Chapter 63

The students still wanted to continue discussing the events, but the lecturer raised his voice and said, "After Fang Yun passed the Holy Selection, Sword Brow Gong suddenly descended on the green clouds and asked Fang Yun how to deal with Lord Wei. Lord Wei refused to reveal his accomplices, and Fang Yun determined that Lord Wei deserved death. Thus, Sword Brow Gong executed Lord Wei with his eloquence!"

"Lord Wei is dead?"

No one in the cafeteria dared to speak anymore. Lord Wei was the Lord of the Prefecture Academy, holding the rank of a Jinshi. Unless he betrayed the human race, even the king of Jing could not kill him. However, Sword Brow Gong killed him as he pleased, which was the benefit of having a position in the Holy Academy.

These people had not seen the scene, so they did not know what to say. The lecturer continued, "After Lord Wei's death, everyone cheered. Fang Yun was right; harming him again during the Holy Selection would mean that Jing could not enforce the law, and the human race would not be just!"

Many people imagined the scene and then most of them nodded slightly. Harming someone during the Holy Selection was no different from murder.

Zhuang Wei's face turned pale and then red.

Li Yunchong, who was sitting next to Fang Yun, put down his chopsticks and said, "To be frank, Lord Wei was a disciple of the Left Chancellor and a lackey of the Liu family. Since Liu Zicheng was also present, it cannot be ignored. However, Liu Zicheng eventually admitted to Fang Yun that he intended to harm him, which is an undeniable fact."

Fang Yun did not expect Li Yunchong, who usually did not talk much, to be so perceptive. He said "intended to harm" instead of "harm his literary reputation," which made those who knew the truth take it seriously, but those who did not might think Liu Zicheng really admitted to wanting to kill Fang Yun.

Zhuang Wei said in a much softer voice, "Fang Yun, no matter what, you and your child bride are safe. Since you said you have already forgiven him, why not make peace with him for my sake? Host a poetry gathering and invite the notables of Dàyuan Prefecture. What do you think?"

Fang Yun smiled faintly and said, "Brother Zhuang, you are mistaken. I have already forgiven him at the Prefecture Academy, so there is no need for a formal reconciliation. You are overthinking it. As for the poetry gathering, I really don't have time to attend. The invitations at my home are enough to start a fire."

Zhuang Wei immediately pulled a long face and said, "I don't know the process of the Holy Selection. If I offended you, I apologize. I sincerely want you two to reconcile. Do you mean to say you won't even give me the face of attending a literary gathering?"

"Fang Yun said, "Brother Zhuang, you misunderstand. I am preparing for the Prefecture Examination in June and am currently studying. I hope you understand."

Zhuang Wei flew into a rage but immediately suppressed his anger and said, "I treated you as a gentleman and invited you in public, but I didn't expect you to look down on me so much! Prefecture Examination? You just passed the Child Scholar Examination and can't even write a classic commentary, yet you want to become a Scholar? You might as well say you want to become a Junior Imperial Scholar and a Provincial Scholar in the same year!"

Fang Yun smiled and said, "Brother Zhuang, you have keen eyes. I do intend to become a Provincial Scholar this year! If I pass, I will also try for the Jinshi Examination. Perhaps we will go to the capital together."

"You..." Zhuang Wei knew that a Provincial Scholar should not纠缠 with a Child Scholar before the Holy Presence, as it would be a loss of face regardless of the outcome, so he left in a huff.

As Zhuang Wei and others walked out of the cafeteria, someone nearby said, "Brother Zhuang, although Fang Yun is talented, he is too arrogant. You are a Provincial Scholar; he should have found another excuse. A Child Scholar? It's laughable."

"He has great talent but doesn't know how to behave. He will suffer in the future! Your good intentions have all been wasted."

Zhuang Wei's expression softened and he said, "I didn't want to quarrel with him, but he is too ungrateful! Help me find someone to keep an eye on him. The next time he publishes a poem, inform me immediately. If he can write a poem that can stabilize the country, I won't say a word. If it's below the Prefecture level, I will make him know what 'Provincial Scholar's evaluation' means!"

The other Provincial Scholars smiled in understanding. One of them said, "He is just a Child Scholar, unlike us who have experienced many literary gatherings and can be said to have fought our way through the battlefield of poetry. He might be better at writing poetry, but when it comes to evaluation, he is certainly no match for us!"

As they were walking, they saw a middle-aged man in a red silk robe approaching with a smile.

Zhuang Wei recognized him as a minor official in the Prefecture Academy, who had no rank and was usually of little importance. The man was now very happy, holding a scroll of documents.

A Provincial Scholar nearby smiled and asked the minor official, "What good news do you have today?"

The minor official said happily, "Of course, there is good news. Fang Yun passed the Holy Selection, which no one has ever done, bringing honor to the Great Jing. The Left Chancellor personally petitioned the Empress Dowager, who appointed Fang Yun as the Prince's Tutor and a Palace Attendant. The Ministry of Rites and the Ministry of Personnel have issued the documents, and the palace's rewards will arrive in a few days."

"Oh, go on then."

The group looked surprised.

"This is not right. Being a Palace Attendant is one thing, but it is a rank equivalent to the Six Ministries' Secretaries. The king is only three years old, so why appoint Fang Yun as the Prince's Tutor? The position of Prince's Tutor, though without a rank, is usually held by officials of at least the sixth rank or nobles, and they must have a clean record. Not just anyone can hold it."

Zhuang Wei smiled and said, "The Left Chancellor is skilled! Passing the Holy Selection is a rare event that hasn't happened in hundreds of years. If he doesn't reward Fang Yun, it would be unfair. If he does, how can he let such an arrogant person benefit? So he gave him a useless but prestigious position. It seems the Left Chancellor indeed dislikes Fang Yun."

"What if this is the Left Chancellor's way of showing favor?"

Zhuang Wei sneered, "Fang Yun, from a humble background, has nothing but a hard head. Since he wrote 'End of the Year,' he has cut off his path to the Left Chancellor. I won't attack him like Liu Zicheng, but I will make him suffer a bit. This is the Prefecture Academy, not a small county like Ji!"

The others knew he was upset about losing face and agreed.

Fang Yun was eating in the cafeteria when he heard someone shout at the door, "Is Fang Yun from Ji County here?"

Fang Yun felt helpless, thinking, "Can't I even eat in peace?"

Many people in the cafeteria looked at the minor official and then at Fang Yun, some with a helpless smile, sharing his thoughts.

Fang Yun stood up and said, "I am Fang Yun from Ji County. What can I do for you?"

The minor official smiled and walked over, saying, "Congratulations, Master Fang. The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Rites have issued a document, just delivered by a messenger bird, appointing you as the Prince's Tutor and a Palace Attendant. This is a great honor!"

Many Provincial Scholars looked envious. The position of Prince's Tutor was not significant, but being a Palace Attendant was special. Without this title, even a third-rank official could not enter the palace at will. Being a Palace Attendant not only indicated status but also a close relationship with the royal family.

However, some Provincial Scholars were thoughtful, realizing that this appointment was far less important than a noble title.

Fang Yun took out a piece of silver and handed it to the minor official.

"You can't do that, you can't do that," the minor official pretended to refuse.

"Just a small token of my joy. Don't think it's too little," Fang Yun said, now understanding some of the local customs.

"Thank you, Master Fang!" the minor official said, smiling as he took the silver.

Fang Yun took the document, unfolded it, and saw that it mentioned the Left Chancellor's petition to the Empress Dowager.

Lu Yu leaned over to look, and Fang Yun smiled and pushed the document to him.

Lu Yu said unhappily, "The Holy Selection is a rare event in ten countries, and a minor official without rank is all he gets?"

"Fang Yun is still young, there's no rush."

Li Yunchong asked, "Fang Yun, since the Left Chancellor recommended you as the Prince's Tutor, you should write a letter to express your gratitude."

Fang Yun smiled and said, "I will certainly thank the Left Chancellor, but writing a letter is unnecessary. As a Child Scholar, I should focus on my studies, not on making connections with officials. Besides, being a Palace Attendant is not something the Left Chancellor can grant; it must be the Empress Dowager's favor. I can't write to the Empress Dowager."

The table burst into laughter, and Li Yunchong nodded.

Ning Zhiyuan said, "Fang Yun, you should try to get a noble title and borrow a few private soldiers from Sword Brow Gong or someone else. You are now famous, and the traitorous literati may have their eyes on you."

Fang Yun was unfamiliar with the term "traitorous literati," as it was rarely mentioned. The traitorous literati, though human, believed that demons and barbarians were the noblest beings, or they committed great crimes and betrayed humanity, willingly becoming the henchmen of demons and barbarians, helping them slaughter humans. Almost all major demon and barbarian clans had traitorous literati serving them.

"Is it that serious?" Fang Yun asked.

"Perhaps. I heard that Little Tao Yuanming in Mizhou was assassinated when he was a Provincial Scholar. You, though not even a Scholar, have a similar level of fame and are even more vulnerable."

Fang Yun said, "The literary palaces of the traitorous literati can be detected within the range of the Holy Temple's power. Local officials with official seals can easily destroy their literary palaces. They won't risk death to kill me near the city. After all, there are not many traitorous literati."

"So you shouldn't stray too far from Dàyuan Prefecture City."

"They won't wait for me forever. Even if I go a bit further from Dàyuan Prefecture City, it shouldn't matter," Fang Yun said.

Lu Yu said seriously, "The traitorous literati are not the problem; the problem is that they can buy informants. Ordinary informants are not a big deal, but literati informants are dangerous. Especially those Child Scholars and Scholars with no hope of advancing, who don't need to form a literary gallbladder. As long as they are not completely traitorous, the Holy Temple's power cannot detect them."

"Thank you for the warning. I will be careful. But I heard that some high-ranking literati also deal with them?"

"Some from the Miscellaneous School and the Military School do. The Miscellaneous School values profit, and the Military School uses strategy, both finding ways to avoid violating their literary gallbladders. Of course, they are few, or they use minor methods. The upright members of the Miscellaneous School are often capable ministers or masters behind major merchants, while the accomplished members of the Military School prefer direct methods. Sword Brow Gong is an example; he studied the 'Art of War' as a secondary discipline, which is why his 'Wind and Rain Sword Poem' is so fierce."

Fang Yun asked curiously, "Those high-ranking literati have everything. Why do they work for the traitorous literati?"

"I don't know," Lu Yu said.

Li Yunchong whispered, "Eat quickly, we can talk when we get back to the classroom."

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