Jing Xingzhi’s Daily Life in Ancient Times - Chapter 71
Jing Xingzhi frowned slightly, contemplating the dispute between the two places in his mind.
The little scholar originally resided in Huanshui County; a place considered relatively peaceful. He had not encountered many disputes between Hannan Prefecture and Hanbei Prefecture. Jing Xingzhi couldn’t think of anything useful.
However, during his travels, he vaguely heard about tensions between students from Hanbei Prefecture and Hannan Prefecture. Jing Xingzhi didn’t expect such an exclusive rivalry to develop!
It seemed that staying at Hannan Prefecture for a few days was more serious than just engaging in a conflict.
Observing the determined expression on Jing Xingzhi’s face, Wu Mingrui, with some concern, pulled down his sleeve. The intention wasn’t to make Jing Xingzhi denied it but to prompt him to consider his words more tactfully.
Wu Mingrui feared that any altercation could lead to them being expelled or denounced publicly, considering the numerical advantage of the opposition.
“If only I bring Chief Fang with us, no one would dare to criticized Xingzhi.” Wu Mingrui lamented, peering outside. Unfortunately, Wang Zhuang didn’t accompany them inside, and he, himself, lacked the foresight to predict the situation.
Jing Xingzhi snorted, raised his head, and admitted, “I visited Hannan Prefecture once and stayed for a month and a half.”
When the young man heard this, a glimmer of light flashed in his eyes.
He then accused in a loud voice, “You’ve admitted it yourself; what else can you say? Our officials from Hanbei Prefecture are squeezed out by Hannan Prefecture in court, robbed of promotion opportunities. Our students from Hanbei Prefecture are also mistreated, looked down and insulted by those from Hannan Prefecture. The dispute between the two prefectures is fierce. You, being from Hanbei Prefecture, chose to study with Prefect Chen in Hannan Prefecture just before the exam. It’s a disregard for Chief Fang’s long and tiring lessons! You’ve abandoned the students of Hanbei Prefecture, showing no regard for their reputation.”
Jing Xingzhi regretted coming to Taibai Tower and argued, “Brother, this is wrong! You only know that I went to Hannan Prefecture, but you don’t know that I have never entered an academy or set foot in any bookstore in Hannan Prefecture.”
He raised his voice, redirecting the question, “Do people from Hanbei Prefecture couldn’t go to Hannan Prefecture? Is this the new norm?”
The young man provoking them fell silent, but other person replied, “When you’re about to take the exam, instead of studying in seclusion, you still traveled outside. Did you go to Hannan Prefecture to beg for knowledge, forsaking the kindness of your own homeland?”
Wu Mingrui hesitated, aware that his friend was only went there to study the government, but the it was hard to convince others who believed otherwise.
Jing Xingzhi observed the new people standing up and keeping an eye on everyone present.
He knew that the real villain was among these people. If he found out someone with weird expressions or behaviors, he could follow the clues and uncover the real culprit intending to harm him.
Jing Xingzhi raised his eyelids helplessly and admitted, “I didn’t go to beg for knowledge.”
However, the others didn’t believe him and laughed mockingly, accusing Jing Xingzhi of sophistry in low voices.
Wu Mingrui had a headache upon hearing this, but he believed in Jing Xingzhi’s honesty. His friend was upright and wouldn’t bother to lie, especially to these shallow individuals.
Wu Mingrui vouched for Jing Xingzhi: “Xingzhi went to Hannan Prefecture to learn about government affairs insights. Haven’t you all seen it before?! Sharing knowledge with juniors is common practice among capable officials.”
Even Wu Mingrui himself had visited the county government in Huanshui County. That experience highlighted the stark contrast between officials and the common people, revealing things he had read in books but didn’t fully understand.
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After hearing Wu Mingrui’s words, many people had expressions of sudden realization, clearly believing him. They, too, visited government offices elsewhere to broaden their “knowledge.”
The person with a deceitful face stood up, unwilling to back down. He argued, “Who are you to deceive? The exams are approaching. You can’t spend two months staying inside and studying. Why bother taking the exam to test your knowledge if you like to travel around? You might as well go home and sell sweet potatoes!”
The people who stood up interjected when they noticed the skeptical expression on the first young man’s face, attempting to manipulate opinions and sowing discord.
“I went in May and came back in June. It’s now August. Did all of you study hard day and night during May and June? Did you focus all your attention on your real work? Do you really stay all alone in your house for a whole two months? Even if you are struggling with something, you would still try to be here to take the exam.”
For many people, their backgrounds were not simple, but going to the county or government offices was just a coping mechanism; they had no intention of learning anything. What was the use of memorizing this year’s harvest and next year’s harvest? It was not on the test, anyway!
Thinking about taking office in the future, the family would naturally arrange for a useful teacher to help with lessons, so there was no need for them to worry.
Many people actually thought what Jing Xingzhi said was reasonable, but there were some people who still didn’t agree.
“I went out last year and stayed only five days. In May and June, I never left the academy!”
“In May and June, I read every day until midnight, fearing that time would pass too fast. I have never left my house.”
“You two are familiar with each other, so you must be trying to deceive us!”, while everyone was pointing fingers, someone from Huanshui Academy argued in a low voice, saying that Jing Xingzhi really wanted to gain experience. Contrary to what they believe, but most people didn’t buy it!
Unless Jing Xingzhi could produce evidence, his innocence couldn’t be proven. But this was based on nothing, and it would take many witnesses to prove it.
But Jing Xingzhi laughed inwardly: ‘He didn’t do anything wrong; it’s useless to prove it!’