I'm coming clean: I'm the reincarnation of the God of Literature.

After the first exam on classical texts was completed, the examination hall doors were opened.

The candidates, looking like wilted eggplants, leaned against the wall as they walked out.

When Gu Ci came out, he seemed to be in good spirits.

The stench was nothing to him, a professor who had explored ancient tombs in his previous life.

He received a pass to store his clothes at the entrance of the examination hall and was about to look for his brother and Qingya when he noticed something was off.

The area outside the examination hall is usually the most bustling place.

There were people picking up test takers, vendors selling snacks, and people shouting and yelling.

But today, a crowd had gathered around the Gu family's carriage.

Gu Ci's eyelid twitched.

Instead of rushing over, he slipped into the shadows of a nearby stall selling sesame cakes and pricked up his ears.

In the middle of the crowd, Gu Ang stood like an enraged lion, veins bulging on his forehead, his hand gripping the whistle he usually used to carry luggage with a cracking sound.

Standing opposite him was a man with a pointed mouth and monkey-like face, dressed in silk, but the silk looked stolen on him.

"Young Master Gu, getting angry at me won't help."

The man gave a forced smile, tapping his palm with a folding fan. "This news was sent urgently from Qinghe County. Your old man, Master Gu Mingzhe, is quite famous now."

"Bullshit!"

Gu Ang roared, making everyone around him's ears ring, "My father teaches and nurtures people, adhering to the sacred way, how could he possibly spread heresy!"

The man wasn't annoyed; instead, he raised his voice several octaves, as if afraid the surrounding examinees wouldn't hear: "Whether it's heresy or not, the county government will decide. I've heard someone report that Master Gu privately altered the textbooks, completely changing the words of the sages, and even inciting children to disrespect their rulers and fathers."

"Tsk tsk, if this charge is proven true, at best he'll be stripped of his official rank, at worst he'll be exiled three thousand miles away."

An uproar erupted around them.

The students who were just discussing the exam questions all turned their attention to this.

"Tampering with textbooks without permission? That's a huge taboo!"

"If it's true, then the Gu family is finished. The father's moral character is flawed, and his son's path to the imperial examinations is also over."

"What a waste of Gu Ci's reputation as a child prodigy."

Gu Ang's eyes were bloodshot, and his chest heaved violently. He was a rough man who didn't understand those intricate details, but he knew one thing: someone was targeting the Gu family.

"I want to go back."

Gu Ang gritted his teeth, turned around to untie the carriage reins, and said, "I'm going back to Qinghe right now!"

A smug glint flashed in the eyes of the weasel-faced man, but he feigned concern and offered advice:

"It's time to go back. If we're too late, we might not even see him one last time. I heard that the county magistrate couldn't withstand the pressure and has already thrown Master Gu into prison."

That's just adding fuel to the fire.

The string of reason in Gu Ang's mind snapped with a loud crack.

His parents are suffering in their hometown, and if he, as the eldest son, is still enjoying a life of luxury in the provincial capital, how can he be considered a human being?

Just as Gu Ang was about to harness the carriage, a hand pressed down on his wrist.

His hands were small, even a little cold, but his strength was frighteningly steady.

"Brother, tie the horse back up."

Gu Ang turned around abruptly and saw Gu Ci standing behind him.

There was no panic on that tender little face; it was as calm as a stagnant pool.

"Ci'er! Something's happened to your father!"

"That bastard said Dad's been arrested! I have to go back and save Dad!"

Ignoring her brother's anxiety, Gu Ci turned to look at the man with the pointed mouth and monkey-like face.

The man felt inexplicably uneasy under Gu Ci's gaze.

"Are you from the Zhu family?"

Gu Ci spoke, his voice not loud, but it carried a chill.

The man paused for a moment, then chuckled and said, "What Zhu family or Niu family? I came here out of kindness to deliver a message..."

"A messenger? Qinghe County is three hundred li away by waterway. How come the news of my father's accident arrived faster than the official report? Did your letter grow wings, or was it already written and waiting to be read?"

The man's face stiffened, and he was about to make a fuss, but Gu Ci didn't give him a chance at all.

"Go back and tell your master." Gu Ci stared into the man's eyes, "This kind of 'besieging Wei to rescue Zhao' tactic is too lame. Trying to distract me? Trying to lure my brother away? Dream on."

After saying that, Gu Ci turned to Gu Ang and said, "Brother, get in the car."

Gu Ang was still struggling: "But Father..."

"Dad is alright."

Gu Ci's voice turned stern. "Magistrate Wang is a clever man, and also a businessman. He will absolutely not lay a finger on my father before the results of my provincial examination are out. In fact, to curry favor with the princess, he will protect my father very well."

"This person is deliberately trying to provoke you into leaving."

Gu Ci pointed at the man, "After you leave, the Gu family is truly finished."

Gu Ang's body jolted, and his mind finally came to its senses.

He looked at the man, and the anger in his eyes instantly turned into murderous intent.

Seeing that things were not going well, the man shrank back and slipped into the crowd.

Back to Tingtao Garden.

As soon as Gu Ci closed the door, the calmness on his face vanished, replaced by a chilling gloom.

He walked to his desk, picked up his pen, and wrote a letter; the handwriting was messy and sharp.

"Qingya, have someone send this letter back to your father."

Gu Ci handed the letter to Wang Qingya, who hadn't dared to speak yet. "Tell your father in the letter that he must find out who reported you. No matter who's behind it, keep an eye on the person who reported you for me."

Wang Qingya took the letter and nodded heavily.

Although she was young, she understood that someone wanted to cut off the Gu family's livelihood.

Gu Ang sat in the chair, his fists clenched so tightly they turned white, his nails digging into his flesh.

"Ci'er, I know you're trying to calm me down."

Gu Ang's voice was hoarse, "But Father has been wronged, and I, as his son, am just supposed to stand here and watch?"

Gu Ci walked up to his brother and patted his broad shoulder.

"Brother, we can't just stand by and watch."

"Since they've extended their reach to their hometown, it means they're getting desperate in the provincial capital. And when they're desperate, they'll slip up."

"The person who reported Dad must be from the village. The only one who could be bribed by the Zhu family is that old man Gu who's always been jealous of our family."

"But just dealing with Gu Laosan isn't enough. We need to chop off the hand that gave him the money."

Gu Ci looked at Gu Ang, his tone icy.

"Brother, haven't you always wanted to help me share my burdens?"

"I need you to do something for me tonight."

……

Qinghe County, the Gu family's old residence.

Lin was sitting in the main room wiping away tears.

Outside the courtyard, several yamen runners, though not entering, guarded both the front and back gates, ostensibly under house arrest, but in reality for protection.

The village chief, along with several clan elders, pleaded with the yamen runners at the gate, but the runners looked helpless.

"Sister-in-law, don't cry."

Wang Ermazi from next door shouted over the wall, "Everyone in the village believes Master Gu! That Gu Laosan is a beast! He's always stealing chickens and dogs, and this time he actually framed a clansman for a few stinking dollars. Once this is over, I'll skin him alive!"

Lin wiped away her tears and looked at the long gown that Gu Mingzhe cherished most, which was hanging on the wall.

She didn't understand any grand principles, but she knew that her husband was a good man, a good man who had become foolish from studying too much.

"Master..."

Lin muttered to herself, "You have to hold on. Ci'er is still taking his exams; we can't cause him any trouble."

The back hall of the county government office.

Wang Chengen paced around the room with his hands behind his back, so anxious he felt like he was going to pull out his beard.

"The Zhu family is practically putting me on the hot seat!"

Wang Chengen cursed, "On one side are the powerful and influential people of the capital, and on the other are a future child prodigy and a princess. This case is unpredictable—to try it or not to try it!"

The clerk cautiously served tea, saying, "Sir, could we stall for time?"

"Delay?" Wang Chengen sneered. "The Zhu family is pressuring me like it's my life, demanding that I convict them immediately. They say that if I convict them, Gu Ci's scholar title will be revoked, and this provincial examination will be invalidated."

"Then... conviction?"

"Book my ass!"

Wang Chengen slammed his hand on the table. "Do you think Gu Ci is dead? That kid was only eight years old when he managed to exile Zhang Yan three thousand miles away, and now he has Princess Yong'an backing him. If he passes the imperial examination this time, the first thing he'll do when he gets back is deal with me!"

Wang Chengen took a deep breath and forced himself to calm down.

"Go and keep an eye on that bastard Gu Laosan. Don't let him die, and don't let him say anything out of line."

"Also, send a letter to the provincial capital. Tell Qingya to find a way to let Gu Ci know that I am doing my best to mediate so that he can focus on his exams."

Wang Chengen looked at the night outside the window with a complicated expression.

"This is a huge gamble. Gu Ci, you mustn't let this old man down."

......

In the provincial capital, the rain fell even harder at night than during the day.

The rain seemed intent on flooding the entire Jiangzhou Prefecture, pounding against the eaves and making a racket that was incredibly annoying.

Gu Ang did not use an umbrella.

He changed into a black short-sleeved shirt, which Coach Wei had given him, saying it would make it easier to move around.

His head was wrapped in a black cloth, revealing only a pair of wild, beast-like eyes.

He stood at the foot of the wall of a villa in the west of the city, rainwater streaming down his cheeks and into his mouth, carrying an earthy taste.

This is a private property of the Zhu family in Jiangzhou Prefecture.

The man with the pointed face and monkey-like features who entered this courtyard during the day.

Gu Ang was not a great hero, nor did he aspire to be one.

He came from a farming background, and only learned martial arts for a few days to protect his younger brother.

But he remembered his brother saying, "Reasoning is for those who can understand it. For those who can't, fists are the ultimate truth."

The Zhu family's actions against his father are simply unreasonable.

Then he stopped talking.

Gu Ang took a deep breath, his leg muscles strained, and he leaped onto the wall like a giant gecko.