Chapter 325: with translation of chapter title

Jiang Zhan raised his head in surprise.

Bear Two and the dozen or so constables stared at each other, then all turned to look at their own prefect.

"Prefect Bi, why the rush?" Su Qingyao chuckled, "We've only just opened the trial, nothing's been clarified yet, and you're already ready to torture—those who know say you enforce the law strictly; those who don't might think you're trying to extract a confession by torture!"

Bi Shijing glanced at him lightly.

What the Duan family said was correct; Su Qingyao really does have a soft spot for this Jiang Zhan, otherwise why would he go to such lengths to protect him?

"Since Prefect Su has pleaded for mercy, I'll give him a chance to clear his name."

Bi Shijing's gaze fell on the kneeling youth below the hall: "Jiang Zhan, I ask you again—how do you prove you didn't cheat?"

Jiang Zhan was first startled, then gave a helpless smile.

"Sir, the student cannot prove it."

A smug smile curled Bi Shijing's lips, but before he could retract it, he heard the next words.

"However, the student has a few questions; please, sir, clarify them."

"First, you just said someone reported the student for cheating in the exam; who is the informant? Why didn't you summon him to confront the student face to face?"

"Second, as an imperial appointed education official, you are surely well‑read and versed in statutes; you should know that under our dynasty's law, the accuser bears the burden of proof—if someone accuses the student of cheating, it is they who must produce evidence, so why demand the student prove his innocence?"

"Third, the student considers himself of impeccable conduct, never having done anything illegal, yet you, without even investigating, outright declare his cheating a fact—truly puzzling. Could it be you have some hidden motive, insisting on convicting him?"

Pfft, Su Qingyao almost laughed out loud.

The clerk Gongsun Ang standing behind him also twitched at the corner of his mouth.

This kid is truly a newborn calf unafraid of tigers—his courage is commendable; the key is every word hit the mark, short only of pointing at Bi Shijing's nose and calling him ignorant, lawless, shameless, and picking a fight for no reason.

The composure on Bi Shijing's face cracked inch by inch.

"Impudent!" he slammed the gavel with a bang, furious and embarrassed, "You dare question this official?"

Jiang Zhan lowered his eyes, yet kept his spine straight: "The student does not dare."

Bi Shijing sneered, "I see you're quite bold—dragging out the law to deflect blame, trying to shift attention; what a silver tongue you have."

He waved his hand impatiently, "Enough, I won't waste words with you; since you're certain you didn't cheat, then show your real talent."

Saying that, he gave a glance to the attendant beside him.

The attendant quickly brought over a table and a chair, plus an incense burner, a set of the four treasures of the study, and finally placed a sheet of paper on the table.

The paper bore the exam question.

"Time is limited; I won't make it hard for you—if you can compose a strictly regulated five‑character, eight‑couplet poem within the span of one incense stick, you pass."

"A five‑character, eight‑couplet poem?" Su Qingyao immediately raised his voice, protesting, "Prefect Bi, don't you know only the provincial and metropolitan exams require five‑character, eight‑couplet; the child‑candidate exam needs only five‑character, six‑couplet—this is hardly not making things difficult!"

Moreover, it must be finished within that incense stick's burn.

Are you crazy?

Even I, the chief examiner, might not manage it!

Bi Shijing ignored him.

He merely looked down at Jiang Zhan from above, "So, will you confess or answer?"

Jiang Zhan smiled, "What choice does the student have?"

He rose and sat before the table, lowering his head to look at the paper.

The question consists of a single line from Wang Wei's "Poem Composed at the Villa of Accumulated Rain": "Lush summer trees warble the yellow oriole."

The question isn't hard, but to write it outstandingly is extremely difficult.

It's all too easy to fall into cliché.

Jiang Zhan gripped the brush and sank into prolonged thought.

Seeing the incense in the burner nearly half burned, Su Qingyao tightened his belly in nervousness, while Bear Two and the others dared not even breathe, fearing their breath would disturb Jiang Zhan's train of thought.

Bi Shijing, meanwhile, leisurely sipped his tea.

Ha, a child who hasn't even grown a full coat of hair—no matter how talented, could he really compose a peerless poem in the time it takes an incense stick to burn?

As long as he writes worse than he did in the prefectural exam, I can use that as grounds to rule his earlier works were written by a ghostwriter.

Then let's see how he still tries to weasel out!

Glancing at Jiang Zhan's face, more beautiful than a woman's, Bi Shijing's dislike grew stronger.

In fact, he hadn't initially intended to come down hard on Jiang Zhan; out of respect for his mentor, Elder Duan, he could help the Duan family vent their anger, but only to the extent of finding a pretext to strip Jiang Zhan of his position as Prefectural Top Scholar.

As a third‑rank capital official, a favorite before the emperor, taking action against a mere student would really lower his standing.

But when he sent people to investigate Jiang Zhan's background, he then learned.

Jiang Zhan turned out to be the son of Jiang Mo Nian!

Jiang! Mo! Nian!

That name was one he wished he could grind between his teeth.

Think back: he had studied in bitter cold for over twenty years, endured countless hardships, finally made his mark at thirty, not only passing the imperial examinations as a jinshi but also ranking first as zhuangyuan—what glory that was.

Yet all of that was ruined by that damned Jiang Mo Nian.

During the palace exam, although the former emperor only named Jiang Mo Nian as third place (tan hua), everyone could see the emperor favored him most.

They praised his writing as excellent and said he bore the manner of a gentleman.

They wanted to heap every laudatory word in the world upon him alone.

That alone would have been bad enough.

After all, the ruler's heart is unfathomable; he didn't dare say anything.

But Jiang Mo Nian's excess went far beyond that; when he rode through the streets on horseback, he drew the gaze of the whole city—men cheered for him, women went mad, even the newly opened shabby tavern would rather ask him for calligraphy than give the zhuangyuan a glance.

I was like a big joke, ignored by everyone!

Later, when both entered the Hanlin Academy together, he was constantly overshadowed by Jiang Mo Nian; Jiang Mo Nian rose two ranks in three years, while he remained stuck in place. Wherever Jiang Mo Nian was, he remained an invisible person, unnoticed.

How could he not hate?

Fortunately, heaven has eyes—Jiang Mo Nian rose swiftly in office, yet also died swiftly; a few years later, while on an external posting, he encountered bandits and lost his life.

That's karmic retribution.

From the moment he learned of Jiang Zhan's background, Bi Shijing changed his mind: Jiang Mo Nian's son is unfit to serve as an official, not even fit to live; he should die early and be promoted early, just like his father.

Just as Bi Shijing was secretly hardening his resolve, he caught sight of Su Qingyao rising to her feet, tiptoeing over to stand behind Jiang Zhan, hooking her short, thick neck to look at the tabletop.

Only then did Bi Shijing notice that Jiang Zhan had already picked up his brush.

After a moment's thought, he also walked over.

At a glance, he saw the first line of Jiang Zhan's essay.

"Long summer, a thousand zhang of trees; thick shade, a hundred warblings of orioles."

Bi Shijing's pupils constricted.

I have to say, this line is well written—ingenious in breaking the theme, strict in tonal pattern, and full of imagination.

This kid really does have some skill...

Seeing Bi Shijing's shock, Su Qingyao proudly puffed out her big belly, feeling refreshed and exhilarated.

Hmph, I told you Jiang Zhan didn't cheat, didn't cheat—you just wouldn't believe me; now you should believe it, right?

Bi Shijing frowned and continued reading.

The more he read, the darker his face became.

"The double lapels yellow like embroidery, a green sash forms a canopy;"

"Dark leaves linger long; high branches send echoes late;"

"The wind at the tongue tip snips; outside, rain threads drift;"

"Seated, it shields mica; its song can rival the snow child;"

"Lovely sound hard to conceal; the scorching scene has never known it;"

"Willow poplar on the three righteousness road; cherry in April;"

"Secluded feelings trouble the music; written forth, it becomes a poem within the painting."

With the final stroke landed, Bi Shijing's face had turned completely black as pot soot.

"Excellent! Written superbly!" Su Qingyao could no longer contain her inner excitement, clapping her hands, "Better than the examination poems by more than tenfold!"

Saying this, she turned to Bi Shijing, smiling narrowly, and asked, "Sir Bi, what do you think?"

Bi Shijing coldly replied, "Barely adequate."

Su Qingyao snorted twice in her heart.

What does "barely adequate" mean?

It's clearly good, so good it can't be better, right? You're just being stubborn like a dead duck's beak...

"This topic was set by you, Sir Bi, and this poem was composed on the spot by Jiang Zhan, with so many eyes watching—surely he couldn't have cheated? If so, that's enough to prove Jiang Zhan's innocence; Sir Bi, you can release him, right?"

Release him? How could that be possible.

Bi Shijing snorted coldly: "This office acknowledges his poem is well written, and acknowledges he indeed has some talent, but this only proves those writings and the examination poem are his own work. Don't forget, there's also the math questions."

He turned and sat back at the judge's bench, tapping his fingers on the test paper: "Sir Su, you set such difficult math problems—the last two questions even I can't solve, yet Jiang Zhan got every one right. You claim you didn't leak the questions to him beforehand—do you think this office would believe you?"

"Men, apply torture!"

"Hold on!" Su Qingyao, too, could no longer mind her inferiority, "Sir Bi, don't go too far! Such arbitrary, autocratic conduct—do you really think this subordinate is made of mud, that I won't lodge an impeachment with the court?"

Bi Shijing, however, felt no fear at all.

Go ahead and impeach.

This office, entrusted by the Holy One to supervise the provincial examinations, now discovering an examinee suspected of cheating, must naturally pursue the matter fully and punish without leniency—what crime have I committed?

As for you, Sir Su, shielding an examinee with no personal ties to you so fiercely truly arouses suspicion.

Su Qingyao jumped with anger, "You, you foul-mouthed stubborn donkey!"

"Stubborn donkey" is a nickname others secretly gave Bi Shijing.

It is also the two words Bi Shijing hates hearing most in his life, aside from the three words "Jiang Mo Nian".

Bi Shijing's face immediately flushed with anger.

He slammed the gavel hard, "What are we waiting for? Beat him until he confesses!"

Below the dais, Xiong Er saw the scene, secretly sighed, it seems Jiang Zhan's bodily suffering is unavoidable.

Never mind, I'll do it myself—saves others from hitting too lightly or too heavily.

Just as he was about to fetch the bamboo board, a bailiff hurried in to report: "Sir, His Highness Prince Yu has arrived!"