Being an emperor is not something he can do, so he can only rely on his connections.

As night fell and the lights came on, Zhang Jingwei went to North City again, and it was Wang Ergou who opened the door again.

As soon as he saw Zhang Jingwei, Wang Ergou couldn't wait to go up to him with a flattering smile on his face: "Master, that beating you gave me last time really worked! Today, this kid actually started doing his homework honestly!"

Zhang Jingwei nodded slightly, but then his expression grew serious. He lowered his voice and said, "However, this scholar's parents actually went to the authorities today to report this. We must be careful and cautious and not make any noise. If the authorities notice anything, we'll have to move immediately!"

Wang Ergou nodded and bowed quickly, saying, "I understand. I will definitely not let you down!"

After receiving a positive response, Zhang Jingwei walked inside, ready to personally check on the scholar. However, as soon as he entered, a pungent, unpleasant smell of feces and urine hit him. Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but frown, covering his mouth and nose with his hands, and forced himself to continue walking into the inner room, suppressing his nausea.

Entering the inner room, the sight before them was even more astonishing. Tian Cao, naked and trembling, sat at his desk, his body trembling as he worked on his homework. Even more unbearable was the fact that his body was covered in a black, foul-smelling substance.

Seeing this scene, Zhang Jingwei couldn't help but feel angry and asked in a stern voice: "What on earth is going on?"

The man in black standing nearby hurried forward, bowed his head, and replied respectfully, "My lord, this scholar still refused to obey today, so the commander gave him a severe beating. Actually, it wasn't just a few blows, but who knew that this cowardly fellow would be so frightened that he lost control of his bowels and bladder!"

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei cursed angrily: "This is simply nonsense!"

Tian Cao saw Zhang Jingwei as if he had seen a savior, and cried out in grievance, "Senior..."

Wang Ergou knelt on the ground in fear, not daring to raise his head, and kept muttering, "I deserve to die!"

Zhang Jingwei's face was filled with rage. He pointed at Wang Ergou and gave him a stern rebuke: "My brother Gao's house must be kept clean and tidy. Go buy some fine spices tomorrow and fumigate the house thoroughly to remove all the odor! Do you hear me?" After saying this, he turned to look at Tian Cao standing nearby, his eyes wide open, and shouted angrily: "And you, you dog, if you dare to urinate or defecate here again, I will castrate you immediately!"

At this moment, the man in black couldn't help but laugh secretly. Although he covered his face with a black cloth, the sharp-eyed Zhang Jingwei still spotted him immediately. Zhang Jingwei frowned slightly and asked coldly, "Is it funny?"

The man in black was startled and quickly bowed his head to admit his mistake: "I know I was wrong, please forgive me, Master!"

Zhang Jingwei snorted coldly and continued, "Our student will be answering questions here for three full days. During this time, you all must pay close attention and keep a close watch on him. If he does anything indecent again, hmph... I'll feed you all that filth!"

The man in black felt his stomach churn and nearly vomit after hearing this. He suppressed the discomfort and replied, "Ah?! Yes, sir, don't worry, we will keep a close watch on him!"

However, Tian Cao suddenly said, "No, it won't take three days at all! I can finish the paper and hand it in tomorrow!"

Zhang Jingwei was stunned at first, then a disdainful smile appeared on his face. He sneered, "Hmph, what a big tone! You are so arrogant. If you can't hand in a satisfactory answer tomorrow, how will you deal with it?"

Tian Cao held his head high and replied confidently, "I've seen this exam question before! It was originally a draft for the Taiyuan Dao exam, and Governor Lu showed it to me before the exam! So, for me, completing this exam is a piece of cake!"

Zhang Jingwei widened his eyes and shouted angrily: "You can eat whatever you want, but you can't say whatever you want! You keep saying this, but where is the evidence? No one will believe you if you have no proof!" His voice made the eardrums of the people around him buzz.

Tian Cao was not afraid at all. He puffed out his chest and responded, "I do have a copy at home. If I hadn't seen it with my own eyes, how could I have copied it out?" As he spoke, he took out a handkerchief from his bosom and wiped the non-existent sweat from his forehead.

Zhang Jingwei heard this and turned around abruptly, his gaze fixed on Wang Ergou, who was standing not far behind him. Wang Ergou nodded slightly, indicating that he understood what he meant. Then, Wang Ergou quickly waved his hand to summon several of his men, whispering a few instructions, and they rushed to Tian Cao's house.

Walking on the street, Zhang Jingwei began to think secretly in his heart.

Should he tell Liu Yanzhi about this? They had worked together for years and knew each other well. Liu Yanzhi was always cautious and prudent, clearly not wanting to create a grudge against Lu Hui. But if he didn't tell Liu Yanzhi, should he go to Huangfu Changshui? While his father-in-law was only a military commander, he still had some influence in Yunzhou. Thinking of this, Zhang Jingwei was caught in a dilemma.

At that moment, he was walking forward without warning when he suddenly collided head-on with someone coming towards him. The sudden collision caused him to stumble back a few steps before he could finally steady himself. Once he regained his composure, he suddenly looked up and saw the man before him, dressed in azure, his figure standing tall and straight like a pine tree.

Zhang Jingwei's face, originally tense, now grew even more gloomy. He stared fiercely at the other man and said coldly, "Chen Jianxiong, why are you here? Aren't you afraid of being caught by the government?"

The blue-robed scholar, however, had a nonchalant expression, his lips curled up slightly in a nonchalant smile as he responded, "Humph, if you hadn't been shouting about it everywhere, how would those officials have known my identity? Besides, they've never even seen me, so even if they wanted to arrest me, they wouldn't be able to do anything!"

Zhang Jingwei frowned slightly when he heard this, a trace of worry flashed in his eyes, and then he asked, "Where is the old master now?"

The scholar in green shook his head slightly and said slowly, "Teacher has long since left Yunzhou. In my opinion, he may already be in the territory of the Rong people."

Hearing this, Zhang Jingwei's eyes widened. He looked at the blue-robed scholar with a puzzled expression and asked, "If that's the case, then why don't you stay by Master's side? Instead, why do you hang around me all day? What's going on?"

The scholar in green was startled at first, then quickly waved his hand and explained, "Oh, don't talk nonsense! Master's wife has returned to Yunzhou, so of course I have to come and check on the situation so that I can report to Master in time!"