My stepsister tried to steal the prince's hand in marriage, but little did she know I had been

Chapter 112 Deeply Trapped

Seeing Madam Wen's appearance sent a chill down Wen Yitong's spine.

Could it be... that this matter is also related to Madam Wen?

Wen Yitong swallowed hard, trying to clear her name from Madam Wen, but the fleeting panic in Madam Wen's eyes kept replaying in her mind.

"Tong'er, you go back first." Duke Wen patted Wen Yitong. This was the first time he had spoken to Wen Yitong so gently since the marriage exchange. "As long as Chen Che did not cheat, your father will definitely be able to protect his reputation."

As for other matters, Wen Yitong dared not make any guarantees.

When the topic of this cheating was brought up, she was full of confidence and said decisively, "Father, no matter who cheats, Chen Che would never cheat! He has the talent to be a third-place scholar, why would he associate with these mediocre people?"

The words of comfort that Duke Wen was about to say were swallowed back down because of Wen Yitong's words.

He had witnessed Chen Che's "talent and learning" firsthand. Even though his own knowledge was far inferior to that of the Hanlin scholars, he still possessed the most basic ability to discern. Chen Che's articles were utter nonsense; it was already a miracle that he could pass the imperial examination.

Moreover, Chen Che frequented brothels, and he had encountered Chen Che there several times.

Wen Yitong actually believed that such a person could achieve the third-highest rank in the imperial examination.

Do you really think the third-ranked scholar is some kind of common cabbage on the street?

Duke Wen had a lot to say, but under Wen Yitong's gaze, he finally nodded with difficulty: "Then I will wait for his good news."

Having received a reply from the Duke of Wen, Wen Yitong did not rush to leave. She instructed Ruyi to take Madam Chen away, while she herself took Madam Wen's arm.

"Mother," she said softly, almost coaxingly, "won't you have a private talk with me?"

Madam Wen wanted to refuse, but Wen Yitong was extremely strong and managed to hold onto her arm tightly.

Upon seeing this, Madam Wen sighed inwardly.

She knew that Wen Yitong wouldn't give up easily.

So she nodded and left with Wen Yitong.

As soon as they stepped out of the front hall, Wen Yitong gripped Madam Wen's hand tightly: "Mother, what do you know?"

Upon hearing this, Madam Wen looked around and changed the subject: "Tong'er, I've heard that you treat your mother-in-law..."

"Mother!" Wen Yitong said through gritted teeth, "I am your daughter, your own daughter. Don't I know you?"

"Tell me..." she finally asked, her teeth chattering, "What exactly is your connection to this cheating case?"

Mrs. Wen's eyes showed shock, but even more so, relief.

"Tong'er, in your eyes, am I such a foolish and arrogant person?" Madam Wen patted Wen Yitong's hand and comforted her, "I never said that I was involved in this matter."

"This is a heinous crime that could lead to the confiscation of property and the extermination of the entire clan. How could I risk the destruction of my entire family to do such a thing?"

“But just now…” Wen Yitong murmured, “when you heard about this just now, you were clearly guilty. Mother, what exactly were you guilty about?”

Madam Wen shook her head: "You must be too worried about Chen Che, so you've misjudged him. Why would I feel guilty? I have never done such a thing."

Wen Yitong tried to refute, but at this moment, Madam Wen was calm and composed, and she could not see any clue in her expression.

"I can't possibly jeopardize the entire family for the sake of an outsider..." Madam Wen said meaningfully.

Wen Yitong was momentarily dazed. Madam Wen's words were all reasonable and without any flaws.

And her only piece of evidence turned out to be her own intuition...

After a moment, Wen Yitong closed her eyes and said helplessly, "Of course I believe in you, Mother."

She said it aloud, but she had already made up her mind.

Madam Wen secretly breathed a sigh of relief; she was naturally guilty about the cheating.

It wasn't because she was involved, but because she knew who orchestrated it.

The case of cheating in the imperial examinations is likely to cause a huge uproar in the capital.

……

That night, the lights in Prince Jing's mansion stayed on until dawn.

As soon as Xie Jinghan came out of the examination hall, he went straight to his study.

This was the first time the magpie had ever seen Xie Jinghan with such a cold expression. Startled, it hid behind Wen Shuyao.

Just then, Xie Jinghan looked towards Wen Shuyao.

"Your Highness..." Magpie quickly bowed.

Wen Shuyao shielded her behind her and strode towards Xie Jinghan.

"Does Your Highness have any orders?"

Strangely enough, although their relationship was based on mutual benefit, they could often understand each other's thoughts with just a glance.

Xie Jinghan frowned, a hint of coldness appearing on his handsome face.

He whispered, "Someone leaked the exam questions."

Upon hearing this, Wen Shuyao looked up in surprise.

This is something that never happened in my past life.

She glanced around and noticed that the servants who were serving her had been taken away by Si Qing, and even the magpie was gone, which made her even more vigilant.

"Is that important?" she asked in a low voice.

Xie Jinghan said after careful consideration, "The matter of leaking the exam questions is already inconceivable. I have already sent people to investigate the source. However, there is still one thing I don't understand."

"The candidates suspected this time are all from poor families. How did such an exam question fall into their hands?"

Even if the exam questions were leaked, they shouldn't have fallen into their hands; such opportunities should belong to the sons of noble families.

These are all the exam questions!

Wen Shuyao's eyes were filled with undisguised shock: "All the exam questions have been leaked?"

“The scholars who set the questions are now under strict guard.” Xie Jinghan frowned. “The questions for this year’s imperial examination were all set by the scholars. Before the examination, they were already under surveillance and could not go out. Even their daily meals were delivered by someone.”

This leak was truly unexpected for him.

After pondering for a moment, Wen Shuyao made a bold guess.

"Could it be... that the leak of the exam questions was aimed at His Majesty?" Wen Shuyao lowered her voice unconsciously as she said this, "Everyone knows that you were in charge of this spring examination, and that His Majesty intended to promote students from humble backgrounds."

"And those who received the exam questions were mostly from impoverished families. It's hard not to suspect that these people were after His Majesty." Her analysis deepened, her eyes clearing and her tone becoming increasingly certain. "If all the poor scholars in this year's imperial examinations are involved in cheating, then what about future imperial examinations..."

Wen Shuyao didn't continue, but for Xie Jinghan, it was like seeing the moon through the clouds.

He nodded slightly: "I was so caught up in the situation that I didn't even think of this."

"It seems this wasn't just the work of one side." He chuckled softly.

Perhaps these various factions in the court are all involved in this major corruption case.

Wen Shuyao looked worried: "This case involves a wide range of issues. What does Your Highness intend to do?"

"This will restore a clean examination process for all candidates in the country."