Xue Ji was the second-place scholar in the imperial examination, appointed by the emperor in the fourth year of the Qiande era.

The sage is not very old now, and there were two young men at the time.

The sage is still young, but Xue Ji is already greasy.

Xue Ji's son, Xue Lin, was still young at eighteen, but he looked somewhat greasy.

Huan Yue thought to himself, "Great Confucian scholars who read too much in their families become old fogies, much like the Chan Sect of Zichan Mountain, who don't use their minds on the right path."

Logically speaking, Xue Ji should be busy at his age, and his family isn't short of work. So why did he end up here?

He wants to mess with Sheng'an, the Crown Princess, and probably pull off another heist during next year's imperial examinations.

Huan Yue said, "They have turned the classics into literary cliques, scoundrels, and a bunch of despicable hooligans. They are utterly shameless."

Xue Ji was so angry that he started cursing! He cursed at women! He cursed so fluently that he didn't care about being shameful, and the slaps on his face looked like medals on a battlefield.

Xue Lin joined in the cursing; many people cursed the Crown Princess, but his curses were even more scathing.

Xie Zhen was furious: "Stop talking about men and women! You don't represent men, nor do you represent all scholars!"

The King of Wu said, "It was He Pi who forced Jin Nu to marry him; this was a scholar's act of charity, and Jin Nu couldn't resist. So, has the Xue family done this kind of thing too often?"

King Shen asked, "Where shall the laws of the Great Zhao be placed?"

Yan Ke angrily rebuked, "What's wrong with wanting to read books? Isn't that basic humanity? The Xue family is no longer human!"

Di Chang said, "Compared to some of the heretical practices of the Chan Sect, the Xue family has also gone astray. In fact, it's all for their own selfish interests."

Huan Yue asked, "Why do you study?"

Di Baose said, "Isn't it for promotion and wealth? A Xiucai (a successful candidate in the county-level imperial examination) has status, and a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial-level imperial examination) gets all sorts of benefits. Nobody cares why the court gives these benefits anymore. They just want more benefits, and they won't accept it if they're not given them."

Huan Yue said, "What's the difference between them and ordinary people? They're just wearing a nice-looking skin!"

Fang Ke petitioned the emperor, saying, "The loss of credibility among scholars is not only a blow to Confucian scholars, but also the beginning of corruption and decay in the court."

Wen Zhongqing echoed: "If Confucian scholars want to have a transcendent position, they must be strict with themselves. Reading should not be prohibited, but the selection of officials must be rigorous."

Li Changling, a Grand Secretary of the Chongxian Hall, said: "In ancient times, there were scholars who were filial and incorruptible, and virtuous and upright. In the future, all scholars will be examined for their character. The examination will be held every three years. If a person's character is corrupt, he will naturally be stripped of his academic title and severely punished according to the law."

The Chancellor of the Imperial Academy believed: "Studying should at least enable one to understand principles. If one cannot understand principles and instead comes up with a bunch of fallacies, what is the point of studying? One might as well go back to farming!"

The scene was almost entirely overturned.

No matter how powerful Xue Ji is, he can't withstand it.

He dealt with the Crown Princess, and everyone was terrified of being killed.

His insults against Jin Nu are utter nonsense.

Many people, like Wei Huan, probably think that having power and influence means giving face to others. But a mere scholar doesn't have that much face.

Besides, Jin Nu's younger brother is almost ready to start school.

Although some people can never take that step, a thirteen-year-old student can be considered a prodigy.

For many people from impoverished backgrounds, Jin Nu's family is a very inspiring example of perseverance.

Huan Yue chose this story to tell to those from humble backgrounds.

It's tough being from a poor family, but you must stand tall and proud.

This story could probably be adapted into Jin Nu teaching her younger brother.

The way San Niang taught her son is praised, so Jin Nu is not considered unorthodox.

He was just cursing a shameless rogue among scholars.

Huan Yue wanted to correct the prevailing atmosphere of reading.

Jin Nu and her younger brother are positive, while the widow and He Pi are negative.

It's a very simple thing, and it's widely accepted.

The Xue family is simply stirring up trouble, dissatisfied with and trying to elevate the status of women. But the Xue family isn't really like that.

Most things are naturally not decided at the banquet.

The emperor immediately issued an edict: "Xue Ji, Xue Lin, and others shall all be stripped of their official titles and arrested."

The seven or eight people who came with them, including some who had passed the imperial examinations and others who had passed the provincial examinations, were now dumbfounded.

The Xue family was powerful, but the sage completely disregarded the feelings of the Confucian scholars.

Huan Yue thought to himself, Confucianism is just a tool of the court. If this tool doesn't do its job properly, it will have its own ideas. Besides, the Xue family's ideas are the same as the Chan Sect's. They want to ascend to heaven. Have they considered the emperor's feelings?

Xie Jian believed it would have a significant impact on scholars.

But if you are a decent person, then there's nothing to worry about.

There are still many who have been bullied, so we should be looking forward to it.

The Xue family must have bullied a great many people.

Without the Xue family, will no one study?

Gong Yun thought to herself, "Scholars are also powerful in the countryside; I should write more about this in the future."

Studying isn't about becoming a tyrant. If you're not good to your neighbors and fellow villagers, how can you expect to do well as an official in the future?

Imperial Prison.

Xie Xuan was surprised to see another batch arrive.

He knew about the Xue family, but he didn't expect them to arrive so quickly.

Xie Xuan was fine in the imperial prison, although he was getting impatient.

But the Xue family didn't treat him as well.

Because the area is small and there are many people, some prison cells are very crowded.

The jailer then instructed Xue Lin: "Clean this up! Aren't you a scholar? How can you look presentable looking like this, all filthy?"

Xue Lin glared angrily, making him do such a lowly job.

The jailer sneered, "You can't even do this simple thing right? What can we expect of you?"

Xie Xuan watched from the side; that room was so dirty that he didn't want to go near it.

The jailer must have done it on purpose.

The jailer glanced back at Xie Xuan, grinned, and revealed a set of yellowed teeth.

Xie Xuan was so angry she wanted to kill him!

The jailer was afraid he wouldn't dare; otherwise, he'd try living in that pigsty himself.

The threat was very effective, and Xie Xuan was too lazy to argue with a jailer.

Xue Ji cursed loudly at the jailer.

This prompted the surrounding inmates to hurl insults at Xue Ji!

Upon learning the reason for Xue Ji's imprisonment, one of the prisoners laughed loudly: "Scholars are the most shameless! They can even make incestuous relationships sound elegant and refined!"

The real spectacle is in the criticism of Xue Ji! Regardless of whether he's eloquent or spewing nonsense.

Over there, a group of people were cursing Xue Biqian.

As usual, the old woman brought dinner to Qian.

Qian was nowhere to be seen; only Chang Ziyu was sitting outside, lost in thought.

The old woman was holding a stick.

Chang Ziyu didn't see it. When the old woman went in, she suddenly jumped up and wanted to fight her.

The old woman knew she was vicious and showed no mercy to her own mother, so she struck her with a stick!

Chang Ziyu was knocked out.

The old woman was very strong; she struck again with the stick!

Chang Ziyu was completely stunned! Ouch, it felt like her leg was broken! She already had one hand; she couldn't afford to lose her leg too.

The old woman saw that she was about to die. She went into the house and found that Qian was dead.

The old woman was not surprised at all and immediately reported it to the jailer.

Chang Ziyu sat to one side and cried.

The jailer ignored her completely and instead investigated Qian Shi.

In cases like investigations, once it's confirmed that Chang Ziyu committed the murder, then it's reported.

Chang Ziyu sat to one side, crying but not taking it seriously.

The old woman pointed at her and cursed, "You'll get your comeuppance."

Chang Ziyu was not afraid of her mother-in-law.

The old woman was too lazy to bother with her; what a heartless wretch!

Even if the Qian family treated her badly, they still supported her in Changhe County.

Perhaps Qian didn't teach her how to be a decent person, but there are plenty of bad parents who raise upright children.

So it's Chang Ziyu's own problem.

She's seventeen years old now, still lacking a sense of right and wrong, yet she dares to kill her mother?

After the coroner finished his investigation, he was terrified just looking at Chang Ziyu, but how to deal with her was a matter for the higher-ups to decide.