Longevity, starting from traveling and telling stories

Chapter 189: Past Events
Examination time is always boring. Other candidates are racking their brains to think of how to answer the questions, but Ye Aniu is the only one who is dozing off with snot bubbles coming out of his nose.

The reason was simple. He had a cheat book and had already finished answering all the questions. He was so bored that he didn't know what to do except take a nap.

Zhong Kang noticed that Ye Aniu had stopped writing and was shocked. He finished the answer so quickly? He was more than half the time faster than the others.

Did he answer randomly? Did I misjudge the answer? Never mind! Everything would be clear after the exam.

Finally, as the sound of a gong resounded throughout the Imperial Examination Hall, Zhong Kang stood up and announced, "The examination time is over. All candidates please put down your pens. Those who violate this will be disqualified."

As soon as the examiners finished collecting the papers, the Imperial Examination Hall suddenly became lively.

Some are happy and some are sad.

Those candidates who felt that they had performed well had confident smiles on their faces.

Some candidates shook their heads and sighed, looking frustrated, obviously feeling that their answers were not satisfactory.

Everyone was talking at once, discussing the exam situation enthusiastically.

"The questions this time were really tricky. I racked my brains for that policy essay question. Fortunately, I finished it at the last minute, but I don't know how well I wrote it." A candidate said with a worried look on his face.

"Oh! Me too! I'm afraid I won't be able to make the list." The candidate next to him echoed, with helplessness written all over his face.

Only Ye Aniu walked straight towards the gate with a relaxed look on his face.

As soon as I walked out the door, I saw Lin Wanjun waiting anxiously.

"Why are you here?" Ye Aniu asked puzzledly as he looked at Lin Wanjun pacing back and forth.

"Sir, there's a door god blocking the way here. I can't get in." Lin Wanjun cried, her voice full of grievance and helplessness.

"..." Ye Aniu was speechless after hearing this. Is there such a thing? Then he said in a soothing tone: "After this round of exams, Master Zhongkang will probably leave the Imperial Academy. I will take you to see him then! After all, we have waited for so many years, you can afford to wait a little longer."

Lin Wanjun nodded and followed Ye Aniu back to the inn.

But before Ye Aniu could sit down, he was called by a large group of students to go for an outing.

In desperation, in order to avoid being accused of being arrogant, he had to agree.

the other side.

In the Imperial Examination Hall, Zhongkang had covered all the test papers, intending to mark them all together after the three rounds of examinations were completed.

Just then, a servant came to report.

"My Lord, your wife..."

Upon hearing this, Zhongkang immediately remembered that he had promised his wife that he would take her out for a walk after this round of exams was over. After all, there were still three days before the second round of exams.

"Got it." After finishing the matters at hand, Zhongkang waved his hand, handed over the relevant matters, and walked towards the door.

From a distance, Li Qingmei was seen twirling the corners of her clothes with her hands, looking a little impatient, but as soon as she saw Zhongkang coming, she immediately became overjoyed.

"Akang..." Li Qingmei waved at him.

"Madam..." Zhong Kang looked at her, looking a little haggard, and couldn't help but call out with some pity.

Li Qingmei took Zhongkang's arm and said, "It's a nice day today. My husband must have been bored in the Imperial Examination Hall these past few days! How about we go for an outing?"

Zhongkang smiled slightly and said, "I'll obey Madam in everything."

Zhongkang and Li Qingmei walked hand in hand on the path.

At this time, the sun is shining, the breeze is blowing gently, and the air is filled with a faint fragrance, which is refreshing.

There was green grass on both sides of the road. Li Qingmei held Zhongkang's arm affectionately, with a smile on her face, and the two walked slowly on the lawn.

Suddenly, she pointed to a lush forest ahead and said with a look of nostalgia in her eyes, "Husband, do you still remember? It was during an outing that I found you injured."

After a pause, she said with emotion, "In the blink of an eye, we have been married for more than ten years."

Zhong Kang also sighed: "Yes! It's been ten years."

Wanjun has been dead for ten years.

At this moment, Li Qingmei's eyes were attracted by a gorgeous sea of flowers in front of her. She said happily, "Husband, look how beautiful those flowers are. I'll go pick some."

After saying that, she ran over happily like a little girl.

At the same time, not far away, a large group of students were gathered around Zhihuzheya, quoting from classics and talking at length. Everyone expressed their own opinions and spoke incessantly.

"Ah..." A cry of surprise suddenly interrupted everyone. Someone with sharp eyes suddenly noticed Zhongkang, and everyone's attention was instantly drawn to him.

The students realized that this was a great opportunity to build closer ties, so they rushed towards Zhong Kang like a tide, shouting, "Master Zhong, Master Zhong..."

Ye Aniu was also pushed over by the crowd.

He suddenly felt a little regretful. Why didn't he bring the backpack with him? Otherwise, he could let Lin Wanjun meet Zhongkang here, and his mission would be accomplished!

But in order to confirm whether the Zhongkang in front of him was the Zhongkang that Lin Wanjun mentioned, Ye Aniu asked tentatively when he stepped forward to greet him, "I wonder if the lord knows Wanjun?"

Zhong Kang's expression changed drastically when he heard this.

He subconsciously reached out and tightly grasped Ye Aniu's arm, his tone becoming somewhat incoherent: "What did you say? Speak clearly, what do you know?"

"Husband..." A crisp cry brought Zhongkang back to reality.

After picking the flowers, Li Qingmei held a beautiful flower in her hand. She frowned and looked at Zhongkang excitedly holding Ye Aniu's arm, with a hint of doubt on her face.

Ye Aniu turned his head and saw Zhongkang's wife coming back, and immediately realized that it was not appropriate to discuss this matter at this time. After all, it was too disrespectful to his current wife.

So he hurriedly bowed and said, "Master Zhong, I will come to visit you again after the provincial examination is over."

After saying this, he turned and left. It seemed that this Zhong Kang must be Lin Wanjun's husband. After I finished my exams, I would bring them together, and my mission would be accomplished.

Li Qingmei had just vaguely heard the word "Wanjun" and asked tentatively, "Husband, what happened just now? Why are you so excited?"

"Ah! Nothing." Zhongkang knew that she was very jealous, so of course he couldn't mention that this student knew about Wanjun.

But the more he spoke, the more suspicious Li Qingmei grew. Had she misheard? Or was he… hiding something from her? Could there still be something slipping through the net? No, she had to go to Zhong Dakang tonight and find out if anyone had inquired about Lin Wanjun recently. If so, that would basically confirm that the candidate just now knew something.

She is very scared now, afraid that all the happiness of so many years will vanish into thin air. It is hard to imagine how sad Akang will be when he knows that he has killed Lin Wanjun.

at the same time.

It was already evening when Ye Aniu returned to the inn.

Shopkeeper Dai hurried forward, bowed and greeted him, "Mr. Ye, you're back. Are you going to continue the story from three days ago?"

Ye Aniu looked over and saw a steady stream of students coming to eat, significantly more than in the previous few days, clearly drawn by his stories. There were even some non-students who came to listen.

"Yes! We can't give up halfway." Ye Aniu responded.

"Then I will not bother you anymore, sir. Please do as you please."

The two nodded to each other, and Ye Aniu walked straight towards the stage.

"Pah!" Ye Aniu slapped the square wood.

At this time, the students in the audience were already ready to listen attentively and stared at Ye Aniu closely.

Ye Aniu began to speak aloud: "Last time, when Bao Zheng and others were looking for Xiang Wentian, they found him dead in a water tank."

Ye Aniu paused for a moment and continued, "Bao Zheng and the others were also greatly shocked, and soon the officials arrived."

"At this time, everyone returned to Liyueju to reconsider how to investigate the case. Gongsun Ce suddenly asked to check the examination papers to prove whether Xiang Wentian had taken the exam."

The students in the audience heard this and started talking about it.

"Why did Gongsun Ce want to check the test papers? Is there any connection between this and Xiang Wentian's death?"

"No, it's probably because they suspect someone is taking the exam under someone else's name, which led to the murder?"

"This Gongsun Ce is really smart. Starting from the test paper, he might be able to find some clues."

Ye Aniu looked at the students' varying reactions and continued vividly, "When Bao Zheng heard Gongsun Ce's proposal, he immediately thought it was a brilliant idea."

He continued his story, but Lord He firmly disagreed, saying that checking the examination papers was a big deal, and he also said Gongsun Ce was nothing. But when Cui Mingchong revealed that he was the son of the prefect of Luzhou, Lord He immediately changed his attitude, and Cui Mingchong now agreed to check the examination papers with great righteousness.

When the students in the audience heard this, they couldn't help but sweat. Fortunately, Gongsun Ce was a relative, otherwise the case would be difficult to investigate.

Seeing that everyone in the audience was deeply attracted by the story, Ye Aniu patted the square wood again and continued to narrate: "Here, Lord Cui is reviewing the test papers, and Bao Zheng and the others are also busy, continuing to investigate the clues."

The students in the audience were all focused. They were all well-read and intelligent. When they encountered such a bizarre case, they naturally wanted to solve it as if they were there in person to prove their abilities.

Then Ye Aniu narrated that Bao Zheng and his team went to the residence of Ruan Wenhao and Xiang Wentian to look for clues.

I was surprised to find that Xiang Wentian and Ruan Wenhao, who had died earlier, stopped reading on the same day.

Not only that, they also found letters they wrote to their families. In the letters, both of them were certain that they would be the top scorer in the imperial examination. The confidence in their words made it seem as if the top spot was already a sure thing.

As soon as these words were spoken, the audience exploded.

"Stop studying on the same day? And they're both convinced they can get into high school. There must be something fishy going on!"

"Did they know something inside, or did someone make some promise to them?"

"Yeah, under normal circumstances, who can be so sure before the exam is over?"

"I'm afraid there's a huge secret hidden in this."

"Besides, who would dare not review their lessons before an exam? There must be something fishy going on!"

Just as everyone was discussing this, Ye Aniu changed the subject: "At this time, the sharp-eyed little Zhan Zhao discovered a poem in the deceased's room."

"This poem is the one on the stone tablet of Qianli Lake."

"what!"

There were exclamations from the audience, and many students showed fear on their faces.

"This...this is too weird!"

"First, he died mysteriously, and now he's found a poem from the Qianli Lake stone tablet in the room. Could it really be a ghost haunting him?"

"Is this Thousand Carp Lake cursed?"

"There are no ghosts in this world, but these clues are intertwined together, which is indeed incredible!"

"Perhaps this poem wasn't written by a ghost, but we haven't yet grasped its deeper meaning."

"Why did the murderer do this, and how is it related to the deaths of these two people?" Ye Aniu looked at the frightened and curious expressions of the people in the audience, and laughed in his heart. Who could know the answer before he announced it? You will be surprised one day.

He continued, "As Bao Zheng and the others looked at these clues, they felt that the case was becoming increasingly confusing..."

The students in the audience were all gripped by the tense plot.

……

Seeing the excitement among the audience, Ye Aniu raised his voice and continued, "The deaths of two candidates in succession are such a major event that it instantly caused an uproar in the capital and directly alarmed the emperor."

He then narrated that the emperor was furious and summoned a group of ministers, including Bao Zheng, to discuss the matter.

The extremely powerful Master Pang took the opportunity to make trouble, questioning why they invited such an unimportant person.

"At this moment, the emperor suddenly spoke up and said that Bao Zheng had solved the case of the Korean envoys and that he had invited him."

Then the story goes on to say that Master Pang hated Bao Zheng so much that he put a high hat on Bao Zheng in front of everyone and gave him three days to solve the case.

The emperor also ordered Bao Zheng to solve the case within three days, otherwise he would be exiled and never allowed to return to the court.

When the students in the audience heard this, they were immediately excited.

"This Grand Tutor Pang is indeed a treacherous minister. How can we possibly solve this case in three days?!"

"Yes, this is just a deliberate attempt to make things difficult for you! Bao Zheng is focused on investigating the case, while Master Pang only wants to suppress him."

"If Bao Zheng were to be exiled, where would justice be? Where would righteousness be?"

"If we encounter such injustice in the future, we must speak out for justice and not fear life or death. Otherwise, what is the point of reading the books of sages?" a student said excitedly.

For a moment, everyone in the audience was talking at the same time, and the atmosphere was both heated and tense.

Seeing that the fire was almost ready, Ye Aniu slapped the wake-up stick again, drawing everyone's attention back.

He continued, "Faced with Master Pang's harassment, although Bao Zheng frowned, he still agreed in a firm tone."

Then he continued to talk about the key points, and Bao Zheng and his colleagues immediately continued their investigation without stopping.

However, before one problem is solved, another one arises. As they were investigating everywhere, they were shocked to learn that Zhou Bajin, the waiter of Liyueju Inn, had also died mysteriously in Qianli Lake.

There was another round of exclamations from the audience, and the students' faces were full of shock.

"Why did someone die again? Is there really a ghost in Qianli Lake? Otherwise, why do people keep dying?"

"This case is getting more and more complicated. I'm afraid Bao Zheng is going to be in trouble this time. It's not easy to solve three murders in three days!"

Everyone looked solemn, not knowing how the case would develop. Ye Aniu nodded with satisfaction. They were completely immersed in the story.

He was secretly pleased with himself, cleared his throat, and continued his story with great enthusiasm: "Bao Zheng and his companions did not flinch in the face of these successive difficulties, but continued their investigation."

The story goes on to say that while everyone was busy investigating the case, an accident suddenly occurred. Pang Feiyan accidentally fell into the water for unknown reasons, and the turbulent current instantly swept her into the water, putting her in a critical situation.

Ye Aniu held a square piece of wood and pretended to be Pang Feiyan, imitating Gongsun Ce giving Pang Feiyan artificial respiration, which made everyone laugh.

In this tense atmosphere, it actually adds a bit of relaxation.

But Bao Zheng found that the distance from the lake to the back mountain was relatively short. At this point, Ye Aniu changed the subject and said, "Pang Feiyan just escaped danger here, and a new situation has emerged over there."

"Cui Mingchong, who had always stayed out of the matter, actually took the initiative to extend an olive branch to Bao Zheng and invited him to the woods where he was."

The students in the audience were whispering to each other, speculating about Cui Mingchong's intention.

"This Cui Mingchong is so enthusiastic, could he have some ulterior motive?"

"Maybe he really just wanted to help Bao Zheng solve the case." Some students also expressed different opinions.

Snapped!
Ye Aniu slapped the wake-up stick and continued, "It would have been better if I hadn't gone. As soon as I went, I found a major clue. As soon as Bao Zheng stepped into the woods, he keenly noticed fresh traces of paint above the orchard."

Then he began to narrate. Bao Zheng looked at the abrupt paint and suddenly an idea flashed in his mind.

He instantly thought of Sai Zhongyuan, whom he had met before, and his expression froze.

The students in the audience heard this and started discussing again.

"Could Sai Zhongyuan be the murderer?" a student exclaimed.

"Bao Zheng is really smart."

At the same time, everyone is more and more curious about how the story will develop next. Is the murderer really Sai Zhongyuan as Bao Zheng inferred? How will the murderer be exposed?
Seeing that everyone in the audience was deeply captivated by the story, Ye Aniu raised his voice and began to speak: "With this important discovery, Bao Zheng quickly informed Lord Cui Mingchong, and Sai Zhongyuan was soon arrested and brought to court."

When the students in the audience heard the news, they suddenly became noisy.

"Let's see how he can quibble this time!" said an impatient student.

Then he began to describe the scene in the court, the atmosphere was solemn.

Lord He asked Cui Mingchong to be the presiding judge.

Cui Mingchong sat in the presiding judge's seat with a calm expression. He glanced at Bao Zheng and asked him if he had any evidence to prove that Sai Zhongyuan had committed murder.

"Bao Zheng looked calm. He stepped forward, bowed, and began to narrate in an orderly manner."

It turned out that Sai Zhongyuan used the characteristics of his wooden prosthesis to float over with the help of the buoyancy of the water.

Then he took off his prosthesis, which made him lighter, and he could use the fruit basket to go up the mountain, which saved a lot of time and created a perfect alibi.

The students in the audience were originally confused, but as Bao Zheng narrated, they suddenly understood.

One person couldn't help but exclaimed in amazement: "The layout is really ingenious. If it weren't for Bao Zheng unraveling the mystery, we would have had trouble figuring it out."

"Yes, yes, one thing leads to another, taking advantage of natural conditions and its own characteristics to cleverly avoid everyone's sight." Another student in a blue shirt echoed.

Another older student stroked his beard and said thoughtfully, "Bao Zheng's reasoning ability is even more amazing. Some seemingly careless words can solve the doubts in his heart and reconstruct the whole process. It's really amazing."

Snap! Another wooden sound.

Ye Aniu spoke more and more skillfully, "Then Sai Zhongyuan loudly refuted that even if he had concealed the fact of the prosthetic limb, it couldn't be used to accuse him of murder. After all, he just didn't want to be ridiculed. What crime had he committed? He also asked Bao Zheng if he had any direct evidence."

At this point, Ye Aniu's face suddenly darkened, and he imitated Bao Zheng's tone sternly and painfully and said, "Yes, I have... the evidence is right on your head."

At this point, the students began to feel confused again.

"What evidence can there be on the head?"

"Could it be that he wrote?"

But soon, Ye Aniu solved the mystery. It turned out that the evidence was the paint used to repel insects in the forest.

There was still paint on Sai Zhongyuan's head that had not been wiped off in time, and everything came to light.

"I see." Everyone nodded. This time the evidence was irrefutable and it would be difficult to overturn the verdict.

"Sai Zhongyuan still refuses to plead guilty, but..." Ye Aniu deliberately kept the audience suspenseful before saying, "His rebuttal is completely weak."

"Soon, Cui Mingchong sentenced Sai Zhongyuan to death on the spot. When Sai Zhongyuan was thrown into prison by the officials, he kept shouting, 'Why did Bao Zheng want to kill him?'"

At this point, everyone started whispering again.

"Is there something else hidden in the case?"

"The case has already been finalized, there's no room for hidden secrets."

"that is……"

Ye Aniu kept the mystery a secret for a while before continuing, "The case was solved, and Bao Zheng's reputation soared. People flocked to him to meet him, and his friend and rival Gongsun Ce was so distracted by the noise that he had no choice but to go to Qianli Lake to relax."

Then he began to narrate. Gongsun Ce accidentally glanced at the poem and instantly solved the mystery of the poem. Only then did he realize the problem.

When he returned to tell Bao Zheng the clue, he was suddenly beaten and fell unconscious.

It turned out that Pang Feiyan thought someone was following her, so she beat the person. Then she carried Gongsun Ce back to Liyueju and handed him over to Bao Zheng.

At this point, Ye Aniu changed the subject again and imitated Bao Zheng's anxious tone to question Pang Feiyan: "What did you do to him? His pulse is weak now and his life is in danger at any time."

"Only then did Pang Feiyan realize that she had gotten into trouble. Everyone rushed to find Divine Doctor Lu, and only then did they confirm that Gongsun Ce had been poisoned."

Then he began to narrate how several people were worried about Gongsun Ce's poison, and coincidentally met Zhou Bajin's family who were paying tribute to Zhou Bajin, and accidentally heard Doctor Lu say that Zhou Bajin had liver disease.

Bao Zheng then realized the problem. His previous reasoning was all wrong. Sai Zhongyuan was not the murderer, and Gongsun Ce must have discovered something.

"What..." Someone suddenly stood up, muttering to himself, "The murderer is actually someone else. Doesn't that make Sai Zhongyuan the scapegoat?"

"What should we do? This murderer is no ordinary person. He can actually play tricks on Bao Zheng and Gongsun Ce at the same time."

"Hurry and listen to what he has to say."

Seeing that it was getting late, Ye Aniu smiled and said, "Everyone, to know what will happen next, wait until the second round of exams is over and we'll analyze it later..."

After saying that, he went straight upstairs to sleep.

"Ye Aniu, you are despicable and shameless..."

"You kept us awake at night, making the exam difficult, just so you could get the top scorer, right?"

"You are insidious and cunning."

However, Aniu turned a deaf ear to him, went straight back to his room, washed up, and lay down on the bed to rest. Whoever wants to say it can say it, isn’t it sweet to sleep?

After a while, a faint snoring sound was heard.

At midnight.

A dark shadow slowly approached Aniu's bed in the faint moonlight. The shadow held a dagger in his hand, and the dagger emitted a cold light in the moonlight.

Just as the black shadow was about to step forward and kill with one blow.

Suddenly, a column of white smoke emerged from the backpack, and a female ghost with disheveled hair appeared inside. She was looking at the man in black in a sinister and terrifying manner, and her head kept spinning 360 degrees from time to time.

The man in black dropped the dagger in his hand in fright, and his heart began to beat violently. He didn't care about anything else and quickly turned around and ran away!
Lin Wanjun covered her mouth and smiled. "You still want to harm Mr.? I can't scare you to death."

the other side.

"What did you say?" a female voice demanded sharply, "There are no ghosts in this world! Get out of here!"

After the man in black retreated tremblingly, Li Qingmei trembled all over and covered her face, and suddenly something in her heart moved.

Ghost? Could it be her? Has she come back to take my life? No, that's impossible. I'm not afraid of you even when you're alive, and if you're dead, don't even think about stealing Akang from me. Akang is mine.

(End of this chapter)