My virtue is above yours.

Wang family?

I remember now, isn't it Wang Guan, the scholar I saved in Qingyuan Village?

According to Yi Bei, this kid should have returned to Beijing. He probably knew he was in trouble and came to lend a helping hand.

"I should go see him if I get the chance."

Chen Jingxuan ate a piece of jujube cake, but it tasted like nothing at all.

"This tastes awful. Let's give it to our senior brother."

He carried the plate of jujube cakes to the shade of a tree, and the eldest brother wagged his tail and came over.

"Senior Brother, have a taste."

The eldest brother lowered his head, sniffed it, and walked away with a look of disgust.

Even dogs wouldn't eat it.

Chen Jingxuan asked Chunhong, who was doing needlework in the room, "Where did you buy these pastries? Why do they taste so bad?"

Chunhong looked up: "It was brought by that young master. He said it's his favorite pastry, and he brought it for you to try."

"Wang Guan had pica."

Chen Jingxuan put the pastries back on the table, went back to his room to wash up and go to bed.

The next morning, Chen Jingxuan heard a commotion outside while he was asleep.

The door banged and clanged, a man shouted fiercely, dogs barked incessantly, and maids screamed in panic.

Chen Jingxuan immediately jumped out of bed, took the sword hanging on the wall, and rushed out the door.

Recliners and benches were scattered all over the courtyard.

The terrified maids huddled against the wall, trembling with fear.

The eldest brother lay under the tree, trembling weakly, almost without any strength.

A dozen or so constables with knives stood in the courtyard. The middle-aged constable in the lead wore a black robe, had a short beard, and a broken eyebrow on his left side.

The constable with the broken eyebrow drew his sword and said, "You are Chen Jingxuan?"

Chen Jingxuan stood on the steps, sword in hand, and shouted, "In broad daylight, you've trespassed on a private residence! What are you doing?"

"The Jingzhao Prefecture is handling a case. Someone has accused you of colluding with Cui Cheng, the headmaster of Shengyang Academy, to obstruct official duties and falsely accuse an official of the court! We have been ordered to arrest you. If you come with us obediently, everything will be fine. If you insist on resisting the law, your crime will be compounded."

The head constable pulled out an arrest warrant, on which it was clearly written in black and white that Chen Jingxuan was to be arrested and brought to justice: "Master Chen, please come with us, so as not to ruin our harmony."

Chen Jingxuan remained unmoved, raising his sword and demanding, "Where is Headmaster Cui Cheng?"

The constable said, "Cui Cheng is already at the Jingzhao Prefecture government office. Master Chen, please come with us quickly. If you insist on resisting the law, you won't be able to escape today. There are two Qi Cultivation Realm experts on the roof. Even if you kill all of us, you won't be able to escape this courtyard."

Chen Jingxuan amplified his divine sense and could indeed sense someone on the rooftop. Their aura was steady, unlike that of an ordinary person. The other party didn't seem to be lying to him. Insisting on resisting would not end well.

"May I speak a few words with my maid?"

"Please go ahead."

Chen Jingxuan, wary of the group of constables, quickly approached the trembling maids.

Chunhong and the others were squatting on the ground with their heads down, their voices trembling with fear: "Master Chen, what exactly is going on?"

"I don't know either. After I leave with them, please send a message for us, saying that I've been captured and asking someone to find a way to rescue me. Go to Qingyao Mountain and find the sect leader and the abbot. If they can't find them, find the high-ranking priest in red robes. If they still can't find them, find whoever has the highest rank. If all else fails, find the fat guy Zhao Qingshan who came last time. Also, go to Qingluan Pavilion to find the young master Yi Bei, and go to the Wang family to find the young master Wang Guan who came yesterday. I've always treated you all well, and now I'm counting on you all."

After Chen Jingxuan finished speaking, he bowed to the maids.

The maids' eyes were filled with fear, and no one answered.

Chen Jingxuan stood up and said to the head constable, "I'll go with you."

A constable walked over with shackles in handcuffs, and Chen Jingxuan glared at him.

The head constable quickly waved his hand: "No need for shackles, Master Chen is a reasonable man. Please."

Surrounded by constables, Chen Jingxuan left the courtyard, leaving behind a mess.

Chunhong was the first to recover from her shock, and she rushed over to check on her senior brother's injuries.

She shook the senior brother who was lying motionless on the ground, and the dog instantly sprang up, appearing completely unharmed.

Chunhong breathed a sigh of relief: "So you were faking your death."

She turned around and saw several maids sitting on the ground, their eyes glazed over, still shaken.

She quickly pulled everyone up: "Don't stand there! Go save them! Master Chen is waiting for us!"

Xia He shook off her hand: "They've already raided our house. Is there any hope?"

"How would you know otherwise? Master Chen has always been so tolerant of us, and now that we're in trouble, are you going to ignore us?"

No one answered Chunhong's question.

"Fine, you can leave me to it, I'll go by myself." Chunhong turned and left.

Several maids quickly followed, saying, "Slow down, we didn't say we weren't going."

-

Chen Jingxuan followed the constables all the way to the Prefect of Jingzhao.

Along the way, he inquired about the situation from the head constable.

"Officer, what exactly happened?"

The head constable's expression was stern: "You don't need to know."

Chen Jingxuan deliberately slowed his pace, and the other person had no choice but to slow down as well. He said, "I have an unruly personality. If I were to argue with the prefect in court to find out the reason, I'm afraid it would cause trouble for the head constable. You'd better tell me sooner rather than later, so as to save the prefect a headache."

The head constable thought for a moment and said, "It's alright to tell you. This morning, Cui Cheng, the headmaster of Shengyang Academy, came to the gate of the government office to beat the drum and appeal for justice. He accused Fan Chengyu, the vice minister of the Ministry of Works, of corruption and perverting the law, and framed him. According to information provided by our informant, you were also involved in this matter, so we have come to arrest you."

Chen Jingxuan guessed that the rumors circulating in the neighborhood yesterday must have reached the headmaster's ears. The old man, who had lived a life of poverty, would not be able to bear such slander, so in his desperation, he went to file a complaint against Vice Minister Fan. He had repeatedly told the headmaster not to run around, and now he had fallen right into Vice Minister Fan's trap.

Old man, you're confused!

The constable advised, "The informant only said that the Taoist priest had dealings with the academy, but there is no concrete evidence to prove that you are directly related to Cui Cheng's framing of the vice minister. The Taoist priest just needs to insist that he did not participate in this matter."

Chen Jingxuan asked, puzzled, "Why are you helping me?"

"I am also a believer. Years ago, my son fell ill, and we sought out many famous doctors, but none could cure him. It was the Taoist priest of Qingyao Mountain who saved my son's life. I have always had great respect for Qingyao Mountain. I hope the Taoist priest will think carefully before acting." The constable bowed.

Chen Jingxuan had no intention of betraying the headmaster, but things had come to this point, and he needed to extricate himself from the case before he could maneuver around outside. If he were imprisoned, he would truly have no chance.

When they arrived at the Jingzhao Prefecture government office, the tall walls of the office were surrounded by a crowd of onlookers, shouting and making a racket, the air thick with a nauseating stench of sweat.

As soon as the constables arrived, they cleared a path through the crowd.

Only then did Chen Jingxuan see clearly that in the high hall, the stern-faced Vice Minister Fan was sitting next to the Prefect.

Below the hall, the white-haired headmaster Cui Cheng was being pressed down onto a long bench.

Headmaster Cui Cheng shouted excitedly, "I am innocent! It was Vice Minister of Works Fan Chengyu who framed me! I am innocent!"

The bailiffs held the vermilion board high in the air.

"stop!"