Peasant Woman’s Decreed Life as a Wife

Chapter 2130: Chapter 2127: Debate

Some of the old scholars couldn’t help but think, if only the content were a proper piece of writing, how wonderful it would be.

Let’s not mention the thoughts in the hearts of the officials.

Chu Heng stepped forward and saluted Emperor Xuanming.

After getting a nod from Emperor Xuanming, he calmly inquired, “Magistrate Zhang, I wonder what problem there is with this manuscript?”

“Lord Chu, don’t think just because the Emperor values you, you can act recklessly and wish the entire imperial court to follow your ideas!” Imperial Censor Zhang appeared angry, but in fact, he was scheming, subtly influencing Emperor Xuanming’s opinion, “This manuscript clearly favors the scholar Zhou Wulang, while Yan Sanlang, although a bit arrogant, is competent too. The commentary criticizes Yan Sanlang as being inferior to Zhou Wulang in every way. Does this not imply that Lord Chu believes us Clan Youngsters are not as good as children from non-official families?”

“Magistrate Zhang, this is merely a manuscript.” Chu Heng replied unhurriedly, not at all flustered, and handled the situation with ease.

With such a simple statement,

Imperial Censor Zhang’s cheeks flushed with anger, and he almost lost control.

“Lord Chu’s words are quite misguided. Although it’s just a manuscript, it touches on the civil examinations, which should never be written about. It carries misleading influences and is a harmful piece of writing that should be banned.” Imperial Censor Zhang retorted aggressively.

Chu Heng pretended to ponder, “So, Magistrate Zhang, are you saying that manuscripts in civilian hands are no longer allowed to mention the civil examinations?”

“They are not allowed to include misleading civil examination content. Moreover, the manuscript from your shop clearly shows bias.” Magistrate Zhang argued.

“Magistrate Zhang, I understand, but the bias you speak of is likely due to Magistrate Zhang being overly sensitive.” Chu Heng even smiled as he explained, “The manuscript merely compares the different circumstances of the two scholars. The subsequent content is hardly biased.”

Chu Heng nearly implied that Magistrate Zhang saw himself in Yan Sanlang, hence feeling particularly guilty and concerned.

“Is Lord Chu trying to deny it? Let’s say here, since Yan Sanlang excelled in poetry and Zhou Wulang was plain, why then does Zhou Wulang emerge as the contest winner, and Yan Sanlang doesn’t claim the top spot?”

Chu Heng feigned ignorance, “Magistrate Zhang, could you perhaps let me take a look at the manuscript? To be honest, I’ve been too busy lately to study its contents.”

The implication was that Imperial Censor Zhang was free enough to devote himself specifically to studying manuscripts and neglecting official duties.

Imperial Censor Zhang turned pale with anger but, with a squint, handed over the manuscript for the sake of his purpose.

Chu Heng pretended to scrutinize it seriously for a while, then said, “Hmm, I understand. Magistrate Zhang, look here, at the beginning of the garden party, it mentions that, historically, there was a poet who, upon seeing the diligent work of the common people, was inspired to write a poem about farming. Is this not so?”

Imperial Censor Zhang found himself questioned on content he himself wrote, and though feeling uneasy, he couldn’t deny it. He could only nod stiffly, “Correct.”

“Since it’s inspired by the hard work of common folks, naturally, the poem which closely relates to their labor would better fit the theme.” At this moment, Chu Heng didn’t need Imperial Censor Zhang to respond; he continued with a warm smile, “Yan Sanlang’s poems are indeed good, but they are merely superficial.”