tallest building

Chapter 144 Third Round

The room was so quiet you could hear a pin drop.

Gong Chang'an lowered his head and pondered for the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and saw that the incense had already burned down to almost nothing.

“I have come up with a solution, but it’s not very clever. Let’s give it a try,” Gong Chang’an said, raising his head.

"Tell me about it," said the long-bearded scholar.

"The students planned to first find out what the prefect's mother looked like when she was alive, and then find some people to spread the news that they had all recently dreamed of the same old woman who told them that her living quarters were cramped and she could not turn over, and that she was suffering terribly. She asked them to tell their sons to change their living quarters."

When people asked who her son was, she only said four words—Wangji Zhenfu.

The news gradually spread throughout the city, and naturally, some people figured out the answer: "Wangji is the most powerful, and the governor is the best." Coupled with the old woman's appearance and demeanor, everyone quickly concluded that this was the spirit of the governor's mother appearing in their dreams.

"Wait a minute, what kind of person do you initially intend to find to spread the story of dreams?" the round-faced teacher asked.

"The students plan to find two types of people. One type is the vendors who often walk the streets and alleys in the city. They deal with all sorts of people in their daily business."

They spread information the fastest, and such people can achieve their goals simply by offering incentives.

Another group consists of prisoners in jail. They are told that if they do this or that, they will receive good karma and rewards. These people are bold and eager to get out. Most of them will give it a try.

Although they were imprisoned, they were actually very close to the governor, and those in charge of them were naturally the messengers.

Furthermore, neither the small vendors nor these guilty individuals need to worry about any losses from doing so. After all, if they insist they did have such a dream, no one can do anything about it.

"Okay, so what happens after you release the news?" Kang Fuzi asked.

“It will naturally reach the ears of the prefect,” Gong Chang’an said.

"Then the governor must be wondering why his mother didn't just appear in his dream?" Master Kang asked.

“The student has also thought of an excuse. In fact, before the prefect asked the question, others must have had the same question.” Gong Chang’an blinked and said, “The old lady said in her dream that her son was an official with an official seal, and she could not get close to him, so she could only ask others in her dream. This further confirms that her son is the prefect.”

"Even if this doubt can be dispelled, what if the governor remains unmoved?" the long-bearded scholar asked.

“Even if the prefect remains unmoved by now, those wicked people who have harmed others must have already felt guilty,” Gong Chang’an said. “Of course, this is on the premise that the beggar was not lying and that such a thing really happened.”

Those people initially thought they had kept the matter a secret and that no one could possibly know. But as the story of the dream spread like wildfire, they inevitably became terrified.

However, they couldn't possibly dig up the grave now, since the prefect's mother had just been buried, and they had taken advantage of the situation. Now, several years had passed, and if the grave were damaged, it would inevitably arouse suspicion.

These people might flee to other places, but no matter where they go, they must go to the government office to get a travel permit; otherwise, they will be arrested and sent back to their hometowns wherever they go.

Then I can spread the word in advance, perhaps through a dream, saying that the person who disturbed the prefect's mother's spirit intends to flee to another place, and that we must be on high alert. In this way, we will block their escape route.

These people will only become more timid and more inclined to believe in ghosts and spirits.

"Even if these people believe in ghosts and gods, do you think they'll actually turn themselves in to the authorities? I think it's highly unlikely," Master Kang shook his head. "At most, they'll be afraid, that's all." "As long as they believe in ghosts and gods and are afraid, that's enough. They can't flee to other places, nor can they dig up graves. But they will definitely go to the grave to burn incense and repent, begging the old lady's spirit to forgive them."

They arranged for people to hide nearby beforehand, so that if anyone went there, they would be apprehended and taken to the yamen (government office).

The prefect will naturally interrogate them, and if they reveal even the slightest flaw, the prefect will certainly investigate further.

“That’s true, but what if the person caught is extremely cunning and tries to find another excuse to get away with it?” the round-faced teacher asked.

“Then there’s the beggar. At least that proves he’s not lying, so he can be the one to report it,” Gong Chang’an said.

“But what if the governor just doesn’t believe it? After all, it’s just the beggar’s side of the story. Does that mean he should dig up his own mother’s grave?” said the long-bearded scholar.

In fact, Confucius was clearly deliberately making things difficult for us by asking this question, but we cannot completely rule out the possibility of such an extreme situation.

For example, the prefect was an extremely stubborn person.

“If that still doesn’t work, we’ll have to spend some more money to hire a play,” Gong Chang’an said. “However, this play can only be performed at night, and it would be best if it were about Bao Gong’s trial.”

"What do you mean?" asked a short, stout scholar who had been silent all along.

“When a stage is set up for a performance, the audience will naturally be packed, so there's no need to worry about not having enough viewers. On the stage, when Judge Bao is judging a case, the person being judged is suddenly possessed by a female ghost and begs Judge Bao to clear her name.”

Then he revealed his origins and where his remains were buried.

Combined with the momentum created earlier, everyone immediately realized that the woman who had been missing for many years had been murdered and buried in the tomb of the prefect's mother.

This naturally caused a sensation throughout the city, and the prefect could no longer ignore it.

This matter has caused quite a stir. If he continues to stand idly by, people will inevitably ridicule him for being an incompetent official and an unfilial son.

As long as he doesn't open the grave, these rumors will never cease. Even if he believes that the so-called dream and Judge Bao's trial are all fabrications, as long as the grave remains unopened, the people's doubts will persist.

In other words, as long as the grave remains unopened, it cannot prove that there are other corpses inside, nor can it prove that such a thing did not happen. All that remained for the crowd was suspicion.

Rumors spread like wildfire. Such an incident under his jurisdiction was bound to damage his reputation, so at this point, he had no choice but to act. "Besides, given how things have escalated, even if he didn't want to open it, the higher-ups would definitely send someone to investigate," Gong Chang'an said firmly.

If he's smart, he'll open his own and gain a good reputation. Otherwise, he'll lose face and reputation. Unless he's exceptionally stupid, he should be able to understand the pros and cons.

After he finished speaking, the scholars did not ask any more questions, but instead looked at each other.

Finally, everyone's attention focused on the sage sitting in the main seat, who had an air of otherworldly wisdom but had remained silent throughout.

"Someone come here! Take him to the back." The teacher slightly opened his phoenix eyes and glanced at Gong Chang'an.

Immediately, a disciple came over, took Gong Chang'an's hand, and led him to the back.