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Yunfei School.

In the dining hall, Jiang Zhaoyong, carrying his bowl, deliberately sat opposite Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao.

“Recently, someone in the school has been insinuating that some people got first and second place because they bribed the teacher. Why does this sound like you two?”

Chu Xuyuan and Chu Xuyao had heard about this.

Chu Xuyuan frowned and said in distress, “I also feel like they’re talking about us, but there are so many people in the school. 1 don’t know who’s behind it.”

Jiang Zhaoyong was silent for a moment before asking, “Did you offend anyone?”

Chu Xuyao suddenly looked up, his face tense, “Apart from He Shaozhi and Su Wenji, I can’t think of anyone else who would bear such animosity towards us.”

Jiang Zhaoyong thought for a moment. “If it’s that obvious, wouldn’t it be easy for you to expose them if they were behind it?”

Chu Xuyuan helplessly said, “So… we can’t figure out who it is.”

Jiang Zhaoyong looked at them, smiling slightly, “Think of a way. Aren’t you guys smart?”

Chu Xuyuan just sipped his soup, not engaging in Jiang Zhaoyong’s talk. If he had a solution, he would have already implemented it, instead of brooding here.

Chu Xuyao glared at Jiang Zhaoyong and ignored him. He lowered his head and ate, secretly thinking of a way.

Jiang Zhaoyong did not say anything else either and buried his head in his food.

“Have you heard? I just learned that a teacher in our school leaked exam questions to a student. Otherwise, that student couldn’t have ranked so high.” “Is there any basis for this rumor? Don’t spread rumors without evidence.”

“I don’t know, but we can treat it as gossip. However, our school’s exam questions are mostly made by Teacher Yan, so this rumor is essentially accusing him of leaking questions, right?”

“Teacher Yan lives in seclusion and rarely interacts with anyone except in class. Will he really leak the questions?”

“I heard that for the past few months, two junior brothers have been very close to Teacher Yan. So the recipients of the leaked questions…”

“Slam!” Chu Xuyao slammed his hand on the table, creating a loud noise that drew the attention of the surrounding students, quieting the area.

Chu Xuyao spoke firmly, “Teacher Yan’s character is well known to everyone. Don’t talk nonsense about him.”

The student nearest to Chu Xuyao, displeased, said, “It’s just a rumor we heard. If you have the courage, confront those spreading the rumors.”

“Then who did you hear that from?” Chu Xuyao’s face was very dark. Teacher Yan was already miserable enough, but he was still criticized. Just thinking about it made him feel uncomfortable.

The student replied without intending to pick a fight with the much younger Chu Xuyao, “Everyone’s talking about it. I just overheard it.”

Chu Xuyao looked around at everyone, his tone stern, “The school is supposed to be a sacred place for learning, but you’ve turned it into a marketplace, casually slandering a teacher and gossiping. How are you any different from those shrews and boors?”

The expressions of the students who were spreading the rumors immediately turned ugly. There were at least 60 to 70% of the students in the school who were spreading the rumors. Chu Xuyao’s words had offended more than half of the school.

Chu Xuyao, with a cold face, declared, “The two junior brothers who are close to Teacher Yan are my seventh brother and me. But I swear on my character, Teacher Yan absolutely did not leak any questions to us. We scored high based solely on our abilities.”

He paused, emphasizing his words, “Whoever is behind these rumors, you’d better go and quell them. Otherwise, if I catch you, I’ll make you regret it for the rest of your life.”

The dining hall fell silent, with only the sound of Chu Xuyao’s youthful, firm, and serious voice.

Chu Xuyuan stood firmly behind his younger brother, his small fists clenched tightly, standing straight in solidarity with his brother. Although it seemed like his brother had just offended half the school, as his elder brother, he couldn’t back down.

Jiang Zhaoyong smiled silently, amused by the two brothers’ actions. He was curious to see how they would resolve this situation.

The incident in the dining hall quickly reached the ears of the school’s dean, Mu Chongli. He sipped his tea, smiling lightly, and decided not to intervene. He, too, was curious about the abilities of Chu Qingzhi’s brothers.

Shuiyun County.

At the entrance of the county government office, a long line had formed. These were servants holding counterfeit banknotes in their hands, coming to register at the county office.

Chu Xu jin had already started investigating the counterfeit money case, with the first step being to tally the counterfeit money.

He posted a notice, asking all merchants to bring in any counterfeit money they had received to be recorded. This was to gauge the extent of the losses and determine the severity of the case. He also aimed to collect these counterfeit notes to prevent them from circulating further and causing more harm to the public.

Unexpectedly, soon after the notice was posted, many people lined up to register their losses, including some ordinary citizens who had also received counterfeit notes.

Looking at the stacks of counterfeit notes in the box, Chu Xujin’s expression grew increasingly serious. This was no small matter.

He returned to his office to write letters to nearby counties to see if the criminal activities were confined to Shuiyun County or if other counties were also affected.

To his surprise, before he could finish his letters, constables from neighboring counties arrived with news that their counties were also flooded with counterfeit money. They proposed a joint investigation with Shuiyun County, which Chu Xujin readily agreed to.

However, the case was challenging to crack, and despite discussions, they couldn’t find a starting point.

The constable from Tongzi County suggested, “Lord Chu, why don’t you ask your fifth sister for advice?” Chu Qingzhi’s reputation was well-known, and her abilities were recognized by everyone.

Chu Xujin pinched the space between his eyebrows. With no other options, he agreed, “Alright, you all come with me, and we’ll ask her together. Remember, if my fifth sister helps, the credit…”

The constables immediately assured, “Don’t worry, Lord Chu. We won’t claim any credit that belongs to Miss Chu.”

Chu Xujin then led everyone to Chu Village, leaving Ge Lihua to oversee the registration process back at the office.

In the Chu Village.

The entire village was enveloped in the aroma of soybean paste. As the group entered the village, they couldn’t help but swallow hard, enticed by the smell.

The constable from Suiyang County asked, “Lord Chu, why does your village smell so good?”

Chu Xujin proudly replied, “My fifth sister is making soybean paste.”

“Soybean paste?” The constables shook their heads, unfamiliar with it.

Seizing the opportunity, Chu Xujin promoted, “The soybean paste is delicious. After the case is solved, you’re welcome to buy some from my home. It’s not expensive, just twenty-five copper coins per catty.”

Chu Xujin led the constables to the old family courtyard, “Wait here, I’ll go in and check first.”

“Okay.”

Chu Xujin hurried into the kitchen of the old house, inhaling deeply, “Fifth sister, are you still making soybean paste?”

“Just the last pot, it will be ready soon,” Chu Qingzhi replied, then surprisingly turned to Chu Xujin, “Why are you back, third brother?”

Chu Xujin said somewhat sheepishly, “I need to ask for your advice on something.”

Chu Qingzhi smiled, “Tell me, what is it?”