moment the violent heat from the sword exploded, and in an instant his entire arm lost consciousness.

At the same time, the two constables stopped drawing their swords. Pei Ye stood quietly, placing the cold sword blade in front of his throat. The mirror-like sword body reflected many jade-colored red lotuses that were as bright and delicate as those from the Yaochi Lake.

"I'll give you two choices. Either you talk here," Pei Ye said calmly, holding the wild goose sign in front of him, "or you talk in the prison of Xianrentai."

Lu Dingwu looked at the sign with a pale face and trembling lips. Only then did he know where this young man who was like an assistant came from.

At this time, Black Cat whispered, "Did he accidentally hit a sore spot with your sarcasm just now?"

(End of this chapter)