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Minister Jia had already felt inclined to help, but upon hearing his own student so anxious, he glared sternly, "Out! Have all the rules you’ve learned every day gone to the dogs?"

These ungrateful boys, having just met someone and after hearing a few words, are already won over and speaking on behalf of an outsider. What an accomplishment. Go out and don’t even say you’re my student; I’m embarrassed to claim you."

It was all in vain, teaching these boys for so many years. Do I look like someone who would bully others?!

The student who had wanted to enter immediately recoiled, Minister Jia was too intimidating, every glare made their hearts panic. Not knowing Minister Jia’s character when they first entered the Imperial Academy, a single glare from him could cause nightmares at night.

Although he backed away, he still stubbornly lingered at the doorway, unwilling to depart.

Lian Musu turned his head and smiled at this student. Then, while comforting those outside, he said with a smile, "Thank you, everyone, it’s not a big deal. Lian Mu merely has a slight inconvenience with his left leg, otherwise, I’m no different from an ordinary person."

The student saw Lian Musu smiling at him and returned the smile, but his eyes were still filled with worry.

The problem with Brother Lian from Taiyuan Prefecture was not just an inconvenience; he was very unsteady on his feet. They had seen it with their own eyes; it wasn’t as light as he had said.

Earlier, when they were heading to the lecture hall, Minister Jia was walking briskly and urgently ahead as if on purpose, while Brother Lian followed without complaint, appearing very natural.

When walking slowly, his limp was not as noticeable, but when they quickened their pace, that’s when they truly felt his unsteadiness, the uneven steps, one foot dragging after the other.

Halfway there, those following behind felt a wave of compassion. Previously unnoticed, today they suddenly found Minister Jia sometimes really acted like a heartless deity, not a good person, seemingly trying to exert his power intentionally, making them feel uncomfortable.

Thus they wanted to ask Minister Jia to slow down, but Brother Lian, noticing their intentions, reassured them it was not necessary, that he always walked this way and could keep up.

Minister Jia, walking ahead, either had a pang of conscience or for some other reason, eventually slowed down.

It was also because of this incident that they grew more fond of Brother Lian, feeling that they had been biased and misinformed before, that the situation wasn’t as the Taiyuan Prefecture examinees had claimed.

Lian Musu, after comforting the others outside, was about to take off the burden from his back.

Minister Jia glared fiercely outside, and once it quieted down, he came over to lend a hand.

He was the teacher here, and his every move represented the face of the Imperial Academy. Those students should have thought about it; how could he possibly bully a scholar from outside?

He thought he’d lift it effortlessly, but upon grasping the sides of the book basket, he couldn’t lift it at first. He exerted all his strength as though it was a life-or-death struggle before he could barely raise it, the veins on his forehead bulging.

Lian Musu felt a weight lift from behind; he knew the heaviness of the basket.

Without a word of complaint, he decisively slipped his shoulders free from the basket straps and swiftly turned to take the whole basket firmly into his own hands. Then he expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Mr. Qin, but let the student handle it."

Only then did Minister Jia let go, the basket was so heavy, he had almost dropped it, which would have been a humiliation in front of the students.

He adjusted his sleeves, "What on earth is inside that is so exceedingly heavy?"

Lian Musu placed the basket stably on the designated spot before answering, "Nothing but some books and brushes, ink, paper, and inkstone."

The onlookers outside exhaled in relief when they saw the items settled firmly.

Minister Jia nodded and did not inquire further, taking his seat again. He gestured to a stool, "Sit."

Up until now, the test had kept everyone standing on purpose.

"Many thanks, Mr. Qin." Lian Musu didn’t decline and thanked him with a cupped fist salute.

As he walked past, his peripheral vision caught a piece of calligraphy on the wall. His gaze shifted slightly, and he couldn’t help but stop in his tracks and said, "Did you write this, sir?"

Minister Jia was surprised, "How do you know it’s my writing?"

This was his proud work, almost deceivingly authentic; usually, one glance wouldn’t suffice to tell it apart, not even for Mr. Qin.

Lian Musu slightly smiled and said, "I have some understanding of Master He’s calligraphy and have also practiced it for a while. I imagine that your writing must be excellent; this piece of imitation is very good, nearly ninety percent alike. However, it still lacks something."

Master He was a great calligrapher of the current era who had passed away, with few of his ink treasures circulating in the market.

Minister Jia particularly admired one style of Master He’s calligraphy, and although he possessed an original piece from Master He, he couldn’t bear to display it publicly, so he had made a replica to hang outside.

He had replicated that piece countless times, with each stroke ingrained deep into his being. Finally, after painstakingly reproducing it to near perfection and soliciting opinions, he chose his most satisfactory piece to display.

Who wouldn’t praise it at first sight? To discern the differences seemed impossible at first glance, even Minister Qin had complimented it, but to his surprise, this young man only rated it ninety percent similar.

He felt somewhat annoyed, thinking that this young man was too eager to show off, a person seeking quick success and instant benefits who had exposed himself. He wondered how this would end later.

His annoyance rising to the surface, Minister Jia patiently asked through gritted teeth, "Lacking what?"

He was curious to see how this young man had guessed and if he couldn’t provide a reasonable explanation, he would not be so polite!

Lian Musu, sensing the disbelief in the other person and feeling a slight apologetic sentiment, didn’t mean to point it out in front of so many people. Nevertheless, he discerned that this sir was not a person of narrow-mindedness.

He walked over to the calligraphy and pointed out a few places, directly saying, "Firstly, it’s that your brushstrokes show some hesitation, which suggests that, in your attempt to replicate closely, you felt uncertain during the writing."

Upon hearing the beginning, Minister Jia felt extremely dissatisfied. This young man really is showing his true colors once he sees an opportunity—what does he mean by ’firstly’? Could there also be a secondly and thirdly?

He had studied Master He’s calligraphy to the extreme; how could there be so many flaws? He felt increasingly that the young man was spouting nonsense; holding back his anger, he waited for his chance to burst.

Yet when he heard the latter part about hesitation, he hesitated himself, got up, and went closely to scrutinize the piece.

He somewhat agreed with this point; whenever he replicated the piece, his mind was set on achieving close resemblance, and therefore, his brushstrokes weren’t as fluent as when he wrote regularly.

Lian Musu was unconcerned with his thoughts and continued, "Sir, you were distracted, striving for resemblance over authenticity, which made the writing lose its structural backbone and unique charm. For instance, this character—on the surface, it doesn’t seem noticeable, but upon closer inspection, it feels lifeless and can’t hold its own. That’s the first point."

He gestured with his hand at a specific character.

"So that’s how it is..." The students behind had an epiphany. They had been seeing no issue with the calligraphy before, but after the comparison, as if by magic, they too could see the trick.

Unbeknownst to them, the students outside had already come in, crowded around the two, and listened with relish.

They had always thought that Minister Jia’s piece was authentic, and were amazed that Brother Lian could see through its falsity at a glance; they were truly impressed.

Most importantly, they admired that Brother Lian was not afraid of Minister Jia and dared to confront the issue directly, a truly admirable trait.

They had initially been scrambling to look from the windows and doors, but unable to see clearly, they hadn’t been satisfied, so gradually, some of them had boldly entered the room.