Chapter 579 - 215: Fan Ju (2)
Chapter 579: Chapter 215: Fan Ju (2)
In truth, selecting candidates based on their writing style rather than their calligraphy was already a huge step forward.
Before the practice of concealing names on exams was implemented, hadn’t there been instances where examiners ordered graders to discard all papers not written in standard script? This led to several potential top scorers in the provincial examination traveling to the Capital City in a fury to file a complaint.
But what good did it do?
In the examination hall, the chief examiner held absolute power.
If a candidate were to file a complaint on these grounds, they would lose, even if the case reached the emperor himself.
"Literary tastes differ..."
"Mr. Gong prefers a plain and direct style..."
"The first lesson in officialdom is to cater to your superior’s preferences..."
All these remarks favored Gong Yuanxiu, and his taut nerves began to relax.
When he saw Fan Ju’s essay, Gong Yuanxiu merely glanced at it twice before scoffing aloud.
"Flowery language damages the branch, and rich soil harms the bone! This kind of writing is ornate but lacks substance. It’s like a seven-jeweled pagoda—dazzling to the eye, but if you take it apart, it falls to pieces!"
The exam paper was crumpled into a ball and tossed right in front of Fan Ju.
Fan Ju’s defenses instantly shattered. He bent down to pick it up.
But Gong Yuanxiu, feeling he had regained the upper hand, strode over and kicked the man to the ground. "You imbecile! You have no extraordinary talent, yet you dare to falsely accuse me... Ah!"
Before he could finish, someone bit down hard on his leg.
Fresh blood soaked through his under-robe, dripping onto the floor. The pain made Gong Yuanxiu’s scalp tingle, and he screamed, kicking viciously at Fan Ju.
Fan Ju was sent flying, but he scrambled up from the floor and stumbled to Sheng Mingchuan, falling to his knees. "Your Excellency, Your Excellency, help me! I have more to accuse! Mr. Gong pretended to be a merchant and incited me to go to the Capital City and file an imperial petition."
"Nonsense! You scoundrel, you’re maliciously slandering me..."
"Mr. Gong, don’t be so hasty. Let’s hear what else this scholar has to say."
Gong Yuanxiu grew anxious. "The Lu Ming Banquet is what’s important! Wasting time talking to a ruffian like this will only encourage his insolence."
"I disagree. We should hear him out."
"It won’t take long, in any case."
Chen Yan Nian, seated next to Zhao Jing, smiled faintly. "Looks like we’re in for a good show."
Hearing this, Zhao Jing picked up the teacup on the table and poured him a cup. Chen Yan Nian accepted it with both hands and, along with a leisurely Zhao Jing, settled in to watch the drama unfold.
And it was truly a good show.
Fan Ju immediately recounted how Gong Yuanxiu had disguised himself as a merchant, how he had sowed discord and added fuel to the fire, and how he had even given him a sum of Silver to encourage him to go to the Capital City and file an imperial petition.
In fact, he had actually left Xinghuai Prefecture and headed for the Capital City.
But on the very first day, while staying at a post station, a thief stole a large sum of his money.
The only thing left was what he’d hidden inside his trousers. The thief probably never imagined he would hide his money in such a private place, so he was lucky enough to have one silver note remaining.
But he had just broken that silver note when he lost the money again.
The problem was, he no longer dared to stay at post stations or travel on the main roads, so he detoured to a nearby county town.
Who would have thought the town would be filled with even more ruffians and scoundrels?
He had merely glanced twice at a passing woman—mainly because he was eyeing the braised pork she had just bought from a restaurant. But as a result, the woman’s husband accused him of being a lecher and gave him a sound beating.
During the fight, the broken silver on his person fell out and was snatched by some passerby.
Seeing that such a poor, shabby-looking man was carrying so much loose broken silver, and noticing he had no one to help him, the onlookers took advantage of the brawl. They pretended to break up the fight while patting him down and robbing him blind. The last of his broken silver was gone.
Beaten, wronged, and now having lost all his Silver—even his travel bundle was stolen. With the weather turning colder, could he really make it to the Capital City on righteousness alone?
This incident severely crushed his spirit. He spent two days recovering from his injuries in a dilapidated temple, and after listening to the advice of an old beggar, he started heading back.
As he walked, perhaps because the biting cold sharpened his senses, his mind grew clearer.
With this newfound clarity, he realized that the merchant probably had malicious intentions.
He carefully mulled over the merchant’s words. It seemed every sentence was a trap, every phrase was fuel on the fire. At the time, his head had been clouded by anger, and he couldn’t think straight. Now, looking back, he felt he had fallen for someone else’s scheme.
Fan Ju was so furious he could have fallen over backward. He blamed all the hardships he had suffered on that merchant.
In a muddle-headed daze, he begged his way back to Xinghuai Prefecture. As he entered the city gates, he happened to overhear someone talking about the Lu Ming Banquet being held that day—how glorious it was for all the officials and new scholars to be feasting at the Prefectural Magistrate’s Office.
Someone else added with a sly laugh that if a person were to go and cry out an injustice right now, their case would be heard immediately. If any official dared to refuse or prevaricate, the newly-minted scholars would surely stand up in protest—they were all just waiting for a chance like this to make a name for themselves.