Reborn as the Regent's Beloved

After hearing this explanation, Xiao Fengyi was also somewhat moved. She felt that their way of introducing their identities might be a cover-up, and she also understood why Xiao Cong was so wary.

Feng Xingye said to Chen Ziming, "Three months ago, Chen Zichen wrote a letter to the master, hoping to investigate the sale of official positions and eradicate this malpractice. But when the master was preparing to investigate, he disappeared without a trace. Later, we heard from the Jingzhao Prefecture that he had committed suicide by drowning himself in a lake!"

He drowned himself in the lake?

Xiao Fengyi's gaze lingered between Feng Xingye and Chen Ziming's faces before finally settling on Xiao Cong's tear-streaked face.

Upon hearing Feng Xingye's words, Chen Ziming became extremely agitated, exclaiming, "My brother didn't commit suicide by drowning; he was murdered!"

"Were they murdered?"

Upon hearing this answer, Xiao Fengyi looked at Feng Xingye in shock, only to find that he seemed to have expected it, and although he was angry, he was not surprised.

Feng Xingye continued, "The master also had suspicions about Chen Zichen's death and mobilized various forces to investigate, but the clues would break down every time the investigation reached the case of selling official positions. This time, the investigation finally pointed to the Eighth Prince."

He actually brought up the Eighth Prince. Xiao Fengyi felt that this was a test for Chen Ziming, to see if he had any clues, and also to see Chen Ziming's reaction, to see if he believed that Feng Mingyu was the mastermind.

Chen Ziming, as expected, did not believe it and frowned. "The Eighth Prince is definitely not the person behind this. The Eighth Prince cherishes talent and appreciates my brother's abilities. How could he let a good-for-nothing take my brother's place?"

So he didn't believe it either! Xiao Fengyi felt much more at ease.

Feng Xingye asked, "Then who do you think killed your brother? Do you have any names on your list?"

"I……"

Chen Ziming hesitated, seemingly afraid that speaking out would bring trouble upon himself.

“Speak up, and His Highness Prince Zhao will make the decision. He is the presiding judge in this case of selling official positions, the Emperor’s brother, and highly respected in Dayun. He will stand up for you,” Feng Xingye said promptly, noticing the other party’s worry.

Xiao Fengyi didn't feel embarrassed when she heard the man praising her so highly. She knew that Feng Xingye was not showing off his military achievements but reassuring the man.

Chen Ziming pursed his lips, and the look in his eyes as he looked at his niece Xiao Cong seemed to indicate that he had made a great decision. After all, she was his brother's only remaining bloodline, and he was afraid that if he said something he shouldn't, it would kill her.

To dispel his worries, Feng Xingye took out a token from his person. "This is the token of the Zhaowang Mansion. If you encounter danger, just take out this item, and no one will dare to touch you easily."

After speaking, he handed a golden jade unicorn to Chen Ziming.

Chen Ziming's hands trembled, and when he looked at the golden unicorn in the Zhaowang Mansion, he burst into tears. Then he poured out all the words that had been buried in his heart.

"To tell you both the truth, my family has been running a silver and ironware shop in this East Market for generations. My younger brother and I have been relying on each other since I was a child."

“We originally planned to expand the shop and do business for generations, without getting involved in officialdom. But my younger brother is very good at studying, and I felt that we should not bury his talent, so I sent him to a private school to study.”

"After ten years of hard study, he climbed the ranks step by step and became a Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) and a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination). Later, he went to participate in the palace examination. The chief examiner was the Eighth Prince. Unexpectedly, he made his younger brother the top-ranked candidate in the first class."

"The day his results came out, everyone in the entire East City knew about it. There was a great commotion of gongs and drums, and the sound of firecrackers echoed throughout the city. Everyone could see my brother's joy."

After Chen Ziming finished speaking, he burst into tears. Xiao Cong also hugged him and cried after hearing this.

He stroked Xiao Cong's hair, gesturing, "Back then, Xiao Cong was only four years old and already so tall, unlike now where she's almost a grown woman."

When Xiao Fengyi saw Xiao Cong crying, she used the red veil she was wearing to wipe her own tears.

Chen Ziming finally composed himself and continued, "At that time, my younger brother thought he could make his mark in the court, but he was arrested by the people of the Jingzhao Prefecture after only a few days of happiness. The crime he was accused of was cheating on the exam."

“Your brother will definitely say he’s innocent,” Feng Xingye replied.

“Yes, when those officials took him away, he kept protesting his innocence, saying he hadn’t cheated and that he had earned his first-place ranking through genuine talent and ability.” After Chen Ziming finished speaking, he produced a pair of unworn cloth shoes. “These are the soles my brother made himself the day he was taken away, the shoes he was going to wear to the examination hall, but…”

Xiao Fengyi looked at the cloth shoes. Although the soles were new, it was still easy to tell that they were covered in dust and were not modern; they were quite old.

After putting down his cloth shoes, Chen Ziming slammed his fist on the table. "Before my brother went to the government office, he thought that the innocent would be proven innocent and that the officials would clear his name. But after he got there, he realized that he was too naive! He was tortured into confessing and almost lost half his life in that prison."

After he finished speaking, there was another long silence.

Upon hearing this, Xiao Fengyi quickly asked, "Then how was he released later?"

This case sounds like it's been going on for a while, but Feng Xingye said he received a letter from Chen Zichen three months ago, indicating that the person wasn't murdered at the time, but rather recently...

Feng Mingjing is definitely involved in Chen Zichen's death. As for why he took action recently, it's probably because Feng Xingye returned to the capital and intervened in the case. Moreover, the selling of official positions and cheating in the imperial examinations are becoming increasingly serious, alarming the emperor. So he couldn't hold back any longer.

Chen Ziming said to Xiao Fengyi, "Actually, there was no evidence to prove that he cheated, so we had to release him in the end. As soon as Zichen was released, I heard people say that the reason he was wrongly accused of cheating was because a powerful and incompetent person took a liking to his grades and his future and wanted to impersonate him."

Feng Xingye calmly asked, "Do you know who that powerful and incompetent fool is?"

Chen Ziming sighed, "It's the son of the Privy Council Secretary, that good-for-nothing. He took my brother's place, but a good-for-nothing is still a good-for-nothing. He's still just a minor vice minister."

Although Chen Ziming didn't say the name, he knew who it was, and a smile appeared on his lips.

"It turned out to be him."

After he finished laughing, he thought of his poor younger brother. "After he could no longer become an official, he could only go back home to work as a blacksmith and silversmith. He often said in despair that a rat's son should continue to dig holes and should not even think about other positions that do not belong to him."

When Xiao Fengyi heard this, she couldn't help but laugh. This Chen Zichen was just too resigned to his fate. If he were as shameless as Xiao Qingyin, he might have already risen to great heights.