Pigs and Dogs Are Better Than This!

Zhen Shopkeeper's mind was in a tangled mess. "That Fang Yun used to be a fool who knew nothing. How had he become so formidable today? What ruthless methods. The Case First must have been personally chosen by County Magistrate Cai. Offending him means offending County Magistrate Cai."

Fang Yun cupped his hands to the crowd and declared, "I used to work at this Auspicious Restaurant, laboring bitterly every month for five hundred copper coins. Yet just yesterday, Zhen Shopkeeper dismissed me. Not only that, he refused to pay me a single coin of my previous wages and even shouted that he would beat and kill me. Today, County Magistrate Cai held a Licentiate Literary Assembly at the Auspicious Restaurant. I arrived for the banquet on time, but Zhen Shopkeeper refused to let me enter. Though I, Fang Yun, am but a poor scholar, I still have backbone. I will not enter this Auspicious Restaurant. Tomorrow, I will go apologize to the county magistrate. Everyone, remember Zhen Shopkeeper. Remember the Auspicious Restaurant. This place recognizes clothes, not people."

After speaking, Fang Yun turned and left.

Zhen Shopkeeper hesitated indecisively. From the corner of his eye, he saw people looking down from the second floor. He instinctively raised his head and saw that nearly all the important figures of the county were upstairs: County Magistrate Cai, Academy Director Wang, Su Provincial Graduate of the prominent clans, and more.

In particular, the gaze of Su Provincial Graduate, a man in his fifties, was exceptionally cold as he looked at Zhen Shopkeeper.

The prominent clans and gentry of the county wanted to befriend the most promising Licentiates. Yet the owner of a restaurant was driving away the Case First, the person most worth befriending and with the brightest future?

Zhen Shopkeeper's face went deathly pale with fright. He felt as though ice had frozen between his bones. Offending County Magistrate Cai was not too serious; once his term ended, he would leave. But Su Provincial Graduate had been rooted in Ji County for many years, his clan prominent for three generations. The consequences of offending him would be far worse.

Gritting his teeth, Zhen Shopkeeper hurried after Fang Yun. "Fang Yun, I was blind and failed to recognize you as this year's Case First. For the sake of our many years of acquaintance, please forgive me."

Fang Yun stopped. "Zhen Shopkeeper, you are too polite. You did nothing wrong. The Auspicious Restaurant is your territory, and you have the right to refuse me entry. Of course, now that you are allowing me in, I also have the right to refuse. Farewell."

Remembering Su Provincial Graduate's gaze, Zhen Shopkeeper could no longer care about his pride. He rushed forward, grabbed Fang Yun's sleeve, and pleaded, "Young Master Fang, please forgive me. I looked down on people with dog eyes. My eyes grew on my backside. I only recognize clothes, not people. I sincerely admit my mistake. I'll compensate you for your wages right now."

A light cough came from the second floor. County Magistrate Cai said, "If you have something to say, come upstairs. What sort of spectacle is this, pulling and tugging in the street?"

After speaking, County Magistrate Cai glared at Zhen Shopkeeper, then turned to Fang Yun with a smile.

Fang Yun immediately cupped his hands. "Since the county magistrate has spoken, this student shall naturally obey." With that, he strode into the Auspicious Restaurant without hesitation.

Zhen Shopkeeper was utterly horrified. Only then did he realize that Fang Yun's departure had been a pretense. He had actually been waiting for County Magistrate Cai to speak. If he had truly insisted on leaving, that would have been disrespectful to the county magistrate. So Fang Yun had deliberately shouted riddles downstairs to draw the attention of County Magistrate Cai and the others, and in the end, he had also trapped his restaurant—killing two birds with one arrow.

"Was everything he did before an act? This level of scheming is nothing remarkable by itself, but appearing in a child, it is terrifying!" Zhen Shopkeeper suddenly realized that before Fang Yun, he possessed no ability to resist at all.

The two went upstairs. A tall, powerfully built Niu Barbarian stood outside the Heaven-Grade Room. Fang Yun glanced at him several times before entering.

The Heaven-Grade Room was spacious. Three tables had already been set up inside, with nearly twenty people seated there. At this moment, they all stood.

County Magistrate Cai was clearly dressed in ordinary clothes and even wore a smile, yet he still possessed an authority that made others bow in conviction. It came from his Literary Qi, his cultivation, and his official position.

"Tell me, what exactly happened?" County Magistrate Cai asked with a smile.

Zhen Shopkeeper dropped to his knees with a thud and fiercely slapped his own face as he spoke. "Reporting to the county magistrate, everything was this lowly one's fault! This lowly one is despicable and shameless. I withheld Young Master Fang's wages, and lard blinded my heart. This lowly one is willing to compensate him."

"Who told you to speak?" County Magistrate Cai said blandly.

His tone was exceedingly soft, yet it made Zhen Shopkeeper's hairs stand on end. His eyes filled with terror, like a rabbit targeted by lions and tigers.

No one around them spoke. Nearly everyone's eyes held a faint trace of mockery.

Zhen Shopkeeper lowered his head dejectedly. Only then did he understand how vast the gap was between his status and that of a Double-A Honor Licentiate.

Fang Yun first bowed, then truthfully recounted the matter between himself and Zhen Shopkeeper.

Everyone revealed angry expressions. Su Provincial Graduate sternly said, "Who would have thought that Ji County could produce such a beast! If you had merely refused to let Fang Yun bring discarded vegetables home, that might have been understandable. But why did you also humiliate him? Fang Yun's riddle poem was not wrong in the slightest. You truly only recognize clothes, not people! You are worse than pigs and dogs!"

Zhen Shopkeeper was terrified beyond measure, trembling all over.

Fang Yun smiled. "Today is the Licentiate Literary Assembly, yet my personal affairs have delayed it. This junior is willing to punish himself with a cup of wine in apology. Zhen Shopkeeper, since you have already admitted your mistake, I forgive you. Go downstairs."

Zhen Shopkeeper blankly looked up at Fang Yun. Seeing Fang Yun's smiling face, it seemed that he had truly been forgiven. Yet Zhen Shopkeeper knew in his heart that this matter could not possibly be resolved so easily.

"What magnanimity! Everyone, sit. Do not let that petty man spoil our enjoyment. As for the wine, there is no need for punishment." County Magistrate Cai made no attempt to conceal his appreciation for Fang Yun.

Everyone sat down in succession.

There were three tables in all. County Magistrate Cai headed the first table, where Ji County's officials and the great households of prominent clans sat. The lowest Literary Rank among them was Academy Student, and only one seat had been reserved for the Case First.

The second table was for this year's Licentiates, while the third was for the county's well-known men of letters.

There was one Metropolitan Graduate and three Provincial Graduates here. Apart from the Licentiates, everyone else was an Academy Student.

After exchanging a few pleasantries, Fang Yun sat at the first table. He had barely settled down when the door opened.

Fang Yun turned his head and saw Fang Li and Fang Zhongyong entering together.

Fang Zhongyong immediately bent at the waist to greet everyone, while Fang Li merely cupped his hands. Then he looked around before finally fixing his gaze on Fang Yun, fire blazing in his eyes.

Fang Yun behaved as though he had noticed nothing.

Once the two had taken their seats, the Literary Assembly officially began. First, County Magistrate Cai offered wine to the sages. Next, he offered wine to the ruler and dowager empress of the Jing Kingdom. Finally, he toasted all the Licentiates.

The theme of this Literary Assembly centered on the County Examination. County Magistrate Cai first spoke of the first question in Appeal to the Sage's Words: In the twenty-seventh year of Duke Zhao, where was Confucius?

This was equivalent to a Metropolitan Graduate giving a lecture, and it was also helpful for Classic Interpretation. Not only did the Licentiates listen attentively, but the Academy Students and Provincial Graduates present also listened carefully, preparing for their future Imperial Examinations.

Those Academy Students and Provincial Graduates who had only just learned the question thought deeply as well. They all knew that Confucius had been in Qi Kingdom and Lu during that year, but since County Magistrate Cai had brought up this question, the answer naturally could not be so simple.

County Magistrate Cai said, "This question was exceptionally obscure. Even Provincial Graduates might not necessarily answer it correctly. I was only able to solve it because I had read some books in the capital. Fang Yun, tell us how you answered this question."

Everyone watched Fang Yun. The greatest taboo in scholarship was knowing that something was so without knowing why it was so. If Fang Yun could not explain this question from beginning to end, then the prestige of his Double-A Honor Licentiate title would be greatly diminished.

Fang Li interjected, "Zhongyong was unable to answer it. Please, Case First Fang, enlighten us and properly educate this disappointing child of mine."

Fang Zhongyong looked troubled. Then he looked at Fang Yun and made an apologetic expression.

Fang Yun gave a slight nod to show that he understood. He had long known that although Fang Zhongyong was somewhat proud, he had always been quiet and reserved, with no bad reputation. It was instead his father, Fang Li, who flaunted himself everywhere under the name of the father of a child prodigy, making many people dislike him.

Fang Yun pondered for a moment, organizing his words in his mind. "At first, I also thought the answer to this question was simple, so I only wrote Qi Kingdom and Lu. But when I reached the sixth question and saw that it tested the Book of Rites, I was inspired. I remembered that the Book of Rites once said that Sage Kong attended the funeral of Ji Zi's eldest son..."

Afterward, Fang Yun used his own words to straighten out the logic of the question, explaining it in the most solid manner possible without the slightest flaw.

When Fang Yun finished speaking, many of the Licentiates and Academy Students present were still thinking. Those who had completely understood, however, praised him one after another.

Fang Li's momentum immediately weakened by a notch. He too was a Licentiate and knew full well the difficulty of this question. He understood even more clearly that Fang Yun's approach to solving it was practically flawless.

"Fang Yun possesses great talent. I am inferior to him," Fang Zhongyong said softly. His voice carried some melancholy, but no resentment.

County Magistrate Cai smiled. "What an excellent Fang Yun. Though this approach is cumbersome, it is precisely the most suitable for Licentiates. If you had used my method of solving the question, I would certainly have suspected you of cheating."

County Magistrate Cai then explained his own solution. He had used several books with very limited circulation to solve the problem, and most of them did not exist in Fang Yun's Strange Book World. Let alone Fang Yun, even Academy Director Wang and Su Provincial Graduate had never read them.

After comparing the methods, everyone looked at Fang Yun differently. His method was the proper path.

Next, everyone continued discussing some questions from Appeal to the Sage's Words. County Magistrate Cai even expanded the discussion to "Classic Interpretation."

So-called Classic Interpretation meant taking a sentence or passage from the Classics of the Sages as the topic, then having examinees write an essay to elucidate and explain the principles within it.

If Appeal to the Sage's Words was memorizing the Way of the Sages, then Classic Interpretation was understanding the Way of the Sages and forming one's own insights.

After County Magistrate Cai finished the Appeal to the Sage's Words portion, the dishes were served. Everyone ate and drank for a while before moving on to the next topic: poetry and lyrics.

Since County Magistrate Cai had discussed Appeal to the Sage's Words, Academy Director Wang of the Literary Academy should have taken the lead in discussing poetry and lyrics. Yet Fang Li beat him to it. "My son's poetry has the ability to exceed the county, yet he only received a B. County Magistrate Cai said Fang Yun's poetry possessed the great talent to ring through a state. Could we see the poetry he wrote for the County Examination?"

Many people fell silent and secretly looked at Academy Director Wang.

Academy Director Wang had not expected Fang Li to be so ignorant of proper conduct. To put it harshly, he did not distinguish between superior and inferior. That was a grave taboo.

With an expressionless face, Academy Director Wang said, "I had originally intended to keep Fang Yun's examination paper at the County Academy for future examinees to admire. But after I sent that poem of his to Li Grand Academician at the Prefectural Academy, Li Grand Academician said that the original manuscript of the poem should be sent to the Prefectural Academy. He also said that this poem was not only the greatest in the land among this year's County Examination poems, but the greatest County Examination poem in several hundred years! Li Grand Academician said that this poem would certainly appear in the next issue of Sacred Way!"

The room erupted.

"Did Li Grand Academician truly say that? To be enshrined in the Prefectural Academy—what Licentiate's poem could receive such treatment?"

"The greatest County Examination poem in the land? That title is no small matter."

"If it can appear in Sacred Way, then wouldn't the county gain another Literary Archway? With the Double-A Honor breaking precedent, Fang Yun alone would receive two Literary Archways."

"It seems that no one from our Ji County has ever appeared in Sacred Way, right?"

"Indeed, no one has."