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Filter Enrolled in 1076

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Search Gu Quan

Filter Ministry of Rites

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What is going on?

Gu Quan, an ethnic Yanese born and raised in Victoria, returned to Yan in 1074. In 1076, he was admitted to Baizao Academy. After completing his studies, he joined the Ministry of Rites...

These are the only records left for the deceased in that case.

They should have files for all mandarins who graduated from the Imperial Academy and went to work in the Six Ministries of the court… but why can't I find him in the system?

Gu Quan, what did you...?

Professor, I was just trying to confirm that with you. I didn't mean to ask you to come here in person...

She said she's a new assistant professor? Why haven't I ever heard of her before?

The person who came here seemed to know you very well, so I didn't...

How many times have I told you? The Academy's personnel files are confidential! Keep that in mind!

Forget it. I'll go handle this myself.

Oh no!

Hmm?

The room is empty and the documents on the desk are still where they were, without any signs of having been moved.

Qingyan, you're a bit too old to be playing hide-and-seek, aren't you?

J-Jing...

Has the Judicial Review Office come to our school to apprehend some culprit?

The Office is investigating a case, so I've come here to collect a few old case files. Please, Jing... Professor Jing... Please cooperate.

Alright then. If you're here on official business, show me your official documentation.

I rushed so quickly to get here that I left it back at my office.

Really? Well then I'll just place a call in to the head of the Office.

Wait... wait a moment!

Professor, are you okay?

Should I call security?

*sigh*

(gives a pleading look)

No. I forgot that I asked some other professor here to collect some materials for me.

I'm sorry for wasting your time.

It's not a problem! Goodbye, professor!

Alright. Now it's just the two of us.

Xie... Xiexie.

*sigh* Qingyan...

I have always thought that you were a well-mannered and trustworthy girl. Every time I mentioned you to Le, I told him to follow your example.

And look at you now—What are you doing here? A deputy minister from the Judicial Review Office, sneaking around like this?

I'm conducting an investigation...

What kind of case requires this secrecy? What kind of case can't go through the normal process?

A cold case... the deceased was once a student at the Baizao Academy, but I just searched the personnel files and found no record of him.

The Academy has a record of every student. This person you speak of, how do you know they once studied here?

I saw it in the files at the Judicial Review Office.

The Judicial Review Office collects its files directly from the Ministry of Rites. However, the Ministry's files do not match up with the Academy's. Someone made a mistake somewhere.

Is there a chance that someone altered the Academy's files?

How could that possibly have happened?

The Academy is one of the Yanese government's most important talent pipelines. Once a student's information is entered into the system, it is archived under strict supervision.

No one has the authority to modify this data, unless...

Unless what...?

No. That's impossible.

Enough of this nonsense. You'd better leave now.

It's almost mealtime. Pretty soon, lots of students will be crowding these halls. If anyone else sees you here...

Also, please don't go doing something like this again.

Mealtime...

We need to go back to Baizao to investigate. Why are you looking at all these travel guides?

These places... I've seen them in my dad's letters.

Humble Garden, Virtue Bookstore... oh and when he was studying here, there was a Shangshu Diner near the main entrance. He said they have the best twice-cooked pork in town!

Now that I'm visiting Baizao, I want to visit all the places he mentioned to me.

Say, is there a restaurant near campus called the Shangshu Diner?

Huh? You want Shangshu food?

The place you're talking about closed more than thirty years ago. How would you possibly know about it?

More than thirty years ago? Are you sure?

Yes. It closed in 1065 when I was in school. How could I forget?

Lots of students used to go eat there, because it was near campus and served tasty, affordable food.

But then, in 1065, there was a terrible Catastrophe in Shangshu, and the restaurant owner had to return home to deal with the aftermath. The students even made donations to help with the rescue effort.

A man who was born and raised in Victoria and did not come to Yan until 1074... how could he know about the place?

Unless...

Unless he had visited Yan before, or maybe he wasn't born and raised in Victoria after all? Maybe he was a native Yanese?

What are you mumbling about?

If Gu Quan's Ministry of Rites records were modified, but he was indeed a student at the Academy, well then, there would definitely be something worth digging up in the Academy's files.

What year was Blaze born? If we work back from there...

Does this system have the records of students enrolled between 1052 and 1062?

You...

Help me just this once. It's extremely important...

Thousands of students graduate each year. You want to look through ten years of records at once? Do you know how long that will take?

The person in question worked for the Ministry of Rites. He probably studied at an affiliated college. That may help narrow the search a bit.

If the person you are looking for was not a high-ranking mandarin, you may want to start looking at files after 1055.

That year, the Academy was restructured. It became a true public education institution, instead of just serving as a talent pipeline for the government. The enrollment figures shot up.

I see... Duoxie!

Go. You only have two hours.

Found you...

...Gu Sheng.

Male, born in Langyi in 1037, accepted into Baizao Academy in 1055. He was assigned to the Education Department administered by the Ministry of Rites... and was among the first batch of students to enroll after the school was restructured.

Top marks in all subjects... Wait. He didn't graduate?

This file was last updated in... 1062?

This is a missing persons file?

'Gu Sheng, along with his wife and daughter, disappeared in 1062. Accordingly, this file has been sealed.'

So he was already a family man when he was in Baizao... and all three of them disappeared...

1062... Is there something special about 1062?

Blaze... I need to confirm something...

You were born in 1062, in Victoria, right?

Yes. From as far back as I can remember, I lived in Victoria.

I asked you where you were <i>born</i>!

How am I supposed to remember that?

Gu Quan... Gu Sheng...

Qingyan, your time is almost up. You should get going.

What did he say?

No good. The dough still won't do. Let's try again.

But that's already my twentieth batch!

Don't worry, you have been practicing all day, and you're starting to iron out the issues with your technique. Success is not far away.