It all started when Mrs. Zhu and Ji the Third went to the city to collect a debt. They inadvertently caused a scene in front of the Academic Administrator and County Magistrate Pan, which ended with Mr. Tan and his elder brother being thrown in jail.
Perhaps feeling it was better to let sleeping dogs lie, Mr. Tan didn't bring up the Chunyi Building while in jail. Therefore, the most serious charge against Ji the Fourth was that he had spent ten taels of silver on a bribe to become an auditor at the county school.
His conduct was indeed improper, but it was ultimately in the pursuit of his studies, and the amount was not large.
As for being thrown out in front of the county school by thugs from the Chunyi Building… plenty of people went mad after failing the academy exam. Going out to get drunk, while unbefitting of a scholar, was only human.
