Top Scholar

Chapter 428 I Won't Board the Emperor's Ship

After several rounds of drinks, Su Lu gazed at the bright lights and bustling activity outside the cabin and asked softly:

"Brother Bohu, it's been nine years since the examination scandal, and people have spread many rumors, greatly tarnishing your reputation. Haven't you thought about submitting a memorial to defend yourself?"

"Alas..." Tang Bohu tilted his head back and drank the wine in his cup to the last drop, then sighed heavily: "It's not that I don't want to argue, but that I can't."

"The details of this case are intricate and bizarre, like a fable. Let me tell you the whole story from the beginning, my dear brother, so that you may learn from it and not repeat my mistakes!" He looked at Su Lu with his deep, pool-like eyes, his voice full of regret and helplessness.

"I'm all ears." Su Lu nodded and sat up straight.

"I was born into a merchant family in Suzhou. There were no scholars in my family, but I was born out of the family." Tang Bohu then said, "I could recognize characters at the age of five and compose essays at the age of seven. I could study the classics and historical texts on my own without the strict instruction of a teacher, and I could remember everything I read. By the age of ten, I could compose poems and couplets, and my name was known throughout Suzhou."

“We’ve known each other since we were thirteen, and I can vouch for him.” Zhu Zhishan laughed. “He passed the imperial examination at the age of sixteen with top honors and became the foremost of the Four Talented Scholars of Wu.”

"I understand." Su Lu nodded and said, "We have a genius like that in Sichuan too."

"Of course, it's right in front of us," Zhu Zhishan said with a smile.

“No, I was talking about Yang Shen,” Su Lu said.

"Oh dear, how could I have forgotten about him?" Zhu Zhishan slapped his forehead.

"Because others only remember the first place," Tang Bohu said knowingly. "That's why I only aim for first place in exams."

"Don't listen to his boasting. He only became the top scholar in the Jiangnan provincial examination at the age of twenty-nine." Zhu Zhishan bluntly exposed him, saying, "He was two examinations later than me."

"There's nothing I can do, the competition in Jiangnan is too fierce." Tang Bohu said with a wry smile, "I still rely on my talent like I did in my early years, never putting in any effort. In addition, I spend my days indulging in pleasure and hanging out with a bunch of frivolous friends, and as a result, I almost became a prodigy. Fortunately, Zhishan gave me a wake-up call, and only then did I start to study hard."

"Then he passed the imperial examination with top honors." Zhu Zhishan sighed, "People really can't be compared."

“Yes. The prestige of the Jiangnan Jieyuan (top scholar in the provincial civil service examination) is incomparable to that of our Sichuan Jieyuan.” Su Lu laughed, “It can be called the number one Jieyuan in the world.”

“We were all top scholars in the provincial examination, but none of us are more valuable than the other.” Tang Bohu shook his head and continued, “The chief examiner for my examination was Mr. Liang Houzhai. He liked my essay very much and had high expectations for me. The following year, when I went to the capital for the examination, he introduced me to the Right Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites, the famous Mr. Huangdun Cheng Minzheng, and asked him to comment on my essay.”

"When I visited Scholar Cheng, the list of examiners for the imperial examination had not yet been announced," Tang Bohu said with a wry smile. "So I was just paying my respects to this senior figure in the literary world as a matter of routine, hoping to let more people know about my writing. I never thought of using connections."

“You didn’t think of that, but others did,” Zhu Zhishan sneered. “I also took that exam. Everyone said it was Scholar Cheng’s turn to be the chief examiner. Many people went to his residence to pay their respects, and Xu Jing even offered a generous fee for his writing.”

"Yes, these were all potential dangers. If Scholar Cheng hadn't unexpectedly become the deputy chief examiner, I wouldn't have been able to save my life." Tang Bohu explained to Su Lu, "According to the rules, one can only be the chief examiner for the metropolitan examination once, but the chief examiner for that subject happened to be Grand Secretary Li. At the time, I felt unlucky, wondering why Scholar Cheng wasn't the chief examiner. Now I realize that it was actually God protecting me."

"Hmm." Su Lu nodded. If Cheng Minzheng were to become the chief examiner, the examination cheating case would certainly not be resolved easily.

"Then I went into the examination hall. That year's questions were exceptionally tricky, but I did them very smoothly. Afterwards, when I talked to others, I found that many people had done terribly, which made me even more smug." Tang Bohu tilted his head back and drank a cup of bitter wine.
"While waiting for the results to be announced, a group of us from the same hometown drank together to relax. After a few drinks, my old habit of showing off in front of my lover relapsed."

He closed his eyes, as if transported back to that banquet years ago, his tone tinged with melancholy:

"At the time, everyone was guessing who would be the top scholar in this year's imperial examination. I was drunk and blurted out: 'There's no need for you all to argue. This year's top scholar is none other than me, Tang Yin!'"

"It was this sentence that brought my good fortune to an end..." Tang Bohu opened his eyes, his gaze filled with regret.

"I was so foolish back then! I thought everyone at the dinner table was a close friend I knew well, so what was wrong with bragging a little? But I forgot that you can't judge a book by its cover. I treated others as close friends, but they treated me as a competitor. As a result, someone turned around and reported me."

“That’s right.” Zhu Zhishan nodded and said, “You’ve been in the limelight since you were sixteen. You were first in the county-level examination and first in the provincial-level examination. You stole the limelight from our generation. Many people flattered you on the surface but were secretly jealous and wished they could see you suffer a major setback.”

"Moreover, many people failed that exam, so naturally some are thinking about whether something might happen to force them to retake it," Zhu Zhishan continued. "Furthermore, what you said itself is very problematic. The provincial examination gathers the best talents from all over the country, with forty or fifty top scorers in the provincial examinations alone over the years. They all only hope to pass the imperial examinations. The results haven't been announced yet, so who dares to boast that they will definitely win the provincial examination?"

Zhu Zhishan concluded, "So it's not surprising that you were reported."

"Yes." Tang Bohu nodded emphatically, staring intently at Su Lu and said, "So, my good brother, you must take this as a warning! When you go to the capital for the imperial examination in the future, remember to keep a low profile and don't give others any ammunition against you, or you will regret it!" "I've got it." Su Lu hurriedly replied solemnly, then gave a bitter smile, "I don't even know if I'll have the chance to take the examination."

"Definitely," Tang Bohu affirmed. "Your situation is different from mine. Even if Liu Jin tries to stop you for a few years, you'll surely outlive him until he's over sixty and in his coffin."

"Hmm." Su Lu nodded, then asked, "How did the case come about later?"

"A fellow villager reported my words to the Censorate, and an imperial censor named Hua Chang seized upon it, immediately submitting a memorial impeaching me." Tang Bohu took a sip of bitter wine and said dejectedly:
"The Emperor attached great importance to this case. At that time, the review of the case files had not yet been completed. He immediately sent the Embroidered Uniform Guard to the Examination Hall to verify the information. As a result, it was found that I was indeed the proposed top scholar, and it was Scholar Cheng who strongly advocated for me to be the top scholar."

"To make matters worse, Scholar Cheng is also a big mouth. Before the exam paper was even opened, he publicly declared that it must be Tang Yin's! Now, even if it's not shit, it's still shit..."

Nine years have passed, but Tang Bohu still can't get over it. He mutters to himself, "I was so shameless, really. Why did I have to brag? Heaven even delivered the title of top scholar to my doorstep, but I blew it away, and now it's gone forever..."

"Ah, everything is fate." Zhu Zhishan poured him a glass of wine, patted him on the shoulder, and said, "Who would have thought that bragging to a fellow villager would have such serious consequences?"

"Then we were all arrested and severely tortured in the imperial prison. The Embroidered Uniform Guard discovered that I had indeed visited Scholar Cheng before the exam and given him a tael of gold," Tang Bohu said helplessly.
"These are all normal social interactions; no one can escape them. But that's just how things are in this world. Normally, it doesn't matter, but once it's brought up and weighed, you can't explain yourself no matter how hard you try."

"..." Su Lu felt a chill run down his spine. If this standard were applied, he wouldn't be able to withstand the investigation either.

The things that happened between my family and Lu Zhaoye were far more serious than those between Tang Bohu and Cheng Minzheng.

If he were to fall into Liu Jin's hands in the capital, and the Eastern Depot, Western Depot, and Embroidered Uniform Guard investigated him thoroughly, he would never be able to recover for the rest of his life.

He pulled out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat. It seemed that he absolutely couldn't go to the capital until he was absolutely certain of his safety…

"You were scared, weren't you?" Zhu Zhishan laughed when he saw this. "Don't worry, most people don't get this kind of treatment."

He scratched his head and said, "Oh right, you've offended Liu Jin, so it's really hard to say..."

"What's worse, when the Embroidered Uniform Guard interrogated Scholar Cheng's family, they discovered that a man named Xu Jing had given Scholar Cheng fifty taels of gold as a writing fee. Moreover, Xu Jing traveled to the capital with me on the same boat and even paid for all my travel expenses..." Tang Bohu, however, was so engrossed in his case that he couldn't extricate himself from it.

“Actually, his family is simply rich,” Zhu Zhishan said. “What Xu Jing sees as fifty taels is what we see as one tael. And Scholar Cheng did indeed help him guess the scope of the exam questions…”

"Now we're really in a bind." Tang Bohu finished the last of his wine, threw the cup out the window, and it sank into the dark Qinhuai River with a splash.

"So although there was no evidence of collusion to cheat, the charge of bribery was established. In the end, Scholar Cheng was forced to retire and died a disgraceful death a few years later. Hua Chang, who had made baseless accusations, was also demoted to the position of Registrar of the Court of Imperial Stud in Nanjing. Xu Jing was stripped of his academic titles, and although I retained my title of Juren (a successful candidate in the provincial examination), I was still punished with corvée labor and forbidden from ever taking the examination again. However, when the punishment was carried out, the officials took pity on me and did not force me to take the labor. That is the whole story..."

As he spoke, his gaze fell again, and his voice became low as he said, "But some people say that Xu Jing actually bribed Cheng Minzheng for far more than that amount, and Cheng did indeed reveal the exam questions to him. It's just that the late emperor, in order to preserve the authority of the imperial examination and the chief examiner, Grand Secretary Li, instructed the relevant officials to downplay the matter... It seems that everyone is more willing to believe this statement, so the label of cheater has been firmly placed on my head."

"..." Su Lu nodded slowly, looking at the red and green shimmering waves outside the window. This is what they call the power of public opinion to influence things. The truth is not as important as people think.

"Brother, I've fallen into a deep pit from which I can never climb out. You must learn from my mistake..." Tang Bohu was already showing signs of drunkenness. In fact, he hadn't drunk much, but he was intoxicated by his own state of mind, not by the wine.

"Don't drink, don't boast, don't show off in front of others, and most importantly, while you shouldn't have the heart to harm others, you must be wary of them!" After giving Su Lu these instructions again, he stood up unsteadily, walked out of the cabin, and facing the bright moon in the sky and its reflection on the Qinhuai River, he recited sadly:

"Li Bai was skilled in poetry and wine; I can drink a hundred cups and compose a thousand poems."

I am ashamed that I lack Li Bai's talent, but I believe the moon will not find me ugly.

I will not board the emperor's ship, nor will I sleep in Chang'an.

"A thatched cottage outside Suzhou, ten thousand plum blossoms under a full moon..."

P.S. The next chapter will be available tomorrow morning. Please vote with your monthly tickets!

(End of this chapter)