Chapter 19 I thought he was a top student, but it turns out he's just...
Having been a student for twenty years, Yu Mingshu quickly adapted to life at Chang'an Academy.
Perhaps He Zheng, her dining companion, also deserves credit for this.
He Zheng is a straightforward and loyal person who is sincere to his friends and respectful to his teachers. Apart from often sleeping in class, rarely handing in homework, and scribbling a few words on exams to get by, he doesn't really have any major flaws.
Upon seeing him, Yu Mingshu felt a strong sense of familiarity, as if he were seeing those few stubborn students in the back row from his past life.
Before the next ten-day break, Yu Mingshu received a thick stack of articles, including the ones she had asked Yu Dan to submit before she even enrolled in school. She read them through from beginning to end, and Yuan Yi had made corrections at the end of each article.
Upon closer inspection, it appears that several pages are missing from these articles.
Yu Dan suddenly shook her arm violently, his eyes wide as he pointed to the front of the classroom.
Looking in the direction he pointed, Yu Mingshu saw two teaching assistants had posted several pages of articles on the wall at the front, and couldn't help but exclaim in surprise: "You guys even have model essays by outstanding students?"
"It was Yang Gong's idea to select the best articles from recent days before each ten-day holiday and post them in front of the hall for everyone to study." He Zheng walked back to his seat from the front and said in a casual voice, "In the past, there were only Xie Ansheng's 'masterpieces' on this wall, but now it's a complete change."
"Is Xie Wulang's literary talent really that outstanding?" Yu Mingshu was hardly convinced.
He Zheng made no comment on Xie Ansheng's talent, but said with interest: "Initially, his articles were not the only ones on this list. However, the students who were on the list all had their fathers or brothers impeached for various trivial matters within a couple of days. Over time, he became the only one left on the list."
I thought he was a top student, but it turns out he's a school bully.
Yu Mingshu suddenly remembered that He Zheng's words had a second half: "What do you mean by 'changing the day'?"
Before He Zheng could answer, Xie Ansheng and Zhang Jun and their group entered from outside. The group of teenagers talked loudly and laughed loudly, and the schoolroom became noisy in an instant.
Seeing the notice posted on the wall, Xie Ansheng casually glanced at it without pausing for a moment. However, his little follower beside him said with a smile, "The notice has been posted again today. Why don't you go and take a look, Wulang?"
Zhang Jun spoke up first: "What's so interesting about this list? Every time, Wu Lang stands out on this list. If you ask me, Wu Lang is a genius, and no one can imitate him. This list should be taken down."
"That's not quite right. Without this list, how could others be truly impressed by Xie Lang's talent? And how could they have the opportunity to read Xie Lang's masterpieces..."
The teenagers were imitating the affected mannerisms of seasoned officials, and even Yu Mingshu, sitting in the back row, could smell a nauseating greasiness emanating from them.
The compliments surrounding Xie Ansheng continued, and a student surnamed Du stood in front of the list with an increasingly strange expression.
"Wulang, it seems there is no article of yours on this list today."
Xie Ansheng's calm expression cracked slightly, while Zhang Jun, as if he had heard a joke, shouted, "Du Zhiyai, are you blind? You can't even recognize Xie Wulang's handwriting!"
Du Zhiyai shrank back timidly, pointed at the manuscript on the list and whispered, "This is definitely not Xie Wulang's handwriting."
The lackey who had been boasting so enthusiastically rushed forward, took a closer look, and exclaimed in surprise, "How can this be the name of the second son of the Yu family!"
Yu Mingshu noticed a hint of schadenfreude in his tone, unsure whether he was gloating because she had offended Xie Ansheng, or because Xie Ansheng had been humiliated in front of everyone.
Upon hearing this, all the students rushed forward, examining for the first time the essay that had been selected as a model.
There were seven articles on the list, six of which were by Yu Mingshu, and the last one was by He Zheng, who slept in class all day and handed in blank papers!
"How come even He Erlang is on the list? When has he ever attended a class or done his homework?"
"Could it be copied again?"
"But this Yu Erlang, I heard he never attended a private school before, and grew up in the countryside of Yingzhou, yet he has managed to become so famous!"
"I was wondering before, I heard that this Imperial Censor Yu won the favor of Lord Yang with an article when he was young, how could his son Yu Sanlang be an illiterate cripple... It turns out that he has passed on all his talents to Erlang."
A murmur of discussion gradually arose from the crowd. Everyone tried their best to keep their voices down, afraid that Xie Ansheng would get angry if he heard it. But the school was only so big, and Xie Ansheng wasn't deaf, so he probably couldn't hear it.
Seeing Xie Wulang's increasingly grim expression, Zhang Jun leaned close to his ear and gently advised, "The quality of these essays has always been judged by Lord Yang himself. Yang Congen has always valued Yu Zhui, so this time he might be showing favoritism."
Xie Ansheng ignored him and turned to give Yu Mingshu a meaningful look.
Seeing Xie Ansheng's reaction, He Zheng couldn't help but chuckle. He patted Yu Mingshu on the shoulder and said meaningfully, "You've offended Xie Ansheng. Your hard days are coming."
Being seen as a thorn in the side by a child the age of an elementary school student, Yu Mingshu felt it was absurd. "My father died long ago. How could the Xie family impeach a person who died in the line of duty ten years ago?"
…
As evening approached, the students left one after another after school. He Zheng tossed his bag to Jing Hong and went up to ask Yu Dan what his plans were for the next day.
With a pained expression, Yu Dan stared at the books he had stuffed into his cloth bag, gritted his teeth and said, "I don't plan to go out tomorrow; I'll stay home and study."
"Still studying? Yu Sanlang, you've been studying so hard lately it's frightening!" For the first time, He Zheng felt that his schoolmate was being unreasonable. "Do you even know what a holiday is? A holiday is for you to rest and play, not for studying!"
“What can I do? I’m clumsy to begin with, and I’ve fallen behind on so much coursework. There are only six months left until the exams. If I don’t work harder, I’ll be kicked out.” Yu Dan said with a wry smile.
He had barely finished speaking when Yu Mingshu slapped him on the head.
"You're not stupid, you're just not interested in this."
Yu Dan was taken aback, not expecting his older sister to say that. He had thought she would scold him for his improper attitude and lack of diligence... Her words warmed his heart.
He Zheng was anxious and had to pour cold water on his enthusiasm, "The academic examination is equivalent to the prefectural and county examinations. Passing the examination means you are a candidate recommended to the Ministry of Personnel and are qualified to participate in the provincial examination. Ordinary people study hard for five or six years to pass the exam. Do you really think you can pass after studying hard for half a year?"
Yu Dan said helplessly, "How will I know if I don't try? Am I just supposed to sit here and wait to die?"
“Yu Sanlang, you are quite familiar with the law, how could you forget to study the academy’s regulations?”
He Zheng grabbed Yu Dan's arm and dragged him to the stone tablet on the east side of the academy's main gate. Yu Mingshu followed, puzzled, and saw him pointing at the words on the tablet, saying emphatically, "According to the regulations, those who have studied for nine years for the imperial examinations but have not passed the examinations are only ordered to return home. You have only been enrolled for one year. How can Master Yang expel you from the academy ahead of time?"
Yu Dan's eyes widened. "You knew about this rule all along, so why didn't you say so in front of Master Yang at Zhishan Hall that day?"
He Zheng suddenly fell silent, and after a moment he muttered, "Nobody asked me."
Yu Mingshu sneered and tapped the seventh article on the stone tablet with the scroll in his hand. "How could He Erlang, who read so carefully, miss the seventh article? Students who repeatedly skip class should be expelled."
After saying that, she glanced at the anxious Yu Dan and said, "The fact that Master Yang gave Sanlang this opportunity is already a great favor."
He Zheng was speechless for a long time before he grasped Yu Dan's hand and said, "If you are really expelled, at worst my He family will set up a private school and invite the great Confucian scholars of the time to be the teachers, just for the two of us."
Yu Mingshu: "Can you say something nice?"
He Zheng immediately changed his words: "You, me, her, the three of us."
Yu Mingshu was speechless. "I thank you, and I thank you on behalf of Yu Dan."
He Zheng seemed oblivious to her speechlessness, "Why are you being so polite with me?"
Yu Mingshu put his arm around Yu Dan's shoulder and said earnestly, "There's a question I've been wanting to ask you."
Yu Dan snapped out of his daze and looked at her blankly: "What?"
Yu Mingshu: "Did you save He Erlang's life?"
"Huh?" Yu Dan was a little confused, then scratched his head and looked at He Zheng with some embarrassment. "He Erlang has always been like this. He is sincere and loyal to his friends."
He Zheng replied, "I don't open my heart to everyone."
After the He family's carriage left the academy, Yu Dan told Yu Mingshu about the old incident from half a year ago.
When He Zheng first enrolled, Xie and Zhang seemed to be afraid that he would take away their position in the academy. They treated him as a major threat and repeatedly spread rumors that He Zheng was domineering and beating up his classmates in Chongwen Hall. They added fuel to the fire and labeled him with many accusations, inciting others to isolate He Zheng.
He Zheng didn't start by sleeping in class, not handing in homework, or submitting blank exam papers. In the first ten days, his articles were even listed as outstanding.
The good times didn't last long. In the second ten days after He Zheng entered school, he was accused by Xie Ansheng of plagiarizing his elder brother Xie Sanlang's article.
Several PhDs took a look at the article Xie Sanlang had recently written, and it turned out to be exactly the same as the one He Zheng had submitted!
Xie Jiasanlang was the same age as He Zheng and also studied at Chang'an Academy. However, he had already passed the course examination and qualified for the provincial examination, and had already entered the Jiazi Hall.
The two articles were similar, so it was only natural that everyone sided with Xie Sanlang. Surely it couldn't be that a top student from Jiazitang plagiarized a playboy who had been expelled from Chongwen Academy?
That afternoon, a clerk surnamed Wang invited He Ting over and sternly rebuked He Zheng for his improper conduct.
During the time when He Zheng was despised by everyone in the academy, only Yu Dan ignored the rumors and continued to sit next to He Zheng, have lunch with him, and go in and out with him.
The carriage swayed and rattled past Zhuque Avenue. Yu Mingshu looked out at the clean street and asked, "Did He Zheng really plagiarize?"
"I simply don't believe it," Yu Dan said indignantly. "I've glanced at Xie Sanlang's article, and it's exactly the same as He Erlang's, word for word, only the handwriting is different. But who plagiarizes someone else's article without changing a single word?"
That's true; even middle school students know to change two options when copying homework.
"Furthermore, He Erlang and Xie Sanlang usually don't interact much. Where would He Erlang find the opportunity to copy Xie Sanlang's article? And how could he copy it word for word? On the contrary, He Erlang's article was posted on the list for a full ten days. Anyone in the school could easily copy it."
Yu Dan suddenly lowered his voice: "Most importantly, Xie Sanlang never showed up from beginning to end. Later, when others mentioned this matter, he kept quiet, as if it were some kind of disgrace."
"How did the academy ultimately rule on this matter?"
"The He family insisted that Erlang could not have plagiarized, and the Xie family had no solid evidence. After half a month of commotion, it was finally shelved."
So even today, He Zheng still carries the stigma of suspected plagiarism?
Yu Mingshu suddenly understood why he had been submitting blank papers for so long.
Being wronged by everyone and carrying fabricated charges for half a year, who wouldn't feel aggrieved?
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