Chapter 115 There is only one way to prove Heng'er's innocence
Things are happening faster than expected!
Just a few days after Jinniang was sent back to Fujian, two notices were posted in front of the Imperial Examination Hall.
One was the advance notice of the Spring Examination officially issued by the Ministry of Rites, and the other was the list of deferred examination candidates compiled by the Inspectorate, and Du Heng's name was on the list.
As soon as the two notices were released, the whole city was in an uproar, especially the candidates who were discussing it.
"Am I reading this correctly? The imperial examination for the top scholar in the capital is postponed?"
A candidate, who seemed to have poor eyesight, squeezed through the crowd and came to the notice, reading it up and down several times.
Someone nearby chuckled and said, "Are you so absorbed in your studies that you don't care about worldly affairs? This has been going on for days!"
When the scholar heard this, his lifeless eyes suddenly brightened up. He grabbed the man and asked, "Brother, can you tell me what happened?"
The man stroked his goatee and said in an enigmatic manner, "It's a long story."
As soon as these words were spoken, they really attracted everyone's attention. The man said proudly, "Seven days ago, a group of beggars suddenly appeared in front of the Du Mansion. They said that Du Heng had abandoned his cousin who was already engaged and was trying to get close to the Shangshu's daughter."
A voice from the crowd objected, "Du Heng has been in mourning for his father for three years, even missing the last Spring Examination. How could he be engaged during this period? You believe such a baseless claim?"
This person was none other than Xi Xiyue. With his wide circle of friends, he was already aware of Du Heng's postponement. When the Imperial Examination results were posted, he simply wanted to take a quick look before leaving, but unexpectedly, he overheard someone bringing up Du Heng and couldn't help but raise an issue.
"The capital has always had a history of beggars gathering at the homes of the rich and powerful to beg for money. If they refuse, they'll spread rumors and stir up trouble. You are all pillars of the nation. If you can't even distinguish right from wrong, I advise you to withdraw from the Spring Examination as soon as possible, so as not to mislead the people and the country!"
The person who had led the discussion about Du Heng was so incensed by Xi Xiyue's words that he shouted, "Brother, you interrupted me before I even finished. I was only saying that there was a beggar spreading rumors, but I didn't say the rumors were true."
"I have a relative who works as an official in the Inspectorate. Du Heng has indeed been accused of immoral conduct, using rumors as a pretext. But there's a hidden story behind this. Do you know?"
Xi Xiyue originally wanted to walk away, but when he heard the word "Inspectorate", he couldn't help but stop. He had also heard some things from the Inspectorate, and he really wanted to know whether what this person said was consistent with what he had heard.
"Du Heng, in order to prove his innocence, presented a wealth of evidence the day after the Inspectorate's interrogation. Originally, this fabricated story, with guarantees and physical evidence, could have been easily resolved, but nothing has happened yet. My relatives say there's a hidden story behind this, that Du Heng is unlucky and has been implicated by a high-ranking official, and as long as that official is imprisoned, Du Heng won't be cleared of the charges."
"Who is that senior official?"
The man's relative was just a constable, so how could he know so much? However, after hearing what Xi Xiyue said, he didn't want to lose face, so he could only pretend to be mysterious and said, "This is not something that poor candidates like us should explore. Even a top candidate is trapped. If we know too much, I'm afraid our exam will not only be postponed, but also banned."
"Pooh, pooh, good luck, good luck!"
Everyone wants to get a good score on the exam, so who wants to hear the word "exam banned"? Everyone feels it's bad luck and immediately scatters, leaving that person feeling disappointed.
Xi Xiyue sneered and got on his own carriage.
That man really knows a lot.
Du Heng did present physical evidence, and her wife, who rarely came out of retirement, used her status as a third-rank imperial consort to ask the long-absentee princess to act as a guarantor. However, the Inspectorate neither refused nor agreed, and the matter remained at a standstill, so Du Heng received a temporary reprieve.
As for Du Heng's connection to a certain high-ranking official, this was also true. Xu Chongnian, the Minister of Rites acting as the Minister of War, shouldered two positions at once, seemingly enjoying a flourishing career, but in reality, he was in a turmoil. He was ostensibly recuperating at home due to illness, but in reality, he was being reprimanded by the Emperor and was being forced to reflect on his actions.
Xi Xiyue didn't want to disturb Du Heng at this time, but as far as he knew, Du Heng's father had worked in the Ministry of Rites, and the beggar's rumors had become a handle in the court struggle.
Thinking of this, Xi Xiyue couldn't help but sigh heavily.
The notice of postponement of the examination was not only posted on the outer wall of the Imperial Examination Hall, but the Inspectorate also sent officials to deliver the postponement document to the Du Mansion.
Cheng was now beating her chest and stamping her feet, regretting her decision. Tears streamed down her face as she knelt before her mother-in-law, "Mother, it's all my fault. If I weren't so narrow-minded and jealous of Ruolan, how could I have invited Jinniang into the mansion?"
"I clearly knew what my cousin meant, but I still gave Jinniang hope, which led her to do this foolish thing. And as for the Xu family, it was my greed that made me want Heng'er to climb up the social ladder and not follow his father's lonely journey."
"How could I be so foolish? If I hadn't been so selfish towards one of these two, we wouldn't be in this situation now!"
Cheng cried and confessed, but it was too late!
When the old lady heard that Jinniang was going back to Fujian and Rongshi asked her to write a letter of recommendation for Jinniang, she sensed something was amiss. After repeated questioning, she discovered that it was Jinniang who had done all the dirty work.
After hearing the whole story, the old lady was furious, but she remembered Rong's promise and finally suppressed her anger. She wrote a letter of recommendation in her own handwriting and sent a generous gift for her return home. She only said that Jinniang did not need to thank her and left the capital the next day.
Afterwards, when Jinniang left Beijing, she sent a visiting card to the old princess, and based on the old friendship between the Shen family, invited the old princess to come out of retirement.
Speaking of this old princess who served two dynasties, although she was not involved in court politics, she secretly lent a helping hand when the current emperor was still a prince.
But who would have thought that even with such an influential person as a guarantor, Du Heng would still be included on the list of candidates for deferred examination.
At this moment, in the old lady's main hall, except for Cheng who was crying bitterly and still had a glimmer of hope, everyone else knew that Du Heng would most likely not have a chance to take the imperial examination this time.
"Ruolan, no matter how many mistakes I made, they were all my fault. You deserve the position of the head lady of the family. I will never bear a grudge against you again."
Cheng seemed to have thought of something. She stood up from in front of her mother-in-law and knelt down in front of Rong.
She cried and begged, "You have watched Heng'er grow up since he was a child. You also hope for his best, don't you? Now there is only one way to prove Heng'er's innocence, Ruolan!"
When Rong saw Cheng kneeling before her, she hurriedly pulled her up. Upon hearing what she was asking, she was astonished: "Sister-in-law, please get up! Just say whatever you want. We are family. As long as it's for Heng'er's good, I'm willing to do anything!"
Upon hearing this, hope suddenly shone in Cheng's eyes. She said, "The reason the Inspectorate is so persistent is because Heng'er accompanied me to the Xu residence. Jinniang's matter has been resolved. Now all that's missing is an explanation from the Xu residence. If Heng'er can get married now, it will be considered a closure on the matter, allowing others to see clearly that we have no ulterior motives."
Rong was startled and said, "Sister-in-law, what do you mean? You want Heng'er to marry—"
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