jdhmnovel Chapter 114 Being framed
Chapter 114 Being framed
Chu Ci instantly understood something.
She was set up.
These seemingly ordinary stones were likely placed there by the mastermind to maintain the original weight of the book box.
In this way, when she picked up the book box, she would naturally not notice that any items were missing.
After a moment's thought, Chu Ci suddenly stood up and went straight to one of the examiners, solemnly reporting his situation to him.
Moreover, she deliberately raised her voice and recounted the loss of the calligraphy brush and ink without reservation.
Upon hearing this, the examiner first glanced at Chu Ci, then waved his hand casually and replied, "Perhaps it was just your carelessness that led you to forget to bring it. Don't make trouble here; find a solution yourself."
Seeing this, Chu Ci frowned, her eyes narrowed, revealing a hint of displeasure. "My husband has checked it carefully for me three or four times, and I myself confirmed it again before leaving. There is no way I could have forgotten this."
However, faced with Chu Ci's words, the examiner became impatient, took a few steps away, and forcefully flicked his sleeve, ignoring her appeal.
Chu Ci's fist hardened instantly.
"It's the same here!" Zhu Mei hugged the book box tightly with both hands and walked hurriedly to Chu Ci's side.
Her once beautiful face was now filled with anxiety, and fine beads of sweat even appeared on her forehead.
"My suitcase has also been tampered with! You officials in charge of the inspection must have serious problems!!"
There were two examiners in the examination room at that moment, and the one in front of her seemed to have no reaction to her request.
Without hesitation, Zhu Mei turned around and walked towards another examiner, quickly handing the box in her hand to her.
"Look! There's a stone hidden inside this box! It was obviously put there to balance the weight of the box. This is definitely not a coincidence; someone is deliberately trying to frame us!"
As Zhu Mei spoke urgently, she pointed to a stone in the box that clearly did not belong to her.
Zhu Mei, who was eagerly anticipating that the second examiner would step forward and uphold justice, was disappointed to find that the examiner merely glanced at the box a few times before gently shaking his head.
"According to the regulations, candidates who have entered the examination room are not allowed to leave the examination room without permission, nor are they allowed to borrow anything from other candidates; otherwise, they will be treated as cheating."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mei panicked even more. She was as anxious as an ant on a hot pan, constantly wringing her hands.
"I didn't mean to borrow anything from anyone. Please, please, go out and find out where my things are. I just want to use my own belongings."
Zhu Mei pleaded, her voice trembling with tears.
However, before the second examiner could respond, the first examiner interrupted without any politeness.
"That won't do! As examiners, we bear the important responsibility of invigilating the exam and cannot leave our posts without authorization. You'll have to figure out a solution yourself."
After saying that, he pulled the second examiner to his side, distancing himself from Zhu Mei and Chu Ci.
Zhu Mei's eyes widened in disbelief. Her once beautiful face was now distorted with anger, and her eyes seemed to be burning with fury.
"How could you act like this? We've clearly been framed! Yet you're turning a blind eye to it all. Don't you know that doing this is protecting criminals? I'm going to report you all to the authorities for your inaction!"
Zhu Mei shouted angrily, her voice deafening, drawing the attention of everyone around her.
However, the examiner merely scoffed dismissively, his face showing no fear, but rather a hint of mockery: "Go ahead and sue! Go ahead and sue! It was clearly your own negligence that you forgot to bring your calligraphy brushes, and now you're blaming us? We've always strictly followed the rules, and no matter how much you complain, it won't do you any good!"
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mei trembled with anger, her chest heaving violently, and she couldn't utter a single word for a long time.
Just as she was about to lose her temper and charge forward to "argue" with the examiner, Chu Ci quickly reached out and stopped her.
"Don't move." Chu Ci's face was ashen, and he glanced coldly at the two examiners before lowering his voice to transmit his message to Zhu Mei, "Blood is the ink, hair is the pen."
Upon hearing this, Zhu Mei was taken aback at first, then seemed to suddenly understand something, and slowly withdrew her fist that was about to be thrown.
She glared at the two examiners, gave a heavy snort, and then turned and quickly returned to her seat.
Chu Ci slowly walked into the small cubicle that belonged to her alone, and used her profound internal energy to instantly shatter the ends of her hair that hung down behind her.
Then, she carefully selected a relatively long and supple strand of hair from the pile of hair on the floor and gently held it in her hand.
Next, he plucked several strands of his own hair, tied the end of the hair that he would use as a brush tightly, and then took a small wooden strip from the book box and tied the end of the hair to the wooden strip. In this way, a simple brush was made.
At the same time, her sharp gaze swept over the exquisite cups and saucers on the table, and without hesitation, she reached out and forcefully broke them into pieces.
Then, he picked up one of the sharp shards and slashed it across his left wrist. Instantly, bright red blood gushed out.
Ignoring the pain, Chu Ci quickly dipped the prepared brush into the flowing blood and began to write furiously.
However, because the makeshift "brush" was so difficult to control, and because the wound quickly began to scab over and stop bleeding, she had to frequently stop writing, tear open the newly healed wound, and let more blood flow out for writing.
Thus, he wrote the Chu Ci in fits and starts, constantly adjusting his posture and pressure to ensure that he could write clear and legible characters with this special tool.
Time passed by second by second, and before we knew it, four long hours had gone by.
Finally, with only a quarter of an hour left before the deadline, Chu Ci successfully completed the entire article.
At this moment, her face was already as pale as paper, without a trace of blood.
Even so, she forced herself to stay upright and covered the paper (a sheet of white paper used to prevent ink from staining the papers; all candidates had this and were required to cover their own papers) with it, waiting for the examiners to collect the papers.
Because the thick layer of white paper completely covered the text, the examiner was completely unaware that the entire Chu Ci was written with blood as ink.
She was convinced that Chu Ci had submitted nothing more than a blank answer sheet, and her eyes unconsciously revealed a hint of mockery and smugness.
Chu Ci took in all these subtle changes in expression and remembered them deeply.
She sat quietly in place, watching with an extremely indifferent gaze as the self-important examiner walked further and further away until his figure completely disappeared from sight.
After all the other candidates in the examination room had left, Chu Ci slowly stood up, her movements somewhat slow and laborious.
She walked slowly toward the exam room exit, her body swaying slightly.
Midway through, she suddenly caught sight of a familiar figure lying on the ground not far away.
It turned out to be Zhu Mei, who had come to take the exam with her, who had fainted on the ground at some point.
After seeing that others had rushed to help Zhu Mei, she did not stop her slow steps and continued walking towards the exit of the examination room.
At this moment, the sky was gradually shrouded in night, and the surrounding light became increasingly dim.
Today happens to be the last day of the exam, and Shi An is anxiously waiting with Song Yin, Zhou Yun and others in the teahouse outside the exam hall.
Shi An had been waiting anxiously here since the afternoon, but his wife had not appeared, and he was very worried.
Finally, after a long period of torment, he caught a glimpse of the figure that haunted his dreams.
But with just one glance, Shi An keenly sensed the unusual nature of Chu Ci.
His wife's face was as pale as paper, and her forehead was covered with fine beads of sweat. She looked as if she had been dead for three days.
Anxious and worried, Shi An didn't have time to think and immediately strode towards Chu Ci.
Chu Ci glanced up and saw a figure moving in front of her. Just as she was about to say something, she said, "Shi An, I..."
However, before she could finish speaking, a strong wave of dizziness surged over her, instantly engulfing her.
Chu Ci felt dizzy and disoriented, and her body involuntarily leaned forward before crashing heavily to the ground.
As she fell to the ground, her arm, which had been hidden in her sleeve, was forcefully flung out.
Shi An's gaze quickly fell on Chu Ci's left sleeve, where a large, shocking patch of blood was visible.
He froze on the spot, as if he had been frozen in place, completely unable to move.
Zhou Yun, however, reacted very quickly. She rushed forward and, without hesitation, lifted Chu Ci's sleeve to carefully examine her wound.
At the same time, she deftly tore a clean strip of cloth from her own body and tightly wrapped it around Chu Ci's injured area, trying to stop the bleeding.
"Quick, I'll carry her on my back, we need to get her to the clinic right away!!"
Zhou Yun shouted loudly, her voice filled with anxiety and concern.
The commotion had already attracted the attention of many people, and the other candidates who had come to take the exam gathered around.
They witnessed this sudden scene and reacted in different ways.
Some secretly rejoiced that this hadn't happened to them; others lamented the injustice of fate, wondering why a talent like Chu Ci had to suffer such an accident; still others were furious, indignant at the reasons behind it all...
And so, the news spread quietly among the many candidates, as if it had grown wings.
As night fell, Chu Ci lay quietly on the bed, deep in a coma, as if swallowed by darkness.
Shi An stood motionless beside her like a statue, his eyes bloodshot, refusing to leave her side for even a moment, and not even consuming a drop of water or a grain of rice.
On the other side, Zhou Yun was extremely anxious and inquired everywhere about the Chu Ci (Songs of Chu).
Persistence pays off, and she finally gleaned some clues from an acquaintance of another candidate.
Upon hearing the details of the matter, Zhou Yun was furious. Her anger flared up instantly, and she headed straight for the Grand Tutor's residence without hesitation.
When Grand Tutor Song learned the whole story, her expression turned solemn. She quickly put on the official robe that once represented supreme glory and power, and together with Zhou Yun, she came to the Dengwen Drum, which symbolized justice and fairness. She resolutely raised the drumstick in her hand and struck it down heavily.
"Boom! Boom! Boom!"
The drumbeats were deafening, echoing throughout the entire capital.
Song Taifu and Zhou Yun took turns beating the drum continuously for a full half hour.
The rousing drumbeats, like thunder, shattered the silence of the night, drawing the attention of officials and commoners throughout the city.
People whispered among themselves, speculating about what had happened.
Finally, the current Imperial Censor Fang Shiyi arrived upon hearing the commotion.
This respectable elder was none other than the maternal grandmother of He Sheng, the former mayor of Lotus Town.
She knew this was no small matter, so she personally led Grand Tutor Song and Zhou Yun into the palace to meet the emperor.
Upon entering the palace, Song Xunzhang immediately knelt down on both knees, straightened his body, and remained silent when he saw the emperor.
However, her resolute stance spoke volumes.
Standing to the side, Zhou Yun fearlessly recounted the details of the cheating in the military examination in detail, her words sharp and vivid, even embellishing the story, all to draw the Empress's attention to the matter and force her to demand a thorough investigation.
After hearing Zhou Yun's account, the Empress's face suddenly darkened, her eyes flashing with surprise and anger.
Such audacious cheating is a blatant trampling on the imperial court's talent selection system and a serious insult to the dignity of the nation.
She immediately ordered that the matter be thoroughly investigated and that no leniency be shown.
But the current challenge is how to select the right person to investigate the case.
After all, nobody knows what's involved, and if we're not careful, we might not only fail to find out the truth, but we could also get ourselves into trouble.
For a moment, the Empress was in a dilemma.
Just as everyone was silent, Grand Tutor Song suddenly broke the silence and said, "Your Majesty, this old minister believes that Zhang Ping, whom I mentioned earlier, is capable of undertaking great responsibilities. This woman is not only quick-witted but also ambitious. If she can be entrusted with important tasks, she will surely achieve great things."
Having said that, she looked firmly at the Empress, her words earnest.
Then, Grand Tutor Song began to speak at length about Zhang Ping's many merits and outstanding qualities, praising everything from his extensive knowledge to his noble character, and finally successfully persuaded the Empress.
And so, Zhang Ping got the prestigious position she had been hoping for.
With this, the Qingliu faction gained another powerful general, greatly increasing its strength.