[Host, he is Chen Shisong.]
Shen Yuxi raised her brows slightly and looked up.
The man appeared to be about twenty, with exceptionally handsome, refined features, a face like warm jade, and fair skin. No wonder Shangguan Niao had fallen for him.
[He looks so meek and harmless. Who would imagine he was a complete scumbag behind the scenes?] [Someone like Chen Shisong puts profit above everything. He is emotionally cold and self-centered. In his eyes, no one matters except himself, not even his parents.]
Disgust and anger colored the system's voice. [That conscienceless bastard secretly discussed it with Shangguan Niao the night before the spring examinations. They were plotting to hire someone to kill Wanxue once the examinations were over.]
What?
The little flame in Shen Yuxi's heart blazed fiercely, and a hint of murderous intent entered her gaze as she looked at Chen Shisong.
Cheating was bad enough, but he wanted to murder her too?
Who gave him the nerve!
[Wanxue is the greatest obstacle to Chen Shisong marrying Shangguan Niao. He considers her a ticking time bomb as long as she lives. An amicable divorce would be too much trouble, and he doesn't want to waste any more time.] [He decided to simply get rid of Wanxue in one stroke and end the matter once and for all.] [Shangguan Niao opposed it at first, but Chen Shisong said this was the only way they could be together without future worries.] [Shangguan Niao ultimately gave ground and agreed to keep her mouth shut. She wouldn't come forward to expose Chen Shisong, but she certainly wouldn't lend a hand either. She didn't want blood on her hands and told Chen Shisong to figure it out himself.] [Whether he killed Wanxue, and whether the attempt succeeded or failed, had nothing to do with her.]
Shen Yuxi closed her eyes briefly and exhaled softly. What was Chen Shisong planning to do?
[He wrote to his childhood friend and sent him ten taels of silver, asking him to find a way to make it look as though Wanxue had accidentally fallen into the water and drowned. After all, his childhood friend grew up with him, so Wanxue certainly wouldn't be on her guard around him.] [The river is deep and swift. Even if someone reported it to the authorities, they wouldn't be able to recover her body right away. By the time they did, who knew how much time would have passed? They would never find evidence proving he had killed her.] [After all, to outsiders, he is a kindhearted man who dotes on his wife and cares for his family. His childhood friend grew up with him, and they share a deep bond, giving him even less reason to hurt his good friend's wife without cause.]
Shen Yuxi sneered. That childhood friend has some nerve. For a mere ten taels of silver, he dared conspire with Chen Shisong to take a life.
[His childhood friend just built a house and is short of money. He didn't want to turn away silver delivered to his door.] [Besides, his childhood friend knows Chen Shisong has latched onto the Duke of Ding's daughter, and his status has risen with the tide. Even if the plot comes to light, Chen Shisong can protect him.] [As long as he clings tightly to Chen Shisong's golden thigh, he is sure to bask in his reflected glory in the future.]
Bang-!
Chen Shisong's fingers suddenly went slack, and his silver chopsticks fell onto the dining table with a clatter.
His entire body stiffened, his jaw clenched so tightly it trembled. His eyes flew wide, surging with panic.
His usually composed expression shattered completely-the stunned horror of having his secrets laid bare and every layer of disguise collapse.
Chen Shisong abruptly looked up and stared fixedly at Shen Yuxi as though looking at a monster.
"You... are you human or a ghost...?"
His sudden actions drew everyone else's attention. Bewildered, they all looked up at the two of them.
The examinees could not leave their examination cubicles.
Those whose cubicles were near Chen Shisong's could see exactly what was happening, leaving those who couldn't see frantic.
They scratched their ears and heads in frustration. They wanted to join the spectacle too.
Already utterly disgusted with him, Shen Yuxi's eyes filled with the faintest trace of impatience. She begrudged him even another expression.
Her lips curved into a cold, mocking smile, and her voice was as chilly as shattered ice, every word steeped in revulsion. "A ghost? Wouldn't that word suit you best?"
A demon!
"How did you know... I..."
Before he could finish, an agonizing pain that seemed to pierce and split his bones suddenly exploded, as though a pair of enormous invisible hands had brutally snapped his ribs.
The heavy, excruciating pain swept through every limb and bone in an instant. His vision went black with agony, and he could no longer suppress the wretched scream in his throat.
"Aah-!"
His hoarse cry of agony pierced the silence. His body doubled over sharply, and he fell heavily to the ground.
He curled into a ball, both hands clamped desperately over his ribs, his knuckles turning bluish-white from the force.
Cold sweat instantly beaded across his forehead and rolled down his pale cheeks.
"Pfft-!"
Chen Shisong uncontrollably spat out a mouthful of bright red blood.
"Lord Little Shen!"
The vice minister of rites and the other officials were startled. Afraid something had happened to Shen Yuxi, they immediately hurried to her side.
Panic crossed Bao Cheng's face, and he asked urgently, "Lord Little Shen, are you hurt?"
If anything happened to Lord Little Shen right under his nose, His Majesty and Minister Shen would certainly flay a layer of skin off him.
"I'm fine. He's the one with a problem." Shen Yuxi lifted her chin toward him.
Bao Cheng looked her up and down, making certain that Shen Yuxi really was unhurt, then let out a heavy sigh of relief.
He turned toward Chen Shisong and was badly startled by the wretched sight of him rolling in agony while vomiting blood.
"Heavens, th-this..."
Shen Yuxi spread her hands and said, "This has nothing to do with me. I had only just walked up to him when he called me a ghost. Then he turned out like this, as though he were having some sort of fit."
System, does Chen Shisong have epilepsy?
[No. The symptoms of epilepsy are full-body stiffness, convulsing limbs, foaming at the mouth, and loss of consciousness. Chen Shisong's symptoms don't match.]
Then what's wrong with him?
[The scan results show that, apart from slightly low blood sugar, all his physical indicators are healthy.]
Standing nearby, Bao Cheng had a rough idea of what had happened.
Lord Little Shen and the system must have been eating melons, and Chen Shisong had heard Lord Little Shen's inner voice.
Anyone who heard Lord Little Shen's inner voice was unable to speak of it in her presence.
The moment anyone attempted to reveal it, they would immediately be punished and meet a miserable end.
Although he looked too pitiful to watch, his life should not be in danger.
"You two, take him to a side hall to rest."
The vice minister of rites felt rather weary.
So many unexpected incidents had happened in just one day.
Cheating, fainting, going mad...
This batch of examinees was the most troublesome he had ever overseen.
"Lord Bao, Chen Shisong cheated. Even if he wakes up, he is no longer eligible to continue the examination. Be sure to have someone keep a close watch on him."
"Rest assured, Lord Little Shen."
Bao Cheng did not doubt Shen Yuxi's words in the slightest.
If Lord Little Shen said someone had cheated, then that person had cheated.
His childhood friend...
Knowing what Shen Yuxi wanted to ask, the system said softly, [Wanxue is very clever. After receiving the letter, his childhood friend tried to lure her out under the pretext of choosing a gift for Chen Shisong, but Wanxue ignored him entirely. No matter what he said, she never stepped beyond either gate of the house.]
[On the second day after we left Qingzhou, Wanxue acted completely out of character. Disregarding her bedridden mother-in-law, she resolutely packed her things and went to stay with her natal family.] [There are many people in Wanxue's natal family, all crowded into one courtyard. Although they mocked her both openly and indirectly when she returned, she was still their daughter. They didn't turn her away and let her stay.] [That left his childhood friend with no opportunity to strike.] [Although the epidemic in Qingzhou has stabilized, almost everyone is being kept at home under semi-compulsory restrictions. Soldiers patrol everywhere, making it difficult for his childhood friend to find opportunities to approach Wanxue frequently. Doing so too often would also arouse suspicion.]
Shen Yuxi returned to her designated seat to eat and took a bite of braised pork.
Cheating, conspiring with his childhood friend, and attempted murder. Under the laws of the Mo Kingdom, Chen Shisong should be sentenced to thirty years in prison.