There is a god in the sky

Chapter 252 Beauty Bones 12

"Lord Xiao has come all this way to invite me. What is it you wish to ask?" Qian Tai asked bluntly.

Xiao Ji invited him to sit down and began to talk to him about the Qian family's misfortunes.

"General Qian made countless contributions back then and was a great general of our dynasty. I wonder how he is doing now?"

Qian Tai cautiously replied, "My father has many old injuries and has been recuperating at home since retiring from his official post and returning to his hometown."

"Brother Qian, you've been in Tongzhou for several years now, why haven't you thought about moving somewhere else?"

The county magistrate was only a seventh-rank official, which was far too insignificant compared to the Qian family's former power.

However, Qian Tai remained in the position of county magistrate for several years without showing any intention of moving up.

It's unclear whether the Qian family no longer has the ability to promote him or whether he himself is unwilling to be promoted.

Qian Tai gave a wry smile.

Back then, the Qian family was one of the most prominent families in Bianjing, but after the father left, they were forgotten.

Forget about getting promoted; even if he met his superiors, they would still ridicule and suppress him. He was only able to keep his position as county magistrate thanks to his law-abiding behavior and the fact that he hadn't made any mistakes over the years.

"Lord Xiao, please don't mock me. I don't have that kind of ability. Being a county magistrate is good enough for me."

Xiao Ji couldn't see any of the arrogance and domineering attitude Sun Wei had described in him; instead, he seemed rather humble.

Clearly, he has only lived an average life these past few years.

"Brother Qian, you may not know, but a while ago a mummified corpse case occurred at Yishan Academy, similar to the one fifteen years ago. The murderer has been caught; it was Sun Wei, a student at the academy. Do you remember him?"

The surprise on Qian Tai's face seemed genuine.

He recalled, "Sun Wei, we were classmates for two years, how could he kill someone? In my memory he was an honest man."

"He failed the imperial examination for many years, which made him feel unbalanced and jealous of others who were better than him."

That's not the point. The point is that he confessed something to me, concerning the cheating in the provincial examinations over the years. Brother Qian, do you remember what you said to him?

Qian Tai accidentally knocked over the teacup on the table.

He was so frightened he almost jumped up, his expression changing repeatedly.

"What do you mean by that, Lord Xiao? I... how would I know such a thing?"

Xiao Ji pretended not to notice his abnormality, looked down at his palm, and said, "Sun Wei said that you told him after you got drunk that you knew the exam questions in advance, which is why you were able to pass the exam."

It's not that I look down on you, Brother Qian, but I've looked through some of your exam papers from back then, and to be honest, you really didn't have the ability to pass the imperial examination."

He looked up at Qian Tai and, before he could refute, asked, "I guess the Qian family must have traded something important to someone for the exam questions, which allowed you to pass the imperial examination."

"Your position as county magistrate was bought with money and connections; that's the real reason you can't get promoted, isn't it?"

Qian Tai was so embarrassed that he couldn't lift his head.

"Suiying is one of my men. You've drunk with him before. Do you remember what you said when you were drunk?"

Qian Tai shook his head, "I can't remember. I like to drink, and when I'm drunk I like to talk nonsense. Don't take it seriously."

"Brother Qian, don't be afraid. I'm not here to investigate the cheating case, but to find out some inside information. It will definitely not involve you."

Xiao Ji asked himself if he had the ability to uncover that cheating case from many years ago.

Too many people are involved, and many of them are now in high positions.

Regardless of how they passed the imperial examinations, they had served in the court for many years, and their families were spread all over the country. If he wanted to investigate this case, he would not only have one person wanting to kill him.

Qian Tai denied it, saying, "I was just lucky that I passed the provincial examination. I happened to be at the bottom of the list, and I didn't cheat."

He seemed much more relaxed and less reserved than before, joking with Xiao Ji, "Does Lord Xiao have a grudge against me, Qian?"

"No, that's not true. I only asked because of another case."

"Ha, did I kill someone back then? I may be fun-loving, but I never do anything illegal."

"Brother Qian, do you still remember the time when your father wiped out the Heavenly God Cult?"

"What Celestial God Cult?... You mean a cult?"

This name was used only by people within the sect; in the eyes of the imperial court, it was always referred to as a heretical sect.

"Yes."

Qian Tai was stumped by the question.

How did this case come up again?

Eradicating cults was a great achievement, and it was because of this that his father was able to enjoy his later years in peace.

What others may not know is that many forces were eyeing the Qian family's military power back then. If my father hadn't extricated himself in time, the entire Qian family might not have existed.

He remembered what his father had said when he handed him the test questions years ago.

He said, "This thing was obtained by exchanging it for a treasure that was hunted down. There is only one of its kind. If he doesn't know how to cherish it, he will have no hope of passing the imperial examination in this lifetime."

He was born into a military family, and the claim that he studied was a lie he made up to avoid the hardship of martial arts training.

He doesn't like reading at all.

But back then, his father insisted that he must pass the imperial examination and become a civil official, which is why he has come this far.

His mouth was dry.

I don't know how much Xiao Ji knows. He must have found out something before he asked me.

He picked up the teacup and realized that the tea inside had been spilled.

A young woman emerged from behind the screen, carrying a teapot and pouring water into his cup.

He assumed this was Xiao Ji's concubine and didn't dare to look any further.

After pouring the water, Shen Lan returned to the other side of the screen and recorded their conversation word for word.

Qian Tai was definitely feeling guilty, but it wouldn't be easy to get him to confess what happened back then.

As an official, he couldn't be subjected to torture to extract a confession.

Just as Shen Lan picked up her pen, she heard Xiao Ji say, "How does the tea taste? It's the new tribute tea that came from the palace this year."

"It smells delicious," Qian Tai replied casually.

He was thirsty, so he drank it all in one gulp, without paying any attention to the taste.

"My coroner is not only skilled in autopsy, but also in medicine and poison. My ability to solve cases quickly is all thanks to the poison she developed that can make people utter the truth."

Qian Tai seemed not to understand him, and asked blankly, "There is such a poison in the world?"

"At first I didn't believe it either, but after interrogating the prisoners a few times, they were all very cooperative, so I had no choice but to believe it."

Xiao Ji looked at him with a smile, pointed to his stomach and asked, "Do you feel any discomfort in your abdomen?"

Shen Lan opened the pot of tea, which looked like ordinary tea.

How come she didn't know when she poisoned herself?

Shen Lan was speechless; Lord Xiao's methods of deception were quite novel.

Qian Tai clutched his stomach and slumped onto the table.

"You...you actually poisoned me! Despicable! Shameless!"

Xiao Ji said calmly, "Don't worry, no one will die. At most, they'll just suffer a little."

"How dare you? Aren't you afraid I'll report this to the imperial court?"

"Do you dare to mention the corruption to the imperial court? I know this case involves a wide range of people. I can't touch the others, but removing a seventh-rank county magistrate is no problem."

Qian Tai knew he was telling the truth.

Even without that case, with the Xiao family's capabilities, removing themselves from their posts would be a piece of cake.

He laughed self-deprecatingly, "That's right, I have no grudge against Lord Xiao. If it weren't for solving the case, you wouldn't have asked me to come here."

What do you want to know? Will you really give me the antidote afterwards?

"of course."

Xiao Ji asked the same question again: "What did the Qian family offer in exchange for that person?"

“I really don’t know that. I’ve only heard my father mention it. It was a treasure we obtained when we were cracking down on a cult.”

"It's probably not gold, silver, or any kind of precious artifact, is it?"

"No, the cult was very poor at the time, and most of the people they recruited were ordinary people. The money they seized was divided among the soldiers."

"One last question: Was the person who made the deal with your father Tong Yiwen?"