Who put the yellow robe on me?

Jiang Chen left Jia Shiyan's residence with some doubts in his heart, and then went to Yang Shaolin's house.

Yang Shaolin is a key figure in the transcription process of the Autumn Examination. Jiang Chen knows that Yang Shaolin was bribed by Mu Shenru and gets more information from him.

When Jiang Chen arrived at Yang Shaolin's study, Yang Shaolin greeted him respectfully with a somewhat nervous smile on his face.

Yang Shaolin is a middle-aged man who is almost fifty years old. His forehead and eyes are covered with wrinkles, revealing the traces left by time.

He was wearing a neat official uniform, with a look of fatigue, but his eyes still sparkled with shrewdness.

Jiang Chen asked directly, "Master Yang, during the entire Autumn Examination, did you feel anything different?"

Yang Shaolin pretended to be thoughtful, frowning slightly: "Your Highness, there were two scholars suspected of arson at the time, so there may be some suspicion."

Jiang Chen nodded and continued to ask, "You are responsible for the entire transcription process of the Autumn Examination. Are there any differences between the transcriptionists and those in the past?"

Yang Shaolin tried hard to recall, and as if suddenly remembering something, he said, "There was an old gentleman who fainted from exhaustion while copying."

Jiang Chen's eyes lit up: "What does the old gentleman look like?"

Jiang Chen wanted to get some connection with the Candle Shop through Yang Shaolin.

Yang Shaolin gave a brief description of the old man's appearance, but Jiang Chen felt confused for a moment, as this description was completely different from the old man he had met in the candle shop.

"What happened next?" Jiang Chen asked.

Yang Shaolin replied, "He was then helped downstairs to rest for a while, and the imperial physician even took his pulse."

Jiang Chen frowned slightly, feeling a little confused. This matter was obviously not as simple as it seemed.

Jiang Chen was about to leave. Before he left, he looked at Yang Shaolin with a hint of warning in his tone: "Sir Yang, you are a member of my mother's family, and it was I who reported you to my mother. I hope this Autumn Examination case has nothing to do with you."

Yang Shaolin smiled and said, "Thank you, Sixteenth Prince, for your support. I will definitely..."

Jiang Chen interrupted him, "Because this Autumn Examination case is closely related to the Ministry of Rites, the Sixth Prince, and others, they are planning to target my mother's family."

When Yang Shaolin heard this, his body shook slightly and a hint of fear flashed in his eyes.

Then, he forced himself to remain calm and said, "Sixteenth Prince, if I succeed in gaining access to the Ministry of Rites, I will definitely become our Bozhou Yang family's internal supporter. If there are any disturbances in the Ministry of Rites, we will definitely be the first to know."

Jiang Chen looked at Yang Shaolin with a complex expression in his eyes: "I hope Mother is not wrong about you."

After saying that, Jiang Chen shook his head and turned to walk out. Yang Shaolin stood there, cold sweat oozing from his forehead. He knew the seriousness of the matter.

Not long after Jiang Chen left, a man walked out of Yang Shaolin's inner room. The man had a stern face and a sharp cold light in his eyes.

He stood behind Yang Shaolin and asked coldly, "Master Yang, do you think he will believe you?"

Yang Shaolin sighed softly and shook his head, "I don't know. But the Sixteenth Prince has recently changed a lot, apart from frequenting places of entertainment. He seems to have become more profound and unpredictable."

The man frowned slightly and said in a deep voice, "It seems that he is no longer the easily manipulated young man he used to be. We must be wary of him, especially the actions of the Defei family."

Yang Shaolin nodded in agreement: "Yes, I understand. The power of Concubine De should not be underestimated. We must proceed with caution."

The man suddenly took a step closer, his tone threatening, "This matter is known only to heaven and earth, only to you and me, and no one else will know. Otherwise, you won't have a good time after he becomes an official."

A layer of cold sweat broke out on Yang Shaolin's forehead, and his voice trembled a little: "Yes, I understand."

The man smiled coldly, turned and left, disappearing from Yang Shaolin's sight.

Yang Shaolin stood there, his heart filled with mixed emotions. He knew that he was stuck in the quagmire and could not easily get out no matter what.

At the same time, Jiang Chen walked out of Yang Shaolin's house and went to the dilapidated temple, but his heart could not calm down for a long time.

He vaguely felt that Yang Shaolin was not completely trustworthy, but at the moment he had no more choice but to trust him temporarily.

In the dilapidated temple, Xiong Zhiheng was talking with Qin Yiliang and Luo Shihua.

Seeing Jiang Chen coming in, Xiong Zhiheng stood up to greet him with a tired look on his face.

"Your Highness the Sixteenth, I have already met Han Shunyu and Meng Jingyao." Xiong Zhiheng said with a heavy tone.

Jiang Chen nodded and motioned him to continue.

Xiong Zhiheng continued, "I've met with other candidates and discovered that their test papers are different from Qin Yiliang and Luo Shihua's. It's certain that Qin Yiliang and Luo Shihua's test papers were swapped."

Jiang Chen pondered for a moment and said slowly, "I've already checked this. It was Jia Shiyan who made the switch. But there's one thing I find strange. Yang Shaolin said there were no problems with the entire transcription process, except that one of the transcribers fainted."

Xiong Zhiheng said, "Oh? Is it the one from the candle shop?"

Jiang Chen shook his head and instantly saw the lost expression on Xiong Zhiheng's face.

Xiong Zhiheng frowned slightly and asked, "Your Highness, are you suspecting that Yang Shaolin has a problem as well?"

Jiang Chen didn't want to tell Yang Da that he saw Mu Shenru bribing Yang Shaolin, which meant that he didn't completely trust Xiong Zhiheng at the beginning.

He didn't want to create a rift between him and Xiong Zhiheng, so he said, "We need to continue observing this matter. We need more clues to find out whether Yang Shaolin is suspicious."

Jiang Chen turned to Xiong Zhiheng and said, "We need to go to Jingzhao Prefecture now to see if Yang Weiqian has any clues."

Xiong Zhiheng nodded in agreement: "We do need to investigate Jingzhao Prefecture Governor Yang Weiqian carefully. The clues he has may be of great help to us."

The two quickly left the dilapidated temple and set out for Jingzhao Prefecture.

Walking on the road, Jiang Chen's heart was still full of doubts and vigilance. He had to act carefully and not let any clues be ignored.

Halfway through the journey, Lord Xiong couldn't help but ask, "Your Highness, what do you think of this matter? Who is the mastermind behind this Autumn Examination case?"

Jiang Chen said in a deep voice, "This Autumn Examination case isn't just a fight between students; it involves the Ministry of Rites and several princes. Whether it's Yang Shaolin, Jia Shiyan, or anyone else, their motives and actions are questionable."

Xiong Zhiheng couldn't help but nod: "Your Highness, we must get to the bottom of this matter and clear the Autumn Examination."

The two soon arrived at Jingzhao Prefecture, where the prefect Yang Weiqian was talking with his legal advisor in the lobby.

Seeing Jiang Chen and Mr. Xiong coming, Yang Weiqian immediately stopped talking and stood up to greet them.

Yang Weiqian said to his advisor, "Just do as this."