Chapter 634 - 353: Have You Asked the People of the World?
Chapter 634: Chapter 353: Have You Asked the People of the World?
"After all, the Confucian Dao has endured through the ages; respecting the heavens and caring for the people is its very foundation."
With this said, Chen Yi cupped his hands in a salute to Ma Shuhan and changed the subject. "I am bold enough to ask, Lord Academic Administrator, why did you set this as the topic?"
His words rang in everyone’s ears like the toll of a bell.
Whether they had chosen to campaign against the south or battle the north in their policy essays, most of the candidates now looked ashamed.
The Confucian Dao was unlike other teachings; it placed the utmost emphasis on "respecting the heavens and caring for the people." Writing arguments that advocated slaughter during the Annual Examination was truly inappropriate.
Ma Guan was the first who could no longer hold back. He stepped forward, bowed, and said, "Lord Academic Administrator, Student Ma Guan, Heming, shares this question."
Tang Ye followed suit. "I share this question as well."
The other examinees hesitated for a moment before speaking up one after another. "We hope the Lord Academic Administrator will enlighten us."
Although they hadn’t written their essays like Chen Yi did, it was precisely because of this that they felt such deep shame after hearing his words.
"Lord Academic Administrator, the ancient sages said that a practitioner of the Confucian Dao should ’manifest illustrious virtue, care for the people, and rest in the highest excellence.’ We make bold to ask you: does the policy question embody this care for the people?"
Hearing the crowd’s discussions, Ma Shuhan’s face grew increasingly ugly. He fell silent for a moment.
Staring down at the over one hundred Scholars, Ma Shuhan ignored their inquiries and clamor. He fixed his gaze solely on Chen Yi. "The purpose of the Annual Examination is to test your knowledge, not for you to worry about the world. That is not something a mere Scholar should concern himself with. Let this Scholar-Official teach you a lesson. An article meant for grandstanding, no matter how flowery the writing is, is nothing but waste paper."
As soon as he finished speaking, Ma Shuhan suddenly brought his hands together and tore the essay into shreds. Scraps of paper fluttered into the air, scattering with the wind across the examination venue. "I might as well tell you—in this Annual Examination, your grade, Chen Yi, will be nothing but a Fifth Class!"
Watching his actions, Chen Yi maintained a gentle, relaxed smile. "How the Lord Academic Administrator chooses to act is naturally not my place to question. However, I also have a saying to share—do not impose upon others what you yourself do not desire. Whether we conquer the south or battle the north, has anyone ever asked the people of the world?"
Though his voice was light, it rang clearly in the ears of everyone present.
The smile that had just begun to show on Ma Shuhan’s face froze, leaving him staring speechlessly at Chen Yi.
On the contrary, the surrounding examinees felt their thoughts become crystal clear upon hearing this.
"What a brilliant ’ask the people of the world’! Mr. Qingzhou is a man of high principles; I am in awe of you!"
"What Mr. Qingzhou said perfectly captures our thoughts. When I was writing this policy essay earlier, I too was troubled."
"It is just... I am ashamed. I regret not doing the same as Mr. Qingzhou."
"Mr. Qingzhou is absolutely right. A southern expedition against the Barbarian Race is fraught with peril. The soldiers of the Great Wei would face a near-certain death. We are not qualified to debate the pros and cons."
"Sir treats fame and wealth like dirt, embodying the demeanor of a gentleman spoken of by the ancient sages. I am thoroughly ashamed..."
Of course, quite a few candidates held objections in their hearts. They felt it was merely an Annual Examination question, so why blow it out of proportion?
However, observing the atmosphere among the present candidates, they had no choice but to keep their mouths shut.
Seeing this, Ma Shuhan’s face turned livid. He swept his gaze around the venue and spoke in an icy tone, "You... this is outrageous!"
With that, he waved his hand toward the back. "Men, apprehend them for me! Today, I will teach them what it means to ’respect the teacher and revere the Dao’!"
Several government officials exchanged glances, hesitating to move.
It was merely a verbal dispute. They hadn’t violated the laws of the Great Wei, so how could the officials dare to casually arrest people? Moreover, the examinees in the venue all possessed the title of Scholar. Many among them came from prominent families with powerful backgrounds. How could mere officials afford to offend them?
Ma Shuhan grew even more furious and growled, "Why aren’t you arresting them?!"
The two deputy examiners behind him also chimed in. "Did you not hear the Lord Academic Administrator’s words? What are you waiting for?"
"This..."
Unexpectedly, before the government officials could take any action, a voice rang out from outside the venue. "Hold on!"
Ma Shuhan looked toward the source of the sound. As soon as he recognized the newcomer, his expression changed drastically. The anger on his face vanished in an instant, replaced by a shifting mix of resolve, daze, relief, and even a hint of a bitter smile.
Chen Yi turned to look outside the venue and couldn’t help but raise his eyebrows. Outside stood Yang Ye, who had rushed over accompanied by Chen Yunfan, Li Huai’gu, and several government officials.
That wasn’t all. Surprisingly, trailing behind them were Tang Zixing, the Inspector General of the Shu State Inspectorate Office, and his entourage.
The one who had spoken just now was Yang Ye. He hurried into the examination venue and scanned the area. Seeing that none of the candidates were injured, he breathed a sigh of relief.
His gaze then fell upon Ma Shuhan as he asked in a deep voice, "What does Lord Ma intend to do here?"
Ma Shuhan remained silent.
Yang Ye, however, refused to let it go. "According to the rules, the scores of these Scholars can only be announced two days after the Annual Examination. Why are you acting so rashly? You even dared to privately destroy the examination papers written by the candidates. Do you not know the punishments of the Great Wei laws?"
Of course, what infuriated Yang Ye the most wasn’t these two points. It was the fact that Ma Shuhan was causing such a scene in the examination venue, so close to the Governor’s Office. This clearly showed that he didn’t put their Governor’s Office in his eyes at all.
Furthermore, if this matter blew up, outsiders would inevitably spread the news. How would they clean up the mess then?
Not to mention, the people from the Inspectorate Office were here too...
Seeing that Ma Shuhan refused to speak, Yang Ye could only suppress his anger. He turned and cupped his hands to Tang Zixing. "I’ve let Lord Tang see a joke."
Tang Zixing wore a great red Official Robe, neatly dressed, his Fang Zheng face projecting authority without anger. He returned Yang Ye’s salute with a slight bow and said, "There is no need for Lord Yang to do this. I have come here for the same reason as you—to question the Shu State Academic Administrator, Ma Shuhan, for his crimes."
"Question... who?" Realizing what he meant, Yang Ye looked at Tang Zixing’s serious expression, and his previous hint of worry vanished completely. "Are you saying Ma Shuhan..."
Meeting Yang Ye’s gaze, Tang Zixing gave a slight nod.
He didn’t elaborate further. He stepped forward, his gaze locked directly onto Ma Shuhan, only glancing at Chen Yi out of the corner of his eye as he passed by.
As Chen Yi watched him approach, he knew his earlier suspicions were confirmed. There was a problem with Ma Shuhan—a massive problem!
Sure enough, Tang Zixing stopped in front of him and said to Ma Shuhan, "Lord Ma, come with me to the Inspectorate Office. There are certain matters that require your cooperation. In addition, Shao Linchuan and Zou Qinian, the two of you will come along as well."
Leaving aside the shifting expressions of the main examiner, Ma Shuhan, and the deputy examiners, Zou Qinian and Shao Linchuan, everyone present understood what Tang Zixing meant the moment those words were spoken.
Although the surrounding examinees had not yet entered government service as officials, they were all well-read in various classics and naturally understood the authority and responsibilities of the Inspectorate Office.
—To supervise the hundreds of officials.
The fact that people from the Inspectorate Office had come to invite Ma Shuhan away at a time like this was no different from the Imprisonment Department arresting a major criminal. The only difference was that the former only dealt with local officials, while the latter mostly apprehended the common folk.
However, despite their inner thoughts, no one dared to utter a single word with Yang Ye and Tang Zixing present.
On the other hand, Ma Shuhan broke his earlier silence. The tension on his face faded, and he actually revealed a faint smile. Straightening his clothes, he walked down from the high platform and said, "I have troubled Lord Tang to make this trip personally. I will go with you."
Pausing for a moment, Ma Shuhan looked at Chen Yi again, his smile turning cold. "You managed to escape disaster this time. Watch your back."
Chen Yi watched him approach, feeling increasingly puzzled. He was already certain that Ma Shuhan’s actions were deliberately targeting him. However, he couldn’t understand why Ma Shuhan was doing this. Or rather, he wasn’t sure if this was Ma Shuhan’s own intention or if someone had ordered him to do it.
He thought to himself, "Who could it be? People from the Capital Prefecture, someone from the Shu State, or perhaps one of the Noble Families like the Jing State Liu Family?"
After much thought, Chen Yi could only attribute this matter to two reasons: his status as a live-in son-in-law, and his origins in the Jiangnan Prefecture Chen Family. Thus, he was more inclined to believe it was a scheme orchestrated by the mastermind behind Liu Hong and Ma Shuhan to deal a blow to the prestige of the Xiao Family. Or perhaps it was directed at the Jiangnan Prefecture Chen Family.
But no matter what Chen Yi thought, the incident at the Annual Examination would definitely spread once Ma Shuhan and the others were taken away by the Inspectorate Office. By then, there would be no shortage of discussions regarding conquering the south or battling the north. Similarly, the words he had spoken would inevitably be brought up by many.
At this moment, Chen Yunfan and Li Huai’gu walked over. Patting him on the shoulder, Chen Yunfan smiled and said, "As expected of Brother Yi, deeply concerned for the world."
Li Huai’gu, however, wore a bitter smile. He sighed in admiration, "Yesterday, I was still wondering how Brother Qingzhou would tackle the essay topic. Hearing it today... I am truly ashamed."
Chen Yi smiled. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Tang Zixing’s furious roar from outside the examination venue.
"Who goes there?! How dare you assassinate an official of the Imperial Court in broad daylight?!"
In the next second, Ma Shuhan’s miserable scream rang out.
Chen Yi’s expression changed, and he hurriedly ran outside. Chen Yunfan, Li Huai’gu, and the others followed suit.
Chen Yi arrived outside the venue. Looking at Tang Zixing and the others standing just beyond the crowd, and then at Ma Shuhan, whose head was now separated from his body, a chill flashed through his heart.
"That person couldn’t even wait for a single moment!"