Early the next morning, Wei Nisheng arrived at the Hanlin Academy on time.
But as soon as he pushed open the door to his Duty Room, he saw Wang Kan seated in a chair to one side, holding his copied ledger.
Wei Nisheng froze in the doorway, his hand still resting on the frame, momentarily forgetting to step inside.
His thoughts raced as he looked at the copied ledger in Wang Kan's hands, and he asked a question whose answer he already knew.
"Zhanzheng, how did you get into..."
"Ah, Zi'an, you're here." Wang Kan raised his eyes.
"Zhanzheng, that ledger..." Wei Nisheng stepped forward.
"What is the purpose of this copied ledger?" Wang Kan asked.
"No purpose, none at all. I used it to practice my handwriting."
Wei Nisheng hastily took up the conversation, keeping his voice as steady as he could.
"I copy things down in my spare time to improve my brushwork. I'm afraid you've caught me..."
Before he could finish, Wang Kan interrupted him.
"I am ashamed!"
Wang Kan sprang to his feet and slapped the copied ledger onto the desk.
Straightening his robes and adjusting his cap, he bowed deeply to Wei Nisheng, bending until his torso reached his knees.
"I, Wang Kan, have lived five years longer than you, Zi'an, yet have nothing to show for it. We passed the same examination as Presented Scholars and serve in the same academy.
"For three years in the Hanlin Academy, I have spent every day tending tea and copying books, signing in and leaving when my shift was done.
"I thought myself an upright official, keeping myself pure, unstained by this muddy world, yet I never once opened my eyes to look.
"And now, these worms gnawing at our nation are swimming freely through its grain!"