Though it had only been a night, the two of them somehow seemed even more intimate. They used to walk one behind the other, and even when they walked side-by-side, they would strictly maintain their distance, leaving a gap wide enough for half a person. But looking at them now, Zhao Jing was practically plastered to his sister’s side.

De’an couldn’t help but roll his eyes.

’The nerve of that Jing!’

’Who are they trying to blind with this display so early in the morning?!’

Zhao Jing paid no mind to De’an’s sour comments. He chalked up De’an’s powerless roaring to the bitter frustration of not having a wife of his own.

On this point, he actually sympathized with De’an, so he decided not to stoop to his level.

Today they were going back to the Zhao Village, and Chen Song was going with them.

His son passing the county exam was a huge deal. He had to go personally to burn paper offerings for his own mother and grandmother, letting the two of them share in the joy.

After breakfast, Chen Song went to get the ox-cart. Just as the cart reached the main gate, someone came running over, panting for breath.

"I-it’s terrible! Hurry, Song! A large crowd has gathered outside the county government office, making a scene! They’re... they’re accusing the three men of your family of cheating on the exam and deceiving the County Magistrate!"

Chen Song’s booming voice immediately rose. "What? What did you say? Accusing me of what?"

"They’re accusing the three of you—the father, son, and son-in-law—of stealing the county exam papers and committing exam fraud."

The constable who had come with the message was none other than Qi Lan.

The county exam was over, and the constables, who had been busy day and night, could finally get a good long sleep.

The County Magistrate was considerate, too. He had specially permitted them to report to the government office half an hour late today.

It was during that extra half hour that disaster struck!

The moment they arrived at the entrance of the county government office, they saw it had been surrounded by a crowd.

Those people were holding up white banners, upon which was written in fresh blood: "Heaven is unjust! The Magistrate is blind and deaf!", "Exam fraud shakes the nation’s foundations!", and "The people’s fury won’t be quelled until these demons are cast out!"

Listen to that. Not only were they lambasting the County Magistrate, but they were even claiming the nation’s foundations were being shaken.

And Chen Song and the two younger men—the father, son, and son-in-law—were the "demons" the crowd was talking about, the ones whose removal was necessary to quell the people’s outrage.

Chen Song was so furious he laughed. "We cheated? How could we possibly have cheated? The County Magistrate kept the exam papers under tight lock and key. They were sealed, and six constables watched them day and night without blinking. To avoid any suspicion, I haven’t set foot near the main hall since the Lantern Festival. On the days I do go to the county government office, I just pick up my duties and head out on patrol. And now they just flap their gums and slap this huge label on me? I’m the one who should be going to the County Magistrate to complain!"

Xu Suying waved and told her son to drive the ox-cart back to the rear courtyard.

With something like this happening, there was no way they were going back to the Zhao Village today.

They had to go to the county government office first. Dealing with this matter was the priority.

Xu Suying and Chen Wanqing stayed behind to lock the doors, while Chen Song took the others and headed to the county government office first.

Because they were filled with righteous indignation, Chen Song and Qi Lan were speaking very loudly. It was still early and the neighborhood was quiet, so the commotion startled the neighbors on both sides, who opened their doors and poked their heads out to look into the alley.

"Did I hear something about cheating on the exam?"

"Was that about the Chen family? The father, son, and son-in-law cheating? They’re the only family in this alley that had two successful candidates yesterday."

"Well, well, well. I was wondering how their children could be so accomplished—one taking first place and the other thirteenth. So it was all because someone was up to some dirty tricks."

As luck would have it, Xu Suying overheard this. She immediately started cursing them out.

"You slanderous piece of trash! You’ll believe anything anyone says. If someone claimed to be your father, would you perform three kowtows and five pleas, begging him to come home so you can pay your filial respects? You, with your rotten heart! You can’t stand to see another family have a bit of good fortune. No wonder your own family only produces useless louts—not a single one of your three sons is worth a damn!"

The woman who was being cursed out turned red in the face with fury. Although she knew the tirade was aimed squarely at her, she didn’t dare to snap back, only mumbling, "There’s no smoke without fire. If your family hadn’t done something sordid, why would everyone be accusing you? I’m done talking to you. The Lord County Magistrate is a righteous judge. I’m going to go watch him hear the case, and I’ll see if your family and all its shady business can stay hidden this time."

Xu Suying retorted, "Flies don’t bite a seamless egg? Since you’re the fly, you have the last word on that!"

Stifled snickers were heard one after another from the alley. Chen Wanqing pulled her mother’s arm, urging her to calm down.

It was pointless to bicker with these gossips. The most important thing now was to go to the county government office and see what was happening.

"Mrs. Chen, I believe your family is innocent. For one thing, your son-in-law looks like a young man of integrity. He would never do something like cheat."

"Mr. Chen isn’t just fair and meticulous in his work; he’s also kind. He might seem cold, but he has a warm heart. When this old woman fell and no one paid me any mind, it was he who arranged for someone to take me to the physician’s and even had my roof repaired. A man like that can’t be a bad person."

"Your De’an is a good boy, too, and he studies so diligently. My son says that every morning when he leaves for work, the light in De’an’s room is already on. For a child to work that hard... frankly, I think his score doesn’t even do his efforts justice."

Xu Suying’s agitated heart was soothed by the neighbors’ kind words.

She responded to each of them in turn. "You see things so clearly." "You’re right, our Jing has a noble character, and De’an is a good boy as well." "My husband loathes the abuse of power. He is a law-abiding public servant and would never knowingly commit a crime."