Wen Congrui was reorganizing the evidence gathered these past days with his assistant when he heard Nan Shan speak, and his hand paused before he waved the assistant away.
"That Zhou Xuennian, is he Miss Wufu’s biological maternal uncle?" Wen Congrui asked, holding a cup of tea.
Nan Shan nodded in affirmation, "Indeed, that is the case."
"Zhou Xuennian, is one of the cheaters in this examination fraud case." As one of the lead investigators in this case, Wen Congrui naturally knew who was involved and whether or not they were falsely accused.
"Exactly, that’s why he kept insisting on seeing the officer, probably hoping to use the leverage of his niece’s influence," Nan Shan replied respectfully. "Zhou Xuennian has failed the exams many times and only passed this year by purchasing questions. He was just unlucky to have encountered you, sir."
Wen Congrui snorted coldly, "Every cheater involved is more than just a mere scholar. What else did he say?"
"This servant guesses that he wants to ride on the coattails of Miss Wufu. It all depends on whether the officer decides to see him!" Nan Shan shared the intelligence collected by the Hidden Guard, "Although Zhou Xuennian is Miss Wufu’s uncle, it seems that Miss Wufu has some rift with her maternal family..."
No one would find it strange why Nan Shan would investigate a woman so thoroughly; after all, with Wufu becoming affiliated with the Hundred Treasures Silver Building, her background, naturally, had to be clear.
Never just trust someone based on intuition, especially within large families, where such things do not happen. In order to use someone, you had to thoroughly investigate their family lineage for three generations.
Otherwise, acting on mere intuition means not wisdom but folly.
Wen Congrui was not foolish, and moreover, he did not like things being out of his control.
"Sir, what shall we do?" After explaining the situation, Nan Shan waited for instructions.
Wen Congrui lowered his eyelids. "Committing a crime is committing a crime." He paused before adding, "If he confesses honestly, he can suffer less. Go arrange it!"
"Yes," Nan Shan acknowledged and then asked, "Sir, do we need to inform Miss Wufu?"
Wen Congrui glanced at him, and Nan Shan immediately stood at attention, pursing his lips.
"Have her come over," Wen Congrui decided after a moment.
After all, he had to ask her opinion on how to handle this Zhou matter as a form of granting her a favor.
Nan Shan accepted the command and went to make arrangements.
Meanwhile, in the prison, Zhou Xuennian was finally receiving a visit from Madam Lu and his eldest maternal uncle.
"Why have you only just come? Hurry up and save me!" Zhou Xuennian saw his wife and immediately started begging, like a parched land yearning for rain.
Madam Lu, seeing Zhou Xuennian’s disheveled appearance with whiskers and dirtied hair, felt an unbearable pain in her heart and burst into tears, wailing, "Husband, my husband, you’ve suffered!"
Having been married to Zhou Xuennian for many years, she had never seen him in such a pitiful state, and it was impossible for her not to feel distressed.
Zhou Xuennian devoured the steamed buns she brought him, while crying out, "If you don’t get me out soon, I’ll die, and you’ll be a widow." These days, his life was unbearable.
Madam Lu sobbed miserably.
"Stop crying, both of you. Just coming here for a visit has cost five taels of silver!" Madam Lu’s elder brother Lu Ping complained impatiently.
Madam Lu immediately ceased her crying, yet she didn’t know what to say; she understood nothing of these matters.
Lu Ping then said, "Xuennian, I’ve inquired about your brother-in-law’s family. This county exam leak won’t have too extensive a fallout. If you admit your guilt, at most, they will strip you of your scholarly title, and if you can provide any evidence, you might even be able to redeem yourself without enduring physical punishment."
"Why hasn’t Xueli come? Does he not care about his elder brother anymore?" Zhou Xuennian angrily questioned.