Chapter 46046 County Examination First Place
February 22nd, the day of the county examination.
Du Qingtang got up at the beginning of the morning, dressed, washed up, went to the cafeteria to eat, and then returned to the dormitory to prepare examination supplies and food.
The county examination consists of five sessions, each lasting one day, and students must eat, drink, defecate and urinate in the examination room.
Du Qingmei didn't want her youngest daughter to answer the questions on an empty stomach, so she made a lot of buns and meat patties, enough for her to eat until she was full.
The girls felt sorry for Fu Wen who was studying alone in the county town with no one to take care of her, so they also prepared one for her.
Fu Wen was so moved that he thanked her incoherently. After returning from the courtyard, he secretly wiped away his tears behind Du Qingtang's back.
"Bring your brush, ink, inkstone, and paperweight, and don't forget the water dropper."
A water dropper is a type of stationery used to drip water when grinding ink.
Fu Wen kept talking and speaking very loudly, trying to relieve his tension through his voice.
Du Qingtang didn't point it out. He looked through the test papers he had done before and said calmly, "Don't worry, I've prepared everything."
"That's good, that's good." Fu Wen nodded, rubbing his hands and pacing back and forth.
Du Qingtang was dazzled by her and patted the stool beside him: "Come and sit down. We still have half an hour before we leave."
Fu Wen glanced at the sky and did as he was told, following Du Qingtang's example and looking through the previous test papers.
A whole article of nonsense came into his mind, which miraculously resolved the anxiety in his heart. Fu Wen's brows relaxed and he calmed down to review and summarize.
"Classmate Du, Classmate Fu, it's time to set off!"
The two classmates who had pledged to guarantee each other came and knocked on the door. Du Qingtang put down the test paper, picked up the test basket and walked out of the dormitory.
Fu Wen followed closely behind, not forgetting to lock the door.
The night was hazy and the wind was as cool as water. Candidates were hurrying on their way in groups of three or five, sneezing loudly from time to time.
My classmate Zhao, who was traveling with me, hugged his arms and shivered: "It's almost March, and it's still so cold."
Unfortunately, the imperial court had clear regulations that in order to prevent candidates from bringing in cheating materials, even in the cold winter, candidates had to wear thin white linen robes.
Those with strong constitutions were fine and could just endure it and it was over. However, many weak candidates entered the examination room upright and left sideways, and some even died as a result.
At this time, the benefits of long-term morning exercise become apparent.
Until they arrived at the examination room, Du Qingtang and Fu Wen didn't sneeze once, and their expressions didn't change at all.
There were already many candidates waiting outside the examination room, and all that was visible was a sea of white.
"The students from the introductory class are over there, let's go over there too."
The four of them reunited with their classmates, and soon Cao Xingcan also arrived in a carriage.
Greet each other and greet each other.
Cao Xingcan walked straight towards Du Qingtang: "How are your preparations? How confident are you?"
Du Qingtang stood against the wall and replied, "Everything has its destiny. Just do your best."
Cao Xingcan: “…”
Why does she always choke people to death every time she opens her mouth?
However, Cao Xingcan knew that Du Qingtang indeed thought so.
From the moment he decided to take the county exam until today, he has never seen Du Qingtang reveal a trace of nervousness or anxiety.
It seemed as if what she was about to face was not a county exam, but a very ordinary in-school examination.
Cao Xingcan felt a little indignant and a little jealous.
It would be great if he could have Du Qingtang’s mentality.
Unfortunately, there is no if.
His background destined him to succeed, not fail, to be better, not fall behind others.
Seeing that Cao Xingcan's face was gloomy, Du Qingtang did not ask any questions and looked around.
Seeing this, Fu Wen asked, "Qingtang, are you looking for someone?"
Du Qingtang caught a glimpse of a figure from the corner of his eye and uttered softly, "Found it."
Could he be Qingtang’s good friend?
Fu Wen felt a little jealous. He stood on tiptoe and looked around, then said nonchalantly, "Since he's someone Qingtang knows, why not call him over?"
Cao Xingcan sneered, laughing at Fu Wen's poor acting skills, which were simply unbearable to watch.
Fu Wen was completely unaware and stared at Du Qingtang until she shook her head: "No need, I have an average relationship with him."
Fu Wen breathed a sigh of relief and couldn't help grinning.
Cao Xingcan: “Tsk.”
I really don't know what Du Qingtang is trying to do. A wolf should associate with its own kind, not a pure, harmless, or even stupid rabbit.
......
On the other side, Yuan Sheng rushed to the examination room panting.
When his companions saw him coming, instead of showing any concern, they complained to him repeatedly.
"Why did you come just now?"
"I knocked on the door for a long time but you didn't answer."
Yuan Sheng resisted the urge to curse and forced a smile: "The county exam is coming up soon, and I can't sleep much tonight, so I'm going out for a walk to relax."
"If you hadn't told me earlier, we would have knocked on your door for so long in vain."
Yuan Sheng didn't expect that he was attacked by gangsters on the way when he just went out to deliver a letter of accusation.
The moment before he lost consciousness, Yuan Sheng was sure that it was Du Qingtang who sent someone to do it. He thought that he would be brutally beaten with all his limbs broken like before, lying in the alley, crying out to the sky and the earth but getting no response.
Unexpectedly, he just took a nap in the alley and was unharmed when he woke up.
The disappearance of the letter of accusation made Yuan Sheng even more certain that the person who had done the evil to him was Du Qingtang.
Yuan Sheng wanted to rewrite a letter of accusation, but unfortunately he slept too long. Seeing that dawn was approaching, he had to give up the idea temporarily, go back to the inn to get the examination basket, and rush to the examination room.
"It's my fault, please forgive me."
Yuan Sheng had a smile on his face, but beneath his handsome appearance, dark venom was surging.
If Du Qingtang hadn't caused him to have no place to stand in the county, he wouldn't have associated with this group of idiots.
But it doesn’t matter, Du Qingtang will die soon.
It won’t be too late for him to return to the county town after she dies.
......
Not long after, County Magistrate Meng arrived with the examiners, county school instructors, and students from the imperial academy.
The candidates spontaneously formed rows, with fifty people in each row, and the roll call began.
"Du Qingtang from Taoyuan Village."
"Fu Wen from Fujia Village."
“…”
The candidates whose names have been called come forward to undergo a body search by the inspector.
In addition to a full body search, the examination basket must also be checked.
During the entire process, County Magistrate Meng stood with his hands behind his back, his expression solemn.
Yuan Sheng had been keeping an eye on Du Qingtang. Seeing that her team was moving forward and it was about to be her turn to be searched, he cleared his throat.
He planned to expose Du Qingtang's identity when searching her body. Under the watchful eyes of everyone, Du Qingtang would definitely not be able to escape this disaster!
At this time, someone hurried towards County Magistrate Meng and whispered to him.
County Magistrate Meng frowned, his expression sullen, and said something to his attendants.
Yuan Sheng didn't take it to heart. His mind and eyes were full of Du Qingtang. His heart was filled with excitement about the imminent success of revenge, and veins bulged on his forehead and neck.
Until several yamen runners came up to the crowd and shouted, "Where is Yuan Sheng?"
There were nearly a thousand candidates present, including more than one Yuan Sheng, and their expressions changed slightly after hearing this.
"What happened?"
"What happened to Yuan Sheng?"
The crowd was in an uproar, and the yamen runner repeated, "Where is Yuan Sheng?"
Yuan Sheng had an inexplicable ominous premonition, swallowed his saliva, and reached behind him with his left hand.
"He is Yuan Sheng!" someone shouted nearby.
People pointed out "Yuan Sheng" one after another, and the yamen runners walked towards them quickly in groups of two.
Yuan Sheng felt guilty and retreated under the cover of the crowd, but was grabbed by the people around him and asked, "What are you doing?"
Yuan Sheng growled fiercely but weakly, shaking off his idiot teammate and leaving: "What else do I want to ask you? I'm just going to the toilet!"
However, during the time it took to ask and answer the question, the bailiff had already arrived and without saying a word, he grabbed Yuan Sheng's arm and took him away.
Yuan Sheng didn't have time to cry out in pain, as he found Du Qingtang already searching him. Thinking he'd take someone with him even if he died, he opened his mouth and yelled, "Sir, I want... mmmmm!"
The yamen runners didn't give him any chance to speak. One of them covered his mouth and took him to a house next to the gate.
"what is going on?"
"Is it cheating?"
"It's possible."
Du Qingtang listened to the whispers of the candidates around him, naturally stretched out his arms, and accepted the inspection of the inspector.
"Okay, go in."
Du Qingtang took the exam basket and walked into the examination room.
The show is about to begin.
......
Along with Yuan Sheng, several other Yuan Shengs were also captured.
County Magistrate Meng strode in, followed by several inspectors.
"I just received an anonymous report alleging that Yuansheng is suspected of fraud. In order to prove your innocence and apprehend the real perpetrators of the fraud, please remove all clothing and submit to a more detailed body search."
Yuan Sheng was hit hard, his mind went blank and his heart sank to the bottom.
Didn’t that guy surnamed Wang say that the person who stole the test questions was a close confidant of County Magistrate Meng and that County Magistrate Meng would definitely not find out?
wrong!
Report anonymously!
This means that it was not Magistrate Meng who discovered that the county examination questions had been stolen in advance, but someone with inside information reported it.
Who is it?
Who the hell did this?!
Only Zhang and Wang knew that he bought the test questions. It must be them!
The others took off their clothes as quickly as possible, but Yuan Sheng was the only one with a pale face and stiff body.
The answer is obvious.
But to be fair, the inspector still searched them one by one.
Yuan Sheng didn't know how all his clothes were stripped off, and he had no idea how the inspector took out the cheat sheet he had hidden inside his body.
The moment the cheat sheet was taken out, everyone looked disgusted.
County Magistrate Meng's face turned as dark as the bottom of a pot. He said in a cold voice, "The person who committed the fraud has been investigated. The others can leave. Come, throw this person into the county jail. I will report this matter to Zhili, and the Governor-General will make the final decision!"
Yuan Sheng trembled all over and collapsed to the ground like mud.
After just a few breaths, a pool of liquid oozed out at his feet.
He suddenly thought of something, like a drowning man grabbing a piece of driftwood. "Sir, I want to report Wang Fuchun for colluding with the servant in your study to steal the exam questions and resell them to others. Besides me, there's also someone named Zhang Songqing, who also bought the exam questions!"
In the room, the prosecutor and several Yuan Shengs' faces changed drastically.
If this is true, it is a major fraud case that will probably involve many people!
Yuan Sheng shouted, "Please, sir, send someone to arrest them immediately to rectify the atmosphere in the examination hall!"
County Magistrate Meng had a subtle look on his face: "Yuan Sheng, you must have been deceived."
Yuan Sheng was stunned: "What?"
County Magistrate Meng said, "There are many important documents in my study. In my ten years as an official, I have never allowed anyone to enter my study, let alone assign servants to work in it."
A vague guess emerged in Yuan Sheng's mind, but he didn't dare to think about it, let alone believe it: "W-What do you mean?"
The prosecutor looked at him with a mixture of sympathy and disdain: "What the county magistrate is saying is that someone is using your name to sell fake exam questions, and you've been deceived."
"Boom—"
A bolt of thunder struck Yuan Sheng's head, and his eyes were bloodshot.
He spat out a mouthful of blood, his eyes rolled back and he fainted.
County Magistrate Meng said, "Take him away."
The yamen runners entered and carried Yuan Sheng, who was unable to accept the fact and vomited blood and fainted, and sent him to prison in front of all the candidates in the county.
-
After entering the examination room, there will be another roll call.
After roll call, the test papers are distributed and candidates enter the dormitories in order according to the seat numbers on the test papers.
The rooms are small, and students eat, sleep and answer questions in them during the county examination.
The first session is the main session, which tests two essays from the Four Books and a five-character six-rhyme poem. The whole paper should not exceed 700 words.
The admission policy for the main round is relatively relaxed, as long as the writing is fluent. Only those who are admitted can participate in the second round of preliminary review.
Similarly, only those who pass the initial review can participate in the third review.
Of course, the most important game is the main game, and the following four games are only for reference.
This was not Du Qingtang's first time taking part in the county examination, and he was already familiar with the relevant rules.
After arranging the pens, ink, inkstone and other examination tools as usual, Du Qingtang first browsed through the test questions. He did not rush to answer them, but ground them first.
After grinding the ink, I also had a complete idea of answering the questions.
Du Qingtang spread out the straw paper, picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, and began to answer.
......
“If a gentleman is devoted to his relatives, the people will be inspired to be kind; if he does not neglect his old friends, the people will not be disloyal.”[1]
This quote comes from the Taibo chapter of the Analects of Confucius. If a ruler treats his relatives well, a spirit of benevolence and virtue will flourish among the people. If a ruler does not abandon his old friends, the people will not be cold-blooded and indifferent. [2]
This shows the importance of leading by example and setting a good example for others.
Du Qingtang started directly from the above two aspects, expanded his discussion, and wrote a 400-word essay on the Four Books.
Then change a piece of scratch paper and continue with the second question from the Four Books.
"A virtuous person is not easily tempted by lust; one should serve his parents with all his strength; one should serve his ruler with all his heart; and one should keep his word when making friends."[3]
This sentence is still from "The Analects of Confucius", which talks about the morality of a gentleman from four aspects: how to treat wife, parents, monarch and friends.
That is, how to become a moral and cultured person.
Du Qingtang used this to develop his argument, completing a 532-word essay on the Four Books in one go.
Next was the test poem, which was the type of test question that gave Du Qingtang the most headaches.
Fortunately, after this period of high-intensity training and with Fu Wen's guidance, her level in this area has improved a lot.
Du Qingtang calmed himself down and read the questions.
"The bright moon shines among the pines."
This line comes from Wang Wei's "Autumn Night in the Mountain", and I wrote a five-character, six-rhyme poem based on it.
Du Qingtang pondered for a while and wrote on the straw paper "The bright moon shines among the pines, and the word pine is written in five words and six rhymes."
In this way, we have completed the three main questions.
By then, it was already noon.
Du Qingtang stopped writing for a while, ate two buns and a meat pie, drank some water, and then continued writing.
First, I polished two essays from the Four Books. During the process, I found three or five typos, which I corrected. Then I worked on the test poem word by word, making sure that every word was used properly and that every sentence rhymed with the word "song".
After doing all this, I read through the entire article again and then copied it onto the test paper in standard, square regular script.
At 2:15 PM, Du Qingtang rang the bell beside him and raised his hand to indicate that he wanted to hand in the paper early.
The examiner came over, sealed the test paper on the spot, and put it into the box.
"You can go now."
Du Qingtang bowed, picked up the exam basket and left.
Fu Wen had not yet handed in his paper, and since he had nothing to do, Du Qingtang waited in a sheltered place.
Many parents of candidates were waiting outside the examination hall, some wandering around, some chatting and laughing.
"Have you heard? This morning, someone was caught cheating on the county exam. He allegedly hid his cheat sheet under his buttocks, but the county magistrate still found him and threw him in jail."
"Ugh~ How disgusting!"
"I hate people who take shortcuts like this the most. If everyone cheats, those who study diligently and take the imperial examinations honestly will never succeed."
"So the imperial court has always imposed severe sentences on those who commit fraud. They would rather kill a thousand people by mistake than let one go."
"Well done!"
Du Qingtang chewed the meat pie slowly, with a look of contentment in his eyes and eyebrows.
Cheating in the imperial examinations would indeed result in severe punishment, ranging from ten years in prison to death.
But this is far from enough, it is too cheap for Yuansheng.
There are cheaters almost every year, but people forget about them over time.
She wanted Yuan Sheng to die in disgrace forever.
"Qingtang!"
Fu Wen's cheerful voice came closer and closer. Du Qingtang saw her smiling face and had an idea of what was going on.
The two of them had a tacit understanding and never talked about the county exam. After returning to the dormitory, they washed and rested. After waking up, they continued to study and practice exercises, waiting for the final exam results to be announced.
Two days later, the results were announced.
Du Qingtang ranked first on the list, followed by Cao Xingcan and Fu Wenze ranked fourth.
"Congratulations Qingtang."
"Congratulations."
Cao Xingcan looked at the two people congratulating each other, pursed his lips, an inexplicable emotion flashed in his eyes, and he left without saying a word.
Fu Wen scratched his head: "Classmate Cao..."
Du Qingtang looked calm: "The examination hall is like a battlefield. Winning and losing are commonplace in the military. He has to accept reality."
And it was impossible for her to give up the title of first place that was within her grasp just because of her friendship with Cao Xingcan.
The second exam started on February 26th.
The second round is the preliminary review, which requires one essay on the Four Books and one essay on the Book of Filial Piety. The student must also copy the "Imperial Edicts" from memory. Mistakes or additions are not allowed.
At three quarters past three in the afternoon, Du Qingtang handed in his paper ahead of time.
Two days later, the preliminary results were announced, and Du Qingtang once again topped the list, followed by Cao Xingcan and Fu Wen in third place.
On the second day of March, the third exam began.
The third round is a re-examination, which requires one passage of scripture, one piece of regulated verse, and one poem of five-character and eight-rhyme test.
At 1:05 PM, Du Qingtang handed in his paper ahead of time.
Two days later, the results were announced again, and Du Qingtang took first place again, while Cao Xingcan and Fu Wen took second and third place respectively.
The fourth and fifth rounds are consecutive exams, each of which requires one passage from the classics, one parallel prose, and three arithmetic problems.
After the fifth exam, the county examination, which lasted nearly twenty days, came to an end. All that was left was to wait for five days for the county government to issue a long report and announce the final results of the candidates, which would be the end of the examination.
......
In the evening, Du Qingtang returned to the courtyard.
Before leaving, she did not forget to invite Fu Wen.
Fu Wen wanted to go, but after taking exams for so many days in a row, she was already exhausted and just wanted to wrap herself in a blanket and have a good sleep.
"Apologize to my sisters on my behalf. I'll come back to bother you in a couple of days."
Du Qingtang did not force him, but just asked Fu Wen to have a good rest and then went back alone.
The girls prepared a sumptuous meal to celebrate Du Qingtang winning the top spot for four consecutive times.
Du Qingzhu smiled and said, "If nothing unexpected happens, Tang Ge'er should be the first place for sure."
Du Qingju asked, "What's the first place name?"
Du Qinglan raised her hand: "I know, the first place is the first place!"
Du Qingmei nodded: "Before Tang Ge'er took the county exam, he taught us how to write the 'shou' in 'an shou'."
Unlike the excited girls, Du Qingtang seemed very calm.
Although it was her first time to get the first place in the county exam, and she passed the county exam three times before, her best result was only third.
After eating and drinking, Du Qingtang put down his chopsticks and got back to business: "Have you practiced calligraphy during the days I was away?"
"We've practiced!" the girls said in unison.
Du Qingtang nodded and took out brush, ink and rice paper: "I have time today, so I'll check them one by one."
Start with Du Qingmei, then go down in order of age, and finally Du Qingju.
To this day, except for Du Qingzhu, the other three still think that girls don't need to learn to read and write.
But with Du Qingtang holding a whip to urge them from behind, and Du Qingzhu, a sister who studies particularly hard, their attitude is also correct, and they can complete Teacher Du's tasks every day.
If you have enough time, you can also review the words you have learned before.
Du Qingtang checked them one by one, his face showing satisfaction: "It seems that I haven't slacked off these days, but there are still some problems with the way I hold the brush."
After returning to the county town from Taoyuan Village, Du Qingtang bought four brushes the next day. He first taught them how to hold the brushes, and then let them practice writing on paper.
It has been just over two months since then.
There has been progress in calligraphy, but the three-finger pen-holding method still has flaws, so the written words are naturally not that beautiful.
Du Qingtang taught it again, made adjustments himself, and then watched them write a piece of calligraphy. Only then did today's test come to an end.
"That's all for today. Go to bed early. We have to go to the shop early tomorrow morning."
The girls heaved a sigh of relief when they heard this.
Teacher Du was very powerful, and even a simple test made them tense up, fearing that they would make mistakes and be punished by practicing eight or ten pieces of calligraphy.
Du Qingmei held the brush and looked at the pleasing calligraphy in front of her.
She still remembers the scribbles that looked like scribbles when she first got the brush.
Du Qingmei is an impatient person and easily gets angry.
She didn't know if it was her illusion, but since she started practicing calligraphy, she had become much calmer and more patient.
Du Qingmei thought thoughtfully, perhaps this was one of the many benefits of literacy that Tangger mentioned.
Not only her, but the other two impatient girls also noticed it.
They couldn't help but think, maybe reading and writing is really a good thing?
......
After finishing the county exam, Du Qingtang relaxed for a rare time and sat in the main room reading some books.
This is a travelogue of mountains and rivers with excellent writing. Reading it throughout, you will feel as if you are there.
However, Du Qingtang did not forget his business. He used the excuse that the rice paper was about to sell out and went out in the dark. In a deserted place, he disguised himself as a dark-skinned, tall and thin man with a goatee, and then set out again.
When we arrived at the agreed location, the ragged middle-aged beggar was already there.
Seeing Du Qingtang, he came forward with a smile on his face: "Master, you are here."
Du Qingtang didn't say much and went straight to the point: "Where are the things?"
The beggar rubbed his hands awkwardly, cold sweat dripping down his forehead, and he stammered, unable to utter a single word.
Du Qingtang asked, "But has something changed?"
The beggar nodded cautiously and told the truth about what he saw and heard that night.
Du Qingtang's pupils constricted, and the fingers hidden in his sleeves tensed for a moment. A fierce look appeared on his face, and he said sternly, "So not only did you not get the thing, but someone got there first and snatched away what I wanted?"
The beggar swallowed his saliva, and a chill rose from the soles of his feet and rushed straight to the top of his head, freezing him so much that his face turned pale and his heart and courage were broken.
It was really like seeing a ghost. Wu Laoqi had been in Qingyuan County for more than 20 years. He had seen all kinds of people and had never been afraid of anyone, except the person in front of him.
He was clearly wearing a coarse cloth shirt, dressed like a farmer digging for food in the fields, but he was so imposing that a single glance from him made his heart tremble and his legs go weak, leaving him without the slightest thought of resistance or resentment.
Wu Laoqi wiped the sweat from his forehead and excused himself: "I went to look for him afterwards, but I couldn't find him."
Du Qingtang pinched her eyebrows, and in an instant she thought of many possibilities.
According to Wu Laoqi's description, the silver on Yuan Sheng was still there, but the envelope containing the letter of accusation was missing, which showed that the man in black was targeting the letter of accusation.
By analogy, that person's ultimate target is most likely her, Du Qingtang.
who is he?
What was his intention in taking the letter of accusation?
Threaten her?
Or report her?
Du Qingtang couldn't think of it for a while, so he simply gave up thinking about it.
No matter what his intentions were, she would find him and kill him to put an end to the trouble forever.
Du Qingtang's eyes flashed coldly as he took out a silver note. "Now that things have come to this, there's no need to look for more. Just do what I tell you to do. This is one hundred taels. Once you're done, leave Qingyuan County immediately."
Wu Laoqi's eyes lit up, one hundred taels!
With this one hundred taels, Wu Laoqi no longer has to sleep in the open and beg on the streets!
"Remember, leave immediately." Du Qingtang withdrew his right hand when Wu Laoqi extended his hand, and the banknote flew past his fingers. "If I find out that you are not keeping your promise..."
Wu Laoqi shuddered when he thought of the fate of the Yuan couple, and nodded repeatedly: "Don't worry, I will definitely leave."
Du Qingtang loosened her grip, and the banknote fell into Wu Laoqi's hands. She straightened her clothes, turned around with her hands behind her back, and walked away.
-
Five days later, the results of the last county examination were announced.
Unlike the previous four round-form announcements, this time the results were announced in the form of a long announcement.
The names on the list are arranged horizontally in order of priority. The first name is the first, and the last name is marked with a hook in red ink to indicate truncated. [4]
At daybreak, candidates and their families set out from their homes or inns and rushed to the examination hall to check the results.
When Du Qingtang arrived at the examination room, the results had already been announced.
There were crowds of people in front of the notice wall. Fu Wen, relying on his small stature, pulled Du Qingtang through the gaps and quickly squeezed to the front.
It was also a coincidence that I saw my name and my friend's name when I looked up.
"Qingtang, you're the top scorer!" Fu Wen was ecstatic. "And me, I actually got third place!"
Of course Du Qingtang saw it.
Du Qingtang from Taoyuan Village.
These six short words symbolize the honor of being the first in the county.
"Congratulations, classmate Du!"
"Thirteen-year-old, you're the top student in the county, classmate Du, you really impressed me!"
Amidst the envious gazes of the crowd, Du Qingtang's lips curled up slightly.
.......
At the same time, a beggar named Wu Laoqi came to the county government office and beat the yamen drum.
Upon hearing the news, County Magistrate Meng immediately went to the court to try the case.
Magistrate Meng, dressed in a green official robe, looked at the kneeling figure in the hall and slammed the gavel: "What grievances have you suffered? Tell us now!"
Wu Laoqi kowtowed and said, "I have no grievances. I wish to sue Yuan Sheng, the candidate who recently cheated in the imperial examination."
Magistrate Meng was a little surprised, but he still asked, "What do you want to sue him for?"
Wu Laoqi kowtowed again and said in a loud voice, "I will sue him for killing his father and mother and for killing his own sister!"
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