Chapter 80: A Great Mentor Produces Outstanding Disciples

The first sentence, ‘My name is Fang Jifan,’ made the Chief Constable’s legs go a bit weak. His face showed a mix of emotions.

But the second sentence, ‘My father is called Fang Jinglong,’ finally made the Chief Constable lose all strength to stand. With a thud, he knelt.

And the more frightening part was the third sentence, ‘What is your name?’

He trembled with fear. He was just a minor Chief Constable, with no rank or status, while the person before him was the Heir of an Earl. His father worked at the Five Chief Military Commissions, and many nobles had connections with the Nanhe Bo family.

His face seemed to flush with blood, and he spoke with difficulty, “I… I am Zhang Chong.”

“Oh.” Fang Jifan nodded indifferently, his eyes narrowing to slits. “How many people are in your family?”

“…” Zhang Chong trembled even more violently, shaking like a sieve, scared to death.

“I… I have the elderly above… and the young below…”

Fang Jifan nodded, not pressing further. “You saw it just now, right? That scholar named Tang Yin actually hit me in public…”

Zhang Chong cautiously looked up, glancing at Tang Yin lying motionless not far away, and then at Fang Jifan, who was smoothing out the wrinkles on his clothes. He said with difficulty, “I… I saw it. I will arrest him right away. This… this is outrageous! Under the watchful eyes of the Son of Heaven, in broad daylight, someone dares to strike the Young Lord. It is my fault for failing my duty. I will—”

“Forget it.” Fang Jifan waved his hand magnanimously. “I plan to forgive him. Let’s not hold this against him. He’s young, after all, and prone to impulsiveness. Should I ruin his future just because he hit me?”

Zhang Chong immediately said, “Young Lord, your kindness knows no bounds. I am filled with admiration.”

Fang Jifan pursed his lips. “Deng Jian.”

Deng Jian was still rolling up his sleeves, as if not yet satisfied, glaring angrily at Tang Yin on the ground. But upon hearing Fang Jifan’s call, he immediately put on a sycophantic smile. “I am here.”

Fang Jifan said, “Find a good doctor to treat his injuries. We will pay for it. Our Fang Family is one that values reason. We cannot repay violence with violence just because someone hit us.”

“Young Lord…”

Fang Jifan glared at him.

Deng Jian immediately fell silent and said hurriedly, “I understand.”

“And one more thing!” Fang Jifan pointed at the Laifu Inn. “From now on, have someone keep a close watch on this place. Anyone who associates with this Tang Yin is looking down on me, Fang Jifan.”

“Yes, yes.”

The legal matters that followed were naturally handled by Deng Jian and the Chief Constable. Fang Jifan did not need to worry about that.

Tang Bohu was a Jieyuan and held the Imperial Examination Degree of Provincial Graduate. If an ordinary person messed with him, it would surely bring huge trouble. Fortunately, Fang Jifan was no ordinary person. Of course, the most important thing was that this would be a messy case because Fang Jifan could guarantee that no one would step forward to testify against him.

Doing good deeds and accumulating virtue was truly not easy…

Fang Jifan suddenly realized that since his transmigration, his tendency to tear up had increased. In his previous life, he had been buried in books, unaware of the passage of time. Now, he experienced the glamour of life, yet he remained unchanged in his original intentions. A life of wealth had not altered his aspirations or his pure and steadfast resolve.

Hah… the corners of his eyes were a bit moist. But to the Chief Constable and Deng Jian, this good-for-nothing was incredibly frightening. Even his manner of walking carried an eerie and unpredictable terror.

This figure vanished into the darkness.

Then, the normal procedures followed. The Chief Constable directed his men to carry Tang Yin back to the inn. The Chief Constable was quite diligent, entering the inn to investigate the situation and questioning passersby. However, the results he got were largely the same.

‘I don’t know, I didn’t see anything, oh, Jieyuan Tang hit someone?’

No one dared to speak out boldly about such matters, and everyone knew better than to get involved—the risks were too high. Even if some sympathized with Jieyuan Tang, what could they do?

The Chief Constable had people sign confessions and then went through the motions of an investigation. He seemed to have a bit of sympathy and couldn’t help but check on Tang Yin.

Although Tang Yin’s injuries looked terrifying, the doctor who examined him breathed a sigh of relief. Most were superficial wounds, like his face, which had been beaten to a pulp—to the point where Tang Yin’s own mother probably wouldn’t recognize him.

Aside from that, his leg was fractured. Without two or three months, he probably wouldn’t be able to walk.

The doctor felt assured that there was no life-threatening danger and couldn’t help but sigh. “This is luck. It’s the virtue of Jieyuan Tang’s ancestors. Otherwise… even if he didn’t die, he might have suffered lasting effects.”

Tang Yin wanted to die. Beaten up like this, and you tell me it’s because of his ancestors’ virtue? If Tang Bohu could get up, he would probably strangle this quack doctor.

The Chief Constable watched from the side, feeling a pang of sympathy. Looking at Tang Bohu lying on the sickbed, he sighed. “Jieyuan Tang, since it’s not serious, that’s good. As for who was right or wrong today, there’s no conclusion yet. But that’s how things often are in this world. That Fang Jifan, after all, comes from a powerful family. Jieyuan Tang, you should swallow your anger for now, rest well, and let this matter drop.”

As soon as the Chief Constable said this, he realized he had spoken out of turn.

Tang Yin’s lips quivered. Initially, he had little strength to speak, and the occasional sounds he made were unclear. But upon hearing the Chief Constable’s words, he became enraged. Somehow, he found the strength and roared, “No, no… cough… cough… I, Tang Yin, will never let that scoundrel succeed. I will never let him win! I… I will surely top the rankings this time and crush his three disciples… all of them… cough… cough…”

The doctor was startled and quickly tried to calm him down.

Fang Jifan was a man of intelligence, even though everyone thought he was reckless and foolishly impulsive.

This matter would not be easily settled, especially since the victim was a Jieyuan. The official judgment would be straightforward, but what he feared was stirring public anger. However, Fang Jifan was doing a good deed; why should he care so much?

Given that, Fang Jifan played a little trick.

A bet!

A bet on the results of this Imperial Examination.

Human nature is like that. If it were just a case of a fight, those who were dissatisfied would surely raise their voices, and there was no guarantee it wouldn’t cause trouble.

But once a bet was made, and it was related to the Imperial Examination, then surely many people, while angry, would also hope to vent their dissatisfaction through this bet.

Indeed, the scholars in the Capital were already in an uproar. Rumors spread like wildfire—Tang Yin was beaten, or Tang Yin beat the good-for-nothing Fang Jifan. Although, given Fang Jifan’s reputation among the scholars… well, the so-called controversy was mostly one-sided cursing, accusing him of bullying others with his influence.

However, despite the outrage on behalf of Jieyuan Tang, few scholars actually caused trouble. Almost everyone… was looking forward to… this Spring Imperial Examination, hoping to see how Jieyuan Tang would crush Fang Jifan’s three disciples underfoot and vent their anger.

In fact… almost everyone had full confidence in Jieyuan Tang.

Tang Yin was the Jieyuan of the Southern Metropolitan Region, while Fang Jifan’s three disciples, though quite capable, had Ouyang Zhi as the best among them, who was the Jieyuan of Shuntian Prefecture.

On the surface, they were both Jieyuan, but in reality, the gap was enormous.

Yingtian Prefecture was famously the land of examination masters. Even a failed Xiucai from there could easily become a Provincial Graduate if placed in the north. Therefore, Tang Yin, who topped the Southern Metropolitan Region, became famous throughout the world, while Ouyang Zhi, who topped the Northern Zhili, was just like the other provincial Jieyuan, indistinguishable from the masses.

Since the time of Emperor Xuanzong, the Great Ming’s Metropolitan Examination had implemented the North-South ranking system. Initially, southern and northern scholars took separate exams. However, in recent years, due to changes in circumstances, to accommodate scholars from various provinces taking the exam, in the ninth year of Hongzhi, the Emperor decreed that the northern and southern Metropolitan Examinations would be held together in February, though the exam papers were different, and the questions varied as well.

This gave Ouyang Zhi and the other two a slight advantage, as the northern exam papers tended to be “easier.”

But even so, the ranking in the Metropolitan Examination was still determined by the quality of the essays. Northerners had a higher chance of being selected, but to surpass the exam masters led by Tang Yin was, in the eyes of the world, nothing short of a fantasy. Just passing as a Metropolitan Graduate would be considered a virtue accumulated by their ancestors.

As for the rumors outside, Fang Jifan naturally turned a blind eye. The snow stopped for a few days, then began to fall heavily again. In the Fang family’s Study.

Fang Jifan knelt on the ground, his expression solemn.

His three disciples, wearing scholar’s scarves and Confucian robes, also appeared exceptionally serious.

Fang Jifan’s lips moved slightly. “Have you heard the rumors outside?”

Ouyang Zhi’s face was expressionless. He only nodded slightly.

Was it strange?

No.

It was just beating up Jieyuan Tang, almost breaking his leg. It was just making a bet that if he won, Tang Yin would also become a disciple of the Esteemed Mentor, and if he lost… then he would strangle me, Ouyang Zhi? What of it? What did it matter? What great storms had I, Ouyang Zhi, not weathered?

Not a ripple showed on Ouyang Zhi’s face. He remained calm in the face of change!

This actually aligned with the principle of survival of the fittest. People could mutate. If they didn’t mutate, they would be eliminated. Just like the formerly simple Ouyang Zhi, who initially felt shock, unease, anxiety, and a mix of emotions upon seeing his Mentor’s absurd actions. But after ‘learning’ beside his Mentor, if he didn’t mutate, the constant shocks would be unbearable for anyone. So, gradually, he grew accustomed to it. He had even started to feel uncomfortable with a calm life. In the Fang Family, if several days passed without any major events, he would instead feel shocked, anxious, uneasy, and even fall ill with worry.

So, the Esteemed Mentor beat someone up and made a bet? Oh, just a small matter like that? Noted…

Fang Jifan looked at Ouyang Zhi and couldn’t help but feel a surge of admiration. This kid remained unshaken in the face of great change, not even flinching if Mount Tai collapsed before him. He had great potential.