Chapter 310: Safely Overcame Difficulties
The Public Hall was eerily quiet for a moment, everyone guessing what documents Bai Ruozhu and Bai Lu had submitted, wondering why the Imperial Emissary was taking so long to read them.
Xue Wenhui turned his attention back to the memorandum, from which he discerned that it was penned by Bai Ruozhu herself. He was taken aback - Bai Ruozhu not only had an impressive literary style but also had a secret method of treating injuries to present to the Imperial Court. Could she really be just a humble village woman?
Xue Wenhui put down the memorandum and opened Bai Lu’s statement to take a look. The text was fluent and the logic clear, but it certainly lacked some of the passion found in Bai Ruozhu’s piece.
Looking at the signatures of Bai family members, he knew that Bai Yibo had been abandoned by all. Only Bai Fu showered him with affection, while the rest were extremely repulsed by him.
Of course, Xue Wenhui would have someone investigate the authenticity of the signatures on Bai Ruozhu’s memorandum, but he was almost certain that there would be no falsifications.
"The Bai family has already distanced themselves from Bai Yibo. Out of mercy, I will prevent this matter from harming the other members of the Bai family in the Imperial Examination," Xue Wenhui put down the statement in his hand and addressed the anxious crowd below the hall.
Bai Lu let out a deep sigh of relief, his tense body almost giving way beneath him.
Bai Fu, however, was glaring furiously at Bai Lu and Bai Ruozhu. Were it not prohibited to cause a ruckus in the hall, he would surely have berated them for their selfishness and kicking a man when he is down.
"Moreover, three officials have also jointly testified that Bai Zepei’s literary talent is extraordinary and his conduct virtuous, so he would definitely never resort to fraud. Now, backed by testimonials from the people of Back Mountain Village, along with evidence of Bai Yibo’s repeated attempts to frame Bai Zepei, and Wang Xi’s testimony, I hereby clear Bai Zepei of all charges and allow him to continue participating in the Imperial Examination, unimpeded by Bai Yibo’s actions," Xue Wenhui declared.
Bai Ruozhu and her family members outside, including Bai Yihong, broke into smiles. Bai Zepei was truly safe now and his future remained unaffected, which was great news indeed!
"The student thanks you for your grace!" Bai Zepei bowed to Xue Wenhui. Although his head was bowed, the confusion in his eyes was evident. He hadn’t anticipated getting out of this difficult situation so easily. There must be something he didn’t know about this situation.
Both Bai Ruozhu and Bai Lu also bowed in gratitude. "We thank you for your graciousness!"
With tears streaming down his face, Bai Fu knelt before Xue Wenhui. "If the official can show mercy to my second son, why can’t he give my eldest son another chance? Please, for the fact that this is his first offense, do not punish him so severely."
Xue Wenhui banged the courtroom wooden block on the table with a loud thud. His eyes shot daggers at Bai Fu. "The reason I showed leniency to Bai Zepei was because, despite being innocent, he was implicated and framed by Bai Yibo. Furthermore, he is a talent, and I did not want such a person to be wasted here. As for Bai Yibo, he unquestionably committed a serious crime by buying exam questions before the examination and selling them to others. How could I possibly let him off lightly?"
"You are overly partial to your eldest son. Never penalizing him when he errs. Now that he has committed such a major crime, you’re asking me to go easy on him for the sake of him being a first-time offender. How many more times do you want him to commit such serious crimes? Bring Bai Yibo here. Flog him with forty heavy lashes, exile him to the frontier, strip him of his rank and status, and forever disqualify him from participating in the Imperial Examination!" Xue Wenhui once again struck down the courtroom wooden block and reiterated his initial judgment.
Bai Ruozhu felt a wave of satisfaction. Bai Yibo truly got his just desserts!
"My lord, my lord, you cannot do this!" Bai Fu burst into tears, crying out in protest.
"Quiet! Drag this man out of the hall!" Having run out of patience, Xue Wenhui immediately ordered Bai Fu to be dragged out of the hall.
"Release Bai Zepei on the spot. Bai family and Bai Lu, you may withdraw." Xue Wenhui said.
The trio thanked him before exiting the hall together.
Lin Ping’er, overwhelmed with emotion, rushed up and scanned Bai Zepei up and down before managing to say, "Zepei, you’ve lost weight."
Bai Zepei wore a warm smile. "I ate well inside and didn’t have to do anything, so how could I lose weight? On the contrary, Father, Brother, and Sister have all lost weight due to worry."
"What does it matter if we are tired as long as you’re okay!" Bai Yihong excitedly patted his shoulder.
"Indeed, as long as our family is safe and sound, all is well." Bai Ruozhu’s eyes also turned red. This episode had been particularly dangerous for her family, and she felt very sentimental about it.
Bai Lu and Bai Zeji telegraphed their congratulations to Bai Zepei, adding, "It’s good that you’re all right. Hurry home and wash with citronella leaves to dispel the bad luck."
"Yes, let’s go home immediately. Uncle and Zeji, don’t go home just yet. Come and have a meal at our place." Lin Ping’er wiped her eyes and a smile appeared on her face.
Bai Lu waved off the invitation, "We won’t intrude today. You surely have a lot to discuss as a family, plus our folks back home are waiting for our update. We need to get back quickly so they can rest easy."
"That’s true. Well, when we organize a banquet in the village for Zehao’s wedding, we will invite Uncle and his entire family." Lin Ping’er suggested.
Grinning, Bai Lu gave his assent and then, along with Bai Zeji, left.
Just as Bai Ruozhu’s family was about to leave, they heard Bai Yibo’s screams echoing continuously. His flogging had begun.
This was followed by the heart-wrenching cries of the old Master and Mistress of the Bai family. Bai Ruozhu noticed Bai Ruolan was also there, but she seemed quite insignificant, as if she didn’t really care to save her father.
Bai Ruozhu, seeing her father frowning, quickly suggested, "Let’s leave quickly. We still need to check on Dengdeng." She was worried about leaving Dengdeng with Guizhi earlier in the day, fearing he might get squashed in the crowd.
However, before they could leave, Bai Fu rushed over, pointing his finger and cursing them.
"You heartless scoundrels! You turned against Yibo like this. Even as a ghost, I won’t let you go!" Bai Fu began cursing, his face turning red with anger. It was as though Bai Yibo hadn’t done anything wrong, and it was Bai Ruozhu and her family who had framed him.
"Father, can you not see the truth? Brother has really messed up. Even if he doesn’t pass the scholar examination, he can still make a living as a teacher. But he shouldn’t have bought exam papers and cheated. That would have plunged our clan into an irretrievable situation!" Bai Yihong looked at Bai Fu, his heart aching. When did his father become so unreasonable?
Perhaps Bai Fu was always unreasonable, and Bai Yihong was only just realizing it.
"Don’t lecture me about right and wrong! Yibo is your own brother. Even if he makes a mistake, can’t you help him correct it? What kind of brother are you, kicking him when he’s down? You clearly managed to get those three officials to plead for Zepei. Why couldn’t you get them to help your elder brother too? Have you lost your conscience?" Bai Fu suddenly grew agitated. He darted towards Bai Yihong and slapped him square across the face.
The loud smack rang out, stunning the onlookers.
There were seventy to eighty people, if not a hundred, watching as Bai Yihong was slapped. And with that, every last shred of familial affection in Bai Yihong’s heart was smashed to pieces.