Having escaped from home without even wearing an outer garment, Zhen Shiqing had no money. After hesitating for a long time, he pulled out the jade hairpin from his head.
"This hairpin was a gift from my mother for my eighteenth birthday."
It was the only thing that hadn't been stolen, something he had always cherished, but now he had to use it to devise a scheme.
Zhen Shiqing smiled wryly, "I think it should be worth fifty taels."
Seeing his sorrowful expression and lifeless eyes, Jin Shanyao hesitated for a moment, unsure whether she should break his legs.
"Master, I only have one question for you."
Who knows what he might say next? Just as Jin Shanyao was about to stop him, Zhen Shiqing slowly said, "If there is one person who is born to pave the way for another."
The road has been paved, but he has nowhere to go. What do you suggest he do?
After Zhen Shiqing finished speaking, he couldn't help but burst into laughter, which grew louder and louder, reaching a point of utter madness...
"Damn, they've gone mad again!" Jin Shanyao was about to step forward, knock the men unconscious, send them back to the Zhen Household, and break their leg bones while she was at it.
The laughter abruptly ceased. Zhen Shiqing stared intently at the Jin Shanyao. "I Non-Self myself; the madman is someone else. I have lost myself. Can you find me?"
He stepped forward, grabbed the Jin Shanyao his wrist, his expression sorrowful. "I am trapped in a cage, unable to escape... I beg the master to save me."
Jin Shanyao suppressed the urge to slap him to death, gritting her teeth as she said, "Speak like a human."
Zhen Shiqing choked, staring at the Jin Shanyao for a long time before finally uttering, "You should read more books..."
She's been reading books since she was a sapling, for thousands of years now. To quickly integrate into this little world, she reads during the day and summarizes at night.
She's even more diligent than when she was cultivating in the forest; she still hasn't read enough books... She's practically a bookworm.
Seeing Jin Shanyao's face suddenly turn cold, Zhen Shiqing quickly begged for forgiveness, "Master, I was wrong. Here's what happened: I passed the imperial examination at the age of seven, but my brother failed because he was playing and cried and begged for a degree too."
The following year, my parents coaxed me into taking my brother's name to take the imperial examination for the lowest degree. This one act of ignorance ruined my life.
Zhen Shiqing's voice gradually became low and deep. He smiled sarcastically, "The prefectural examination is loosely regulated, making it easy to cheat and pass. But the provincial examination is strictly regulated and cannot be taken by proxy. So they made me continue to impersonate my brother to take the imperial examination."
My parents said they would ask someone to pull strings and send me to take the imperial examination in another province in three years. They said it would be done without anyone knowing, and I could be myself again. The two scholars in the family would also be exempt from a lot of taxes.
Jin Shanyao her hand to interrupt him, "Aren't you afraid I'll expose this?"
Zhen Shiqing suddenly laughed, "You wouldn't. Your eyes are too pure, not innocent, but 'empty.' You don't care about these rules of the world at all. How could an observer of the world expose me?"
He's not truly insane. Was his earlier question about liking his sister-in-law and stepmother just a waste of time?
He had heard a little about Jin Shanyao's reputation... talented but unethical... well-deserved.
Zhen Shiqing stared at her. "Do you really like money?"
"I like poop..."
Zhen Shiqing was speechless. If you don't want to talk, then don't. Why are you being so sarcastic?
He pulled himself together and continued, "My maidservant, my favorite inkstone, everything I own... if you want it, brother, you have to give it all up. Because the eldest brother is like a father, and brothers are one."
Three years later, I thought I would be able to take the provincial examination, but my father called me to the ancestral hall and said, "My brother's marriage requires a degree of 'juren' (a successful candidate in the provincial examination). He wants me to help him one more time, and says he will definitely let me take the provincial examination next time..."
"Next time, it's always next time... I've heard 'next time' countless times, but it's never my turn. I trusted them so much, why did they lie to me?"
My parents always say I'm smart and that I can pass the exam no matter when I take it, so they don't care about these few years.
Three years, then another three years, and then yet another three years—how many three-year periods does one have in a lifetime? When I disagreed with them, they went on a hunger strike, forcing me to compromise.
Isn't it ridiculous? I've become nothing more than my brother's shadow; I can't even protect my own name.
Zhen Shiqing's eyes gradually turned fierce. "I agree... Since there won't be a next time, I'll make him disappear completely. So I tore up the exam paper on the spot using my brother's name."
Hahaha... That's great, nobody has to take the test anymore. There won't be a next time!
As he spoke, he slowly moved closer to the Jin Shanyao and whispered, "From that day on, Zhen Shiqing went mad... He can no longer participate in the imperial examinations, and even if Zhen Shiming wanted to take them, he couldn't, because he's an incompetent good-for-nothing."
Besides, the examiners would verify appearance, voice, demeanor, and handwriting. They dared not take the risk; cheating in the imperial examinations was a grave crime... it could lead to death, and they couldn't allow the Zhen Household to end."
After revealing all his long-held secrets, Zhen Shiqing completely relaxed, his expression no longer troubled. He smiled and looked at Jin Shanyao.
"Master, how do you solve this problem?"
Jin Shanyao gently twirled the jade hairpin in her hand, her deep eyes revealing no emotion. She gazed at Zhen Shiqing for a long time before smiling, "You are Zhen Shiqing. You are registered in the government and have records from the imperial examinations."
"Who says you're not Zhen Shiqing? Let them produce the evidence."
Zhen Shiqing didn't react for a moment, "Master... I explained it so clearly, didn't you understand?"
" Zhen Shiqing is my brother's name; I'm using someone else's name... I'm not myself anymore."
Jin Shanyao her hand and slapped Zhen Shiqing on the head, saying sternly, "I say you are Zhen Shiqing, and you are Zhen Shiqing. If anyone says you are not Zhen Shiqing, then go to the government and report them..."
Remember, the government will never admit its mistakes; it's a dead end.
Zhen Shiqing was somewhat confused. "The master means I should deceive everyone... and use someone else's name for the rest of my life."
With a light laugh, Jin Shanyao, "A name is just a label. You are always yourself. Your achievements and knowledge cannot be faked."
He stole so much from you, so what's wrong with you only taking his name? That way, all the achievements you made in the first half of your life will still be yours, and no one has taken them away from you.
Remember, sometimes it's not that you're too stupid, but that you're too kind... A ruthless heart eats from all directions, a soft heart goes hungry. Go back and think about it carefully.
"What about my parents?"
"Don't they like to go on hunger strikes? Respect their preferences and don't interfere too much."
Zhen Shiqing's expression was unreadable. He had spent half his life vying for his parents' attention and affection, but in the end, it was all for nothing.
He walked out of the Anzhi Hall in a daze, raising his hand to shield his eyes from the glaring sunlight; it seemed like he hadn't looked up at the sky in a long time.
A few days later, news gradually spread throughout Qingzhou Prefecture that the eldest son of the Zhen Household had recovered from his illness, was no longer insane, and had even picked up his books again to prepare for the provincial examination the following year.
Some people speculated that Anzhi Hall had cured the man, because Zhen Shiqing had been going to the Anzhi Hall frequently during this period.
Some say that Zhen Shiqing fell and hit his head while walking at night, but recovered. In short, there are many different stories, and whenever the Zhen Household go out, people always congratulate them.
Master Zhen happily agreed, thinking that as long as his son didn't pretend to be crazy, there was still room for maneuver. However, he didn't expect Zhen Shiqing to actually make it all the way to the palace examination.
He snatched the title of top scholar from the imperial examination and entered the Hanlin Academy as a compiler. There was no way to get it back. It was only at that moment that Zhen Household's parents realized that they had lost a son.
An excellent son.
Those who have been deeply hurt by family relationships are often invincible and never look back.