Fangzhou Xier, starting with failing the art exam

"The tribute black ink is a royal gift, exclusively for use by the chief examiners of the imperial examinations to grade papers, and it is absolutely not available on the market."

Lin Qingyan's head buzzed.

The ink reserved for the chief examiner was found under the fingernail of an ordinary student!

What this means is self-evident.

Liang Yuan not only discovered the fraud, but he may have also come into contact with the core physical evidence of the fraud!

And this became his death warrant.

Lin Qingyan held the thin strip of paper in her hand, her palms sweating profusely.

I must tell my brother about this earth-shattering discovery immediately!

This case has far exceeded her expectations.

…裠企III邻罒jiu（.七）鏾丝…

Wherever the sun and moon reach, it is scorching earth: Chapter 251: Lin Yue takes over, sneaks into the Qin Prince's mansion at night to seek help.

As night deepened, Lin Qingyan hurried along, clutching the note in her hand.

She dared not walk on the main road, but instead chose to walk through quiet alleys, always feeling as if countless eyes were watching her from behind.

Upon returning to the Lin residence, she didn't even have time to drink a sip of water before heading straight to Lin Yue's study.

The study was brightly lit, and Lin Yue was staring intently at a map of Baizao City's defenses, seemingly deep in thought.

"Brother!"

Lin Qingyan pushed open the door and entered.

Lin Yue was startled by her appearance; her face was pale and her lips were tightly pressed together.

"What's wrong? What happened?" Lin Yue immediately stood up and held her shoulder.

"Brother, look!"

Lin Qingyan handed over the slip of paper with the results of the black ink appraisal.

Lin Yue took it with a puzzled look, and when he looked at it under the light, his pupils suddenly contracted.

"Tribute-grade black ink... exclusively for the chief examiners of the imperial examinations?"

He muttered to himself, then suddenly looked up at Lin Qingyan.

"This...this is what you got from the Celestial Master's Mansion?"

Lin Qingyan nodded vigorously: "The Dali Temple is too slow. I was afraid that things might go wrong if I waited too long, so I asked a senior brother I know to help me."

"Brother, can we be sure now?"

"Liang Yuan must have come into contact with this ink before he died, and there must have been a violent physical altercation, which is why he left ink powder under his fingernails!"

Lin Yue's expression became extremely solemn.

He let go of his sister, held the note, and paced back and forth in the room, his mind racing.

irrefutable evidence!

How did an ordinary student come into contact with the imperial ink, which was reserved for the chief examiner?

The only explanation is that he touched the core link in the imperial examination fraud chain!

"What else did you find out today, Dr. Wu?" Lin Yue stopped and lowered his voice.

Lin Qingyan immediately recounted everything she had seen and heard in the dormitory, as well as what she had heard from Liang Yuan's roommates about Wang Teng and Liang Yuan's threat to report him.

“Wang Teng, son of Wang Qinian, the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites…” Lin Yue’s brows furrowed into a knot.

"Wang Qinian? Isn't he one of the deputy chief examiners for this year's provincial examination?"

"Well done! What a brilliant tactic of embezzlement!"

The clues are now very clear.

Liang Yuan may have inadvertently stumbled upon evidence of Wang Teng abusing his father's power to commit fraud. This evidence might even be something written or reviewed with black ink.

Liang Yuan argued with Wang Teng and threatened to report him. Wang Teng, cornered, killed Liang Yuan to cover it up and staged the incident as an accidental drowning.

A complete criminal chain formed in Lin Yue's mind.

"Brother, let's go catch Wang Teng right now!" Lin Qingyan said excitedly.

"We have both witnesses and physical evidence!"

"Foolish!" Lin Yue shouted in a low voice.

"Witnesses? Those students only heard them arguing. Who can prove that Wang Teng killed someone?"

"As for physical evidence, this ink powder can only prove that Liang Yuan had come into contact with black ink, but how can it prove that Wang Teng gave it to him?"

"Wang Teng could easily argue that he was also wronged and that someone framed him!"

Lin Qingyan calmed down considerably after his brother poured cold water on him.

Yes, there's a huge gap between inference and conviction.

Standing behind Wang Teng was his father, the Vice Minister of Rites of the Great Yan Dynasty.

Without irrefutable evidence to ensure a fatal blow, taking rash action will only alert the enemy and may even lead to a counterattack.

"Then... what should we do?" Lin Qingyan asked, somewhat discouraged.

Lin Yue did not answer her, but fell into deep thought.

This case has gone beyond the scope of an ordinary murder case; it points to cheating in the imperial examinations, a serious crime that threatens the foundation of the nation.

The mastermind was very likely a high-ranking official of the second rank in the imperial court.

This was no longer something that he, as the Vice Minister of the Court of Judicial Review, could handle on his own.

Just then, Lin Qingyan seemed to remember something and added, "Brother, I also went to the teahouse today, hoping to hear some other news."

"A teahouse?" Lin Yue frowned, thinking she was being a bit ridiculous.

"Don't be in such a hurry!" Lin Qingyan said.

"I heard some very interesting rumors while I was there."

"Some people say that to pass this year's provincial examination, talent alone is not enough; you need connections."

"Some people say that there is a kind of calligraphy with an exorbitant price on the market, and that as long as you buy it, you can be guaranteed to pass the imperial examination."

"A priceless calligraphy piece?" Lin Yue keenly grasped the meaning of this phrase.

“Yes!” Lin Qingyan nodded vigorously.

"They talked about it in a very mysterious way, saying that there was a secret hidden in that calligraphy."

"I didn't understand at the time, but now that I think about it, could that so-called calligraphy have been leaked as exam questions?"

"Or, could it simply be an answer sheet written in black ink, which could be directly taken to the exam hall and switched?"

Lin Yue's eyes suddenly lit up!

The rumors his sister overheard provided him with a completely new direction for his investigation!

If a market for buying and selling calligraphy at exorbitant prices truly exists, it means that Wang Teng was not the only one involved in the fraud!

Behind this, there is likely a systematic fraud network!

Wang Teng may just be a link in this network, or even just a small fish.

"Qingyan, you've done a great job this time."

Lin Yue looked at his younger sister with a complex expression, a mixture of relief and worry.

He was pleased with his sister's intelligence and keen insight; she was like a rough diamond, displaying an amazing talent for solving cases.

He was also worried that the case was shrouded in murky waters, and that this rough gem might be tainted or even crushed by the murky waters.

"Brother, what shall we do next..."

"Don't worry about what happens next." Lin Yue's tone became more serious than ever before.

"From now on, you stay at home and are not allowed to go out at all."

"This case is no longer one you can touch."

“But…” Lin Qingyan wanted to argue.

"No buts!" Lin Yue interrupted her sharply.

"Qingyan, listen to me, this is not a discussion, this is an order!"

"What you found out today is enough to make those people want to kill you."

"If you keep wandering around outside, I can't guarantee your safety!"

Seeing that his brother had really lost his temper, Lin Qingyan was too scared to say anything more.

She knew her brother was doing it for her own good.

Seeing her aggrieved expression, Lin Yue realized that he had been too harsh in his tone.

He calmed down, walked over to her, and patted her head.

"Brother knows you are smart and wants to help, but Qingyan, some battles cannot be won by intelligence and courage alone."

"Be good and wait for my message at home."

"I guarantee that you will see with your own eyes how those parasites who killed Liang Yuan and ate up the country will be brought to justice one by one."

Lin Qingyan bit her lip, but finally nodded heavily.

"Okay, I'll listen to you."

After comforting his sister, Lin Yue immediately returned to his study, spread out a sheet of white paper, and organized and recorded all the clues, inferences, and newly discovered doubts.

A drowned student, unusual bruises, imperial black ink, the examiner's son, a heated argument, and a priceless calligraphy piece...

Every clue eventually led to a powder keg—cheating in the imperial examinations.

This powder keg, once detonated, will shake the entire Great Yan court.

After writing the last character, Lin Yue slammed the pen heavily on the table.

His eyes burned with rage.

The imperial examination was the only gate that the Great Yan Dynasty opened for scholars from poor families.

Countless people study diligently for ten years, hoping that one day they can achieve great success and serve their country.

But now, some people are actually treating the imperial examination as their own business, setting prices and buying and selling it at will!

This is an attack on the hearts of all scholars in the world!

This trend must not be allowed to continue! This case must not be tolerated!

Lin Yue stood up and put on his coat.

For the Court of Judicial Review alone to try to pry open the iron plate of the Ministry of Rites is tantamount to throwing an egg against a rock.

He needs stronger support, an ally who dares to confront this force head-on.

In the entire city of Baizhao, there is only one person who can do this and is willing to do it.

……

Qin Wangfu.

Lacey was sitting under the lamp, with a detailed map of the capital's water system renovation spread out in front of him.

He also had several reports on the progress of the work-for-relief project next to him, covered with dense annotations in red ink.

Even amidst the undercurrents in the capital, he seemed to still focus on practical matters concerning people's livelihoods.

"Your Highness." Lin Yue bowed respectfully, his voice slightly breathless from walking.

Lacey put down her pen, looked up, and saw Lin Yue's solemn expression, knowing that something big had happened.

He pointed to the chair opposite him: "Young Master Lin, please sit."

"Yang Wei, serve tea."

After serving the hot tea, Yang Wei quietly slipped out and stood guard outside the door, cutting off all sounds from inside and outside.