Joy of Life: Starting from Teacher Fan Xian

Chapter 65 Where is the Majesty of the Temple (6500 words long chapter)
Unlike the Censorate which was located on Tianhe Street outside the Imperial Palace, the Hanlin Academy was located within the palace, closer to the emperor's residence, making it easier to handle government affairs.

Lin Ruo walked alone, passed the Taiji Hall, crossed the west corridor of the hall, came to an open walled area, and finally saw the shadow of the Hanlin Academy.

What was somewhat surprising was that he moved around in the heavily guarded palace for a long time and no one stopped him.

When officials entered the palace, they often needed to be led by eunuchs; it was impossible for them to go alone.

Without thinking too much, Lin Ruo walked forward and looked at this highest institution of learning for scholars.

Two lifelike stone lions stand on the left and right, auspicious and majestic. The three large gold-plated characters "Hanlin Academy" hang high on the plaque in front of the door, sacred and extraordinary.

When Lin Ruo was about to go in, an official stopped him.

"Who are you and how dare you enter the Imperial Academy without permission?"

The official was dressed in a light white academic gown and a tall hat, holding an ancient book in his hands, and spoke in an elegant and graceful manner.

Looking at the handsome young man in front of her, from the first impression, he didn't seem to be a rude or unreasonable person, but he wasn't too difficult or verbally aggressive either.

Lin Ruo nodded and said politely, "I am Lin Ruo, the top scholar of this year's imperial examination. I have been appointed as an editor in the Hanlin Academy. I have come here to report."

"Nonsense! The reporting time for the top three Jinshi candidates has long passed," the clerk retorted harshly.

"I'm a little late." Lin Ruo smiled bitterly.

Seeing this, the clerk asked again: "Do you have an ID card?"

"I just arrived, how come I have an ID card?" Lin Ruoton said in embarrassment.

The clerk pondered for a moment and realized that the number one scholar of this year's exam had indeed not been to the Hanlin Academy after being appointed to office, but he would not have come alone without a great scholar in the academy to lead the way.

With such an identity, he was appointed as the third prince's tutor a few days ago. The grand secretaries in the academy were busy trying to curry favor with him, so how could they ignore him?

After thinking it through, the clerk sternly refused: "In this case, your identity is unknown and you cannot enter the courtyard."

After being rejected, Lin Ruo was unable to react for a moment.

The clerk waved his hand and said impatiently, "I see that there is no eunuch accompanying you. I am afraid you are the son of an official from a certain family. You don't know the law and dignity, and you are wandering around the palace. The court does not intend to pursue the matter. You should leave quickly."

This official seemed to be reasonable and humane, and handled the trespassing incident properly. However, in fact, he had a huge problem and acted on his own initiative without distinguishing right from wrong.

Lin Ruo couldn't help but smile. Fortunately, he didn't hold a grudge. Otherwise, the clerk's life in the courtyard would be miserable in the future, and he would be bullied to the point of collapse.

"What are you laughing at?" the official said angrily.

Lin Ruo bowed and said, "Sir, this is a bit hasty and rash. Since you are here, why don't you go in and report to the scholars? We will know the truth and falsehood after a discussion."

The palace examination was presided over by the Hanlin Academy, and there was no one in the academy who did not recognize him as the new top scholar.

Moreover, if someone wants to see you, the normal procedure is to inform them first. There is no such thing as blocking the way and shouting them away. This is the Hanlin Academy, not the gate of a wealthy family with fierce servants guarding it.

The clerk listened carefully and thought it made sense. If it was a normal day, he would do so, reporting first and then making a ruling. But today something too unfair happened in the court, and it was impossible to judge it with common sense.

Since the afternoon, the four university secretaries gathered together, quarreling endlessly, overturning tables and throwing chairs, causing chaos in the huge Hanlin Academy.

In such a situation, reporting in as foreign affairs would be nothing but inviting disaster upon oneself and bringing about one's own destruction. There is simply no reason to do such an unlucky thing.

However, seeing that the young man was so confident and had the title of the new top scholar as a support, the clerk couldn't make up his mind for a moment. After thinking for a while, he compromised and said, "You can inform him, but you have to wait patiently."

"how so?"

"The four university scholars are busy and cannot spare time. We will inform you when they are free." The clerk explained slowly.

What he meant was that only when the quarreling and scolding stopped and the four university scholars calmed down and their necks and faces were no longer red, would the clerks have the courage to report.

Otherwise, you will be asking for trouble.

"Okay, then I'll wait for you." Lin Ruo accepted it, thinking that it shouldn't be an unspoken rule in the workplace like trying to intimidate him.

As his mind moved, a light flashed in Lin Ruo's eyes, and he looked into the courtyard with an empty mind.

The Hanlin Academy is a huge building divided into two parts, the outer one is for office use and the inner one is for meeting places.

His searching eyes were directed towards the inner courtyard and fixed on the Wenhua Hall in the inner courtyard. At this moment, four university scholars were sitting at separate tables in the hall, and the scene that was going on made Lin Ruo's heart tremble.

A university scholar pointed angrily and said, "Old thief Zhang, go to hell..."

"You are vulgar and full of shit, how dare you claim to be a Grand Secretary." Scholar Zhang, who was named, blushed and cursed back.

The third university scholar held up a stool and threatened: "If you keep pushing me, I'll smash you, believe it or not."

The fourth university scholar stretched out his head and said unconvincedly: "If you have the guts, smash it. If not, it's my son."

Around the four men, many tutors and lecturers were trying to stop the fight.

What a great place for learning and admonition...

Lin Ruo retracted his eyes and was unable to come back to his senses for a long time, somewhat in disbelief.

A thought came to my mind: why not come back another day...

Just as he was about to back off, a student from the outer courtyard came running over. He seemed to recognize Lin Ruo, and his excitement was evident. He raised his hand and saluted: "Long time no see, Lin the champion."

Lin Ruo returned the greeting: "Long time no see."

It’s really the top scholar... The clerk was slightly surprised. The student who was speaking was the third-class scholar in this palace examination, so he naturally recognized the appearance of the top scholar.

The student said angrily: "Your Majesty personally selected the top scholar and the editor of the Hanlin Academy, how can you refuse him the right to come in? Why don't you let him in quickly?"

"Since it is Mr. Lin who is the number one scholar, there is no need to inform him. You can go to the inner court in person to look for the grand secretaries." The clerk laughed dryly with a smug look on his face, feeling very annoyed.

"Thank you." Lin Ruo did not forget to bow as he walked in.

After the people left, the clerk couldn't help wiping his sweat. He was very upset for almost offending the number one scholar. At the same time, he couldn't help but sigh that the number one scholar had such a good temper.

If it were an ordinary person, he would probably be so arrogant and scold him that he would not stop.

Entering the outer courtyard, Lin Ruo thought for a moment and asked, "What is the name of this student?"

"I am Wuchang, a student of the academy. I have heard of the great name of Lin Zhuangyuan for a long time." The student smiled in a very humble manner, "I am not a top three in the palace examination, and I am barely an eighth-rank scholar in the academy. I am not as good as Lin Zhuangyuan, who is a sixth-rank editor. I am ashamed."

If I wasn't the top scholar, I would have thought you were just pretending... Lin Ruo said kindly, "We are both students of the Hanlin Academy, there is no difference between you and me."

Wuchang nodded happily, impressed by the politeness of the top scholar. The difference between the third-class Jinshi and the first-class top scholar is like heaven and earth, so how could there be no difference?

"Brother Wuchang, please take me to the inner courtyard to meet the grand secretaries." Lin Ruo said.

"That won't do." Wuchang shook his head in protest, "The four university scholars are angry, so it's better for Lin Zhuangyuan to wait for a while."

"It doesn't matter. We can't let the grand secretaries keep arguing. Someone has to step in to calm things down." Lin Ruo thought.

"Mr. Lin, this won't work. The four grand secretaries only care about principles and not people." Wuchang hurriedly pulled Lin Ruo, and at the same time secretly complained in his heart that this number one scholar was too confident and might end up making things worse.

"You're scolding me." Lin Ruo glanced at him and frowned.

"No, no." Wuchang shook his hands, feeling extremely confused and unable to believe how he had heard it.

Lin Ruo ignored Wuchang and walked straight into a room full of books. Two scholars were drafting a document about the court ceremony next month.

While drafting, he complained: "Humph, this number one scholar has such a high position of power. He is a sixth-rank editor in the Hanlin Academy but he doesn't come to work, so we have to take on extra work for him."

Another scholar was equally dissatisfied, but tried to stop him rationally, saying, "Trouble comes from the mouth, so it's better to say less. We are just seventh-rank editors, and we can't afford to offend the top scholar who is the third prince's tutor."

Lin Ruo walked in and watched them swearing in front of him.

The two scholars stopped talking when they saw the strangers. They were shocked and asked, "Who are you? You can't just enter the editing room."

Lin Ruo didn't say anything. He glanced at the draft the two were drafting. His eyes lit up and he pointed to a certain place and said, "The sentence here doesn't make sense. It needs to be deleted and revised. Also, the wording here is inappropriate."

Being pointed at for no reason, the scholar who had complained earlier immediately became angry: "Nonsense, get out now."

Another bachelor followed the instructions and carefully examined the manuscript. He suddenly understood and quickly stopped his colleague's behavior, saying, "There is indeed a problem."

When the scholar heard and looked over, he was stunned and his face flushed, feeling extremely embarrassed.

Lin Ruo looked at the two of them and said calmly, "First, it is better not to speak when drafting the manuscript."

"Secondly, this matter is indeed my fault. I will consult the Grand Secretary later to make adjustments."

After saying this, the visitor left the room. The two scholars were confused and stared at each other, unable to understand the general meaning for a while.

Wu Chang, who had survived the disaster, hurriedly pulled the two together and said in a low voice, "He is the person you two are scolding, this year's top scholar Lin Ruo."

When the two scholars heard this, they looked at each other, broke out in cold sweats, and their faces turned purple with fear.

After leaving the room, Lin Ruo asked the students around him about the reason for the debate in the inner courtyard.

"Are you Lin Ruo, the top scorer in this year's exam?"

There were many people in the academy who knew Lin Ruo from the same year. The news spread quickly and soon everyone in the academy knew that the top scorer of this year's exam had arrived.

The four university scholars had been arguing over a case for the entire afternoon, and no one was willing to listen to anyone's opinion.

A group of students in the academy suffered miserably, living in fear all day long.

When they heard that Lin Ruo was willing to solve the problem, they all told each other, hoping that he would quickly settle the matter. Lin Ruogui was the top scholar of this year's imperial examination and the tutor of the third prince. His talent was so high that even the four university scholars often praised him. Naturally, he had a say and was not afraid of being ignored by the four university scholars.

Many other students also discussed the case out of interest.

For a moment, everyone in the outer court was talking at once, creating a momentum that was no less than the fierce battle among several university scholars in the inner court.

After sorting out everyone's stories, Lin Ruo finally understood the whole story.

It turned out that this was just an ordinary criminal case that happened on Shandong Road, where a 14-year-old girl murdered her husband.

The convicted woman is named Aliang. She was born in an ordinary peasant family. She lost her mother at the beginning of the year and depended on her father for life.

As the family was poor and had no way to make a living, the father set his sights on Aliang. He used one or two taels of silver as a matchmaker and, regardless of family ties, married her off to an idle old bachelor in the village, the victim in this case, Huang Dalong.

Huang Dalong was a cruel, ugly and old man who was idle all day long and had a bad reputation in the village. He once had a wife who died suddenly for no reason.

As a child of an honest family, Aliang was unwilling to marry and resisted it all the way.

But everything was not something a weak woman like her could decide. At her father's strong request, the wedding took place as scheduled in just one month.

On the wedding night, Aliang would rather die than obey. He had already developed an extremely murderous intention a few days ago and hid a kitchen knife at the head of the bed. That night, he took advantage of Huang Dalong's unpreparedness and killed him with the knife in an attempt to save himself.

But he was too weak to kill anyone, and dozens of slashes only caused some minor flesh wounds.

Afterwards, Huang Dalong reported the case to the police and Aliang was arrested. Without waiting for interrogation in the government office, Aliang confessed everything, recounted the entire case in detail, and voluntarily pleaded guilty.

Thus, the case was solved and handed over to the prefect of Shandong Road for judgment. According to Qing law, a woman who murdered her husband should be sentenced to death.

However, the prefect of Shandong Road could not bear it, and after carefully reading the files, he found that when Ah Liang married Huang Dalong, she was still in mourning for her mother, so he determined that the marriage was invalid, thus overturning the argument of murdering her husband. And the victim Huang Dalong was not dead, so Ah Liang was found guilty, but far from death.

Based on this, the case was submitted to the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice in Beijing for a second ruling. Unexpectedly, the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice also had disagreements. The Ministry of Justice determined that even if Aliang was not Huang Dalong's wife, she still committed premeditated murder and caused injury to others. According to the law, she was still sentenced to death.

The Dali Temple held the opposite view and argued that the crime did not warrant the death penalty.

With everyone holding their own opinions, the case quickly escalated and was reported before His Majesty the Emperor.

His Majesty the Emperor then submitted the case to the Hanlin Academy for opinion.

After many twists and turns, things finally got out of control in the Hanlin Academy.

It's quite confusing... Lin Ruo thought, anyone can give reasons for this kind of case, it's really hard to come to a conclusion.

The most pitiful one is this girl, who is only fourteen years old...

Lin Ruo raised his head and found that the noise in his ears was so loud that it almost disturbed his mind.

It turned out that after the case was recounted, the students in the courtyard also held different opinions and started arguing with each other.

Lin Ruo covered his ears and watched the Hanlin Academy transform into a lively scene of people bargaining for prices on the stage at the vegetable market.

"The law is so, and it cannot be disputed."

"This girl is so pitiful, do you have any conscience?"

"What are you arguing about!" Inside the Wenhua Hall in the inner courtyard, four university scholars were engaged in a quarrel. Unexpectedly, the sudden noise from the outer courtyard seriously interrupted their thoughts.

The four university scholars looked at each other, faced the outside world in unison, and stopped communicating.

The noise in the outer courtyard stopped abruptly.

A student walked into the hall and announced, "Grand Scholar, this year's number one scholar has come to serve."

"You've come at a really bad time. Well, let's stop arguing for now." Master Zhang stood up and said resentfully.

"Old man, how can a top scholar make a self-righteous guy like you bow your head? You must be afraid, so just admit defeat as soon as possible." Another university scholar took the opportunity to stand up and mocked.

"I have to give an explanation to His Majesty tomorrow. If you are afraid, you'd better admit defeat as soon as possible so that you can submit a memorial." The Grand Secretary next to him immediately chimed in.

"Nonsense! I am a respected university scholar, how can I admit defeat?" Scholar Zhang sat down again and looked at him coldly.

The other university scholar rolled up his sleeves, showing signs of preparing for another fight with the other side.

Seeing that the quarrel was about to break out again, Lin Ruo hurried in, bowed and said, "Student Lin Ruo, greetings to the four university scholars."

The four grand secretaries still wanted to save their reputation. They coughed and looked up at the sky and down at the earth, but not at Lin Ruo.

The two people at the left table are Bachelor Zhang and Bachelor Ling, and the two people at the right table are Bachelor Han and Bachelor Mu. Since Lin Ruofu was promoted and Bachelor Liao was demoted, there are only these four grand secretaries guarding the Hanlin Academy.

The two on the left support that the crime should not be punishable by death, while the two on the right support the death penalty.

Lin Ruo quickly made a definition in his mind.

"Mr. Lin, right? Go wait in the main hall first. We have something important to discuss with you. I'll see you later." Mr. Zhang sent the guest away in a deep voice. Obviously, he was aroused by what happened just now and his desire to win increased dramatically, and he was unwilling to compromise for the time being.

"Okay, let's continue the debate." Mr. Han, who had a long beard, had been arguing with Mr. Zhang and refused to give up.

When it comes to reasoning, these men of letters and scholars are no different from warriors who are brave and aggressive; no one will choose to back down.

If I let you guys argue, I'm afraid you won't get any result even if you argue till dawn.

Lin Ruo was determined in his heart and bowed again: "Four great scholars, would you listen to my words?"

As soon as these words came out, the four university scholars all raised their heads angrily and said, "No!"

A group of students from the Hanlin Academy gathered outside the hall, looking forward to the ensuing debate, but the story ended before it even began, and they instantly lost most of their interest.

"What? You didn't say a word."

"It's boring, let's go, let's go."

"Wait a minute." Suddenly a student shouted, and everyone turned around decisively.

In the palace, the drunken Lin Ruo not only did not retreat, but took a step forward and said sternly: "If I heard correctly, I will give an explanation to Your Majesty tomorrow morning."

"So what?" Scholar Han pulled his beard and said dissatisfiedly, secretly cursing the top scholar for being so short-sighted.

Lin Ruo showed no fear and said calmly, "The four great scholars have been arguing for nearly a day without any result. The sky is getting dark and the court is about to end. Can there really be a conclusion tomorrow morning?"

The four university scholars were stunned, but were actually stumped by what he said. The husband has his own reasons, and the wife has her own reasons. There can be no result unless the other party has a bad mouth.

"So what? At worst we can go to the imperial study and continue arguing." Master Ling said domineeringly.

The other three scholars looked at him with admiration, saying that a scholar should have such courage.

Lin Ruo shook his head and calmly analyzed: "If His Majesty was willing to listen to the four university scholars' debate, he would not pass the memorial down, but would call them to the Imperial Study to discuss the matter."

"In this case, the four Grand Secretaries extending the debate to the Imperial Study will undoubtedly offend Your Majesty. Please consider this carefully."

Lin Ruo's words were slightly offensive and uncomfortable, but the four university scholars had to admit that what he said made sense.

Your Majesty's bad luck is not something you can easily get into.

A group of students outside the hall all agreed. If no results were produced, they would have a hard time explaining to the court tomorrow.

Master Ling's eyes lit up and he looked at Lin Ruo: "So, you have a solution?"

"Yes, please listen to me, the four great scholars." Lin Ruo replied, "I am a newcomer. First, I have no contact with the four great scholars. Second, I am not acquainted with the students in the academy. Third, I have just heard about this matter. Therefore, my opinion on this case is not mixed with any attachment, so it is credible."

All the students in the academy have had more or less interactions with the four grand secretaries, so expressing different opinions would reduce their credibility and make people suspect that they are deliberately trying to please someone, but Lin Ruo would not do that.

Scholar Han stroked his long white beard and nodded: "After all, he is the top scholar of this year's exam. Maybe he can bring up some new and interesting points that we don't pay attention to."

"Since there's no way to reach a conclusion from the argument, I'll just listen to you," said Master Zhang.

The four university scholars had all read the ten-thousand-word paper, so naturally they did not have much objection to Lin Ruo's analytical ability.

Lin Ruo seized the opportunity and said hurriedly: "Students believe that the convicted woman, Aliang, does not deserve the death penalty!"

! ! ! …A thunderous sound exploded in the hall, causing a huge uproar all of a sudden.

"Nonsense." Mr. Han, who held an opposing opinion, immediately shouted loudly.

The students outside the hall started to make noise again, some were dissatisfied with Lin Ruo, while others defended Lin Ruo.

Lin Ruo had no worries, calmed down, and shouted: "Laws are made for people, and they can also be changed for people!"

Eleven words were blurted out, echoing in the hall, creating a huge echo that lasted for a long time and immediately suppressed the noise of everyone else.

Lin Ruo deliberately used the inner strength of the seventh-grade martial arts...

"Well said!" In the silent hall, Master Zhang slammed the table and stood up.

With the help of Lin Ruo, the top scholar, the chances of winning will undoubtedly increase.

"It's ridiculous. Changing the law because of a commoner woman, where is the legal system and the dignity of the empire!" Scholar Han also stood up and sneered.

Master Mu shouted, "I think you are here to cause trouble on purpose."

Ling Xueshi retorted, "Disagreeing is making trouble? That's ridiculous."

"If this happens, people in the future will think that the law can be changed at will."

"That's you. The majesty of the law still exists. No one will think so."

The two sides started arguing again.

Lin Ruo smiled slightly, feeling lucky to have achieved his goal. He knew that even if he was eloquent, he would never be able to convince everyone in the hall.

Because in this case, both parties have reasonable arguments.

In this case, we must direct the debate to actions rather than words.

"The world is fair and will be judged by God." Lin Ruo said sternly, and the sound wave swept through the hall again, and the noise stopped.

The four university scholars were all surprised. For some reason, Lin Ruo's voice always seemed harsh, forcing them to stop.

Then, the four university scholars looked up in confusion. Is it God's will?
Lin Ruo asked in a deep voice: "May I ask the four great scholars, what does our Qing country believe in?"

"It is the temple of the Creator of heaven and earth." Han Xue Shi said without hesitation.

"Well, if the students can ask the temple to judge, do the four grand secretaries have any objections to the result?"

"I have no objection, but you are talking nonsense." Master Han refuted.

Lin Ruo did not respond and walked out of the hall.

The four grand secretaries signaled to each other and left the hall together.

In the courtyard outside the palace, Lin Ruo borrowed the props in the courtyard and set out the gameplay.

Everyone understood immediately: "Tou Hu..."

"Are you verifying the temple's choice in this way?" Scholar Mu couldn't help but sneer, and laughter began to rise around him.

Lin Ruo smiled, looked at the four scholars calmly and said, "If a student stands 20 meters away, is it possible to shoot ten arrows in a row?"

The surroundings suddenly became quiet, and many people guessed what Lin Ruo was thinking.

"There is absolutely no such possibility." Master Han shook his head decisively.

"What if the student scores?" Lin Ruo asked again.

"The fact that you've invested in it means that the temple in the sky is helping you. It means that you agree with your point of view. I have nothing to say." Scholar Han said casually with disdain.

"Well, if I cannot shoot ten arrows in a row, it means that the temple does not agree with my opinion. I and the two university scholars are willing to accept defeat and support the death penalty." Lin Ruo's voice was loud and clear, echoing throughout the courtyard.

When Master Zhang and Master Ling heard this, their hearts almost jumped out of their chests. They were furious: "Nonsense! Tossing arrows is usually only within half a meter. How can you retreat beyond two meters? Throwing in ten arrows is even more impossible. No, I don't agree to this competition."

"It seems that Scholar Zhang does not recognize the majesty of the temple." Scholar Han gloated and silently put the blame on others for disrespecting the temple.

Mr. Zhang was stunned, sweat breaking out on his face, and he didn't know how to refute. If he disagreed, it would be ignoring the prestige of the temple in Qing Kingdom. If he agreed, he would surely fail.

"Can you do it, kid?" Master Zhang asked suddenly.

Lin Ruo nodded and smiled: "I believe in the temple's choice."

Zhang Xueshi stared blankly, and at that moment, he actually saw light in Lin Ruo's eyes...

“He is just a weak scholar. People who don’t know him would think he is a great master. How can he shoot ten arrows from a distance of two meters?” Han Dawei stroked his long beard with satisfaction and couldn’t help chuckling.

Scholar Mu laughed out loud: "We will definitely win. If we don't, I will cut off my head and let this kid kick it like a ball."

(End of this chapter)