Chapter 300: Who Benefits the Most

Chapter 300: Who Benefits the Most

Bai Ge'er said, "Do you remember when we escorted your third brother to the examination hall, we met the young master of the prefect's family, Tan Shaomeng?"

Xingxing nodded, not understanding why her second brother suddenly brought up Tan Shaomeng.

Bai Ge'er asked this question out of the blue but didn't elaborate further. Instead, he brought up another matter with Xingxing—about the news of a self-proclaimed candidate from Banan County.

Bai Ge'er said, "...That person's surname is Wu, named Wu Yong. His ancestors were once notorious thieves, but later reformed and settled in Banan County, starting small businesses. Wu Yong was quite clever in his youth and passed the prefectural examination early, but he repeatedly failed the provincial examination. This year marks his sixth attempt at the provincial examination. Wu Yong is skilled at networking and came to the prefectural city early, making friends with many candidates, spending his days socializing and forming cliques."

Xingxing frowned, her small brows knitting together, "But third brother simply didn't interact with them. He has no grudge against this Wu Yong. How could he do something so vicious, trying to ruin third brother's life?"

Bai Ge'er nodded, "Wu Yong deliberately came over to say those words, making it seem like he disliked third brother for being aloof. But in reality, there are countless candidates who don't interact with others, and many are quite renowned. Why would Wu Yong risk his own future to frame third brother, someone he has never interacted with?"

Xingxing followed Bai Ge'er's line of thought and couldn't help but ask, "Yes, why?"

Bai Ge'er smiled, but his eyes were dark and cold.

"We can temporarily set aside Wu Yong and see who benefits the most if third brother is caught and fails the exam."

Xingxing frowned and thought hard but couldn't figure it out.

Bai Ge'er gently tapped Xingxing's little head, "Have you forgotten? Your third brother is the famous 'closed-door disciple of Grand Scholar Liu.' He has consistently topped every exam from the county level. Many great scholars have praised his papers... This provincial examination, your third brother is a strong candidate for the top scholar."

Top scholar!

Xingxing seemed to understand something, "Second brother, you mean some people don't want third brother to be the top scholar, so... Wu Yong framed him, trying to get him caught and fail!"

Bai Ge'er nodded, "Exactly, so the mastermind behind this couldn't be Wu Yong. Wu Yong has taken the provincial exam five times and never passed. He's not on the same level as your third brother."

Xingxing now understood, her round eyes widening, "Second brother, you mean those strong candidates for the top scholar might be the ones who framed third brother?"

"Correct," Bai Ge'er gave Xingxing a confirming look.

He chuckled and brought the conversation back to the initial question he asked, "Do you remember Tan Shaomeng, whom we met when we escorted your third brother to the exam hall?"

Xingxing was confused, "That young master Tan looks about the same age as Ju Geer. And he didn't take the exam, how could he..."

Bai Ge'er sighed with a smile, "Of course, it's not him. I meant to say, we were there to escort your third brother to the exam, and young master Tan was also there to escort his elder brother to the exam."

Xingxing caught a key word in her daze, "His elder brother?"

Mentioning this person, a cold glint flashed in Bai Ge'er's eyes. He sneered, "Yes, young master Tan's elder brother, the eldest son of Prefect Tan, Tan Jingqian. Tan Jingqian is also quite renowned in literature and, being the son of the prefect, has hosted many poetry gatherings in the prefectural city, making him the de facto leader of the younger generation in the literary circle. If you ask the people of the prefectural city who is most likely to be the top scholar this time, eight out of ten would probably say Tan Jingqian."

"Of course, this alone doesn't prove that Tan Jingqian instructed Wu Yong. But coincidentally, a few days ago, a married woman was accused of killing her husband. Later, the authorities found some evidence proving her husband died of natural causes. The woman was acquitted... Coincidentally, this woman now lives next door to Wu Yong. She is Wu Yong's childhood sweetheart, but they never ended up together."

Xingxing's eyes widened.

"Second brother, you mean..."

Bai Ge'er, who usually speaks cautiously in front of others, didn't hide his suspicions from Xingxing, "Yes, I suspect there's a connection between Tan Jingqian and Wu Yong... I had someone get the case files from that time and checked. The case was concluded hastily, clearly someone used money and connections to wrap it up quickly. Not long after, Tan Jingqian and Wu Yong spent over half an hour together in a tea house private room."

"...If this is all a coincidence, it's just too many coincidences in a row."

Bai Ge'er concluded.

Xingxing clenched her fists, "...So, Tan Jingqian used his influence to win over Wu Yong, and to secure his position as the top scholar, Tan Jingqian had Wu Yong frame third brother!"

Bai Ge'er nodded, "The clues we have so far all point to this speculation."

Xingxing stomped around the room in anger, "How could they do this? This is outrageous!"

Bai Ge'er watched Xingxing fume, feeling a quiet relief.

Fortunately, Xingxing was there at the time and promptly discovered the note that had been secretly slipped under Liu Ge'er's collar.

Wu Yong's method was quite sneaky, probably a trick passed down in his family.

Xingxing, still angry, paced around the room a few more times, then asked Bai Ge'er with some concern, "Second Brother, what should we do? Can't we use this to take them to court?"

As they suspected, there was no solid evidence to prove that Wu Yong was instructed by Tan Jingqian to frame someone.

Bai Ge'er also shook his head, "...With limited time, we've only uncovered this much. It really can't be used as evidence. Moreover..."

Bai Ge'er paused.

Moreover, Tan Jingqian is the prefect's son!

With the lack of evidence and trying to sue the prefect's son, it's clear this won't work.

Seeing Xingxing's little brow furrowed high, Bai Ge'er comforted her, "Don't worry, if the direct approach doesn't work, I have other ways to get back at them."

For instance, he could hire some out-of-town toughs, have them pose as bandits, and kidnap that so-called Young Master and Wu Yong, maybe even break an arm or two.

Bai Ge'er gave a cold smile.

But Xingxing suddenly grabbed Bai Ge'er's sleeve, looking worried, "Second Brother, when you talk about getting back at them, you're not planning to beat them up, are you?"

Bai Ge'er hesitated.

...Xingxing had hit the nail on the head.