Chen Zhancai was stunned. He knew everything was over. The magistrate was dead, and so was his Ruolan.
He was heartbroken; his good days had just begun and had ended so abruptly. What bad luck!
Suddenly remembering that he seemed to have insulted Prince Ning earlier, he felt a chill run down his spine.
He never expected that the pretty boy sitting in front of him was actually Prince Ning.
This person can decide his life or death; he hasn't lived enough, he doesn't want to die.
Thinking of this, Chen Zhancai lost his previous arrogance, got up, knelt down, and kowtowed repeatedly.
"Your Highness, spare me! I was just confused for a moment and did such a despicable thing. I will never dare to do it again. Please, Your Highness, have mercy and let me go like a fart!"
Chu Jiuqing frowned deeply. Chen Zhancai was a despicable person who was greedy for pleasure, selfish, and had no moral bottom line.
His insults to the prince constituted a serious crime, and even exile would be within the bounds of the law.
But he had at least lived in Nanshan Village for a few months, even though this person had severed ties with Chen Qingqing's family.
But he is Chen Zhanshan's younger brother and Chen Qingqing's uncle after all, so some face should still be given to him.
"Chen Zhancai, in your pursuit of education, you not only harmed your own daughter but also ruined your once happy family. You sold your niece and nephew; you have committed countless evil deeds and deserve to be exiled. However, I am merciful and, out of consideration for the six months I lived in Nanshan Village, I will spare your exile."
Hearing his words, Chen Zhancai was puzzled. He carefully looked up and examined him closely, his eyes nearly popping out of their sockets in surprise. "You, you are that silly, silly boy, Chen, Chen Xiaoyu!"
"Shut up!" Zhui Feng roared, pressing the scabbard against his neck. "This is my Prince Ning. If you dare to spout nonsense again, I'll take your dog's life."
Chen Zhancai nearly wet his pants in fright. My goodness! He'd always felt this silly boy had an extraordinary air about him; it turned out he was actually a prince.
That brat is so lucky; she can save someone so easily. She's quite a character.
No wonder her daughter and Qin Shousheng couldn't beat her.
Chu Jiuqing ignored him and looked at Chen Qingqing beside him, "Benefactor, do you have a good way to punish this selfish person?"
“Your Highness, I am neither an official nor a nobleman. It is not my place to make decisions on matters of conviction. It is best if Your Highness makes the decision.”
When Chen Qingqing saw that Chu Jiuqing had thrown the question at her, she refused without even thinking.
She wouldn't openly do anything that would offend people; Chen Ruolan almost caused her to abandon her family and career.
Chen Zhancai was a scholar, after all. Unless you secretly kill him, it would be exhausting to live like you're guarding against a thief every day if he had his eye on you.
A smile appeared in Chu Jiuqing's eyes. She was neither arrogant nor impatient, and she was a capable girl.
Chen Zhancai, relying on his status as a scholar, didn't know his own limitations and was so arrogant that he was practically strutting around in the air.
If such a despicable person were to gain power, he would surely become a great scourge to humanity.
"Chen Zhancai is morally deficient, behaves improperly, and is of filthy character. He takes advantage of his status as a scholar to feel superior to others, and his actions are truly disgraceful to scholars. Why not strip him of his scholar title? What do you think?"
"Everything is up to Prince Ning." Although Chen Qingqing outwardly agreed, she was inwardly cursing Chu Jiuqing to the bone. If a decision is made, then it should be carried out. Why ask her? She must be crazy.
Upon hearing this, Chen Zhancai was so frightened that he shuddered all over.
If his scholar title is revoked, it's equivalent to losing his status and completely blocking his path to officialdom. He'll be confined to a life of toil in the fields.
Before Chu Jiuqing could speak further, he hurriedly kowtowed repeatedly, tears and snot streaming down his face.
“Qing’er, I am your third uncle. It’s not easy for our Chen family to produce a scholar. You can’t let Prince Ning remove me from the list. If I lose my status, I’ll be nothing, and people will gossip about me. Third uncle knows he was wrong. Please forgive me this time. I will definitely repent and never do anything wrong again.”
Chen Qingqing smiled faintly, "Chen Zhancai, you must have asked the wrong person. I am just a peasant girl. How can I change the decision made by Prince Ning?"
“Qing’er, you are the savior of Prince Ning. Please beg him. He will definitely show leniency to your third uncle. Your third uncle swears that he will never be arrogant again. I will definitely change those bad habits, okay?”
"Whether you change or not has nothing to do with me. I can't ask people for help, and I certainly can't do anything to take advantage of someone's kindness."
Seeing that Chen Qingqing remained unmoved, Chen Zhancai looked at Chu Jiuqing with pleading eyes.
“Little Fish, no, no, Your Highness Prince Ning, no matter what, we are old acquaintances. When you were in Nanshan Village, your third uncle took good care of you. Please forgive me this time for the sake of our personal relationship!”
"That's utter nonsense! You've taken good care of me, but I bet you've been badmouthing me behind my back all this time!"
"No, no, no, that never happened. Third Uncle took pity on you and doted on you, how could he scold you! If you don't believe me, I swear to God, if I'm lying even a little bit, may I be struck by lightning and die a horrible death!"
"Alright, stop spouting nonsense." Chu Jiuqing had no time to listen to his ramblings and rebuked him sternly, "As a scholar, you should know propriety, righteousness, integrity, and a sense of shame, and restrain yourself with the principles of sages. But your behavior is improper, and your character is despicable and shameless. You are unworthy of being called a scholar."
How can someone as morally corrupt as you be worthy of the title of Xiucai (a scholar who passed the county-level imperial examination)? Keeping your Xiucai title will only make more people think that studying is just for bullying others and will tarnish the reputation of scholars.
"I have decided, effective immediately, to strip you of your scholar status, forbidding you from ever participating in the imperial examinations again, and forbidding you from ever setting foot in an academy again."
Chen Zhancai's head throbbed, and he instantly felt as if his bones had been removed, collapsing limply to the ground.
It's all over, all over. My status and position are gone. From now on, I'll be nothing but a peasant, never able to rise again, never able to achieve anything great!
Two guards stepped forward and dragged him out like a dead dog.
Afterwards, Chu Jiuqing handed over all affairs in Anyang to the county magistrate to manage before bringing Chen Qingqing to the main hall.
After the two sat down, Chu Jiuqing was momentarily at a loss for words, completely forgetting everything he wanted to say.
Seeing this, Chen Qingqing broke the silence first, "Your Highness Prince Ning, thank you for arriving in time, otherwise I wouldn't know where I am now."
Chu Jiuqing shook his head and smiled, "You're too kind, benefactor. This is what I should do. If it weren't for you, I would be long gone. If anyone should say thank you, it should be me thanking you."
He paused briefly after speaking, then changed the subject and got to the main point.
"My benefactor, I have a favor to ask of you, and I hope you will help me."
Chen Qingqing showed no surprise and nodded calmly, "What's wrong? Tell me."
......
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