Chapter 66

"Little Secretary Scholar?"

It turned out to be the son of Lin Rui, the Nanjing Minister of Works, a young master among young masters.

From the moment the scholar entered the courtyard, Lin Yanzhao knew this person was extraordinary, different from the ordinary children of wealthy families. Although well-disciplined, there was still a hint of condescension in his tone. This was the difference between the children of powerful families and those of wealthy but powerless families.

"Originally, it's you, young master," Lin Yanzhao bowed neither too humbly nor too proudly, showing neither excessive respect nor disrespect, just ordinary.

The scholar glanced at Lin Yanzhao and nodded appreciatively, "Now you must think I'm a man of my word, right?"

"I don't know, but I understand that if I hadn't made this bet with you, Sir, you wouldn't have let me off."

Lin Chengyi and the scholar both smiled.

"You're right," the scholar said.

Lin Yanzhao asked, "If I win, can you help me with anything?"

The scholar's face darkened, thinking this young man was quite foolish. A clever person would have tried to win his favor now to use later, but only a shortsighted person would be eager to cash in immediately.

The scholar said coolly, "I'll help if I can, and won't if I can't. But for your matters, there should be few things I can't help with."

"I'm relieved. What will you test me on, young master Lin?"

The scholar smiled slightly, "I won't test you on the classics again. What other strengths do you have? I'll test you on your strengths."

Lin Yanzhao nodded, thinking this scholar was quite generous. After some thought, he realized that besides his good memory, he had also put considerable effort into criminal law and had won two lawsuits. He said, "I know a bit about criminal law and judging cases."

"Criminal law and judging cases?" The scholar smiled, "Does your teacher teach these?"

Lin Chengyi smiled, "This isn't what I taught him. Last time his family was involved in a lawsuit, he represented his grandfather in court, and the villagers praised him highly."

The scholar's eyes lit up, "Is that so?"

Lin Yanzhao modestly replied, "It's not worth mentioning."

The scholar smiled, "That's good. I have a friend who has a difficult case. If you can advise him and help him out, I'll owe you another favor, okay?"

It seems I'll have to take on the role of a criminal law advisor again, but I'm not at all intimidated. Lin Yanzhao thought to himself.

Lin Yanzhao eagerly said, "Go ahead and ask, I'll give it a try."

"Sheng, what a joke, a twelve-year-old boy, relying on a bit of cleverness, and you actually bring up a criminal case to him," Lin Shibing said from the side.

The scholar, Lin Sheng, smiled, "If he can't answer, isn't that better? This way, I save you from embarrassment. Besides, there's no loss anyway."

Lin Shibing shook his head, "I have my own plans, but since you insist on asking, go ahead."

The scholar, Lin Sheng, then looked at Lin Yanzhao, "Listen carefully. My friend comes from a wealthy family, with three generations of officials. He keeps a few actors. One day, an actor asked him, 'If a thief is caught, what method should be used to punish him?' He said there's a good method: pour vinegar into the thief's nose, and the thief, in pain, will confess everything."

"Coincidentally, one day, a young scholar, who was naive and inexperienced, was watching a play in the village. When the play ended, he didn't leave. The actors thought he was a thief and caught him. The young scholar didn't answer, so they used my friend's method and poured vinegar into his nose, causing him to die."

"When the authorities found out, they examined the body and discovered that the young man was not a thief but a student at the Imperial Academy. The county magistrate then questioned the actors, who said they used the method taught by my friend. The magistrate then arrested both the actors and my friend. I know my friend is innocent and have tried to defend him, but the magistrate refuses to exonerate him. What can you do to save my friend?"

After Lin Sheng finished, he looked at Lin Yanzhao. Lin Chengyi also said, "I've heard of this case; it has been a sensation for two months. A student died, and the case has caused a great stir among the scholars. Even the governor has inquired about it. Without a convincing explanation, your friend will find it hard to be exonerated."

Lin Shibing said, "This case has stumped many people. You know many officials, but none of them could help you. Testing a young boy with this is unfair. Change the question."

Lin Sheng nodded, "Brother, you're right. I was a bit too harsh."

Lin Yanzhao smiled and asked, "May I have some ink and a brush?"

"Ink and a brush?" Lin Chengyi was surprised.

Lin Yanzhao nodded.

Lin Sheng smiled, "It seems we underestimated the young man's thoughts."

"Fine, let's see," Lin Chengyi smiled.

Everyone agreed, thinking Lin Yanzhao was overestimating his abilities, but they were also encouraging him.

Lin Yanzhao dipped the brush in ink, paused for a moment, and wrote four characters: "Can Yan be attacked?"

The three men, all well-read, recognized that Lin Yanzhao was referring to a chapter in the "Mengzi" (Mencius) by Gong Sun Chou.

The chapter's main idea is that a minister of Qi, Shen Tong, privately asked Mencius, "Can Yan be attacked?"

Mencius said, "Yes, the king of Yan, Hui, abdicated his throne to a minister, which is like a minister giving his salary and rank to someone else without the king's permission. This places the Zhou emperor in an awkward position."

Later, Qi attacked Yan. Someone asked Mencius, "Did you encourage Qi to attack Yan?"

Mencius replied, "No, Shen Tong asked me if Yan could be attacked, and I said yes. But if he had asked me who could attack Yan, I would have told him only someone with the Zhou emperor's command could do so."

It's like asking if a murderer should be punished. If someone asks me, I would say yes. But if they ask who can punish the murderer, I would say the official in charge of the law. Qi's attack on Yan was an unjust state attacking an unjust state, and I never encouraged it.

After writing this, Lin Yanzhao said, "The attack on Yan was Qi's decision, not Mencius's. Therefore, it follows that your friend told the actors that vinegar could be used to interrogate a thief, but if asked whether they could use it, your friend would not have agreed. This was the actors' own decision."

"If the magistrate finds your friend guilty, then Mencius should be found guilty first!"

When Lin Yanzhao finished speaking, the three men were stunned.

"An ancient method of deciding cases, now applied by Mencius," Lin Shibing said after a while, shaking his head and looking at Lin Yanzhao with a complex expression.

Lin Shibing also picked up what Lin Yanzhao had written, thinking, This boy is truly a genius, I can't compare.

Lin Chengyi, hearing Lin Sheng's praise, quickly said, "Brother Sheng, don't flatter my student too much, it was just a coincidence."

Lin Sheng teased, "Brother Chengyi, you're not being fair. You've taught such an outstanding student, but you've kept it a secret from us. Tell me, what does your young friend need help with?"

Lin Yanzhao chuckled.

Lin Sheng said, "As long as I can help, do you want to seek an official position for your family? I have a few connections. If you want wealth, I can show you a path to success. If you want beauty... you're too young for that. My friend will also have a good reward for you in the future."

Lin Yanzhao said, "Thank you, Sir. Next month, the academy will start teaching the Five Classics. I want to study with a master of classics. Can you help me with that?"

"Ah, you want to study. That's commendable. Not seeking wealth but knowledge, that's the spirit of a gentleman," Lin Sheng smiled.

Lin Sheng then said, "That's easy. Which classic do you want to study?"

Lin Yanzhao said, "The Book of Documents."

Lin Sheng asked, "The Book of Documents? There aren't many people who specialize in that now. Why not the Book of Songs or the Book of Rites?"

"I only want to study the Book of Documents. The best teacher should be close to the academy, so I can visit once every five days."

Lin Sheng nodded, "That's fine. Although there aren't many experts in the Book of Documents, I know a few. Come back in three days, and I'll give you an answer."

Before Lin Yanzhao could speak, Lin Chengyi smiled, "Brother Sheng, you have such a wide network of connections. I thank you on behalf of my student. Yanzhao, quickly thank him for his help."

Lin Yanzhao thought, Teacher, you're not helping me. He lost the bet to me, why should I thank him?

But Lin Yanzhao understood Lin Chengyi's good intentions and bowed to Lin Sheng in gratitude.

As night deepened, in the back garden of the Lin family estate,

Over a dozen maidservants stood with basins, towels, and teacups.

In the garden pavilion, a banquet was set up, with a green clay stove warming a pot of wine, and two maids fanning the stove to heat the wine.

At the banquet, two people were seated: an elderly man with white hair and a silver beard, and a man in his thirties.

The elderly man pointed to the crabs on the table, "Eating crabs can make you cold, so we need warm wine to counteract it. You haven't been home for years, try the local dishes and have some hot wine to warm you up."

A maid brought a steaming cup of wine, and the man drank it respectfully, then said, "Father, I'll crack the crab shell for you."

The old man waved his hand, "It tastes better if you crack it yourself."

The old man took a crab and started to crack it, "People in Suzhou and Hangzhou like to be refined. They even have a set of eight tools for eating crabs. When you met Minister Shen in the capital, how did he eat them?"

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