Refuse to trample on the pride of heaven

"Brother Ziyan, something bad has happened!"

Jiang Cailin was reading a policy paper when he saw his classmate running in hurriedly, and he spoke to comfort him.

"Brother Zhiyan, don't worry. What happened?"

His family didn't have much money, and he only had an older brother and a younger sister to depend on. In order to repay his brother and sister for their support, he studied very hard and helped copy books to reduce the burden on his family. Fortunately, he had good talent and is now studying at the famous Mingde Academy in Tianshui City.

The teacher thought highly of him, and his performance in the academy was also impressive, so he had a chance to pass the imperial examination. He had already made an agreement with his brother and sister that when he became successful, they would benefit from his success and find a good wife for his brother and a support for his sister so that she could find a good family in the future.

"You're still sitting there! Do you know there's something wrong with your test paper?!"

"What?!" Jiang Cailin was startled. Thick ink dripped from the tip of the pen and spread on the rice paper.

Jiang Cailin didn't know how he ran out of the academy and came to the list. The teacher said that with his grades, it was impossible for him to fail the exam, let alone the top ten. He didn't find it difficult when he took the exam, and he even performed exceptionally well. But now...

Looking at the long list, but not seeing his name on it, Jiang Cailin was stunned, as if he had lost his soul.

Liu Jun, who had just called Jiang Cailin "Brother Zhiyan", squeezed into the crowd, saw that he was in a daze, sighed, pulled Jiang Cailin to a corner, looked around, and whispered.

"Brother Ziyan, your paper may have been spotted and replaced. Look who is ranked seventh on the list."

The seventh place goes to Zhou Xu, who is the rich young man of the academy. He is lazy and unlearned all day long, and his grades are among the worst in the academy.

But at this time Zhou Xu was surrounded by people not far away, and people were complimenting him. Zhou Xu was very proud and suddenly noticed Jiang Cailin's gaze - he avoided the other's gaze unnaturally.

"What are you afraid of? Am I afraid that my name won't be on the list?!"

Jiang Cailin suddenly remembered what Zhou Xu said when he was arm-in-arm with his friends before the exam when the teacher called the students to mobilize them. Seeing that he looked guilty now, what else could he not understand? !

Jiang Cailin was almost devoured by anger - so his efforts were ultimately to serve these powerful young masters?!

The news of the announcement of the list attracted everyone's attention. Even Jiang Cailin's brother Jiang Daniu, who was working in the fields, knew about it. He was surprised that his brother did not make the list, but he was more worried that his brother would be depressed, so he took the ox cart that he usually didn't want to ride and ran to the city.

When Jiang Cailin was born, the family conditions had improved a little and Jiang Daniu could already make money. They didn't have the conditions before, but now that they had the opportunity, the Jiang couple planned to train this second son. They even paid a scholar in the village to name him, and when he grew up, they gritted their teeth to support his studies.

Jiang Cailin lived up to everyone's expectations and was smart since he was a child. Jiang Daniu also liked his younger brother very much and felt that his younger brother would definitely be much more powerful than himself in the future and would definitely become a big master in the future.

So after the Jiang couple passed away, Jiang Daniu continued to support his younger brother's studies and even delayed his own marriage. His younger sister Jiang Xiulan also thought that her second brother was very capable, so she did embroidery work every day to supplement the family income and supported her second brother's studies without any regrets.

It can be said that Jiang Cailin carries the hopes of his entire family, so when he didn't make the list, Jiang Cailin felt not only sad but also more guilty.

He had been planning to seek explanation from Zhou Xu, but he didn't expect his eldest brother to arrive. Seeing his brother's haggard face, he was reluctant to tell him that his paper might have been replaced - telling him would make it even harder for his brother to let it go.

But Jiang Daniu had already heard about it from some good people. He just felt sorry for his brother and advised him not to think too much. How could they, the peasants, have a chance of winning against those young masters? His brother had talent, so he should not ruin his future because of impulse.

But Jiang Cailin sees further - if he pretends nothing happened, there is Zhou Xu now, and there will be Li Xu and Wang Xu in the future... If he really does nothing, he will be truly finished.

People with a guilty conscience always pay attention to those whose interests have been encroached upon by them. Knowing that Jiang Cailin, the farmer, had come to the city, Zhou Xu, who judged others by his own standards, immediately thought that Jiang Cailin was not convinced and wanted his family to stand up for him.

So before Jiang Cailin came to ask for an explanation, Zhou Xu took a few servants and blocked them instead.

"Don't think you can handle it just because you have a country bumpkin brother. Jiang Cailin, if you know better, you should keep your mouth shut and don't talk about this anymore! Otherwise, I will make sure you can't survive in Tianshui City! What Mingde Academy student? Be careful or I'll turn you into a kidnapper!"

Zhou Xu was arrogant, and his words were full of threats and even alms, as if it was an honor for Jiang Cailin that he replaced Jiang Cailin's paper.

When he scolded Jiang Daniu, Jiang Cailin was furious, but Jiang Daniu looked calm. However, when he heard someone say that he was going to take action against Jiang Cailin, he couldn't help it.

"Even if you are an official, you cannot bully others like this!" His younger brother plans to pursue a career in politics in the future, and this man wants to destroy their family!

"What's wrong with me bullying you?" Zhou Xu was also a lawless person. He immediately asked people to capture Jiang Cailin and teach him a lesson.

Jiang Daniu was the first to protect his younger brother. He was a farmer and had plenty of strength, but he was outnumbered and was ultimately defeated. In addition, he was eager to protect his brother, so he rushed forward and punched Zhou Xu, which completely irritated the young man. Zhou Xu immediately ordered his servants to beat the two brothers to death.

At some point, Zhou Xu snorted and led his people away with a gloomy face.

The pain in his body made Jiang Cailin unable to breathe. The heavy snow falling from the sky brought with it biting ice chips in the early spring, which pierced into his body like arrows.

He seemed to be completely swallowed up by the darkness and could no longer hear anything. Only hatred burned in his heart. He desperately resisted the coldness coming from all around.

The weak body became angry, a fishy and sweet taste surged up to the throat, and the pale lips were stained with some blood. Jiang Cailin raised his head with difficulty, and after seeing the scene in front of him clearly, his pupils trembled.

His brother, a farmer who had been honest all his life and worked hard every day to support his studies, was now lying on his back in the snow with blood all over his body. His dark and thin body looked stiff and helpless, and his pale face, bloodless, had a faint bluish-gray color. His facial expression was listless, his eyes were empty and lifeless, and he seemed dazed and dying.

"Brother! Brother! Hold on!"

Jiang Cailin crawled to his brother's side, unable to think of his reputation at this moment. He just wanted to help his brother up and send him to a nearby clinic, but when he lifted him up, he found that he was already dead.

He felt as if all the strength in his body had been drained away, and with a thud he collapsed beside his brother's body.

He covered his mouth, letting the tears fall, trying to suppress his crying. With his head half lowered, it seemed that there was only the sound of the whistling cold wind between heaven and earth. After a while, he supported himself with his hands and struggled to get up. His lips were pale and his body was trembling slightly. Even though the chill was penetrating at this moment, beads of sweat still appeared on his forehead.

"Brother, let's go home first." His voice was so soft that it was swallowed up by the wind almost the moment he opened his mouth.