"Reporting to Your Highness, this subordinate recently obtained a collection of poems, which includes the two poems supposedly composed by Young Master Fan. However, the author of those two poems is not Young Master Fan."
As soon as Jia Xu finished speaking, the crowd around them erupted in an uproar.
After all, in the circles of scholars, plagiarizing others' poetry and essays to boost one's own reputation was considered one of the most despicable acts.
"Wenhe, you must not speak carelessly about such matters. Do you have any evidence?"
Upon hearing this, Jia Xu quickly pulled out a book from his sleeve and presented it to Xiao Feng: "Your Highness, this is the collection of poems I obtained."
The crowd instinctively turned their gaze to the book in Jia Xu's hand, which bore the title Three Hundred Selected Poems of Tang and Song Dynasties.
"Your Highness, please take a look. The poem Young Master Fan supposedly composed at the age of ten was originally titled Gazing at Lake Dongting and Presenting to Prime Minister Zhang, and its author was named Meng Haoran. The line 'the waves shake the walls of Yueyang City' was altered to 'the waves shake the walls of Danzhou City'."
Jia Xu paused mid-sentence, then quickly flipped a few pages and continued, "As for the poem Young Master Fan just recited, its original title was Ascending the Heights, and the author's name was Du Fu. The content was copied word for word without any changes."
"I knew those two poems couldn't have been written by that guy!"
Seeing this, Guo Baokun couldn't help but exclaim excitedly, "How could a crude person like him possibly compose such verses?"
"A bastard is just a bastard—utterly unfit for any respectable occasion!"
"To think this man is nothing but a hypocrite—how shameless!"
"As scholars, we are ashamed to associate with such a person!"
The same people who had admired Fan Xian moments ago now felt nothing but hatred for him.
Truly, his name suits him—Fan Xian, "one who invites dislike," is indeed utterly detestable!
"Your Highness, this official has a request!"
Guo Baokun suddenly bowed to Xiao Feng and pointed at the poetry collection in Jia Xu's hand. "The poems in this book are far too exquisite. I beg Your Highness to permit their reproduction and dissemination, so that no one else may ever commit such fraudulent acts again."
"An excellent suggestion."
With Xiao Feng's approval, Jia Xu handed the book over to Guo Baokun.
Soon, the conversation between Xiao Feng and the others reached the women on the opposite shore of the lake.
Upon learning that the two poems Fan Xian had claimed as his own were actually plagiarized, the women also began to scorn him—even inadvertently directing their disdain toward Fan Ruoruo.
After all, Fan Ruoruo was a renowned talented woman in the capital, the epitome of the "ideal child" others were compared to. Many young ladies present had been unfavorably measured against her by their families, breeding jealousy. Now that they finally saw her humiliated, they were more than happy to kick her while she was down.
Though Fan Ruoruo refused to believe Fan Xian would plagiarize, she had no way to defend him.
If there was even the slightest possibility that the poem Fan Xian composed at ten could have been leaked and copied into that anthology, how could the Ascending the Heights he had just recited have been "plagiarized" by someone who predicted the future?
By the time the poetry gathering at the Jingjun Prince's residence concluded, Fan Xian's name had spread throughout the capital—but now, it was infamous as that of a fraud.
---
"Brother, did you really plagiarize those two poems you wrote before?"
After returning to the Fan residence, Fan Ruoruo couldn't help but tug at Fan Xian's sleeve, her face filled with unwilling disbelief. "I don't believe what they're saying. You're the one who wrote The Story of the Stone—how could you possibly need to copy someone else's poems?"
Seeing Fan Ruoruo's stubborn expression, a flicker of emotion passed through Fan Xian's eyes before he sighed helplessly. "Ruoruo, didn't I already tell you? The Story of the Stone wasn't written by me—it was written by Mr. Cao. And yes, those two poems were indeed copied."
Originally, Fan Xian hadn't planned to admit to plagiarism. But when he heard the names Meng Haoran and Du Fu, he knew his secret was out.
If Jia Xu could produce an anthology of Tang and Song poetry, he was most likely a transmigrator like himself.
In hindsight, Fan Xian should have realized it sooner—his mother, Ye Qingmei, was a transmigrator, and so was he. It was only natural that others like them existed in this world.
Bang!
Hearing Fan Xian admit to plagiarism, Fan Ruoruo's face twisted in pain, as if the perfect image of her brother in her heart had shattered.
Though she would still listen to Fan Xian, her blind admiration for him was gone.
"Actually, when you think about it, this might be a good thing!"
Fan Xian waved his hand dismissively. "With my reputation in ruins, the Eldest Princess and Chancellor Lin definitely won't want their daughters to marry me anymore. This gives His Majesty a reason to annul the marriage. I never wanted to marry a woman I've never met anyway."
"..."
Seeing Fan Xian's indifferent attitude, Fan Ruoruo was left speechless.
She had been worried that Fan Xian might be so devastated by the scandal that he'd do something drastic.
After reassuring Fan Ruoruo, Fan Xian left the Fan residence and headed straight for Flowing Crystal River.
Since the disappearance of Teng Zijing's wife and child was inextricably linked to Guo Baokun, Fan Xian had planned to interrogate him under torture to uncover their whereabouts.
Moreover, the speed with which his plagiarism scandal had spread throughout the capital in half a day was largely due to Guo Baokun and his allies fanning the flames. Tonight, he would settle both old and new scores at once.
Since Si Lili had become the Carefree King's exclusive property, Fan Xian didn't dare provoke her. Instead, he chose Yuan Meng to serve as his witness.
Though Yuan Meng couldn't compare to Si Lili, the top courtesan of Flowing Crystal River, she was still a highly sought-after entertainer—more than qualified to act as Fan Xian's witness.
---
Thud! Thud! Thud!
Just as dawn broke, the urgent sound of a drum jolted Mei Zhili, the magistrate of the capital, awake.
Mei Zhili cursed inwardly, What insolent commoner dares disturb this official's rest?
But bound by court regulations, he suppressed his drowsiness, washed up, and ascended the tribunal.
!!!
When Mei Zhili took the indictment from his clerk and saw the names of the plaintiff and defendant, he shuddered, instantly wide awake.
Being the magistrate of the capital was perhaps the most difficult post in the Qing Kingdom—the city was teeming with nobility, many of whom were far beyond his reach.
For instance, the plaintiff in this case, Guo Baokun, was not only a compiler in the imperial court but also the only son of Guo Youzhi, the Minister of Rites. The defendant? Fan Xian, the son of Fan Jian, the Vice Minister of Revenue.
(End of Chapter)