Joy of Life: Starting from Teacher Fan Xian

Chapter 66: Public Trial
The sun sets in the west and it's time to adjourn the court. The Hanlin Academy, which was deserted in the past, is now packed with people, and the students' hearts are getting more and more excited.

There was a wide, flat area in the middle, and the students watched the number one scholar slowly retreat two feet away and reach the threshold of the hall.

From a distance of two meters, not only can the tossing pot hit the target, but even the specific range of the pot needs to be carefully measured to ensure it does not miss the target.

"This kid has never practiced before." Some students thought that the bet of shooting ten arrows from a distance of two meters was undoubtedly a losing deal.

A top scholar shouldn't be so stupid.

"Impossible. Have you ever seen a martial arts master who is a pale and weak scholar? My guards can kill such a man with one punch."

"That's right. You can't learn martial arts by studying."

"You don't really believe that the temple can help him."

The students were whispering to each other, laughing and crying. Although the temple was a belief of the Qing Kingdom, it only existed in ancient books and legends, and no one had ever actually seen it.

The students who were expecting the death penalty were extremely excited, while the students who thought the crime did not deserve the death penalty looked gloomy and silent, and in their hearts they had already begun to blame the reckless top scholar for killing people.

Lin Ruo stood at the threshold of the hall, straightened his body, held the arrow between his thumb and index finger, raised it high to his eye and aimed.

Master Han, who thought he had won, took a sip from the teacup. When he saw Lin Ruo's pitching posture, he spat out the hot tea in his mouth and laughed out loud.

Then the students around also laughed without restraint, as if they were reading a humorous story.

"That's how he pitches the pot."

"I heard that the top scholar came from a poor place called Danzhou. It's normal that he doesn't know how to play the advanced game of pitching pot."

Zhang Xueshi blushed, feeling ashamed: "Don't stand too straight, lean forward, step your right foot back, your left foot forward, and bend your knees."

call out!
Before anyone could react, the arrow had already flown out, drawing a perfect semicircle in the air. Everyone's scattered thoughts quickly gathered together, and their eyes followed it down.

And more students who were unable to react were still immersed in laughter.

"Boom!"

The next second, an arrow accurately pierced into the barnacle two meters away.

Silence all over...

A student exclaimed and widened his eyes.

Some students had just stopped laughing and didn't even notice the arrow had been shot. How did it go in for no apparent reason?

Han Shixue was taking his second sip of tea when he saw the arrow enter the pot. He couldn't hold back and spit out another mouthful of tea, which sprayed all over Mu Xue Shi's face like a fairy scattering flowers.

Scholar Mu stared blankly, while Scholar Han rubbed his eyes fiercely. After confirming that the shot was in, the two looked at each other and blurted out at the same time: "Luck, it must be good luck!"

"Boom!"

The familiar sound of palpitations, another arrow hits the pot.

Then the third one followed closely behind.

After being slapped in the face, Master Han and Master Mu's jaws almost dropped to the ground.

“Ahhh!” Master Zhang ran across the courtyard, his accumulated resentment dissipating, and he pointed at the man and cursed, “You old bastard, you like to yell.”

Cheers rang out suddenly, and the Hanlin Academy seemed to be about to explode.

The students who had been looking sad before suddenly burst into laughter, and the students who were laughing wildly before suddenly shut their mouths.

"How is this possible!" Mr. Han was speechless.

Lin Ruo responded with a faint smile: "It's just luck."

Han Xueshi blushed and pouted, grabbing his beard tightly: "Don't worry, there are still seven."

Amidst the surprise of the crowd, Lin Ruo picked up two arrows, drew the bow left and right, raised them high, and began to aim again.

Zhang Xueshi was almost frightened to death, and hurried forward to pull it: "No, just one will do, I'm scared."

Han Xueshi's eyes lit up, and he didn't bother to pull his beard. He stepped forward and suppressed Zhang Xueshi, "Damn old Zhang, don't hinder him, let him shoot, he can shoot two."

Bachelor Ling and Bachelor Mu moved upon hearing the sound, and the four of them intertwined again.

"Shhhhh."

The two arrows were thrown out at almost the same speed, and the four of them suddenly became silent.

Han Xueshi was secretly delighted: "You like to pretend. The mouth of the pot is so narrow, and you want to throw two in a row."

Many students also smiled jokingly.

Everyone looked intently and saw the two arrows rise and fall in a perfect arc, and then they were less than two feet away from the mouth of the pot, very close.

Many students' eyes lit up. As long as the two arrows collided with each other, one of them would surely fall, and they would definitely win.

However, at this moment, the two arrows crossed each other strangely. With only a slight friction between the tips, one arrow accelerated and shot into the barnacle, while the other arrow slowed down due to friction and entered the barnacle later.

"Dong dong!"

The crisp sound of water being put into the pot was heard.

The scene was dead silent, with pairs of eyes wide open, as if frozen. What kind of pitching technique was this? I had never seen or heard of it before.

"Ha..." Master Zhang shouted happily and opened his restraints.

Mr. Han pulled out two hairs of his beard and cried out in pain before he realized that this was real.

"Indeed, I can cast two." Lin Ruo responded to Mr. Han again.

Some people could no longer stand in the venue, and the students were gasping for air.

Lin Ruo pondered for a moment, then turned around and faced away, holding five arrows tightly in his hands.

"He's going to throw five arrows in a row with his back to us..." This time, all the students were speechless. They could only stare with their eyes wide open, mouths wide open.

No one laughed anymore, even though such behavior was really unbelievable.

They seemed to be waiting for a great feat tacitly.

"Impossible, impossible." Master Han prayed while wiping the sweat from his face.

Scholar Mu glared at the old man and said, "Shut up, he comes in every time you say that."

Han Xueshi realized it later, maybe my mouth is blessed...

Lin Ruo raised the corner of his mouth slightly, looked up at the sky, and suddenly said loudly: "Great Creator Temple, you have the virtue of loving life, and you will definitely help the student shoot this arrow."

As he spoke, endless true energy silently gathered into the arrow.

The next moment, with a light toss, five arrows shot out, drawing arcs that sometimes rose and sometimes fell in the air, but they maintained a very neat order, without interfering with each other, and went towards the barnacles.

“Boom boom boom boom…”

There was a series of clear sounds of arrows entering the pot, and five arrows were perfectly shot into the pot one after another.

This also works... it's simply amazing.

The students frowned tightly, then looked up into the distance with great piety. The great temple was really helping them... Lin Ruo's declaration completely led them astray.

Zhang Xueshi raised his head calmly and said with a grin, "Old Deng, I'll admit defeat if I lose the bet."

Mr. Han had lost his soul, his body trembled, and he stood there like a sculpture for a long time.

For a moment, every student in the Hanlin Academy looked at Lin Ruo with sincere eyes.

No one knew how the students of the Hanlin Academy spent this evening, but without exception, their faith in the temple became stronger.

……

After the morning court session on the second day, the four grand secretaries of the Hanlin Academy stood together in the imperial study.

Emperor Qing glanced at the four old guys, who all had different expressions, and knew that they had argued a lot yesterday.

"Are there any results?" Emperor Qing said slowly.

As a representative, Zhang Xueshi stepped forward and said with a chuckle, "Your Majesty, the result has been reached. The four of us all support that the crime should not be punished by death."

"Oh?" Emperor Qing exclaimed in surprise. He never expected that the four old guys could be united. In the past, it would have been strange if they hadn't argued over such topics in the imperial study.

Emperor Qing heaved a sigh of relief and waved his hand gently. Eunuch Hou leaned forward and said, "Pass my oral order to the Dali Temple and the Ministry of Justice..."

Before he finished speaking, the silent Han scholar stepped out and bowed, saying, "Your Majesty, I have a different opinion."

The imperial study suddenly became quiet.

Emperor Qing looked solemn, suppressed his annoyance, and waved his hand to let Eunuch Hou go back.

The four university scholars exchanged glances and then quickly pulled away.

Scholar Zhang snorted coldly and reminded: "What do you mean, Scholar Han? Didn't we already agree on the result yesterday?"

Scholar Han was so ashamed that he dared not raise his head and said in a deep voice: "Your Majesty, I think the law is unforgiving and he should be sentenced to death!"

Mr. Zhang's face darkened and the lines on his forehead wrinkled.

Master Ling also looked at Master Mu angrily, but the latter did not say anything.

"Why did you change your mind?" Emperor Qing asked coldly.

Scholar Han briefly explained what happened yesterday and waited for Your Majesty to make a decision.

Emperor Qing was thinking about something, but a meaningful smile appeared on his face. "Does this kid like to be kind so much?"

After a moment, Emperor Qing slammed the table angrily: "You four are really old and confused!"

The four grand secretaries knelt solemnly in the imperial study, not daring to look up.

Emperor Qing stood up, walked around the four people, and called Eunuch Hou, "According to the law..."

Halfway through his words, Emperor Qing suddenly shut up and fell into subtle contemplation, thinking with his hands behind his back.

After a long time, Emperor Qing smiled slightly and looked at the four ministers: "Step down. Since there is no conclusion, we will hold a court meeting the day after tomorrow to make a public judgment."

Eunuch Hou said respectfully, "Your Majesty, do you want to summon Scholar Lin to the court?"

"A sixth-rank editor?" Emperor Qing turned sideways, looked at him expressionlessly, and waved his hand, saying, "No one in the court needs to listen to his opinion."

……

In the prison of the Ministry of Justice, two jailers were delivering food to the prisoners along a long corridor. When they arrived in front of a cell, the jailer put the food down, leaned against the wooden fence, stared at the prisoner who had just been brought into the capital, and said with a smile: "Even if you are sentenced to death, your life is worth it."

"What's wrong?" another jailer asked in surprise.

"Don't you know yet? His Majesty's decree has been passed to the Ministry of Justice. The court will hold a meeting the day after tomorrow to try the case. This woman has become famous in disguise."

"The Hanlin Academy couldn't even come to a conclusion?" The jailer was surprised.

"Who knows?" Another jailer spread his hands and said, "Speaking of the Imperial Academy, a very interesting thing happened yesterday. I heard that someone threw ten arrows into the pot from two meters away."

When the jailer heard this, he immediately said, "This man must be a martial arts master."

The jailer shook his head and said in disbelief, "No, I heard that the man who pitched the pot was the top scholar of this year's imperial examination, and the person implicated in the cheating case of the Spring Imperial Examination. Many people in Kyoto have seen him. He is just a weak scholar, how could he be a martial arts master?"

"That's strange. Why do strange things always happen in Kyoto recently?"

(End of this chapter)