TGCFNM -Chapter 244 He Is Xu Wangshui

No exams!

These four words weighed heavily on the heads of the people outside the gates.

Everyone there was an ordinary villager, and they knew how difficult it was to raise a scholar. They understood that a scholar spent ten long years in cold study, all for the chance to take the imperial exams in spring—the chance to leap like a carp over the Dragon Gate.

This was the only opportunity for common people to change their fate.

Moreover, Xu Wangshan’s family was poor. To support him as a scholar, they must have endured immense hardships. Even the money for his journey to the capital had been gathered by the villagers. All of this put enormous pressure on him.

Only by passing the jinshi examination could Xu Wangshan repay his fellow villagers.

But because he had placed a few pieces of scrap paper inside his shoes, he was barred from taking the exam.

It was a devastating blow, enough to destroy a person’s life.

Chu Ling’s voice darkened as she began to recount the events.

“Xu Wangshan was expelled and could not participate in the spring exams. Meanwhile, his fellow examinee, Cheng Dian—a man who could have kept his mouth shut—was tempted by a momentary, selfish thought. Wanting one less competitor, he caused Xu Wangshan to be removed.”

“Cheng Dian successfully entered the exam hall, while Xu Wangshan wandered the streets in a daze. Years of hard work, a decade of effort, all vanished because of a few scraps of paper. He had no money, no place to go, and even the travel expenses had been gathered by his fellow villagers.”

“Under this crushing pressure, Xu Wangshan returned to that small wood shack and hanged himself.”

Chu Ling’s voice was muffled as she finished, pausing for a long moment. Looking at the villagers’ reddened eyes, her own nose grew tender.

“After the exam, Cheng Dian, ashamed to face Xu Wangshan, did not return home and stayed elsewhere. It was only when the results were announced—Cheng Dian having passed as the last name on the second tier of the jinshi list—that he thought to find Xu Wangshan to apologize and even offered for Xu Wangshan to serve as his advisor, in an attempt to assuage his guilt.”

“But when he went to the inn, he learned that Xu Wangshan had already hanged himself that very day. Since no one had noticed, the body had begun to rot, and the innkeeper had had it thrown onto a common burial mound, along with all his belongings.”

“Cheng Dian was frightened and filled with remorse. He sold everything he could, used his connections to secure the post of county magistrate in Yuchuan, and left the capital early.”

“At the same time, a royal amnesty was declared. Xu Wangshan’s sister was fortunate enough to be released from the palace. Xu Wangshan’s younger brother, Xu Wangshui, also came to the capital seeking his brother, intending to find some employment. The siblings met unexpectedly and recognized each other. When they went to look for Xu Wangshan, they could only find him at the burial mound, collect his already unrecognizable body, prepare a coffin, and hastily handle the funeral arrangements.”

Chu Ling looked at the villagers as she spoke.

“Tell me, people of the village, should Xu Wangshan’s brother and sister take revenge?”

“Yes!” shouted a young man, eyes red. “Yes!”

“Yes! Lord Chu Ling, yes, yes!”

“He caused a person’s death and must face retribution! Yes!”

“Yes!”

…and so on.

Chu Ling nodded heavily. “I, too, believe this is how it happened. So, Xu Wangshui and Sister Ling Shao, after inquiring multiple times, finally learned that Cheng Dian was heading to Yuchuan County. They secretly followed him and eventually found him.”

“Sister Ling Shao, under the pretense of looking for her younger brother, happened to encounter Cheng Dian. Since there were no lodgings near Mount Bai Meng except for the courier inn, and because Cheng Dian was kind-hearted, he invited Ling Shao to stay at the inn with him, even falsely claiming that Ling Shao was his own sister.”

“After spending some time with Cheng Dian, Ling Shao realized he wasn’t as malicious as she had imagined. On the contrary, he was kind-hearted and pitied her for searching for her brother. He even gave her a portion of the few silver coins he had left.”

“So Ling Shao’s heart softened.”

“But how could she not avenge her real younger brother? So Ling Shao decided to use the poison she had brought from the palace to teach Cheng Dian a lesson.”

“At the time, Cheng Dian unexpectedly fell ill and thought he had caught a cold. Ling Shao couldn’t overcome the mental barrier inside her heart, so she stayed behind to take care of him. At the same time, Xu Wangshan’s younger brother, Xu Wangshui, finally arrived.”

“Ling Shao thought that although her brother couldn’t take the imperial examination because of something Cheng Dian said, her brother ultimately committed suicide. If she only blamed someone else, even wanting a life in exchange for a life, wouldn’t that be excessive?”

“After learning of his sister’s thoughts, Xu Wangshui could not calm his heart for a long time. He felt his sister’s approach was too gentle. He had seen Cheng Dian, full of health and pride, happily announce that he would become the county magistrate. Meanwhile, his brother had a life full of misfortune, was driven to hang himself, and his body, already decomposed, was thrown onto a common burial mound. How could he suppress such fury?”

“Therefore, he wanted to give Cheng Dian a lesson he would never forget for the rest of his life!”

“So, that night, Xu Wangshui stole his sister’s medicine, planning to increase the dosage to make Cheng Dian suffer. He also planned to cut off one of his arms and one leg, because a crippled person could never become a county magistrate. His dream of being a county magistrate was beginning to shatter.”

“However, Xu Wangshui took the wrong medicine and accidentally poisoned Cheng Dian to death. Unaware of this, he thought Cheng Dian had merely fainted. He then cut off one arm and one leg as a ‘lesson,’ burying the severed limbs in the vegetable garden behind the station—until I accidentally discovered them.”

“The next morning, when Ling Shao came to see Cheng Dian, she saw the severed arm and leg, along with the fine medicine and neatly wrapped bandages—but by then, Cheng Dian was already dead.”

“Xu Wangshui… had killed Cheng Dian!”

The people were stunned. Everyone looked at the bones on the ground in disbelief, then turned to their ever-silent magistrate, the entire crowd thrown into utter confusion.

So… their magistrate Cheng wasn’t Cheng Dian, but someone else?

So the original Cheng Dian had already been poisoned to death; this world had never really had Cheng Dian?

Chu Ling looked at the crowd and slowly said, “The matter stops here, but it isn’t over yet.”

“Xu Wangshui accidentally killed someone, so he decided to confess. He and Ling Shao carried Cheng Dian’s body out, intending to confess and accept punishment together in Yuchuan County. On the way, the two were tormented, mentally and physically exhausted, their bodies wasted to skin and bones.”

“Finally, they arrived in Yuchuan County. Sister Song Yu, who had already received letters, had brought the future mother-in-law ahead and settled in Yuchuan County.”

“But when Xu Wangshui reached the county gates, he saw a large man in embroidered robes instructing his men to bully an elderly man. Angered, he stepped forward, knocked the man down, and revealed his identity: the new magistrate of Yuchuan County, Cheng Dian!”

“I remember, I was young at the time. They were beating my grandfather, and it was the magistrate who saved him!” a young woman cried out.

Chu Ling pointed to Xu Wangshui and addressed the people, “Xu Wangshui, disguised as Cheng Dian, initially only felt sympathy for the people of Yuchuan County. Coming from a poor background himself, he couldn’t bear to watch injustice. So he intended to punish the wicked and then confess his crime. But things didn’t go as planned, and he remained until today.”

“He is not Cheng Dian—he is Xu Wangshui!”

“But Xu Wangshui killed Cheng Dian, so… should he be sentenced?”