TGCFNM -Chapter 37 So That’s How It Is

Chu Ling heard this and said softly, “So that’s how it is.”

Yang Huaishan continued, “Yes, Your Honor. If—if the mountain bandits killed someone, it definitely wasn’t for money. It’s… it was aimed at Shen Lizhou.”

After saying this, Yang Huaishan slumped again.

Aimed at Shen Lizhou… the one who had a conflict with him… thinking it over, it seemed he was still the most likely.

“Your Honor, I did have a disagreement with Shen Lizhou, but I would never kill him. I would win against him—fair and square—in the spring examination. I know he’s strong, but I am not weak either. I would win with honor. I would never—I would never kill anyone, I wouldn’t.”

Yang Huaishan broke down, covering his face and crying. His voice was muffled, his body trembling slightly as he kept murmuring, “I didn’t kill anyone… no… no…”

Chu Ling responded with a faint hum, then turned to the other students. “There were three bandits in total, right?”

They all nodded together. Yes, three.

“Cheng Qiyuan, Sun Miaolu,” Chu Ling asked, “when you said the bandits rushed in and you ran away in fear, did you see Yang Sheng or Pei Yuan?”

Cheng Qiyuan and Sun Miaolu exchanged a glance, somewhat embarrassed, and looked up at Chu Ling.

“Your Honor, we were too panicked at the time, we didn’t notice anyone else,” said Cheng Qiyuan.

Sun Miaolu nodded. “I was half asleep, half awake, when someone suddenly burst in. We were so scared we ran immediately. We didn’t even carefully see whether that person was after Brother Shen.”

Chu Ling then looked at Pei Yuan and Yang Sheng. “You two were reading together, but woke up outside the temple. You’re certain you were drugged, right?”

They both nodded in unison. “Yes.”

Chu Ling returned to her seat and sat down. “Assuming what you all said is true, then Yang Sheng and Pei Yuan were drugged, while Cheng Qiyuan and Sun Miaolu were simply sleepy. After being startled awake, they ran outside the temple.”

“So whoever drugged Yang Sheng and Pei Yuan is the culprit!” Chu Ling said decisively.

Magistrate Zhang lightly tapped the table and said, looking at Chu Ling, “County Magistrate Chu, these are all your deductions.”

Chu Ling naturally nodded. “Indeed, they are deductions—effective ones based on the facts. Your Honor, notice that no student has contradicted this; they all seem to agree.”

Magistrate Zhang narrowed his eyes but said nothing.

Chu Ling looked again at the students. “Strange. Are you four somehow different? Why would only two of you be drugged? Why is that?”

Cheng Qiyuan and Sun Miaolu also sensed something amiss, and both looked up at the other two.

After a brief silence, Pei Yuan stepped forward and cupped his hands toward Chu Ling. “Actually, I still have something to say.”

Chu Ling glanced at Magistrate Zhang. Zhang snorted through his nose, “Pei Yuan, speak.”

“Actually, our encounter with Brother Shen was not a mere coincidence—we knew of him beforehand,” Pei Yuan said. At this, the other students’ expressions changed.

“At a teahouse, Brother Shen was chatting with someone, and spoke a lot—his words might even have touched on next year’s spring examination questions. You might ask, Your Honors, the spring examination is next year, and the examiners are not yet appointed—how could questions be leaked?”

“But in fact, some prominent families in the capital have already secretly learned some information. The examiner might be Grand Tutor Sun, and the questions he sets happen to overlap with what Brother Shen mentioned. Out of curiosity, we sought out Shen Lizhou in the abandoned temple.”

Chu Ling nodded. “So you were testing him—seeing why Shen Lizhou would know the spring exam questions?”

“Yes,” Pei Yuan admitted straightforwardly.

Magistrate Zhang’s face changed drastically. He stood up in shock and looked at the students. “You… you actually dared… were you trying to cheat?”

Chu Ling said, “Magistrate, please calm down. By ordinary reasoning, at this early hour, it’s absolutely impossible for there to already be a confirmed examiner and pre-issued exam questions. This is most likely just a rumor that spread from the capital.”

Zhang’s heart was still pounding, but the situation didn’t allow for an outburst, so he had no choice but to sit back down.

Chu Ling looked at the students again. “So, someone thought that Shen Lizhou might have received news and that his composition was good. They feared losing to Shen Lizhou in the spring examination, and that’s what drove them to murderous intent.”

“Sir, I am confident I am no worse than Brother Shen. I disdain such methods,” Pei Yuan immediately said.

Yang Huaishan also said, “I wouldn’t do it either. Absolutely not.”

Cheng Qiyuan, Sun Miaolu, and Yang Sheng, among others, all shook their heads, saying they would never commit murder over this.

Chu Ling hummed softly. “This makes things difficult. I am not the examiner, and I cannot assess your compositions on the spot. How could I determine who falls short of Shen Lizhou, and who actually intended to kill?”

Pei Yuan was silent for a moment, then spoke in a low voice, “When Yang Sheng and I woke up, his companion was not by his side.”

Yang Sheng’s face changed drastically. “Xiao Mutou… Xiao Mutou wasn’t with me when I fainted.”

“But your companion wasn’t in the temple either,” Sun Miaolu quickly added.

Cheng Qiyuan hesitated and looked at Yang Sheng. “You didn’t need to act yourself. You had a companion. Your companion drugged you and Pei Yuan, carried you both out of the temple, all so Pei Yuan could testify that you were poisoned.”

“Then your companion hiring someone to commit murder… that’s… that’s possible,” Sun Miaolu said, still shaken. If he and Cheng Qiyuan hadn’t woken up, would they have died too?

“Nonsense! Absolute nonsense!” Yang Sheng glared at them in anger. “There’s no way my companion would hire someone to kill!”

“But only you could have done it,” Yang Huaishan said, looking at him. “Only the two of you—so convenient to act. Besides, your composition is average; even with family recommendation, you likely wouldn’t have beaten Shen Lizhou.”

Yang Sheng went pale instantly and involuntarily knelt down. “No… I didn’t… Xiao Mutou… Xiao Mutou wouldn’t… didn’t… didn’t…”

“But you don’t have the Small Moon Blade,” Chu Ling reminded him.

Yang Sheng immediately realized and shouted, “I don’t have the Small Moon Blade! I have no murder weapon!”

“You do,” Pei Yuan said with certainty. “I’ve seen it. It’s in your room. Someone can be sent to search now.”

Magistrate Zhang immediately ordered, “Zhao Yi, go search!”

The crowd murmured in astonishment, discussing among themselves. Who would have thought the result would turn out like this?

Cheng Qiyuan and Sun Miaolu breathed a sigh of relief—they had cleared their names.

Yang Huaishan collapsed to the ground in relief. He had escaped disaster; he neither killed anyone nor caused anyone to die.

Chu Ling lowered her gaze and suddenly curled her lips into a smile. In this tense situation, it stood out, immediately drawing everyone’s attention.

“Now that this murder case is behind us, I suppose you students will be heading to the capital for the exams,” Chu Ling shifted the topic, still smiling. “I’ve inquired a bit, and it seems each of you is quite well-known at your academies.”

Yang Huaishan replied somewhat embarrassed, “We do have some minor reputations. Otherwise, we wouldn’t even know each other.”

“Among you, whose knowledge is the best?” Chu Ling asked curiously.

Yang Huaishan, though reluctant, answered honestly: “I’m best with poetry, but Pei Yuan’s prose is superior.”

Cheng Qiyuan sighed and murmured softly, “Actually, Brother Shen’s is even better. His wording isn’t as ornate as Brother Ziqi’s, but every word is sincere, and it moves people to tears.”

Sun Miaolu also expressed some regret. “If he goes to the spring examination, he might very well take first place.”