Speaking of Mr. Zhao, in the years before his passing, he had been a man of great renown in Qingshui County.

This reputation was earned for two reasons.

First, Mr. Zhao was a man of exceptional beauty, with a disposition as gentle as jade. He carried himself with a graceful poise, grand as a mountain or a river, an image only enhanced by his formal robes.

Second, his literary talent was extraordinary, placing him far above his peers.

Although they were all Scholars, it was because their knowledge was limited to that level; they could not pass the examinations to become a scholar. Mr. Zhao, however, was a Scholar only because he was burdened by his poor health. In terms of his actual learning, it was said that becoming not just a scholar, but even an Advanced Scholar, was only a matter of time for him.

But because his health failed him, when Mr. Zhao went to the Prefecture for the Provincial Examination in his youth, he collapsed in the examination hall during the final session.

His performance in the first two sessions had placed him among the top candidates. Had he only been able to complete the final session, the title of scholar would have been his for the taking.

Alas, his health held him back. He was unable to finish and had to be carried out from the hall.

Mr. Zhao suffered a great ordeal from that examination, recuperating in the Prefecture for a full month before he could return home.

Not only did the trip yield nothing, but it also cost a great deal of Silver Coin. To make matters worse, with no one to look after the family in his absence, his wife nearly drowned while washing clothes by the river.

After this incident, whether out of fear or some other reason, Mr. Zhao never again attempted the Provincial Examination for the rest of his life.

Perhaps he had been preparing in secret, but time waits for no man. He passed away prematurely, having attempted the Provincial Examination only that single time in his entire life.

It was also because of Mr. Zhao’s extraordinary talent that many fellow Scholars, willing to accept being seen as his inferiors, sent their sons and grandsons to study under him. This was how the Zhao Family’s private school became so renowned that students even came from the county seat to attend.

Unfortunately, for all his wonderful qualities, Mr. Zhao was cursed with a cruel fate. Burdened by his health, he passed away far too soon.

Thinking of the one truly responsible for Mr. Zhao’s death, the Scholars could not help but frown.

Mr. Zheng only managed to become a Scholar after the age of fifty. Though he appeared self-satisfied, he was privately resentful.

He was a petty man, unable to bear the slightest scorn from others, so every year he would host a banquet and invite all the other Scholars to his home.

Refusing to attend was tantamount to looking down on him. He would then weep and wail, blaming his own lack of talent and claiming he was unworthy of their company, effectively forcing people to come to his family’s feasts.

In reality, he simply used the banquets as an excuse to flaunt his family’s wealth.

After all, in all of Qingshui County, there were only a handful of families—three to five at most—who could afford five hundred mu of prime farmland.

Those few families were all merchants; only the Zheng Family was a true family of scholar-gentry, passing down traditions of both farming and learning. They were unique in the county. How could he not be pleased with himself?

As the story goes, it was at one of Mr. Zheng’s banquets. He had made no safety preparations, and when Mr. Zhao fell into the water, he was not rescued for a long time. It was also raining heavily that day. The Zheng Family never thought to take Mr. Zhao to a physician’s clinic or even to keep him at their own residence and send for a doctor. Instead, they sent the ailing man back to his country home in the downpour. This delayed his treatment, and his high fever never broke. In the end, it cost him his life.

The other Scholars held a very poor opinion of Mr. Zheng for this, but the old saying held true: as long as it wasn’t their problem, they wouldn’t get involved.

Only two or three of Mr. Zhao’s dearest friends went to the Zheng Family’s home to curse them out. Afterward, they severed all ties, vowing never to associate with Mr. Zheng again.

As for the rest, though they privately agreed that Mr. Zheng was not a man to be associated with and planned to gradually distance themselves, they maintained a facade of cordiality.

But who could have predicted that right before the next examination, such a wicked affair would come to pass?

When the old Scholars of Qingshui County heard the news that Mr. Zheng had been stripped of his title and thrown in jail, they were all dumbfounded. Once they learned the reason for his imprisonment, they could not help but rain curses upon him in the privacy of their homes.

They called him vicious and stupid. They called his character despicable. They said he was full of dirty tricks and would never amount to anything respectable.

They hurled the ugliest insults imaginable, but once their tirades were over, they still felt a heavy sense of frustration.

’It’s a good thing Mr. Zhao’s son managed to avoid this disaster,’ they thought. ’Otherwise, if that beast had caused him to miss the examinations, how could Mr. Zhao ever rest in peace in the netherworld!’

Years ago, when these senior Scholars had gone to the Zhao Village to offer their condolences for Mr. Zhao, Zhao Jing was still just a boy with a hint of childishness about him. Even then, his features were well-defined, and he possessed the noble, upright bearing of a promising young man. One could tell at a glance he was destined for great things.

However, three years had passed, and they couldn’t say for sure what kind of person the boy had become.

’Perhaps without his father’s protection, the once-unyielding young man has grown timid and disheartened?’