Taking the blame for you
Tang Feng also heard the commotion outside and was so frightened he dared not breathe. As the footsteps faded into the distance, Zhou Ziliang released his grip on Tang Feng's hand. "They must have gone far. Let's hurry back and not stay here too long." With that, Zhou Ziliang was about to lead Tang Feng away when the door to the corridor door clicked shut. Before Tang Feng could react, the door was pushed open.
"Master! It's him!" Liu Xuanchun pointed at Tang Feng and said. Liu Xuanchun was the second son of the Grand Master of the Palace, and he was usually quiet and almost invisible. "I followed him all the way and found that Tang Feng entered the corridor hall. He violated the rules of the academy. Please punish him, Master." Tang Feng looked astonished. He didn't even know he was coming to the corridor hall. How could his older brother know what was going on and follow him? Staying up all night, he probably wasn't up to any good.
"Tang Feng! Did you just copy all those rules from the other day for nothing?" Master Chen stroked his graying goatee, staring intently at Tang Feng. Tang Feng's behavior in class a few days ago had left a bad impression on Master Chen, so for a while, Master Chen had been targeting Tang Feng in every way. He had finally gained some goodwill from the poetry contest today, but now even that little bit of goodwill had been wiped out. "Breaking into the corridor in the middle of the night! I think you'll have to copy those rules dozens more times!"
"Master! He not only entered the corridor hall! He also stole something!" Liu Xuanchun walked up to Tang Feng, bent down, and took out a stack of sesame cakes from behind Tang Feng, saying, "He stole sesame cakes from the corridor hall! Copying the school rules is such a light punishment that it's nothing to fear."
Tang Feng's eyes widened. He could actually manipulate objects from a distance? Zhou Ziliang looked at Tang Feng, then stepped forward and pulled Tang Feng behind him. "Master, you saw the Flying Flower Order competition today. Xiao Feng caught a cold after getting caught in the rain. It's not serious, but he's been sleeping soundly until now. He's never had a good appetite, and I was worried he'd have a stomachache tonight, so I went to the corridor to get him some food. He initially disagreed, so he came in to persuade me."
Master Chen walked up to Tang Feng. "Really not you?" Tang Feng was momentarily speechless. He never expected Zhou Ziliang to take the blame for him without batting an eye. At that moment, Zhou Ziliang tugged at Tang Feng's hand, and Tang Feng stared at Master Chen and nodded.
Master Chen turned his back and said, "Since that's the case, take Zhou Ziliang away. Lock him in the ancestral hall for three days and have him copy the academy rules a hundred times." He turned back to Tang Feng, narrowing his eyes, "You'd better not let me catch you making a mistake again." With that, he left. Zhou Ziliang was grabbed by the shoulder by the servant who followed him, preparing to be taken away. He turned to Tang Feng and said, "Go investigate." Tang Feng stared at Zhou Ziliang's departing figure, sighed, and murmured, "Zhou Ziliang, the more you help me like this, the more I feel I can't repay these favors."
Tang Feng looked up and saw Xu Chang'an smiling at him from a distance. Without hesitation, Tang Feng walked up to Xu Chang'an and smiled slightly, "I wonder what joyous occasion Brother Chang'an has that makes you so happy? Why not share it with me, so we can celebrate together?"
"I'm so happy for Brother Tang!" Xu Chang'an closed his fan and tapped Tang Feng's chest. "I'm so envious of such a good husband! By the way, please whisper in my ear and put in a good word for me in the future."
Tang Feng removed the fan bone that was pressed against his chest. "Brother Chang'an, I don't think Zhou Ziliang is stupid. I believe he understands the principle of 'one is influenced by one's company.' Also, Brother Chang'an, I'm not a coward. Don't keep crossing my line." After saying that, Tang Feng bowed to Xu Chang'an and left without looking back.
Xu Chang'an smiled. "Your bottom line? Didn't I say there's plenty of time?"
Tang Feng returned to the courtyard. Dawn was breaking outside the window. He stared at the sesame seed cake Liu Xuanchun had taken from behind him for a long time. He had originally intended to wake Zhang Mobai, but seeing Zhang Mobai fast asleep, he withdrew his hand and turned to enter Yang Fei's room. "Squinty-eyed! Get up. I have something to ask you." Yang Fei was slapped in the stomach by Tang Feng and sat up abruptly. "Ouch! My little darling, you're even more violent than my Bai Bai! I need to pee!"
Tang Feng showed the sesame seed cake to Yang Fei. "Oh? You got up so early to bring me sesame seed cakes? That's not like you! Tell me, what do you want from me?" Yang Fei then started to stuff the sesame seed cake into his mouth.
"Get out of here!" Tang Feng snatched the sesame seed cake away. "This is evidence! What do you know? All you know is how to eat!"
"Physical evidence?"
Tang Feng stared at Yang Fei for a while, then sighed, "I fell asleep last night! When I woke up, I was starving, so I sneaked off to the corridor to find something to eat. Zhou Ziliang followed me, and before we could do anything, the teacher caught us. Zhou Ziliang has been taken away by the teacher, so... I think..."
"You suspect you've been framed?" Yang Fei put on his shoes, walked to the table, sat down, and poured himself a glass of water.
"Of course! Think about it, I just climbed over the wall to say something and they found me, and even called the tutor. The key thing is," Tang Feng slammed the sesame seed cake heavily on the table, "I didn't even go inside, and he insisted I stole the sesame seed cake. What is this if not insane! If I were to steal, I would at least steal something better. Why am I so pathetic, having to eat a sesame seed cake!"
Tang Feng's slammed pancake startled Yang Fei. After regaining his composure, Yang Fei exclaimed, "Tang Feng! I'm ready to call you my sworn brother! You dared to climb over the wall at Langxia Hall, you're amazing! But this pancake looks familiar!" Yang Fei picked up the pancake that was on the table. "Last night, Bai Bai and I went to get food. I actually had my eye on this pancake, but it was gone in the time it took me to put the other dishes on the table. I don't know who bought seven or eight of them at once!"
"So... the sesame seed cakes were sold out yesterday?"
"Yeah! I didn't get one!"
Tang Feng pondered for a moment, then said, "Alright, that's none of your business. Disappear." Yang Fei then grabbed Tang Feng by the neck and dragged him out. "This is my room! Why should I disappear! Let me tell you! Even if you were Zhou Ziliang's wife, you wouldn't get away with it!"
Tang Feng glanced back at the closed door, dusted off his clothes, and muttered, "Tch! Nothing special." Hearing the academy's morning bell ring, Tang Feng had a plan for his investigation and returned to his room. He found Zhang Mobai sitting on the bed watching him, and then recounted the events of the previous evening to Zhang Mobai.
"So what do you plan to do next?" Zhang Mobai asked. "Without evidence, it's going to be difficult for you! No matter how bad Liu Xuanchun is, he caught you red-handed." Originally, Tang Feng didn't want to get involved in this matter, as he was afraid of trouble. Even if he was framed, he could get revenge the next day; as the saying goes, a gentleman's revenge is never too late. But Zhou Ziliang was the one being punished, and he really didn't want to owe him any more favors.
"You little madman, what kind of person is Liu Xuanchun?!"
"Hmm... Him! His father is a high-ranking official, but he's not very capable, and his official position isn't high either. Plus, he's the second son, so he's not well-liked. And..." Zhang Mobai whispered in Tang Feng's ear, "He's incredibly rigid, utterly incompetent, and everyone in the academy looks down on him."
“But I have no grudge against him,” Tang Feng tugged at his clothes and stood up. “Forget it, I’ll go to the corridor and ask around!” Zhang Mobai, after hearing this, grabbed Tang Feng’s arm and gestured for him to sit down. “This matter is indeed strange, but after what happened yesterday, it’s inevitable that some classmates will be gossiping today. I know you don’t care, but it will still affect your thinking. How about this? I’ll ask for leave for you today. After your classmates go to class, you can go to the corridor.”
Tang Feng agreed with Zhang Mobai's assessment, and while Zhang Mobai and Yang Fei were in class, Tang Feng sat at his desk, pondering. How could Liu Xuanchun, such an unpopular and taciturn person, possibly have the audacity to plot against him? Even with Xu Chang'an's instigation... Tang Feng picked up a sesame seed cake and went to the corridor hall, asking the cook there. He had a plan in mind.
"Tang... Tang Feng?" Returning home from school, Liu Xuanchun saw Tang Feng sitting on a stone by his courtyard gate. Her heart skipped a beat, and she forced a smile, saying, "I... I heard from Brother Mo Bai that you caught a cold today. Why weren't you resting inside?"
Tang Feng sat on the rock and sneered, "Rest? I was framed for no reason, and you want me to rest? How magnanimous! What, do you want to clap your hands and cheer when you die?"
"Brother Tang, what do you mean by that?"
"What do you mean?" Tang Feng jumped off the rock, dusted off his hands, and then shoved the sesame seed cake he was holding at Liu Xuanchun. "You think I won't investigate this? Do you think I'm stupid? The cook at Langxia Hall told me that these sesame seed cakes were sold out long ago. You think I'm stupid or blind?!"
"I...I didn't," Liu Xuanchun's voice trembled, as if making a final defense.
"No? Fine." Tang Feng grabbed Liu Xuanchun's arm, pointed to the sky, and said, "Do you dare swear to heaven that you have never framed me, and that you didn't utter a single lie last night?"
"I...I...didn't frame you, and I...didn't lie."
Tang Feng picked up a tree branch from the ground and said, "Then you speak again. If you lie, may you be like this tree branch, broken and dead." He then broke the branch in half and threw it in front of Liu Xuanchun.
"Like...like..." Liu Xuanchun stammered, unable to speak for a long time. "Brother Tang, I was wrong. It was...it was Xu Chang'an who contacted me. My father and brother have lived mediocre lives, never achieving anything significant. I don't want to end up like them. Brother Chang'an said that if this succeeds, he will find time to promote me. I really don't want to...I don't want to harm you."
Tang Feng rolled his eyes. In this world, does anyone still believe the excuse of "finding time to promote someone"? "I don't want to hear any explanations. Go find the teacher and explain it to him!"
After saying that, Tang Feng left without paying attention to what Liu Xuanchun said behind him. In the morning, Tang Feng got a meal for Zhou Ziliang. He heard from Zhang Mobai that no one delivers meals to the ancestral hall. Since the other party took the blame for him, he had no reason to let him go hungry.
Pushing open the door of the ancestral hall, Tang Feng saw Zhou Ziliang kneeling at the table copying the courtyard rules. He quietly walked over with a food box, slowly knelt down, and said, "Um... I didn't know what you liked to eat, so I just bought two dishes according to my taste. Would you like to try them?"
"Why did you suddenly decide to come see me?" Zhou Ziliang gently put down his pen and looked at Tang Feng.
"I... I heard that no one brings food to the ancestral hall, so I brought you some." Tang Feng lowered his head and took the food out of the food box. Zhou Ziliang pointed to the empty bowl next to him and said with a smile, "Who said that? Someone brought it over, didn't they?"
"Huh?" Tang Feng stared blankly at the empty bowl beside him for a moment, then put the food he had just taken out back into the food box. "I... I didn't know. Since you've already eaten, I'll take it back."
At this moment, Zhou Ziliang stopped Tang Feng, who was tidying up. "Prison food is inevitably monotonous and bland. The dishes you brought are delicious and appealing. You can easily eat another bowl." After saying that, he took the rice from Tang Feng's hand and scooped some into the empty bowl, then gave the rest back to Tang Feng. "Since it's your favorite food, sit down and eat with us! Were you starving last night?"
Tang Feng poked the rice in his bowl with his chopsticks. "No, not at all."
Zhou Ziliang smiled as he watched Tang Feng, who was blushing and shoveling rice into his mouth. "Eat slowly, I'm not going to take it from you!"
When Tang Feng returned, Zhang Mobai was already waiting for him at the door. "Little brother, you're finally back! Liu Xuanchun hanged herself!"
"What?" Tang Feng's eyes widened. He could have simply apologized, and the matter would have been resolved. Why would he be so suicidal? Tang Feng was confused. "Do you know why?"
"I heard that Xu Chang'an found evidence that Liu Xuanchun framed you and Brother Ziliang, and reported it to the Master. The Master is going to send him back to Xiling on charges of dishonesty, slandering his classmates, and deceiving the Master. Perhaps he couldn't think straight and committed suicide!"
"Xu Chang'an found evidence?" Tang Feng sneered. This was just a case of the thief crying "stop thief!"
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