Chapter 047
Author: Feast of Masks
Raws: https://www.jjwxc.net/onebook.php?novelid=3185016
Translated by Pill Bug
Edited by Gumihou
The accusation left Mao Badou stunned for a moment before he immediately cursed back, “When did you ever come to borrow a jug or see me with an indecent book? Did you drop by in a dream? Why is it that I don’t know anything about it?”
Li Datian, who was standing nearby, spoke up for him. “The four of us usually come and go together and no one has ever been left alone in the dorm. I fear Brother Zhou may be suffering from some sort of hysteria.”
Chen Jian nodded. Xue Tingxiang added, “That is right.”
“I can testify that Brother Zhou did come by this dormitory that day. After he returned to our room, he was rather listless and distracted, as though there was something weighing on his mind,” said a student called Zhao Mingquan. He and Zhou Li belonged to the same dormitory.
“Maybe your Brother Zhou had a fit of hysteria and saw a fairy. Surely that would certainly cause someone to become listless and distracted. What, do you think I look like some fairy?”
Mao Badou’s mockery sparked laughter from the many students who had gathered outside their dorm to see what the fuss was about. The dormitory was quite large, so the crowd of students was just as expensive. Students who had been doing nothing but eat, sleep and study turned up in their sleeping robes to enjoy the fun.
Zhou Li’s entire face flushed with embarrassment.
“Mao Badou, enough with your insults! You’re a suspicious character and a habitual offender. I have good reason and evidence to suspect you!”
“What reason or evidence? You have shown nothing but your words. Words without reason or evidence are nothing but slander. Are you here to slander others?” Xue Tingxiang said.
“Brother Zhao is here as my witness.”
“If that’s the case, I can also say that I saw you sneaking indecent books into the school, then get someone from my dormitory to testify for me,” Mao Badou retorted. Zhou Li was so angry that smoke nearly rose from all seven orifices on his body.
Just then, the group of nosy students outside started parting. Headmaster Lin Miao and Teacher Meng had arrived.
The four students who had been making counterarguments against Zhou Li from their beds immediately scrambled down to bow and call out respectful greetings to the headmaster and Teacher Meng. The students gathered outside also gave their greetings and the whisperings immediately ceased.
As the courtyard grew silent, Mao Badou started to feel anxious. He could not help but shoot an anxious glance at Xue Tingxiang, who looked back at him with calm, reassuring eyes.
Lin Miao began to question them, and the old servant recounted the events one by one, from the time Zhou Li came to see him to talk about how he found out that Mao Badou had brought indecent books into the school, and what happened afterwards.
Lin Miao cast a mild eye over them. Zhou Li unconsciously ducked his head.
However, when he recalled the words that had been exchanged earlier, the panic in his chest subsided a little. Now that the arrow had been fired, he had no choice but to follow through. He could only get out of this situation by proving that Mao Badou was guilty. Thus, he raised his hands towards the heavens and readily swore on his own name that he was sure that Mao Badou had smuggled indecent books into the school.
This kind of oath could not be taken lightly. At the half-convinced looks on everyone’s faces, Xue Tingxiang stepped forward. He bowed respectfully towards Headmaster Lin and Teacher Meng, saying, “I believe that Headmaster Lin and Teacher Meng have discerning eyes. Though Badou has erred in the past, he has now sincerely reformed, applying himself earnestly to his studies. How could he possibly revert to such preposterous behaviour?”
Lin Miao cast a look at Teacher Meng, who nodded. He had indeed noticed an improvement in Mao Badou’s behaviour.
“Moreover, for Classmate Zhou to pin such a serious accusation upon Badou’s head on mere ‘’suspicion’ seems rather biased.”
“I have a witness.”
Xue Tingxiang’s reply was equally calm, “Your so-called witness can only prove you were seen to be troubled. Furthermore, it is common for people to trust the people they are familiar with. This cannot be taken as truth.”
Just then, a student with a somewhat unfamiliar face stepped out from the crowd and said, “A few days ago, I ran into Mao Badou coming back from outside. He was in a rush and bumped into me. At the time, he looked especially bulky, as if he was hiding something on his body. I remember wondering why it hurt so much when he bumped into me. Now, I suspect he must have been hiding books on his person”
This student was from Class A. While Xue Tingxiang and his friends didn’t know him well, Lin Miao and Teacher Meng recognised him. Moreover, he was usually a quiet, withdrawn person who rarely socialised. When it came to giving testimonies, this kind of person’s testimony was much more convincing.
Several more students also came forward at the same time. They claimed that students from this particular dormitory behaved strangely. They did not associate with others, only talking among themselves. Occasionally, when others passed by this dorm, they saw the occupants huddling mysteriously over some books, giggling and laughing strangely.
At that point, Zhou Li added, “Headmaster may search this dormitory. If he smuggled any indecent books in, they must be hidden in this dorm.”
With the situation progressing like this, Xue Tingxiang and his friends realised that this was a deliberate setup targeting Mao Badou, perhaps even aimed at all of them.
If Mao Badou got into trouble, naturally, none of them would avoid being tarred by the same brush. If nothing else, their previous testimonies could be seen as collusion. If any indecent books were found, everyone in the dormitory would be implicated.
The person who orchestrated this scheme must have watched them for a long time, waiting for the right moment to spring the trap. For a moment, the people at the centre of this scheme exchanged glances. Mao Badou had a resigned, yet resolute look on his face. Just as he was about to step forward and bravely take the blame alone, Xue Tingxiang pulled him back.
Lin Miao stroked his beard thoughtfully and said, “There is no smoke without fire; every event has its cause. Since so many people have accused you, whether there is something or not, you may as well take this opportunity to prove your innocence.”
He ordered people to search the dormitory. Immediately, some students volunteered to help, and the old servant also stepped forward, and they all started to search everywhere. They checked under the tables and beds but found nothing suspicious.
Now, only the four cabinets remained.
Teacher Meng sighed and said, “The four of you should just open your cabinets. The innocent will be cleared and the guilty exposed.”
Mao Badou’s anxiety grew. Besides the one book he had hidden on him, the rest of the forbidden booklets were stashed in Xue Tingxiang’s cabinet. If they were discovered, Tingxiang would be ruined.
Xue Tingxiang pressed his lips together. Then, he stepped forward and said, “ This student stands by his words. Nothing will be found because there is nothing to find. However, if our rooms must be searched, then this student has no choice but to speak out. The accusations laid upon Mao Badou have neither basis nor reason nor evidence. It was all one-sided slanders from a few people, falsely accusing us of hiding indecent books. So long as there are people in this world, we cannot escape judgment. This is true not just for a few, but for everyone in this world.
If nothing is found in our cabinets today, what does it say about Brother Zhou, his so-called witness and these other people who accused us of behaving strangely? Is this how matters will be handled in the future? So long as one has a grudge against another or just dislikes them in some way, they are permitted to accuse others of indecent acts? To bring along a couple of people as witnesses and stand righteously as they make these outrageous claims? Whether they succeed or not, there is no risk to them either way, so why not? Will this academy descend into chaos in the future where there is no justice at all? Then, what of us who had suffered such humiliating accusations? To whom should we make our appeals to?”
His words left many in deep thought, and a few onlookers whispered to each other, “That’s right, ah. Who would dare to claim he had never offended anyone in his life? If this way of accusing people became the norm, who would dare speak out in the academy?”
“A gentleman is always magnanimous while the petty-minded is never at peace. If things go on like this, the roles may well be reversed.”
“Although ordering a search of the cabinets may not seem like much, doing it so publicly like this meant that we are already being treated as thieves. If the Headmaster cannot give a good reason for the search, this junior can bear losing the right to attend this Academy, but cannot bear having our rooms searched on someone’s whim.” Xue Tingxiang closed his statement in such a decisive manner that it placed him almost in direct opposition to the headmaster.
Who would dare to argue with the headmaster? This was something that had never happened in the academy before.
Students who had been standing around and watching the play unfold were taken aback by Xue Tingxiang’s boldness. They were particularly moved by his resolve as well as the way he stood his ground. He certainly looked like he was genuinely innocent and was being falsely accused by petty people.
“I stand with Brother Xue. I would rather not continue to attend this school than be humiliated without cause,” Chen Jian said, stepping forward.
At that moment, Mao Badou covered his face with his sleeve and declared, “I have always opened my heart to the bright moon. Yet, to think the moon would only cast its brightness into a ditch. They say a prodigal who mends his ways is more precious than gold, but I see that it is nothing but pretty lies. I had made but one mistake in the foolishness of my youth, yet had been marked by others for life. Though I have now repented, others still cast groundless suspicion on my person.
I never thought that this academy would treat students differently based on grades alone. For sure, I have a bad reputation, but even the testimony of my friends from Class B cannot outweigh the words of a single Class A student. Is this how it will be in the future?”
Of the four people speaking in this dorm, one spoke with logic, another with conviction, and as for the other two… their arguments were riddled with emotions that were not entirely logical but still touched people’s hearts. That’s right, no matter what, it was true that the testimony of a single Class A student turned the tide against them.
The Class A bystanders calmly watched as the incident unfolded, however, students from Class B felt a pang of sorrow and dissatisfaction. It was just as Mao Badou had said, the student body was divided by their grades. Even though all of them came here to study, those with poor grades were at the bottom of the social rung in this school.
At that moment, Lin Miao suddenly spoke, “What do you think?”
The question was not directed at Xue Tingxiang or his dormmates, nor was it directed at Teacher Meng. It was directed at Zhou Li and his supporters. Naturally, this included the Class A students as well as those who had accused Xue Tingxiang’s group of their ‘strange behaviour’.
The question surprised them, and for a moment, they struggled to understand what the headmaster was trying to say.
“The intentions of these four students are clear. No matter the result, they are willing to stake their opportunity to study in this academy and pay the price by leaving the school. As such, it is only right that all those who had sworn your accusations so confidently against them face the same stakes.”
“This…”
In an instant, the expressions of several people changed dramatically; none of them had expected things to escalate to that point.
The students who had accused Xue Tingxiang and his friends of suspicious behaviour immediately backtracked, saying they were merely suspicious and might have been seeing things, that they were not sure. Eventually, they all melted back into the crowds. Their behaviour drew scoffs and disdainful glances from those around them. The important point was that they still had withdrawn.
Meanwhile, star witness Zhao Mingquan backtracked his statement by saying that he only noticed that Zhou Li ‘seemed troubled’ but that he had no idea why. After all, why should he risk expulsion over an uncertainty?
With several people backing out, only Zhou Li and the Class A student were left in the hot seat.
As the one who had led the charge, Zhou Li could not escape this entire affair. As for the Class A student, he remained as the witness whose words carried the most weight.
This Class A student, Wang Qi (not the same Wang Qi who was Mao Badou’s roommate the previous year), was unassuming in appearance and not particularly noticeable even among the other Class A students.
However, as mentioned before, this person did not belong to any clique and often kept to himself. Lin Miao was aware of the academy’s small cliques and group dynamics, but because such matters were not rare, he had never paid any mind to such trivialities.
He was also aware that Xue Tingxiang’s group had antagonised some Class A students. Had it been any other Class A students who had stepped forward, he may have been more inclined to suspect foul play, but the person who had stepped forward just happened to be Wang Qi, a student he held in higher regard than most others.
To be honest, it was not like Lin Miao had not seriously considered Boss Chen’s suggestion to take in an apprentice. Although he was in charge of teaching Class A, taking on an apprentice was an entirely different matter. The difference was like serving everyone from the same pot versus cooking something special for a single person. While it would be difficult to cater to everyone’s taste when cooking for a whole group, taking care of one person meant truly catering to an individual’s needs.
In fact, he had been keeping a careful eye out for a possible candidate for some time now and Wang Qi was one of those he had his eye on.
Wang Qi looked apologetic as he clasped his hands together and bowed deeply, “After this student heard the testimonies from Mao Badou and the others, this student realised that he had been too careless with his own words. A charge may be large or small, but accusations should never be made on mere suspicion or guesswork.
That day, Mao Badou had bumped into me. While this is true, I cannot provide solid proof that he had hidden books under his clothes. Here, I shall make my apologies to Badou and the other classmates. I beg you not to take offence; it was all my own fault.”
After bowing to Lin Miao, he also bowed to Mao Badou and the others, his attitude sincere and his words forthright. A stark contrast to others who stammered and faltered, his graciousness was miles better.
Thus, although he too was one of those who had retracted his accusation, no one voiced any criticism. Instead, they praised Brother Wang for his integrity, calling him a true gentleman.
A flicker of something passed through Lin Miao’s eyes as he turned his gaze again towards Zhou Li.
Zhou Li’s face turned deathly pale, yet he knew there was no escape. Now, he had no choice but to stake everything on himself; as long as he could prove that Mao Badou was truly hiding an indecent book, he could still save himself.
“I am willing to face the same consequence! If I have slandered anyone, I will leave the academy!” he passionately declared, as though he was a great self-sacrificing hero.
Unfortunately, with so many people withdrawing their testimony, his performance did not draw any admiration. Instead, most people were just waiting on the side to see him make a fool of himself.
“Good, then, all of you-”
At that moment, Xue Tingxiang suddenly interrupted, “Badou, why don’t you hurry up and show Brother Zhou your cabinet?”
After a stunned silence, Mao Badou hurried over to climb up his bed and open the cabinet. Zhou Li rushed after him, as though afraid that Mao Badou would pull a trick and hide incriminating evidence. The moment the cabinet door was opened, he pushed Mao Badou aside and personally searched through the cabinet.
As he rifled through the cabinet, clothes started to tumble out. Among them were a bunch of assorted socks and underwear laced with a stench of smelly feet and sweat.
Mao Badou was notoriously lazy and never washed his own clothes. Instead, he would allow the laundry to collect through the 10 days of dormitory living before bringing the lot home to be washed. Not to mention, since he rarely tidied up after himself, his cabinet was also the messiest of the lot.
Caught off guard by the stink practically hitting him in the face, Zhou Li felt as though he had fallen into a pile of salted fish. The smell was simply unbearable. It was even more unbearable when he started pulling items apart and found socks and underwear that had turned greyish-black, which caused him to retch.
“I was about to do it, but you’re the one who insisted on going through my things yourself! Just look at the mess you made of my things!” Mao Badou complained in an aggrieved tone.
The onlookers could not help but laugh at the scene, even Lin Miao’s eyes sparked with a trace of amusement.
It took Zhou Li a great effort before he finally stopped retching. Then, he started tossing Mao Badou’s stinky clothes aside to search through the entire cabinet.
Nothing.
Still nothing.
He did come across a few books, but they were classics such as the Four Books and Five Classics. What he was looking for could not be found.
“Why is it not here?”
“Because it was never here, ah!”
Zhou Li was dumbfounded. Suddenly, he sprang up and lunged towards the other cabinets.
“Open your cabinets!”
Xue Tingxiang sneered, “Classmate Zhou, are you joking? You accused Badou of smuggling indecent books. That is a matter between you two, why are you trying to search our cabinets?”
“But, before this, you—”
“And what about it? You had many people with you before, so I did not mind. However, right now you’re the only one willing to wager an expulsion against the four of us. Classmate Zhou, your family is in trade, right? How can you expect to engage in a good business deal without capital?”
“You—”
“Of course, if you insist, it is not impossible to search through our cabinets. You only have to bring in three more people willing to stake their opportunity to continue their study in this academy. If you can find just three more people, then by all means, you may search our cabinets as you please.”
“You—”
Zhou Li’s face flickered white and green in turns. Suddenly, he jumped away from the bed to appeal to the familiar faces in the crowd. “Brother Zhao, come help your senior… Brother Chen, you…”
Wherever he looked, the crowd retreated and faces turned away. Even when he managed to make eye contact, the people all shook their heads.
“Enough. Everyone, disperse. This is utter nonsense!” Lin Miao scolded them coldly, before turning to leave with a flick of his sleeves.
Mao Badou jumped down from his bed, grinning, “Alright, the show is over. Really, don’t you know that nighttime is for sleeping? How is anyone supposed to sleep after all that excitement? Well? Go on, disperse.”
Teacher Meng said, “Zhou Li, come with me.”
“Teacher, they must have tricked us somehow, that indecent book must be hidden in one of the other cabinets.”
Mao Badou jumped three feet high. He placed his hands on his ample hips and said, “Zhou Li, let me warn once again. I value our relationship as classmates and do not want to hold this against you. However, if you keep slandering me and accusing me about keeping indecent books, don’t think I will let this matter go!”
“Enough, come with me and stop making all these unfounded and far-fetched accusations!” Teacher Meng said sternly.
At the same time, the old servant stepped forward, and Zhou Li could only walk dejectedly to Teacher Meng’s side.
“All of you, get some rest.”
“Yes, teacher.”
[Gumihou: Woah, way to turn the tables…]
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