They've all become top scholars in the imperial examinations, and you're telling me this i

Chapter 49 Testing
Should we ask around among some 'non-human' beings?

Wei Zheng held the rough porcelain bowl, his cloudy eyes fixed on Chen Guangrui, filled with suspicion. What was he saying? Did he know something?
He looked at Chen Guangrui, trying his best to make the appropriate expression on his face.

That kid is too smart!
He was genuinely afraid that Chen Guangrui might uncover some enormous secret from certain clues, such as the fact that his newly appointed Right Vice Minister was actually a human official sent to the mortal realm by the Jade Emperor.

This identity cannot be revealed!

Chen Guangrui found his wary look amusing, but kept a serious expression on her face and began to explain.

"What I mean is, Lord Wei, why don't you ask those officials and clerks in charge of the documents again to see if there are any suspicious people or things?"

"I already asked!"

Wei Zheng put down his wine bowl, waved his hand, and spoke with a hint of frustration about handling the case.
"I've already sent people to question them thoroughly several times! Including the old clerk on duty that day and the one in charge of the warehouse, they all said that everything was normal and calm those days, and they didn't even see an extra fly. There's nothing suspicious!"

He knew he couldn't clear his name this time, so he questioned everyone immediately to prevent anyone from stripping him of his power later.

However, in this case, he did not use the power of the official in charge of personnel, and he really did not ask about the land.

Chen Guangrui pondered, seemingly carefully considering Wei Zheng's words. He picked up a piece of pig's head meat, chewed it slowly, swallowed it, and then spoke again.
“In that case… why don’t you have them secretly check it again internally, and make sure they find out exactly which document was lost that day? What exactly is missing? Perhaps if we know what was lost, we can deduce who wanted it the most.”

"I think these documents should all contain records, right?"

Chen Guangrui had never seen these documents in the palace, but he felt that with so many files, it would be extremely time-consuming and laborious to find them without creating a chapter or heading.

"Oh?"

Wei Zheng's wrinkled face suddenly lit up with his sharp, eagle-like eyes. He stroked his beard, increasingly impressed by the ingenuity of the idea!
I was so focused on checking for suspicious people entering and leaving the archives that I forgot about this! As long as we figure out the specific contents of those damned "archives," it's like catching the mastermind behind the scenes! Whether it's a person or some kind of evil spirit, there has to be a purpose before we can act!
"Makes sense!"

Wei Zheng slammed his hand on the table, causing the bowls and plates to rattle slightly, and a rare look of excitement appeared on his face.
"Alright, I'll make the arrangements tomorrow. Let them get it done! They absolutely must find out exactly what's missing!"

With a new direction in the investigation, Wei Zheng seemed a little relieved. He poured himself another bowl of strong liquor, tilted his head back, and took a big gulp. The pungent smell of the liquor made him exhale. After a few bowls of strong liquor, his weathered cheeks were slightly flushed, and his eyes were less sharp than usual, filled with a murky hesitation.

He unconsciously toyed with the rough porcelain wine cup in his hand, glancing at Chen Guangrui several times, hesitant to speak. His expression was as if he had a huge question on his mind, wanting to ask but feeling he shouldn't, hesitating to make a decision.

Finally, perhaps because he had drunk too much and the atmosphere was right, he couldn't help himself and, lowering his voice, asked, half seriously and half tentatively,

"Scholar Chen...you are so young, yet you possess such profound knowledge. In your opinion...do ghosts and gods truly exist in this world?"

As soon as the words left his mouth, he felt a pang of unease, realizing that his question had been too stupid and blunt.

Chen Guangrui almost burst out laughing inside. A dignified official, an envoy of the Jade Emperor on Earth, actually pretending to be ignorant and asking him, a mere mortal, about matters of ghosts and gods? This pretense was a bit too serious!
But Chen Guangrui maintained excellent composure, showing no hint of mockery. Instead, he nodded solemnly, his tone resolute, "Yes! There are definitely ghosts and gods in this world!"

Since you've come this far, you must have your reasons.

If you want to say something, use this as a starting point, then I will continue, and one day we will come to the topic of the Human Resources Department.

If you just want to test my attitude and deliberately try to find out, then I'll tell you that I'm not against ghosts and spirits. Then one day, you'll take me to see more ghosts and spirits.

To enhance his persuasiveness and prevent Wei Zheng from having a chance to "cover up," Chen Guangrui immediately steered the conversation back to the real-life case.
"Putting aside everything else, Lord Wei, just take the assassination attempt on General Li and me. Those two thugs were honest, simple farmers who didn't know any fighting skills. The neighbors all testified that they were working in the fields that morning!"

"But in the blink of an eye, he can become a fearless and ruthless top-notch assassin! If he wasn't manipulated by some powerful evil spirit, bewitched and driven to kill like a puppet, how can this be explained?"

"There's a monster here!"

Chen Guangrui's tone grew increasingly somber as he spoke, tinged with lingering fear and apprehension.
"These evil spirits don't care about human life at all! They treat human life like dirt, wasting and toying with it all to achieve their ulterior motives! What are these beings if not ghosts and gods? They are nothing but scourges to the human world. If there really are gods, they should slay all these monsters; that would be what good gods are."

He recounted his experience vividly, realistically describing the bizarre and dangerous events he had encountered. As Chen Guangrui spoke, he inwardly sneered:
Lord Wei, my Lord Wei, you are the official in charge of these supernatural matters in the human world, personally appointed by the Jade Emperor! Listen to this: even demons dare to act so recklessly, bewitch people, and kill people in Chang'an, right under the Emperor's nose! As a dignified official in charge of the human affairs, you can't just keep pretending not to see, hear, or care about this, can you?
The candlelight flickered in Wei Zheng's eyes, and his withered fingers suddenly gripped the rough earthenware wine cup tightly, his cloudy pupils contracting slightly.

He coughed softly, forcibly suppressing the shock in his throat, then his expression was somewhat serious yet with a hint of a smile.

"Nonsense!" The wine glass slammed down on the table, spilling the cloudy wine.

"You brat, instead of focusing on your studies, you're dabbling in supernatural and ghostly matters. Talk of demons and evil spirits is utter nonsense, and you dare to spout nonsense about 'non-humans'? Chen Guangrui! Don't be like those ignorant commoners who believe in ghosts and gods!"

Wei Zheng was talking big again, spouting his usual advice, which Chen Guangrui found amusing.

That old guy is really tight-lipped; he managed to steer the conversation back on track.
However, even if Wei Zheng's words were flawless, Chen Guangrui knew that his words had not been spoken in vain.

At least in Wei Zheng's mind, that monster was already utterly wicked and intolerable to Heaven.

If this were truly an ordinary monster, then being captured by Wei Zheng would surely mean certain death.

It's just unknown what decision Wei Zheng will make after seeing the Buddha's light emanating from the blue-maned lion.

Lord Wei, I didn't intentionally make you an enemy of Buddhism.

However, the power of Buddhism is far beyond my reach. If I don't seek help from another dimension of power, I will surely face certain death.

(End of this chapter)