Lan Jue finished eating the rice dumplings, paid the money and went home, and didn't say anything to Zhang Ping anymore.

Zhang Ping collected the money silently and didn't say anything to him.

In the evening, Lan Hui came back from Liu Mansion, and with a sad face, he said to Lan Jue: "Dad, can I not go to my uncle's house in the future?"

Although Lan Jue disciplined Lan Hui strictly, he was busy with official duties every day. He was very fond of Mr. Xixi, who hired a good temper, Lan Hui was used to being free from raising her at home. When he went to the strict Liu Mansion, he felt bored and made trouble every day and didn't like to go there.

Lan Jue taught him as usual: "Your mother died early, grandmother, uncle, and aunt saw you as if she saw your mother. They all cared about you very much. Even if you grow up, remember to respect them. Your cousin Tong is very knowledgeable, and you should learn more from others."

Lan Hui pursed her lips, looked up at Lan Jue with grievance, lowered her head and left with a sad face.

In the middle of the night, Lan Jue heard a scream while sleeping, and hurriedly got up and rushed to the next door. Lan Hui hugged in the corner of the bed with a cool blanket, trembling. Several servants were gathered in front of the bed to comfort her.

Lan Jue looked at his crying face, took a hand towel from the little boy beside him, soaked in a warm water basin, twisted it, and walked to the edge of the bed.

"A man, having a nightmare can make you cry. How can you achieve great things in the future?"

Lan Hui buried her face in the blanket and didn't speak.

Lan Jue frowned and handed the towel to him: "Take it, wipe your face, and then go to bed."

Lan Hui did not move and said nothing. Lan Jue's eyebrows tightened a little. The boy next to him hurriedly said, "Master, I can't blame the young master. The young master was in the Liu Mansion today and was shocked when he heard something strange. Even the master over there said that this matter was strange. The young master was young and had a quiet heart. It was understandable that he had a nightmare at night."

Lan Jue smiled: "There are not so many ghosts and monsters in this world? They are just delusions in people's hearts. Besides, with wormwood on the door and realgar on their body, how can you still be afraid of ghosts?"

Lan Hui's shoulders trembled, and he slowly raised his face, his eyes red: "I saw it crawling over."

Lan Jue said helplessly: "Then follow me to sleep in the front wing, so that my father can see what the ghost looks like."

Lan Hui quickly got out of bed, took the towel from Lan Jue and wiped his face, followed Lan Jue to the front wing, stood beside the bed, and looked up timidly at Lan Jue.

Lan Jue raised his eyebrows: "You sleep inside, that ghost is coming, let it crawl over me first."

Lan Hui slid into the bed with a slight sound and lay close to the wall.

Lan Jue lay on the bed and asked the servants to turn off the lights and go out. The candles were turned off. When the door closed, Lan Hui shook.

Lan Jue closed his eyes, Lan Hui kept pressing against the wall, silently, Lan Jue breathed evenly, and after a long time, Lan Hui turned over and gently moved to Lan Jue's side, reached out to grab Lan Jue's sleeve, and after a while, he breathed evenly and fell into a dream.

Lan Jue couldn't sleep well, so he sniffed for a moment. He thought it was time to go to court and got up gently. Lan Hui was sleeping soundly. Lan Jue pulled her sleeve out of his hand, and he only moved, grabbed the thin blanket and continued to sleep.

Lan Jue got off the court and went straight to the ritual office of the Ministry of Rites. He spent breakfast in the department and worked until the evening before returning.

When she arrived at the hall, Lan Hui turned out from behind the screen and greeted him. Lan Jue raised his eyebrows and looked at him: "Are you afraid of ghosts?"

Lan Hui drooped his head and said nothing.

Lan Jue sat in the chair: "What story did you hear at your uncle's house yesterday? Tell me?"

Lan Hui looked up at Lan Jue and whispered: "My uncle bought a pen holder. He said that it was burned by dead bones and there was a ghost."

Lan Jue frowned. His father-in-law, Liu Xian, had never believed in ghosts and gods. People in the Liu Mansion never dared to mention the word "ghost". Women went to the temple to burn incense, but they had to secretly go without telling the old man. They were more cautious than being a thief. Although Liu Xian has been dead for many years, his power is still hovering in the mansion. Even during the holidays, he would say "I know that you don't like this, but please accept the filial piety of your children and grandchildren." This is how the brother-in-law who was trained by his father-in-law to spit out the word "ghost" is indeed unusual.

Lan Jue said: "Then have you seen that pen holder?"

Lan Hui shook her head and her eyes turned red again: "I saw the pen holder on my uncle's table, so I went to touch it, but my aunt cried. She said that this was an unjust soul to seek revenge on my uncle, and she also asked me to wipe my hands with incense ash, asking me not to eat meat these days."

Lan Jue said: "What does that pen holder look like?"

Lan Hui said: "It's just a white porcelain cylinder, without any pattern, it's broken, with a seal on it."

Lan Jue said: "Is it a mark that looks like a branch?"

Lan Hui nodded with his mouth flat.

Lan Jue rubbed his head and said, "I understand, this ghost, your father, I need to check its origin. You go to the study room first and continue to study."

Lan Hui blinked her rabbit-like eyes: "Dad, I've been reading for a day, I'm scared."

Lan Jue said with a straight face: "Why have Dad always told you that there are no ghosts and gods in the world? Ghosts are evil spirits. If you have no flaws in your heart, don't believe it, don't want to listen or ask, it will not invade you or harm you. Now you don't listen to the teachings and are infected with evil ways. Even your uncle is afraid, and your father cannot surrender for a while. Only in front of the portrait of a saint, read the books of a sage, resist with great righteousness, and do not have any more distracting thoughts, otherwise..."

Lan Hui's little face turned and went straight to the study.

Lan Hui slept in the study all night and even ate food. The next day, Lan Jue got off the court and met Wang Yan head-on. Wang Yan smiled and said, "I heard that Lord Lan, your brother-in-law, was found by an unjust soul."

Lan Jue said helplessly: "Don't mention this matter. Even my son was scared and cried. I was thinking about what magic weapon to buy to coax him."

Wang Yan smiled and said, "I have never done anything wrong in my life. I have dealt with an unjust case, but I will never forget it in this life. In my opinion, either he thought too much or someone was haunted."

Lan Jue said: "Six years ago, I was a minor official in the Central Secretariat. I only heard that an examiner who participated in the examination was wrongly accused. The court did not observe it for a while and judged the wrong case. But I don't know the details, and I am always confused. Everyone in charge of the case at that time was rigorous and meticulous. How could the wrong case be judged?"

Wang Yan sighed with his hands behind his back: "Oh, I have read the file of that case. If it is left to this day, if it is not learned from the past, and if it hits those old pedantic hands, it may still be wrongly judged. It was an ordinary case from the beginning, and the source was the Wenshu who raised charity funds. You should know this."

Lan Jue nodded. Everyone knew about the literary gathering six years ago. At that time, several counties in the northwest were severely drought. The imperial court took advantage of the opportunity that the scientific examination was about to be conducted and scholars gathered in the capital. The Ministry of Revenue took the lead and joined forces with several large chambers of commerce to hold a semi-official and semi-private literary gathering. Based on the disaster situation, it recruited poetry, paintings and essays, and each person was limited to one article. The best one was selected and the chamber of commerce bid for the funds raised for disaster relief.

Those who serve as judges are respected gentry or scholars with great talent.

Winning in this literary fair means that there is an additional opportunity to be on the list in the examination, and it may even be named as the top candidate, so the examiners all rushed to participate.

In the end, Jiangxi test-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-song-s

On the second day, a group of scholars jointly sued, saying that Chen Zishang's "Plum Fu" was not written by him, but that he stole the article of another scholar, Ma Hong.

Ma Hong said that he thought hard for several days, and suddenly got a good sentence in his dream. He drove out this essay overnight. He was exhausted and fell ill in bed, missing the deadline for submitting the article. Unexpectedly, Chen Zishang stole this article when he came to visit him.

"Because the date is too close, it is impossible to judge who is first and who is later on the handwriting paper. The Ministry of Justice and the Ministry of Rites went to investigate the two testers in detail. The person who led the case was Dou Fang and Ling's brother-in-law, and Liu Yuan, the Minister of Rites at the time."

After verification, Ma Hong was a test boy selected from Ganliang County, northwest. His family was poor, and his whole family sold him to study. He was diligent and simple, cautious and humble. Chen Zishang was rich, and his grandfather was a prefect, his father was a wealthy gentry in Jiangxi County, and his mother was also a lady from a famous family. Chen Zishang was arrogant and casual. After arriving in the capital, he rented a mansion and drank and had fun all day long. The honest and dedicated test boy of the same class did not interact with him. He also often spoke to ridicule people from poor backgrounds.

More than a dozen examiners jointly wrote a letter to testify for Ma Hong, saying that when Ma Hong wrote a fu, he had discussed the words and sentences with others several times. Everyone can prove that this fu was indeed written by Ma Hong. He accused Chen Zishang of stealing the article.

The article "Plum Fu" expresses a sense of hardship and unyielding and progressiveness. Several officials in charge of the case felt that Chen Zishang was not like someone who could write such a piece.

The Ministry of Justice also retried Chen Zishang's previous articles from the exam papers that participated in the prefecture and county examinations, and found that Chen Zishang's previous articles were mediocre, which was very different from the writing style of "Plum Fu". There were many omissions in the exam papers in other prefectures and county examinations. Later, after investigation, it was found that Chen Zishang's father had given the examiner a heavy gift.

Wang Yan said: "Tao Yun was the prime minister back then, and he had always questioned the doubts about this case. Chen Zishang's stolen articles. After all, the evidence was insufficient. His father gave gifts to the examiner, which violated the law, but it might not be a bribe. It might also be a thank you. Whether it was a fraud, it was also a conclusion that could be drawn after all the test papers in the two tests were transferred out."

Lan Jue said: "If you listen to Lord Yun, you will not have any grievances in the future."

Wang Yan sneered: "No, but the hosts at that time, including Ling Brother-in-law, all said that how could a playboy who gained fame by bribing the examiner to write the "Plum Fu" that stands proudly in Hanshuang? He also said that someone learned that Chen Zishang's father had asked someone to go through the path of Lord Yun. The late emperor told Lord Yun not to interfere in this matter.

Therefore, the Ministry of Rites canceled Chen Zishang's qualification to participate in the examination. Chen Zishang was disgraced and everyone cursed him as a literary thief. The Ministry of Justice ordered Jiangxi County to thoroughly investigate the fraud cases in the examination and prefecture. Chen Zishang's father was arrested and interrogated. He even found out that Chen Zishang's grandfather was suspected of accepting bribes when he was the prefect. The Chen family was ruined in the past.

Of course, the title of Wen Kui in "Plum Fu" was changed to Ma Hong. Everyone in the capital applauded.

Chen Zishang committed suicide by jumping into the lake. Before his death, he wrote the words "unfair" in the pavilion in the middle of the lake with blood.

Chen Zishang's father was imprisoned at that time, and his mother Chen Baishi went to the capital to collect his body. When she arrived in the capital, she was already crying and blind.

Chen Zishang's body rotted in the lake and had been burned. Those who had been with him were forced to collect the body for him publicly due to the situation at that time. They only secretly kept part of his ashes and hid in a white porcelain pen holder.

Chen Bai's father beat the drum and complained about his son's grievances. He was driven away by the government and was killed in front of the Ministry of Justice. Chen Zishang's father suffered a stroke in prison and died soon after.

At this time, the results of the test paper comparison of the Jiangxi County two tests were found, and although there were omissions in Chen Zishang's article, he was indeed qualified to be included in the list of examinations among the candidates in the same subject.

Some people couldn't stand it and stood up to testify for Chen Zishang, saying that the day Chen Zishang visited Ma Hong was indeed after he had handed over "Plum Fu", and he didn't go into the inner room at all, so he put down his things in the main hall and left.

The court reopened the case and was tried by Prime Minister Yun Tang. After months of investigation and comparison of various evidence, it was found that Chen Zishang was indeed wronged.

The more than a dozen examiners who testified for Ma Hong also admitted that they had a good relationship with Ma Hong on weekdays and had always been disgusted with Chen Zishang, so they committed perjury.

The fu "Plum Fu" was actually written by Chen Zishang. He wrote this fu because of his mother.

Chen Zishang was the only son in the family and was arrogant since childhood, but he was a filial son. After his mother married into the Chen family, she had not given birth for several years and was ridiculed by her mother-in-law. Her sisters also laughed at her. Later, she gave birth to a son and lived a good life in her in-laws' house. Chen Zishang studied for fame and fortune, hoping that her mother could become a wife of the imperial decree and be proud in front of her sisters.

Whenever Chen Bai was ridiculed, she would embroider the plum blossoms. She was a lady from a famous family and was quite talented. She also wrote a few poems about plum blossoms. In Chen Zishang's "Plum Fu", she used a few poems written by her mother.

After the truth of the case was revealed, the examination was passed, Ma Hong was awarded the Jinshi and was granted the title of official. The Ministry of Justice sentenced Ma Hong to behead him, and he insisted until his death that it was Chen Zishang who stole his article.

"After the case was closed, Lord Yun became more prestige. Dou Fang committed suicide and apologized for his brother-in-law and ordered his brother-in-law to resign. He was guilty until now. The so-called Qingliu lineage was damaged and the bones were damaged, so the court could have the current situation. In fact, Ma Hong and others gathered together to falsely accused it was an extremely ordinary case. It was common in all generations, and the technique was not clever. It was because Chen Zishang was a rich young man. Ma Hong was poor. Most people would think that it was the rich bullying the poor. In addition, Chen Zishang was not very good at being a human being. There were many poor scholars who falsely accused him. The so-called three people became tigers, and the public was a great way to encourage the creation of momentum. The people who were in a position to be unfaithful allegations said that Chen Zishang was a criminal. The court thought he was following the public's wishes, but he handled an unjust case."

Lan Jue asked: "How did the person involved in the false accusation be sentenced later?"

Wang Yan said: "Several masterminds were beheaded or assassinated, but later many people, who only followed the crowd and took advantage of the situation, were sentenced to lesser sentences, or they would not be able to achieve fame for life. The lesser ones would be exempted from fame and fortune and ordered them not to participate in scientific examinations for several years. The court also set up a ancestral hall by the lake where Chen Zishang committed suicide, and added titles to his parents, and the Chen house in Jiangxi was also rebuilt the ancestral hall. Everyone was dead, and these were just makeup shops."

After saying this, he happened to arrive in front of Duanrui Gate. Lan Jue bowed farewell to Wang Yan and went to the Ministry of Justice. The sky was gloomy and a black cloud hanged in the ashes, as if a trace of unwilling soul that refused to dissipate.

When he arrived at the Ministry of Commerce, his subordinates reported to Lan Jue that the Ministry of Commerce had received an anonymous letter.

This letter came in a very strange way. The Ministry where Lan Jue left the last time yesterday did not see this letter. This morning, the clerk saw that the letter was not locked on the door of the inner courtyard.

The letter paper is ordinary coarse paper, with rough handwriting, and has been opened, and it is written on the ground.
Chapter completed!