Fang Jie saw Cui Lüshang, saw that face filled with utter disappointment and regret. He passed by Fang Jie, slowly walking towards the examination hall's exit. As he passed Fang Jie, Fang Jie really wanted to reach out and grab him. When Cui Lüshang saw Fang Jie's hesitant expression, he couldn't help but shake his head and smile, uttering two words:
Goodbye.
Fang Jie's heart tightened; he almost couldn't bear to look at that face any longer. Cui Lüshang's expression was incredibly complex, but undoubtedly, the most prominent element was pain.
"Wait for me at my shop."
Fang Jie said hurriedly. Cui Lüshang paused slightly, then nodded subconsciously. He walked out of the examination hall, dejected, not even daring to glance at the emperor's seat. If he had known it would end like this, he wouldn't have even looked at the fake exam questions placed before him.
Fang Jie watched that lonely figure gradually disappear from sight, but dared not try to understand Cui Lüshang's current feelings.
Emperor Yang Yi, seated high on the reviewing stand, watched the candidates leave. The smile that had been playing on his lips earlier had faded. However, his face remained calm, devoid of anger. The person responsible for counting the departing candidates wasn't from the Martial Arts Academy, but rather a member of the Imperial Guard, Fei Yupao.
Each candidate's identity was meticulously verified and recorded.
These departing candidates knew that the so-called five-year ban from officialdom essentially ruined their futures. Even their own families couldn't accept such humiliation. Perhaps upon returning home, their status would plummet. Five years—no family would waste another five years on them. With five years, a family with deep roots could easily train many more people like them.
A single wrong decision.
Luo Weiran, the commander of the Imperial Guard, carrying the recorded list, strode up to the reviewing stand and presented it to the emperor with both hands. The Emperor glanced at the list indifferently and asked, "Is the number correct?"
Luo Weiran bowed and replied, "The Imperial Guards have 326 people on hand. 325 left the examination hall voluntarily just now. One is missing."
"Who is it?"
The Emperor asked.
Luo Weiran took out another list, carefully compared it with the one he had just recorded, and then whispered, "Your Majesty, it's Bi Yuntao from Ningcheng in Jiangnan. His father, Bi Da, is the Prefect of Ningcheng."
"Su Buwei."
The Emperor called out, and the eunuch Su Buwei, who was in charge of writing, immediately came forward, bowed, and awaited the Emperor's instructions. The Emperor pondered for a moment and said, "Draft an edict to strip Bi Da, the Prefect of Ningcheng, of all his official titles and ranks. Order the Court of Judicial Review to send people to Ningcheng to confiscate Bi Da's property. No member of the Bi family of Ningcheng shall be employed for life."
"Yes, sir."
Su Buwei responded and turned to prepare the edict. The Emperor pointed to the examination hall below and said, "Drag out that Bi Yuntao... and have him flogged to death."
Luo Weiran replied, "Yes, Your Majesty," and straightened up, ordering the guards in their flying robes to arrest him. Four or five fierce-looking guards strode into the examination hall, shouting, "Who is Bi Yuntao!"
Less than ten meters from Fang Jie, Bi Yuntao, who had been so arrogant at the entrance of the martial arts academy, was already ashen-faced. Seeing the imperial guards descend from the reviewing stand and shout, he cried out in fright and collapsed to the ground, soaking a large patch of water beneath him. His shout drew the attention of many. The military candidates, seeing him wet himself in fear, looked on with disdain. Most of the aristocratic scions remained expressionless, while some wore expressions of pity.
Seeing someone collapse to the ground, four or five guards in flying robes immediately approached. The head constable grabbed Bi Yuntao by the collar and lifted him up, coldly asking, "Are you Bi Yuntao from Ningcheng?"
"I...student...is..."
Bi Yuntao stammered, his face drained of all color.
Hearing his reply, the constable from the Imperial Guards lifted him up like a chick, turned, and strode back. After taking a dozen steps, Bi Yuntao suddenly realized what was happening, crying and pleading, his legs kicking wildly. The constable gave him a disgusted look, stopped, and stomped on both of Bi Yuntao's legs, breaking them with two sharp cracks.
The officer in charge of the execution, Bi Yuntao, was dragged and thrown below the platform. Luo Weiran calmly ordered, "By His Majesty's decree, no questioning is necessary; execute him by flogging!"
Several men in flying fish robes rushed forward, quickly stripping Bi Yuntao naked. They placed the hoarse, crying Bi Yuntao on a bench, two men holding his hands and feet down, while two others stood on either side with military batons. At the command, the batons immediately brought down with tremendous force.
Amidst the cracking sounds, flesh and blood flew everywhere.
In a short while, Bi Yuntao was silent. When the two officers in flying fish robes stopped, this man from a wealthy family in Jiangnan had half his body smashed. From his back to his buttocks, he was almost a mangled mess. From Su Buwei announcing the decree to Bi Yuntao's execution, only half an hour had passed. A life was lost so easily and simply. Yet, almost everyone present felt no pity for him.
Bi Yuntao had crossed the line.
After verifying the life or death of the body, Fei Yupao dragged the bloodied corpse away. The Emperor glanced at the large pool of blood on the ground, frowned slightly, then stood up and slowly walked to the front of the reviewing stand. His gaze swept over the sea of candidates standing below, and he said in a cold voice, "I am not a heartless person. Most of you are still young, and it's inevitable that your minds will stray and you will make mistakes. I am not perfect myself, so how could I not give you a chance to correct your mistakes? As long as it's not an unforgivable crime, I am willing to let you reflect, awaken, and reform. But this person… has exceeded my tolerance."
…
…
As soon as the Emperor finished speaking, the candidates below immediately knelt down.
Looking at the candidates kneeling in submission, the Emperor's tone softened slightly as he said, "If someone makes a mistake, as long as they are willing to admit it and take responsibility, they can be given a chance to start anew. But what I hate most is deception. This person not only deceived me, but also deceived himself! The Martial Arts Academy may not accept only virtuous gentlemen, but it will never accept scoundrels! Many of you may know that I also studied at the Martial Arts Academy in my youth. I was also a student of the Martial Arts Academy, so I cannot tolerate anyone tarnishing its reputation!"
"Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor! Long live the Emperor!"
The kneeling candidates shouted "Long live the Emperor!" three times to show their respect and heartfelt submission to His Majesty. No one dared to disobey, because the person standing on the platform held not only the vast land but also the lives of millions of people in his hands. There are many principles in the world, but without a doubt, no principle can compare to the Emperor's words; his words are the greatest principle! "Rise, all of you."
The Emperor said, hands behind his back, "You are all pillars of the Great Sui Dynasty. Just now, as I watched you enter, I was telling Dean Zhou that the scale of the Great Sui Martial Arts Academy's recruitment is growing larger each year, which greatly pleases me. I am proud that the Great Sui has talents like you, and you should be proud too! Since you are proud, you should know even more what you can and cannot do."
"This is the first time since the founding of the Great Sui Dynasty that someone has been killed during an examination at the Martial Arts Academy..."
The Emperor said calmly, "I hope this is also the last time... Alright, we've wasted a lot of time, let's begin the examination."
The examinees bowed again, then rose and returned to their seats. The Emperor also sat down, beckoned Su Buwei over, and gave him a few instructions. Su Buwei responded, slowly walked to the front of the reviewing stand, and loudly asked, "Has Fang Jie, the deputy commander of the scout team of the northwestern border city of Fan Gu, arrived?"
Upon hearing this, Fang Jie was glaring at Wu Yinyu.
When the young girl returned to her seat, far from being frightened by the bloody scene, she grinned and asked Fang Jie, "Wasn't it satisfying? The person who made things difficult for you at the door was killed by His Majesty. Isn't that avenging you? If it were me, I'd feel incredibly satisfied."
"How come killing didn't scare you?"
Fang Jie asked.
The young girl, Wu Yinyu, pouted and said, "I didn't even look. Only a fool would look at that bloody scene!"
Just as Fang Jie was about to speak, he heard Su Buwei on the platform loudly ask that question. He instinctively froze, his expression subtly changing. The candidates present immediately began searching for the deputy border scout. Some even whispered among themselves, asking if they knew what crime this person had committed.
Having just executed Bi Yuntao and then summoned Fang Jie, some inevitably felt that Fang Jie had also violated something untouchable.
Just as everyone looked around, Fang Jie stood up, clasped his hands in a fist salute, and bowed, saying, "Fang Jie, deputy commander of the Fan Gu scout team, is here!"
He walked around the desk, took a few steps forward, and slightly bent down to wait for Su Buwei to continue. The examinees all turned their gazes towards him, including the star figures of this year's martial arts academy recruitment: Pei Chuxing from the Pei family and Xie Fuyao from the Xie family. Of course, the border soldiers also looked over, filled with concern.
Seeing Fang Jie emerge, Su Buwei cleared his throat and continued, "His Majesty decrees that Fang Jie, deputy commander of the Fan Gu scout team, has made a great contribution by presenting a method for annotating characters with pinyin, a method for small characters in mathematics, and a method for improving physical fitness. Especially the first two, which, after being discussed by the Grand Secretaries of the Wenyuan Pavilion and Shuhua Pavilion, can be printed and distributed nationwide. His Majesty says this is a great deed that benefits the people, a merit that will last for generations. Therefore… a special decree has been issued that Fang Jie is exempt from the examinations in mathematics, rites, music, geography, and military law. He will be awarded excellent marks in all five subjects and will directly participate in the martial arts competition later. So be it!"
This statement stunned everyone present!
…
…
Fang Jie was somewhat dumbfounded, standing there blankly, thinking he had misheard. Not only him, but all the thousands of candidates present thought they had misheard. All five humanities subjects, no longer required to be taken, and all awarded excellent marks… What did this mean? This means that even if Fang Jie were a weakling, even if he failed all four martial arts exams, he could still secure a place as a student at the Martial Arts Academy.
Five excellent subjects—this was a rare feat since the founding of the Sui Dynasty!
It's important to know that since the establishment of the Martial Arts Academy, fewer than fifteen people have ever achieved more than five excellent subjects in their entrance exams. In the more than one hundred years of the Sui Dynasty's history, the Martial Arts Academy has produced many exceptionally talented individuals. For example, Li Xiao during the reign of Emperor Taizong achieved nine excellent subjects, a record that remains unmatched to this day. He is the only person in history to achieve all excellent grades. And Fang Jie is the only person in history to achieve all excellent grades in the humanities.
Previously, Fang Jie's most optimistic estimate was that he could only score well in mathematics, geography, and military strategy. As for rites and music… what did he know? He couldn't even bear to read the Book of Rites given to him by Minister of Rites Huai Qiugong! As for music… Fang Jie didn't even have a single instrument he was good at. He had never even touched the zither, one of the essential lessons for children of noble families.
"Aren't you going to thank me?"
Su Buwei asked with a smile.
Fang Jie suddenly realized and quickly bowed in gratitude.
In the crowd, Zhang Kuang, the garrison commander of Anyuan City, looked at Fang Jie with a twitch at the corner of his mouth, his face showing surprise, and something else flashed in his eyes. Pei Chuxing and Xie Fuyao, who had remained unfazed even when the boy was beaten to death, couldn't help but show surprise and glance at the young man a few more times.
The little girl Wu Yinyu stuck out her tongue in surprise, thinking to herself, no wonder her father said this kid would definitely be a sensation in the examination! On the reviewing stand, the Emperor tilted his head slightly to one side and said to Zhou Banchuan in a very low voice, "Sir... I put this little fellow into the Martial Arts Academy because of your words. As long as he doesn't perform terribly in the martial arts exam, the Grand Secretaries of the Wenyuan Pavilion and Shuhua Pavilion certainly won't be able to snatch him away. However... when I return, I'm afraid those Grand Secretaries will come and nag again, saying that I ruined a talent for you."
Zhou Banchuan nodded in thanks and said in an equally low voice, "Thank you, Your Majesty... that boy was originally a soldier. If he really buried himself in the Wenyuan Pavilion or Shuhua Pavilion, spending his days buried in books, that would be ruining him. Zhuo Buyi and I have already told him about what happened to him in Fan Gu and what happened afterward. I was just afraid it would be a waste of his physique, which is comparable to Luo Yao's!"