The White-Bone Demon of the Farm is as rich as a country

Amidst this clamor and chaos, Magistrate Huo approached with steady, powerful steps. His imposing presence instantly quieted the chaotic scene, as if cast by magic.

Seeing the prefect arrive, the officers sprang into action, deftly bringing all those involved before him. Then, one officer stepped forward and respectfully reported the events to Prefect Huo. Although it was just a few brief words, it was enough to give Prefect Huo a general understanding of the entire incident.

Magistrate Huo's eyes were as sharp as lightning as he scanned the group before him. Suddenly, his gaze stopped on one person—Chu Ning'an. Chu Ning'an had his eyes lowered, his face expressionless, as if nothing was happening around him. However, this seemingly indifferent attitude actually attracted Magistrate Huo's attention.

It was the eve of the provincial examination, and such a commotion had occurred before such an important examination hall. Anyone with a bit of common sense could see that this was not a simple matter. Magistrate Huo had served as an official for many years, having experienced many ups and downs, and was naturally well aware of the various ins and outs of officialdom.

He knew very well that there might be some unknown conspiracy or conflict of interest behind this matter. Therefore, he did not want to get involved easily, and he was even more unwilling to become a knife in the hands of others.

To avoid getting into trouble and to demonstrate his impartiality, Magistrate Huo unhesitatingly ordered a chair to be brought in front of the examination room. He then sat steadily on the chair, his expression serious and solemn, ready to personally handle this thorny dispute.

Magistrate Huo sat in the courtroom, his expression stern and imposing. His gaze, like a hawk's, slowly swept over each person present, as if he could penetrate their deepest secrets. Everyone was intimidated by this sharp gaze, and for a moment, no one dared to meet his gaze.

After a brief pause, Magistrate Huo said, "Everyone, there is only half an hour left before the exam begins. I am not here today to try a case, but to ensure that those innocent people can enter the examination room to take the exam as soon as possible. However, for the instigator of this incident, if you are willing to take the initiative to admit your mistake now, I can give you a lighter sentence." After saying this, he narrowed his eyes slightly, and a hint of coldness flashed in his eyes.

Immediately afterwards, Magistrate Huo's face suddenly darkened, his already serious expression now shrouded in a frost. He snorted heavily, the sound shaking the air in the hall.

"But if anyone dares to resist, insisting on concealing the truth and delaying important matters, once the truth is revealed, don't blame me for being ruthless! When that happens, no matter how many years and nights you have studied, I will show no mercy and will first imprison you, waiting to sentence you harshly at a later date!"

As soon as these few words were spoken, it was like a piercing cold wind blowing through, causing everyone present to shudder. Two of them in particular turned pale as paper, completely devoid of color, and beads of sweat continuously oozed from their foreheads.

A closer look revealed that these were the two scholars who had accidentally bumped into Chu Ning'an earlier! They were trembling slightly, like candles in the wind, about to fall.

At this time, Magistrate Huo once again slowly swept his gaze over everyone present. His eyes were as sharp as an eagle, and he did not miss any clues.

Finally, his gaze fixed steadily on Chu Ning'an, and he asked in a tone as flat as water, devoid of any emotion: "Where are you from? The person who just shouted in the noisy crowd that someone was cheating was you, right?"

Chu Ning'an remained calm, his eyes fixed straight ahead as he took a step forward without hesitation. He carefully bent down and gently placed the exam basket on the ground. Then, he stood up, facing Magistrate Huo, and bowed deeply, his movements graceful yet dignified.

He held his head high and chest puffed out, his voice resonant yet appropriately humble and respectful as he spoke: "Sir, my name is Chu Ning'an, and I am from Mengjia Village, Kunyang Town, Pingyang County. Just as I was queuing up for a body search, other students suddenly rushed towards me from behind. Not only that, but someone even deliberately rubbed, bumped, and pushed my exam basket with their bodies. I wanted to leave the queue to investigate, but as soon as I moved, I felt someone suddenly pounce on me from behind and hold me tightly. I was truly worried that I was being maliciously framed, so I shouted out in desperation, hoping that Sir would be discerning and investigate this matter thoroughly!"

He spoke concisely and answered without a single mistake. He did not shirk responsibility, but explained clearly what had happened and his intentions. Everyone present nodded in agreement.

However, the faces of the two students who bumped into Chu Ning'an turned even paler, and their bodies trembled slightly.

In fact, when Chu Ning'an shouted "cheating", no matter what happened, he had already cleared himself of it. Although he might be charged with disrupting the examination room, that was just a response in an emergency and was excusable. Although he would be reprimanded, it was not enough to convict him and ban him from taking the exam.

If something was really found on him, not only would he be innocent, but he would also have contributed to maintaining the integrity of the examination room.

After hearing what he said, the people around him started whispering to each other. This student was very brave, but one had to say that he was really smart and scheming.

"Check his examination basket and check his whole body carefully." Magistrate Huo did not ask the servants to do it, but ordered the attendants who followed him to do it.

The attendant received the order and walked out from behind Magistrate Huo. He took out all the things in Chu Ning'an's examination basket in front of everyone and examined them one by one. There were pens, ink, paper, inkstone, dry food, bowls and cups, and a steamed bun placed abruptly among them.

"Your Excellency, there is no steamed bun in my examination basket. My lunch is a biscuit. I beg you to break the steamed bun open and check it carefully." Chu Ning'an said in a shocking manner.

"Test again." Magistrate Huo ordered softly.

The attendant broke the steamed bun into several pieces and found a very finely folded paper roll among them.

The attendant stepped forward and bowed, saying, "Your Excellency, I found a small paper roll inside the steamed bun."

He presented it to Magistrate Huo with both hands.

Magistrate Huo didn't even open the scroll. He just ordered, "Check it carefully again."

The attendant received the order and searched Chu Ning'an's body, but found nothing. He then searched through the things again and finally found a small paper scroll on the side of the examination basket, which he also presented to Magistrate Huo.

The crowd below could no longer remain calm——

"Who would cheat by leaving something outside the exam basket? Isn't this a blatant frame-up?"

"You know he's not doing the opposite to avoid a search, right?"

"Then why would he yell 'cheating' without even waiting for a body search? What good would it do him to make such a fuss?"

No one had anything to say.

Magistrate Huo opened the note, glanced at it, and didn't say anything. Instead, he asked the two students who had bumped into Chu Ning'an, "What do you have to say?"

"Sir, I...I...it has nothing to do with me. I...I don't know what's going on." The person whose shoes were stepped on stammered and made excuses, the sweat on his forehead already running down his cheeks.

"Sir...sir, I...I am ignorant...I am innocent!" The person who stepped on someone's shoes explained incoherently, his whole body trembling.

"How dare you! Tell the truth." Magistrate Huo suddenly shouted loudly, which startled everyone around him. The two candidates knelt down at once.

"Sir, we were confused for a moment. Please forgive us this time." The two men knelt down and begged for mercy loudly.

"Is there anyone else helping you two to do this dirty thing?" Magistrate Huo resumed his original unhurried voice, which seemed to be soothing and coaxing, but it sounded like thunder in the ears of the two men.

“No more.” “No more.”

"Really?" The voice rose again, hitting the fragile nerves of the two people.

"Students don't dare to lie to adults."

Magistrate Huo didn't even glance at them. He simply ordered the officers, "Take these two away and retry them after the prefectural trial."

"Sir, sir, we know we are wrong." The two men shouted for mercy, but no one paid any attention to them. They were gagged by the police and taken to the government jail.

"The rest of the students, hurry up and get searched before entering the venue to avoid delaying the prefectural examination." Magistrate Huo instructed everyone in an orderly manner. "After Chu Ning'an's prefectural examination, he will go to the government office to attend the trial."

The uproar, like a violent storm, quickly subsided. Ru Yue stood quietly not far away, watching the scene gradually return to calm. Her tense heartstrings finally relaxed, and she breathed a sigh of relief, as if a heavy burden had been lifted off her shoulders, and her whole body felt lighter.

Just now, that chilling, sinister feeling had been gripping her, leaving her hair standing on end and feeling uneasy. Now, as the storm subsided, that chilling aura seemed to recede like the tide, until it vanished completely. Ru Yue couldn't help but pat her chest gently, secretly thankful that the crisis had finally been averted.