A Good Country Wife
Chapter 366 - 360_1

Chapter 366: Chapter 360_1

No matter what, being in the Dean’s hands was definitely better than being dealt with by the Magistrate. However, with the incident having become so big, his father would surely find out. When that time came, a good beating was inevitable. Liang Wei thought of this bitterly and grew even more resentful towards Lin Qing. He was determined to get back at him properly in the future, as long as no one caught him red-handed, he couldn’t be held accountable. Of course, openly giving Lin Qing a hard time like now was no longer possible, it had to be done in secret.

Lin Yue saw the fleeting cruelty flash across Liang Wei’s face, this person was likely to hold a grudge. She wasn’t afraid for herself, but her brother was just a poor, weak scholar, focused solely on the study of the sages’ books, probably unable to deal with Liang Wei’s retaliation. So even if she was angry and wanted Liang Wei to be taught a good lesson, she still had to smooth things over, trying to make Liang Wei let go of his grudge while fearing to provoke her brother.

The Dean confirmed the malicious behavior of Liang Wei and his group, frowning more deeply. This was no longer a simple quarrel between classmates but a violation of the laws, naturally warranting a severe punishment. Even expelling them from the academy wouldn’t be too much. But Liang Wei’s grandfather was an old friend of his. Out of consideration for Liang Wei’s grandfather, he wanted to show some mercy. Otherwise, he would have driven someone like Liang Wei out of the academy long ago. Liang Wei’s father had also contributed a lot of funding to the academy for Liang Wei’s sake, so both publicly and privately, dealing with Liang Wei was a bit difficult for him. However, he couldn’t protect Liang Wei in front of the victims.

The Dean hesitated considerably, then turned to Lin Qing and his sister. "Lin Qing, you have been beaten up by Liang Wei and his group, you’re the victim. Regarding their punishment, if you have any opinions or thoughts, feel free to speak up."

Lin Qing understood that the Dean’s words meant he did not wish to make a big deal out of it; otherwise, why even ask him? He could have just dealt with it according to the rules. Although his mind was solely on studying, he was, after all, from a poor family, and he hadn’t been looked down upon in the academy. He understood some worldly wisdom. He had also heard about Liang Wei’s background; otherwise, why would Liang Wei have bothered him so brazenly numerous times, relying on his family’s relationship with the Dean? That’s why he had given in so many times before, part of the reason lying therein.

"Dean, I didn’t come to you today to ask for punishment for Liang Wei. After all, we are classmates; we will inevitably see each other again. I don’t wish for things to become too strained. I just hope that Liang Wei agrees not to trouble me over and over again because of Jiang Wenshu. It’s truly troubling for me," Lin Qing said, gauging the situation.

Although Liang Wei was the one who fought, Lin Qing didn’t hate him that much. Liang Wei was straightforward. Because Jiang Wenshu had once benefited him, he regarded Jiang Wenshu as a close and good friend ever since, always putting Jiang Wenshu first. Now he had become Jiang Wenshu’s sidekick. His coming to cause trouble this time was probably instigated by Jiang Wenshu. If anyone was to be hated, Lin Qing hated Jiang Wenshu more. He had been blind to have taken such a villain as a friend. Fortunately, he realized this early, otherwise, he would have harmed his sister.

Hearing this, the Dean realized that there was someone else behind Liang Wei, the real instigator. Jiang Wenshu, the name was very familiar, wasn’t he this year’s top scholar in the Academy Examination? The Dean had an impression of him.

His impression of this young man was neither particularly bad nor good. After all, he was the top graduate of the academy examination, and his talent was undeniable. However, Jiang Wenshu displayed a conceit towards his own abilities, and his eyes clearly reflected a worldly cunning and shrewdness that was not purely innocent. Although hidden beneath the surface, what kind of person was the Magistrate? His ability to judge character was not lacking, and this young man showed a lack of the noble spirit expected of a scholar, which did not endear him to the Magistrate. Now, hearing that Jiang Wenshu was entangled in this matter only worsened his impression of him.

Since this matter was related to Jiang Wenshu, the Magistrate had his servant summon Jiang Wenshu for a confrontation. If he truly was involved, then even if Jiang Wenshu was this year’s Bingsheng, with exceptional talent, the Magistrate would not indulge him. He had always believed that for scholars, moral integrity was more important than talent.

Jiang Wenshu had indeed deliberately incited Liang Wei to trouble Lin Qing, but he had not expected Liang Wei to make such a big fuss that it reached the Magistrate, implicating him as well. He was a man more than capable of causing trouble but insufficient at achieving success. Jiang Wenshu cursed Liang Wei inwardly for being useless. If it weren’t for Liang Wei’s wealthy family background and his unyielding loyalty, which made him somewhat useful to keep around, Jiang Wenshu would have no desire to associate with such a simpleton who lacked any real substance in his belly.

"Jiang Wenshu, Lin Qing claims that it was you who instigated Liang Wei to do this," said the Magistrate. Although he posed the question, he had already mostly believed Lin Qing’s account. Although Liang Wei often acted foolishly and neglected his studies, he was not thoroughly bad. The Magistrate wouldn’t tolerate him, not even as an old friend’s grandson, if he were. In the Magistrate’s view, Liang Wei was just a wasteful dandy and not a malicious person. After all, with no grievances or grudges between Liang Wei and Lin Qing, without someone’s instigation, he could not have committed such an act.

Valuing his reputation and being particularly concerned about his own name, Jiang Wenshu would never do the dirty work himself but instead provoked Liang Wei to stir up trouble, all to avoid being labeled as petty. Now faced with the Magistrate’s question, he naturally couldn’t admit to any wrongdoing; that would leave a negative impression on the Magistrate. As for the statements from Lin Qing or Liang Wei, there was simply no evidence. He believed that between a good student like himself and the likes of Lin Qing and Liang Wei, the Magistrate would surely believe him. As for his relationship with Liang Wei, Jiang Wenshu considered Liang Wei to be foolish, and even if he was angry now, a few sweet words later would easily coax him back into compliance.

"Magistrate, your discernment is appreciated. I have never done such a thing. I do not know why they would place the blame on me. Besides, Liang Wei has poor conduct. Perhaps he committed a misdeed and does not wish to bear the responsibility, hence his attempt to shift the blame onto me. Regrettably, I had once considered him a friend," Jiang Wenshu said, feigning a look of aggrieved sincerity towards Liang Wei.

Liang Wei looked at Jiang Wenshu in disbelief. He had sought out Lin Qing’s trouble solely on account of Jiang Wenshu, yet now, when it came down to it, Jiang Wenshu was pushing all the blame and responsibility onto him. How could Jiang Wenshu speak such words so effortlessly when Liang Wei had never attributed the matter to Jiang Wenshu? In fact, from beginning to end, he had never admitted to being manipulated by Jiang Wenshu, fearful of the Magistrate’s blame potentially falling onto Jiang Wenshu. He had intended to shoulder the guilt himself. Now he was the one being backstabbed, which was truly laughable. Even if Liang Wei was foolish, he realized now that Jiang Wenshu was utterly deceitful.

"Jiang Wenshu, you’re despicable! Who was it for that Liang Wei would cross paths with Lin Qing? And now you dare to kick him while he’s down." The others who accompanied Liang Wei, who were his usual companions and were very aware of the whole affair, saw Jiang Wenshu shamelessly shunting the blame onto Liang Wei, and they could not help but curse him furiously.

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