"His current name is Ma Twelve. Before he was sold to the leader of the caravan, he was called Xu Twelve. He is a servant of the Xu family."
Shopkeeper Wang said, "So, we are of the same clan as you."
Xu Jiang shook her head. "He and I are not of the same clan. He wasn't born a servant of the Xu family, and I'm not a member of the Xu family either. I have nothing to do with him. I was an abandoned girl. My master picked me up from a ginger field, so he named me Xu Jiang."
Seeing her calmly talk about her life story, Lou Yunchun felt a sharp pain in his heart. Shopkeeper Wang couldn't help but sigh. He had a daughter, whom he treasured like a baby. It was hard to imagine how cold-blooded and heartless it would take to abandon one's own flesh and blood.
"After my master took me back, the clan was against it, but he insisted on keeping me and adopted me as his daughter, registering me under his name. My master's name is Xu Yuan, also known as Zheyun. He is the fifth child in the clan. He lost both his parents when he was young, and only Xu Twelve stayed with him. Later, he took me in, and finally he had a family."
"Doesn't he have a clan?"
"Family members?" Xu Jiang sneered. "Not everyone on the same family tree is considered a relative. My master lost his parents at a young age, and all the property left by his parents was seized by his family members. They only have an old house left to live in. Even so, they are still greedy and come to rob property from time to time."
Shopkeeper Wang said angrily, "Bullying the weak and orphaned among your own people is simply abominable!"
Lou Yunchun had an indifferent expression and a dark look in his eyes. No wonder his master later adopted Xu Jiang. It must be because they shared the same suffering.
Xu Jiang continued, "Later, Master became a disciple of the abbot of a local Taoist temple, who taught him poetry and literature. After completing his studies, the abbot urged him to take the imperial examinations. Passing them would allow him to establish himself on the path to success, freeing him from bullying."
She looked at the people passing by the door, imagining her master's youthful vigor and ambition, and said quietly, "He has also been to this capital city."
Shopkeeper Wang hurriedly asked, "What was the result?"
Xu Jiang shook his head.
"Missed?"
“No.”
Shopkeeper Wang asked in surprise, "Why?"
"The year he came to the capital to take the imperial examination, Master Lin was still a scholar. The system of selecting candidates still relied primarily on recommendation and examination. At that time, the officials often selected the rich and powerful, while those from humbler backgrounds were often neglected. He took the exam, and the top three were already selected internally. Those who were selected spread the news everywhere, causing dissatisfaction among the other scholars. When my master heard about this, he was outraged by the injustice and went to the county government office to beat drums to protest. He was eventually beaten with forty sticks and thrown into the street. Those forty sticks left him bedridden for half a month, and he missed the imperial examination."
"What a shame, what a shame."
"Later, my master gave up his ambition to study for the imperial examinations and traveled extensively. He eventually returned to his hometown and made a living by opening a bookstore."
Her master never mentioned the imperial examination incident during his lifetime. She only vaguely grasped the details from the curses of her clansmen and the letters between her master and Lin Qinnian. It wasn't until she came to the capital and met Lin Qinnian that she finally filled in the details and understood what had happened.
It is hard to say whether Lin Qinnian was influenced by her master when she later went to the Golden Hall to angrily denounce the unfairness of the imperial examination.
Shopkeeper Wang suddenly understood, "No wonder you opened a bookshop in the capital. It turns out you're the daughter of your father."
Lou Yunchun asked, "What happened after your master returned?"
Shopkeeper Wang also asked: "Yes, what happened next?"
"The news of the imperial examination was spread back to the clan by fellow scholars. They accused him of bringing shame to the Xu family and would often use this as an excuse to cause trouble at the bookstore and extort money. But Master was no longer the weak and helpless boy who allowed himself to be bullied. He always refused to let them succeed, and the resentment towards them deepened."
Xu Jiang's expression darkened, a trace of pain flickering in her eyes. "After opening the bookshop, Master used the convenience to publish many of his own articles, and his reputation for talent gradually spread. At that time, the local county magistrate had a son who was going to take the provincial examination. At that time, the recommendation system had been abolished. Whether high-ranking officials or students from humble backgrounds, everyone had to take the exam to gain fame. However, the magistrate's son had been uneducated and mediocre since childhood. The magistrate wanted to use his official position to find someone to write for him and replace the answer sheet, so that he could steal the fame for him."
Lou Yunchun continued, "He found his master, right?"
Xu Jiang nodded. "But Master refused, so the county magistrate went to the Xu family head and asked him to persuade him. But no matter who tried to persuade him, Master remained unmoved. Later, the head of the family was afraid that he would offend the county magistrate, so he removed him and me from the family tree."
Shopkeeper Wang angrily said, "These people are nothing. It's better to remove them and get rid of them."
However, Lou Yunchun felt that things were not that simple.
Xu Jiang looked at him. "You know, the bookstore needed official approval to publish books. The county magistrate, frustrated by this, suppressed the bookstore in every way, causing it to decline. But even so, my master refused to give in and remained steadfast. The head of the Xu family feared the wrath of the government, yet also wanted to curry favor with the county magistrate, so he devised a wicked plan."
Lou Yunchun and Manager Wang were suddenly worried. Lou Yunchun remembered that Xu Jiang had told Ma Twelve that he was treacherous, so he guessed that this matter was related to him.
"They secretly colluded with Ma Twelve, deliberately leaking the exam questions to him and having Ma Twelve encourage him to answer them. Ma Twelve had grown up with Master and had been through countless trials and tribulations together. Master had always treated him like a family member and never suspected anything. Furthermore, Ma Twelve was genuinely interested in the exam questions, so he wrote an answer. Ma Twelve stole it at night and delivered it to the clan leader. By the time Master discovered them and chased after them, the clan leader had already delivered the answer to the county government office. Master tried to stop them, but was stopped by other clan members. A fight ensued, and Master... had both of his legs broken."
Upon hearing this, Shopkeeper Wang couldn't help but gasp, then punched the table hard, almost knocking over the cups.
Lou Yunchun also took a deep breath, only to feel his throat full of ice chips.
Xu Jiang's eyes were red, but her expression was calm. Although the anger, hatred, and sadness she felt back then were still there, they had been suppressed deep in her heart and could no longer stir up any waves.
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