Chapter 108: Slapping Face with Evidence
"Big Brother, let’s wait for Er Lang to come back and ask his opinion. If he has no objection, you guys can take this osmanthus cake and report to the Government Office. Also, let the shop owner vouch for it, but don’t involve the shop in this. You know, running an inn in Anyuan Town is a big deal." Bai Ruozhu said.
"Can... Can we still find the person? I can’t even find the little shop boy anymore." Bai Zehao asked somewhat hesitantly.
Bai Ruozhu laughed, "Whether we can find him or not is the government’s business. Even if he’s hidden well and we can’t catch him, at least we’ve sounded the alarm, so that he will think twice about retaliating against us. Can he always escape the government’s scrutiny?"
Lin Ping’er frowned, "Ruozhu, do you already have an idea in mind?"
"Mother, Er Lang usually reads at home, how many people could he have offended?" Bai Ruozhu shrugged.
Lin Ping’er’s eyes widened, "You... you mean..." She didn’t finish her sentence but stomped angrily, "This person fails the exam and doesn’t let others succeed either. What kind of logic is that?"
Bai Yihong also understood and said hastily, "Don’t make a fuss about it. Isn’t there still no evidence? If word gets out, they might cause trouble."
Lin Ping’er shot him a fierce glance, "Look at what kind of family your siblings are from." However, considering that Bai Ruozhu was still in confinement, she took a deep breath and held back her anger.
...
In the Bai family’s old mansion, the old man was pale, holding a rattan stick in one hand and the poetry collection given to the current emperor by his teacher, Wu Xuefu, in the other. He glared at his third grandson and scolded him, "Look at what you’ve done, it’s totally disgraceful!"
Er Lang stubbornly denied, "Just because he said I did it, you believe it’s me? He’s not even home, it’s all Bai Ruozhu stirring things up. I was tricked by Bai Ruozhu, it’s obvious she framed me."
The old man now had a very poor impression of Bai Ruozhu, partly because of his ingrained mentality of favoring men over women. When Bai Ruozhu clashed with the Third son, he naturally chose the latter. Furthermore, he felt that Bai Ruozhu was ignorant and did not know how to endure hardships for the Bai family. He even believed that Bai Ruozhu had instigated that day’s dispute.
Thinking this way, even the thieving third son could be "understood" because he had claimed to be playing a prank on Bai Ruozhu and promised to return it to her.
This explanation was believed by the old man. Should we say he is naive, or is he simply naive?
The moment Bai Ruozhu was mentioned, the Old Man immediately chose to believe Er Lang. The hand holding the rattan stick paused, and he looked at Bai Zepei and asked, "Before you came, did you ask your sister why she had someone call for Er Lang and tried to set him up?"
The contempt in Bai Zepei’s eyes swiftly passed over. He pitied his grandfather’s poor judgment and then said, "Little sister did not have someone call for Er Lang. And even if she really did, there was no need for him to destroy my book, right? Grandfather, I suppressed the incident today, but if it gets out that Er Lang destroyed Wu Xuefu’s book, it could lead to major legal trouble."
"I’ve said it wasn’t me! Why do you believe that woman and not me?" Er Lang yelled.
Bai Zepei smirked, "It’s not that I don’t believe you, but I believe the evidence more."
The old man looked at Bai Zepei, a sudden unease creeping up inside.
Seeing Er Lang about to argue, Bai Zepei preemptively said, "As far as I know, our folks don’t have spare shoes to change into, Er Lang’s shoes have been worn recently, right?"
Er Lang hesitated, glanced at his shoes, and stubbornly said, "How do you know I haven’t changed them?"
Bai Zepei gave a little laugh and did not answer him, just pointed to the book in the old man’s hand and said, "The size of the shoes, the pattern of the sole, they are not the same for every pair. This book has been stepped on heavily, leaving a muddy imprint of the sole. Just compare it with Er Lang’s shoes."
At this point, Er Lang’s face fell. He glanced around and said, "Bai Ruozhu is setting me up, she deliberately threw the book on the ground, and I didn’t see it and stepped on it. But I didn’t do it on purpose."
Bai Zepei’s smirk deepened, "Er Lang, lying is not a good deed. If you hadn’t intended to step on it, you would have avoided after the first step. But how many times did you step on it? Look at just this book, you stepped on it more than once. Let alone the other books. The works of the current emperor’s teacher, you’ve ruined them, this could lead to grave punishment."
The more he spoke, the more he seemed to be speaking earnestly. But to Er Lang, these words felt like a slap in the face. Naked humiliation! However, he’d already lost his chance to argue.
The Old Man lifted the rattan stick again, pointing at Er Lang and scolding, "You unfilial grandson. You commit wrongdoings and then lie about it. Where have all the values you read about in the books gone?"
Er Lang shrank his neck and saw his father entering the room. He quickly hid behind his father, at the same time saying, "Grandfather, I was wrong. It was all because Bai Ruozhu deceived me. She was screaming that I wanted to harm her, and I was so angry that I did it. She wanted to disgrace our Bai family. I had no other way but to vent on the books."
Bai Zepei gave a cold laugh. Er Lang’s testimony had flipped several times. Did it still hold any credibility? Of course, it also depended on who the old man favored. After all, Er Lang was his eldest grandson and the rightful heir.
"Don’t make excuses. Destroying books is a disgrace to the sages, especially when it’s a book by the teacher of the emperor. If the word gets out, it’s a serious crime of treason. I must teach you a lesson today, so you don’t continue to act recklessly in the future!" The old man said this while secretly glancing at Bai Zepei, but unfortunately, Bai Zepei saw through him and knew that the old man was just staging a show for him. If he hadn’t been present, perhaps this beating would have been a bluff.
Bai Zepei stood straight, his eyes fixed on the rattan stick in the old man’s hand, waiting to see how many lashes the old man would deliver.
Bai Yibo stepped up, holding the old man’s hand and said, "Father, don’t let the foolishness of the youth upset you. If Er Lang is disobedient, I will discipline him. You cannot tire yourself out."
Sadly, Er Lang didn’t know how to act. Hearing his father say he would deal with him, a relieved expression immediately spread across his face.
"Elder brother, have you returned from your exam? You said you didn’t have a pen at the exam place, and you asked me for one in public. Did you have a pen to answer the exam later on? I hope it didn’t delay your exam?" asked Bai Zepei. His voice was light and breezy, showing no emotion, as if he was just asking about the incident.
Bai Yibo quickly glanced at the old man and laughed awkwardly, "Elder Brother was just joking with you, of course, he couldn’t delay the exam."
The old man was silent, but he had already understood what was happening. He sighed heavily, why were his grandsons so troublesome?
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Thanks to the rewards from Book Friends such as Ru Xuelei, Meng, Bury Me Under the Osmanthus Tree Without Waking Me Up Forever, and ’Happiness~. Love you all, muah~