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

Chapter 55 Where the Sword Points

Sun Fujia's face turned bright red when Chen Guangrui questioned him in public about the evidence.

Chen Guangrui's retort, "Who says it must have been Wei Zheng who did it?" was like a resounding slap in the face, making his previous accusations seem like baseless slander.

To cover his embarrassment, Sun Fujia suddenly raised his voice and shouted at Chen Guangrui.
"What further proof do you need? He said back then that he was the Chief Clerk of the Imperial Household Department, and his duties were to handle official documents. The items were lost precisely during the two days he briefly took over. If it wasn't his responsibility, whose responsibility was it? Isn't he the most suspicious? Isn't that suspicious enough? He used to be one of the Crown Prince's men. If he harbors resentment, he might have wanted to leave these items behind to leave some leverage against His Highness!"

These words were rude and far-fetched, exaggerating the previous speculation even further. Many officials around frowned slightly, feeling that things had gone too far.

Even among the former meritorious officials of the Prince of Qin's mansion, some glanced sideways, and Fang Xuanling coughed lightly, signaling Sun Fujia to restrain himself. But Sun Fujia had already gone all out, staring intently at Chen Guangrui.

You little brat, you just became the top scholar and you're already ignoring me, your senior. You have absolutely no manners.

You only have a little Wei Zheng behind you, right? Which of these adults here isn't my powerful backer?
From the Tang Dynasty to the present, only two people have achieved the highest rank in the imperial examinations. Sun Fujia knew that people would inevitably compare him, as a senior, with Chen Guangrui.

This time, Sun Fujia is going all out, determined to use this opportunity to show everyone who is truly superior between these two top scorers.

Chen Guangrui, however, still wore that enigmatic smile. At the same time, he sighed inwardly, realizing how incredibly difficult it was to become an official in ancient times, especially for those from outside the official social class who had passed the imperial examinations. There was no one to teach them the intricacies of the system; their only guide was the Confucian doctrine.

This is why Sun Fujia was so willing to be used as a pawn.

Chen Guangrui was not deterred by the accusation. Instead, he stood up from his seat and slowly paced around the small space in front of the hall.

"Oh?"

Chen Guangrui's tone was playful, with a hint of deliberate "sudden realization."
"So it's because Lord Wei served as the Registrar of the Imperial Household for two days, and it just so happened that he lost something at that time, so it 'must' be him. Lord Sun, the reasoning is really simple."

He didn't stop walking, as if talking to himself, or perhaps inspiring everyone.

"Since it's so 'certain,' what are we hesitating for? Let's raid his house! Ransack it! Turn his house upside down! Dig three feet into the ground! Find that crucial document or some other evidence, and the truth will be revealed!"

Upon hearing this, the expressions on the faces of many people present instantly became quite interesting!
Li Jing's breath hitched, and he instinctively clenched his fists.

A look of embarrassment, anger, and a hint of embarrassment at being exposed flashed across the faces of Fang Xuanling, Changsun Wuji, Sun Fujia, and others!

Confiscating his property? They already did! In His Highness's fury, the Imperial Guards had already searched Wei Zheng's residence from top to bottom! The fact that they found nothing only made them feel uneasy, and made them even more determined to hold onto Wei Zheng and refuse to let go!

These words are tantamount to laying bare the fact that everyone has tried so hard to cover up, and that their efforts have been in vain, in the sunlight, implying their incompetence and their unreasonable behavior!

“You…” Sun Fujia trembled with anger, pointing at Chen Guangrui.
"Stop making trouble here!"

"Nonsense?" Chen Guangrui paused, turned abruptly, and stared directly at Sun Fujia. The smile on his face was instantly replaced by an icy coldness.

“Lord Sun, according to your absurd logic of ‘whoever is here, whoever is in charge, is the suspect,’ then in my opinion, you could also be a suspect!”

"What? What am I suspected of?"

Sun Fujia's eyes widened, completely unprepared for the sudden shift of the blame to him.

Chen Guangrui didn't answer immediately. His pacing unconsciously expanded; he had now unknowingly circled around to a spot near several palace attendants and guards with swords standing to his side. "Because,"

Chen Guangrui drew out his words, his gaze sharp as a hawk's, seemingly piercing through Sun Fujia. His voice suddenly rose, becoming resolute and unwavering.
"You're in charge of investigating the case! You'll have access to all relevant files and personnel! You'll be closer to the source of the theft! If we're talking about 'whoever is in charge has the opportunity,' wouldn't your chance be even greater, Lord Sun?!"

"Ridiculous! This is slander! What evidence do you have?!"

Sun Fujia was furious at this sudden accusation and screamed, "This is utterly outrageous slander!"
"evidence?"

Chen Guangrui chuckled, "I'd like to ask Lord Sun, after talking about Right Chancellor Wei for so long, do you have any evidence?"

At this moment, he wore a playful expression as he watched Sun Fujia's face change repeatedly.

"You've been in charge of this case all this time, have you found any evidence?"

He walked around a guard, then took two steps back, his gaze fixed on Sun Fujia.

Then he shouted again, "If you have no evidence, do you have any clues?!"

This one sentence immediately drew everyone's attention to him. He questioned,
"These past few days, besides those malicious remarks, have you had any real clues about the missing documents?"

Seeing that Sun Fujia's face had turned pale, Chen Guangrui had no intention of letting him off the hook. "Do you know how many documents were lost? Do you know what kind of documents were lost?"

Seeing that Sun Fujia remained silent for a long time, he attacked again, saying,
"You know nothing? Then what have you been doing these past few days? And what gives you the confidence to reassure His Highness?"

Under Chen Guangrui's relentless questioning, Sun Fujia's face paled even more, but at this moment, he couldn't show any fear.
"I am confident. Of course, I have checked it carefully. There are a total of 132 locations and 17 roads from the place where the documents were lost to the route out of the palace. I have personally checked them all. I have memorized every clue."

Having been personally selected to investigate this case, Sun Fujia naturally dared not slack off. He was fully aware of everything and was confident in giving appropriate rebuttals to Chen Guangrui's interrogation.

In an attempt to overwhelm his opponent with his imposing presence, he raised his voice higher and higher.

However, Chen Guangrui ignored what Sun Fujia said, smiled indifferently, and continued pacing around. This made some ministers frown, feeling that this newly appointed top scholar was too arrogant and did not know how to behave properly.

Then, everyone's attention was drawn to Sun Fujia's loud voice.

As Sun Fujia became more and more agitated and his counterattacks became more and more forceful, they all cheered him on in their hearts, hoping that he would teach this kid a lesson.

Finally, Sun Fujia pressed further, "Then you say Wei Zheng is innocent, what evidence do you have?"

However, before he could finish speaking, Chen Guangrui, who had maintained a strange calm, moved!
He had seemed to be strolling leisurely, but now he was as swift and decisive as a cheetah pouncing.

He was just a scholar with no martial arts skills. In addition, everyone's attention was drawn to Sun Fujia's loud voice, and no one noticed that he had already walked to the side of a standing guard. Even the guard did not react at all and felt his waist lighten!
Chen Guangrui's target was not the guard at all, but the long sword hanging at the guard's waist.

"Zhi!"

A cold, metallic clang drowned out all the noise! ​​A gleaming light flashed as the sword was drawn!
Chen Guangrui seemed to have been preparing for a long time. At this moment, he drew his sword with a backhand, and the movement was so smooth that he did not hesitate at all!

The cold tip of the sword was not pointed at Sun Fujia, who was defending himself, but rather, with a resolute killing intent, it pierced straight at a eunuch who was standing nearby, with his hands at his sides, dressed in the attire of a palace attendant!
(End of this chapter)