PFC Chapter 62 There really are people who aren't afraid of death.
Chapter 62 There really are people who aren't afraid of death.
"Has the Prefect of the Capital been aware of this matter?"
Yang Jian's voice was devoid of emotion, and his gaze slowly turned to Wei Shikang, the Prefect of Jingzhao.
But now, as the leader of the Sui Dynasty, he could only hope that Yang Yan would not be so useless, and at least not at this critical juncture, would disgrace the imperial family and allow the officials to trample on it!
Wei Shikang felt his scalp tingle and cold sweat instantly soaked through the back of his official robes.
He was born into a noble family in the Guanzhong region and originally wanted to stay out of it, but the fire had clearly reached his eyebrows.
He quickly stepped forward and knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling slightly: "Your Majesty, it is indeed true. On the night of the murder in Pingkang Ward, I ordered people to begin an investigation, but... but the identity of the deceased is questionable, and there are no signs of a struggle at the scene. It seems... it seems that he died of a sudden stroke. The case is complicated, and we have no leads yet."
Upon hearing this, all the officials understood.
There's no clue, so we dare not investigate; the case is complicated, so there must be someone behind it.
In this city of Daxing, who else could be the person that even the Prefect of the Capital could not investigate, besides those few nobles living on Longshou Plain?
Yang Guang glanced at Yang Yan and shook his head in disappointment.
Just now.
Before anyone could react, a censor dressed in a light green official robe stepped forward from behind Yang Guang.
This man had a resolute face, even carrying a fanatical air of "dying for remonstrance," and was a sharp knife that Yang Guang had planted in the Censorate.
He held a scroll of prepared memorials high above his head, his voice booming like a bell, making the beams of the hall vibrate.
"Your subject, Yuan Xiaosun, Supervising Censor of the Censorate, has a memorial to present!"
"speak."
Yang Jian's voice turned completely cold, and his fingers tapped lightly on the armrest of the imperial desk, a signal that his patience was about to run out.
"Your Majesty!"
Yuan Xiaosun's voice resounded throughout the hall, carrying an awe-inspiring righteousness that defied authority and vowed to sweep away the filth of the court, as if he were facing not the eldest grandson of the emperor, but a heinous traitor.
"Your Majesty the Prince of Jin has ordered me to review the list of candidates for this imperial examination. Because His Highness the Prince of Jin had recommended him in a letter, I have paid special attention to Liu Wenchang, a scholar from Yangzhou."
At this point, he suddenly raised his head, his gaze sharp as lightning: "Liu Wenchang died before the examination, but his name is clearly listed in the archives of the Ministry of Rites' Examination Department and in the roll call records of the examination hall! All of this clearly shows that he participated in the entire examination process, and there is evidence of his signature upon entering the examination hall!"
These words caused an uproar throughout the room!
The once solemn hall was instantly filled with countless suppressed gasps of surprise.
"What? A dead person can take an exam?"
"This is absurd! A ghost entering in broad daylight?!"
"This is a blatant desecration of His Majesty's appointed talent selection ceremony!"
This is an absolutely ridiculous scandal!
This is not only a laughing stock of the imperial court, but also a blatant desecration of the sacred system of the imperial examination! If a dead person can pass the examination, what are all the scholars in the country who have studied hard for years? What are the laws of the Sui Dynasty?
Yang Yong's face was ashen, his legs went weak, and he almost lost his balance. He already knew about Yang Yan's participation in the imperial examination, and that Wei Shikang was behind it.
He looked at his son behind him in horror, his lips trembling, but he couldn't utter a sound.
That's a capital offense!
However, Yuan Xiaosun gave no one a chance to interrupt or think. His attacks were like a storm, one after another, each move deadly.
His voice rose again, almost roaring:
"But the strangest thing is that when the Ministry of Rites sealed the examination papers, this person's paper was the only one that had vanished!"
He paused abruptly and turned around abruptly.
Those eyes, filled with the fury of "justice," pierced through layers of official robes like sharp swords, staring intently at Yang Yan, who stood in the imperial clan's ranks, seemingly on the verge of collapse.
That finger gesture was like a judge calling out names.
"A person dies, yet their name appears in the exam hall; they take the exam, but the paper vanishes into thin air!"
"What does this mean? It means that someone impersonated another person, infiltrated the examination hall, deceived the chief examiner, disrupted the examination discipline, and desecrated the talent selection ceremony personally appointed by His Majesty!"
"Afterwards, feeling guilty, he used his power to sneak into the sealed location and steal the exam papers, intending to destroy the handwriting evidence!"
Yuan Xiaosun stepped forward, pressing on relentlessly: "According to my extensive investigation, on the day of the examination, someone personally witnessed His Highness Prince Changning acting suspiciously outside the examination hall! Even a servant in the examination hall identified a 'candidate' who closely resembled His Highness, who entered the hall with Liu Wenchang's fake ticket!"
"Your Highness, Prince Changning, as a grandson of the emperor, living a life of luxury, why would you steal the examination qualification of a commoner? Could it be that the death of Liu Wenchang was also related to your attempt to seize this examination qualification?!"
This question was like throwing a spark into a pile of dry wood filled with kerosene.
The imperial court was in complete uproar.
The gazes of everyone—astonishment, disdain, schadenfreude, disbelief—were like countless sharp arrows, a barrage of arrows, piercing the sixteen-year-old boy.
"It's actually the Prince of Changning? This...this is utterly despicable!"
"Not only did he take the exam for someone else, but he's also suspected of murder to cover it up? This is utterly disgraceful to the royal family!"
"It's over, the Crown Prince's palace is completely finished this time..."
The whispers merged into a massive wave of sound, almost lifting the roof off the Daxing Hall.
Yang Yan stood at the center of the storm, feeling the malice coming from all directions, as well as the increasingly cold gaze of the emperor on the throne.
But he did not fall, nor did he even tremble.
He simply stared quietly at Yang Guang, who was sitting opposite him with a face full of grief, as if he had sacrificed his own family for the greater good. The somewhat vague guess in his mind was now crystal clear.
"I see……"
Yang Yan sneered inwardly, the panic in his eyes vanishing in an instant, replaced by a chilling calmness.
"Second Uncle, Second Uncle, this 'gift' of yours is indeed quite heavy. Not only are you going to nail me to the pillar of shame, but you're also going to drag the entire Eastern Palace down with you."
Facing the pointing fingers and whispers of the entire court, under that immense pressure, he gradually straightened his spine.
Admitting defeat at this point will be completely useless.
Yang Yan sighed silently in his heart, his gaze sweeping over Yang Guang's hypocritical face, thinking to himself, "Yang Guang, your plan to wipe out your family line is indeed ruthless, cutting off all escape routes."
"But is it really appropriate for you to put on such a convincing show and present such solid evidence? You need to understand that some things cannot be exploited! And some bottom lines cannot be crossed!"
All the ministers whispered among themselves, their gazes toward Yang Yan filled with shock, disdain, and schadenfreude.
Yuan Xiaosun was even more furious when he saw that Yang Yan still dared to stand up straight.
"Your Majesty, I humbly request that you thoroughly investigate this matter!"
"Why did His Highness Prince Changning appear outside the examination hall without any apparent reason?"
"And why did a dead person happen to appear on the exam roster out of nowhere?"
"Is this related to His Highness Prince Changning?"
"Does this...involve hiring someone to commit murder and sabotage scientific research?!"
This series of questions was like a series of heavy hammer blows.
Each blow was harder than the last.
Each blow is more venomous than the last!
This is no longer a simple case of cheating in the examinations.
This is hiring a murderer, deceiving the emperor, and disregarding the laws of the Sui Dynasty!
This is a heinous crime that could cost a grandson of the emperor his head!
"Whoosh!"
Crown Prince Yang Yong's face turned deathly pale.
He suddenly turned his head and looked at his son, who was still silent beside him.
His lips trembled violently, but he couldn't utter a single word.
He felt dizzy, the hall in front of him began to distort, his mind went blank, and only two words echoed wildly in his mind.
It’s over.
This time, it's really over.
One link leads to another! "Three major crimes"! There is no escaping them.
"Bang!"
Yang Jian slammed his fist on the table and stood up abruptly.
"Yang Yan!"
A thunderous roar came from the throne, interrupting everyone's whispers.