My younger sister insisted on marrying me and made me the Marquis' wife.

Chapter 699 Someone Else
After being settled, Brother Ximen wanted to send the maid away to find Yuan Da to deliver a message.

But the maidservant stayed outside and wouldn't leave, and Ranxiangju diligently lit benzoin incense in the room, and soon he really did fall asleep.

Five doctors, lecturers and students from the Imperial Academy were selected by the crowd, and five candidates from other places who came to the capital to take the imperial examinations were selected together.

Another person was chosen to loudly recite Qin Siyuan's poem and compare it with the poem by the young master of Nantang.

Wu Juren's shoulders slumped down little by little, his hands tucked into his sleeves, pinching his tiger's mouth until it bled, as he struggled to hold on.

It's over, it's over!
By this time, the Prince of Jin had still failed to arrive as promised.

We'll have to... find another way.

After each song was finished, the group would discuss it for a while.

They would occasionally argue about the merits of certain word choices.

Someone even came up with a brilliant line for everyone to comment on, and for a moment it felt like an elegant gathering with wine cups floating on a winding stream.

Lord Gu whispered to Qin Yuan, "It's a bit like a martial arts competition in the camp, but a real fight isn't like this... this..."

"So literary," Qin Yuan replied with a smile.

“Yes, yes,” said Lord Gu, “No wonder they say there is no first place in literature, but there is no second place in martial arts. These people have a point no matter how they look at it, unlike in martial arts, where the winner is indisputable.”

Qin Siyuan smiled and said, "But the brilliance of Young Master Nantang's poems is also beyond dispute."

Lord Gu was taken aback, then nodded emphatically, looking at Qin Yuan with great pride, and said arrogantly, "That's for sure."

Mr. Matsuyama, standing to the side, couldn't help but twitch his lips and inwardly roll his eyes.

Everyone is praising Young Master Nantang, what does it matter to him?

It's the same as praising him.

Those who know shame are close to courage. Is there any chance that Lord Gu will ever improve himself in this life?
"No wonder Siyuan was enlightened after reading these poems; even I, an old man, found them very helpful."

In order not to be too aloof, Mr. Matsuyama, of course, had to join in and offer a compliment as well.

Qin Siyuan coughed and said, "It's all my fault. I should have burned it after reading it, but I couldn't bear to part with it and thought it would be good to leave it to my descendants. I never expected that it would be stolen and that one copy would be lost."

Glancing at Wu, whose face was ashen and whose eyes were darting around, Qin Yuan said meaningfully, "It may not be lost, it's just not the right time to take it out yet."

Qin Siyuan was taken aback and looked at Wu Juren with a complicated expression.

After reading for a while, everyone finally said, "Although Qin Juren's poems have some of the style of the young master of Nantang, the ideas are quite different, and the wording is more powerful. It has already formed its own school and has not changed the poems of the young master of Nantang."

This is a consensus reached by everyone, and naturally no one has any objections.

King Qi said, "Since that's the case, Wu Juren's accusation is untrue. Do you have anything else to say?"

"What else is there to say!" the Ninth Princess said angrily. "Such a despicable scoundrel is truly contemptible. I think he should be stripped of his academic honors! He is utterly unworthy to be a scholar."

Princess Fuyun remained silent, but her expression showed her agreement.

Facing the disdainful gazes of the crowd, Wu Juren knelt down with a thud, his voice trembling as he said, "...Your Highness Prince Qi, Your Highness Ninth Princess, I...I had no choice but to do this...Indeed, the theft of the poem is true, but the person who stole the poem was not Qin Siyuan, but...but someone else."

The crowd was in an uproar.

"What? Someone else?"

"Is this for real?" "Why the sudden change of heart!"

"I think he's trying to confuse the public."

"It's hard to say, why don't you listen to what I have to say..."

King Qi tapped his folding fan a few times, smiling knowingly.

The Ninth Princess scoffed, "Even if you talk until the end, I will never believe you again! Tonight we were supposed to listen to Young Master Nantang recite poetry, but you've kept us all occupied for so long before we finally got here."

You falsely accused your classmate, framed an official of the Imperial Academy, and offended the Marquis of Dingbei. Now you claim it was someone else entirely. You're really good at making trouble, but who will believe you anymore?

Everyone nodded in agreement, agreeing with what the Ninth Princess said.

Lin Ziqi also feigned heartache and said to Wu Juren, "You, you, how could you do this? I trusted you, but I never expected you to be this kind of person. You, you have really done me a disservice."

He turned to look at Qin Siyuan, about to say something.

Wu, the scholar, suddenly looked up and glared at him: "At this point, do you still want me to take the blame for you?"

Lin Ziqi was bewildered and stood there stunned.

Qin Yuan's face showed an expression of "I knew it."

Qin Siyuan's expression was also somewhat subtle.

Before Lin Ziqi could react, Wu Juren turned to Qin Yuan and said, "Young Master Nantang, I did indeed hide that poem, but... I had no choice but to do so, and I have some unspeakable difficulties."

"Oh?" King Qi raised his eyebrows: "What's the matter that's hard to say? Speak clearly quickly, don't play riddles in front of me. If you can't explain it clearly, I'm afraid you'll lose your honor."

Wu, the scholar, said, "Now that things have come to this, I am no longer willing to hide it from others." As he spoke, he took out a letter from a hidden pocket in his bosom, held it above his head with both hands, and said, "This is the poem I hid. His Highness Prince Qi will have someone read it and you will know the reason."

The guard took the letter and handed it to King Qi.

Princess Fuyun also came over to look and exclaimed in surprise, "How could this be?"

The King of Qi asked, "Scholar Wu, what is the meaning of this?"

Wu, the scholar, said, "I was momentarily bewitched and found this poem in Qin's book box. Unexpectedly, I discovered that the poems of the young master of Nantang and those of the scholar Lin were very similar. So I went to question Lin Ziqi, but Lin Ziqi coerced and tempted me to falsely accuse Qin and the young master of Nantang in public."

Everyone gasped in surprise.

"Absurd, utterly absurd!" Lin Ziqi shouted.

Scholar Wu became even more agitated: "Do you dare swear to heaven that you never let me publicly frame Scholar Qin and Young Master Nantang? Do you dare swear that you never complained to me that Chief Minister Qin didn't have eyes for you as his son-in-law, but only for Scholar Qin? Do you dare swear that you didn't promise me any benefits?"

Lin Ziqi was speechless.

He did indeed do all of what Wu Juren said.

A moment's hesitation gave Wu, the scholar, the opportunity to continue his attack: "Your Highness Prince Qi, Your Highnesses Princesses, Lin Ziqi is threatening me, saying that if I do not obey him, he will accuse the school officials of stealing my poems for future use."

"I was intimidated by his status as the son-in-law of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, so I had no choice but to agree."

"Nonsense, utter nonsense!" Lin Ziqi trembled with anger. "Do you dare swear to heaven? When have I ever threatened you? Besides, although I am the son-in-law of the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Qin Siyuan is his nephew. As the saying goes, even distant relatives should not interfere with each other. How could I threaten you to falsely accuse Qin Siyuan?"

"It was you who vowed to speak out for the scholars of the world, and I admired your righteousness and courage, which is why I fell for your trick and became an accomplice to harm Brother Siyuan."