My virtue is above yours.

Chen Jingxuan quickly opened the cabinet, which was empty, but the faint scent of human presence was still inside.

He concluded that the smell was likely caused by residual human skin flakes.

There was a faint smell in many places in the academy, mostly left by the children during their activities.

But the smell is very special; I've never smelled it before. It's like the smell of a stranger.

He quickly summoned the headmaster and asked, "What was originally in this drawer?"

The headmaster shook his head: "I'm old, I can't remember."

Chen Jingxuan then asked, "Do you remember where the house deed and land deed were originally kept? Could they have been in the study?"

"Maybe."

The headmaster's ambiguous answer put Chen Jingxuan in a difficult position.

If the drawer truly contains house deeds and land deeds, then it means someone secretly broke into the study and stole the documents.

To avoid being seen by children and leave no other traces, the perpetrator is likely a master.

They might be able to disguise themselves.

As for the other party's motive for stealing the deeds, judging from a normal person's motivation, it must have been for money. The academy is about to be demolished, and if the other party wants to exchange the house deeds and land deeds for money, they can only go to the Ministry of Works' department in charge of demolition to collect the demolition compensation.

Since the headmaster said that the government refused to issue the demolition compensation on the grounds that there was no written contract, it means that the thief had not yet handed over the contract to the Ministry of Works.

Now, as long as we make arrangements with the officials in charge of the project, we can catch the thief when he goes to collect the demolition compensation.

Chen Jingxuan said, "Headmaster, I have a clue. Please wait for me for a few days, and I will make sure the academy gets everything it deserves."

"If that's the case, then I thank you on behalf of the children of the academy!" The headmaster bowed deeply, tears welling in his eyes.

Chen Jingxuan quickly helped him up: "Headmaster, there's no need for such formality. It was just a small favor. Once the funds arrive, I can explain to my master."

That night, Chen Jingxuan told his senior sister about his discovery, concealing the part about how he controlled his senior brother. His master had instructed him that he could not reveal his methods before figuring out his natal character, not even to his senior brothers and sisters.

Lu Yunci stroked the dog's head: "As expected of the senior brother, you're really capable. Here's a bone for you as a reward."

She threw the leftover bones from the plate on the ground, and the yellow dog excitedly began to gnaw on them.

Lu Yunci patted Chen Jingxuan's head again: "As expected of my little Quan'er, you are very capable. You deserve a reward too."

She pouted her cherry-like lips, and Chen Jingxuan went to meet her without any hesitation. She immediately blushed and hurriedly dodged away: "Are you serious?"

Chen Jingxuan just smiled and didn't say anything. He even began to suspect that his senior sister enjoyed being teased in reverse.

Lu Yunci said, "I've arranged a meeting for you. It's at Xiaoyue Tower two days from now. The young master of Qingluan Pavilion, Yi Bei, is hosting the event. The official in charge of this demolition, Vice Minister Fan of the Ministry of Works, will also be there to meet with you. You can also take this opportunity to ask Yi Bei about the Jade Cicada and the Great Karma."

"The matter of Yu Chan is indeed a knot in my heart, but I'm afraid the Qingluan Pavilion won't be willing to get involved. Let's talk about the present matter first." Chen Jingxuan asked, "Senior Sister, what kind of person is this Lord Fan?"

Lu Yunci said, "Lord Fan is a well-known upright official in the capital, and a great Confucian scholar with an excellent reputation. He is humble, polite, honest and frugal. He has no mistresses or concubines. He is a universally recognized gentleman."

"If this person is really as good as you say, then this matter will be simple."

"He's not simple. Lord Fan strongly advocates Confucianism and has always disapproved of Niwan Jun's idea of ​​equality for all. He has debated with students at the Imperial Academy many times, and when he gets angry, he has even hit a student on the head with his desk."

"Is he that difficult to deal with? Is he deliberately trying to make things difficult for the academy?"

"Who knows? We should be more careful."

Chen Jingxuan poured himself a cup of tea, looked around, and didn't see his senior brother. "Senior brother hasn't returned yet?"

As night fell, Luoxia Lane was brightly lit, and the streets were becoming increasingly deserted.

On an inconspicuous street corner, there is an empty bowl with an unremarkable sheet of Xuan paper underneath, weighed down by a stone to prevent it from being blown away by the wind. On the Xuan paper, written in unremarkable characters, is the message: "Fundraising for Shengyang Academy. We humbly hope that all those who follow the path will generously contribute to this righteous cause."

Chen Jingxuan looked at the paper and complained, "If I hadn't looked closely, I would have thought it said 'selling oneself to bury one's father.' Where is Senior Brother at the stall?"

Lu Yunci pointed to the dark alley next to her.

A tall, burly Taoist priest was sitting in the alley.

Chen Jingxuan walked in: "Senior brother, what are you doing hiding here?"

"There are too many people on the street, I'm nervous."

"Then why don't you go home?"

"I'll go home once I've raised even one penny."

"Having a penny is no different from having no money at all."

Zhu Lingyun suddenly shouted excitedly, "Yes! This is a matter of my dignity! Don't worry about me, I will not go home until I have raised a single penny."

"Curfew is about to begin. Do you expect to get money from the night watchman? With your method, you'll never be back to where you were ten years ago. Watch me."

Chen Jingxuan returned to his stall, tore off a blank section from the Xuan paper, picked up a brush from the ground, and wrote in a flowing style, "I have no money to smoke Wushi Powder."

He laid out the papers and lay down by the roadside.

Just as he lay down, a few crisp sounds came from the bowl. A passerby tossed in ten copper coins, grinning as he said, "Smoke more, don't quit. Hehe, your cultivation has increased again. Here's some more for you."

After saying that, he tossed in about ten more copper coins.

Zhu Lingyun held the bowl with utter despair: "Why? I've waited all day and haven't received a single copper coin! How come you get one just by lying down?!"

Chen Jingxuan patted him on the shoulder: "Senior brother, you don't understand human nature. Sigh, let's pack up and call it a day."

Just as the group was about to pack up, a wealthy-looking middle-aged man with servants approached them: "Are you raising funds for Shengyang Academy?"

Chen Jingxuan nudged Zhu Lingyun's arm with his elbow: "Senior brother, your chance has come, hurry up and go."

Zhu Lingyun gritted her teeth: "I'm nervous."

"Is being nervous more important, or is dignity more important? If you let go of the sugar daddy you've already got, I'll look down on you."

Zhu Lingyun gritted her teeth, stomped her foot, turned around, and disappeared into the alley: "Then you still look down on me."

Chen Jingxuan sighed, composed himself, and greeted the middle-aged man with a smile: "That's right, we're raising funds for Shengyang Academy. Let me introduce Shengyang Academy to you."

"No need to trouble yourself, I know about Shengyang Academy." The middle-aged man suddenly burst into tears. "I'm sorry, I got too excited."

He wiped away his tears and continued, "I apologize for making you two Daoist masters laugh. My name is Zhu Yuan, and my grandfather studied at Shengyang Academy."

"May I ask who your grandfather was?"

"My ancestor's name was Zhu Wancheng."

Chen Jingxuan immediately remembered that he had seen Zhu Wancheng's portrait in the academy's corridor. Zhu Wancheng was the last patron of the academy before his master.

He found it strange and whispered to his senior sister, "What a coincidence! Could it be a trap?"

Senior Sister suppressed a smile: "Don't worry, it's not a scam. I secretly went to the Zhu family today and asked a servant to lure Lord Zhu here tonight, just to see Senior Brother make a fool of himself."

"You're really boring."

Zhu Yuan said, "When I was young, I often heard my grandfather talk about Shengyang Academy. He said that if the academy had not taken him in, he would have frozen to death on the street long ago. Without the academy's teaching, he would not have been able to rise from an orphan to a fifth-rank official. My grandfather had always supported the academy, and even after his death, he left a will instructing his descendants to support the academy and not let it decline."

He sighed, "But life is unpredictable. After my grandfather passed away, my father was framed and sent to a prefecture. He couldn't return to the capital for twenty years and cut off his support for the academy. I only returned to the capital to take up my post a few years ago, and I thought the academy was gone. To be fortunate enough to see it again today is truly thanks to my grandfather's spirit in heaven. Is the academy facing difficulties now?"

Chen Jingxuan told the other party about the current predicament of the academy.

Lord Zhu burst into tears again: "It's all my fault for being incompetent, which has led to the academy's current state of decline."

He excitedly grasped Chen Jingxuan's hand: "Esteemed Daoists, although the Zhu family is of humble origin and I am but a minor official, I will do everything in my power to repay the academy. Come to my residence tomorrow and I will collect three hundred taels of silver to temporarily alleviate the academy's crisis."