Chapter 903 - 905: Think a Pig-Headed Person Can Still Make Trouble?_1
After the interrogation, it was thoroughly exposed that Deng Lin and Zhang Xiuquan had colluded in disgrace, altering the competition rankings and helping Chang’an Academy climb to the second place in the overall rankings. However, the detailed process still required both of them to give a full account. So, Mr. Bai, intent on a thorough investigation of Deng Lin, to see if he had done anything similar in the past, ordered that all the criminals involved be taken into custody for further disposition.
After the prisoners were taken away, Mr. Qiu stood up, bowed to the Head of the Literature Institute, and said, "Head of the Literature Institute, it was indeed our organizing committee that caused this scandal. We have put you to great inconvenience. I will now return and correct the rankings, and also make them public."
Behind Mr. Qiu stood his attendants, who, upon hearing this, quickly said, "Mr. Qiu, this might not be appropriate. It could damage the organizing committee’s dignity..."
His words were cut off by Mr. Qiu, "Nonsense! When one makes a mistake, one should admit it. What about dignity and loss of face? Because of the face you care so much about, are you going to disrupt the rules of Danliang Country, and flout the law?"
The attendant was startled and didn’t dare to voice any opposition thereafter.
Mr. Gu stood up and bowed to Mr. Qiu, saying, "What Mr. Qiu said is very true. This incident must serve as a warning to those who would be swayed by personal interests and cheat, to prevent others from making the same mistake in the future."
Bai Ruozhu nodded quietly on the side. Mr. Qiu was really upright and unwavering. Inviting him had been the right choice. If it had been someone else, they would probably have just apologized in private and let the matter slide. Even if they received the second place reward, other academies would not understand the actual situation, and might even think that Chang’an Academy had earned the second place.
Mr. Qiu left in a hurry, and Bai Ruozhu and the others also bid farewell to Mr. Gu and Mr. Bai, exiting the County Government Office together.
Bai Zepei, seeing Tang Feng emerge, cupped his hands and bowed, "Tang Feng, thank you."
Wielding his folding fan with a very scholar-like grace, Tang Feng nodded slightly to Bai Zepei, "It was only right. I merely spoke the truth."
Bai Zepei, not one for empty pleasantries, nodded and said, "Well then, I’ll take my leave for now. See you at the luncheon."
After her elder brother had finished speaking, Bai Ruozhu gave Tang Feng a nod as well, and then the four of them reboarded the horse carriage.
Jiang Yichun let out a faint hum, so light that, if not for Bai Ruozhu’s enhanced hearing from drinking water from the Spatial Pond, she wouldn’t have noticed it at all. It was because of Jiang Yichun’s cold hum that she remembered Tang Feng’s gaze had lingered on her before.
Bai Ruozhu was never self-absorbed enough to think that the Capital’s number one scholar looking her way meant he had taken an interest in her. She just thought that there was a hint of curiosity in Tang Feng’s eyes, as if he was probing something about her. Was it perhaps because she had said she had a "photographic memory"?
She found it strange but didn’t dwell on it, quickly returning to her residence.
Before they could enter, they heard a commotion. Bai Ruozhu pricked up her ears to listen carefully and realized it was people from Chang’an Academy causing trouble.
"You are just greedy, going to the Government to accuse our Headmaster. Do you really think we students from Chang’an are so easily bullied?" The voice sounded familiar to Bai Ruozhu, and she recalled, isn’t that Wang Tianyou?
"That’s enough, Wang Tianyou. Don’t stir up the crowd before things are clear. Everyone, listen to me, go back and wait for news from that side." This was said by Ding Guangji, his tone slightly displeased, but it was evident that he was there to mediate.
The Dean of the Academy, upon hearing the commotion inside, frowned deeply and muttered, "They’ve come to settle scores with us? Really, it’s the villain who sues first."
No sooner had the Dean finished speaking than he strode in, with Bai Ruozhu and the others hurrying after him.
"Students of Chang’an Academy, you too are scholars, yet you don’t discern right from wrong. Aren’t you afraid of being laughed at? Besides, you haven’t grasped the situation and yet you come here making a scene. All the books you’ve read over the years have been for nothing!" The Dean was truly angry, raising his voice several notches. The students from Beiyu Academy, who had also been arguing, suddenly fell silent when they heard the Dean’s outburst.
"Where’s our Dean Zhang? You’re a dean yourself. Aren’t you afraid to shame yourself by falsely accusing us? Where have you put the sage’s teachings you studied?" Wang Tianyou shouted, with others echoing him, and Bai Ruozhu could tell Wang Tianyou was the ringleader behind this disturbance.
"Your dean has already been taken into custody. He bribed Deng Lin, the head of the organizing committee, to cheat. The evidence against him is conclusive. If you don’t know the whole story, let it go and go back to your studies," the Dean said sharply, his anger apparent, but he was still lenient towards these students.
At these words, everyone from Chang’an Academy changed color, and someone even exclaimed, "Impossible, stop spreading rumors!"
Were they gearing up for a quarrel? The rest of the Beiyu Academy didn’t know what was going on and couldn’t find a foothold in the argument. The Dean was, after all, an elder and it was beneath him to argue with these youngsters. As for Bai Zepei and Jiang Yichun, both were naturally icy and were not inclined to quarrel.
Finding no other way and given Wang Tianyou’s enthusiasm, likely targeting her, Bai Ruozhu stepped forward and said, "Whether it’s rumor or not, you can find out from the County Government Office. If you truly care about your dean, you’d better go see him in prison instead of wasting time here."
The faces of the people from Chang’an Academy changed again. In their haste, they had become muddled, stirred up by Wang Tianyou and had come to cause trouble at Beiyu Academy. But wasn’t their priority to care about their dean and go to the County Government Office to see him?
Ding Guangji saluted Bai Ruozhu and said, "Miss Bai speaks sense. If you care about the dean, then follow me to the Government Office to see him."
After saying this, he swung his sleeves and walked away, and some immediately followed him, but some still looked to Wang Tianyou, obviously his lackeys.
"You demon woman, you think I didn’t hear it that day, you helped the Gu Family and Miss Bai Family, just so that Lord Gu and Lord Bai could help you falsely accuse our dean. I will make sure to inform the Capital City, so the Emperor can give justice to our dean," Wang Tianyou immediately shouted.
But Bai Ruozhu laughed out loud, her disdain for Wang Tianyou evident as she said, "That accusation casts doubt on both the governor and the county magistrate. Who are you, a mere Scholar, to insult Imperial officers? Besides, I merely helped Miss Gu with a sprained ankle, do you think that little deed could persuade those officials to help me disregard the law? Are you suggesting I’m so well-connected, or are you proving you have no brains at all?"
"I’d love it if you sent a message to the Capital right this instant. Let’s see if the law-breaking Dean Zhang will be grateful to you. If you’re willing to make a big fuss, that’s even better. We’ll just treat it as a clown performance," Bai Ruozhu said with a soft sneer, then in a voice loud enough to be heard, she added, "Foolish as a pigheaded jackass."
"What did you say? I’ll fight you!" Wang Tianyou, red-eyed with rage, roared and charged at Bai Ruozhu.
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Today I took my child for a pre-kindergarten physical examination and unexpectedly they did a liver function test, drawing two tubes of venous blood, which made my child cry miserably and left them not feeling well. So today, I need to spend more time with him and will update later.