There is a god in the sky

Chapter 257 Beauty Bones 17

Shen Lan gave Madam Xiao a full-body check-up.

Madam Xiao suffered from severe morning sickness and could not eat. She wrote down several popular recipes from her previous life and gave them to the cook, suggesting that she change the three meals a day to multiple small meals a day in the hope that this would improve her condition.

The Xiao father and son went out late at night and returned as the sun rose.

Both of them had very serious expressions.

“Such evil arts must never be allowed to reappear in the world. I suggest you destroy this sheepskin.”

After spending the whole night, Editor Yuan restored most of the parchment.

After Xiao's father made a rubbing of the Sanskrit text and understood its meaning, he stopped his friend from continuing the restoration.

The contents of the article were so shocking and offensive that he became increasingly alarmed as he read on, and he quickly brought his son back home before dawn.

"I will keep it safe. Besides, according to what my father translated, Elder Tu's cultivation method is wrong. Why doesn't he know that?"

“Sanskrit texts are inherently obscure and difficult to understand. Even if the words are translated correctly, individual interpretations will still be flawed.”

I haven't met the person you mentioned, but a roughneck like him might not even know how to write his own name. Perhaps he was misled, or perhaps he was just guessing; it's perfectly normal for him to make a mistake.

Xiao Ji mourned for Elder Tu. If he knew this news, he would probably die with his eyes wide open in disbelief.

Xiao's father had stayed up all night and was visibly exhausted.

He still had to go to court, so he said a few words to his son and then left.

After returning to his study, Xiao Ji burned the translated paper and locked the original Sanskrit text in a secret compartment.

As the wind carried in breakfast, someone asked with concern, "Sir, you must take care of your health. There are always cases to solve."

Xiao Ji drank a cup of strong tea and ate some food, feeling better afterward.

“I’ll write a letter, and you can take it to Qingyan. I have something to ask of him.”

Xiao Ji wrote only a few words in the letter and then had Sui Feng deliver it to the Marquis of Pingyang's residence.

Fu Qingyan had previously said he was going to Yishan Academy, but he was frightened by the mummified corpse case and has been hiding in his mansion studying lately.

Ordinary people cannot enter Yishan Academy; he can only enter by using Fu Qingyan's identity.

After Sui Feng left, the steward came to report that several young men had arrived outside the mansion, saying they were distant relatives of the clan and had come to seek refuge with Lord Xiao.

Xiao Ji didn't expect the person his father mentioned would arrive today, which showed that arrangements had been made long ago.

He changed into a crescent-white brocade robe embroidered with green bamboo and went out, where he met three boys who were fourteen or fifteen years old in the flower hall.

"Xiao Jinyu greets Lord Xiao!"

"Xiao Rong of the Xiao family of Nanya greets my cousin."

"My name is Xiao Ping, I am fourteen years old. I met my cousin at the clan school when I was a child. Do you remember me?"

Three teenagers, three different personalities; Xiao Ji formed a distinct impression at first glance.

In terms of relationships, Xiao Ping was closest to her master's family, and they would occasionally visit each other during holidays.

Xiao Rong is a branch of the Xiao family in Nanya.

Although it is called a branch, it is actually a group of people with the same surname who have voluntarily come together in recent years.

As for Xiao Jinyu, Xiao Ji had never heard of him before, and he was the most arrogant of the three.

"Father invited you to help, which shows that he values ​​your virtue and talent, so I won't say anything more."

"You're new here, so rest today. Tomorrow, come with me to the government office to help organize documents and files, and do other miscellaneous tasks. Are you willing?"

"We will obey your orders, sir." This time, the three of them spoke in unison.

Xiao Ji didn't pay much attention to them; whether they could become his right-hand men remained to be seen.

They must have had their own goals in coming to him.

He changed into his official robes and went to the yamen, where he ran into Magistrate Xu and Coroner Ji hurrying out of the yamen.

Behind the coroner was a young boy carrying a box, his face still showing signs of childhood.

He asked Officer Xing, "Who is that boy?"

Officer Xing laughed and said, "This is the first time you've met Xiao Ji, isn't it? He's the grandson of Coroner Ji and will be taking over his job in the future."

"I see."

"Let me tell you a secret, Counselor Ji has privately inquired about Counselor Shen with his subordinates, and he greatly admires Counselor Shen."

Xiao Ji's lips curled up slightly, and his eyes softened.

"He has a good eye."

Xiao Ji reviewed the files sent by the Jingzhao Prefecture one by one.

These cases could actually be decided directly by the Jingzhao Prefecture, but because he was the presiding judge, Lord Chen ordered someone to send the judgments to him for review.

It was only after investigation that the authorities discovered that over a hundred human traffickers had been arrested in just a few days.

Most of these people were trafficked from other places and brought to Bianjing to be sold.

The pleasure boats on the Bian River were the main customers of these traffickers. In addition, there were some illegal workshops and families who wanted sons.

Most of these people have little ambition; they'll confess everything if you beat them.

The methods they described for committing the crime were beyond Xiao Ji's imagination.

"My lord, Prince Fu has arrived." Sui Feng knocked on the door, and Fu Qingyan stood behind him, peeking out curiously.

Upon seeing his cousin, Fu Qingyan grinned and said, "Cousin, I'm here."

He ran in, squatted down opposite Xiao Ji, rested his chin on his hands, and said with a smile, "Cousin, it's been so long, did you miss me?"

Xiao Ji flicked his forehead, "How did studying make you stupid?"

"How could that be? I feel like I'm full of knowledge and talent right now, and I can't wait to take the provincial examination."

"It's good to be confident. As I mentioned in my letter, I'd like you to spend a few days at Yishan Academy. Are you willing?"

Fu Qingyan came for this very reason, and he asked in confusion, "Does my cousin want me to go to the academy to investigate clues?"

"You don't need to investigate. I just need a name to enter and leave the academy."

Fu Qingyan stroked his chin and said with a mischievous smile, "No, unless you tell me what I need to do, I'd like to help with the investigation."

Xiao Ji refused outright, saying, "The murderer in this case is too brutal and sophisticated; you are no match for him."

If Fu Qingyan were to be murdered, he would be filled with regret.

“Remember, you don’t need to do anything, just study. Do you understand?” Xiao Ji reminded him seriously.

"Okay, okay, I'll do whatever my cousin says."

Fu Qingyan proposed to study at Yishan Academy, and the person who supported him the most was Marquis Pingyang.

Marquis Pingyang initially did not believe that his son would study diligently.

However, since Fu Qingyan had persisted for so long and worked so hard, the Marquis of Pingyang had seen it all and gradually changed his opinion of him.

It's also possible that the poisoning of Lady Pingyang made the Marquis of Pingyang start paying more attention to the mother and son. The longer they spent together, the easier it was for him to change his opinion of Qingyan.

He is essentially a simple, kind, and somewhat straightforward young man.

"You can go to the academy and focus on your studies."

"How long will it take? To be honest, I used to really look forward to Yishan Academy, but after visiting it last time, I inexplicably disliked the place."

My mother urged me several times, but I always made excuses. This time, I told her that you asked me to go, and she was so happy.

"Then remember to protect yourself."

"Since Sun Wei has been caught, the academy should be safe, right?"

Xiao Ji thought about it and agreed. For so many years, the academy had been peaceful, so the matter he was investigating should be unrelated to the students in the academy.