Chapter 21 Cheating Do you want to come with me?
On the second day of February, Jiang Congjing, the eldest son of the Jiang family, actually went to take part in the spring exam.
He complained bitterly after returning home, and even Cong Ying's Yunshui Garden could hear his wailing. She and Cong He quietly stuck to the wall of the main courtyard and heard Jiang Congjing's scolding:
"What kind of bullshit is this test? It's driving my head crazy!"
"The meaning of the classics isn't tested on the Four Books and Five Classics, but on that ridiculous 'hungry tiger with tail' exegesis. Everyone knows this is the Xie family tradition. Besides Xie's disciples, who would seriously review this? I spent two months memorizing the Four Books for nothing, and now I can only speak nonsense!"
"Dad, Mom, stop saying that those with a good academic record have a bright future. What's the big deal about the unified examination for aristocratic families and poor families? Aren't the aristocratic families the ones who decide what to take the exam for and who to appoint? You'd better just raise the money to buy me an official position!"
Then came the sighs and consolations from Grandpa and Mrs. Jiang. Cong Ying and Ah He smiled at each other and quietly walked away.
Ah He shook his head and imitated Jiang Congjing's tone: "This damn 'Youxue Qionglin', I can't even memorize it! Just spend your money and buy me some candy!"
From Ying: "..."
Ah He chuckled twice: "So big brother can't read either."
Cong Ying said, "Although Big Brother isn't a very good student, it's not entirely his fault that he didn't do well on the exam. The Hanlin Academy, in order to accommodate the sons of aristocratic families taking the unified exam for the first time, didn't choose the main questions from the Four Books and Five Classics as in previous years. Instead, they chose a more niche topic, the Aristocratic Family Studies."
The question on the interpretation of classics required candidates to use the sentence "a hungry tiger can be followed by its tail" from Huainanzi to explain how to be an official in the current dynasty, which was indeed unexpected.
Many of the aristocratic families in the imperial court had deep roots in family scholarship. The Xie family excelled in interpreting the Huainanzi, the Wang family annotated the Yili, and the Cui family was well-versed in the Differences of the Five Classics. They lectured, recruited students to expand their following, and established their own theories and exegetical interpretations to monopolize the literary tradition. Without being a member of the family, it was difficult to access the depths of their scholarship.
This time, the "Huainanzi" studied by the Xie family was specially selected. The Hanlin Academy's intention to please is self-evident.
"That's fine," Ah He said with a longing look, "Then I can't recite Youxue Qionglin, can you help me correct it?"
Her repeated and unsophisticated probing made Cong Ying pause: "You really haven't finished reciting it yet?"
Ah He looked embarrassed, like a playful cat being grabbed. He stretched out two fingers and pinched, "There's only a little left, two pages."
Cong Ying smiled faintly: "A little bit?"
"Hmm... the last volume... hasn't started yet..."
Cong Ying reached out and flicked her bun twice, acting like an older sister and warning her, "Don't go out to buy candy today. Come on, follow me to the study. I'll supervise you personally."
According to Ying's speculation, due to the biased questions, this spring examination would definitely end in victory for the aristocracy. Poor candidates or insignificant people like Jiang Congjing would have little chance of making a name for themselves. However, things weren't quite so simple. About five or six days later, a major incident occurred in the Imperial Examination Hall.
Minister of Rites Duan Jingxiu presented himself to Emperor Fengqi, holding a red scroll with his name transcribed obscured. He knelt tremblingly, his expression filled with fear and solemnity. "Your Majesty, while reviewing the Spring Examination papers today, I discovered a discrepancy. I request your personal review and judgment."
Emperor Feng Qi was leaning against a long desk, pinching his nose in frustration.
Although he was over fifty, he still had a dignified appearance, with long eyebrows slanting down to his temples, and he could vaguely see the majestic spirit of his youth. However, the heavy workload of state affairs had whitened his temples, and his hair was already covered with white under his horned crown.
He had just heard several officials from the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Revenue arguing for a long time about the issue of suppressing bandits. His head was still buzzing, and he had not even had time to rest for a cup of tea when the Minister of Rites came to bother him again.
He waved his hand and said, "The Spring Examination has been handed over to Chun'an for presidency and the Prime Minister for supervision. If there are any objections, whether they criticize the court or me, they will be left to them to judge."
Minister of Rites Duan Jingxiu's face was filled with hidden meanings: "This unusual scroll is not meant to criticize anyone. This... please have your Majesty personally review it. You will understand the true meaning of it at a glance."
Emperor Fengqi was skeptical and ordered his servant to take it and spread it out on the table.
This was a poetry paper for the Jingyi exam, and the title was "The Way of Being an Official," based on the line "A hungry tiger can tail" from the Huainanzi. The Way of Being an Official was easy to explain, but the difficulty lay in interpreting the line "A hungry tiger can tail."
When Emperor Fengqi received the test questions prepared by the Hanlin Academy, he discussed the topic with the Minister of Rites.
At that time, Emperor Fengqi said, "In previous years, the essays were all based on the Four Books and Five Classics. Why did they choose the Huainanzi this year? The Hanlin Academy is worried that the children of the Xie family will not pass the test and will be replaced by those from humbler families."
The Minister of Rites asked if they should rewrite the title, but Emperor Fengqi shook his head: "Forget it, we can't be too disrespectful to the sons of the nobles. Let's just follow the Hanlin Academy's wishes and adopt this title."
Emperor Fengqi, who also read classics and treatises on a daily basis, expressed his own perspective on this topic: "A hungry tiger salivates in the forest, and a child follows it. The child remains unharmed because he has no ulterior motives. Scholars and officials in the government should abandon their partisanship and their internal desire for collusion. Those without cliques have no ulterior motives. When the will of the ruler and the feelings of the people are as clear as flowing water, even if villains surround them like hungry tigers, what is there to fear?"
The Minister of Rites Duan Jingxiu was a member of the third-class class and was an excellent writer. He agreed with a passage on the spot, and the emperor and his minister talked about this topic for a long time. Not only Duan Jingxiu remembered the situation that day clearly, but Emperor Feng Qi also remembered it vividly.
So when Emperor Fengqi saw the contents of the transcribed red scroll, which copied the conversation between the monarch and his ministers at that time almost word for word, he was first shocked, then flew into a rage, and stood up and threw the scroll to the ground.
"How can this be absurd! A mere examinee could develop such a keen ear that could reach the throne room! Whose descendant is so capable and courageous?"
"Your Majesty, this man is not from an aristocratic family," Duan Jingxiu replied, kneeling on the ground. "He is Jiang Congjing, the grandson of the late Censor Jiang."
Emperor Fengqi thought of this man, and also remembered the fifteen memorials of treason he submitted before his death.
"Censor Jiang... Jiang Congjing, you're truly a wretch."
Emperor Feng Qi sneered: "Who among the twenty or forty guards will be on duty today?"
The chief eunuch Xue Huanjin replied, "Your Majesty, it is thanks to the Third Young Master."
"Alright, have him arrest Jiang Congjing, Assistant Tiger Guards Officer. I want to thoroughly investigate this matter!"
＊
After the Spring Examination, fewer people went to Wenqutang to buy books. Congying could finally take a break. Today, he withdrew the consignment money and bought some candy that Ah He liked, and also bought a piece of ancient Huizhou ink that he had been longing for for a long time. On the way home, he couldn't help but open it and look at it carefully.
"It is indeed worthy of the Hui ink that deepens the ink on the paper and lasts forever—"
Just as he was reluctant to let go of the ink, the carriage suddenly stopped and the carriage shook violently. The ink block in Ying's hand flew out, hit the wall of the carriage, and broke into two pieces with a "snap".
"My Hui Mo!"
Immediately afterwards, the felt curtain was lifted up by someone. Yingyu raised her head in astonishment, her eyes suddenly widening.
Thank you, Third Young Master! How could he...
The dusk shimmered like dark gold, gilding Xie Xuanlan's dark temples. He placed one foot on the shaft of the cart, one hand lifting the felt curtain. Though his face was shielded from the sun, the tense lines on his face were sharp and precise, his eyes furrowed in a deep frown, and when he looked at her, it felt as if she had been dipped in ice.
It's over.
Cong Ying was too busy trying to save her baby Hui Mo, and her first thought was: He must be here to seek revenge.
Some time ago, Ji Caibing plotted against him and even stole the black jade cicada from his knife. He would never let this go after such a great humiliation.
Before Xie Xuanlan could speak, Ying took out the black jade cicada from her sleeve and quickly held it in front of him with both hands.
"I was drunk and spoke nonsense, causing the Ji family's elder sister to misunderstand the Third Young Master. This matter is entirely my fault and the responsibility lies with me. I am willing to atone for my sins to the Third Young Master. Please do not vent your anger on others! This jade cicada... I will return it to its original owner..."
After hearing no sound for a long while, Cong Ying quietly raised her eyes to look at him, but saw Xie Xuanlan staring at the jade cicada in her hand with a blank expression, as if he had lost his memory.
"Third Young Master...you are so magnanimous..."
The soft whisper was like floating catkins falling on his ears, lightly testing his reaction.
Xie Xuanlan's heart was pounding, and the words he wanted to say were stuck in his throat. He stared at the black jade cicada in Jiang Congying's tender white palm, which hurt his eyes.
The shame and embarrassment that he had finally calmed down in the past few days resurfaced, shocking him like a bolt from the blue.
His voice trembled, he dared not confirm: "That night, was it you?"
Cong Ying didn't dare to deny it: "It's... it's me."
Xie Xuanlan suddenly clenched the Yanzhi knife.
He was actually pinned to the ground and beaten severely in front of Jiang Congying!
It's so embarrassing.
He had even boasted in front of her that he was the "Blood Blade Shadowless Hero". He had only lived for twenty years, how could he lose face like this?
Xie Xuanlan found it hard to accept for a moment and leaned forward to approach. Cong Ying was frightened by him and stepped back repeatedly, leaning against the wall of the carriage. Seeing him raise the Yanzhi knife, she quickly raised her arm to block it: "Don't do it, don't do it, I know I was wrong!"
Xie Xuanlan pointed the hilt of the knife at her, and said in a cold voice, almost gritting his teeth: "How did you take it off? How do you put it back on?"
Cong Ying responded shyly, took the hilt of the knife he handed over, and tried to tie the Xuan Yu Chan back on.
Her fingers were slender and soft, and it took both hands to hold up the dark golden lion-head copper handle. The thin knife that Xie Xuanlan usually turned over and played with in his palm was pressed against her wrist, like a flower calyx holding up an unbearable weapon.
Xie Xuanlan stared at her fingers intently.
He was observing her to see if she had any hidden martial arts skills, but as his eyes followed her hands, his heart began to beat wildly for no reason.
Such a beautiful pair of hands, the skin of a beauty, the bones of a scholar, Xie Xuanlan thought in a daze that she was not a martial artist.
The Xuan Yuchan was haphazardly tied back to the hilt of the knife, dangling slowly. Xie Xuanlan himself didn't realize that he had been staring at Jiang Congying for too long, staring at her so much that she didn't even dare to breathe.
Outside the carriage, a subordinate of the Fengchen Guard approached and reported, "Third Master, the commander of the Tiger Guard did not return to the palace to report, but instead went towards the Dali Temple."
Xie Xuanlan came back to his senses and remembered the important matter that had been interrupted.
The hazy and ambiguous tone in his eyes sank, his brows slightly furrowed, shadows fell, and his pupils seemed to be gleaming with a cold light, icy and sharp.
He held the scabbard, and gently lifted her chin with the copper handle, looking into her eyes and carefully examining her expression.
He asked Congying, "How much do you know about Jiang Congjing's cheating in the imperial examination?"
Cong Ying was stunned for a moment: "What?"
Xie Xuanlan said, "If it were ordinary cheating, it would be fine. Cheating and peeking would only result in the loss of one's academic title and a few scorns from others. But Jiang Congjing is so cunning that he overheard the Emperor and the Minister of Rites discussing the exam questions, and then openly wrote it on the exam paper, defying the Emperor's authority—"
Cong Ying's face turned pale: "This is absolutely impossible!"
Xie Xuanlan said, "Jiang Congjing's transcribed scroll has been presented to the emperor as evidence. It's written in black and white. Do you want to come with me to take a look? What evidence do you have to prove that Jiang Congjing didn't cheat?"
Cong Ying's mind raced, and she quickly said, "My cousin isn't that stupid. He wouldn't dare copy the words of the emperor onto the test paper even though he knew they were from the emperor. Besides, I clearly heard him complaining after the test because he couldn't figure out the questions. This so-called ink scroll definitely wasn't written by him!"
The gleam in Xie Xuanlan's eyes dimmed slightly, like the shadow of the moon passing through a cold pond. "Can you guarantee him?"
He pressed the cold hilt of the knife against Ying's neck: "I can."
The eldest branch of the Jiang family had always been a family that bullied the weak and feared the strong, seeking profit and avoiding harm, and no one dared to commit the crime of confiscating property. Moreover, if they had the ability to eavesdrop on the emperor's words, they would not have been reduced to the situation of being unable to buy an official position or pass the examination.
She said, "Maybe someone switched his test paper."
Xie Xuanlan said, "Perhaps he bought a ghostwritten article and was exploited by someone with ulterior motives."
Cong Ying clenched the corner of her sleeve, thinking that this would be troublesome.
Xie Xuanlan said, "No matter what the situation is, the Jiang family is in great trouble. Jiang Congjing has been imprisoned and is awaiting trial. The Jiang family is currently sealing off the mansion to search for evidence. I saw that you were not at home, so I thought of trying my luck at Wenqu Hall."
Cong Ying looked at him and asked, "Did the Third Young Master come here specifically to arrest me?"
Xie Xuanlan curled his lips and said, "If you want me to arrest him personally, you'll have to commit the heinous crime of being tortured to death. You don't have the face to do that."
Cong Ying was stunned and could not understand the implication of his words for a moment.
Xie Xuanlan retracted his sword and played with the lost and recovered black jade cicada. He said nonchalantly, "Since you can vouch for Jiang Congjing, I will believe your words for the time being. The Jiang family may be innocent. However, until the case is investigated, you should not return to the Jiang family. I have a quieter and safer place to put you. Do you... want to come with me?"
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