CHAPTER 78

When Wang Luosheng was taken to the yamen, the academy was in an uproar. Wang Luosheng was the top student at Songshan Academy and a well-known figure in the academy. He was going to take the imperial examinations in the future. How could he be taken to the Yamen?

You know, Wang Luosheng is a scholar, so he doesn’t even need to kneel before the county magistrate. However, looking at Wang Luosheng’s appearance today, he has indeed lost his demeanor again, not at all like a refined scholar but more like a commoner, which is really too shameful.

Su Wan felt relieved when she saw the yamen gaurd taking Wang Luosheng and Old Man Shen away, and before taking them away, they explained what happened between Shen Lin and Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen. She felt relieved. These two people were really lingering around, and Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen didn’t know that Shen Lin came to the academy to study. It was most likely Wang Luosheng who told them, and Wang Luosheng was fanning the flames just now, so he deserved to be taken away.

Su Wan didn’t come to pick up Shen Lin originally but was rushing to check out the Malatang stall before lunch. However, this incident happened, so Su Wan treated it as if she came to pick up Shen Lin and went home with Shen Lin and had lunch with him.

During the meal, Su Wan said that she saw Wang Luosheng leading Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen into the academy, so she asked the yamen gaurd to come over. Shen Lin shook his head: “Wang Luosheng is so impatient, I’m afraid it will affect his studies.”

Su Wan said: “His impatience is none of our business, but he came to cause trouble for us, and I will not let him have it easy.”

After finishing his meal, Shen Lin went to the study to read. Since he started formally studying, Shen Lin cherished time like gold and was unwilling to waste even a little time. Even when he came back to rest at noon, Shen Lin would first review what the teacher had said to consolidate his memory and then take a short break.

The lunch was prepared by Mrs. Shen, and the food was very suitable for scholars.

When Wang Luosheng went to the yamen, he didn’t have to kneel down originally, but today he had committed a crime, so the yamen gaurds forced him to kneel down.

Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen were afraid of trouble. As soon as the county magistrate opened his mouth, before he asked anything, the two of them said that the reason they went to find Shen Lin was because of Wang Luosheng’s instigation.

Wang Luosheng denied it again and again, but the yamen gaurds who went there proved for Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen that Wang Luosheng had indeed instigated the two people to enter the academy to cause trouble.

The county magistrate didn’t want to get entangled with Wang Luosheng any more, so he scolded him and said that he had evil intentions. Then he gave him fifteen strokes of the cane and released him.

Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen were each beaten with fifteen sticks and then released.

Wang Luosheng was too embarrassed to go back to the academy, so he could only endure the pain in his butt and walk towards Qingshi Village.

Though these fifteen strokes of the cane were not many, the yamen gaurd did put in a lot of strength when they beat him. When he was first beaten, Wang Luosheng could hardly stand up.

Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen also supported each other as they walked towards Qingshi Village. Because they were walking on the same road and at about the same speed, Wang Luosheng and Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen were only a few steps apart. Wang Luosheng walked in front, while Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen supported each other as they walked and cursed him from behind, repeating what the county magistrate had said about Wang Luosheng’s evil intentions.

Passersby on the road looked at him sideways, and Wang Luosheng saw a few people he was familiar with. Being seen by his acquaintances, Wang Luosheng was so embarrassed that he wanted to find a crack in the ground to crawl into. A horse-drawn carriage happened to come by, and Wang Luosheng hurriedly stopped the carriage and offered some silver to take him back to Qingshi Village.

Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen saw the carriage and wanted to take it too. Wang Luosheng told the driver not to take Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen with him, but the driver didn’t listen to him at all. He thought that anyone who didn’t make money was a fool. Besides, he was going to Qingshi Village with the two old people too. He could earn the money of three people in one trip. It was such a profitable deal, so why not do it?

Wang Luosheng had no choice but to ride in the same carriage with Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen. In the carriage, Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen scolded Wang Luosheng. Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen were both lifelong scoundrels. Wang Luosheng always pretended to be gentle and noble, so he was no match for Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen.

Old Man Shen and Old Woman Shen exaggerated Wang Luosheng’s evil deeds and made them sound so outrageous that halfway through the journey, the driver couldn’t stand it anymore and gnashed his teeth in hatred for Wang Luosheng’s behavior.

The driver stopped the carriage, opened the door, and without asking for money, carried Wang Luosheng down.

Wang Luosheng was beaten and couldn’t walk at all. He finally moved back to Qingshi Village step by step. It was already afternoon. After returning home, Wang Luosheng was bedridden and couldn’t get up.

Wang Luosheng did not attend the afternoon class. Master Yang asked around and found out the reason. During the class, Master Yang scolded Shen Lin: “Wang Luosheng is going to take the imperial examination. Songshan Academy only has Wang Luosheng, who can bring honor to the academy. You actually sent Wang Luosheng to the government office.”

When Master Yang said this, the faces of the students in the dormitory changed. Wang Luosheng was indeed the most knowledgeable student in the academy, but the other students were not fools either. Everyone hoped to pass the special examination and become a scholar. For Li Sheng, of course, he hoped to pass the imperial examination. If he could, he would be completely different from a scholar and could become an official.

Shen Lin knew that Master Yang’s prejudice against him was deep-rooted and could not be changed. Even if he explained it to him, he would not believe that it was not his fault.

However, Shen Lin still said it seriously and told the whole story. Things still need to be made clear, as for whether he believes it or not, or whether he is willing to believe it, that is his own business.

Master Yang was so angry with Shen Lin that he gnashed his teeth. He had high hopes for Wang Luosheng. The imperial examination was coming up soon, and Wang Luosheng was likely to pass. If he passed, he would be able to become an official, and if his daughter married him, she would be an official’s wife.

Now that Shen Lin had caused such a scene, not only did it embarrass Wang Luosheng, but it also affected Wang Luosheng’s studies. Master Yang was so angry that he gnashed his teeth.

Shen Lin explained the situation clearly and sat down, without a trace of guilt on his face.

Master Yang was so angry that he was furious: “You are a peasant; what qualifications do you have to cause trouble for Wang Luosheng? What are you studying in this academy for? I think you won’t be able to pass the exam even if you try for ten years.”

Master Yang’s words were really sarcastic. Before taking the exam, the scholars would talk about auspiciousness and inauspiciousness in everything. Master Yang’s words meant that if one failed the exam, it would be very unlucky.

Master Yang also felt that it was somewhat embarrassing that Wang Luosheng was taken away by the yamen, but when he thought about the honor that Wang Luosheng would bring to him by passing the imperial examination and becoming his son-in-law, this little bit of embarrassment was nothing. Master Yang naturally wanted to help Wang Luosheng resolve this embarrassment.

After Master Yang criticized Shen Lin, the scholars in the school also had their own ideas. Although no one liked what Master Yang said—that only Wang Luosheng had hope—it was obvious that Shen Lin and Wang Luosheng were incompatible. If one wanted to get along with Wang Luosheng, then naturally one could not associate with Shen Lin. If one wanted to associate with Shen Lin, then one should not talk much with Wang Luosheng.

Li Sheng likes Shen Lin more, but because of Shen Lin and Su Wan’s engagement, Li Sheng can’t treat Shen Lin the same way as before. However, Li Sheng also plans to stay away from Wang Luosheng in the future. This person does have some evil intentions, so it is better to stay away from him.

As for Duan Jingtian, he didn’t want to pay attention to either Shen Lin or Wang Luosheng. He just wanted to turn a deaf ear to the outside world and concentrate on reading the books of sages.

Most of the scholars in the academy are more inclined to keep in touch with Wang Luosheng in the future. After all, Wang Luosheng is indeed the person most likely to pass the imperial examination first in the academy. If he passes the examination, he can become an official. If he has a good friend who is an official, he can write recommendations for them in the future and help them.

As for Shen Lin, he had not studied for three years, so he had no hope of passing the special examination. However, when the autumn examination came, he could at most pass the examination of a scholar, which was still far from the title of a juren.

Comparing the two, one would naturally choose to follow Wang Luosheng.

Zhou Yu and Wu Wei both felt that Shen Lin was someone worth making friends with. They had always disliked Wang Luosheng, but they couldn’t pretend. Even if Wang Luosheng really passed the imperial examination, they would not be able to please him.

Moreover, there is no way that the two of them can pass the imperial examination and leave the academy like Wang Luosheng did. They will definitely have to study for a few more years, and Shen Lin will definitely have to study for a few more years as well. Wouldn’t it be nice for them to be classmates happily together?

So, when the get-out of class was over, Zhou Yu and Wu Wei went to comfort Shen Lin.

Wang Luosheng was lying on his bed at home, thinking that things had been too bad and unlucky recently, and today was so embarrassing that he didn’t even want to go to the academy.

If there was anything that could resolve his embarrassment, it would be to get engaged to Yang Yunyan. Yang Yunyan was the girl that all the young men in Qingyun County liked. To get engaged to Yang Yunyan would naturally be a matter of face.

Moreover, the only way to resolve his current predicament is to get engaged to Yang Yunyan.

Wang Luosheng was just thinking about this when he saw Yang Yunyan coming to see him with a basket. Yang Yunyan asked about Wang Luosheng’s injuries with concern. Wang Luosheng took the opportunity to tell Yang Yunyan that he would go to the Yang family to propose marriage tomorrow.

Through Wang Luosheng’s academic performance in school over the years, Yang Yunyan could see that Wang Luosheng was a man with a bright future. Yang Yunyan had always been a little worried that Wang Luosheng would change his mind if he passed the high school entrance examination.

If she gets engaged or even married to him before he passes the imperial examination, there will be no such danger. In this way, no matter he passes the imperial examination or becomes a juren or jinshi, even if he comes in first place in the imperial examination, she will be his wife.

Yang Yunyan shyly agreed.

Wang Luosheng also told Yang Yunyan that his parents were too conservative and had always disagreed to move the family to Qingyun County. If they were engaged, could Yang Yunyan lend him some money to rent a house in Qingyun County? He traveled back and forth between Qingyun County and Qingshi Village every day, which was a waste of time and affected his studies.

Wang Luosheng asked to borrow money. Yang Yunyan felt a little uncomfortable and complained about the old-fashioned and shortsightedness of Wang Luosheng’s parents. But after all, this was about Wang Luosheng’s future, and naturally also about her own future. She couldn’t care about the gains and losses at the moment.

Yang Yunyan agreed, and after the engagement, she lent money to Wang Luosheng to rent a house.

Wang Luosheng had already made up his mind to rent a house near the academy.