Chapter 98

Prince Wang Ziteng's mansion.

That day, Wang Yi was given a beating by Jia Cong, and he fell ill upon returning to the mansion.

That thunderbolt slash from Jia Cong didn't kill him, but it truly destroyed his heart.

At that time, Wang Yi thought he had been beheaded by that slash; he would never forget the terrifying feeling of the ice-cold blade grazing his scalp for the rest of his life.

That slash not only scared him into incontinence, but it also almost crushed his spirit, coupled with unspeakable humiliation.

From the day he returned to the mansion, as long as Wang Yi closed his eyes, he would have nightmares; that evil image of the steel blade hanging in the air followed him like a shadow, and he couldn't get a full hour of sleep every day.

In just a few days, he lost several circles of weight, his eyes were dark, and he was in unspeakable misery.

The physician had seen him and said that Young Master Wang had suffered excessive shock and damaged his spirit; medicine could only treat the symptoms, and this illness could only be nursed slowly, and would only get better slowly.

Seeing her son, who was originally as vigorous as a dragon and fierce as a tiger, scared out of his wits by that beast raised by the bitch of the Jia family, Lady Wang Zhangshi felt pain like a knife in her heart, but she didn't think that she had brought all this upon herself.

Hearing the words "Scholar," the young scholar's face showed pride; a few days ago, the Ministry of Rites released the results of the prefectural examination, and he had achieved the top rank, finally fulfilling his wish after years of hard work.

At this time, a maid came to report from outside, saying it was the wife of Zhou Rui, the Second Mistress's personal maid from the Jia Prefecture, who had come to visit the cousin's illness under the Second Mistress's orders.

She also said that it was fortunate that Young Master Cong was born into a noble Duke's family like the Jia family; otherwise, given his background, even studying for the imperial examinations wouldn't have been allowed, let alone achieving the top rank now.

……

A tall and thin young scholar walked into an old, small inn.

The waiter in the hall greeted him with a face full of smiles: "Scholar, you've returned."

The feeling of pointing out the country and having everyone respond to a single call among his peers truly intoxicated him.

After Zhou Rui's wife left, Lady Wang Zhangshi pondered alone for a long time, then asked a maid to call the mansion's private tutor to ask questions.

He already felt that this small inn was a bit shabby, as if it didn't match his status as a top-ranked scholar.

The young scholar raised his eyebrows: "That woman surnamed Qiu, did she leave a message?"

Zhou Rui's wife went in to see Wang Yi's condition and asked Lady Wang Zhangshi about the diagnosis, also sighing and offering comfort.

Hearing this, Lady Wang Zhangshi's heart jumped; Zhou Rui's wife rambled on about other household matters, then said she would let the cousin rest well, as she had to return to report to the Second Mistress so she could be at ease.

How unfair heaven is to people; he had a belly full of talent but was born into poverty; in order to support his studies, his family was reduced to destitution, his clothes and shoes were shabby, and he couldn't even fill his stomach.

She also couldn't help but mention that Young Master Cong in the mansion had really gone too far this time; even considering the kindness of the Master and Mistress, he shouldn't have treated the Wang family's relatives like that.

The waiter said: "She didn't leave a message; she said you would know after reading the letter."

The waiter said: "Scholar, today a woman surnamed Qiu sent a letter for you."

The scholar took the letter and went into his room, opening it to read carefully under the candlelight, his eyes flashing with sharp light.

This evening, in a small alley four or five blocks away from Ningrong Street.

Having become a noble scholar in the eyes of the commoners, his heart was filled with joy that couldn't be expressed; in these few days, many peers had visited him by name, showing great admiration for him, the top-ranked scholar.

That private tutor was invited by Wang Ziteng to teach his son to study; he was a down-and-out scholar who had spent half his life taking examinations and understood the matters of studying and imperial examinations best.

After Lady Wang Zhangshi finished asking the private tutor about the matter, the previous lethargy and sadness were swept away; she called her trusted personal maid and asked her to go immediately to invite her eldest sister to come over for a talk.

And those noble descendants, wandering around in luxury, doing nothing, yet able to enjoy wealth and honor!

If it weren't for the support of a noble person, I fear I would have spent half my life toiling for a living, trapped by livelihood, and how could I have been able to focus on my studies and achieve the top rank in the prefectural examination?

Since the way of heaven is unfair, one must seize one's own fortune; if I hadn't found a way to attach myself back then, how could I have today?

With the help of a good wind, one must seek victory in danger!

A trace of determination and madness appeared on the scholar's face as he lit the letter in the candlelight, and in a moment, it turned to ashes.

……

A few days after the Yongzhou prefectural examination results were released.

In these few days, relatives often came to offer congratulations on Jia Cong's top rank, so Jia Zheng set up several banquets in the Rongguo Prefecture's flower hall to reward the guests.

Although Jia Cong didn't like these social engagements, these people came for him, so he couldn't neglect them and could only follow Jia Zheng to entertain them one by one.

The weather was desolate, the autumn cold grew heavier, and by the afternoon, the horizon was covered with blood-red clouds, showing a bit of solemnity and strangeness.

At the entrance of the South Court of the Ministry of Rites in the east of the city, more than a dozen students in green shirts arrived; the leader was tall and thin, with slightly protruding cheekbones, and his expression carried a bit of aloofness and arrogance.

The group walked majestically to the entrance of the Ministry of Rites' South Court, startling the yamen runners guarding the main gate.

The tall and thin student leading the group walked to the hall drum covered in dust at the entrance of the yamen and pulled out the drumsticks that hadn't been used for a long time.

Facing the drum face the size of a millstone, he began to beat it: dong, dong, dong.

The loud and low drum sound spread everywhere along the east wall of the Ministry of Rites' South Court like a surging tide, and pedestrians on the street stopped in panic to watch.

The drum sound soon resounded through the entire east and west yamen of the Ministry of Rites, and the whole courtyard was shocked!

The morning was the time for the morning court session, and the Minister of Rites, the Left and Right Vice Ministers, and other Grade 5 officials had all entered the court to see the Emperor.

In the four bureaus of the Ministry of Rites—Ceremonies, Sacrifices, Receptions, and Provisions—only one director remained to sit in the hall; hearing the hall drum sound, his face showed astonishment.

Hall drums were set up at the entrances of the Six Ministries and various prefectural yamen in the Great Zhou, which was also a consistent rule.

The hall drums of the Ministry of Justice, the Supreme Court, the Censorate, and the prefectural government offices would occasionally sound, generally because the common people wanted to appeal for grievances.

But the hall drums of other yamen were basically decorations; like the hall drum at the entrance of the Ministry of Rites, it hadn't sounded for at least ten years.

Abnormal events must be demonic!

That director who remained to sit in the hall didn't dare to be negligent and sent a Ministry of Rites official out to investigate the matter.

More than a dozen students gathered at the entrance of the Ministry of Rites, and this momentum was already quite significant.

Among them were child students, and even more were scholars wearing square caps and lined robes, who were exactly the scholars who had passed the prefectural examination this time.

That Ministry of Rites official was also a shrewd person; before going out, he had already ordered the yamen runners to guard the gate to prevent these students from storming the entrance.

Entering school as a scholar meant crossing the threshold into the scholar-official class, possessing privileges such as not kneeling when seeing officials, exemption from corvée labor, not being subject to casual punishment, and being able to report on public affairs.

These people could only be blocked, but they couldn't be touched or beaten, let alone at the entrance of a noble yamen like the Ministry of Rites, which presided over the ethics and rituals of the world.

That Ministry of Rites official asked sternly: "You are all scholars; you should know the solemnity of the yamen hall. Why are you gathering here and making a clamor?"

The tall and thin student leading the group, wearing a square cap and lined robe, who should be a scholar who passed the prefectural examination this time, said loudly:

"This official, the student is Liu Wenxuan, a student of Deqing Prefecture; because I learned that there was a major violation of regulations in this Yongzhou prefectural examination, I specifically came with my fellow students to the Ministry of Rites yamen to report it; this is the petition."

That Ministry of Rites official felt suspicious and uncertain; he took the petition from Liu Wenxuan's hand, unfolded it, and couldn't help but gasp.

"You want to report Jia Cong, the top rank of this Yongzhou prefectural examination!"

Liu Wenxuan replied: "Exactly, we learned that the top rank Jia Cong's biological mother was Du Jinniang, the top courtesan of the Yunyan Tower in the Love Shenjing ten years ago!

Great Zhou ancestral system: courtesans, actors, servants, and slaves are lowly people, and within three generations, they are not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations!

Jia Cong is the son of the top courtesan Du Jinniang; not beyond the second generation, he is not among the ranks of those selected for the imperial examinations.

The Love Shenjing county government didn't guard strictly, letting the son of a lowly servant enter the Confucian examination field, and he was actually named the top rank of the Yongzhou prefectural examination, damaging the clean name of the academic forest, violating the ritual system of the national dynasty, and making us fellow scholars feel ashamed because of him!

Now we petition the superiors of the Ministry of Rites to strictly enforce national law, remove Jia Cong's square cap and lined robe, revoke his student status and merit, and redetermine the top rank of this year's Yongzhou prefectural examination!"

Liu Wenxuan's words were sharp, his spirit was imposing, every word was like a hammer, and he spoke eloquently, attracting many passersby to stop and watch.

At this time, some Confucian scholars gathered one after another from both sides of the street, among whom there were many wearing square caps and lined robes; it looked like they had agreed in advance, but these people arrived a step late.

That Ministry of Rites official's face already showed panic; at this time, the students gathered at the entrance of the Ministry of Rites' South Court had actually reached more than thirty or forty people, and looking over, it was a sea of heads and Confucian robes!

Although compared to the thousands of candidates in this Yongzhou prefectural examination, it was only a small part of them, this momentum could not be underestimated.

That Ministry of Rites official had been on duty in the yamen for several years; how could he not know the severity of this.

The top rank and the top ten selections of this Yongzhou prefectural examination were jointly recommended by more than thirty grading officials of various ministries, and then finally named by the Yongzhou academic official and the Ministry of Rites' Left Vice Minister Guo Youchang.

If the top rank Jia Cong were dismissed because of his status as the son of a courtesan, then the Vice Minister who personally named him as the top rank would also lose his official hat, and the more than thirty officials who participated in the grading would all be unable to escape involvement!

The Ministry of Rites yamen would also be disgraced because of this; disaster had come!

(End of chapter)