Chapter 19 The Fairy in the Painting Resolved
"Brother Shao! Brother Shao! Quick, hide!"
Liu Mingyuan ran to the teahouse, panting, and without even catching his breath, he reached out and grabbed Shao Yanzhe, trying to pull him away.
Shao Yanzhe was puzzled. He handed him a teacup and said, "Don't rush, have some tea first. What happened?"
Liu Mingyuan didn't drink the tea. He took a few deep breaths before continuing, "Brother Shao, you were the top scorer this time. Those who didn't pass are jealous and are spreading rumors that you cheated to get the top score! They're coming over now, so you'd better hide for a while!"
Shao Yanzhe frowned. He hadn't expected to be the top scorer, and he certainly hadn't expected it to cause him any trouble.
Seeing that he didn't move, Liu Mingyuan became a little anxious: "Don't just stand there, let's hide before they come."
As he spoke, he grabbed his arm and started to pull him outside.
Shao Yanzhe stopped him: "No, if I just hide here, they will definitely not let it go, and they may spread even more damaging rumors about me."
Upon hearing this, Shen Jingzhou put down his teacup, stood up, and said, "Brother Shao is right. I trust Brother Shao's character. I absolutely do not believe that Brother Shao would cheat. I will testify for Brother Shao later!"
Upon seeing this, Liu Mingyuan abandoned his previous idea. Shao Yanzhe was right; hiding from such matters would not solve the problem.
"Okay, I admit your idea is right. So how should we solve this?" He plopped down, picked up the teacup he hadn't drunk from, and gulped down the long-cold tea, soothing his dry throat and extinguishing the fire of impatience in his heart.
Shen Jingzhou said uncertainly, "How about we have Brother Shao compete with them in writing?"
Liu Mingyuan's eyes lit up, and he slapped his folding fan on his palm: "It's feasible!"
Shao Yanzhe shook his head: "No."
"Why not?" the two asked, puzzled.
Shao Yanzhe sat down and poured himself another cup of tea, gesturing for the two to sit down as well: "Just because of those people's unfounded suspicions, I shouldn't have to prove that I didn't cheat on the imperial examination essays. Shouldn't it be those people who should provide evidence to prove that I cheated?"
The two were stunned for a moment after hearing this, and then they suddenly realized.
Shen Jingzhou: "Brother Shao is right! Since they suspect you of cheating, they should at least provide evidence!"
Liu Mingyuan looked at Shao Yanzhe with shining eyes and said, "Brilliant! How come I didn't think of that!"
Shao Yanzhe smiled, then picked up the teacup and took a sip.
At this moment, Wen Yanqing and Su Yuheng, who had gone out with Liu Mingyuan, returned.
"Huh? Why is Brother Shao still here?" Wen Yanqing looked at Shao Yanzhe with a puzzled expression, and then looked at Liu Mingyuan.
Liu Mingyuan repeated Shao Yanzhe's words with a smile, and the two of them were full of praise.
Just as the four were drinking tea and chatting, those people finally found this place.
"Who is Shao Yanzhe?" A middle-aged man with a mustache walked into the teahouse and shouted loudly. The other examinees followed behind him, and he seemed to be the temporary leader of the group.
Upon hearing the sound, Shao Yanzhe exchanged glances with the four people, then put down his teacup, stood up, and walked to the bottom of the stairs to look down.
"I am Shao Yanzhe. May I ask what business you have with me?" he said, bowing to the man with the mustache.
Instantly, all the candidates' eyes were on him.
Standing at the top of the stairs on the second floor of the teahouse was a young scholar, dressed in a moon-white long robe, exuding an air of refined elegance.
He looked pale and somewhat thin, perfectly embodying the image of a scholar of the time.
For some reason, being stared at by his clear, black and white eyes made me inexplicably want to back away.
"Brother Shao, do you know the results of this year's provincial examination?" the man with the mustache asked.
Shao Yanzhe stepped down the stairs, slowly walked to the second floor, and stopped three meters away from the others.
“I have already heard from my classmates about the results of this college entrance examination,” he replied.
"Brother Shao, what are your thoughts on becoming the top scholar in this imperial examination? I have never heard of your reputation before. May I ask where you study?" the man with the mustache said with ill intent.
Shao Yanzhe's expression remained unchanged, as if he had not understood the meaning behind his words at all. He said, "This is what I deserve! I have been reading books all these years, studying late into the night every night, and I have completed the teacher's lessons perfectly. I have also worked tirelessly to complete nearly a hundred test papers during this period. I am not surprised by this achievement."
As for why this gentleman has never heard of my reputation, it's simple: I never attend poetry gatherings or banquets; I only focus on my studies at Wenyuan Academy, discussing literature solely with my teachers and classmates. For me, a good reputation is unimportant.
The man with the mustache immediately looked rather unpleasant. His words were clearly a veiled criticism, implying that he wasn't focused on his studies and only made friends with fair-weather friends.
What's even more hateful is that he's so shameless and boastful!
He forcibly suppressed his anger and, without beating around the bush, directly questioned, "What I mean is, did Brother Shao obtain this top score by cheating?"
Shao Yanzhe stared at him angrily: "Since you've accused me of cheating in the imperial examination, do you have any evidence to prove that I cheated?"
Immediately, everyone's eyes fell on the man with the mustache, waiting for him to produce evidence proving that the scholar had cheated.
The man with the mustache was speechless. Where did he get his evidence?
Seeing that he remained silent, Shao Yanzhe did not let him off the hook and continued, "Judging from your words, you do not have any evidence that I cheated. If that's the case, what are your intentions in fabricating the claim that I cheated in the imperial examination out of thin air?"
The man with the mustache immediately became anxious and retorted, "But you had no reputation for talent before, yet you topped the list in the exam. Doesn't that prove you cheated? Shen Jingzhou, the great scholar, is renowned for his talent, yet you surpassed him. I don't believe your writing can compare to his!"
Shen Jingzhou strode downstairs and said with a serious expression, "Brother Shao and I were classmates. I know a bit about his writing. Our teacher once praised his writing, and I have also read it. Our writing is of similar quality!"
Shao Yanzhe chuckled, nodded to Shen Jingzhou, and then said loudly, "Gentlemen, this is the first time I've heard the idea that someone without talent who topped the exam must have cheated. It's truly laughable!"
The people around nodded in agreement, pointing and whispering about the troublemaking examinees, especially the man with the mustache who was in the lead, their eyes filled with hostility.
They were also without talent, but if one day their ancestors' graves were to emit auspicious smoke and they were to pass the imperial examination with top honors, only to be slandered like this, just imagining it made their eyes blaze with anger.
They studied just as hard as the scholar who topped the list in the imperial examination. So what if they topped the list?
Thinking about this, they became even angrier.
“How ridiculous! If this brother claims that Brother Shao cheated, where is the evidence?” one of them questioned.
“That’s right. Judging a case requires evidence. Without evidence, my friend, you shouldn’t make wild guesses. You should know that false accusation is a serious crime. According to the Dayong Law, those who make false accusations will be stripped of their academic titles and punished with caning or exile. Those who spread rumors and mislead the public will be executed with reprieve.” A scholar who was well-versed in the Dayong Law spoke up.
Instantly, all the candidates standing next to the man with the mustache took a step back, and some of the candidates standing at the back hurriedly left.
In a short time, the group that originally consisted of dozens of people was reduced to a mere dozen or so.
The man with the mustache also panicked. He quickly spoke up to defend himself: "No, it wasn't me who said Brother Shao cheated! It was someone else who said it, and I only believed that person's words, which is why I thought Brother Shao cheated."
Shao Yanzhe sighed and said, "Brother, you should understand the saying that trouble comes from the mouth."
After he finished speaking, he looked behind these people and gazed at them with a look of sympathy.
Arrest them all!
A junior officer in armor directed his soldiers to surround the scholars standing at the teahouse entrance, and then twisted their hands behind their backs one by one.
Liu Mingyuan walked in from outside the teahouse and smiled at Shao Yanzhe.
Shao Yanzhe nodded to him. As a modern person, the awareness of calling the police when in trouble was ingrained in his bones. Therefore, he asked Liu Mingyuan to go to the yamen to find the police.
"No, don't arrest me! It has nothing to do with me!"
"Waaaaah! Let me go!"
"It has nothing to do with me! Let me go!"
"It wasn't me! Let me go!"
Shao Yanzhe watched them leave, then sighed and shook his head. These people were really not smart enough to be used as pawns.
He turned to the scholars sitting in the teahouse, cupped his hands in thanks, and said, "Thank you all for speaking up for me!"
No need for thanks!
“Indeed! Actually, I would like to see the hundred exam papers you have done.”
"I'd like to too!"
"And me!"
"I not only want to see it, but I also want to hear your thoughts on reading it!"
Shao Yanzhe laughed heartily and nodded in agreement: "No problem! The exam papers are in the academy, so I'm afraid we can't see them now, but we can exchange our reading experiences now."
"good!"
The group gathered together, chatting about their reading experiences while drinking tea, enjoying themselves immensely.
It wasn't until dusk that the five of them left the teahouse and headed to the restaurant they had booked in advance.
"Brother Shao, let me toast you." Shen Jingzhou picked up a glass of wine and looked at Shao Yanzhe.
Shao Yanzhe smiled slightly and raised the wine glass in front of him: "Okay!"
The two drank it all in one gulp, looked at each other and smiled.
"Why don't we have a drink together? We both passed the county-level examination this time, so we can take the provincial-level examination together in the future. That way, we'll have each other's company. What do you say?" Liu Mingyuan suggested.
“Yes!” the other four replied.
After this incident, the five of them had a good impression of each other's temperament and character.
After a hearty meal, the five men parted ways at the crossroads and went home.
Shao Yanzhe carried a lantern in one hand and walked towards Wenyuan Academy in the warm yellow candlelight.
He looked up at the sky; the round moon was half-hidden by dark clouds, creating a rather picturesque scene.
It's now the hour of Xu (7-9 PM), which in modern times is the start of nightlife, but in ancient times it was almost bedtime, and basically no one was out and about.
Shao Yanzhe walked alone on the dark road, initially not thinking anything of it, but he soon realized something was wrong.
It seemed that he heard footsteps behind him.
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