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Xiao Liulang ignored An Junw.a.n.g"s livid expression and entered the Hanlin Academy.
He had taken two days off, and there was a small pile of official doc.u.ments on his desk. He glanced through them and found it manageable. He could probably finish them by noon.
Starting tomorrow, he had to resume teaching the Crown Prince. He needed to come up with some topics for the Crown Prince, but this wouldn"t take too long either.
In any case, he would be able to start on time.
However, what no one expected was that just as he finished dealing with his current tasks, Reading-in-Waiting Yang handed him a new a.s.signment.
It was to write a eulogy for the late Emperor, to be used for a sacrificial ceremony.
This was a task that the Hanlin Chancellor, Lord Han, had given to Reading-in-Waiting Yang, but the latter was too lazy to do it, so he approached Xiao Liulang.
It had been a while since Reading-in-Waiting Yang had bullied Xiao Liulang. Firstly, he was still recovering from his serious injuries and lacked energy. Secondly, Xiao Liulang had an undefeated confrontation with Grand Preceptor Zhuang at the entrance of Hanlin Academy. Thirdly, it was said that Marquis Xuanping had personally gone to the countryside to pick-up Xiao Liulang.
Considering all these factors, most people no longer dared to easily provoke Xiao Liulang. However, some people had a certain stubbornness deep down, commonly known as forgetting the pain after the wound healed.
Reading-in-Waiting Yang happened to be one of them.
He shouted, "What are you standing there for? Hurry up! Haven"t you written one or seen one before? If you don"t know, go look it up yourself! The archives have eulogies from previous years!"
Xiao Liulang glanced at Reading-in-Waiting Yang with a hint of coldness in his eyes.
Just that seemingly casual gaze made Reading-in-Waiting Yang"s heart skip a beat.
Was it just an illusion?
Why did it feel like he was being targeted by a venomous snake?
As Reading-in-Waiting Yang looked at Xiao Liulang again, the latter had already returned to his usual cold and indifferent demeanor.
Xiao Liulang understood that he wouldn"t satisfy Reading-in-Waiting Yang unless he wrote the eulogy for the late Emperor two or three dozen times. He wouldn"t even glance at it; he would make him rewrite it over and over again.
If it were in the past, he wouldn"t have cared.
A person like him, someone who should have died in a big fire a long time ago, what right did he have to care about his own fate?
But now——
If he didn’t fare well, there would be people who worry.
Xiao Liulang turned and returned to his office.
Reading-in-Waiting Yang sneered coldly, "I knew it. You"re just a lucky dog, a cripple from the countryside. Do you really think those high-ranking people above you actually care about you?"
Perhaps the previous look in Xiao Liulang"s eyes made Reading-in-Waiting Yang extremely uncomfortable. He made things difficult for Xiao Liulang the entire morning, making him rewrite the eulogy countless times. Finally, when it seemed ready to be submitted, he picked up the first one Xiao Liulang wrote and said, "I think this one is the best."
Xiao Liulang left in silence.
Reading-in-Waiting Yang disdainfully sneered and then took a neatly written eulogy to Lord Han"s office.
Upon seeing this beautifully written piece, Lord Han couldn"t help but show a trace of satisfaction, "This... is Xiao Liulang"s handwriting, isn"t it?"
Throughout the entire Hanlin Academy, Xiao Liulang"s calligraphy was the most outstanding, surpa.s.sing even that of An Junw.a.n.g.
Reading-in-Waiting Yang flattered, "My handwriting is not good, so I had him transcribe a copy."
Transcribing didn"t count as a great accomplishment; the true skill lay in writing a poignant and moving eulogy.
"Well, these lines are well-written." Lord Han praised generously.
Reading-in-Waiting Yang was overjoyed.
However, his joy was short-lived. Lord Han"s smile froze on his face, "Did you really write this?"
Reading-in-Waiting Yang, immersed in his self-imagined praises, didn"t notice Lord Han"s expression, "This lower official wrote it."
Lord Han slapped the eulogy onto the table with a loud sound!
Reading-in-Waiting Yang was startled, "Lord, Lord Han?"
Lord Han angrily said, "Reading-in-Waiting Yang, are you seeking death? How dare you insult the late Emperor"s taboo name!"
"The... the late Emperor"s taboo name?" Reading-in-Waiting Yang was bewildered and quickly took a look at the eulogy.
The eulogy indeed mentioned the late Emperor"s taboo name, but it wasn"t the formal name but rather his childhood name. It appeared in a couplet with a contrasting structure, and coincidentally, it was placed in the part that conveyed contrast. Therefore, upon closer a.n.a.lysis, it could indeed be seen as an insult to the late Emperor.
Reading-in-Waiting Yang"s face instantly drained of color, and he said anxiously, "Lord Han! It wasn"t me! It was... it was Xiao Liulang!"
He almost revealed the fact that Xiao Liulang wrote the eulogy but quickly corrected himself, "He must have made a mistake while transcribing!"
Lord Han"s voice turned cold, "He is the top scholar of the latest imperial examination. Would he make such a ridiculous mistake? Moreover, this sentence wouldn"t make sense without the late Emperor"s taboo name!"
Indeed, this sentence was written so well, flawlessly and smoothly. It would have been a perfect couplet if not for the late Emperor"s taboo name.
No, to be exact, it was all thanks to the late Emperor"s childhood name.
No, that wasn’t the point either!
Xiao Liulang was actually audacious enough to use the late Emperor"s taboo name in the couplet!
He... he... He must have done it on purpose!
d.a.m.n you, Xiao Liulang!
Reading-in-Waiting Yang was so furious that he felt his lungs were about to explode. At this critical moment, he didn"t care about the exposure of his ghostwriting. He cupped his hands and said, "Lord Han, to tell the truth, this eulogy was written by Xiao Liulang! He... He wrote many of them! They were all on my desk! If you don"t believe me, this lower official can go and fetch them!"
After speaking, he left the present eulogy on the table and hurriedly rushed out.
However, to his despair, all the eulogies that were originally on his desk were nowhere to be found!
He was in a state of panic, "What"s going on? Where are the eulogies written by Xiao Liulang? Where are the dozens of papers? Where are they? Where are they?"
At that moment, Chancellor Han"s attendant approached, "Reading-in-Waiting Yang, Lord Han wants you to go to his office and confront Xiao Liulang."
"Xiao Liulang... Xiao Liulang!" Reading-in-Waiting Yang gritted his teeth and stormed into Lord Han"s office. As soon as he entered, he pounced towards Xiao Liulang, shouting, "Was it you? Was it you?!"
Whether Xiao Liulang was guilty or not was another matter, but Reading-in-Waiting Yang"s behavior, resembling that of a rabid dog, was certainly unbecoming of a Hanlin official.
Chancellor Han furrowed his brow.
Xiao Liulang remained calm. Despite being the one with a limp, his posture was upright, resembling a towering pine tree, exuding a remarkable demeanor.
On the other hand, Reading-in-Waiting Yang appeared even more disheveled and agitated.
Reading-in-Waiting Yang was an experienced Hanlin official. He had pa.s.sed the examination after his three-year term as a Hanlin bachelor, and his results were quite good; otherwise, he wouldn"t have been able to stay in the Hanlin Academy.
He was well aware of the grave offense it was to disrespect the late Emperor"s taboo name.
He looked at Chancellor Han in panic, "Lord Han! Please believe me! It was his doing! It was him! He set me up!"Raz P."s Thoughts
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