Jing Xingzhi’s Daily Life in Ancient Times

Jing Xingzhi vividly remembered the moment a massive truck collided with him. His college roommate, Liu Fang, appeared shocked and panicked, rushing over to hug him, despite his inebriated state, making it difficult for him to comprehend what was happening.

However, Liu Fang had also consumed a substantial amount of alcohol, and he was equally intoxicated. Jing Xingzhi couldn’t fathom how Liu Fang moved so swiftly at that moment.

As people might expect, the two drunk people were seriously hit by the truck, resulting in a calamitous scene.

Strangely, Jing Xingzhi distinctly felt the instant his life was extinguished, and now he could sense it once more.

His head throbbed, his mouth was parched and acrid, and his body felt feeble.

Remarkably, it was only his head that hurt, despite being run over by a truck. Even if he survived, he would have endured multiple compound fractures throughout his body.

With a dry mouth, Jing Xingzhi managed to utter “water,” but no one responded. He struggled to open his heavy eyelids.

The next moment, Jing Xingzhi opened his eyes, gazing up at wooden beams and a ceiling. He was bewildered, allowing new memories to flood his mind.

.

Initially, there were faint, childish babblings, and his father, mother, and another person who he learned alongside.

Within a few years, the man who played the role of “father” in his memories failed the imperial examination and fell seriously ill, ultimately passing away. Soon after, his mother, raising her two sons on her own, led a secluded life.

As the boy grew old enough to walk, he gained a foster wife, Ah Fang, who was three years his senior.

Several years later, his elder brother married and brought a sister-in-law into the picture, but conflicts between her and the mother were frequent.

One day, the mother injured her leg, and the elder brother and sister-in-law neglected to summon a doctor, instead locking the boy and his foster wife in the woodshed. A few days later, they received the news of their mother’s death.

The only remaining close relatives and elder had departed. The elder brother forcibly separated the family, giving the boy an old countryside house and a few acres of meager farmland. He took the family’s money and claimed the family home.

From then on, the boy and his foster wife depended on each other. They remembered their deceased parents’ wishes and, despite their poverty, continued to pursue their education. The boy dedicated himself to studying and earned the title of scholar at the tender age of thirteen.

After gaining this honor, the now grown boy embarked on a journey to a county renowned for its academic environment. Eventually, he enrolled in Huanshui Academy, the most prestigious institution within a hundred-mile radius, located in Huanshui County.

In this vast county, scholarly pursuits thrived, and competition among young scholars was fierce.

After just one year of studying, the young man had earned the respect of many mentors and inadvertently made enemies.

A few days earlier, he had been pushed into a pond by an unknown assailant. The chill and wind had entered his body, leaving him gravely ill and unconscious.

Remarkably, this young man bore the same name as Jing Xingzhi!

Although Jing Xingzhi felt incredibly disoriented, he managed to piece this together. He had become someone else entirely, an ancient scholar wholeheartedly dedicated to his studies.

Jing Xingzhi took a moment to collect himself, but his unbearable thirst drove him to sit up.

He realized that he wore only loose-fitting clothing, and as he walked around, he recognized how emaciated his body had become.

A few steps later, he approached a desk, picked up a cold teapot, and took a sip directly from it.

.

As he finished drinking, he heard movement outside the door. Several people, approximately ten, entered the courtyard.

When Jing Xingzhi overheard someone mention his name, he gently set down the teapot and strained his ears to listen.

“Teacher, I personally witnessed Jing Xingzhi sneaking out of our bamboo garden. At that time, he was looking around.” one of them said.

Someone seemed to sigh, “I didn’t expect him to actually steal Brother Zhu’s money. We’re all classmates; if he’s in need of money, we could have helped him. I didn’t anticipate his low character. It’s truly unbelievable.”

Jing Xingzhi’s ears twitched, and he noticed that the young man usually looked very young. This person, who Jing Xingzhi found unlikable, had conflicts with him more than once.

Jing Xingzhi remembered that the original body had never left his bed when he was sick. He relied on his roommate, Wu Mingrui, to bring him porridge and water to sustain himself. It had been difficult for him to even get up for the past two days.

Li Huasui, who had accused the original body, clearly had a long-standing grudge against him. If he dared to bring the teacher to the door, he must have already planned something against him.

Considering what he had heard, Jing Xingzhi speculated that it was highly likely their group took advantage of the original body’s sleep to hide evidence in his room, then came to accuse him of theft.

The original body had very few possessions. Besides the books, pens, ink, paper, and inkstones piled on the desk, he only had two beds and some washed clothes in a cabinet next to his bed.

The original body was sleeping under the quilt, so moving anything would surely wake him up. The desk wasn’t suitable for hiding things, leaving only the bag suitable for concealment.

Using the elimination method, Jing Xingzhi deduced where the evidence might be hidden. He rushed to the cabinet and opened the bag.

As he opened the bag, dozens of bright gold and silver ingots appeared. Jing Xingzhi realized that there was no secure place in the room to hide these ingots.

Someone had planted these ingots to frame him, and if he couldn’t find the evidence, he wouldn’t be let off easily. They would search the entire house and since nowhere was safe, he certainly would be discovered as a thief.

Jing Xingzhi and another classmate, Wu Mingrui, shared the same room, and he remembered the boy well. Although it could be explained by suggesting that Jing Xingzhi planted the items to accuse Wu Mingrui, but he didn’t want to resort to such tactics.

Hearing footsteps approaching, Jing Xingzhi decided to hide a dozen ingots on the neatly organized desk and began to eat.

Just as he finished setting up the deception, there was a knock on the door.

Dong dong——

Zhang Qiwen, the person in charge of student accommodations, knocked on the door twice, frowned, and asked loudly, “Jing Xingzhi, are you awake?”

Jing Xingzhi glanced at the ingots hidden on the table, picked up the teapot, poured himself some tea, and replied, “I just woke up, Teacher Zhang. Please come in.”

Zhang Qiwen opened the door and entered the room with seven or eight students from Huanshui Academy.

The dozen or so gold ingots on the desk glistened a little from the light from outside, but everyone who entered the room seemed to ignore them.

Among the group, one person stepped away from the others and approached Jing Xingzhi with a concerned expression. He explained, “When I left, Xingzhi was still asleep. How could he have had time to go to your bamboo garden?”

Jing Xingzhi glanced at his roommate, Wu Mingrui, who was wearing a jade bamboo crown, and innocently asked, “Brother Mingrui, what’s going on?”

After saying this, Jing Xingzhi looked at Zhang Qiwen and said, “Teacher, why have you brought so many people here?”

Jing Xingzhi was a young man living in poverty, thin and pale due to his recent illness. His room was filled with scriptures as he studied diligently. In comparison, the group of seven or eight people seemed different, and some even had malicious expressions. Wu Mingrui stood up in front of Jing Xingzhi, explaining the situation to him before Zhang Qiwen.

“Alright, you’ve been falsely accused of theft.” Wu Mingrui declared angrily.

Wu Mingrui’s prepared statement made it clear that he was standing by Jing Xingzhi’s side, and he was determined not to let anyone falsely accuse him.

Li Huasui snorted disapprovingly and said, “Brother Wu, how can you claim that Brother Zhu and I are making false accusations? I witnessed Brother Zhu losing his money with my own eyes. Jing Xingzhi was seen sneaking out of our bamboo garden. How could this be false?”

Li Huasui took a step forward, and his companion, Zhu Da, standing beside him, wore a satisfied expression. He exchanged a subtle nod with Zhang Kaiwei, who was near Teacher Zhang, as a sign of understanding among friends.

Zhang Kaiwei’s expression showed a hint of surprise, and he briefly glanced at Zhu Da before turning away with a smile, suggesting a form of unspoken agreement among classmates.

Wu Mingrui frowned and confronted Li Huasui with skepticism, saying, “You and Zhu Da have always been close. Can we trust your testimony? Moreover, you’re making strong accusations even before the investigation is complete. Doesn’t that suggest the possibility of false accusations?”

Li Huasui defended his position, “you’re saying that too, but the results are not out yet. Let us conduct a search, and the truth will come to light. Brother Zhu lost not only silver but also several gold ingots.”

Li Huasui was intent on ousting Jing Xingzhi from the academy. Both Li Huasui and Jing Xingzhi were scholars from humble backgrounds, but Jing Xingzhi was four years younger, making him seem rarer in comparison.

They entered Huanshui Academy together, and Jing Xingzhi received preferential treatment from the teachers due to his young age. This contrast frustrated Li Huasui, who found himself struggling academically and barely managing to stay in Class A, almost dropping to Class B.

Li Huasui believed he had worked hard, often burning the midnight oil, yet his academic performance continued to decline. This led him to question the value of his efforts and motivated him to seek favor with Zhu Da, the wealthy son of the town’s richest family. Even though Li Huasui’s life improved, he felt dissatisfied, especially when compared to Jing Xingzhi’s aloofness.

With an opportunity to benefit financially and alleviate his frustrations by driving Jing Xingzhi out, Li Huasui eagerly stepped forward, motivated by the money promised by Zhu Da.

Li Huasui excitedly turned to Zhang Qiwen, saying, “Teacher Zhang, while we were attending Teacher Long’s class this afternoon, I happened to return to retrieve my books. I witnessed Jing Xingzhi sneaking out of the bamboo garden. Everyone else was already in class. Had I not forgotten my book, I wouldn’t have turned back.”

Zhang Qiwen, somewhat dissatisfied with Jing Xingzhi due to the information from Li Huasui and others, appeared to find Li Huasui’s account reasonable after listening to their testimony.

Observing Zhang Qiwen’s hesitation, Zhu Da signaled to the others to add pressure.

One person stood up and reminded Zhang Qiwen, “Teacher, I was on duty at lunch today. There was only one student who asked for leave during that time.”

A well-dressed man wearing a gold ring, who was seated next to Zhu Da, commented, “This student comes from a poor background. Who knows if he couldn’t resist the temptation of money? One tael of gold and ten taels of silver are worth hundreds of taels of silver!”

Jing Xingzhi, upset by the accusations, retorted, “You’re all speaking baseless accusations. I, Jing Xingzhi, am not that kind of person!”

As Jing Xingzhi counted the individuals standing against him, he realized that all of them were his adversaries. He initially hoped that at least five out of the ten would remain neutral, but to his dismay, they all seemed to be his enemies, with the exception of Wu Mingrui.

Worried that these individuals might gang up on him, Jing Xingzhi contemplated the invisible ingots used to mislead them. While these ingots were imperceptible to the naked eye, any movement of the ingots at the center of the formation would expose them.

In such a situation, Jing Xingzhi feared that his dreams of taking the imperial examination would be shattered. He had no intention of carrying the unjust reputation of being a thief.

After a moment of anger, Jing Xingzhi composed himself, shifting from indignation to composure, and looked at Zhang Qiwen, imploring, “Teacher, please believe me!”

Zhang Qiwen had been influenced by Li Huasui and the others. Moreover, Zhang Kaiwei in the crowd was Deputy Chief Zhang Mingyu’s nephew, which helped Zhang Qiwen secure his position at Huanshui Academy.

Zhang Qiwen regarded the thin young man who had been clutching the desk. “Alright, it’s true that Zhu Da lost his money. Since you’re innocent, what harm is there in allowing a search?” This response caused Li Huasui and others to express their support loudly.

“Yes, let us search.”

“Are you afraid of a search because you’re guilty?”

“Let us search right away!”

Jing Xingzhi released his grip on the desk, and his body appeared to tremble under the weight of the accusations.

Wu Mingrui quickly stepped forward to support him, expressing concern, “Xingzhi, are you alright?”

Jing Xingzhi shook his head, then coughed and said, “I’m fine, Brother Wu. Don’t worry.”

With a change in his expression, Jing Xingzhi turned to Zhang Qiwen and said, “Teacher, you can conduct a search in the student’s residence. However, the student has a request: only one person can perform the search.”