"Oh..." Chu Chu released Xiao Jin Yu's arm with a hint of disappointment, turning back to continue tidying the chessboard. "Then you must draw it for me another day—I've never seen you paint before!"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded hurriedly. "Alright... alright."
"Draw the same thing you painted today!"
"Fine..."
"Wang Ye," Wu Jiang summoned his inner energy to keep his expression stern, solemnly placing the last two chess pieces back in their positions before lowering his head and speaking gravely. "All ten exam supervisors were splattered with ink by the candidates. They've gone to the rear courtyard to change clothes and will arrive shortly."
"Good... First, return the chessboard and pieces to Grand Tutor Xue."
"Yes."
As soon as Wu Jiang left, Chu Chu moved to the window, peering out at the chaos in the front courtyard. After watching for a moment, she suddenly realized something and turned back, pointing outside. "Wang Ye, did you compete with Grand Tutor Xue because of those people out there?"
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly. "You could say so... I intended to publicly expose the murderer to demonstrate transparency and reassure the public. Grand Tutor Xue preferred conducting interrogations discreetly to avoid complications." Xiao Jin Yu gazed calmly at Chu Chu. "If you had to choose, which would you pick?"
Chu Chu waved her hands repeatedly. "I'm just a coroner—this isn't my responsibility!"
"I'm not asking you to take charge..." Xiao Jin Yu pressed further. "Just tell me, if you were investigating this case, given the current situation, what approach would be more appropriate?"
"I think..." Chu Chu pursed her lips, glanced at the near-brawl unfolding outside the window, and pondered for a moment. "If I were investigating, I'd just focus on solving the case and catching the killer... The method wouldn't matter as long as it gets done quickly."
Xiao Jin Yu smiled faintly. Hearing her words, he truly felt his earlier argument with Xue Rucheng had been overly fastidious.
Could it be... that from the start, Xue Rucheng had chosen such a competition topic to mock him for being rigid and pretentious?
And he had actually taken it seriously from beginning to end...
Xiao Jin Yu gave a wry, shallow smile. "You're right... It's chaotic outside. You should stay here for now."
"Okay!"
"However... officials will be arriving shortly. You'll need to step into the back room to avoid them."
"Sure!"
After waiting about fifteen minutes, Wu Jiang appeared at the doorway. "Wang Ye, the ten exam supervisors have arrived."
"Show them in."
Wu Jiang stepped aside from the entrance, and ten officials in plain clothes filed in, bowing uniformly before Xiao Jin Yu.
"Your humble servants pay respects to Prince An!"
Xiao Jin Yu didn't instruct them to rise, instead calmly scanning the tops of their heads as he spoke with detached coolness. "You gentlemen likely understand the situation outside better than I do... As exam supervisors who remained day and night in the examination compound, you must know who first leaked news of the murder to the candidates?"
The ten men remained silent.
"Less than two hours have passed since the submission deadline at dusk. Have you forgotten already?"
The man kneeling at the far end mustered his courage to whisper, "Your Highness, with so many candidates and the sudden chaos... We truly couldn't keep track..."
"Couldn't keep track?" Xiao Jin Yu's voice turned abruptly colder and harder. "From where I sit, I could see which row of examination cells erupted first. Among you, one was positioned directly in front of that row, two were within ten paces, and another two within fifty paces. Are you all blind?"
The ten officials still kept their heads down without responding.
"Wu Jiang..."
Wu Jiang stepped forward with his hand on his sword. "Wang Ye.""Inform them... that His Majesty and I had previously agreed on how to handle the dereliction of duty charges for officials involved in this year's imperial examinations."
Wu Jiang was momentarily taken aback, then immediately understood. His voice deepened as he said, "Two hundred lashes and three days of public display as a warning to others... If you gentlemen doubt this, the two fellows who failed in their guard duties last night are still receiving medical treatment in the barracks. You may visit them at any time."
The ten officials immediately began kowtowing frantically. "Please calm your anger, Wang Ye! Please calm your anger!"
Xiao Jin Yu's face was like frost. His gaze fell upon the head of the official in the middle as he spoke word by word, "I will ask once more—who was the first to leak the murder case to the candidates?"
The official kneeling at the far end quickly responded, "Re... reporting to Wang Ye, it was near the Nian section... the area around the Nian section where the shouting first started!"
Xiao Jin Yu raised an eyebrow. "Qi Ying, didn't you just say you couldn't see clearly?"
Hearing that even his personal name had been called out, the minor official panicked and began kowtowing again. "Wang Ye, please calm your anger! This humble official is foolish, so foolish... I didn't... didn't see clearly who it was specifically, I didn't dare... didn't dare to speak recklessly..."
"You were nearly a hundred paces away from the Nian section examination cell. It would be strange if you had seen clearly."
"Wang Ye is wise! Wang Ye is wise!"
Hearing that Xiao Jin Yu had even identified individuals, those officials who had actually been close enough to see clearly hurriedly said, "Reporting to Wang Ye, it was the Nian section! It was the Nian section!"
Xiao Jin Yu looked quietly at one of them. "Gongsun Yan, you were closest to the Nian section examination cell. Do you still remember what the candidate from the Nian section looked like?"
"I... I don't remember very clearly."
"Is that so..." Xiao Jin Yu said indifferently, "I vaguely recall that person was over seven feet tall, with a slender build and good complexion. But when he entered the Imperial Examination Hall gate, he was wearing five or six outer garments over his underwear, claiming he was physically weak and feared the cold. General Wang had him dragged into the gatehouse and stripped completely to confirm he wasn't hiding any smuggled materials before letting him enter... This person wailed loudly in the gatehouse for quite some time. When he came out, he was crying so hard he couldn't even walk and had to be carried into the examination cell. Minister Gongsun, does this jog your memory?"
"I... I remember a little now..."
Xiao Jin Yu continued scanning the heads of the ten officials. "Have you gentlemen all recalled this person now?"
"We remember, we remember..."
Xiao Jin Yu nodded slightly. "Then do you gentlemen recall whether this person left his examination cell during the two nights when the murder occurred?"
Remembering what Wu Jiang had said earlier, the ten officials bobbed their heads like chickens pecking rice. "No, no... absolutely not, absolutely not!"
"Good then..." Xiao Jin Yu picked up the cup on the table and slowly took a sip of strong tea before saying calmly, "I'll trouble you gentlemen to go to the front and assist General Wang in maintaining order. Tell those scholars that when they start behaving like proper scholars, that's when I'll go out and explain everything clearly to them."
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