Chapter 39

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County Magistrate Qi waved his hand, and the paper at his feet flew into his hand. The diagnosis was issued by the Hong County Spirit Doctor Hall, signed by the personal handwriting of Second-Level Spirit Doctor Min Xuhuai. The patient was Yue Heng, and the consultation time was two days before the Spring Examination.

This injury report made County Magistrate Qi furious. Yue Heng had multiple wounds all over his body, with internal organs damaged in several places. His right arm was shattered by a heavy weapon, and his life hung by a thread. Fortunately, he was saved by Min Xuhuai's life-saving pill!

County Magistrate Qi raised his head and looked at Yue Heng, recalling the questions he asked before the re-examination. He had asked if anyone was out to harm Yue Heng.

At that time, Yue Heng's humble and respectful demeanor was still fresh in County Magistrate Qi's memory. He was even unwilling to say who had harmed him.

County Magistrate Qi knew that Yue Heng was kind-hearted and benevolent, trying to resolve conflicts with other students in his own scholarly way. This approach was praised by the two examiners, and he even patted Yue Heng's shoulder to show encouragement.

He never expected that the person who harmed Yue Heng was Bai Ming!

Bai Ming, with his wolfish and dog-like heart, not only attacked a candidate before the exam but also, in the illusion, disregarded the crisis of the human race and forced a literary duel with Yue Heng, who had no combat experience. If such a person were not severely punished, how could he convince the masses?

How could he uphold the dignity of scholars?

The dignity of the Ministry of Culture cannot be desecrated!

This anger burned fiercely, and County Magistrate Qi was on the verge of exploding, but he held back, unable to lose his composure.

He handed the diagnosis to the Head of the Scholarly Academy, who glanced at it and was immediately shocked. He looked at Yue Heng with surprise and at Bai Ming with venom, trembling with rage. Then he passed the diagnosis to Zhang Junbei, who was in charge of the Hong County military supplies this year.

Seeing the two leaders of the scholarly community take it so seriously, Zhang Junbei read the diagnosis and, with the Head of the Scholarly Academy's whispered explanation, quickly understood the whole story.

He was not a soft-spoken scholar. He had long been annoyed by Bai Ming. As a blood-and-iron military official of Hong County, he despised such traitors the most!

Zhang Junbei burst into a rage on the spot, saying, "Very well! It turns out that Hong County has produced such a person! Bai Ming, right? A member of the Bai family of Hong County, I remember you. You should be eighteen this year, meeting the conscription requirements. When I return to the military camp, I will put your name on the blood conscription list! You don't need to go through the cumbersome conscription process; that's too slow. I'll give you a life of glory and wealth right now, and you'll be the first!"

"Ah! Sir! No! I don't want blood conscription! I don't want blood conscription!"

Bai Ming was terrified. Hearing the term "blood conscription," he trembled all over, and a warm stream burst from between his legs, spreading an unusual smell in the air.

Blood conscription!

The other candidates were silent, stepping back a few steps. Those standing next to Bai Ming retreated even further, fearing to touch this evil star and be tainted with bad luck!

"Hmph! I don't care how much power the Bai family has! With the spirits of Emperor Fuxi and Emperor Xuanyuan above, and the gods in heaven as witnesses! This boy was just warned by the divine lightning of Emperor Fuxi after taking a great oath in the county academy, which is enough to explain everything. Bai Ming must die to satisfy the heavens! Bring this person out and expel him from the academy!"

The Head of the Scholarly Academy expelled Bai Ming from the ranks of scholars, and Zhang Junbei forcibly conscripted him into the blood conscription forces, a punishment even more cruel than immediate execution.

Today, as Bai Ming walked out of the county academy, he would become a despised and shameful person in Hong County, and the Bai family would be looked down upon and driven out, until they were forced to flee Hong County and find a corner where no one knew them to die.

Bai Ming's body was already limp on the ground, reeking of odor. The soldiers carrying him away couldn't help but cover their noses and mouths, disdainfully tossing him out of the academy gates.

At this moment, looking at Yue Heng, he was staring at the diagnosis in the Head of the Scholarly Academy's hand, sighing.

This diagnosis was not intentionally dropped by him. How could a harmless person like him deliberately add insult to injury? His clothes were clearly messed up by Kuang Qing, and the diagnosis flew out due to Bai Ming's own actions!

How annoying, the right arm splint was also torn. Since Bai Ming was already finished, he might as well take it off; it was uncomfortable to wear...

"Yue Heng, a commoner should not be treated like this, and you have been wronged. In the illusion, Bai Ming intended to kill you, but you turned the tables. You have no fault in this matter; it is entirely his own doing. You should not bear any psychological burden."

The Head of the Scholarly Academy walked over, gently folded the diagnosis, and handed it to Yue Heng, smiling. "You achieved 730 points in the 'Chang Wu' illusion, a commendable performance!"

Yue Heng bowed respectfully. "Thank you, Sir Wen, for your praise. I was just lucky!"

With the Head of the Scholarly Academy supporting Yue Heng, who among the candidates couldn't see it? The 730 points were absolutely credible, a true reflection of Yue Heng's strength, not something to be falsely accused.

Who should be held accountable next?

Yue Heng scanned the surroundings, looking at the Kuang brothers, and smiled.

He was that kind of person: those who respect him, he returns threefold; those who maliciously attack him, he repays tenfold!

Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun were stunned, their legs giving way, and they fell to their knees, landing on the puddle of foul urine left by Bai Ming, bowing their heads frantically.

"Sir Wen! We were blinded by jealousy and should not have made things difficult for Brother Yue. We know we were wrong and beg for your forgiveness! If there is any punishment, we will accept it without complaint... Please forgive us, Sir Wen! Please forgive us, Brother Yue! We were wrong..."

The Head of the Scholarly Academy was filled with hatred. He hated Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun for being unambitious, driven by jealousy to please his daughter, and completely irrational.

He hated himself for not strictly disciplining them, leading to their offending the talented Yue Heng, leaving no chance for reconciliation.

Even if he had a close relationship with the head of the Kuang family, Kuang Qingshan, in this critical moment, he had to cut off his arm to save his life. No matter how powerful the Kuang family was, and no matter how many connections Kuang Qingshan had in Qi Prefecture, they could not match the power of the Qi Prefecture Ministry of Culture!

"Hmph! You two befriended a despicable person like Bai Ming, blinded by jealousy. Achieving a little success made you arrogant and reckless. Being incited to act recklessly made you tyrannical. Being unreasonable and aggressive made you reckless! In the past ten years, I have taken over a hundred disciples, all of whom have followed the righteous path, standing tall and becoming pillars of the human race. Only you two, blinded by jealousy, acted arrogantly and tyrannically. What face do you have to call me Sir Wen?"

The Head of the Scholarly Academy, frustrated by their lack of progress, angrily waved his sleeve, closed his eyes, and truly did not want to see these two disciples, but he couldn't bear to turn and leave.

"What! The Head of the Scholarly Academy... "

"Even the Kuang brothers are to be expelled from the academy?"

"Heaven! I didn't think they did anything wrong, just fighting over the second daughter of the Wen family, isn't that what young men do?"

"Too scary, first Bai Ming, then the Kuang brothers. I realize that anyone who opposes Yue Heng has no good end... Who is Yue Heng?"

The surrounding candidates were too frightened to speak, even whispering to each other. More people quietly left, seeing this as the center of the storm, where a slight misstep could lead to being caught in the wrath of these powerful figures!

"Sir Wen!"

A heart-wrenching cry came, and Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun bowed their heads frantically, each hugging one of the Head of the Scholarly Academy's legs, crying out loud.

"Sir Wen, I was wrong! I shouldn't have befriended a despicable person like Bai Ming... He wanted to harm Yue Heng and feared retaliation, so he promised us many benefits... I shouldn't have believed this despicable person... Sir Wen! Sir Wen, I was wrong..."

"I was wrong... I was jealous of Yue Heng and Wen's second daughter... I was consumed by jealousy... I shouldn't have made things difficult for Yue Heng... I shouldn't have been aggressive and unreasonable..."

"Sir Wen! We were only jealous and angry, but we never intended to harm Yue Heng... We swear to the spirit of Emperor Fuxi..."

The brothers beat their chests and stomped their feet, no longer daring to have any ulterior motives, only hoping for the Head of the Scholarly Academy's forgiveness, not to be expelled like Bai Ming, or they would be finished!

The Head of the Scholarly Academy closed his eyes, his lips trembling, unwilling to open them, his heart filled with conflict.

Bai Ming was the main culprit and had been severely punished. Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun were accomplices and his own disciples, the sons of his good friend, but everyone could see that he had to punish them severely and could not show leniency.

But how could he bring himself to do it?

This difficult situation made the surrounding examiners feel sorry for him.

County Magistrate Qi knew that only he could speak up, so he stepped forward and said, "Sir Wen, we all saw the scene in the illusion. Only Bai Ming's actions were despicable and deserved death. Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun, although at fault, were driven by romantic feelings. Young men often have such feelings; let it go!"

Seeing County Magistrate Qi take the lead in speaking, the other examiners followed suit.

The Head of the Scholarly Academy breathed a sigh of relief. After unifying the examiners' stance, at least the Kuang brothers would not be severely punished.

He slowly opened his eyes, and two tears of age rolled down the corners of his eyes. He looked at Yue Heng, knowing that only Yue Heng could truly forgive Kuang Qing and Kuang Yun.

"What's the point of looking at me? You old foxes, don't you just want to let these two off? Aren't you all ganging up on me because I have no backing? I warned them again and again, but they insisted on pursuing me. If I were a commoner, wouldn't I be trampled to death without anyone caring? Now, they've dug their own grave, and they blame me for being too hard and causing them pain? What a messed-up world!"

Yue Heng thought for a long time, very unwillingly. He deliberately avoided the topic, glanced at the Head of the Scholarly Academy, and then deliberately looked away, finally stopping on Wen Xinyue.

The examiners looked at Yue Heng, the surrounding candidates looked at Yue Heng, Yue Heng looked at Wen Xinyue, and Wen Xinyue was at a loss, looking around, suddenly remembering something, and her face turned red.

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