Chapter 278: Sophistry - Rebirth of the Noble Daughter

 Chapter 278: Sophistry

“Don’t know? It seems you’ll only shed tears when faced with a coffin. Where is Yin Canwen?”

“I am here!”

Soon, Yin Canwen emerged from among the censors and stepped forward.

“Speak out about what you are accusing today. Do not worry; I will naturally make a judgment!”

These words shifted all the conflicts and internal strife in the court onto Yin Canwen.

If he could bring down Wen Jingsong today, he would be the hero of the moment. If he failed, he was just an insignificant scholar with nothing to lose, so there wouldn’t be much harm.

Talent rises with each new generation; losing one Yin Canwen would only mean another would emerge.

Yin Canwen was not a fool and understood Emperor Qi’s implication. But since the situation had come to this, he had no retreat. As long as his conscience was clear, he wasn’t afraid of shadows. Thus, he spoke about the paper swapping incident.

Elder Xu and Bai Chaohai watched coldly, while the censors were all furious.

Wen Jingsong, however, showed no reaction on his face, as if the accusations did not concern him at all.

Instead, Wen Mengsheng, standing beside him, was visibly nervous, sweating profusely. Yet, for the sake of self-preservation, he dared not say anything more.

Yin Canwen not only wrote brilliantly but also spoke in a reasoned and orderly manner.

He clearly and thoroughly described the replacement of Wen Mengsheng with himself as the top scholar.

The censors standing behind him nodded in agreement, eager to expose such a disgraceful matter.

Unexpectedly, Wen Jingsong sneered, making Emperor Qi’s previously furious mood shift to suspicion, and doubt became more apparent.

“Wen Jingsong, why are you laughing?”

“Your Majesty, this is merely Yin Canwen’s one-sided account. He says I swapped his papers for my son’s. May I ask, is this minister a fool? Knowing the paper is excellent and firmly established as the top, would I risk such a high-stakes venture? Now, just hours before the results are announced, Yin Canwen has come to accuse me. Isn’t this clearly an attempt to frame me?”

“You speak nonsense! Clearly, you have ruined my future and now you are arguing!”

Yin Canwen, being inexperienced, was provoked by Wen Jingsong’s few words and refuted angrily.

Emperor Qi glanced impatiently at Yin Canwen, who previously seemed to lack tact and now appeared to flout the law.

Such behavior showed no respect for the emperor, speaking recklessly with no understanding of propriety.

Elder Xu suddenly coughed twice, his gaze warning towards Yin Canwen.

Yin Canwen, not being foolish, immediately addressed Emperor Qi.

“I was reckless. Please forgive me, Your Majesty.”

Emperor Qi, sitting high on his throne, could not miss the situation.

It seemed Elder Xu was indeed giving substantial support to Yin Canwen.

He then looked at the 'open' Wen Jingsong, who appeared more sincere than anyone else.

Emperor Qi began to contemplate; perhaps his reaction had been too hasty.

It seemed that someone was behind the scenes pushing everything forward.

Emperor Qi’s suspicious nature had indeed been thoroughly understood by Wen Jingsong. Originally a certain matter, now through a few words of conspiracy theory, the balance of judgment had begun to tilt.

Taking advantage of Emperor Qi’s contemplation, Wen Jingsong addressed Yin Canwen with a friendly tone.

“Mr. Yin, your talent is outstanding and has long been renowned. Moreover, the examination papers were indeed remarkable. You were confirmed as the top scholar after both preliminary and final reviews. Your name was first on the list before it was passed to the Ministry of Rites. I do not know where the error occurred, but it seems someone used you to harm my son. Please do not be misled by such petty people. You and Mengsheng are of the same examination; once this matter is clarified, justice will be served!”

With these few sentences, he turned black into white and white into black.

Had it not been for Elder Xu’s backing of Yin Canwen, Wen Jingsong might have wanted to beat him up. Instead, he shifted the narrative to present both himself and Yin Canwen as victims of a scheme, implying that they should not fight among themselves and allow others to benefit.

Yin Canwen was so enraged that his face turned red. However, as a newcomer, he could hardly contend with a seasoned official adept in sophistry.

Wen Mengsheng admired his father’s words but was upset that his title as top scholar was likely being taken by Yin Canwen.

He was very unhappy about this but knew that refusing would mean risking his and his father’s lives.

Compared to a good reputation, staying alive was more important.

As long as there is a green mountain, one need not worry about firewood!

Wen Jingsong then said, “Your Majesty, I have already sent someone to retrieve the examination papers of my son and Mr. Yin. We shall see who is right or wrong.”

His confidence even made Elder Xu frown slightly.

Had he made preparations in advance?

To speak so arrogantly before the emperor, and not fear being contradicted?

Holding the list sent by the Prince Ding in advance, which was full of solid evidence, Wen Jingsong was ready to defend himself. If he dared to argue further, the evidence would speak for itself.

On the other side, a censor who had long been at odds with Wen Jingsong came forward and retorted directly.

“Master Wen, your ability to distort facts is indeed impressive. You even dare to deceive His Majesty. Do you dare to bring out all the examination papers of this session for a thorough review by the cabinet, with the Dali Temple assisting, to investigate if there are other cases of paper swapping?”

The statement caught Wen Jingsong off guard.

His hands were slightly sweating, but his face remained calm.

“Why wouldn’t I dare? If the censors want to investigate, they should proceed. I have served as an official for over twenty years and have no shame before heaven and earth. What do I have to fear?”

Such an attitude caused many originally aggressive censors to halt.

They held evidence of his corruption in the imperial exams, but his confident stance made them wonder if he had already destroyed the evidence. How could he be so certain otherwise?

Wen Jingsong’s bold talk was entirely due to his dual preparations.

First, the swapped examination papers had been secretly treated with powder. After so long, they would likely be in tatters, making any counter-arguments difficult.

Second, he had issued strict orders to his agents: either make the papers look “intentionally” swapped or burn them completely.

In the absence of evidence, the matter would be argued by each side. If he insisted there was no evidence, he would elevate the case to a plot to destabilize the court, believing Emperor Qi would not ignore it.