Chapter 583 - 216: Factional Strife (3)
Chapter 583: Chapter 216: Factional Strife (3)
"Shut up already, or I’m going to turn into a robber," De’an said.
Looking at the rest of the items, De’an grew even more envious.
He was envious of the wealth and the honor, and before he knew it, he blurted out what was truly on his mind. "When will I ever pass the exam and become a scholar!"
"The Provincial Examination is the year after next. If you put in the effort, you might just pass."
"That’s easy for you to say. You think it’s just a matter of words?"
They chatted for a while longer before he remembered the real reason for his visit.
"So what on earth happened? Why did Gong Yuanxiu leave halfway through? I heard his face was swollen like a pig’s head. When he came out, he was so busy trying to hide his shame that he wasn’t watching where he was going and stumbled, giving the passersby who saw him a good laugh."
De’an hadn’t seen it himself, but the mental image was hilarious.
’That Gong Yuanxiu... I heard all about his shady business of fixing the rankings in the public office from my cousin. I just wish I’d been there. If I had, I would’ve given him a couple of slaps across the face.’
’That fucking bastard!’
Zhao Jing didn’t hide anything from De’an and told him everything that had happened at the government office.
Not only was De’an stunned, but Chen Wanqing was as well. Even Xiang’er, who had just come over, couldn’t help but gasp in surprise.
"The man is both stupid and vicious!" was De’an’s assessment of Gong Yuanxiu.
Chen Wanqing nodded in wholehearted agreement. "But that student, Fan Ju... he left and then came back. And everything he went through... doesn’t it all sound a bit too theatrical? Almost as if he were being manipulated."
"You think so too, Miss? I was thinking the same thing," Xiang’er said.
All eyes turned expectantly to Zhao Jing, but before he could speak, De’an cut in. "There’s no doubt about it. This must all be under Mr. Sheng’s control."
This is Xinghuai Prefecture, a place Sheng Mingchuan has run for three years. How could he possibly be ignorant of something happening here, especially when it was directed at him?
Not to mention, restaurants are natural hubs for gossip. The slightest disturbance would normally spread like wildfire.
But the commotion that day was huge, yet no one came to watch the spectacle. Afterward, not a single rumor spread. What does that tell you?
It means all "rumors" were snuffed out at the source.
And who has the power to do that?
Mr. Sheng, without a doubt.
So why did he use the situation to his advantage?
One dared not speculate on his broader considerations, but two points were certain.
First, Gong Yuanxiu was plotting against him. How could he just sit back and let that happen? He had to fan the flames a little and teach the man a lesson.
Second, Gong Yuanxiu is the chief examiner, making him the mentor to all the new scholars. However, his conduct suggests he’s leaning toward the Empress Dowager’s faction.
So if he wasn’t going to be taken down, who was?
Of course, this was all just their speculation. To know the truth, they would have to ask the man himself.
Still, his ability to achieve such a major outcome with such a light touch only deepened their awe and fear of Mr. Sheng.
Chen Wanqing couldn’t help but remind De’an, "This is your future father-in-law. Don’t try to be clever around him. Just be sincere. Say what you mean. It’s fine to be a little naive or even a little foolish, just don’t try to act smarter than you are. And of course, the most important thing is to be good to Kaiyan."
De’an’s eyes flew wide open, as if he’d only just realized the life-threatening gravity of the situation: ’Holy shit. The man who just effortlessly took down a chief examiner... is my future father-in-law!’
’How am I supposed to live? Will I ever dare to argue with Sheng Saya again?’
’What do I do? I suddenly don’t want to get married anymore.’
"Since Mr. Sheng is orchestrating this, the physical evidence should be easy to find. He specifically mentioned a two-day deadline, but I suspect it won’t even take that long for him to present the evidence that will seal Gong Yuanxiu’s fate."
"Right. As long as those silver notes are found, it’s an open-and-shut case. But silver notes all look the same, so they’re hard to trace. Of course, if Gong Yuanxiu exchanged his at Datong Bank after arriving in Xinghuai Prefecture, that’s another story entirely."
Datong Bank is a state-owned institution with branches in prefectures and counties of all sizes throughout the Wei Dynasty. The common people trust it more than any other for storing their money.
There was one catch, however: the procedures for withdrawing funds or exchanging silver notes were rather complex.
The person making the withdrawal had to be registered, the serial numbers on the silver notes had to be registered, the date had to be registered... If Gong Yuanxiu really did get his silver notes there, he would be doomed.
Of course, even if that piece of evidence proved useless, Sheng Mingchuan would surely find another. In short, once you make an enemy of a man like that, he’ll deal with you thoroughly to prevent you from popping up and causing trouble again later.
At this point, Zhao Jing mentioned that there was another gathering the next day. Hearing this, the others laughed. "I doubt it’s much of a gathering. More likely, your fellow scholars just want to watch the drama unfold..."