Chapter 578 - 215: Fan Ju
Chapter 578: Chapter 215: Fan Ju
Before anyone could react, Gong Yuanxiu’s face was struck more than a dozen times, stunning the assembled civil officials.
Once the shock wore off, they began to shout, "Guards! Guards, quickly! Seize that man!"
"Whatever the reason, we must get a clear explanation first! How can someone just start beating a court-appointed official? A Scholar isn’t an official himself, and assaulting one is a crime punishable by imprisonment."
"Hurry and pull them apart! It would be a terrible stain on this joyous occasion if someone were to die."
To hear the officials talk, you would think they were in a great hurry. But a glance at their expressions revealed that each was calmer than the last, as if their words were mere formalities, not meant to be taken seriously.
Seeing their superiors act this way, the constables naturally performed their duties with a matching lack of urgency.
They dawdled on their way to break up the fight. By the time they finally managed to pull the two apart, Gong Yuanxiu had taken another dozen punches to the face, which was now swollen like a pig’s head.
And this was only because Fan Ju hadn’t eaten all day; he was so hungry his vision was blurring and his legs felt like jelly. Had he been well-fed, those twenty-odd punches would have surely broken Gong Yuanxiu’s nose.
Once separated, Gong Yuanxiu scurried behind Mr. Zhou for protection.
"In-insolence! To dare strike an examiner personally appointed by Your Majesty—how is this any different from rebellion? Drag him away! Take him straight to the Vegetable Market to be beheaded!"
Mr. Zhou slowly lifted his eyelids, rubbed his ears, and glanced back at Gong Yuanxiu. "Mr. Gong, come out from behind there and speak. What are you yelling about? My eyes may not be what they used to be, but my hearing is still quite sharp, and your hollering is making my head ring. These old bones can’t withstand such a racket. Please, spare this old man’s life."
Gong Yuanxiu sheepishly stepped out from behind Mr. Zhou, clutching his throbbing, swollen cheeks. He didn’t need a mirror to know what a fool he looked; he could see that everyone present had their heads bowed, their shoulders shaking with suppressed laughter.
’How outrageous! Simply outrageous!’
Gong Yuanxiu’s finger trembled as he pointed at Fan Ju, who was still struggling to rush forward. "Throw him in prison! Take him out and behead him!"
Xu Shiling spoke up. "Mr. Gong, demanding a man be beheaded at the first sign of trouble is a bit extreme."
He continued in a slow, deliberate tone, "The court has established laws. Whether for ’brawling’ or ’assaulting an official,’ if the injuries are minor, the punishments range from caning and imprisonment to exile, or even being stripped of one’s student status and barred from public service for life. Only if an examiner is gravely injured or killed might the death penalty apply. As I see it, Mr. Gong is doing just fine. To demand the death penalty for the student at this time is indefensible, no matter how you look at it."
"Besides, before we can sentence the candidate, we must first investigate the grievance he is shouting about. We need to determine whether his accusations point to a truly intolerable injustice. Let’s get to the bottom of this matter first."
The other officials, both from the inner and outer sections, nodded in agreement. "That is the proper way to handle this."
"Mr. Gong is being far too impulsive. If we really did as he said and summarily executed the man, all of us present would be condemned by history for centuries to come."
"Enough of this useless chatter. First, bring us that candidate’s examination paper."
Fan Ju had his failed examination paper with him and hastily handed it to an approaching constable.
As the constable delivered the paper into the officials’ hands, Fan Ju declared, "I’ve seen the collections of successful essays sold in the bookstalls. My own writing is by no means inferior. In fact, compared to the essays of those who ranked lowest among the newly-minted scholars, mine is significantly better..."
The paper first reached Xu Yanlin. He caught a foul, acrid smell from it but paid it no mind. With a taut expression, he scanned the essay—ten lines at a glance—before passing it to Yuan Shixin. After Yuan Shixin finished, he, in turn, passed it to the various magistrates.
As the paper made its rounds and everyone had a chance to read it, their expressions grew rather peculiar.
To be honest, what this student named Fan Ju had claimed was not false.
His scholarly knowledge was impressive, and the essay he wrote was more than passable. In fact, just as he had claimed, it was even superior to the essays of the few who had ranked at the bottom.
However, there was one thing worth noting: the man himself was plain in appearance, yet his writing was as rich and ornate as a silk brocade.
And hadn’t that hit upon Gong Yuanxiu’s greatest pet peeve?
Anyone who had bothered to learn about the chief examiner knew that Gong Yuanxiu, soured by his own difficult career, despised such boastful and flowery prose. He favored writing that was simple and unadorned, essays that revealed true substance through plainspoken quality.
In other words, Fan Ju’s literary style was not to the examiner’s taste, and for that reason, he had failed.
In truth, this was not a situation unique to Gong Yuanxiu; any other chief examiner might have acted similarly. After all, everyone has preferences. ’When I’m the one in a position of power, why would I choose you if you don’t cater to my tastes?’
Unless a candidate’s literary talent was so breathtakingly brilliant as to be unforgettable, this sort of "snub" was a common occurrence.