Chapter 212 Acting
With the results about to be released, the whole city is in an uproar.
The group of students, blinded by the so-called justice, finally couldn't hold back any longer and swarmed to the entrance of the government office to sit in protest, requesting the prefect to severely punish Xu Jinnian and strip him of his scholar title as a warning to others.
Without the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination), even if one ranks first in the provincial-level examination, one cannot be listed on the list, thus leaving one spot vacant.
"Who? Whom do these students want me to punish severely?"
When Magistrate Tan, who was handling official business in the yamen, heard his subordinate's report, he thought he had misheard and stared at his subordinate to verify.
He was extremely busy and unaware of the recent rumors and gossip.
Seeing that Prefect Tan's expression was not quite right, the subordinate cautiously said, "Your Excellency, it is Xu Jinnian, a student from Qingzhou."
Prefect Tan frowned slightly; it was indeed Zhenlin's fellow disciple.
After hearing the whole story, Prefect Tan ordered his subordinates: "You go and comfort the students outside the gate, and then send someone to invite Xu Jinnian, a student from Qingzhou, to the prefectural office."
Upon hearing the word "please," the subordinate immediately understood: "Your subordinate obeys."
In the secluded courtyard, Xu Jinnian sat in the pavilion, leisurely playing chess with Ye Yunhua, completely unaffected by the rumors and gossip outside.
When the people from the government office came over, they politely invited him to come to the government office.
Xu Jinnian sat down to end the game and said to Ye Yunhua with a normal expression, "I'm going over there. If An'an asks about it when she comes back, please tell her not to worry."
This morning, Sheng An was dragged shopping by Liu Xiaoyun and Liu Yanran, and hasn't returned yet.
Ye Yunhua replied, "Go ahead, I will explain to my sister-in-law."
Xu Jinnian returned to the courtyard, changed his clothes, and then took a carriage to the government office.
Prefect Tan summoned Xu Jinnian personally in the rest room of the prefectural government office, without going through any intermediaries.
Seeing that Xu Jinnian was calm and showed no signs of panic, Prefect Tan felt reassured and put on the smile that an elder would give to a younger person: "No need for formalities in private, sit down and talk."
Xu Jinnian sat down as instructed, his back straight and his posture elegant, like a noble young master raised by a wealthy family.
A hint of appreciation flashed in Magistrate Tan's eyes, and he felt even more strongly that this man was no ordinary person. His tone of voice became even gentler.
"You must be aware of the rumors circulating in the city recently. I have already sent people to investigate the specifics. Once the truth comes out, the government will post a notice to give you justice."
Xu Jinnian was surprised that Prefect Tan believed he was right without asking any questions. After a moment of surprise, he understood Prefect Tan's thoughts, stood up and bowed to Prefect Tan, saying, "Thank you, sir."
He then addressed each of the defamatory remarks in the rumors to Prefect Tan.
Upon hearing this, Prefect Tan slammed his fist on the table and roared, "Spreading rumors and causing trouble, maliciously slandering others—I will severely punish those behind this!"
The rumors spread with great detail and became the talk of the town in just a few days. He absolutely did not believe that no one was manipulating things behind the scenes.
Xu Jinnian's face showed gratitude: "Your Excellency is busy with official duties, yet you still have to worry about your student's affairs. I feel ashamed."
Prefect Tan waved his hand, his anger subsiding: "Both morally and logically, I must clear your name. There's no need for you to feel ashamed."
If it were an ordinary student, he naturally wouldn't care. But the person in front of him was the eldest son's senior brother and a promising junior.
Even without these two connections, just because he was Master Jiang's student, I couldn't possibly sit idly by and do nothing.
Prefect Tan was extremely busy. After understanding the situation, he comforted Xu Jinnian with a few words and then smiled and had someone escort him away from the government office.
From entering to leaving, it took less than the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Some people had already huddled in a corner not far from the government office, and witnessed Xu Jinnian go in and come out. They then hurriedly left to report to the people who were sitting in the sit-in.
The crowd erupted in excitement, believing that Xu Jinnian was doomed and that they were eliminating this scourge for the students.
After the initial excitement subsided, a "wise person" reminded them: "Don't forget who Xu Jinnian's teacher is. There's still a chance to turn things around until the very end."
The students' expressions changed drastically, and they became even more agitated than before: "If the government refuses to punish Xu Jinnian fairly, we will sit in protest at the government office every day!"
Once the "wise man" had succeeded in instigating the situation, he disappeared into the crowd and said no more.
Prefect Tan acted swiftly and decisively, dispatching two teams that very day: one to Qingzhou to investigate the details of Xu Jinnian's adoption, and the other to investigate the source of the rumors in the city.
The methods used by the person spreading the rumors were too clumsy; in just two days, the investigation led back to Xu Laosan.
When he was arrested at the inn, Xu Laosan didn't even have time to react. He yelled at the top of his lungs, "I didn't do anything wrong, why are you arresting me!"
Seeing his fierce struggle, the constable showed him no mercy and struck him hard in the stomach: "Spreading rumors and causing trouble, slandering scholars with official titles, you're the one to be arrested!"
Having said that, he waved his hand at the companion who had taken Xu Laosan away: "Take him away!"
Now Xu Laosan was terrified. His face turned pale and his legs went weak. He screamed at the guest room upstairs, "Huaining, Huaining, save your third uncle! Please come and save your third uncle!"
The commotion was quite loud, and most of the students living here came out to watch the excitement.
Hearing Xu Laosan's cries for help, Xu Huaining, who was in the room, opened the door and hurriedly ran downstairs.
Seeing the scene in the hall, he looked anxious and helpless, and stepped forward to ask the constable, "What has my third uncle done wrong?"
Seeing that Xu Huaining was dressed like a scholar, the constable guessed that he was also a scholar who had come to Jinling to participate in the provincial examination, so he became more polite: "He spread rumors and caused trouble, making a scene all over the city. We will take him back to the yamen for questioning."
Xu Huaining's expression changed drastically, and he looked at Xu Laosan in shock: "Third Uncle, is what he said true?"
Suddenly realizing something, his face was filled with disbelief: "Someone has been smearing Jin Nian's reputation lately. Could it be you, Third Uncle?"
Xu Laosan hung his head and remained silent, which was taken as tacit agreement.
Xu Huaining seemed to have suffered a heavy blow, staggering back a few steps and almost falling. Fortunately, someone kindly helped him up, and he managed to stand up by supporting himself on the table.
"Third Uncle, Jin Nian is your own son. No matter how dissatisfied you are with him, you shouldn't do this!"
Xu Huaining was heartbroken, his eyes red and he was almost in tears:
"Third Uncle, you're confused! I know you're worried about having no one to take care of you in your old age, which is why you came up with this idea to make Jin Nian acknowledge you as his biological father. But... but I said I would take care of you and Aunt San in your old age... Now, by using this method to win Jin Nian back, you're only pushing him further away—"
Seeing this, some students who had been giving him strange looks immediately dispelled their doubts.
How could someone who is willing to support his uncle and aunt in their old age possibly frame his cousin for his own selfish desires?
The old man was incredibly stupid. In order to force his adopted son to support him in his old age, he came up with such a terrible idea, almost ruining his son's path to the imperial examinations.
She's really not afraid that her own son will seek revenge and send her away with a packet of poison!
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