Since Li Chunfang was taken away in front of his colleagues, the group of soldiers escorted him to the nearest prison, where he awaited his release.

Inside the cell, perhaps because of the long lack of sunlight, the straw on the bed was already moldy, and in the cracks of the stone bricks on the ground, there were dark red blood stains that could not be washed, and there was a wooden bucket in the corner of the wall, in which was the excrement of unknown creatures, and a foul smell came from it.

And just when Li Chunfang wanted to lie on the bed and rest for a while, she suddenly found that the bed had become a paradise for mice! As soon as he lifted the quilt, the rats squeaked as if frightened, and soon ran to the corner of the wall and disappeared.

"What the hell is going on?" Li Chunfang sat on the ground dejectedly, constantly thinking about what she might have done.

"Could it be that you have offended someone? Someone wrote a note to impeach me! This idea suddenly appeared in Li Chunfang's mind.

But soon, this idea was rejected by himself: "But I have been in charge of the imperial examination recently, and I can't even see a few people, let alone offend people!" ”

But soon, Li Chunfang's doubts were answered.

……

"Li Chunfang, do you plead guilty?" Zhang Runde, the waiter of the Criminal Department, asked.

"Confession? What sin to confess? What sin have I committed? Li Chunfang tilted her head, her face full of doubts.

"Hmph, dare to quibble! You say, how much money did you collect from those candidates? Who did you sell the exam questions to? Zhang Runde seemed to be very dissatisfied with Li Chunfang's answer and scolded angrily.

"What, you said that I accepted the candidate's money and leaked the exam questions!" Hearing Zhang Runde's question, Li Chunfang couldn't help but be surprised.

Accepting bribes and leaking the test questions of the imperial examination are all first-class crimes! If you don't know it, you want to raid your family and exterminate the clan, and Li Chunfang thinks that she doesn't have such courage.

"Still want to quibble? Early this morning, an impeachment note was handed to the Inspectorate, saying that you had received the candidate's money, and behind the note, there was also a question for the imperial examination, and the official was very curious, how should you explain this! Zhang Runde saw that Li Chunfang still wanted to deny it, so he couldn't help but offer a killer weapon.

"Hmph, the adults kept saying that the lower officials leaked the questions of the imperial examination, and they dare to ask what the exam questions were written behind that song?" Li Chunfang still did not give up, and continued to ask Zhang Runde.

"Hmph, don't cry if you don't see the coffin! You listen to the official, the sincere, the foundation of heaven and virtue and the source of sacredness, the scholar is the head of the four people, and the scholar is the ......" Zhang Runde glanced at Li Chunfang and chanted lightly.

"You don't have to chant anymore, what you just read is indeed the title of the official." As early as when Zhang Runde recited the first sentence, Li Chunfang understood that what this waiter of the Criminal Department said was true, and the exam questions were really leaked!

"Oh, is there anything else you want to say?" Zhang Runde pointed to the little official who was in charge of recording the confession and asked.

"My lord, I don't know how the exam questions were leaked, but the lower officials really didn't accept bribes from candidates! These days, Xia Guan has been locked up in a dark room, and he did not regain his freedom until the test papers were finished. ”

"And in this process, who the lower officials have been in contact with and who they have spoken to, there are special people on the side! Besides, the lessons from the past are there, how can the lower officials commit crimes against the wind? Wronged! ”

Li Chunfang turned her gaze to the servant of the Criminal Department, and there was a little pleading in her words.

"Well, you can rest assured, after the matter is investigated, the court will give you an explanation! Tell me, who have you been in contact with in recent days? ”

After listening to what Li Chunfang said, Zhang Runde, the waiter of the Criminal Department, softened his attitude a little, and then he nodded to the official who was in charge of recording the confession on the side, and motioned for him to record everything next.

"Here's the thing, ...... day"

Immediately afterwards, Li Chunfang began to recall the people or things that had intersected with him in recent days.

……

Beijing, Yanfu.

After Yan Shifan got Li Chunfang's exact confession from Zhang Runde, the waiter of the Criminal Department, he rushed back to his home without stopping and knocked on the door of his father Yan Song.

"What, isn't it recruited?" Yan Song opened the door and asked.

"No, father, then Li Chunfang claimed that he did not accept bribes from the candidates! Here is the detailed confession. ”

Yan Shifan said that, and handed the exact confession to Yan Song.

"Well, come in! Also, leave the door of the study open. Yan Song took the confession, turned around, and slowly sat on the bookcase, not forgetting to say this.

"Yes, father." Yan Shifan said goodbye and came to Yan Song's side to wait.

Yan Song put on his reading glasses unhurriedly, read Li Chunfang's confession back and forth several times, took off the reading glasses, and sighed: "It's difficult to do now!" There should be nothing wrong with everything Li Chunfang explained, but in this case, how did the exam questions leak? ”

Yan Song frowned, but his mind kept thinking about possible answers.

"By the way, did you find anything from Li Chunfang's home?" Yan Song suddenly came back to his senses and asked Yan Shifan.

"No, we sent someone to turn Li Chunfang's house upside down, and we didn't find the stolen money he received!"

Yan Shifan heard his father's question, shook his head, and responded.

……

On the other side, everyone in Yuwang's Mansion was also anxious about this matter.

"Have you read Li Chunfang's confession?" Xu Jie swept his gaze over everyone and asked.

"Elder Xu Ge, we have read that confession several times, and we still can't find any problems! And they have also sent people to search Li Chunfang's home, but they have found nothing. Gao Gong shook his head and responded.

At this moment, Zhang Juzheng was still carefully looking at Li Chunfang's confession, trying to find some clues from it.

Seeing this, Xu Jie couldn't help but open his mouth to comfort: "Master Zhang, let's rest for a while!" It doesn't have to be so tight. ”

"You say, are we going to go in the wrong direction in the first place?" Zhang Juzheng suddenly raised his head, his eyes flashed with a fine light, and said slowly.

"What do you mean?" After listening to Zhang Juzheng's words, Gao Gong was a little confused.

"I mean, will Li Chunfang finish the exam questions in the black room (note: the place where the examiner gave the test questions is called the black room), and the exam questions will be leaked! As far as I know, he has a habit of typing drafts. Zhang Juzheng looked at Gao Gong and explained loudly.

"Then according to what you mean, are the hands and feet of those little officials in charge of daily life in the dark room? They secretly collected the scratch paper that Li Chunfang had typed, and then flipped through the relevant books. Xu Jie also understood what Zhang Juzheng meant at this moment, and said in a deep voice.

"Well, I don't rule it out!" Zhang Juzheng nodded, agreeing with Xu Jie's opinion.

"But now that the exam questions are in hand, why do you need to report them to the Inspectorate? Isn't it good to sell it secretly? No matter how high the price is, some candidates want to buy it! Zhu Zaikun on the side also raised his doubts at this time.

"Could it be that someone learned the news from it and wanted to use this means to attack Taichang Shaoqing Li Chunfang, but they couldn't determine whether the leaked exam questions were true, so they made this decision." Gao Gong also put forward his own opinion in due course.

"Well, quite possibly! I'll send someone to follow this line and check it out at once. After Xu Jie said that, he called his subordinates and instructed him to go on the matter.

(End of chapter)