Some things, when suppressed for too long, can explode in an instant.
Countless students harbored doubts in their hearts. The timid ones dared not speak up, while those who did were silenced by the promise of "donating silver." More and more emotions piled up in their hearts, fermenting into an uncontrollable rage.
Until someone took the lead and lit it.
The brewing marsh gas burst forth with a dazzling display of flowers.
Yesterday, the Wenchang Pavilion was harmonious and warm, but today it is filled with heated anger and red faces.
"The imperial examination cheating scandal broke out just last year, and this year both candidates achieved top honors? This is just too much of a rip-off!" someone exclaimed passionately. "If even the imperial examinations are no longer fair, what use is this prosperous era?"
"If it's either the top scholar or the third-place scholar, there has to be someone who cheats."
"The top scholar got first place in the provincial examination, so it doesn't seem like he cheated. Given his background, he couldn't have done it by cheating."
"Shh, be quiet. Are you going to say that the young master of the Fang family cheated?"
Upon hearing this, the students looked at each other in bewilderment, as if their own answers had been confirmed.
They dared not offend the Fang family, but they had their own understanding.
There aren't enough voices right now, and the discussion isn't heated enough. We're just waiting for all the students in the country to be filled with righteous indignation, for the intellectuals to be so full of passion, and for them to dare to say even the most offensive things.
Some people timidly asked, "Why can't it be that Xu, the top scholar, cheated? Does a poor background necessarily mean innocence?"
Immediately, a student stepped forward, pointed at the wall, and said, "Does Young Master Qingzhu know? Look at these verses, this literary talent, does he really need to cheat?"
From before the imperial examination to now, a total of seven quatrains have been displayed, which are enough to impress countless students with their great love and outstanding literary talent.
Some white-bearded old scholars even declared, "This young master of green bamboo will go down in history and become a literary master."
You suspect someone like that of cheating?
How ridiculous, how ridiculous.
At this point, public opinion in the entire Wenchang Pavilion turned in favor of Xu Mo. The bolder ones pointed their fingers directly at Fang Yuan, while the less daring ones hinted at it with their eyes.
This long-brewing cheating scandal in the imperial examinations finally came to the Fang family's wits' end.
In the crowd, Qi Huai and An Jun exchanged glances, then turned and left at the same time, heading towards the second courtyard.
Today is a day of rest for the Hanlin Academy. Xu Mo is writing a letter by the window, carefully blowing the ink dry before sealing it.
A handsome and upright young man stood in front of a large, sturdy wooden table. A gentle breeze blew through the window, ruffling his hair. His narrow-sleeved cotton robe had been replaced with a wide-sleeved long robe, giving him a more refined and scholarly air than a youthful one.
Even though Qi An and his companion were walking hurriedly, they couldn't help but be stunned by this scene and began to speak softly.
"Brother Xu," Qi Huai said in a low voice, "do you know what happened at Wenchang Pavilion?"
"The imperial examination cheating scandal has finally come to light, and countless scholars are protesting the injustice." An Jun's eyes were moist. "Justice resides in the hearts of the people, and the scholars of the world will clear your name."
Even though he passed the imperial examination with top honors in his first year, he still had to beat the grievance drum and knock on the golden palace wall to beg for a chance to retake the exam.
If it weren't for absolute strength and composure, someone else might have collapsed and gone crazy.
A sixteen-year-old top scholar is already admirable, but what about a fifteen-year-old top scholar?
The Fang family's actions ultimately infringed upon Xu Mo's interests.
"Fortunately, justice has finally been served," Qi Huai remarked with emotion.
Xu Mo put down the envelope, but his handsome face showed no joy when he looked up.
“Brother Qi, Brother An,” he sighed, “I, Xu, did nothing wrong.”
The two brothers who rushed over to deliver the good news were both stunned.
"I have never worked for myself, nor have I ever cleared my name," Xu Mo said, word by word. "Furthermore, I have never interfered in the process of the examination fraud being exposed."
He didn't know why it erupted at this crucial moment.
He didn't know why scholars and intellectuals would favor this view.
“But everyone supports you,” An Jun said, puzzled. “Isn’t it good that they’re on your side? The Fang family has brought this upon themselves; they deserve to be humiliated by scholars all over the world.”
Qi Huai remained silent with a cold expression, deep in thought.
“Brother An,” Xu Mo said with a wry smile, “you seem to have forgotten that the Fang family is far stronger than us.”
On the surface, the exposure of this imperial examination fraud was the result of extreme forbearance, popular demand, and a natural progression.
How could the Fang family, who were capable of cheating and even used donations to suppress the escalation of the cheating, simply stand by and watch Fang Yuan be condemned by scholars across the land and have his reputation ruined?
“Never underestimate the capabilities of a powerful family,” Qi Huai said through gritted teeth. “But I also can’t figure out what the Fang family is trying to do.”
Xu Mo shook his head, his eyes filled with melancholy.
He couldn't understand it this time either.
But it doesn't matter, he'll take any trick.
"Good heavens, is the Fang family trying to kill Brother Xu by praising him too much?" An Jun exclaimed. "This is too cruel."
Whether this is a case of overpraising to the point of harm remains to be seen.
Over the next five or six days, the students' voices grew louder and louder.
Fang Yuan went from being accused to being insulted, and then his whole family was implicated. From time to time, rotten eggs and vegetable leaves were thrown at him, mixed with some fresh dog feces.
The Fang family mansion, which was once bustling with visitors, suddenly became eerily quiet.
Fang Yuan remained silent, as did the Fang family.
The scholars and students were increasingly furious, and were almost ready to form a group to go to Fang's doorstep to hurl insults and force him to restore the innocence of the top scholar.
This matter caused quite a stir, even alarming the imperial family in the capital, who hesitated whether to summon the head of the Fang family to inquire about the truth.
But before he could even speak, the Fang family made their move.
First, the rumors were dispelled. The elders, led by the head of the Fang family, poured out their grievances to their friends, expressing the injustices suffered by Fang Yuan and the Fang family.
Then, some students spread the word that Xu Mo not only obtained his academic credentials illegitimately, but also that all his previous cases were stolen.
In short: This person is a repeat offender!
"I heard that he stole his titles of Xiucai and Tongsheng, not to mention Jieyuan, which he obtained entirely by ghostwriting.
"This man is very cunning. He pretends to be a poor and honest man from a humble family, but he is actually the son of a county magistrate. His father was dismissed from his post for corruption. It's a classic case of the upper beam being crooked and the lower beam being crooked."
"I heard that the person he stole from wasn't in good health, which gave him the opportunity. It's a pity that the statement that originally belonged to that young master was snatched away by this hypocrite."
"Now they're even trying to shift the blame onto the Fang family's young master; this is simply outrageous!"
Of course, these words don't mean anything.
The scholars and students were indignant, but they weren't fools; they could still distinguish the difference in difficulty between cheating once and cheating every time.
One instance of cheating in the imperial examination is already bad enough; to cheat every time is an insult to the entire Imperial Examination Hall of the Great Yu Dynasty.
To ensure the fairness of the imperial examinations, the imperial family deliberately avoided official control and placed the examinations under the exclusive jurisdiction of the Gongyuan (Examination Hall). Furthermore, officials were not allowed to take up their posts in their hometowns, in order to prevent the protection of relatives and the leakage of examination questions.
Even if Xu Mo is the son of the county magistrate, it is impossible for him to have committed fraud so many times.
Moreover, that county magistrate was already dead.
Until a young man named Zhu Sihuan stepped forward and said, "I can testify that Xu Mo is a skilled ghostwriter... He not only writes his own poems, but he also wrote mine. The poems that made me famous... were written by someone he found for me."
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