Bai Lu and Bai Fu had always been at odds. Bai Lu certainly wanted to see Bai Fu get a taste of his own medicine, but he was not pleased to learn of the cheating in the Imperial Examination. Because, this was not just about Bai Yibo; it was not just about the Bai Family Sect losing face.
It was also about it plunging the Bai Family into an almost unwinnable situation.
To rise to prominence, a family might take decades or even centuries, but a single incident is enough to drive it into decline.
"Let’s go. Let’s talk this over at my place." Bai Lu composed himself. The pressing matter at hand was not to settle accounts with Bai Fu, but to find a way to minimize the damage.
The family of Bai Ruozhu followed Bai Lu to his home. He summoned his sons and they gathered in the main hall to discuss the matter.
"Uncle Sect Leader, please take a look at this. This is the memorandum I’ve written. I plan to have the villagers sign it and then present it to the Imperial Emissary," Bai Ruozhu said as she presented her memorandum.
On learning that it was written by Bai Ruozhu, Bai Lu was somewhat taken aback at first. He was even more surprised when he saw the impressive length of the script, but as he read further, he was no longer surprised - he was wholly absorbed by the content.
After a while, he lifted his head and looked at Bai Ruozhu not just with approval but also with admiration.
"Turns out Ruozhu, not Zepei, has the best literary talent among the younger generation of the Bai family," he said wistfully.
Bai Zeji, either forgetting or disregarding, bent down and began to read the memorandum. Having read more books, he better understood the brilliance of Bai Ruozhu’s memorandum. Afterwards, he was too ashamed to lift his head and said, "It’s a pity women can’t participate in the Imperial Examination. Otherwise, Ruozhu would certainly rank higher than I did. No, she is miles ahead."
All of Bai Lu’s sons had studied as well, without any bias from Bai Lu. Although they had not achieved much, their knowledge was definitely deeper than that of a typical farmer.
Bai Ruozhu was a little embarrassed. She didn’t anticipate this kind of reaction.
"Grandpa, if Bai Yibo had already been expelled from the Bai Clan, the event would not have seriously affected the sect. However, as it happened, fabricating the incident is not viable. It would just lead to further punishments when the forgery is discovered. Instead, I suggest you write a statement expressing your disassociation from Bai Yibo and clearly state that henceforth, he is not a member of the Bai Clan. This will increase our chances of pleading the Imperial Emissary’s forbearance and avoiding a collective punishment for the Bai Family Sect," Bai Ruozhu quickly stowed away her memorandum so they could continue the discussion.
Bai Lu finally responded. He knew how urgent the matter was and that it needed to be resolved promptly.
"Zeji, you write it. Write a disassociation statement as Ruozhu suggested," Bai Lu told Bai Zeji.
Bai Zeji laid out his parchment quickly, his father eagerly aiding him by grinding the ink-stick. However, when Bai Zeji prepared to write, he paused, and he broke into a sweat.
"Zeji, stop dilly-dallying. Hurry up and write," Bai Lu said, seeing his grandson .
Bai Zeji showed signs of difficulty. "Grandpa, I..."
"Don’t tell me that after all these years, you can’t even write this. Where have your studies gone?" Bai Lu demanded, getting angrier. Because of Bai Yibo’s transgressions, he felt the need to be stricter with his grandchildren. Only a strict, structured domestic environment could prevent such things from happening.
Bai Zeji was so embarrassed that he looked ready to bleed. "I can write, but after seeing Ruozhu’s memorandum, I realized how inferior my writing is. I don’t know where to begin."
Bai Ruozhu was embarrassed by Bai Zeji’s praise. He left her no choice but to help Bai Zeji save face.
"Ruozhu, you better help him write it," Bai Lu said, shaking his head in disappointment. Bai Zeji’s gaze dimmed, and he blamed himself heavily.
Bai Ruozhu didn’t think Bai Zeji wasn’t talented. He was simply flustered because of her memorandum. In her past life, she had experience in writing academic papers. At this time in history, literate people pay more attention to poetry and lyrics, rather than writing articles.
"Why don’t you write it, Zeji. I’ll help you brainstorm," she said to Bai Zeji. She discretely shared her thoughts with him, explaining the main points and suggesting how to make his views clear while providing some assurances.
Her selection of arguments for her memorandum was a habit formed in her previous life from writing scholarly papers. Once the main points have been decided, it becomes clear, and the writing process becomes easier.
Bai Zeji, having studied for years and currently learning from his teacher, began to understand Bai Ruozhu’s intentions. Swiftly, he let go of his difficulties, picked up the brush, and began to write his message on the paper.
Nobody dared to disturb him, though they watched him discreetly. Once they saw Bai Zeji’s writing, they nodded in approval; his education had not been in vain.
Soon, Bai Zeji completed his piece. "Ruozhu, could you take a look and see what needs to be revised?"
Bai Ruozhu read it through and nodded. "There’s no need for revision. You wrote it very well."
Relieved, Bai Zeji laughed and said, "I couldn’t have done it without your counsel. I didn’t even know where to begin."
"Zeji, you’re too modest. I was merely giving you some inspirations. It’s your foundation that matters. If your literary skills weren’t up to the task, I could preach for ages, and you still wouldn’t be able to write it," Bai Ruozhu laughed.
The commentaries for Bai Zeji flooded in, and he smiled bashfully. He knew that if Bai Ruozhu had written it, it would have been better. But Bai Ruozhu had saved his face by claiming that she was merely inspiring him, when it was obviously more than that.
Thinking , Bai Zeji felt admiration towards Bai Ruozhu and was also filled with gratitude. He planned to repay her for her assistance when the opportunity presented itself.
Bai Lu took the disassociation letter, signed his name, and stamped it. It was then passed to the other members of the sect. Once everyone’s names and seals were on the letter, it was handed to Bai Zehao and Bai Yihong.
Just then, someone yelled from outside: "Open the door! Open up! You cannot make decisions quietly by yourselves. You cannot disregard Yibo’s fate to protect yourselves. Members of the Bai family cannot be so selfish!"
Upon hearing Bai Fu’s voice, everyone looked disdainful. Bai Yibo has made such a big mistake, enough to get him expelled from the sect. How come in the mouth of Bai Fu, everyone else became selfish? Was it not selfish of his son to commit such an egregious act, implicating the whole clan?
Bai Ruozhu chuckled scornfully. Did Bai Fu really think that he could prevent this from happening? All the while they were baying for her to be expelled from the Bai Family Sect, and in the end, it was Bai Yibo who was forced out. Wasn’t this ironic?