When they saw Zhu Tingfang grabbing Xu Cheng by the collar and dragging him directly to the gate of the county government, the students of Wendao School who were recommended by Mr. Xu were all dumbfounded. Cao Wu, who personally brought a few disciples to maintain order, was as silent as a cicada, and gestured to those on his side to keep quiet. Not only them, but also the people who had been making loud noises just now suddenly quieted down.
In this dead silence, many people timidly stole glances at the scar on Zhu Tingfang's face, and even those who were pushing and shoving to get closer to him stopped unconsciously. Although Zhu Tingfang had not been in Cangzhou for a long time, just looking at the few things he had done, each one was full of murderous intent, so much so that his name could stop children from crying at night.
Seeing Zhu Tingfang's fierceness, Zhang Shou, who followed him, could not help but be amazed. He actually didn't want to come out, but Ge Yong glared at him fiercely, clearly meaning to go and keep an eye on your brother-in-law, so he had to follow and keep an eye on him, lest his brother-in-law indulge the people to tear Xu Cheng to pieces alive in the future... Although this was a bit exaggerated, he believed that Zhu Tingfang could do it.
Sure enough, the next moment, he heard Zhu Tingfang say, "Xu Cheng's crimes have just been announced. These were the complaints submitted by the victims to the county government over the past few days. Some people may be afraid of his former power and dare not come, but what they have seen is already outrageous. But he just said in court that the punishment of scholars and officials is not the same as that of civilians."
Before the crowd could start to make noise again, he said sternly, "I agree with this point. I graduated from the Ruxing Hall of the Imperial Academy, and I ranked first in all subjects. Of course, I know that the Book of Rites says that officials should not be punished, and common people should not be treated with courtesy. But, Xu Cheng, ask yourself, can you still be considered a scholar-official?"
Zhang Shou paused when he saw Zhu Tingfang talking, and then someone below boldly shouted that it didn't count, until Zhu Tingfang glanced over and hurriedly shut up. He then continued Zhu Tingfang's words: "The punishment for not punishing officials is that officials are well-educated in poetry and books, and they should know the law, understand the law, and abide by the law. If they really break the law, then they will be sorry for reading the saints' books for many years, their reputation, and their family."
He ignored Xu Cheng's angry look and said slowly, "So, since you are a noble scholar, you should know your own mistakes after breaking the law..."
He suddenly raised his voice and shouted fiercely: "You should feel guilty and repent. Why do you keep crying out for injustice and refuse to accept the charges when the evidence is clear? You don't even have the courage to take responsibility. Are you worthy of being a scholar-official? You don't even have the courage to face the people. Are you worthy of being a scholar-official? You are a stray dog who can only whine for survival. Are you worthy of being a scholar-official?"
Xu Cheng's nerves were already tense to the extreme. Under Zhang Shou's rapid-fire questioning, he wanted to refute several times but failed to find the opportunity. When Zhang Shou finally finished speaking, his eyes widened and his throat seemed to be pressed by something heavy, and he could no longer utter a word. However, he could not speak, so Zhang Shou asked again.
"Who, then, are the literati?"
“Not those pedantic people who only know how to recite the books of sages and saints every day and claim to be erudite, but those masters who are well-versed in poetry and literature and are willing to bring the light of knowledge to poor students, such as Mr. Xu from Wendao Yishu.”