Chapter 122: I… Can Be a Legend Myself! (1)
Translator: Atlas Studios Editor: Atlas Studios
The wind on the shore is clear, and the clouds in the water tower are bright and clear.
On the shore of the West Lake, the willow trees were green. The spring breeze blew, lifting the Confucian shirt and white clothes of the stroller.
An Le and First Headmaster strolled along the embankment of West Lake, admiring the scenery of West Lake in the spring morning light. It was very comfortable and natural.
Flower boats dotted the lake, and there were countless scholars on the embankment, waiting for Fairy Yun Rou to appear on the flower boat.
An Le did not come to West Lake to see Fairy Yun Rou, but to find a quiet place to chat with First Headmaster.
However, An Le had underestimated his popularity. Along the way, many scholars would bow and greet him as “Master An.”
Their tone was filled with respect, and their eyes were filled with admiration.
Yesterday, in front of Prime Minister Qin’s Residence, he set up a table and composed a poem to prove his innocence. His name had long been spread throughout Lin’an. Not to mention the classic bamboo sea sword qi painting that countless painters regarded highly, just An Le’s righteous temperament and unyielding nature had attracted the admiration of many people.
That was Prime Minister Qin. He had a high status in Lin’an Prefecture. Which scholar would dare to do such a thing?
Prime Minister Qin said that he had cheated. If it were any other scholar, they would probably have fallen into the Dali Temple’s prison and cried out miserably, waiting for a chance to redeem themselves.
However, Master An did not do so. Instead, he took the initiative to strike. In front of Prime Minister Qin’s Residence, he splashed ink, painted bamboo, and pointed his sword at the Prime Minister’s Residence, displaying an impressive demeanor. He even attracted the righteousness of the Literary Department. It simply made the scholars excited and worshiped him in their hearts.
This was the pride of a scholar. This was the unyielding quality that scholars should have.
What made many scholars the most excited was that An Le had slapped Prime Minister Qin’s face with such fanfare. The latter could only endure it without saying a word. This was what An Le was even more admirable about.
To be able to retreat unscathed after acting cool was the style that many scholars and calligraphers yearned for!
An Le and the First Headmaster rented a small boat and rowed on the West Lake to talk.
The two of them talked a lot. The First Headmaster was knowledgeable, and An Le had learned a lot from him. The First Headmaster even explained to An Le the views and concepts he had researched on ideology.
An Le listened quietly and expressed his opinions from time to time. The two of them chatted happily. The old man and the young man rowed the boat, but they were different.
However, the First Headmaster finally made his intentions clear.
“Young Master An, since you’ve extradited the righteousness in the Literary
Monument to support yourself, it means that you’re very fated with the Literary Department. The Literary Department needs a talented young man like you.”
“Therefore, my main reason for coming today is to invite you to the Literary Department.”
First Headmaster Zhu Huoxi stroked his beard and smiled.
“Originally, I wanted the Third Headmaster to invite you because he was on good terms with Zhao Huangting and was responsible for spreading the ink bamboo and galloping horse paintings. He had a very good impression of you, but he rejected it and said that he was too ashamed to invite you to join the Literary Department. The reason why you were involved in the fraud case this time has a lot to do with the jealousy of the Confucian scholars on the Literary Department’s Literary Music Ranking.”
“I can only embarrass myself and invite Young Master An personally.” After saying that, the First Headmaster stood up and bowed to An Le.
“This bow is to apologize to Young Master An on behalf of the Confucian scholars in the Literary Department.”
An Le hurriedly stood up and helped the First Headmaster up.
However, An Le was unwilling to accept this apology. “Headmaster, you’re an elder. You shouldn’t be the one apologizing. It’s those who reported me for cheating because they were jealous and didn’t have any evidence.”
“Besides, even if they come to apologize, I won’t accept it.”
“If I hadn’t mobilized the righteousness in front of the Prime Minister’s residence this time and couldn’t show my elegance, would I have been thrown into the Dali Temple’s prison and allowed those rumors to affect me? In the end, I would have been labeled as an Imperial Examination cheater who couldn’t clear my name?”
“Even if a few months or even a few years passed and the crimes were cleared, I would have been wasted away in the prison. My fighting spirit and literary flair would have been worn away. I would not be able to compose anything anymore. How can these be brushed off with an apology?”
An Le shook his head.
He did not have a good impression of the Confucian scholars in the Literary Department. They were scheming, jealous, arrogant, and clingy to the rich and powerful. He did not have any interest in them.
“Headmaster, my good friend Liu Yue is still in prison. I hope you can clear his name.”
An Le cupped his fists.
When First Headmaster Zhu Huoxi heard this, he nodded.
“Liu Yue of Huating is indeed a little talented. I’ve looked at his essays and paintings. However, he’s different from you because Xu Shun did cheat, and he has a good relationship with Xu Shun. They visited Xu You together. On the paper, the last North Expedition answer is also different from yours and Xu Shun’s opinion. Therefore, we still need to investigate carefully to confirm if he did not cheat.”
“However, don’t worry. I’ll interfere in this investigation and ensure that he won’t be wronged or tortured. If he really didn’t cheat, I’m willing to personally take him in as a student and help him wash away the dirty rumors in the world to prove his innocence.”
When An Le heard this, he could not help but be happy. He was happy for Liu Yue and cupped his fists again.
The First Headmaster was willing to take Liu Yue in as his student. After Liu Yue came out, the rumors in the streets would no longer pollute him.
If the Headmaster was willing to take him in as a student, how could he be a cheater in the Imperial Examination?
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