It cannot be revoked, their entire family relies on the scholarly title of the old man to get by. If the title is gone, their family won’t survive in the Prefecture and will have to roll back to the countryside.
Moreover, if the well-earned scholarly title is revoked, even if they return to the countryside, they will be ridiculed to death by the locals.
Magistrate Shi sneered and said, "Cao Fangshan colluded with Tong San to fra the top student of the current examination. Having the scholarly title revoked is considered light. You know about the Tong Family’s case. If pursued, even your family could be decapitated!"
The cri committed by the Tong Family is secretly mining iron and illegally selling weapons, a cri significant enough to confiscate nine generations. And the matter of Tong San bribing Cao Juren has conclusive evidence. If the Cao Family doesn’t want to lose their heads, they should shut up and silently accept punishnt.
The three brothers of the Cao Family, upon hearing this, turned pale with fright. They looked at Cao Juren, glaring fiercely at him. If he wasn’t their father, they really could have suffocated him.
"Thank you, Lord Magistrate, for your leniency." As for the scholarly title, the Cao Family didn’t care anymore; preserving life was most important.
The three brothers of the Cao Family were dripping with cold sweat, promising Magistrate Shi: "Rest assured, my lord, we will definitely keep a close watch on the old man in the future and ensure he doesn’t act irrationally again."
Magistrate Shi nodded, giving them a comforting word: "Considering Cao Juren is a very old man, this matter will not implicate the others in your Cao Family. Support your father to apologize to Gu Jin’an and then take him back ho to rest. The matter of the scholarly title will be decided by the authorities in the Capital."
The Great Chu regards elderly people as blessed, showing them great rcy, hence Magistrate Shi won’t detain Cao Juren, only letting the three brothers of the Cao Family take him ho.
"Ah, yes, yes, yes, thank you for your rcy, Lord Magistrate!" The three brothers of the Cao Family almost wept with joy, imdiately coming over to support Cao Juren, making him go to apologize to Gu Jin’an.
But Cao Juren felt utterly humiliated and was unwilling to apologize even unto death. Instead, he pointed at Gu Jin’an and yelled: "Why should I, an old man, apologize to such a venomous grandson who doesn’t support his grandfather? He should be the one to kneel and plead guilty before heaven and earth!"
Magistrate Shi was exasperated; what sort of person is this? Even at this point, he obstinately refuses to admit his mistakes.
The Cao Family’s three brothers had a murderous intent: "Father, it has reached this stage, can’t you just honestly apologize?"
You were bribed by Tong San and falsely accused others, and this is known by everyone. Why are you still stubbornly persisting?
Gu Jin’an laughed upon hearing this and looked at Magistrate Shi, saying: "Student thanks Lord Magistrate for seeking justice for the student. As for Cao Juren’s apology, it’s unnecessary; the student does not need it."
The student does not need it — these five words were filled with disdain for Cao Juren.
Cao Juren, upon hearing this, was even more enraged, shouting to the surrounding people: "Everyone look at Gu Jin’an’s insolent deanor. He is inherently such an arrogant person... His family not only lacks filial piety but also has no respect for the elderly. Such unfilial and unethical people deserve to be reviled by everyone!"
Old Master Yan San looked at Cao Juren, shook his head, and said: "Cao Fangshan, you truly are in a muddled state. Since you keep harping on the matter of Gu Jin’an’s family not supporting Elder Gu, why don’t we listen to Mr. Ouyang Hu’s essay to discuss what filial piety is?"
Scholar Shang’s eyes lit up as he listened, wondering if this was the timing Mr. Ouyang Hu had ntioned back then?
He was very excited, watching as Old Master Yan San took out a letter from his sleeve pocket and handed it to Yan Xiaowu, saying: "Xiao Wu, read this piece on ’What is Filial Piety’ for everyone."
"Yes." Yan Xiaowu was very excited. He had always admired Mr. Ouyang Hu, and read every new poem or essay he published. Yet he never expected that one day he would beco the first to read Mr. Ouyang Hu’s new work, and to read it aloud on site.
After receiving the envelope, Yan Xiaowu bowed sincerely to the east before tearing it open and beginning to read the essay "What is Filial Piety."
The essay was not long, comprising only two pages, and Yan Xiaowu took less than a quarter of an hour to finish reading it. However, when he reached the final few sentences, those who understood fell silent.
"Heaven and Earth divide yin and yang, and humans have good and evil. Those who give birth are a father; those who give life are a mother. A father’s filial piety is in the bones; a mother’s filial piety is in the flesh and blood. Who carried in the womb? Who raised ? Who endured great hardships and passed through the gate of death for ? It was those who gave flesh and blood..."
This provider of flesh and blood refers to the mother.
Mr. Ouyang’s essay was simple, asking everyone why, when speaking of filial piety, people only revered filial piety towards the father, while disregarding filial piety towards the mother?
What Gu Dashan did was, in essence, choosing to be filial to Mrs. Fei and not to Elder Gu after the elder committed an offense.
But the n of Great Chu wouldn’t care about a deceased woman; they only cared about why, as a son, you wouldn’t be filial to your own father?!
Only being filial to the mother and not the father is considered unfilial, and you deserve death for it.
Yet, the reasoning in Mr. Ouyang’s essay resonated with many, who understood that after Elder Gu conspired with Granny Gu to harm Mrs. Fei, Gu Dashan’s choice not to be filial anymore to Elder Gu was not wrong.
But they just didn’t want to admit it. Once such a precedent is set, what if one day they err and their sons choose to only be filial to the birth mother and no longer to them as fathers?
However, now that Mr. Ouyang, a famous Great Scholar, stood to support Gu Jin’an’s house, many dared not criticize the issue any longer.
Simply put, it’s about bullying the weak and fearing the strong; they need soone with more renown and status than them to slap them a few tis before they beco obedient.
Academic Administrator Kong listened with tears in his eyes, recalling his own mother... Mother died in childbirth, enduring pain for several days to bring him into the world. But she hemorrhaged to death in the process; he never t his mother, yet he rembered her kindness. If his father were to help a stepmother murder a wife, he would also choose not to be filial to his father, severing relations with the birth father, just like Gu Dashan.
"Mr. Ouyang’s ’What is Filial Piety’ is truly an impressive piece of enlightennt. I admire it and feel empathy." Academic Administrator Kong asked Old Master Yan San: "Lord Yan, can you give this essay to ? I’ll take it back to the Capital for the Emperor to review."
Old Master Yan San said: "Of course. Xiao Wu, give Mr. Ouyang’s essay to Lord Kong."
Ouyang Hu had said it’s best to stir things up to the Capital this one ti, so that when Gu Jin’an goes to the Capital for the Imperial Examination, no one will bring this matter up again to cause trouble.
If the issue gets stirred over too many tis, even if Gu Jin’an’s house did nothing wrong, after hearing it repeatedly, others would begin to believe there’s sothing wrong with the family.
"Yes." Yan Xiaowu reluctantly agreed, his eyes red and nearly about to cry. As he handed the essay to Academic Administrator Kong, he gazed at him with a pleading look, as if asking, can’t you not take this essay away?
How could Academic Administrator Kong not take it? He was all smiles, but his hands were unyielding, snatching the essay away, saying: "Thank you, Scholar Yan."
Yan Xiaowu responded quickly: "Student dares not."
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