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墨書 Inktalez
Yue Hao reminisced about his past with Zhou Fan, tears glistening in his eyes. I had never participated in the Imperial Examination throughout various dynasties, so I had no right to teach the children in the city.
The village children, having seen little of the world and influenced by their fathers, believed that learning a few characters and basic arithmetic was sufficient. The number of those who truly engaged in study was scarce. Among them, those who could study diligently, possessed high talent, and had families willing to support their education were even fewer.
Zhou Fan was one of the very few among the many children I taught who met all three criteria. I never stayed in any village for more than a year, but Zhou Fan made me break that rule; I remained in that village for three whole years, teaching him for three full years.
After three years, I left. A year ago, while passing through a nearby county, I decided to visit the village to see him, but the Zhou family had vanished without a trace. After inquiring with the neighbors, I learned that Zhou Fan had died.
Zhou Fan's death was shrouded in mystery. The Zhou family had come into a large sum of money, and the academy was vague about the details, shirking responsibility while the culprit roamed free. Everyone else lived well, but Zhou Fan died unjustly, unfairly, and with great indignity.
I felt deeply saddened. Zhou Fan once told me he would definitely get into the best academy in Huzhou and later participate in the Imperial Examination to become a good official for the people. Even at a young age, he often took notes on the hardships of the common folk and pondered how he could help them live better lives.
I had seen those notes—filled with ups and downs, indecisive yet sincere and heartfelt. I once laughed at him for his so-called plans to govern well. He just smiled and said, "Master, don't you see I'm getting better at writing every day? When I become an official, these notes will be nearly complete. At that time, Master can help me refine them, alright?"
As Yue Hao spoke these words, his heart twisted with pain. What a wonderful child he was! To die so inexplicably—I could not accept it. I had to uncover the truth behind this matter and seek justice for him.
The initial investigation did not go smoothly; the academy and Yue Governor colluded to completely cover up the situation and silenced those who knew anything about it through various means. The academy claimed that Zhou Fan had incurred significant debts in town and, unable to repay them and facing expulsion from the academy, took his own life out of despair.
But one can tell a person's character by observing them from childhood; this child grew up right under my nose. How could I not know what kind of person he was? He would never commit such a foolish act as suicide; he still had things on his mind.
So what if he was expelled from the academy? So what if he couldn't become an official? The knowledge he had acquired over these years was more than enough for him to support his family; if he were dead, his family would surely struggle to survive.
Thus, I continued my covert investigation. Miss Sang, as I mentioned before, I saw Yue Ting with him and confronting fellow students from the academy in a secluded place—that is true. It was precisely because I witnessed that scene that I began to suspect Yue Ting.
In previous investigations, Yue Ting appeared to be an exceptionally perfect child—studious, filial, friendly, and always willing to help others. In Huzhou City and among the academy, it was said that Yue Ting had helped Zhou Fan multiple times and was his best friend. After Zhou Fan's death, he was so heartbroken that he fainted several times, unable to attend classes at the academy for many days.
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