Chapter 116: Testing the Clairvoyance Ability

Li Su was the first to hold the telescope to his eyes, adjusting it slowly. The effect was just as he had imagined; it was viable. However, since it was nighttime, the clarity was slightly diminished.

Wei Shi'an asked eagerly from the side, "How is it? Let me try!"

Li Su handed the telescope to him, and Wei Shi'an immediately took it, pressing it to his eyes. He saw the gate of the academy; he could even see the two lanterns hanging above it! Wei Shi'an’s heart surged with irrepressible excitement. "It works! The Thousand-Mile Eye actually works!" After years of painstaking research, he had finally succeeded. Although... it seemed he hadn't contributed much to the actual creation, it didn't matter; at least he had made the bamboo tube!

Wei Shi'an looked at Li Su with glowing eyes. "Li Su, I want to send this first Thousand-Mile Eye to my elder brother. If you want one, I’ll make you another."

Li Su wasn't particularly attached to the device; it wasn't a novelty to him. It was true that he had personally ground the lenses, but if it could be put to good use, that would be for the best. Li Su nodded. "Dean, you decide. This Thousand-Mile Eye will certainly be put to its best use in the hands of the Great General."

Wei Shi'an knew how much time Li Su had spent grinding the lenses, and now, at his request, Li Su was simply giving it away! If only he had met Li Su sooner, perhaps Xi Sheng wouldn't have had a chance. Wei Shi'an was becoming increasingly satisfied with Li Su. When Li Su wasn't being infuriating, he was remarkably pleasant to talk to.

At this moment, Li Su spoke up, "Dean, I’ve made the telescope. You remember our agreement, right?"

Wei Shi'an: "..." He couldn't praise him; the boy was already back to being annoying. "I'm not so old that I've forgotten such a small matter," Wei Shi'an replied huffily.

"I didn't mean that, Dean. Please don't overthink it."

"So you think I'd go back on my word? Am I the type of person who doesn't keep his promises?"

"Certainly not. Dean, let me test you—what was our agreement?"

"Reducing the time spent studying the investigation of things by two-thirds..."

Li Su praised him, "The Dean has a wonderful memory and is truly a man of his word."

"Of course." Wei Shi'an paused after speaking. Was Li Su trying to coax a child? He stood tall and puffed out his chest. "I agree to reduce the time spent on the investigation of things."

Once Li Su passed the examinations next year, he could devote more of his heart to the study of the investigation of things. Li Su now felt that setting aside a little time each day to make practical little items wasn't a bad idea. It served as a way to alternate between reading and crafting; doing only one thing would inevitably become boring. While he didn't find reading boring, making small objects was quite interesting as well.

After Li Su left, Wei Shi'an packed the telescope carefully and included a letter explaining its function and how to operate it, also mentioning Li Su within the letter.

***

The entire Wang family was now locked in the celestial prison, waiting for all members to be captured before they were all sentenced to execution or exile. At this moment, every member of the Wang family was draped in an air of despondency. Overnight, they had fallen from high-ranking aristocratic nobility to common prisoners. They were to be flogged and exiled, and it was uncertain if they would even survive until they reached their place of exile.

"My lord, do you think there is still any hope for us?" Madam Wang asked, her face full of sorrow. In just a few days, her polished, glamorous exterior had vanished, and she looked visibly aged.

Master Wang had also aged significantly. The incident had been so sudden that he still didn't know who was behind it. "Not a single person has come to visit us so far; I fear it is hopeless." If there had been any chance of a turnaround, those officials and families they were once close with would not have avoided visiting them entirely.

The second daughter of the Wang family watched the two of them speak, her eyes devoid of emotion. This family was rotten to the core.

Master Wang shook his head. "I don't know who struck at us; I never heard a whisper of it beforehand."

Madam Wang sighed. "Tao'er is still at Mingyue Academy. I wonder if Dean Wei might put in a good word for him, to leave some spark of hope for the Wang family."

"If Tao'er can win the favor of Dean Wei, perhaps there will be a turnaround," Master Wang mused, pinning his hopes on Wang Tao.

The second daughter let out a sharp, bitter laugh. "It’s very likely that he is the one who caused this!" She knew her brother; it was impossible for him to gain the protection of Dean Wei. She felt that her father and mother were merely grasping at straws.

Master Wang scolded her, "I gave Tao'er a list of people at Mingyue Academy he must not offend. Tao'er is the most obedient child; how could he have caused this?"

Madam Wang chimed in, "Exactly. Tao'er isn't even in the capital; it couldn't have been him. He is your own brother—why are you always looking at him with such disdain?"

"Fine, he's perfect, and I'm just looking at him with disdain. Go ahead and protect him then," the second daughter muttered, moving to a corner of the cell in a fit of pique.

The other concubines and daughters by concubines were in separate cells, but they were not far away, and they too harbored hopes that there might be a change in their fortunes.

Master Wang continued, "You have the nerve to talk? You’re in prison, yet your fiancé's family hasn't even come forward to speak for you. You can't even keep a man under your thumb!"

The second daughter was furious at the mention of this. She had been on the verge of marrying and escaping this house when this disaster struck. "Don't talk to me about my fiancé! Look at your own friends, my grandfather, and my uncles—has any one of them offered to help?"

"You only know how to be partial to Wang Tao! To cover for him, you married off my eldest sister to that fool. She died without a clear reason, and you didn't say a single word."

"We are all just stepping stones for Wang Tao. Whenever he needs us, we have to be ready to die for him!"

"Aren't my eldest sister and I your children too?" The second daughter’s eyes welled with tears. Then, she sneered, "Perhaps this is for the best."

Madam Wang looked at her daughter in shock. "How can you think like that? Your sister's affair was an accident, and wasn't the husband we found for you quite good?"

"Tao'er is the only heir to the Wang family; we have to protect him!" Master Wang insisted.

The second daughter spread her hands. "Now your precious heir has to take the lashes with the rest of us. With his constitution, he's sure to die!"

Master Wang, in a fit of rage, struck the second daughter across the face. She stumbled, clenched her fists, and eventually let them drop.

Madam Wang and Master Wang were filled with anxiety. As long as Tao'er was safe, there was still hope for the Wang family. They hadn't seen Tao'er yet, which meant he might have been protected by Dean Wei.

Meanwhile, Wang Tao had been nursing his injuries at the estate for several days. People were dying almost every day, and everyone in the household was living in fear. Suddenly, the front gate was kicked open. The gatekeeper saw that the intruders were wearing guard uniforms—they were men from the government. He couldn't help but wonder: had the high number of deaths at the estate finally drawn too much attention? The Wang family had previously smoothed things over with the local authorities, which was why Wang Tao had been acting so recklessly.