Inside the college, the dean and several masters looked at Song Si with painful regret.
They were all prepared for Song Si to win this examination, but they did not expect him to steal.
Song Si stood in front of them, his figure as straight as a pine, but if you looked closely, you would see his body shaking, and the hand hidden in his sleeve was clenched into a fist, “Why did Brother Zhang frame me?”
In order to save silver, he had copied books for some rich students since he returned to the academy on his last vacation, and Zhang Huai was one of them.
Yesterday, after school, Zhang Huai invited him to his home, saying that he had a large batch of books to copy, and if he could finish them all in one night, he would pay one tael of silver.
Zhang Huai and he had a good relationship and were well liked in the college.
Song Si didn’t think much of it, so he went with him, didn’t sleep all night, finished copying the books, and came back early in the morning with the one tael of silver he had earned.
Zhang Huai came later than usual, and as soon as he arrived, he angrily questioned him as to why he had stolen something.
Song Si thought he was unreasonable, and so did the students who were watching.
“Do you dare to let someone search?”
Zhang Huai was full of anger, “I’ve always treated you as my best friend, but I never thought you would steal my jade pendant.”
“What’s so daring about it, go ahead and search it.”
Song Si gave way to his body, Zhang Huai searched it himself, there was nothing in the desk, he led the men to the dormitory again. There was nothing on the bunk either, until he opened Song Si’s wardrobe and took out his clothes, a piece of jade pendant fell out of it and landed on the floor with a snap, falling with a tiny crack.
Zhang Huai’s face was all grim, bending down to pick it up, holding it tightly in his hand as he snarled at Song Si, “You still say you don’t have it, what is this? What is this!”
The onlookers let out an exclamation and looked at Song Si with contempt, as a scholar, the first thing to do was to behave properly, stealing was most disgraceful.
The dean and a few masters came at the sound of their voices and took the two to the dean’s room.
Zhang Huai rubbed the jade pendant cherishingly, his eyes were red, “If it were an ordinary jade pendant, you would have taken it and I wouldn’t have made a sound, but this is my family’s ancestral jade pendant, it means a lot.”
“Song Si, what else do you have to say?”
The dean asked bitterly.
How much he had favoured Song Si before, how much he was disappointed now. So what if one was well read? If you are not of good character, you cannot become a pillar of the nation.
“I didn’t take it!”
The dean slapped the case, “You are still soph*moric, if you didn’t take it, how could the jade pendant fall out of your clothes?”
The students of the academy all had their own separate wardrobes, the keys were on their own, no one else could open them at all.
A few of the masters were also deplorable, “Song Si ah Song Si, there is still a month or so before the examination, how do you think you ……”
“What are you guys talking about? What qualifications does a person of such bad character have to sit for the examination?”
And so it is.
Several of the masters sighed and shook their heads.
The dean said coldly, “You’re expelled, go back and pack your things and get out of the academy right now!”
“I’m not leaving! I didn’t steal the jade pendant, why should I be expelled?”
The dean was furious and shot up again, “You’ve found the stuff and you still don’t admit it? Song Si, Song Si, you’ve simply disgraced the face of a scholar!”
……
When Song Lin and the others arrived at the entrance of the academy, they saw Song Si standing there with his body straight, with the books and luggage thrown out at his feet.
“Big brother.”
Song Shen jumped off the carriage, red-eyed.
Song Si slowly turned around and saw Song Lin and Song Wan Yue also get off the carriage and asked in a mute voice, “What brings you here?”
The young man’s face was calm, his back straighter than ever.
“Si’er.”
Song Lin dragged his legs and quickly stepped forward, trying to comfort him a few times.
“Don’t worry, eldest uncle, I’m fine.”
Song Shen wiped his tears, “How can you be fine? The scholar who sent us the letter said that after such an incident, you would not only be expelled from the academy, you would also be disqualified from the examination.”
People knew that Song Si had talent, only Song Shen knew how hard he had worked behind the scenes, seeing as there was still a month to go before the examination, but he had been set up.
“What are you afraid of, this world has its own justice.”
“Justice lies in the hearts of people, but if the hearts of people are crooked, there will be no justice.” Song Wan Yue slowly walked up to him and stood in front of him, “Brother, instead of believing in justice, you should believe in yourself.”
Song Si’s lips moved, from the time of the accident until now, he had been very quiet, he told himself that the day the truth came out, all of this would dissipate and he would still be the same Song Si, the proud son of the sky.
But Song Wangyue’s words told him plainly that he was too naive, that if there was really justice in this world, it would be Zhang Huai who was standing here now, and not him.
“Second brother, help big brother carry the things to the carriage.”
Song Shen squatted down and gathered the books and luggage that were all over the floor.
“Father, let’s go see the dean.”
……
The dean was also furious.
He had been partial to Song Si for a few years after he had joined the academy, and it could be said that Song Si was someone he had high hopes for. Yet, he never thought that he would do something like stealing.
“Dean.”
Song Lin and Song Wan Yue gave him a salute.
Song Lin was just that, at least an adult, Song Wan Yue was just an eight or nine year old girl, how could the Song family let him follow them? It seemed that the Song family had not yet realised the seriousness of the matter.
What else could he expect from a few country people?
“The matter of Song Si has been sat down, it’s useless for you to come and plead for mercy.”
“The dean also thinks my elder brother would do something to steal.”
Hearing Song Wangyue get to the point in one sentence, the dean couldn’t help but look at her a few more times.
Song Si had been at the academy for many years, and he naturally understood what kind of character he had. If he said that other people had committed theft, he would believe them, but he did not believe Song Si.
But ……
The jade pendant was indeed retrieved from his wardrobe, he couldn’t cover it up even if he wanted to, “It doesn’t matter whether I think so or not, what matters is that the jade pendant was found in his wardrobe.”
“Si’er would never do such a thing, and please ……”
“And please do me a favour ……”
Song Wan Yue interrupted Song Lin’s anxious words, “Don’t report this matter to the county court yet, give us half a month’s time, within half a month we will definitely be able to find out the truth.”
The dean naturally didn’t believe they could find out the truth, but he really didn’t want to report the matter to the magistrate’s office and cancel Song Si’s examination either.
He was prepared to investigate privately, and he had had Song Si expelled from the academy today because he didn’t want him to face the finger-pointing of the other students and ruin his confidence.
“You should not bother with this, go back and comfort Song Si well, even if …… he misses the imperial examination this year, he will have another chance in the future, so that he must not give up on himself.”
