Chapter Thirty: Public Indignation

An Xiaowei’s smile bloomed like a flower. She looked at Chen Xiaofu’s handsome face and said, "You came in first!"

Chen Xiaofu rubbed his nose and curled his lip. "So what if I'm first? There’s no silver reward, and it’ll likely just bring a barrage of insults."

Before his voice had even faded, the sound of a brewing commotion by the Willow Pond drifted in on the wind.

"Chen Xiaofu is first?"
"That illegitimate son from the Huaxi Villa?"
"Did I hear that right? Isn't Chen Xiaofu practically illiterate? He got first place? How is that possible?"
"It’s definitely him! He was the one who beat up that boy blocking the path at the academy square this morning."
"Oh, right, I remember he said he was going to the library."
"Pah! He’s illiterate—what kind of books could he possibly read?"

A young man spoke up, filled with righteous indignation, "I, Sun Lin, guarantee you all that Chen Xiaofu doesn't know more than fifty characters!"

"A couplet competition? He probably can't even recognize the characters in the first half, let alone come up with a response!"
"He got first? This is an absolute joke!"
"If he can produce a single coherent second line, I, Sun Lin, will kneel and kowtow three times to him in front of all of you!"
"He cheated! He must have cheated!"
"I want to lodge a protest!"

The crowd grew restless, and many students raised their hands, chanting protests and loudly accusing Chen Xiaofu of cheating.

An Xiaowei’s expression turned cold. "This is unbearable. These people are lying through their teeth. I have to go and clear your name!"

Chen Xiaofu reached out and took her hand. He didn't look back, leading her toward the guest quarters. "There is no need to clear my name."

"When the world slanders me, bullies me, insults me, laughs at me, slights me, demeans me, hates me, or deceives me, how should I deal with it?" An Xiaowei looked up at him.

Chen Xiaofu smiled slightly. "You simply endure it, yield to it, let it be, avoid it, tolerate it, respect it, ignore it, and wait a few years. Then, just watch what happens to them."

The anger in An Xiaowei’s eyes vanished. She sensed the profound wisdom in those words and looked at him with tenderness. Yet, she still asked, unwilling to let it go, "But what if the situation becomes truly unbearable?"

Chen Xiaofu replied, "Then you don't have to endure it anymore."

"Isn't that contradictory?"

"It’s not. Let me put it this way: If a dog or a pack of dogs just stares at me and barks, let them bark. I can't very well bark back; they wouldn't understand anyway. Once I walk far enough away, they will naturally quiet down. If I get bitten by a dog, I certainly won't bite back, because I am not a dog. But I will definitely kill it and stew it into a pot of dog meat."

"So, it’s a matter of limits. They are criticizing me by the Willow Pond, but it is they who are getting angry; why should I lower myself to their level? If I go to explain... let me tell you, they have already subjectively decided that I cheated. Even if I had eight mouths, I couldn't argue with them. They would subject us to all sorts of interrogations, and then we could forget about returning to Huaxi Villa. Out of sight, out of mind. I’ll leave this trouble to the Great Scholar Xu and my teacher, Old Master Jiang—it’s enough to give them a headache."

It wasn't just Xu Zizhou and Jiang Yuzheng who had headaches; Magistrate Lu and Academic Commissioner Huang were also struggling. The students were bordering on madness, going so far as to claim open corruption—how could Chen Xiaofu’s response be judged if the time limit of an incense stick had already passed? Everyone in Lin'an City knew what kind of person Chen Xiaofu was. It was one thing for the Great Scholar Xu to be ignorant of this, having come from the Qi State, but surely Old Master Jiang, Dean Li, and Commissioner Huang knew better? Especially you, Old Master Jiang—you tutored him for three years! Don't you know him well enough? Is it just because he is the illegitimate son of the Kaiyang God-General? Has this boy grown up and used his name to bribe you?

Such accusations rang out from the indignant students, leaving the four men in the Willow Pavilion staring at each other, unable to respond. They had hoped Liang Jingru would testify for Chen Xiaofu, but when they looked back, she had already vanished toward the end of the winding corridor. She was moving fast. It wasn't because of the students' anger, but rather... she had to follow Chen Xiaofu and An Xiaowei back to Huaxi Villa! Those two had to be kept in check! Chen Xiaofu was a glib-tongued rascal, and Xiaowei was so innocent; who knew what might happen if she were tricked into the villa? She mustn't arrive empty-handed and return with a big belly!

Among the students, Pan Qingyun flicked his gold-threaded folding fan and spoke to the furious Yu Fu standing nearby: "How about that? I wasn't wrong, was I?"

Yu Fu took a deep breath. "I didn't expect the Lin'an Academy to resort to such low tactics... Xiaowei, oh, why did she have to set her sights on a dog like Chen Xiaofu? Just because he’s handsome?"

Pan Qingyun smiled faintly. "Master Yu Fu, An Xiaowei may be a great talent, but Chen Xiaofu is a master of the romantic arts. A girl as pure as she is, how could she withstand his sweet-talk? You were supposed to be first... How about this: once we return to the quarters, I will lead Chen Xiaofu away so you can have a proper talk with An Xiaowei. I can see you have feelings for her, so this is the best I can do. As for whether she can see through his ugly face, that depends on your ability, brother Yu Fu!"

Yu Fu bowed in gratitude. "Brother Pan, many thanks!"

Pan Qingyun waved his fan. "I feel as though we’ve known each other for years. I wish you the best of luck!"

As they whispered, a voice echoed from the pavilion: "Quiet!" It was Dean Li. As most of those present were students of the Lin'an Academy, the angry clamor gradually subsided upon his intervention.

"You suspect us of being unfair?" Without waiting for an answer, Dean Li declared, "Do you truly believe Chen Xiaofu is illiterate? I tell you, he was just pretending!"

The students grew restless again. Someone shouted, "If he has been pretending for so many years, why stop now?" Another asked, "And if he was faking it, why did he jump off a building? Surely, Dean, you aren't going to tell us his jump was fake too?"

This left Magistrate Lu speechless. The Great Scholar Xu stepped forward. "Quiet, all of you! Listen to the line Chen Xiaofu provided."

The crowd fell silent; they were curious to hear the line that had earned first place. Xu stroked his long beard and recited, "The line is: 'It is never easy to achieve fame; family affairs, national affairs, and world affairs—I care about them all.' I ask you, does this not deserve first place? You may still doubt the rankings of today's competition. Tomorrow morning, for the poetry and prose segments, I will personally invite Chen Xiaofu to participate. If he takes the top spot again tomorrow—if he wins right in front of you all—will you still have objections?"

The students were silent for several moments. One replied, "If that happens, we will accept our loss willingly."

"Good. Then disperse for today, and tomorrow... you shall compete on the same stage!"

The students left in frustration. Yu Fu and his companions, along with Pan Qingyun, also departed. When they reached the guest quarters, they were surprised to find that An Xiaowei and Chen Xiaofu were not there. They had gone to the library, but it, too, was empty.

Yu Fu sighed in dismay, "That scoundrel, where has he tricked Xiaowei off to?"