Chapter 100 The Suspended Soul Silk Unravels 3
"Please take a look, sir!"
The two handed the article to Han Fangzhi, then glanced at each other before subtly looking away.
Han Fangzhi took the article and immediately recognized which one was the student he had carefully taught after just one glance.
He appeared to be focused on the article in front of him, but his thoughts had already wandered off somewhere else entirely.
He recalled the past, remembering every moment he spent with his students.
The doubts that had once existed were suddenly resolved at this moment.
No wonder his promising student went silent after passing the provincial examination. He had always thought it was because his student wanted to hone his skills for a few more years before taking the metropolitan examination and hoping for better results.
In retrospect, it turns out that it was because his student had originally taken his brother's place in school, and the brother, in order to prevent exposure, did not hesitate to kill his elder brother.
He no longer cared about right or wrong; all he knew was that his prized student had been murdered, and now he only wanted to bring the murderer to justice.
Thinking of this, Han Fangzhi looked sharply at Zheng Huaijin.
"How dare you plot against a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations! Do you know what your crime is?"
Zheng Huaijin shuddered, sweat pouring down his face. His lips trembled, but he didn't know how to answer. His mind went blank, and he had no idea how to respond.
Meanwhile, Shao Yanzhe, standing to the side, became a living encyclopedia of the laws of the Dayong Dynasty.
"Those who plot to harm a scholar who has passed the imperial examinations shall be executed immediately; those whose crimes are serious shall be executed by slow slicing."
As he spoke, he glanced at Mr. and Mrs. Zheng, who were also trembling like leaves, and continued, "Anyone who harbors an accomplice shall be flogged one hundred times, exiled three thousand li, and forced into hard labor."
As soon as he finished speaking, Zheng Huaijin, Old Master Zheng, and Old Madam Zheng knelt down with a thud, their faces pale and their eyes filled with panic.
“I, he, he is my son, and, moreover, he took the imperial examination in place of Huaijin. Shouldn’t it be Huaijin who should be the successful candidate? In that case, Aping is just an ordinary person. What’s wrong with a father killing his son?”
As he spoke, Old Master Zheng became increasingly self-righteous. He was a shrewd old man, and although he hadn't seen much of the world, he had experienced a lot and quickly came up with an excuse.
At the same time, he took the blame for poisoning Zheng Ziqian.
Those who know the inside story can't help but sigh at the greatness of fatherly love.
Zheng Ziqian was already used to this, and looked at Old Master Zheng with a blank expression and a wooden look in his eyes.
Zheng Huaijin, whose crime had been stolen, lowered his head. After hearing Old Master Zheng's words, his anxious heart calmed down a little, and he hoped that he could be exonerated.
After Mr. Zheng finished speaking, Mrs. Zheng was enlightened. She quickly glanced at Zheng Huaijin beside her, a resolute look flashing in her eyes.
“That’s right! Aping was disrespectful to his parents, and we only gave him a little lesson. We never expected him to be so useless and die. This is an ending we never anticipated.”
After Mrs. Zheng finished speaking, Mr. Zheng nodded in agreement. The two of them took turns blaming themselves for all the mistakes, while complaining about Zheng Ziqian, saying that he shouldn't have appeared and should have just disappeared.
This amazed the onlookers, who stared in disbelief at the two of them as they argued back and forth, ultimately attributing all the blame to poor Zheng Ziqian.
Just then, officials pushed through the crowd and entered.
"Someone reported to the authorities that someone is plotting to harm a scholar. Who is it?" The speaker had a fierce face and his menacing gaze swept over the crowd.
Instantly, everyone's eyes fell on the three people kneeling on the ground.
Upon seeing this, the officials went over to the three men and asked, "Did you plot to murder the scholar?"
"No, that's not it!"
The three of them quickly shook their heads.
“These are the three of them, and the victim is right here.” Shao Yanzhe stepped forward and introduced the victim to them.
The officials were taken aback and subconsciously looked at Zheng Ziqian, whom they were pointing at. After realizing what was happening, they all involuntarily took a few steps back, fear flashing in their eyes.
But they weren't inexperienced in such situations, and they quickly calmed down.
Now that there is a victim, everything becomes simple.
"Take them all away!"
So the group went to the county government office.
The county magistrate already knew the general situation from his subordinates. He walked into the courtroom with a serious face, glanced at everyone, and saw a familiar person. He paused in his steps toward the judge's desk, turned around, and walked down to the courtroom.
He walked up to Han Fangzhi, bowed, and greeted him with a cupped-hand salute: "Greetings, teacher!"
Han Fangzhi nodded to him and then said, "Don't worry about me, my current role is that of a witness."
"yes!"
The magistrate immediately understood, walked back to his desk and sat down, slammed the gavel, and began to hear the case.
With witnesses and physical evidence, as well as testimonies from the victims, no matter how Zheng Huaijin and his two companions tried to deny it, they eventually couldn't withstand the magistrate's relentless pressure and confessed to their crimes.
As for Zheng Ziqian taking the imperial examination in someone else's place, this behavior can be considered cheating, but the other person is already dead, so it cannot be investigated further.
Therefore, the magistrate sentenced the three men only for the crime of murder. Zheng Huaijin was stripped of his academic degree and sentenced to immediate execution, while the elderly Zheng couple were exiled three thousand li away.
Thus, Zheng Ziqian's injustice was cleared.
Han Fangzhi stood in front of Zheng Ziqian, a look of grief flashing in his eyes.
"You," he paused, unsure what to say, but it was too late to say anything now. He could only sigh and say, "You'd better take care of yourself! Go and reincarnate quickly! Don't linger in the mortal world, it won't do you any good."
After he finished speaking, he turned around, closed his eyes, and looked much older in an instant.
Zheng Ziqian turned his eyes to look at him, a hint of reminiscence flashing in them. Only now did he realize that the years he spent studying at the academy were the happiest of his life.
Master Han treated him very well, teaching him everything he knew, but in the end he failed his teacher.
"Teacher, take care!"
He knelt on the ground and kowtowed three times to Han Fangzhi before his figure suddenly disappeared.
Upon noticing this, Han Fangzhi turned around abruptly and saw the empty ground. A glint of tears flashed in his eyes for a moment.
Seeing this, Shao Yanzhe and the others did not say anything. At this time, it would be better to let him be alone for a while.
At this age, Han Fangzhi has seen through everything, and soon he composed himself.
He looked at Shao Yanzhe and the others, and said gently, "I happen to be free these few days, so feel free to come and ask me any questions you may have."
"Yes, thank you, sir."
Shao Yanzhe and the others personally escorted Han Fangzhi back to his residence before leaving.
In the following days, the group of them took their articles to Han Fangzhi for guidance, and they gained a lot from the process.
After disturbing them for a few days, Shao Yanzhe and his companions bid farewell to Han Fangzhi.
Before leaving, Han Fangzhi introduced the group to a great Confucian scholar from Fangtai Prefecture. The two had served as officials in the same court and had a fairly good relationship. He also wrote them a letter and asked them to take it with them.
"Thank you, sir!"
Shao Yanzhe knew that Han Fangzhi wrote this letter to pave the way for them, making it easier for them to receive guidance.
Go!
"yes!"
After bidding farewell to Han Fangzhi, Shao Yanzhe and his companions set off again.
Behind them, a few people followed at a distance. They were the people from Tianluo Zhao whom they had met at the post station earlier, and the one leading them was the young man who wanted to seize Xuan Yao.
As the sun began to set, Shao Yanzhe and his group found a rest stop.
After they entered the room, the white silk that had been hiding appeared.
"There's only one left. She's the most resentful of the four. You need to be mentally prepared."
"good!"
Shao Yanzhe and his companions became serious, wary of whoever was about to appear.
Not long after, a red figure emerged from the white silk and bowed gracefully to them.
"Greetings to the learned scholars!"
The speaker was slender, with a pale, small face, and slightly furrowed willow-leaf eyebrows, as if carrying endless sorrow.
When Liu Mingyuan saw the person in front of him, he was stunned for a moment, but he quickly realized who the person was and immediately composed himself.
Upon seeing the red dress on the woman in front of him, Shao Yanzhe raised an eyebrow, further increasing the perceived danger level of this woman.
"Do you know everything that happened before?" he asked.
The woman in red nodded: "That's right. Although I'm in a deep sleep, I can still see everything that's happening outside."
Shao Yanzhe suddenly realized that it was simple and he didn't need to explain anymore.
"So, do you need our help?"
The woman in red sighed softly, "I need to. I don't want to stay in this world any longer, but the resentment in my heart can't be easily dispelled."
"Then tell me your grievances!"
After a moment of silence, the woman in red began to recount her experiences.
The woman in red was named Liu Ruoyi. She was originally the daughter of an official, and her future was that her family would choose a good husband for her, and then she would get married and raise children.
But she was not content with this, so she secretly left home without telling her father and brothers and met a scholar there.
The two met due to a misunderstanding, and through repeated interactions, they resolved the misunderstanding, came to appreciate each other, and developed feelings of longing.
In front of the scholar, Liu Ruoyi's identity was that of a merchant's daughter, and she used this identity to travel.
During the Dayong Dynasty, merchants were the lowest of the low.
The scholar didn't care about this. After the two poured out their hearts to each other, he said he would immediately send someone to her home to propose marriage.
Liu Ruoyi originally wanted to reveal her identity, but was interrupted by the sudden appearance of the scholar's mother.
"No! I disagree! You can't marry a merchant's daughter!"
The scholar inquired about the reason.
“You will be taking the imperial examinations in the future. After you pass, you can marry a noblewoman from an official family, which will be more beneficial to your future career,” the scholar’s mother said.
The scholar immediately replied, "I don't need it!"
"No! You need it! You're not talented enough. After studying all this time, you'll probably only be able to get a second-class degree. If you don't rely on the help of a noble lady, how can you get promoted?"
The scholar remained silent.
Liu Ruoyi remained silent as well.
For a moment, the two of them didn't know how to refute it.
While scholars may indeed be less gifted in academics than others, passing the exams on their own is not a problem.
Liu Ruoyi's family had many intelligent members, and she herself was a renowned talented woman. Therefore, she did not care whether the scholar was good at studying or not.
At this moment, Liu Ruoyi suddenly no longer wanted to reveal her identity.
She wanted to test whether she held a higher place in the hearts of scholars than someone who had passed the imperial examination.
Liu Ruoyi was too young to know this.
Sometimes, the thing that can't be tested most is the human heart.
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