At dawn, someone reported, "Sir, the yamen runner who was sent to the medical office has returned."

  Jing Wanyou's eyes sparkled as she looked at Pei Tan: "Sir, I have a plan."

  After a moment, Pei Shuaiwei opened the door and walked out, saying to the person who had come to report, "The master was reading last night and accidentally cut his hand. Go buy some hemostatic medicine."

  The official did not dare to be slow, "Yes."

  The yamen runner who was sent back is said to have been lucky that the poisoning wasn't severe, or else it would have been a worry.

  "Pei County, you guard Lin Cangcang." Pei Tan instructed. Ordinary people did not dare to enter Pei Tan's study casually, even if the Dalit Temple had an internal spy, it was unlikely to discover this place.

  Pei Tan gestured for the young girl to follow him as he walked. They arrived at a courtyard where a horse carriage was parked.

  Jing Wan'er was surprised, "Where is Milord going?"

  Pei Tan looked at her: "Let's go to Wenxi Inn."

  Jing Yuanyu's eyes flashed.

  Pei Tan didn't even use the carriage driver from the Dalisi Temple, but instead went to the front street and hired one from a horse-drawn carriage company.

  He wore ordinary clothes, and with Jing Yuanner, the two looked like ordinary travelers in Chang'an. To say that now, Chang'an City is full of outsiders, so they wouldn't arouse suspicion.

  Half an hour later, the carriage stopped in front of a somewhat old and dirty inn.

  The name of the store written on the sign is Wenxi Inn.

  Jing Wan'er couldn't help but look at Pei Tan.

  A pale blue shirt wrapped around his slightly thin waist, he originally had a humble and elegant temperament like jade, which was quite inconsistent with the place of Dali Temple. However, today, his hair bun was only half tied up, and the scattered look made him seem carefree and lazy.

  Pei Tan lifted the curtain of the horse carriage, turned around and said to Jing Wanyu, "After getting off the carriage, don't call me 'daren' anymore, just call me 'gongzi'."

  Pei Tan then jumped off the carriage.

  Jing Wan'er lowered her head and looked at her own skirt, and actually stretched out her hand to tidy it up with a few nervous movements.

  She waited until Pei Tan got off the carriage, and saw that the coachman didn't say a word, but directly drove the carriage away. It was only then that Jing Wanyan turned around to see that this carriage was not from the Dali Temple either, but was hired from a street-side carriage company.

  "Master, please come in quickly, our humble inn has plenty of tea...". A young servant at the entrance of the Huxi Inn enthusiastically greeted Pei Tan.

  Pei Tan walked into the inn, the lobby was bustling with people, and it wasn't even mealtime yet, but inside was already packed.

  The inn owner's face turned red with joy, all thanks to the good fortune of the triennial imperial examination. The countless inns in Chang'an were not only fully booked, but it wouldn't be until after the exam ended and the scholars returned home that they would truly have a chance to rest.

  Because of Pei Tan's exceptional demeanor, someone soon approached and greeted him, saying: "Young master, are you here to dine or take up lodging?"

  This humble inn in Chang'an City is a mid-to-low-end place, gathering mostly poorer examinees, but even so, during the golden time of the imperial examination, the room rates here are also being jacked up to an outrageous level.

  Jing Wan'er hung her head as soon as she entered, doing her best to play the role of a maid. The fellow who asked the questions also sized up Pei Tan and her.

  "Does your hotel still have vacant rooms?"

  Now, candidates from all over the country are rushing to Chang'an City, and many candidates have no choice but to live in stables because there is simply nowhere else to stay. Especially as the big exam approaches, almost all the inns have no vacant rooms left.

  As expected, the innkeeper's face fell: "I'm really sorry, our small shop has been fully booked for half a month now. Why don't you try another place?"

  In fact, everyone knows that running all over Chang'an is unlikely to find a vacant inn. This sentence must be said by the innkeeper to dozens of scholars looking for accommodation every day.

  "Can't you really make an exception?" Pei Tan asked his partner.

  The fellow had already noticed that Pei Tan's clothes were made of expensive materials, and the fan in his hand was different from the ordinary paper fans held by scholars, but a valuable one, which should be a rich young master.

  However, the fellow let out a sorrowful sigh: "There really are no rooms available. If you had come a month earlier, that would have been better."

  Usually, those who have money will arrive in Chang'an several months in advance and book a room in an inn. Only the poor and penniless would wait until the day of the imperial examination to try to save on expenses.

  "We've run to several inns and are really tired, please make an exception. Even if it's just for one night."

  As he passed it over, there was a whole ingot of... gold.

  The fellow's eyes had turned red, staring at the gold and couldn't move. And besides, it was just for one night...

  The fellow suddenly said: "Young master is indeed leaving after just one night?"

  "Indeed, it's just for one night."

  The fellow seemed to be in a great dilemma, and after a moment's hesitation, he gritted his teeth and whispered to Pei Tan: "There is indeed a room upstairs. Please follow me quietly, sir, and please don't draw attention."

  After Pei Tan responded, his companion looked around and beckoned to Pei Tan, carefully going up the stairs.

  Pei Tan and Jing Yu'er pretended to be strolling around and followed him upstairs.

  Just then, there were still students in the corridor upstairs, holding books and shaking their heads. Seeing someone coming up, they also slanted their eyes and continued to shake their heads.

  The fellow occasionally turned his head to see if Pei Tan and the others had followed, then he circled around to a very narrow and dim corner where there was a closed house door.

  He looked at his companion with his eyes, and then looked through the door crack before daring to push the door open.

  "Sir, it's over here, please come this way."

  Pei Tan walked slowly in, and when he stepped into this room, Jing Wanyu had a very strange feeling.

  This room is not only small and remote, but also dimly lit during the day without turning on the lights, and can only see blurry shadows. Moreover, there is a musty smell in the house.

  The shopkeeper seemed a bit embarrassed, and awkwardly said: "Although... the room is not very good, but it's really the only vacant room left in our small shop. Please make do with it for one night, sir."

  Pei Tan looked around the room and obviously saw a package on the head of the bed.

  The fellow looked around cautiously, his face also changed, and hastily stepped forward, stuffing the package into a corner. Embarrassed, he hung his head and said: "It's like this, the scholar who lives in this room hasn't returned for many days, so I dared to let you come in and make do for one night."

  The examinee who can live in this room must not be rich, but has not come back for several days. A poor outsider, if he doesn't stay here, where else can he go at night?

  In a flash of insight, Jing Wan'er thought of a possibility and suddenly lifted her head, her pretty face paling slightly.

  Wenxi Inn, empty rooms, no more returning scholars taking exams...

  Pei Tan picked up the gold ingot: "We'll take this room, thank you for arranging it."

  The fellow didn't seem to have expected it to be so easy, and a look of wild joy flashed across his eyes. He took the gold and said: "Young master, if you have any orders, you can dispatch me. Although the room is not good, I will definitely try my best to satisfy you!"

  Pei Tan smiled faintly, and that young fellow lowered his head, laughing as he closed the door and left.

  Jing Wan'er dared to look at Pei Tan, asking incredulously: "Could it be that this room is actually...?"

  Pei Tan held the fan in his hand and said slowly: "Just take a look and you'll know."

  He slowly walked to the head of the bed, where his partner had hidden the package. Pei Tan deliberately said those words to his partner, just staying overnight, facing the temptation of gold, his partner would naturally think of Fan Wenjun, who had not returned for a long time.

  Even if Lin Jing's reported case is true, this case cannot be investigated openly and fairly. Pei Tan can come to the inn in disguise and take a private look at Fan Wenjun's residence before his death.

  On the table, two books were spread out, as if the owner had left in a hurry and hadn't even put them away.

  Jing Wan'er gazed at the words on the page, people who love reading like to make annotations in books. The small characters written in this book are elegant and refined. She had practiced calligraphy when she was young and knew that the strokes were not achieved overnight. The person living in this room must be worthy of this identity.

  A long, slender finger slid across the table, and Pei Tan looked at the thick dust accumulated on his fingertips, indicating that since the people inside the house left, even the inn's servants had not cleaned this room.

  According to the accumulation of dust, Fan Wenjun has been away for at least twenty days or more.

  Jing Wan'er came to his side, her voice a little hoarse: "Young master, just now in the corridor, there were so many scholars reading books. If you want to know the details of Fan Wenjun's past, they must be able to tell."

  To confirm Fan Wenjun's identity, those scholars outside would be the best witnesses.

  Although Lin Jingjing's drumming alone cannot serve as the basis for a case, if there are external witnesses who can testify, then Pei Tan can properly use his authority as a judge of the Supreme Court to investigate this matter, and the case can proceed openly and fairly.

  "It's not that simple." Pei Tan said calmly.

  Jing Wan'er was taken aback and looked at Pei Tan.

  Just then, Pei Tan slowly pulled out the package from the corner, with a faded yellow mark on it, which was quite consistent with Fan Wenjun's identity as a declining scholar.

  "Do you think those people outside are just examinees?" A somewhat distant voice came from his mouth.

  Jing Wan'er's eyes drooped: "Wan'er is stupid."

  The bundle was opened at this time, and a sachet fell out from inside.

  Fan Wenjun, a man, had such a feminine thing, which was naturally astonishing, especially after picking it up and finding that the sachet was embroidered with a bashful peony, accompanied by a faint floral scent.

  The peony has a reputation for being a flower that can topple cities, and since ancient times, women in the midst of worldly dust have always carried a hint of self-pity.

  Thinking of Lin Jingjing's relationship with Fan Wenjun, the origin of this sachet seems to be clear.

  "These people are all likely to emerge from the imperial examination and become prominent figures in the court. Who would want to have a stain on their own body? A person who has not returned for twenty days, and is also tainted with a woman of ill repute, everyone here will only pretend that they have never seen such a person."

  It is easier to clear up a relationship than anything else. Those scholars, with eyes full of enthusiasm for fame and fortune, can hardly see any feelings towards their colleagues.