Have You Seen the Sun at the Hour of the Tiger?

Fang Zheng's lips curled with disdain.

So-called suspected cheating meant anyone who used the latrine was automatically suspected!

Papers marked as suspicious would naturally be discarded without review.

Even murder requires evidence, yet in this supposedly fairest place in the world, a person could be destroyed without any evidence!

Based on this alone, many people's ten, or even several decades of hard study would be ruined in an instant. These officials truly had the nerve to speak up.

"Gentlemen, please calm down. Why not hear me out before making judgments?" Fang Zheng's gaze swept across the officials, and the discussions quickly died down wherever his eyes landed.

Many officials fell silent, feeling uneasy under his gaze.

This guy was a hooligan who didn't play by the rules! Even wanting to fight a frail old man like Zhang Dongxiang... what if he singled me out next?

Fighting would be humiliating, not fighting would also be humiliating. Besides, Fang Zheng was young and strong, probably unbeatable....

"Gentlemen, please tell me, what's most important in the examination hall?" Fang Zheng asked loudly.

No one below responded... everyone just silently watched him.

Fang Zheng pointed at someone in the crowd. "You, speak!"

In the crowd, Cen Wense looked toward Fang Zheng and pointed at himself questioningly.

"Yes, you! Tell me loudly, what's most important in the examination hall!" Fang Zheng said.

Having experienced Fang Zheng's behavior, Cen Wense deeply regretted engaging with him, but since he'd been singled out, he couldn't refuse. He could only answer loudly. "Fairness, of course."

"Correct! For examinations, nothing is more important than fairness! Even if the court cannot achieve absolute fairness, it must try to minimize external differences between candidates!"

"Wealthy candidates can bring jerky, eggs, and other foods into the examination hall, which are filling without being heavy on the stomach."

"Poor candidates can only eat grain-based foods, which make them hungry within three hours and affect their performance. Plus they eat larger quantities than meat-eaters, so they naturally need to relieve themselves more often. How can the examination be called fair?" Fang Zheng eloquently explained.

As soon as he finished speaking, an official sneered. "Minister Fang, before the gates closed yesterday, I heard your Banshan Newspaper reporters are also taking the examination, and you prepared abalone for them!"

"This is the first time I've heard of candidates eating abalone during exams! It's rather ironic to hear you speak of fairness!"

The officials began discussing again, mainly mocking Fang Zheng.

"Exams with abalone? Why not bring a chef too?"

"I saw it too. There were indeed candidates eating noodle soup with abalone. Heh, I thought it was some high official's son, but it turned out to be Minister Fang's people."

"Minister Fang! You're truly lenient with yourself and strict with others. Most admirable!"

Fang Zheng remained calm and said coolly. "What's so ironic? I did my best to help them prepare within the rules. What's wrong with that?"

"True fairness isn't about weakening reasonable advantages, but about supporting those with inherent disadvantages."

"If there's a lame candidate in the examination compound, should we break everyone else's legs?"

The officials fell silent again, appearing unmoved.

You have a point, but so what? Examination after examination has been conducted this way. Why are you raising so many issues during your supervision?

Fang Zheng also began to feel helpless.

Reasoning seemed useless. Many had rigid thinking patterns and couldn't listen to reason. He needed to change his approach!

Fang Zheng searched his mind, and fortunately, having read many motivational stories, he quickly thought of what to say.

After organizing his emotions, Fang Zheng's voice became deeper.

"Let me tell you a story about someone I know."

Hearing he was going to tell a story, many officials showed interest. After all, people of any age enjoy stories.

"I have a friend."

"His surname is Ko, given name Be. He was born in a remote mountain village thousands of miles from the capital!"

"Because his family was extremely poor, Ko Be never had the opportunity to study. All five family members survived on just ten acres of land."

"But by chance, he met a teacher who for the first time explained the classics to him. From that day on, Ko Be fell in love with learning! He vowed to change his fate through study!"

"His family was destitute, so Ko Be could only eat one meal a day. Every morning at the Hour of the Tiger, he would walk dozens of miles to the nearest county to study. Unable to pay tuition, he could only hide outside and learn by eavesdropping. Unable to afford writing materials, he practiced writing with tree branches and sand."

"When nightfall caught him absorbed in study, he would not return home, boring holes to steal light..."

"Thus, through cold winters and hot summers for ten years! He finally passed the examination to become a student."

Fang Zheng was a skilled storyteller, narrating the tale with captivating detail.

Many listeners were entranced. Stories of arduous study were clearly the most marketable in this era!

Numerous officials even felt a desire to befriend this Ko Be.

Fang Zheng also looked somewhat wistful at this point.

If reincarnation exists, perhaps Kobe is playing basketball in another world, chasing his dreams once more...

"Though he became a student, Ko Be's family circumstances didn't improve. Fortunately, he caught the attention of a local Juren who took him as a disciple."

"While his fellow students wore fine clothes, Ko Be still wore old garments covered in patches."

"While his fellow students ate meat and fish, what did Ko Be eat? He would cook a pot of thick porridge, let it cool, cut it into four pieces, and eat it with wild vegetable soup to fill his stomach!"

"Under these conditions, Ko Be waited for his chance at the provincial examination! Carrying the hopes of his entire village and a small amount of silver donated by villagers, he traveled thousands of miles to the capital! By the time he reached the capital, he had almost exhausted all his travel funds, left with only dry provisions."

The officials' eyes showed anticipation.

"Finally! With great excitement, Ko Be sat in an examination cell. All the questions seemed manageable to him."

"His exceptional talent combined with years of diligent study allowed his thoughts to flow freely. Answering questions with complete focus, he finished in two hours what would take others a whole day!"

"Though he answered quickly, he didn't relax, still spending two hours checking his answers. During the review, Ko Be felt hungry and took out his dry provisions to eat while reading. Being too absorbed, he actually ate with ink-stained hands!"

"Shortly after eating, Ko Be felt severe stomach pain. Not knowing the rules, he directly told an official he needed to use the latrine. Seeing his ink-stained mouth, the official thought his behavior improper and suspected him of cheating!"

The officials lowered their heads, feeling uncomfortable.

How could this be... such a diligent candidate receiving such unfair treatment. Truly outrageous!

"As you might expect, one of your marks was stamped on Ko Be's paper."

"Heh, after more than a decade of hard study, one day in the examination compound turned everything to ashes...."

"When I saw him again, it was on the day the results were posted. I was fifteen that year... Ko Be's hair was disheveled, his appearance withered, the light gone from his eyes." Fang Zheng's eyes glistened with tears. "He told me this story, and that's where it ends."

"I've always considered him my idol. As for what happened to Ko Be afterward... I don't know, but he had exhausted everything for this examination. He was like a blazing fire, brilliant for just a moment, but leaving behind this story as a warning to future generations."

Tears finally squeezed out from the corners of Fang Zheng's eyes. Then he began pacing, making a full 360-degree turn around the officials to display his reddened eyes.

Officials who met his gaze lowered their heads in shame. Some sighed, some felt regret, but most fell into deep thought.

"Gentlemen, the supervision inside and outside the examination hall is already so strict! When candidates use the latrine, officials accompany them. If cheating is suspected, they can be directly examined or discussed further! But if a candidate's future is completely denied because of this mere mark, do you think that's reasonable?!" Though Fang Zheng's voice was loud, it carried a tone of profound sorrow!

After speaking, he pulled out a seal he had secretly kept in his robe and threw it violently on the ground, where it shattered into two pieces with a loud crack!

All the officials jolted, staring dumbfounded at the broken seal on the ground.

"I borrowed your things and will certainly return them! If you want them, come to me!"

"But.. I only hope such tragedies won't happen again! I... have said all I can say!"

With that, Fang Zheng covered his face and walked away...