Chapter 41: The Major Case

The video footage was not a real recording, but utilized a cel-shaded animation style.

A man lay helplessly on an operating table, his abdomen cut open, his viscera removed and held in the hands of puppet-like doctors manipulated by fine threads.

Hovering directly above all those threads was a massive, pitch-black palm symbolizing the mastermind behind the scenes.

The background music was low and filled with grief and indignation, heavy with a sense of accusation.

Striking, blood-red characters flashed across the screen: "Human Organ Trading Black Market Suddenly Emerges in District 2."

Dense, small-print explanations scrolled below.

Bai Yujing swept his gaze across them.

The general content accused the Sellington Medical College in the Second Administrative District of long-term illegal trading, selling bodies that individuals had "voluntarily donated for medical research" at fixed prices as commodities.

The whistleblower was an anonymous insider from the school, who even attached a shocking price list.

After reading through this, Bai Yujing did not immediately fly into a rage.

In this era of information explosion, trending topics that ignited public opinion often did not equate to the truth.

Rushing to conclusions might instead lead to being swayed by emotions; he had witnessed far too many cases that ultimately suffered complete reversals.

He began conducting conditional, targeted searches.

According to the whistleblower, Sellington Medical College had been engaging in such nefarious practices for a full twelve years.

With it persisting for such a long time, why had it only been exposed now?

After a brief search, Bai Yujing discovered it was linked to a thunderous operation he had led not long ago.

The biggest financial backer behind Sellington Medical College was Conny, the chairman of Roman Pharmaceuticals.

Not long ago, Conny and the senior executives of his pharmaceutical company, along with the District 2 governor who had shielded them, were simultaneously dismissed and investigated by Bai Yujing in a swift and decisive manner.

It was precisely upon seeing this news—coinciding with another event that pushed Sellington College into the spotlight—that the whistleblower finally gathered the courage to hurl this deep-sea bomb.

Bai Yujing immediately searched for that "fuse" event.

A female student in the library had accused a male student across from her of "improper behavior," recorded a video, and uploaded it to the internet, instantly triggering a nationwide campaign of condemnation against the young man.

It was not until the court verdict was released that it was confirmed the male student merely had a relapse of a severe leg eczema that caused unbearable itching, and coupled with his timid personality, he had been coerced by the female student's aggressive interrogation into writing an "apology letter" that should never have existed.

This caused a complete reversal of public opinion, and netizens' fury instantly shifted toward the Sellington management, believing they had disciplined the boy without properly investigating, thereby misleading the public.

Following that, someone leaked that the school management had actually known the boy was innocent, yet to quell the public relations storm as quickly as possible, they had unhesitatingly sacrificed the student and imposed an unjust punishment upon him.

Immediately afterward, more scandals concerning Sellington were dragged out one after another.

Academic paper plagiarism, the moral degradation of professors...

It was precisely amidst this chaos that the anonymous whistleblower felt the time was right and exposed the medical college's dark secrets.

Having swiftly browsed through the entire context of the event, Bai Yujing stood up abruptly and strode toward the crescent-shaped desk.

"Nangong, immediately retrieve the papers of Smith from Sellington Medical College."

Nangong Lin, who was sitting on the sofa reading a book, knew the command wasn't directed at her and didn't even lift an eyelid.

Meanwhile, the Nangong clone sitting in the boss's chair sprang into action. Her slender fingers tapped out a series of commands on the keyboard, using the highest clearance of the internal affairs system to pull that paper—already set to "hidden" status by Sellington—from deep within the national database.

As a Sage, Bai Yujing had the authority to view any document; hidden statuses could not affect him.

He quickly scanned the entire text. The conclusion matched the online accusations: utter nonsense, pure academic garbage.

Bai Yujing then retrieved the electronic case files from the court regarding the male student's case. The records were clear, the chain of evidence complete, and the verdict just.

A conclusion had already formed in his mind.

"Summon the Network Director, the Minister of Education, and the Director-General of Public Opinion here immediately."

The clone remained silent, her fingers dancing as three summons commands were instantly transmitted to the accounts of the three high-ranking officials.

Seeing this, Bai Yujing instructed her to also order the National Police Commissioner to thoroughly investigate the matter of Sellington trafficking human organs.

Although the paper plagiarism and the incident involving the male student were facts, that did not mean the trafficking of human organs was also a fact.

He required more concrete evidence, rather than an image that anyone could easily forge.

...

Upon receiving the news of the Sage's emergency summons, Gao Lan, the Network Director, felt his heart skip a beat. Daring not to delay in the slightest, he immediately dropped all tasks at hand and rushed toward the Imperial Study at top speed.

In the long corridor connecting the Cabinet to the Imperial Study, Gao Lan unexpectedly encountered two other hurried high-ranking officials.

"Were you also summoned by imperial decree?"

Gao Lan lowered his voice and asked probing questions.

The Minister of Education nodded with a solemn expression, an unshakeable layer of worry shrouding his brow, and murmured, "The Sage does not easily summon all of us at once on ordinary days. A sudden recall like this must mean something major has happened."

That statement was as good as saying nothing. Gao Lan suppressed the urge to roll his eyes.

Although the three served in the same imperial court, they belonged to different factions.

Gao Lan originated from the First Administrative District and naturally felt closer to the officials from that district, having no deep private friendships with officials from other regions; at this moment, they merely maintained a superficial courtesy.

With anxious hearts, the three arrived together at the office hall outside the Imperial Study.

Gao Jinzhong, the Grand Eunuch of the Imperial Study, was already waiting there, greeting them with a formulaic smile: "The three Excellencies have arrived."

In a very low and urgent voice, Gao Lan asked, "Grand Eunuch Gao, the Sage has suddenly summoned us—is there an urgent matter?"

Gao Jinzhong swept his gaze across the three of them. His smile remained unchanged as he spat out a single, deeply meaningful warning: "The Sage is in a bad mood; all of you, remember to watch your words and actions."

Other people Gao Jinzhong could afford to ignore.

But Gao Lan was different; they were related by blood.

Even if it was a distant relation stretching across several generations, since this person served as the Network Director, he was effectively Gao Jinzhong's close brother.

A heavy premonition struck Gao Lan, causing his heart to plummet.

He nodded solemnly and said, "Thank you, Grand Eunuch, for the guidance."

Gao Jinzhong said no more, turned around respectfully, pressed the doorbell, and announced loudly, "Reporting to the Sage, the Network Director, the Minister of Education, and the Director-General of Public Opinion are waiting outside for an audience."

The heavy wooden doors silently slid open to both sides, revealing the bright and solemn interior of the Imperial Study.

Gao Lan did not dare let his gaze wander in the slightest, fixing it dead-set on the mirror-like marble floor right in front of his feet.

He hurried forward with quick, short steps until the edge of that soft, imperial woolen carpet came into view within his field of vision. Only then did he stop abruptly and bow deeply:

"This subject pays respects to the Sage!"

The three had not rehearsed in advance, but at this moment, the depth of their bows, the timing of their greetings, and the tone of their voices miraculously synchronized entirely, exuding utmost reverence and nervousness.

Bai Yujing did not grant them permission to rise as usual, but instead said calmly, in a tone devoid of emotion: "I heard that a topic has exploded in popularity across the internet recently.

It accuses the Second Administrative District of harboring an extremely dark human organ trading market, and connects it to Sellington College."

His gaze first fell upon Gao Lan: "I would very much like to know, regarding this matter, what views do you—the Director supervising the empire's network—hold?"

Hearing this, Gao Lan felt his heart contract violently, and he hastily maintained his bowing posture as he replied, "Replying to the Sage, this subject has already deployed personnel to closely monitor the relevant comment sections and deeply investigate the troll accounts instigating public opinion.

Preliminary judgment suggests that behind these trolls, there is likely the shadow of the anti-imperial armed group known as 'The Necessary Evil.'

This subject previously intended to wait until the chain of evidence was clearer and the masterminds behind the scenes were identified before making a report."

Having listened to this watertight excuse, Bai Yujing said indifferently, "Rise."

Granted a reprieve, Gao Lan secretly breathed a sigh of relief and only then dared to slowly straighten his aching back.

Meanwhile, the Minister of Education and the Director-General of Public Opinion beside him were already breaking out in cold sweat.

Bai Yujing shifted his gaze to the slightly trembling Minister of Education.

"Regarding the plagiarism of papers and the moral degradation of professors at Sellington College, which triggered a chain reaction and brewed this massive public opinion storm—"

Bai Yujing's voice suddenly turned sharp, "As the Minister in charge of the empire's educational affairs, what do you have to say for yourself?"