Chapter 153: The Provincial Graduate Stripped of His Academic Rank

As for whether this would offend the person who had caused Yang Baoshou to be stripped of his imperial scholar degree, the three of them made it clear that they were not afraid.

Since they even dared to run a newspaper, what else did they have to fear?

One or two more enemies wouldn't make a difference.

Besides, more than a decade had passed, and that person had likely long forgotten the existence of someone named Yang Baoshou.

To that person, it was merely a casual remark, but to Yang Baoshou, it was a shadow that hung over all his coming days.

That man might have forgotten, but ordinary folk and merchants would never dare to gamble on that assumption.

Thus, although Yang Baoshou could read, possessed literacy, and was deeply talented, he could not find a single job to support himself and his family.

Apart from Yang Baoshou, there was another quite prominent figure on the roster.

He was a scholar named Zhao Yu. After passing the imperial examinations to become a scholar, an accident had left his right leg disabled, preventing him from pursuing further imperial tests.

He relied on copying books for local printing houses to support his wife and child at home.

He had originally been copying books for Song Sheng's printing house, and upon seeing the recruitment notice, he came forward without hesitation.

He wanted to give it a try; the pay here was high, and during his breaks, he could still manage to copy a few books on the side.

After discussing for a while, the three of them finalized the candidates.

Song Sheng called Zhang Er inside and instructed him, "Send word to these people and tell them to come here tomorrow."

"Understood, young master."

...

At the dining table, Yang Baoshou was absent-minded. He only heard his wife, Fang Niang, say, "Let's eat first, stop thinking about it."

Yang Baoshou was now forty-three years old. He had attained his imperial scholar degree at thirty-two, enjoying boundless prestige.

Now, eleven years later, it felt like a lifetime had passed, and he was a completely different man.

"Fang Niang, I have failed you and let you suffer along with me," Yang Baoshou said with bitterness in his heart. Back then, he had considered himself a genius, failing to restrain himself, showing too much brilliance, and ultimately offending someone he shouldn't have.

Had it not been for that incident, his family would never have been reduced to this state.

Fang Niang shook her head. "I can do a bit more embroidery; we will manage to get by somehow."

Yang Baoshou chewed his food, but it tasted like ashes in his mouth.

When the Song family printing house was hiring previously, he had gone with a glimmer of hope, but to this day there had been no news. It seemed there was no chance for him.

The Song family printing house was backed by the Song family, and since even the Song family was unwilling to offend Bai Zhengming, other establishments were even less likely to do so.

Fang Niang sighed softly, telling her husband not to overthink things, as they were still managing to survive anyway.

Not wishing to worry his wife, Yang Baoshou pushed his inner turmoil down and managed a smile for her.

He hadn't told his wife that he had gone to apply for the opening at the Song family printing house.

He didn't want to subject her to repeated disappointments; it was enough for him to bear the crushing weight of dashed hopes himself.

A knock at the door sounded from outside. Fang Niang asked in puzzlement, "Who could that be at this hour?"

Yang Baoshou stood up and said, "Fang Niang, keep eating, I'll go take a look."

Walking toward the entrance, Yang Baoshou pulled open the door and recognized the man standing outside immediately—he had seen him at the Song family's printing house!

A sudden guess formed in Yang Baoshou's mind, making his heart race with excitement as he struggled hard to keep his emotions under control.

The employee of the Song family printing house asked, "You must be Yang Baoshou, correct?"

Yang Baoshou nodded vigorously, "I am!"

"My young master would like to meet with you tomorrow. He will explain the specific details to you then," the employee said, giving him the exact time.

Yang Baoshou blurted out eagerly, "Alright, I will definitely arrive on time tomorrow. Thank you for making the trip."

The employee shook his head, "It's nothing more than my duty."

Even after the employee had left for a while, Yang Baoshou remained dazed. Did this mean the young master of the Song family was willing to give him a chance?

Surely the young master of the Song family must know that the person he had offended back then was Bai Zhengming, right?

Yang Baoshou's heart grew anxious; he desperately wanted to grasp this opportunity, yet feared it might all turn out to be a fleeting dream.

In a trance, Yang Baoshou returned inside. Seeing his absent-minded state, Fang Niang asked with concern, "What is it? Who was at the door just now?"

Yang Baoshou confessed everything to her. Fang Niang was first startled, and then comforted him, saying, "Since the young master of the Song family is willing to see you, he must be satisfied with your qualifications."

"Even if it doesn't work out, you still have me. You know my embroidery skills."

Yang Baoshou nodded at Fang Niang. "I will definitely put my best foot forward tomorrow!"

The compensation offered by the Song family was quite generous. If he truly managed to enter the Song family printing house, his wife wouldn't have to embroider day and night anymore.

Throughout his entire life, aside from studying books, he possessed no other talents.

And now, having spent so many years reading books, nobody would dare hire him even to be an accountant in a shop.

What use was it to have once passed the imperial examinations? He was still living like a stray dog.

Back then, Bai Zhengming had even left a stern warning: anyone whose shop dared to hire Yang Baoshou would be making an enemy of him.

When he was stripped of his academic rank, it felt as though he had been struck by lightning.

He could not understand why so many people engaged in the same practices, yet only he was punished by being stripped of his scholarly honors.

He felt resentment, he felt discontent, yet he could change nothing.

To this day, he still remembered Bai Zhengming sitting high on his horse, looking down at him with utter disdain, casting a single, casual remark that turned his lofty ambitions and years of bitter study into a complete joke.

It also made him acutely aware that not all imperial scholars were treated equally.

...

Sitting to the side, Zhao Yu was subjected to a few veiled, sarcastic barbs from his sister-in-law.

They were the usual remarks, implying that Zhao Yu was a cripple who only ever got in everyone's way.

Hearing this, Mother Zhao spoke up with displeasure, "Have you forgotten how much land tax Xiao Yu has saved this family?"

Her sister-in-law curled her lip, "And yet the family spent so much silver sending him to study."

"Xiao Yu also copies books and regularly brings silver back to the family!" Mother Zhao glared at her elder daughter-in-law, her tone growing steadily hotter.

After lecturing her daughter-in-law and telling her to be quick-handed and get on with her chores instead of nagging all day long, Mother Zhao finally silenced her.

Seeing that Mother Zhao was angry, the sister-in-law stopped talking back. Though she muttered a few words under her breath, she directed no further barbs at Zhao Yu.

Initially, her heart had been filled with jealousy; Zhou Liurong had become a scholar's wife, while she had been forced to marry an unaccomplished farmer.

Thus, however intense her jealousy had been back then, she felt an equally intense sense of schadenfreude now that Zhao Yu had been crippled.

Zhou Liurong's husband had become a crippled invalid, whereas her own husband at least possessed all four limbs intact.

Because of this, she would occasionally use the word "cripple" to provoke Zhou Liurong and Zhao Yu.

It gave her a bizarre sense of satisfaction, as if among her and Zhou Liurong, she was the ultimate victor.

Yet even though Zhao Yu had become disabled, his parents continued to protect him, and the surrounding neighbors still treated him with politeness.

This left her feeling rather depressed, and she would redirect that depression into deliberately suppressing and verbally provoking Zhao Yu and Zhou Liurong.

Since Zhao Yu was a scholar, he generally chose not to talk back, and because she was his sister-in-law, Zhao Yu mostly remained silent, leaving it unclear whether he had even heard her at all.

A knock echoed from outside the door, and the sister-in-law frowned, snapping in annoyance, "Who could that be?"