Taking It to the Emperor

Ma Sheng was unaware of Gao Weiqiang's intentions. He put Granny Wang and her son onto the mule cart and let Ma Wushi drive it aimlessly around the capital. He thought that if no one came to claim them after driving around the capital, he would hand Granny Wang and her son over to Zhou Chun to take care of, and deal with them after the girl finished her exams.

But Xiao Lingyan's bodyguards did not disappoint him. In less than a quarter of an hour, one of them approached Ma Sheng and said, "Brother Ma, we are the Fifth Young Master's men. Hand over Granny Wang and her son to us, and we will find out who is behind this."

"Alright, alright." Ma Sheng didn't ask any further questions. He directly told Ma Wushi to get out of the mule cart and instructed him, "We rented the mule cart from Zhang Family Carriage and Horse Hire. Just return it there in a bit."

As he spoke, he handed the car dealership's sign to the man.

The man nodded, said nothing more, and drove off in his mule cart.

Ma Wushi, however, was still uneasy and asked his father, "How do you know he's really from that side? What if he isn't?"

Ma Sheng glanced at him sideways. "Coming to ask us for people at this time, and even knowing that the people in the mule cart are Granny Wang's family, we need to investigate who's behind this. Who else could it be but Fifth Young Master's people?"

"What if it was sent by an envoy?" Ma Wushi asked.

Ma Sheng couldn't help but slap his son on the head. "He did it so discreetly, even Granny Wang and her son didn't know who he was. Why would he take such a big risk for Granny Wang and the other two? Isn't that just gilding the lily? Who would be so stupid?"

Ma Wushi thought about it and realized it was true, so he didn't say anything more.

"You, after being by a girl's side for so long, are still so stupid. You don't even know how to use your brain when things happen. I really don't know what to say to you," Ma Sheng said, exasperated.

Ma Wushi dared not utter a sound.

After this incident, the secret guards and the people of the Earl of Suiping's Residence became even more vigilant. The kitchen was guarded at all times, and the cook's family was also protected. Before sending Zhao Ruxi to the examination hall, Ma Sheng and Uncle Lu would check the carriage and horses again and again, and they also brought a spare carriage to replace it if there were any problems.

Fortunately, nothing else happened after that.

With their combined overt and covert vigilance, Zhao Ruxi successfully completed all three exams.

She was already in good health, and after practicing the boxing techniques Xiao Lingyan taught her every day, her health improved even further. She didn't feel tired during the exam. When the exam was over, the male examinees all came out pale-faced, but Zhao Ruxi was as rosy-cheeked and radiant as ever.

Inside the palace, Xiao Ge asked Eunuch Xie, "Is the imperial examination over today? How is Zhao Zhiwei doing?"

On the first day of the examination and the provincial examination, Xiao Ge asked a similar question. Eunuch Xie simply sent a young eunuch to guard the entrance of the women's examination hall in the examination hall so as to get news of Zhao Ruxi in time.

"Your Majesty, Miss Zhiwei has successfully completed all three exams and seems to have done quite well. She appeared to be in good spirits when she came out of the examination hall. However..."

Eunuch Xie looked up at Xiao Ge and said, "The eunuch I sent to gather information overheard from the servants of the Earl of Suiping's Residence that someone set a trap for the Earl of Suiping's Residence's carpenter, forcing his mother to drug Miss Zhiwei's food. Fortunately, the Wife of the Earl of Suiping was on guard and caught the culprit in time. Otherwise, Miss Zhiwei wouldn't have been able to take the exam smoothly."

This was a message that Xiao Lingyan's secret guards deliberately sent to Xiao Ge's ears after they discovered the mastermind behind it all.

If Eunuch Xie hadn't sent someone to gather information, this matter would have been passed on to Xiao Ge through Kang Shilin.

After all, their punishment was nothing; at most, it would take the life of the mastermind, which wouldn't harm their family. They couldn't afford to cause them pain and dirty their own hands. Besides, what that person did didn't warrant death; taking his life would only make their conscience uneasy.

It would be best if the Emperor himself could punish them.

Furthermore, with the power of the Earl of Suiping's Residence, it is impossible to find out who is behind this. Once this matter gets out, both Xiao Ge and the other princes will have to suspect the power of the Earl of Suiping's Residence or Zhao Ruxi himself, which will be very detrimental to Zhao Ruxi's ability to conceal his strength.

The best course of action would be to relay the message to Xiao Ge and have him send someone to investigate.

Xiao Ge was furious upon hearing this.

He said, "Investigate for me, investigate thoroughly, and see who dares to disrupt the imperial examinations and disturb the order of the court."

Once a serious accusation was leveled against him, Eunuch Xie knew that the man was in trouble.

The head of the Imperial Guards beside him agreed and withdrew.

Granny Wang felt that her nightmare began the moment her son was lured into gambling.

For her son's sake, she was forced to drug the girl, but she was caught on the spot and immediately dragged onto a carriage. She was taken somewhere unknown, where she, her son, and her old man were interrogated separately before being locked up somewhere. Throughout the entire process, she was blindfolded.

She thought it was over, and that what awaited them was either being beaten to death or sold off.

A few days later, they were brought in for questioning again. This time, it seemed to be a different group of people; their demeanor was completely different, much like the military officers she had met before. This frightened her quite a bit. She had already confessed everything honestly when she was arrested, and naturally, she did the same this time.

The Imperial Guards interrogated Granny Wang and her family of three, and asked Ma Sheng, "They said that on the night Granny Wang was arrested, you had them taken to another place in the carriage for interrogation?"

Ma Sheng nodded. "My daughter was taking her exams at the time. She's an extremely perceptive person. If we interrogated Granny Wang in the mansion, she would definitely notice as soon as word got out. It was only the second exam, with another one to go. To avoid affecting my daughter's exams, Madam had me bring Granny Wang and her family to the shop for interrogation. Madam said that nothing was more important than my daughter's exams."

This explanation makes perfect sense, and the Imperial Guards didn't suspect anything. Mainly, the Earl of Suiping's Residence has simple relationships, doesn't take sides, and has no ties to any powerful officials or forces. As for Granny Wang's matter, it's simply that someone dislikes Zhao Ruxi, or that Zhao Ruxi is blocking their path, so they resorted to underhanded tactics.

"What have you found out?" the Imperial Guards asked.

Their methods were naturally far more sophisticated than those of Ma Sheng and his group. However, the investigation only began several days after the incident, allowing the mastermind behind it to erase any possible traces, thus increasing the difficulty of their investigation.

Ma Sheng and his team, however, immediately began an investigation, and perhaps they could uncover some clues.

Ma Sheng was waiting for him to say those words.

He recounted to the Imperial Guards all the clues that Xiao Lingyan's secret guards had uncovered.

People have varying abilities. Although he was just a guard in the Earl's mansion and Zhao Ruxi's steward, who could say for sure how capable he was? He was capable of finding out so much, and even if the Imperial Guards had doubts, they wouldn't suspect much.