There is a god in the sky

Chapter 371 Joint Trial by the Three Judicial Offices 12

The Imperial Guards escorted the teacher and servants over.

Upon seeing Shen Lan, the teachers reprimanded her in unison: "The world is going to the dogs! How dare you, a mere woman, humiliate us! Where is Xiao Ji? Bring Xiao Ji here!"

Shen Lan pointed to a few people and said coldly, "Take them away and interrogate them separately."

Upon hearing the interrogation, everyone panicked.

"Shen Lan, how dare you!"

"Who gave you the right to act so arrogantly as a lowly coroner?"

"Where is the commander of the Imperial Guards? We demand to see the commander of the Imperial Guards!"

"You just let this woman hurt people at will, where is justice?"

The shouts and curses continued, but no one cared about their opinions. The Imperial Guards grabbed a few people and dragged them out.

Soon screams could be heard, and the remaining people, unable to continue cursing, huddled together, trembling.

Shen Lan had been observing them, and finally pointed to Master Li and said, "Master Li, please come with me."

She called Master Li into the house, closed the door, and then turned around to help him sit down.

Master Li shook off her hand, "Hmph, no need to pretend, I am not a coward who fears death."

Shen Lan bowed to him and said, "Master Li has been at the academy for almost thirty years, hasn't he?"

"Yes."

"Then you have been here longer than Headmaster Tong and have taught more students than him. You must love this academy very much."

Shen Lan had previously learned that Master Li lost his wife early in life and never remarried. He lived in the academy and was taken care of by two servants.

He wasn't well-known, but he was a dedicated teacher and was highly respected by his students.

"Master Li, we are here on the Emperor's orders to arrest Tong Yiwen. Do you know why?"

"Hmph, matters of the court are none of my concern, nor are they of the academy. Headmaster Tong is not in the academy!"

Shen Lan continued, "Someone has accused the Tong family of dozens of crimes over the years. The Emperor ordered the three judicial departments to conduct a joint trial, but Tong Yiwen has disappeared. After a thorough investigation in the past few days, at least a dozen of the Tong family's crimes are confirmed."

You are a teacher, not only teaching people to read, but also teaching them how to be human. How can you tolerate such blatant exploitation of the people, disregard for human life, and the unauthorized sale of provincial examination questions?

Would you be willing to accept that your prized student, whom you've painstakingly taught, might fail the exam because of some incompetent one?

Madam Li frowned and retorted, "Nonsense! I don't know the Tong family, but I've worked with Headmaster Tong for over ten years, and he's not that kind of person!"

Do you still remember Sun Wei?

"Of course, I remember that villain who harmed my classmate!"

"Do you still remember Qian Tai?"

“Qian Tai?” Master Li thought carefully. “It seems that we had such a student before. His father was a great general.”

"Yes, Sun Wei once confessed to Lord Xiao that Qian Tai passed the provincial examination because he knew the exam questions in advance. At the time, we did not believe it, but after a secret investigation, we found that there were quite a few students like him."

Master Li, you've been in the academy for many years. Think about it carefully, haven't similar situations often occurred? You probably assume that those who passed the imperial examinations were just lucky, but what if they all learned the exam questions in advance through bribery?

"Impossible! This is impossible!" Master Li was completely incredulous.

He cited several examples.

For example, some members of the Tong family failed the provincial examination, and some of their relatives also failed. Yet, no one ever suspected that the Tong family would cheat in the examination.

"There is an abandoned hut in Qianjia Village at the foot of the mountain. The hut is made of gold bricks. You can go down the mountain and take a look. If the Tong family is upright and honest, why would they hide their valuables there?"

"Qianjia Village? The little house?" Master Li asked in surprise, "Is it that small house near the hillside?"

"Yes, you know?"

"That's where Headmaster Tong once secluded himself to study."

"Seclude yourself in the village? The village is noisy, how can you concentrate on your studies?"

"Professor Tong is unmoved by external things; he is the same wherever he is."

When was that house built?

"I remember it must have been the second year that Headmaster Tong came to the academy. He was always busy during that time and was rarely seen. Later I learned that he had built a small house at the foot of the mountain."

"That house is connected to the Tong family's secret chamber, so it seems that Headmaster Tong's claim of never returning home is false."

Who would have thought that the Tong family had such a scheme?

Madam Li looked as if the sky had fallen.

"You...are you serious?"

"Would you like to go down the mountain and take a look, Master?"

Madam Li muttered a few words to herself in a daze, then heard Shen Lan ask him, "Does the teacher know of any special places near this academy?"

"Something special about it?"

"Yes, for example, the place where Master Tong went into seclusion, or the places he frequented."

"Besides here, the only place I know is the moon-viewing platform on the mountaintop. Nobody goes there anymore, and we old folks can't climb up there. But Headmaster Tong likes to go to the mountaintop to view the moon."

Shen Lan exclaimed, "Headmaster Tong is not young anymore, but I didn't expect him to have such good stamina."

"Yes, he's actually about my age, but he looks at least twenty years younger. I've even seen him lift a cauldron with one hand and scale walls with ease."

"Flying over rooftops and scaling walls? Master Li, are you seeing things?"

Master Li stopped talking and waved his hand, "I must have misread it. I'll stop here. Does Miss Shen have any more questions?"

Shen Lan thought for a moment and asked him one last question: "Have any students disappeared without a trace in the academy over the years?"

"Almost none. Not just anyone can enter our Yishan Academy. If someone goes missing, we will report it to the authorities very quickly."

Shen Lan didn't make things difficult for him and let him out.

Those waiting outside saw Master Li emerge unharmed and, united in their anger, demanded, "Master Li, have you betrayed the headmaster?"

Master Li didn't actually say anything, but they had been inside for quite some time, and now they came out unscathed. Compared to the others who were beaten black and blue before, the difference in treatment was enormous.

Madam Li sighed, "Say what you will, I have a clear conscience."

He asked Shen Lan, "May I leave now?"

"of course."

Master Li left dejectedly, and Shen Lan said to Li Ye, "I want to go to the top of the mountain to take a look."

Li Ye nodded, leaving fifty Imperial Guards to continue guarding the academy, while the rest followed Shen Lan to the mountaintop.

The path to the mountaintop was rugged and overgrown with weeds, and no one thought that anyone had ever walked this path before.

Shen Lan wasn't sure either, but since she had some doubts, she had to go up and check it out.

She was very fast and walked in the lead.

The men behind her saw that she, a woman, was walking so fast, and they didn't dare to complain. They just kept chasing after her.

Just as we were about to reach the top of the mountain, a large rock suddenly rolled down from above.

Shen Lan was almost hit by a rock, but luckily she was quick-witted.

Li Ye followed behind her and punched the rock, knocking it off course and into the woods.

"alert!"

Shen Lan looked up and saw the stones falling continuously. She told everyone to take shelter in the woods.

Stones are highly lethal in open areas, but their damage is greatly reduced in dense forests.