If the first few rounds were merely probing, then at this moment, war is about to break out.
Butler Fang learned of Xu Mo's willingness to die for his cause.
Xu Mo also understood that the Fang family was not without a plan.
They seized upon each other's weaknesses, confronting each other head-on and refusing to yield an inch, but neither of them had conclusive evidence, so they couldn't win against the other or convince the public.
But they are different.
The Fang family can use their power to intimidate and intimidate, but Xu Mo only has this one chance; it's all or nothing.
He turned to look at the Prefect of Fengtian, then bowed to the elderly men in the examination hall, saying, "Please, Your Excellency and the old gentlemen, bring out the original examination papers so that we can clarify who is right and who is wrong."
The handwriting has a strong personal style; the years of practice, the pen-holding habits, and every stroke—horizontal, left-falling, vertical, and right-falling—cannot be faked.
Xu Mo wasn't worried that the Fang family would have Fang Yuan rewrite the top score exam paper to replace his own, because he had never written Fang Yuan's failed exam paper.
There are two original copies in total; at least one of them must be in his handwriting.
Xu Mo's thoughts were racing, but when he raised his head, he remained calm and upright.
On the contrary, the butler's expression changed slightly and gradually became serious.
Asking for the original examination paper was not a particularly difficult decision. After discussing it with several senior scholars at the examination hall, the Prefect of Fengtian Prefecture led two senior scholars and six yamen runners back to the examination hall.
While waiting, the main hall of Fengtian Prefecture was quiet, but the outside was filled with joy.
Qi Huai stomped his feet with joy, "Brother Xu is so good at hiding things! I was almost dying of anxiety before, but he had another trick up his sleeve. Why didn't he just ask to see the original scroll?"
Chang Yan glanced at him. "You want to fight directly against the general?"
No matter who fights whom, there must always be probing attacks, probing the opponent's bottom line, and figuring out the opponent's habits.
A fatal blow after a little delay is better than being dumbfounded after being arrogant and overconfident.
Qi Huai never expected that at eighteen years old, he would be looked down upon by a twelve-year-old boy.
But what he said made perfect sense, so he could only take deep breaths, his delicate nostrils expanding and contracting repeatedly.
Zhao Yuan originally wanted to chime in, but seeing this situation, he quickly hid behind An Jun, pretending to be a quail.
The original scroll was retrieved quickly.
Whether inside or outside the hall, everyone's eyes were fixed on the two original scrolls, waiting for the mystery to be revealed and for the long-awaited justice to be given to Xu Mo.
"Your Excellency," Butler Fang seemed to want to say something more, "Do you really want to open the original scroll and look at it?"
Here we go again, using their power to intimidate others.
The Prefect of Fengtian frowned, gripping the gavel tightly. "How can you adjudicate a case without looking at the original case file!"
Butler Fang fell silent.
Several elderly gentlemen from the examination hall opened two sets of examination papers and brought out the examination paper for the top scholar that Xu Mo had memorized overnight.
Then, they stood there, stunned.
The Prefect of Fengtian looked over curiously and frowned deeply.
This feeling doesn't seem to favor either side, nor does it seem like I've figured out the answer.
It was more like a question, and he was increasingly confused.
Could something have gone wrong somewhere?
Xu Mo's heart sank, and his previously confident mood was shattered, replaced by unease.
"Sir, why did you stop watching? Is there a problem?" Butler Fang's expression changed from serious to serious, and he asked in a loud voice, "Have you solved the case yet?"
The Prefect of Fengtian remained silent, as did the elderly scholars of the Imperial Examination Hall; the entire hall was utterly silent.
The people outside started to make a fuss again.
"What happened? Why isn't the Prefect speaking?" Qi Huai clenched his fists.
Chang Yan stopped answering, his expression visibly turning serious.
After a long pause, the Prefect of Fengtian said in a deep voice, "These two exam papers are exactly the same as your handwriting, so there is really no way to distinguish them. We can only judge them based on the name."
The one that failed the exam had Xu Mo's name written on it.
The examination paper for the top scholar clearly states Fang Yuan's name.
Same...
How could they be the same...?
There was another uproar outside the lobby; everyone was puzzled and engaged in heated discussions.
Xu Mo stood alone in the hall, his mind seemingly trapped in a drum, his ears ringing, unable to hear any other sounds in the world.
He seemed to see the smug face of Butler Fang, the worried expressions of his younger siblings, his father's straight back, and his mother's gentle smile.
Growing up in a family of upright and honest people, I was taught that rules and regulations were above all else.
My father said that one should have the world in one's heart, cherish all things, love one's country and people, and be upright and incorruptible.
But my father never said what to do if, even with all his might, he couldn't defeat such a behemoth.
My father never said whether, when everything we have is taken away without cause, we should retreat in cowardice or fight back bravely.
A common man is innocent, but possessing a treasure is a crime.
If being excellent is a mistake, then shouldn't he have studied diligently for years, studied day and night, memorized things painstakingly, and given it his all?
Like Qi Huai, who became a Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial civil service examination) and then a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the metropolitan civil service examination) despite being at the bottom of the class, he was not dazzlingly brilliant, but he made steady progress and did not arouse envy.
But excellence is something countless people strive for.
Xu Mo lowered his head, looking at his fair and slender fingers, and felt a surge of sorrow, helplessness, bitterness, and coldness in his heart.
His neat yet bold, dignified yet principled handwriting was the pride of his diligent study and practice, the key to his rivalry with the Fang family, and the only opportunity he found after racking his brains for more than ten days.
But now, everything is gone.
The Fang family had a steward tell Xu Mo that powerful families have all sorts of abilities, and there's nothing they can't do.
The power of aristocratic families is not something that ordinary people can shake.
Everything you think of and predict is within the calculations of the aristocratic families.
If you can't compete with them in terms of power, ability, or even cunning, how can you possibly contend with them?
Then just accept your fate.
Xu Mo stood there in a daze, and Fang's steward's voice came to his ears, "Back in Anshui County, I saw that you were a good prospect, but you are a bit wicked. Don't think that just because you imitated our young master's handwriting, you can smear the Fang family and steal our young master's title of top scholar."
"The truth cannot be hidden, and the falsehood cannot be made true."
Someone else was shouting, calling out hoarsely, "Big brother, big brother... ash heap, ash heap."
Something is connected.
Xu Mo was being harassed at the entrance of the Anshui County examination when Steward Fang suddenly showed him kindness.
The pile of ashes that is often stirred up at the entrance of Fengjing's second courtyard is probably mostly his discarded papers.
The handwriting was exactly the same; one wonders how long Fang Yuan had practiced it diligently.
This is a truly grand strategy by the Fang family.
The previous game was just Butler Fang teasing Xu Mo. The change in expression when mentioning the original scroll was only to make Xu Mo confident and certain—so that when the truth was revealed, Xu Mo could be emotionally crushed.
From certainty to surprise and doubt, from confidence to hesitation.
Even someone as outstanding as Hui-won will doubt himself.
Fortunately, he is Xu Mo.
Fortunately, he has younger siblings.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
