Chapter 70

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Protagonist:

Song Miao

Cai Xiu had originally said this as a joke, but once the words fell, the room fell silent at once.

After a moment, someone coldly laughed and said: "What is this called smartness? Playing such petty tricks, idling about outside all day, not looking like a student at all—I can't stand it!"

Everyone hurriedly looked again, and saw the speaker was actually Kong Fuyang, also one of the Four Sons of Taixue, and they dared not interject any longer, only picking up their brushes, pretending to lower their heads and grade papers diligently.

But while they pretended not to hear what was happening beside them, the students were all straining to widen their eyes, as if to open the holes of their ears even wider, so they could hear Kong Fuyang's subsequent words more clearly.

Wow!

The second-ranked among the Four Sons of Guozixue is taking on the first-ranked!

Kong Fuyang is badmouthing Han Li behind his back!

You must know that Kong Fuyang, not long after entering school, went out on study travels for over a year, and had only returned a few months ago.

This man had an explosive temper, but his learning was beyond reproach; in every examination, he was only second to Han Li.

Him stepping out to pick faults naturally gave him more confidence than others.

Seeing Kong Fuyang take up the topic Cai Xiu had first raised, Cai Xiu hurriedly said: "Little Brother was only joking just now, Brother Kong, why must you take it so seriously? Zheng Yan's writings are well done, praised in Xuezhong and in the Capital alike, widely spread; this time he was borrowed by the Capital Prefecture Office, so although he thus avoided grading papers, I suppose it is partly coincidence, and partly his own ability..."

But before his voice fell, Kong Fuyang coldly laughed again: "Is Han Li the only one in this world who knows how to write?"

Cai Xiu seemed choked by these words; he looked at the people in the room grading papers, saw no one speak, and hurriedly smiled: "Everyone present who can enter Shangshe naturally has writings that stand out."

As he spoke, he first praised Kong Fuyang: "Brother Kong's writing is vigorous and powerful; ordinary people cannot hope to match it."

Kong Fuyang had a black face and did not speak.

Seeing this, Cai Xiu turned to the person beside him and said: "A few days ago, the teacher praised Meng Laodi, saying your long poems are fresh and natural."

The person mentioned had originally been keeping his head down, holding a vermilion brush and pretending to grade papers seriously; hearing Cai Xiu's praise, his hand shook, and he almost could not hold the brush steady; he hurriedly moved the brush aside and shook his head desperately: "It was only occasional encouragement from the teacher; I am far inferior to all of you; it is Cai, Kong, Han, and Dou who write poetry and prose well!"

He was very careful, and even specially changed the order of the Four Sons' ranking.

Cai Xiu slightly furrowed his brow, then turned to his right and praised that person's "grand literary style."

Kong Fuyang was not easy to provoke; although Han Li was not present, he was even more someone who never suffered a loss; who would want to get involved in this muddy water?

The one praised for "grand literary style" hurriedly waved his hands; however, he was not as quick-witted as the first one and could not change the order, only foolishly saying: "Where, where, no, no, not as good as Han and Kong!"

Seeing one after another all playing dumb, Kong Fuyang, who originally had only thirty or forty percent of his anger, had it instantly raised; he angrily said: "You are afraid of conflicting with him, but I am not; how can there be such reason in doing things!"

As he spoke, he tossed down the brush in his hand, stood up, and walked out.

Cai Xiu was startled and hurriedly called out: "Worthy Younger Brother, what are you doing? He was borrowed by them; what does it have to do with us!"

He also said: "He holds a transfer order from the Capital Prefecture Office; the Examiner will not say a word against it; even if you go to find the teacher—you have returned not long ago and do not know that Zheng Yan occupies the top spot in the teacher's eyes; ordinarily everyone looks at him with different eyes, so why go and hit this south wall!"

Kong Fuyang turned back and coldly laughed: "Find what teacher, Examiner? I, Kong Fuyang, never act behind people's backs; I will go right now and ask Han Li face to face how he dares to stand so apart from others! Is he not a Taixue student?! Does knowing how to write a few articles mean he can act as he pleases?!"

Just now, when they thought Kong Fuyang was going to find the Examiner or teacher, Cai Xiu only spoke out to stop him; but now hearing the other actually wanted to find Han Li, he was truly startled.

He hurriedly left his position, went forward to chase, accidentally bumped into the chair behind, staggered, almost fell but did not care, only hurriedly ran forward and grabbed Kong Fuyang with one hand.

"Brother Kong! Brother Kong! For no reason at all, why bother with him! If you go now, the teacher will come later, see you are not there, and ask what happened—what then?"

"Calm down, calm down; there are so many papers, worried we can't finish grading them; Han Li, since being borrowed to the Capital Prefecture Office, returns later and later every day; last night he didn't come back all night; surely he won't come back tonight either; your going back and forth is a wasted trip, not to mention delaying things; who knows when we'll finish grading!"

"He dares to not return to the dormitory at night?!" Kong Fuyang's eyes were about to spit fire; "Doesn't the Examiner care at all?!"

Cai Xiu truly broke out in a cold sweat behind his back.

With a silver tongue, he spent the strength of nine oxen and two tigers, and finally pulled Kong Fuyang back.

Seeing the other forcibly dragged back to his seat, eyes not eyes, nose not nose, still looking angry, Cai Xiu said: "Brother Kong is truly unhappy; there will surely be a day when the borrowing ends; then I will go with you to find Han Li and speak with him!"

Kong Fuyang furrowed his brow and said: "It is I who cannot tolerate people; I cannot stand his conduct; you do not need to meddle, lest you bring trouble upon yourself!"

"Brother Kong must not say such things; you see injustice and speak out against it; you are a man of character; how can that become being unable to tolerate people!"

After Cai Xiu finished speaking to Kong Fuyang, he did not forget to turn back to the people in the room and say: "Everyone, give me some face; just pretend you saw nothing today; do not spread it outside, do not spread it outside!"

The other students dared not say another word; while agreeing, they exchanged glances with each other, but because the person involved was present, they dared not whisper together.

Originally, while grading papers, they often chatted and complained; but since this incident, even coughing sounds became fewer, only muffled coughs remained; the atmosphere in the room was indescribable.

The papers were graded until evening.

Seeing it was about to be the Hai hour, finally a teacher came with people, first collected everyone's grading results one by one, and asked if they had gained anything.

The whole room of people did not speak much; only two or three people answered a few sentences perfunctorily.

Only Cai Xiu stepped forward smiling, said many words of thanks to the teacher for giving him this opportunity to grade papers, and then listed several benefits one after another.

First he said he learned how future exam papers should be written; not only care about good-looking handwriting, but also consider writing the characters larger, so the Examiner would not strain their eyes when reading.

He also said he learned that when reviewing books, do not review according to what you think are the key points; often what you do not care much about will be tested in the exam.

He also said that through this grading experience, he learned that doing questions requires knowing what to take and what to discard; for questions on the classics that you cannot remember clearly, do not obsess over them, lest you waste time afterward, and so on...

The teacher naturally was very satisfied upon hearing this, and said: "People teaching people cannot teach; things teaching people, once taught they understand; you grade papers, do not only correct answers; grade with care like Cai Xiu, and naturally you will gain something; otherwise it is just wasting time!"

He also urged them to go back and rest, and even set a time to come again the next day.

In front of the teacher, everyone naturally agreed repeatedly; after dispersing, they inevitably discussed it endlessly in private.

And Cai Xiu first helped the teacher organize the papers, then saw the person off to the door; after returning, he waited for Kong Fuyang and accompanied him back to the dormitory; on the way, naturally there was more persuasion, urging him not to think too much, and so on.

In front of Cai Xiu, Kong Fuyang did not say much more; after finishing washing up, it was already the Zi hour; he did not go to bed, but changed into a set of outdoor clothes, and said to his roommate: "I'm going out for a trip; I'll return later; do not lock the door."

Although the person in the same dormitory was grading papers in the next room today, among students, where are there any secrets? He naturally had long heard the ins and outs of the matter from others; seeing this, he hurriedly asked: "Where are you going? You're not going to find Han Li, are you?"

Since they were roommates, this person advised: "Why must you stick your neck out? Han Li's learning and writing are both good; each has their own style; not only him, but there are often others who act independently; having received a transfer order, they do not return to school."

He also said: "Cai Xiu is using you as a spear; he is not a good person—just look at what he said to the teacher today; others are annoyed, saying every single thing is what everyone summarized privately during the day; he heard it and took it to tell the teacher, as if it were all his own realization, and thus received the teacher's praise..."

"I am not a fool; naturally I can see Cai Xiu has ill intentions," Kong Fuyang said, "but I am going to find Han Li myself; it has nothing to do with Cai Xiu—I don't care about others, but that Han surname cannot be allowed to run wild like this!"

Speaking to this point, Kong Fuyang actually gritted his teeth.

"I've been studying outside for over a year and received quite a few writings sent from the Capital. Judging character through writing, I originally thought that Han Li was someone with great ambitions and lofty aspirations, but who would have known that after returning, this person is actually so wanton and reckless in his conduct—I cannot bear it! I must ask him clearly face-to-face before I can truly understand a person!"

Saying this, he indeed flung his sleeve, closed the door, and left.

That roommate lay on the bed, utterly bewildered, feeling that he could somewhat understand Kong Fuyang's mindset, yet also seemed unable to understand it; for a moment he didn't know how to advise him, so he could only sigh and watch the other close the door and leave.

This person thought to himself: It's no wonder my writing isn't as good as his; it starts from the brain—he was just born stranger than him!

As for Kong Fuyang, he lifted a small candle and went straight to Han Li's dormitory.

By now it was time to put out the lamps, so the dormitory was naturally pitch dark.

He knocked on the door and called Han Li's name a few times; soon after, the door opened from inside, but it was another person answering the door.

That person saw Kong Fuyang, was stunned for a moment, and said: "So it's Brother Kong. Zheng Yan received a transfer order from the Capital Prefecture Office and is very busy; he hasn't really returned these past few days. If you have business with him, why not tell me, and I'll pass a word along."

Kong Fuyang did not let the other pass a message, but only asked: "Has Han Li not returned to sleep these past few nights?"

After receiving a definite answer, he then thanked him, did his best to suppress his anger, and took his leave.

However, it just so happened that as Kong Fuyang had just walked out of this row of dormitories, he saw someone walking toward him.

That person strode forward, carrying a lantern in his hand; in the darkness, it actually illuminated his face somewhat.

—It was precisely Han Li!

A chest full of anger meeting the right person was truly like drowsiness meeting a pillow; Kong Fuyang immediately went up and called out: "Han Zhengyan!"

Han Li raised the lantern, looked at the visitor's face, and said curiously: "So it's Brother Kong. It's the middle of the night; I don't know what instruction you have?"

"You still know it's the middle of the night? You ask me? I want to ask you instead!"

Kong Fuyang's anger exploded at once, and he interrogated: "It's already past lamp-out time; according to Taixue regulations, students may not return to school after hours. Did you follow the rules and request leave from the Director and the teachers in turn?"

"Naturally I requested it," Han Li said.

These words were like striking a hornet's nest, and Kong Fuyang became even angrier.

"How did you write in your articles before? When you criticized others, you scolded them for using power for private gain and not observing regulations. So what does your conduct today count as? Everyone gathers to grade papers, yet you alone stand apart—isn't that extraordinary compared to others?!"

"If you were truly going to some important place, that would be one thing, but you're just a student—what can you do inside the Capital Prefecture Office? Apart from organizing case files, it's just cleaning archives. There will be plenty of opportunities for you to do these things in the future. It's simply confusing priorities and putting the cart before the horse!"

After saying this, he continued to accuse him of several more points.

Han Li listened and frowned, saying: "I'm busy now and it's inconvenient to chatter; there are only three things."

"First, I hold a transfer order from the Capital Prefecture Office and have already reported everything to the Director and the teachers, and obtained their consent. I am not disregarding regulations."

As he spoke, the document just happened to be in his bosom, and indeed he took it out with one hand.

Kong Fuyang reached out to take it, drew near the lantern to look, and found every procedure complete—even the dormitory director had signed on it. For a moment, the raging fire in his head was as if half of it had been doused by a small spring of water.

"Second, grading papers for the public examination is not originally a student's duty. It's just that people at Taixue respect teachers and value the Dao, and are willing to help. If you have business, you don't have to go; others can also choose not to go. If Han's conduct is extraordinary compared to others, then what about Brother Kong, who has been studying outside for a year?"

Kong Fuyang still held that document in his hand. Hearing this second point, the other half of his fire was doused with a ladle of water, leaving only a tiny flame. Even if he tried hard to burn, it looked pitiful.

He hurriedly explained: "I also went through every layer of approval and only went out after everything was signed off!"

Han Li didn't bother with him and continued: "Third, Brother Kong, having studied outside for a year, should know best that students should take facts as evidence. There are many affairs in the Capital Prefecture Office—it's exactly a place to do things..."

Speaking to this third point, Kong Fuyang suddenly became spirited and said: "It's precisely because I've been studying outside that I know those who stay in the government office for only a month or two are just being ordered around and actually learn nothing. Once you obtain an official post, you'll naturally have plenty of opportunities to learn. Why waste time here?"

Speaking to this point, the anger in his heart completely vanished, and his tone actually became somewhat open and sincere. He said: "Han Zhengyan, I'm not afraid to speak frankly with you. I've read your writings for over a year and have long admired you from afar. Seeing that you don't focus on your studies but waste time on trivial branches and leaves, I truly regret it. Listen to one piece of advice from me..."

He was about to continue advising, but that Han Li opposite suddenly said: "I'm handling a case at hand. Time is tight, there are many matters, and we're short-handed. I need someone to do hard work, helping organize case files. Are you willing to come?"

Kong Fuyang frowned and said: "You, why won't you listen to advice?"

"The case already involves hundreds of criminals, and the victims number over a hundred. The specific details are inconvenient to disclose. If you're willing to participate, go back immediately to pack your clothes and meet me here in a quarter of an hour. We leave at once, not a moment can be delayed."