jdhmnovel Chapter 1255 There is one more
Chapter 1255 There is one more
After each sentence, Huai Shaoyong would pause to catch his breath.
His narration continued: "I wandered around the garden for a long time, but I couldn't find the servant who delivered the funeral powder to me that day. I was unwilling to give up, so I went to the garden manager, but the manager said that there was no such person in the garden at all."
"I was puzzled, but I didn't press the matter. After confirming that there was really no such person in the garden, I left."
"My carriage had only gone two streets when it was hit by an out-of-control carriage. I was terrified and immediately got out of the carriage. The other driver also got out."
"The other party was very polite and kept apologizing to me. I was fine, so I calmed down. Just as I was about to leave, the other party called out my name."
“I was surprised because I didn’t know him, but he said he had read my poems and essays.”
"When he mentioned poetry, I was reminded of Ling San. Just when I was feeling depressed and unable to find a solution, he invited me to a nearby restaurant for a chat. His purpose was simply to discuss the poems I had recited at the poetry gathering that day."
"I'm going."
After a few rounds of drinks, he addressed me as a brother and even asked, "Have you produced any good works in the last few days?"
"I was ashamed to answer; at that moment, my thirst for spiritual powder reached its peak."
"Just then, he mysteriously told me that he had recently acquired a treasure..."
Hearing this, Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang fell silent and sighed softly.
Huai Shaoyong's encounter with this person was the result of the other party's careful planning.
Therefore, Shen Zheng understood everything that happened afterward without Huai Shaoyong having to say anything more: "The treasure he took out was 'Spirit Powder,' and you were overjoyed, so you asked him about the source."
Huai Shaoyong looked at the roof beam and nodded slowly.
Shen Zheng continued, "He replied that this item was hard to come by and the channel was secret, so he could not tell you, but he could give you some, simply because he admired your poetry."
A hint of pain flashed in Huai Shaoyong's eyes, but he still nodded.
Shen Zheng continued, "After you experienced the benefits of the 'Spirit Powder,' your demand grew. In the end, you asked him to buy it for you. After he declined for a while, he reluctantly agreed. Since then, your business has continued to this day."
Hearing Shen Zheng recount her experience word for word, Huai Shaoyong's eyes showed a hint of surprise, and he turned his head slightly: "How did you know... he would refuse at first?"
Shen Zheng raised her hand and tapped her head.
Every move the opponent makes is calculated with extreme precision.
From the chance encounter caused by a carriage collision, to the exchange of poems to build rapport, and then to the drinking and becoming sworn brothers, Huai Shaoyong's every move was under the other party's control.
Even now, Huai Shaoyong knows that he has fallen into the other party's trap, but what puzzles him is: "Since he wanted to sell me the spirit powder from the beginning, why did he make so many excuses when I asked him to buy it for me?"
This question startled Shen Zheng and the other two.
Yu Shizhang stared intently at Huai Shaoyong's head, hesitated for a long time, and then asked, "You... ate something bad there, didn't you?"
With his hands tied, Huai Shaoyong couldn't touch his head and could only stare blankly back at Yu Shizhang.
Yu Shizhang snorted: "The longer he refuses, the more eager you will be to ask him for help. In the future, when you make a deal, you will only be grateful and will not investigate the origin of the item or question the conditions he proposes."
Shen Xingjian nodded, and said succinctly: "Play hard to get."
Shen Zheng nodded in agreement: "Giving it away for free is the bait, and refusing it is the hook. As long as you take the bait, he can control this deal for a long time."
While Huai Shaoyong was still in a daze, Shen Zheng continued to ask, "Besides you, are there any other people in Luming Academy who are taking 'Spirit Powder'? Have you ever recommended 'Spirit Powder' to your classmates?"
Huai Shaoyong paused for a moment before answering Shen Zheng's second question: "I have never recommended the Spirit Powder to my classmates."
The reason is simple—he doesn't want to lose his reputation as a "talented man," and he doesn't want to be trampled on.
After a long pause, he answered Shen Zheng's previous question again: "From my observation, at least three people in the academy are taking spiritual powder."
"Three?!" Yu Shizhang was greatly shocked.
At first glance, three people doesn't seem like a lot.
But it should be understood that "spiritual powder" is inherently fatally attractive to candidates.
Once those three people benefit from taking the "spiritual powder," the other students in the academy who study day and night for official positions but fail to achieve their goals will surely follow suit, eagerly scrambling to fall into the trap carefully laid by the seller of the "spiritual powder."
When that time comes, the number of people who will suffer from the "spiritual dissipation" will be far more than just three.
“Tell me your name!” Shen Zheng said immediately.
Having said all that, Huai Shaoyong had nothing to hide and immediately named three people. Shen Xingjian immediately took out paper and pen, dipped them in ink, and wrote them down.
Shen Zheng looked at the three names on the paper and asked the next question that had been bothering her: "You concluded that the person behind 'Ling San' is an official from Yuanzhou Prefecture just because Tan Sheng was the organizer of that poetry gathering?"
She guessed that it was more than that.
As expected, Huai Shaoyong shook his head and revealed the last thing he knew: "The man who sold me the spirit powder was named Mu Wu, and everyone called him Master Wu. One day, I heard his voice from a carriage outside the academy. The owner of that carriage was one of the many officials who came to the academy that day, but I couldn't find out exactly which one it was."
This is very useful information.
Shen Zheng immediately asked, "Which day? Why did those officials go to the academy?"
“At the end of July.” Huai Shaoyong seemed a little tired, and his voice grew softer and softer: “At that time, the collection of essays compiled by the teacher spread beyond Yuanzhou Prefecture and became very famous. The prefectural government specially made a plaque and sent it to the academy to commend the teacher and the academy for their contributions to local education. That day was a day when the government office was closed... The scene was quite grand, and many officials came.”
At this time, Huai Shaoyong still addressed Hou Yirui as "teacher".
Shen Zheng did not correct his form of address, and after nodding, asked, "Are there any other clues about 'Spirit Powder'?"
Huai Shaoyong thought for a moment.
After a moment's pause, he suddenly remembered something: "It has nothing to do with 'spiritual powder.' But on the day the results of the re-examination were released, someone came to see me..."
"Who?" Shen Zheng immediately asked.
On the day of the award ceremony, she felt something was strange. Even if Huai Shaoyong had taken "spiritual powder" and was in a state of high spirits, he shouldn't have been so arrogant and conceited, even going so far as to drug Hou Yirui and others in order to rush to Liuyang Prefecture to write his paper.
Huai Shaoyong's words just confirmed her suspicions—there was indeed someone instigating this behind the scenes.
Huai Shaoyong shook his head: "When I went to see him, he covered his face. But... he claimed to be an examiner for the re-examination and even spoke up for me, saying that I should have been the top scorer, and that Pei Zhaoqi was only the top scorer because of me, and therefore unworthy of the position."