Chapter 107 - 66 Young Prodigy_2

Chapter 107: Chapter 66 Young Prodigy_2"He is quite famous?" Ran Yan couldn’t help but sigh, assuming Sang Chen had indeed made quite a name for himself, hence his acceptance by such noble and prestigious families. Ran Yunsheng nodded, "He participated in the imperial civil service examination during the sixth year of the Zhenguan era and came out on top, winning the title of Advanced Scholar in the Mingjing examination. At that time, Yu Shixian and several other great scholars all fought to take him as a disciple, causing quite a stir throughout the city. Ultimately, with just a word from the Emperor, he was admitted to the Imperial Academy to study. Upon reaching the age of sixteen, he was appointed to an official position. In the seventh year of Zhenguan, he participated in the Advanced Scholar examination again and secured the first rank. Oh, by the way, Xiao Song ranked second behind him that year! In the eighth year of Zhenguan, he once again took the Advanced Scholar examination and continued to obtain first rank. In the ninth year of Zhenguan, he took the Mingjing examination and was again at the top of the list. In the ninth year of Zhenguan, he sat for the Advanced Scholar exam once more... When the Emperor learned of this, in a fit of anger, he ordered Sang Chen’s examination papers to be thrown away." Xiao Song, the official with such an imposing aura, had also once ranked below him? But being in the same Advanced Scholar examination, why was the difference in their dispositions as vast as heaven and earth? Ran Yan was momentarily lost in thought but then heard Ran Yunsheng say, "In the ninth year of Zhenguan, when he was precisely sixteen years old, he held the position of Imperial Doctor, an official title that, while not high in rank, was particularly prestigious. However, he only stayed in this position for half a year before resigning. The Court, afraid that he would continue to take the civil service examination, issued an order that any future papers submitted by Sang Chen were not to be scored. Nonetheless, since then, he never participated in the civil service exams again and simply vanished into thin air." "At thirty, one is still considered a youthful Mingjing scholar, and at fifty, a young Advanced Scholar. Being recognized as an Advanced Scholar at the age of fifty is still considered youthful and promising, which shows how difficult this examination is. Yet, this individual treated it as if it were a meal he had every day. Is the person Ran Yunsheng is talking about really Sang Chen?" Ran Yan couldn’t see any trace of a young prodigy’s temperament on that particular individual, but considering his way of doing things, it seemed undeniably like him. She couldn’t help but ask, "Could it be a case of mistaken identity?" "It should not be! I have seen a portrait of him in his work ’General Strategies for the Civil Service Examination,’ drawn by the daughter of Yan Liben, the Minister of Public Works. It depicts his appearance at the age of sixteen and bears a resemblance to his current looks," Ran Yunsheng affirmed confidently. Ran Yan asked, "’General Strategies for the Civil Service Examination’? What is that?" Speaking of this book, Ran Yunsheng’s exceptionally beautiful face was full of admiration. "This book is truly a work of genius!" "In it, he points out the flaws in the civil service examination system and methods for dealing with various subjects. He also analyzed the preferences of each examiner and provided sample essays tailored to each one’s tastes. Moreover, he went through all the civil servants who might serve as examiners, analyzing them one by one. Therefore, scholars revere this book as a classic. Those sample essays—some are flamboyant, some clever and unorthodox, some sharp and incisive, some are substantial and steady, and some maintain a moderate righteousness. But every piece is a masterpiece." ... Ran Yan’s mouth twitched, "This does sound like something he would do." As she spoke, Ran Yan grew curious about Sang Chen’s legendary experiences. She casually opened the package he had sent and immediately darkened upon seeing its contents, wanting to smash the inkstone she found inside against Sang Chen’s face. "It’s an orchid-patterned inkstone!" Ran Yunsheng exclaimed, picking up the inkstone with admiration in his eyes. "If Shilang likes it, feel free to take it. I still have three or four of them in my house anyway," Ran Yan said nonchalantly. "He always gives only this as a gift." "This..." Ran Yunsheng placed the inkstone back into the package and said, "This is a Double Seventh Festival gift; how could I take it? Please give me one of the others instead, Ayan." "Just take this one; there’s no difference anyway," Ran Yan replied. The two walked side by side towards the courtyard. Nanny Xing had been waiting at the entrance, promptly crouching to greet Ran Yunsheng. As she stood up, she noticed Ran Yan’s disheveled hair and changed clothes and asked anxiously, "What happened to my lady? Was there an incident?" "There’s no need to worry, it’s just some trivial matters. With Shilang here, what could possibly go wrong?" Ran Yan answered. Xingniang nodded and led Ran Yan into the courtyard. Ran Yunsheng took a step, then stopped abruptly and said, "The night has deepened, I will head back now and come over again tomorrow." "It’s so late, Shilang had better stay over at the estate," Ran Yan turned around and said. Xingniang chimed in, "The courtyard next door was tidied up the day before yesterday. Though it’s not as luxurious as the mansion, it’s still comfortable. Traveling at night is not very safe, Shilang might as well stay." A bright smile broke out on Ran Yunsheng’s face, "Alright, I will send a guard back to inform them." Ran Yan saw Ran Yunsheng looking so happy and felt good too, her lips slightly curving up. "Mrs. Ran!" A burly figure stood within the doorway, addressing Ran Yan with crossed arms, "The Government Office, based on your clue, has found the origin of the murder weapon within the Yin residence and has captured the murderer. I am about to take the team back to the office." The person was Team Leader Yang Yong, and Ran Yan had a rather good impression of this squarely-faced Han man. "The murderer?" Ran Yan couldn’t help asking, "Who is it?" Yang Yong hesitated for a moment; such matters really didn’t need to be reported to a young woman, but still he said, "It’s the exalted concubine of Young Master Yin, Wei Niang." So quickly they had caught the murderer? Ran Yan had never met this Wei Niang, and there was not a trace of her in her memory, only hearing from Yin Miaomiao that she was a concubine Yin Wenshu took two years ago. Two years ago, two years ago Yin Wanwan died, and Yin Wenshu took a concubine. Such a coincidence in timing—could the murderer really be Wei Niang? "Could Team Leader Yang tell me the details?" Ran Yan asked. Yang Yong said, "As for the specific circumstances, I don’t know either, but I’ve heard that the Inspector himself led people to search Wei Niang’s private bath and found a basin cover used to hit someone, with blood stains on it. Moreover, there are witnesses who testified that in the mansion, only Wei Niang had the habit of bathing with honeysuckle, jasmine, and agarwood." Ran Yan nodded, "Thank you, Team Leader Yang, you have been working hard these days." "It’s my duty. There’s no need for courtesy, Madam. Goodbye." Yang Yong crossed his arms again, withdrew through the inner gate, and led the government soldiers away from the Ran estate. Was it really Wei Niang? Somehow, Ran Yan felt a bit uneasy, especially after hearing the words from Yin Miaomiao on the riverbank tonight. It was clear that Wanwan’s death had more to it. She intuitively felt that the case wasn’t as simple as it seemed. Why would Wei Niang frame Qin Silang? Han Shan was a regular at Cai Xiu Hall and it was very likely that he was poisoned by Cui Mei. Why would Cui Mei want to kill him and frame Qin Silang? In other words, what was the motive for the murder? (To be continued. If you like this work, please head to Qidian (qidian.com) to offer your recommendation ticket and monthly ticket. Your support is my greatest motivation.) Sёarᴄh the nôvel_Fire.ηet website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.