Chapter 737: The Peasant Girl’s Splendid Manor
Chapter 737: A Perfect Counterattack at the Trial (2)
The presiding judge from the Ministry of Justice, hearing Mo Qingze’s request, turned to Emperor Huian for his opinion.
Emperor Huian gave a slight nod, granting Mo Qingze’s request.
After expressing his gratitude, Mo Qingze calmly asked the three witnesses, “You only saw someone hand something to me. At that time, I did not show you what was in that package. On what basis do you believe it was the exam questions and answers?”
The witness who had initially testified quickly replied, “It was you who mentioned sharing the questions and answers with us. When we didn’t agree, you hurriedly hid them and left.”
This explanation was reasonable and did not reveal any apparent flaws.
Mo Qingze could not refute this. He then posed a second question: “Compared to you three, how would you rate my knowledge and talent?”
The three began to understand the intent behind Mo Qingze’s questions and hesitated before admitting, “Ziyu’s talent is beyond our reach.”
Even if they were to falsely claim that Mo Qingze’s scholarly abilities were inferior to theirs, it would be easy to verify such claims at Changshan Academy. The truth could not be hidden.
Mo Qingze’s lips curled into a cold smile as he asked another pointed question: “As I know, one of you ranked fifteenth, another eleventh, and one even ninth in this autumn examination! Regardless of whether you actually had such abilities, if I had really committed fraud and had prior knowledge of the questions and answers, wouldn’t my results have been better than yours?”
Seeing the three witnesses’ faces stiffen slightly, Mo Qingze continued with icy composure, “Or should I say—did you receive some benefit from someone and thus deliberately frame me, while in reality, it was you who committed fraud to achieve such rankings?”
The three witnesses, caught off guard by the weight of the questions, were well aware of how they had obtained their results. They struggled to maintain their composure, realizing that if they could not answer these questions, their true circumstances would soon be exposed. The consequences would go beyond mere charges of framing or falsifying evidence!
Among the three, the first witness to testify was the most composed. He quickly came up with a response: “Examiners have different preferences and views on essays. Over the years, our writing styles have merged, and it is not unusual for examiners who favor such styles to appreciate our work! As for why your results might be worse despite having the questions and answers, could it not be that you deliberately performed poorly to avoid suspicion?”
This explanation, while somewhat forced, was not entirely implausible. Different examiners might have varying preferences, and even an imperfect essay could be rated highly if it matched their tastes.
As for the second question, it was also plausible to argue that individuals might try to be cunning in order to avoid suspicion.
Mo Qingze, after hearing this, showed no sign of anger or frustration at the rebuttal. He remained upright and respectful, addressing Emperor Huian and the eight examiners: “The so-called evidence consists merely of a few papers with the autumn examination questions and answers found at the place where I stayed before the exam. If someone wanted to frame me, it wouldn’t be impossible! The answers given by these three witnesses also have unverifiable aspects and are insufficient to prove my guilt. Therefore, to prove my innocence, I request a contest with these three. If I win, it will prove that there was no need for me to commit fraud; if I lose, I will accept the charges and all consequences willingly.”
(End of Chapter)
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