Chapter 32: Bringing Glory to the Ancestors

When he thought about his three disciples sweeping the top three places, Fang Jifan felt his body lighten up.

He turned around and saw Ouyang Zhi and the other two looking utterly astonished themselves. Once, they had been the most ordinary of scholars, but today… they brought glory to their ancestors.

Thump…

Amidst the noisy crowd, Ouyang Zhi unhesitatingly knelt down first, tears welling up in his eyes.

Jiang Chen and Liu Wenshan also knelt down one after another. “Thank you, Esteemed Mentor, for your guidance!”

The strangest thing today was that no one paid attention to the first-place Jieyuan or the second and third-place Provincial Graduates anymore. Instead, everyone stared intently at Fang Jifan!

What was a Jieyuan compared to this? This Capital ruffian had actually cultivated three exam masters, and they were the best of the best!

Fang Jifan closed his Xiangfei Bamboo Fan. Facing countless gazes filled with both doubt and envy, he remembered Wang Jianren. He slowly walked up to Wang Jianren and said, “Brother Jianren…”

Wang Jianren stared at him, dumbfounded. He still couldn’t quite accept the reality of what had just happened. Although he had earlier said he might have slipped up and only gotten second place, he had actually felt confident about taking the top spot this time. Who would have thought… he ended up sixth.

That was bad enough, but what he found most unbearable was that the top three spots were taken by Ouyang Zhi and the other two, whom he had always looked down upon as the worst students.

His heart… ached… so much!

Fang Jifan, for once, dropped his usual joking demeanor. He patted Wang Jianren on the shoulder and said thoughtfully, “Brother Jianren, just as you said earlier, exams aren’t always about knowledge. In the end, luck plays a part. If luck isn’t on your side and you slip up, it happens. As for my three unworthy disciples, ha… haha… wait a moment, let me first laugh in triumph. Hahahaha…” Fang Jifan couldn’t help but double over with laughter before barely managing to control himself. Then, still chuckling, he added, “My three unworthy disciples were fortunate enough to benefit from your kind words earlier, Brother Jianren. Just a bit of luck, don’t mind it, don’t mind it. Next time, work harder! I believe in you; you can do it!”

Every word Wang Jianren heard grated on his ears. He staggered, nearly losing his balance again. Suddenly, as if remembering something, he burst out angrily, “You… you cheated! You must have cheated! If not for cheating, how could Ouyang Zhi and those other good-for-nothings have become Jieyuan and taken second and third place? Yes, this is fraud!”

It seemed he had grasped at a lifeline. Many of the failed scholars around him also perked up, as if they saw a glimmer of hope.

Failed scholars loved rumors of cheating the most. After all, it at least proved that it wasn’t their own lack of ability, but that there were bad people in the examination hall!

If Wang Jianren hadn’t said anything, it might have been fine, but his words only angered Fang Jifan. So Fang Jifan sneered, “How dare you! Cheating? If it was cheating, who leaked the questions? The one presiding over the Provincial Examination was His Excellency Wang Ao, the Vice Minister of Personnel. Are you implying that you want to accuse His Excellency Wang of fraud?”

“…” Wang Jianren instinctively took a sharp step back as if struck by lightning.

That’s right. The chief examiner for the Provincial Examination was none other than His Excellency Wang, known for his integrity and honesty. His Excellency Wang was the Emperor’s teacher, the Minister of Personnel, respected by everyone in the world, and a man who was halfway into the Grand Secretariat, on his way to becoming Chief Minister.

If it had been like the Provincial Examinations in other provinces, where the Education Commissioner presided, he might still have been able to cry foul. But to slander Wang Ao, accusing him of colluding with Fang Jifan to create an examination fraud case—that was asking for death.

The light in Wang Jianren’s eyes instantly died. In the end, he could no longer bear it and slumped to the ground with a thud.

Those failed scholars who had hoped to turn things around by hyping up cheating became disheartened again. Any examiner in the world might cheat, but Lord Wang? Absolutely impossible.

The common folk were already in an uproar.

At the Five Chief Military Commissions, Fang Jinglong, who was on duty, was approached by Brocade Guard commandants.

Seeing the Brocade Guard, Fang Jinglong was immediately startled. Could it be… had his son gotten into trouble again? He suddenly felt a tightness in his chest.

The commanders and generals of the Five Chief Military Commissions were all Imperial Relatives, hereditary nobles. Especially while on duty, to have an Arrest Warrant delivered—who would believe it wasn’t on orders from the very top?

So when the Brocade Guard’s summons arrived outside, the Military Governor’s Office burst into commotion.

They were asking for Nanhe Bo, Fang Jinglong, by name. What had happened?

The Duke of Yingguo, Zhang Mao, was also on duty today. Hearing the disturbance, his face turned pale. Something was wrong, something big. The Brocade Guard personally came to deliver an Arrest Warrant to take someone away. Even though Zhang Mao, as the Duke of Yingguo, usually looked down on the Brocade Guard, when they were carrying out official duties, they had the Emperor behind them.

Thinking this, Zhang Mao felt the situation was serious.

Actually, he had been quite annoyed with Old Fang these past few days. That shameless old thing kept wanting him to act as a matchmaker, and even bluntly said that His Majesty still had an unmarried daughter. Zhang Mao found it grating and simply kept his distance from Fang Jinglong. If he couldn’t deal with him, he could at least avoid him.

But today, with such a big incident, as an old friend, Zhang Mao felt he couldn’t just stand by.

Zhang Mao hurried to Fang Jinglong’s Official Chamber and found Fang Jinglong sitting there with an ashen face. The Brocade Guard commandants hadn’t entered the room yet. Zhang Mao went straight up to him and blurted out, “Old Fang, what have you done?”

Fang Jinglong was also terrified. “Probably… my son has done something…” As he spoke, tears fell with a patter. “I only have this one son… just this one son…”

Hearing him ramble on like this, Zhang Mao let out a long sigh. “I recall something now. A few days ago, Grand Secretary Xie lost his temper in front of His Majesty, saying that Fang Jifan was harming Scholars. Did that really happen? It seems the Censors also submitted impeachments. Could it be because of this that His Majesty…”

Fang Jinglong shuddered. “Just causing trouble for a few Scholars, and it’s this serious?”

Zhang Mao suddenly understood the reason. Most likely, Fang Jinglong, as the father, not only failed to stop it but became an accomplice. Zhang Mao said angrily, “You, you old fool! His Majesty is kind-hearted. Since ascending the throne, he has especially treated Scholars well. This matter could be big or small. At its smallest, it’s just a child’s mischief. But at its biggest, it’s the descendant of a noble family insulting the disciples of the Sage. This is bad. It’s probably because of this that they’ve come. Old Fang, you need to be mentally prepared. What did I say all along? What did I say all along? Sons need to be beaten, especially an unfilial son like Jifan. Back then, I wanted to beat him myself. If he were my son, would I let him get away with climbing on the roof and tearing off tiles?”

Just then, hurried footsteps came from outside. Zhang Mao put away his angry expression. Now that Old Fang was in trouble, he couldn’t stand by. If the Brocade Guard dared to use force, humph, he, the Duke of Yingguo, was not someone to be trifled with.

So he put on a stern face. When the lead Brocade Guard Bai Hu entered, the Bai Hu immediately bowed upon seeing the Duke of Yingguo. “Greetings, Duke of Yingguo.” Then he glanced at Fang Jinglong with a complicated expression. “Greetings, Nanhe Bo.”

“What is the matter?” Zhang Mao demanded sharply.

The Bai Hu was startled. He saw Zhang Mao’s murderous gaze fixed on him, as if warning him to be careful.

The Bai Hu hurriedly said, “Something… something has happened.”

Hearing that something had happened… the Duty Room was instantly filled with a tense atmosphere.

“What happened?”

The Bai Hu said, “Just half an hour ago, many suspicious people were loitering near the Fang Family’s old residence. Clearly, they were heading for the Fang Family’s ancestral graves. The Brocade Guard commandants at the Eastern City Thousand-Household Office found out and felt the situation was serious, so they reported it immediately. I also thought the matter was not simple and feared a major incident, so I came specially to report to Earl Fang. Please be very careful, My Lord.”

Ancestral… graves…