TGCFNM -Chapter 33 What Were You Talking About

On the way to see Wan Sanjin, Chu Ling went over the case again, then looked at Shen Lizhou and said seriously once more, “The problem still lies with you.”

Shen Lizhou forced a bitter smile. “How could a student like me, just a piece of wood that can read, be tricked by several young masters working together?”

Chu Ling decided to try a different approach, hoping it might jog Shen Lizhou’s memory. “When you were discussing poetry and essays, did you say anything seditious?”

Shen Lizhou’s face went pale. “Sir, how could a student dare?”

“Did you criticize the court or the ministers? Did you curse those narrow-minded officials, or express disappointment in the governance of those in high positions?” Chu Ling asked further.

Shen Lizhou suddenly stood up, his head nearly hitting the top of the carriage.

“Sir, I didn’t, I wouldn’t dare, how could I!” Shen Lizhou hurriedly explained. “We merely discussed the upcoming spring imperial exam, the examiners, and… the examiners’ preferences.”

Chu Ling was surprised. “The examiners’ preferences?”

Ghost Scholar explained from the side, “Different examiners value different things. Some like ornate writing, some despise it, some focus on calligraphy, while others lean toward practical matters, believing students should be pragmatic.”

Chu Ling understood. In short, everyone writes essays, but just writing beautifully doesn’t guarantee approval from the examiner.

So, luck also plays a part in the spring imperial exam.

“Now there’s still more than half a year until the spring exam, and the examiners haven’t even been chosen yet. What’s the point of discussing it now?” Chu Ling said helplessly, clearly puzzled.

Shen Lizhou looked embarrassed. “We from remote regions naturally have no connections. Some even leave home many months in advance, hoping to reach the capital sooner, but…”

But some people do have connections.

Chu Ling caught the implied meaning. “So, is there anything else you haven’t said?”

Shen Lizhou answered with difficulty, unsure how to face Chu Ling, hanging his head and clutching his clothes. “The examiners’ slots are basically set. One of them is Grand Tutor Sun.”

“What style does Grand Tutor Sun favor? And who told you that it’s him?” Chu Ling asked carefully.

Shen Lizhou lifted his head. “Grand Tutor Sun is a favorite among students. He isn’t biased toward any particular style; as long as the essay is good, that’s fine. But at the same time, he might set the exam questions. His topics are broad and sometimes tricky… Other students seem to know these things.”

Chu Ling rubbed her forehead. Great, a group of wolves surrounding a sheep—the sheep won’t survive.

Wait, Grand Tutor Sun sets the questions?

Setting the questions, spring exam, imperial exams, cheating?!

“What essays were you discussing that night? Tell me everything in detail.” Chu Ling’s expression was serious. If things were as she suspected, the motive behind this murder wouldn’t be simple.

Under Chu Ling’s prompting, Shen Lizhou sat back down and recounted all the essays discussed that night. At the end, he spoke hesitantly about his own essay:

“I thought that the taxes on farmers are too high. They must pay according to land and by head, and each year it is collected twice, in summer and autumn. The people suffer greatly.”

“Among the aristocratic families, scholarly pursuits are most valued. Their lands, however, are exempt from taxes, and the court even provides them with substantial annual subsidies. The wealth of these families grows while the common people grow poorer, eventually having no choice but to sell their lands to the aristocrats. They go from owning their own fields to working as tenants, selling their labor, barely managing to survive.”

“The student believes that reform must begin with the aristocrats: redistribute their lands to the common people, have the people pay taxes to the aristocrats, and the aristocrats, in turn, pay taxes to the state. Additionally, the twice-yearly tax collection could be reduced to once a year, combining head and land taxes into one, calculated based on the autumn harvest.”

The Ghost Scholar sighed deeply upon hearing this. “Our Great Zhou needs people like this.”

Bai Su shook her head regretfully. But this man was already a ghost—his ambitions could no longer be realized.

Shen Lizhou looked at the figure before him and the two ghosts beside her, forcing a bitter smile. “So… it’s because my essay touched the interests of the aristocrats?”

Chu Ling shook her head decisively, speaking without a shred of leniency. “You had ideas, but your ideas could never be acknowledged by the examiners. Even if you took the spring imperial exam, your name would never appear on the list.”

The Ghost Scholar sighed, full of anger yet helpless. “Now that the aristocrats control the court, even if your essay were written, it would be useless. So it’s unlikely they killed you over the essay itself.”

Chu Ling took a deep breath, her eyes icy. “It wasn’t the essay—they killed you because of the problem.”

“The problem?” Shen Lizhou didn’t understand.

The Ghost Scholar suddenly realized and said in shock, “The questions were leaked?”

Shen Lizhou quickly waved his hands. “I acted with complete integrity—I never bought any exam questions. I’m innocent; I didn’t know anything about this.”

Chu Ling could only say, resigned, “Of course you didn’t know.”

“It makes no sense—there are still nearly six months until the spring exam, and the questions are already out?” The Ghost Scholar shook his head. “Absolutely impossible.”

“Six months to the spring exam, yes, but the examiner has appeared and the questions have been set… something doesn’t add up…” Chu Ling frowned, thinking carefully for a moment, then murmured, “Could it be possible…?”

“Possible what?” the Ghost Scholar asked immediately.

“That it’s all just a scheme,” Chu Ling said, almost incredulously, even to herself. “Merely the undercurrents among court officials, a plot to bring down Grand Tutor Sun.”

“You mean…” The Ghost Scholar could barely bear it, gnashing his teeth in anger.

Bai Su looked puzzled. Glancing at a somewhat dazed Shen Lizhou, she quickly tugged at Chu Ling. “What do you mean?”

Chu Ling took a deep breath, looking at the disheartened Shen Lizhou with some pity, and shook her head. “If I’m right, the claim that the examiner has already been chosen is likely a rumor. Only aristocratic children—or students closely connected to them—would know this. And naturally, only they would know the exam questions.”

So the answer was obvious.

When Shen Lizhou discussed his essays and poetry, he spoke with genuine ambition, quoting classics, and addressing a broad range of topics.

“On June 28th, I stopped at a teahouse to rest and drink tea. I happened to hear someone mention that this year is difficult and that they might need to borrow grain. I was curious and chatted with them at length. Later, those people encouraged me to speak more. The teahouse owner even waived my tea fee and gave me some money to go to the capital for the exam,” Shen Lizhou explained.

Now even Bai Su understood. She looked at Shen Lizhou in disbelief. “So the words you said by accident involved the ‘leaked’ questions.”

That’s why, when the aristocratic children learned that Shen Lizhou was lodging at a dilapidated temple, they pretended to chance upon him—but in reality, they were testing him.

It really was a deadly misunderstanding.