Chapter 698: An Insult to Literary Decorum
Chapter 698: Chapter 698: An Insult to Literary Decorum
Seeing Xiao Dong wearing clothes personally supervised by Cui Ming, with a longevity lock around his neck, a delicate sachet tied to his waist, his face radiant and smooth, and his sharp black eyes full of spirit, with no fear in his demeanor, the person extinguished his thoughts of scheming, going along and saying, "Forget it, I’m not one to bully the weak. It’s just that when you speak, child, you don’t know your limits. It’s fortunate you met me today; if not corrected, you’ll learn your lesson when you suffer losses in the future."
Xiao Dong let out a cold snort from his nose.
He’s seen people like this all his life.
Scholars don’t become sages just because they’ve read sage’s books.
One kind of rice feeds a hundred kinds of people.
Everyone reads sage’s books, yet each is different.
The person heard this, his face slightly changed, but he still chose not to dwell on it.
At this moment, Qin Yuan had finished flipping through the poetry drafts, coldly saying, "If I’m not mistaken, there’s a poetry draft missing. Why hasn’t Mr. Wu taken it out?"
Upon hearing this, Qin Siyuan and Mr. Wu both were shocked.
Lin Ziqi wondered, "There’s another one? Could it be that Brother Wu didn’t take them all?"
Mr. Wu quickly glanced at Lin Ziqi, his gaze obscured and difficult to comprehend.
This made Lin Ziqi inexplicably sense something amiss.
Qin Siyuan understood, "I’ve been staying home these days to study, making it quite convenient for Mr. Wu to take the drafts; why deliberately leave out one?"
Mr. Wu bared his teeth: "The draft you talk about, I’ve not seen it. Anyway, there’s no need to say more, as what we have is enough to settle the case. Please, nobles, don’t listen to their nonsense."
The Ninth Princess nodded in agreement.
Qin Yuan laughed aloud several times, then said, "Mr. Wu is treating all of us like fools, isn’t he? Just have someone bring the ’Poetry Collection of Traveling in Yuyuantan’ and read Qin Siyuan’s poems piece by piece, comparing them with the drafts to see if he altered my poems.
If you’re honestly reporting, you should make a comparison and list them out for everyone to see.
Not just speak recklessly here and maliciously frame."
Prince Qi nodded.
Princess Fuyun’s eyes immediately brightened, laughing, "I didn’t look wrongly at people; Young Master Nantang’s works are noble and clean. How could he do such a disgraceful thing?"
The Ninth Princess rolled her eyes, snorted coldly: "Weren’t you just saying not to jump to conclusions? There’s not even a hint yet; aren’t your words premature?"
Princess Fuyun said, "Young Master Nantang has his confidence for saying so."
Mr. Wu stammered: "I just got my hands on this not long ago and was truly shocked, never thought of this aspect."
Lin Ziqi was a bit anxious on the side.
Qin Yuan continued, "Prince Qi, the poetry draft lacks the most crucial page; please send someone to the Imperial College to retrieve it. If it remains unfound, Mr. Wu needs to compensate."
"It’s just a piece of paper, why be so aggressive?"
Mr. Wu mocked.
Qin Siyuan couldn’t help but retort: "These are Young Master Nantang’s poetry drafts, kept as an heirloom to teach poetry to my descendants. How could they be merely one piece of paper you talk about? If it’s just a sheet, why use it to be so aggressive?"
Mr. Wu was speechless.
Everyone sensed hidden tensions and began whispering and discussing.
Someone even proposed: "If someone would read and compare, I’d be willing to join in."
"Me too."
"Include me, whether the drafts were altered, with so many of us helping, surely no one will be wronged."
Mr. Wu was now somewhat panicked.
The situation was entirely different from what Xu Tang previously said, and moreover...
He secretly glanced at Lin Ziqi, who was frowning as if pondering something.
Hidden among the crowd, Xiao Dong immediately shouted, "Shen Changle, aren’t you going to help Wen calculate how many taels of silver that Mr. Wu has to pay for taking Young Master Nantang’s unpublished draft without permission? Stealing is taking without permission, and if it’s silver, shouldn’t you bring him to the Capital Governor Mansion for punishment?"
Hearing his voice, Qin Yuan couldn’t help but slightly curve his lips.
Shen Changle echoed from afar, "Ah, wouldn’t that bankrupt him? Recently, ’Firefly Collection’ is selling like hotcakes, and bookstores are lined up waiting for copies. They can hardly print fast enough."
Mr. Wu spat: "Always talking about money, how disgraceful."
Shen Changle opened his mouth but then shut it awkwardly.
Marquis Gu sneered, "Young Master Nantang’s works are famous across the land; could Mr. Wu be trying to claim them for himself, to make a name later?"
"No, no, no, Marquis, how can you think that? I wouldn’t dare," Mr. Wu hurriedly waved his hands.
"With no proof, you naturally dare," Marquis Gu’s voice was cold, chilling Mr. Wu into a shiver.
Prince Qi laughed lightly, saying, "In that case, I’ll send someone to the Imperial College. But as for the poetry collection and drafts... I’m not sure who should verify them?"
The observing scholars eagerly volunteered, causing a commotion.
Suddenly, someone said: "I’m a National Doctor from the Imperial College, willing to participate in the verification."
Another person also said: "I’m a lecturer, willing to participate."
Then several said: "I’m an examinee from the Imperial College, willing to participate."
Someone among the crowd remarked: "You’re all from the Imperial College; how can we ensure fairness?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "Perhaps Prince Qi should have someone read loudly and compare for everyone to hear and select five officials or scholars from the Imperial College and five scholars from outside the city to join in the assessment."
Prince Qi nodded: "Good, that way I can also have an account of the matter."
Mr. Wu was sweating profusely, slumped to one side.
Qin Siyuan was very happy: "This is the best outcome, thanks to Prince Qi for publicly clearing the name of Young Master Nantang and myself."
The Ninth Princess coldly chuckled, indifferent.
Princess Fuyun nodded with relief: "Seeing Young Master Nantang and Mr. Qin’s confidence, it seems this Mr. Wu is indeed slandering."
The Ninth Princess glanced at the obviously guilty Mr. Wu and frowned slightly, pondered for a moment, then turned to ask Brother Ximen beside her: "Don’t you think Mr. Qin and Young Master Nantang are bluffing?"
At this time, Brother Ximen appeared absent-minded, only his shell was present.
Called twice, he finally snapped back, apologized, and said, "I’ve spent these past days playing ball and haven’t rested much, so I was dazed. Please forgive me, Princess."
The Ninth Princess was very considerate: "It’s not anything urgent, just wanted to chat with you. If you’re tired, why don’t you take a nap at the Ranxiang Inn?"
Brother Ximen wanted to leave for a while, to send news.
"Thank you for your understanding, Princess."
Worried that Ranxiang Inn’s people might disrespect Brother Ximen, the Ninth Princess ordered the maid beside her to lead Brother Ximen to find the Shopkeeper.
"Please have him find a private room for Brother Ximen to rest well, and serve him properly. Seeing Brother Ximen should be like seeing me, with no neglect, or watch for his skin."