Chu Muxiu walked for many days in a row, and I felt more and more bored. I wandered around the streets, walked around and looked, bought a lot of pine cakes and sugar gourds to eat, went to the tea shop to listen to the storyteller tell the story, I didn't like to go to private school when I was a child, I grew up and didn't like to read, but I only like to listen to and hear stories, I think listening to a story is like listening to a story. The storyteller said that there is a small hidden world in the wilderness of the far northwest, and that the people in it do not eat or drink, but they do not grow old. I turned my head and asked Mo'er if I believed it, Mo'er said if I didn't believe it, I didn't believe it either, if there really was that place, I would go in and have a look even if I broke my head. When I went to Mingyue Tower to watch the shadow puppet show, I thought it was beautiful at first, but then the more people I felt, the more boring I felt.

When I came out of Mingyue Tower, it was drizzling again, and I was holding an umbrella in one hand and eating sugar gourds with the other. I thought to myself that this god is really endless, and the rain can rain for months without stopping. However, this little rain really decorates Huancheng much better, like the Qingming Riverside picture in Daddy's study, which is hazy and beautiful.

I think it would be nice if Chu Muxiu was here, thinking of what he said that day, there will be more times when there will be such separations in the future, and I will unconsciously feel a sour feeling in my heart. Just like Daddy said, I will suffer after following him, but since I have chosen this path, I have no intention of turning back, and I must be able to eat these hardships.

Now I always unconsciously think about it later, and I think about it. As soon as I lifted the umbrella, I saw the man, who was standing opposite me with an umbrella, and the light raindrops hit the top of his umbrella. The people who passed by kept walking past us, and when they dissipated, he was still there.

In the haze of smoke and rain, he seemed to be waiting for me.

He'd smile at me, and that was him.

I rejoiced in my heart, and threw my umbrella and ran towards him.

"Didn't you say at least half a month, why did you come back so soon?"

He moved the umbrella to me: "If you don't see each other, you don't see each other for a day." ”

Although he didn't say much, every word went deep into my heart.

Wu Deqing vaguely remembered that there seemed to be Daddy's name among the several invigilators that year, and on the second day of returning to the city, Chu Muxiu looked for Daddy, and the three of them sat in the hall of King Yi's Mansion and began to discuss the matter of the 20-year imperial examination.

"Does the prime minister remember a candidate named Wu Deqing twenty years ago?" Chu Muxiu asked Daddy.

Daddy frowned thoughtfully: "I remember, this candidate died of bizarre poisoning the night before the scientific examination, and there was a lot of uproar at that time. ”

"Actually, Wu Deqing is not dead, he has lived well in the past twenty years!" As he spoke, he asked Qian Che to call Wu Deqing out.

Wu Deqing walked in, I don't know if he was nervous or refused to believe Daddy, his eyes were always a little evasive, as if his heart was full of doubts.

Daddy stared at Wu Deqing for a long time, then stood up, "Could it be that you are ......"

"I am Wu Deqing, the failed candidate of the year!"

Daddy panicked and said, "You're not dead?"

Wu Deqing shook his head helplessly, "Back then, I was victimized by traitors, missed the imperial examination, delayed for a lifetime, and has been reduced since then. ”

"If you are harmed by a traitor, why don't you go to the Yamen to report to the official, and why don't you take the imperial examination again in the next year?"

Wu Deqing sneered: "Report to the official? I don't remember how many times I hit the big drum outside the yamen, but the dog officials who were holding the high salaries always did things hastily, and in the end they simply stopped caring about me. Then my parents thought I was dead, and they ended up depressed, and my loved ones were gone, and even if I became famous, they wouldn't be able to see me. ”

Daddy sighed, and then sat down slowly, meaningfully......

The matter has been explained clearly, Chu Muxiu stepped forward, "The prime minister is a person who has experienced the scientific examination back then, and he knows some of the strange things, I implore the prime minister to wish me a helping hand, investigate this matter thoroughly, and give Wu Deqing a justice, and a justice to the world's scholars!" ”

"Hey, this matter was turned out in front of me, as the invigilator of the year, even if His Royal Highness does not say that the minister will do his best, he will not insult the reader, I originally felt that the matter was extremely strange, and there was really a cat in it, when I went back to the house, I found out the previous file, checked the list of candidates, and then discussed with the invigilator who was with me back then...... ”

Chu Muxiu sent Daddy out.

"The truth of this matter has not been revealed, and I hope that the prime minister will keep it secret for me, so as not to startle the snake, and the prime minister should be wary of several invigilators who did it with you back then."

"Your Highness means that the invigilators of the year were bribed by traitors, and suspect that some of them were doing tricks?"

"I can't rule it out!"

Ah Dad seemed to see something, and immediately turned his head to the armrest, "Forgive the old minister, His Royal Highness is willing to overturn the case for Wu Deqing, there must be selfishness in it, even so, I will still try my best to help His Highness, I only hope that His Royal Highness will remember the friendship of the old minister, and will treat Ah Candle well in the future, no matter what happens in the future, please don't be too cruel to her!" ”

Chu Muxiu bowed his head and looked down, "Prime Minister's words are serious, people in this world are too cold, only Ah Zhu treats me sincerely, from the moment I made a private agreement with her for life, I will cherish her as my life, I will use the rest of my life to protect her, and swear never to fail her!" ”

"Your Royal Highness is a thousand words, and the old minister is grateful!"

That afternoon, as soon as Daddy returned home, he buried himself in the study, I don't know what he was doing, and it was not until the evening that he came out of the study with a melancholy face. How to put it, it is the appearance of looking happy and unhappy, anxious and not in a hurry.

The next day, Daddy came to King Yi's Mansion with the yellowed dossier.

Several people gathered around, Qian Che closed the door, and Daddy opened the file, because it had been stored for too long, and the file was covered with a thick layer of dust. Daddy's eyes followed the rows of names in the file, "Wu Deqing, although you missed the exam, your name is still on the file, which is the best evidence of your existence." Daddy looked down again, "There were three invigilators besides me back then, namely Zhang Weizhi, the imperial historian, Zhong Yanqing, the head of the Hanlin Academy, and Pan Yongwu, the secretary of Guanglu Temple. ”

Chu Muxiu raised his gaze from the file: "Which of the three does the prime minister think is the most suspicious?"

Daddy stroked his half-white, half-black beard: "The old minister is not sure, this matter was handed over to the imperial historian Zhang Weizhi for thorough investigation, a bizarre poisoning case, he Zhang Weizhi actually solved the case in a hurry in only three days, I am afraid that this matter must be inseparable from him." Lao Chen originally wanted to find out one or two from the adults who took the same exam as Wu Deqing back then, but unfortunately they all died tragically in the mansion a few years ago, and now there is no proof that we have lost an important clue! ”

Chu Muxiu was also helpless for a while, and glanced up at Wu Deqing, Wu Deqing naturally regretted it, and blamed himself for killing those people in a moment of anger. Now there is no evidence, and it is an old thing from 20 years ago, so it is somewhat difficult to find out again.

After thinking about it for a long time, Wu Deqing's eyes rolled, "Maybe someone can prove it for me!" ”

"Who?" Chu Muxiu and Daddy almost spoke in unison.

"The six-pin cabinet attendant - Fang Ju'an, although he did not participate in the poisoning incident back then, but he didn't report it, and I didn't want his life in this friendship."

"Okay, that's it, Wu Deqing, you go to Fang Ju'an, no matter how you persuade him to testify in the court, I will find a way to make Zhong Yanqing and Pan Yongwu, the two invigilators, confess behind the scenes, and then confess themselves."

Things are planned so seamlessly, just waiting for the truth to be made public in two days, and justice will be given to the people who read the world.

That night, Wu Deqing sneaked into Fang Ju'an's residence, and the house was quite peaceful at night, and there were very few people moving around. Fang Ju'an would knock on the wooden fish in his ancestral hall every night and recite Buddhist scriptures, begging for peace and harmony for the whole family. That night, a strange wind suddenly blew outside the door, blowing out a candle in front of the Bodhisattva, Fang Ju'an was about to get up and re-light the extinguished candle, but someone covered his face from behind.

Fang Ju'an struggled in a panic, and Wu Deqing covered it tighter, "If you want to live, don't scream!" ”

Fang Ju'an was stunned, then nodded hard, and Wu Deqing let go of Fang Ju'an suddenly.

Fang Ju'an patted his chest violently and coughed for a while, but when he looked up, he froze, and then squinted his eyes and looked Wu Deqing up and down, "You, you are Wu Deqing?" ”

Wu Deqing casually found a stool and sat down: "You still have a little conscience to remember me." ”

Fang Ju'an ran to Wu Deqing in a panic, his face showing surprise, "You're not dead?" ”

Wu Deqing still had a grudge against Fang Ju'an in his heart: "What, you just want me to die like this?" ”

"That's not what I meant." Fang Ju'an turned his head to the Bodhisattva again, "It's good to be alive, it's good to be alive......"

Wu Deqing looked at Fang Ju'an's submissive appearance, and felt that he was really a little ridiculous, the most unbelieving thing in this world was the human heart, followed by the Bodhisattva is the Buddha......

"If you still have a little conscience, come forward and tell the truth, so that I can be given justice!" Wu Deqing's tone didn't look like asking for someone at all, but like he was ordering someone.

Fang Ju'an put away his hand in front of the Bodhisattva: "Originally, I was afraid of being sorry for you, but since you died, I have been living in guilt all day long, just because I feel sorry for you, so I pray for you every night." This secret has been pressing on my heart for too long, tormenting me for too long, and now that you are fortunate enough not to die, I should come out and end it all. Don't worry, I will definitely tell you about the officials who took the same exam with us back then, who paid to bribe the invigilator and poisoned you! ”

Hearing Fang Ju'an say this, Wu Deqing was quite satisfied, not satisfied but more like relieved, his goal was achieved and he was about to get up and leave, "I hope you will do what you say, don't be as timid and afraid as you were back then!" ”

"Wu Deqing!" Fang Ju'an called Wu Deqing mournfully.

Wu Deqing was disdainful, and he didn't even look back, "Do you still have something?" ”

"If I could go back 20 years, I would definitely stand up!"

Wu Deqing closed his eyes and put the sentence "It's late!" He swallowed his stomach and walked out slowly.

He thought that if Fang Ju'an had such courage twenty years ago, if these heartfelt words could have come out of Fang Ju'an's mouth twenty years ago, he would not have fallen from this. But think about it at that time, if he had spoken out at that time, it is estimated that he would have lost his life, twenty years, this matter has tormented him for twenty years, and the punishment for him is enough, enough......