Chapter 128: The Evidence is Conclusive—He Cheated!

With such a commotion, all the other examinees were on edge, straining their ears to catch any developments from this side.

Song Erlang was also in the thirty-fourth row. He had lined up a few people ahead of Gu Huaizhi earlier, so he was only a few spots away and could clearly hear what was happening. Although he regretted not being able to see Gu Huaizhi’s expression, he still couldn’t suppress his excitement.

He quietly stuck his head out and saw the proctor handing the exam basket to the soldier. Song Erlang’s heart was pounding with excitement, just waiting for the soldier to find the cheat sheet hidden in the bamboo strips, so they could drag Gu Huaizhi out, punish him with a beating, and exile him. If they could behead him and confiscate his family’s property, that would be even better!

The proctor glanced over, and Song Erlang quickly pulled his head back.

Gu Huaizhi leaned against the wall, resting with his eyes closed. The light spilled over his brow, casting a shallow shadow, as if he were detached from the situation, completely unconnected to it.

This calm and composed demeanor caused the proctor to tense his jaw. With a flick of his sleeve, he commanded, “Quick, open it!”

A soldier immediately drew a long knife and split the exam basket in half. The bamboo strips that made up the basket instantly came loose, and several soldiers behind him held up lanterns to inspect it.

They carefully examined each bamboo strip, missing none. After they had finished, it was already three quarters of an hour, nearly half an hour.

“My lord, there’s nothing.” The soldier neatly bundled all the bamboo strips together with a cloth, casting a complicated glance at the calm and collected Gu Huaizhi. He leaned toward the proctor’s ear and whispered, “My lord, he is so composed; perhaps he really didn’t do anything dishonest.”

Otherwise, if he had a guilty conscience, just hearing such explosive news would have already thrown him into disarray. How could he possibly maintain such a demeanor, unmoved by the winds from all directions, standing firm and unshaken?

Another soldier from Guangling Prefecture also whispered, “My lord, could this be a misunderstanding? Gu Huaizhi is a child prodigy from our Guangling Prefecture. He won first place in the county exam when he was just over ten years old, becoming famous throughout the prefecture.

Later, when he participated in the provincial examination, he couldn’t make it to the third session. The chief examiner, after reviewing his answers from the first two sessions, said that if he maintained the same level in the third session, he would have definitely secured the top spot.”

The proctor fell into deep thought. Could this essay truly be the result of Gu Huaizhi’s genuine talent and learning?

“Where is the person who reported this?” The proctor’s expression became serious. “Is he in the gatehouse? You must thoroughly interrogate him and investigate his relationships.”

“Yes, sir.” The soldier immediately went to conduct the interrogation.

Song Erlang was stunned. Nothing? How could there be nothing?

He clearly recognized that exam basket; it was identical to the one he had woven with his own mark. Where had things gone wrong?

Li Guangyao also said he saw with his own eyes that Gu Huaizhi bought it!

Song Erlang’s face turned ashen, his expression darkening as he began to suspect that Li Guangyao had tricked him.

But if Li Guangyao was toying with him, why would he have bought him clothes and even given him silver?

Suddenly, a bold idea flashed through his mind. Song Erlang suspected that Gu Huaizhi had seen through his little tricks and deliberately switched to another exam basket. Fearing that he might notice something was amiss, Gu Huaizhi even made the mark exactly the same to fool him, preventing him from causing further trouble.

Yes! That must be it!

Song Erlang looked at his swollen, reddened index finger, which made writing his answers extremely difficult. His heart was filled with resentment, and he nearly wished to knock over the oil lamp on the table and set the examination shed on fire, burning Gu Huaizhi to death inside to vent his anger!

The examinees in this row, upon hearing that Gu Huaizhi had been falsely accused and that no cheat sheet had been found, became increasingly anxious. They feared that this metaphorical fire might spread to them.

The proctor picked up Gu Huaizhi’s personal record, which detailed his background, including his family’s history, place of origin, and appearance.

“Someone has gone out of their way to report you. Aren’t you afraid of being framed by a petty person, even if you have nothing to hide?”

The proctor was very curious about Gu Huaizhi. He had overseen many provincial examinations, and Gu Huaizhi was the calmest person he had ever seen, as if he were indifferent to the examination.

But if he were truly indifferent to fame and fortune, why participate in the provincial examination at all? Could this be the typical arrogance of a talented scholar, prideful and disdainful of others?

Gu Huaizhi slowly opened his eyes and glanced at the bundle of bamboo strips, speaking lazily, “This student believes in your lordship’s strictness. If someone had successfully framed me, I wouldn’t be sitting here today taking this exam.”

The proctor was momentarily speechless, unsure if Gu Huaizhi was mocking him or flattering him.

Forget it, he decided to take it as flattery.

He then asked, “Aren’t you curious about who reported you?”

“They will face punishment for false accusations, and when the time comes, the truth will be known.” Gu Huaizhi raised his eyebrow and smiled slightly. “Even if I asked now, your lordship wouldn’t know either.”

Proctor: “…”

The other examinees gasped in shock. Is this how child prodigies speak so bluntly, without fear of offending others?

At this moment, the soldier returned and reported, “My lord, the person who reported the incident is from Guangcai Academy in Xihe Town, named Fang Youtian. He confessed that he falsely accused Gu Huaizhi at the request of a friend, thinking that we would cancel Gu Huaizhi’s examination qualification without investigating further.”

He then glanced at Gu Huaizhi and whispered, “His friend is Song Xu, who is from the same village as Gu Huaizhi. The two families have a deep-seated grudge. Song Xu is also participating in this provincial examination and is seated in Row 34, Seat 1.”

The proctor’s face darkened as he took a step toward Seat 1.

Gu Huaizhi watched the proctor and the accompanying soldiers as they walked away, the corner of his mouth curling slightly into a cold sneer.

Song Erlang felt as if he had been struck by lightning upon hearing the soldier’s words. His face turned pale, and he instinctively glanced at the exam basket beside him, suddenly overwhelmed by the illusion that it looked exactly like the one he had given to Gu Huaizhi.

No, it can’t be.

The exam basket wouldn’t be with him!

Hearing the footsteps growing closer, Song Erlang instinctively tried to hide the exam basket, but the soldiers were already upon him, searching his belongings.

He stood frozen in place, staring blankly as the soldiers rummaged through his things.

“My lord, I… I’m not friends with Fang Youtian! He’s not a good person. He’s jealous of my scholarly achievements and tricked me into going to the gambling den, trying to ruin my future. This time, he deliberately framed me. Please, investigate thoroughly!”

Song Erlang desperately tried to distance himself from Fang Youtian, his expression frantic as he reached out to grab the soldier’s hand that was about to take the exam basket.

The soldier shook off his hand. “If you’re innocent, there’s no need to be afraid. My lord won’t allow any examinee to be wronged.”

Song Erlang, unable to keep his balance, fell backward, and his hand knocked over the oil lamp.

He hurriedly reached out to steady the oil lamp. Seeing that it hadn’t caught fire, he breathed a sigh of relief, but when he noticed the soldier taking away the exam basket, that relief was instantly replaced by tension, his back breaking out in cold sweat.

“I… I’m experiencing something like this for the first time, so it’s natural to feel nervous.” Song Erlang forced a stiff smile. “This student trusts that my lord will clear my name.”

“Huh, what’s this?” The soldier’s gaze, which had been on the exam basket, shifted to Song Erlang’s sleeve.

He grabbed a section of Song Erlang’s sleeve. The pale moon-colored fabric had a large black patch, seemingly burnt by the oil lamp. Upon closer inspection, the soldier realized that the black wasn’t from scorched fabric—it was densely packed with tiny cheat notes.