The disgraced official I took care of was actually Zhu Houcong's childhood friend.

Chapter 488

"There's no need to worry too much. There are countless officials trying to pull strings at the Yang residence. The court can't possibly investigate them all; they'll just make an example of someone. The amount of money you gave shouldn't be much, right?"

Xu Jie looked at his classmate and asked.

Upon hearing this, the man nodded.

"You know my family's situation; it's nothing compared to Shao Ning's."

"Then there's no problem. Don't worry, just continue as usual and focus on preparing for the exam. As for Shao Ning, I'm afraid he'll never have the chance to take the imperial examination again."

Xu Jie sighed.

Throughout history, cases of cheating in the imperial examinations have either gone unpunished or, once caught, have been severely punished. Take Tang Bohu, for example; even without any evidence, and though he was eventually proven innocent, he was banned from taking the exams for life.

Upon hearing this, the man breathed a sigh of relief. As the saying goes, "better to die than to die," as long as the fire didn't reach him, he had nothing to worry about.

I was in such a hurry before because I was afraid that this matter would affect me.

The Northern Garrison Command arrested more than a dozen people based on the list provided by Zhou Chu.

These dozen or so officials were arrested by the Northern Garrison Command. After the arrest, the officials and related evidence were handed over to the Shuntian Prefecture.

Because these kinds of cases are never something the Northern Garrison Command should handle.

Xu Fan, the Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture, was an old acquaintance of Zhou Chu. Xu Fan was over sixty years old and had been in the position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture for nearly ten years.

"Lord Xu, our lord said that he and you are old acquaintances, which is why this case was assigned to you. Otherwise, it would have been transferred to another department."

After handing the man over to Shuntian Prefecture, Lu Wanshan looked at Xu Fan in front of him and said something meaningful.

Xu Fan broke out in a cold sweat upon hearing this. Back when Zhou Chu was just a small businessman, he had received a lot of benefits from Zhou Chu every time he asked him for a favor.

He never imagined that a small merchant like him would suddenly transform into the commander of the Embroidered Uniform Guard. This thought always sent chills down Xu Fan's spine.

He didn't even dare to go to the Zhou residence to ask for favors, nor did he dare to mention his previous relationship with Zhou Chu, since Zhou Chu often had to smooth things over throughout the entire Shuntian Prefecture in order to get something done.

Having served as an official for many years, Xu Fan was already a shrewd and experienced man. He knew very well that if Zhou Chu did not bring up their past relationship at this time, he must not deliberately make things difficult for himself, otherwise he would not be facing a smooth career advancement.

"That was so many years ago. I always thought that Lord Zhou was an outstanding person and would definitely be extraordinary in the future."

Xu Fan smiled broadly.

As he said this, he casually placed a few silver notes into Lu Wanshan's hand.

"Thank you for thinking so highly of me, Lord Zhou. Thank you for giving Shuntian Prefecture this opportunity, Lord Lu. I hope you can put in a good word for me with Lord Zhou."

Xu Fan smiled apologetically.

Lu Wanshan glanced at the face value of the silver note and then contentedly put it into his pocket.

"Don't worry, Lord Xu is no ordinary person to have been able to stay in the position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture for so many years. If this case is handled well, Lord Xu may be promoted even further."

Lu Wanshan laughed.

Xu Fan's eyes lit up immediately upon hearing this.

Lu Wanshan didn't waste any more time with Xu Fan and turned to leave Shuntian Prefecture.

After leaving Shuntian Prefecture, Lu Wanshan did not return to the Northern Garrison Command, but went to the Zhou residence.

"My lord, this is a gift from Xu Xuanzhi to my subordinate."

Lu Wanshan placed all the silver notes that Xu Fan had given him in front of Zhou Chu, without missing a single one.

Zhou Chu glanced at them casually; there were five silver notes from the Royal Bank, each with a face value of one thousand taels.

Xu Fan really went all out.

Come to think of it, Xu Fan probably wanted to take this opportunity to return double the money he had given back to Shuntian Prefecture. He had sent a lot of money to Shuntian Prefecture in the past.

This is just the beginning. Xu Fan, an old fox who has been in the position of Prefect of Shuntian Prefecture for so many years, is not stupid. He is doing this partly to protect himself, and partly to take this opportunity to build a relationship with me and see if he can be promoted a little more.