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

Chapter 46 He really was the most suspicious person.
Li Jing's mansion was worlds apart from Wei Zheng's humble rented courtyard.

The courtyard was spacious, paved with bluestone, and spotless. On the weapon racks on both sides were polished spears, and against the wall stood a military sand table marked with mountains and rivers, silently bearing witness to the owner's busy military past.

The mansion had few servants, but each one was agile and walked with a brisk pace, exuding the efficiency and competence unique to soldiers. The entire residence was grand and imposing, reflecting the toughness of a military general, which contrasted sharply with Wei Zheng's meager rented living conditions.

Inside the study, the maidservant served tea and then quietly withdrew, closing the door tightly. Li Jing, his face grave, cut to the chase:
"You must have heard about the theft in the palace?"

He looked at Chen Guangrui, his tone low and suggestive, not wanting Chen Guangrui to use any other words, "What was lost was 'official documents'."

Chen Guangrui nodded, his expression calm. After the Xuanwu Gate Incident, some things were destined to disappear. Ever since hearing that something had gone missing from the palace and learning that the blue-haired lion was currently inside, he felt it necessary to come and find out what was going on.

Going to Wei Zheng is clearly not an option; Sun Fujia is already involved in this matter, and people from the Prince of Qin's residence are certainly among them. There are many things Wei Zheng might not be informed of.

So he went directly to Li Jing.

"Which one specifically?" he asked.

Li Jing shook his head.
"Which document was lost is probably only known to His Highness and... the person who did it. But there is no doubt that it was stolen from the palace and that it was an important old document."

He paused for a moment, then added, "The investigation is very thorough, and His Highness is furious."

He frowned, his tone complex and helpless.
"What's even more worrying is that those old officials from the Prince of Qin's mansion, out of nowhere, are all jumping out and relentlessly attacking Wei Xuancheng! They say he's the prime suspect, just because he only served as the Chief Clerk of the Crown Prince's Office for two days! And those documents seem to have disappeared during those few days, which is really hard to explain."

Li Jing sighed heavily, his tone a mix of explanation and complaint, "Xuancheng's stubborn temper, he's only been a registrar for two days, what core information could he possibly have access to? Fang Xuanling and the others actually advocated for confiscating his property? This isn't investigating a case, it's clearly an attempt to get revenge for being rendered speechless in court! These people are going too far..."

“General Li,” Chen Guangrui calmly interrupted him, picked up her teacup, took a sip, and looked up at Li Jing.

"Have you ever considered that perhaps... they aren't simply using this as an opportunity for revenge, but genuinely believe that Wei Zheng might have obtained that document?"

"How could that be?!" Li Jing retorted instinctively, "Even if Xuan Cheng had seen it, given his character..."

“General!” Chen Guangrui’s voice was not loud, but it carried an undeniable power, going straight to the heart of the matter. “Think about it, what is that ‘document’ used for? Although you and I know that Right Chancellor Wei does not know, the people in the Prince of Qin’s mansion do not think so.”

Li Jing was taken aback. "What could it be? It's just... some old records..."

His voice gradually faded away.

A suffocating silence instantly filled the study. Li Jing's brows furrowed tightly, his initial astonishment and confusion quickly turning into disbelief and association, before his pupils suddenly contracted, revealing immense fear!

Xuanwu Gate! Altered! Renamed! ...

And those meritorious officials who followed His Majesty...

This "old file" may just be one of many to be burned, and its contents may be insignificant, but to some people it is the biggest threat!

You actually want to steal the documents in here? What are you thinking? What do you want to do?
Isn't this just slapping the face of the new crown prince and all the meritorious officials in the Qin Prince's mansion?
Li Jing's face instantly turned extremely pale, and veins even throbbed faintly on his forehead. He gripped the back of the chair tightly, his knuckles turning white from the force.

He finally understood the weight of Chen Guangrui's words and instantly realized why the people in the Prince of Qin's mansion were so desperate to put Wei Zheng to death. They were probably genuinely afraid that the "documents" were in Wei Zheng's hands, kept by this stubborn old man who was not afraid of the powerful and dared to speak out, waiting for some day to reveal certain things, in which case their image in the history books would be completely different.

Even if Wei Zheng had only been the registrar for two days, they couldn't afford to gamble on that one possible outcome!

House search?

Thinking about it this way, confiscating his house was too lenient; not digging three feet into his house was already showing some decency.

"Hiss!" Li Jing gasped, his voice trembling slightly.
"So that's how it is... This... This... Xuancheng, he..."

A deep sense of worry and anxiety about Wei Zheng's situation welled up in his heart.
"No! This is far too dangerous! I have to... I have to warn him!"

"No, no, don't rush, think about it again carefully."

He stood up abruptly, then cautiously sat down again, feeling that he needed to reconsider the matter.

Chen Guangrui's mind was churning with thoughts. As a time traveler, he had seen it all before: the trick of burning key files to "clear his name" after the Xuanwu Gate Incident.

Li Shimin did this to completely erase records unfavorable to himself and his ministers, to rewrite history, and to legitimize the coup.

Stealing such documents would undoubtedly be touching his sore spot.

Why preserve this evidence? Is there some ulterior motive? Are they planning to overturn the verdict? This is a death sentence. But why is Wei Zheng involved? He's now the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, a high-ranking position, yet he was implicated simply because he served as the Crown Prince's Chief Clerk for two short days at that crucial juncture?
He was indeed in charge of the archives at the time, but he was carefully considering whether to submit the memorial on "pacifying the interior and deterring the exterior," so he had no time to look at these things.
He tacitly approved of Li Jing's decision. It was appropriate to remind Wei Zheng to be prepared.

Li Jing paced back and forth a few times, seemingly remembering something else. He forcibly suppressed the shock in his heart and sat down again.
"Don't rush, think about it carefully again. You can't go wrong if you think it through carefully."

Li Jing was also struggling with how to bring this up with Wei Zheng.

He couldn't quite figure it out, so he decided to let things settle down a bit more.

Then, he told Chen Guangrui something else.

"Oh, right, there's one more thing. I later had my men investigate the background of those two thugs who tried to assassinate you and me last time, following the clues you gave me."

He frowned, his face showing confusion and a hint of barely perceptible anger: "After investigating, some people actually said they bumped into those two farmers in the city that day, and even seemed to have spoken to a 'medicine seller' from the martial arts world. But the strange thing is, when the government followed the clues and found the medicine seller, he swore that he hadn't even gone into the city that day! All the neighbors can vouch for him! His family also said that he stayed home all day fiddling with herbs... This is unbelievable!"

Li Jing slammed his fist on the coffee table, making the teacups vibrate. Clearly, the frustration of not being able to continue his investigation was making him unable to control his irritable temper again.

"This case is fucking bizarre!"

He gritted his teeth and growled.

　Thank you, Hachiman Hikigaya, for the donation.
　　
　
(End of this chapter)