Mu Qing and the others were furious, cursing Hao Zhuang for being unscrupulous. He actually had the audacity to stab Zhang Fang in the back!
Before Zhang Fang could respond, his classmates rushed outside to dispel the rumors. After all, they were all Zhang Fang’s classmates, and a group of them supporting one individual would certainly be more convincing.
Given the situation, Zhang Fang still sat there calmly, not the slightest bit flustered, which gave Xu Chang a new understanding of him. This young man was incredibly cunning and calculating.
Zhang Fang brought a large group of classmates to Xu Chang, clearly trying to establish a presence. He had undoubtedly managed to rally these individuals around him. After experiencing Zhang Fang’s kindness, they would naturally stand up for him. Thus, Zhang Fang could sit comfortably there, eating and drinking. It seemed he had already anticipated this scenario unfolding. Even if his physical condition were to be exposed, he likely had a way to handle it. This young man was not easy to control!
From the very beginning, Xu Chang had not treated Zhang Fang as an equal, viewing him instead as a young man he could manipulate. But now, he could not underestimate Zhang Fang. It had to be said that Zhang Fang was born for the officialdom. His future status would undoubtedly surpass Xu Chang’s.
Recognizing this, Xu Chang no longer maintained an authoritative teacher’s demeanor with Zhang Fang. He became more courteous towards the young man.
Zhang Fang still appeared humble and respectful towards Xu Chang. They reminisced about their past interactions with Hao Zhuang.
Ultimately, Zhang Fang and Hao Zhuang did not have a deep-seated vendetta against each other; rather, Hao Zhuang had deliberately made things difficult for Zhang Fang. By intentionally provoking Hao Zhuang now, Zhang Fang aimed to one day leverage him to expose all the darkness.
Xu Chang thought to himself, could it be that Zhang Fang was trying to get him to intervene against Hao Zhuang? He pondered whether he should assist him in this endeavor.
In the end, Xu Chang reassured Zhang Fang, implying that he would take action against Hao Zhuang.
Zhang Fang pretended not to understand, bade his farewell to Xu Chang, and returned to the inn.
At that moment, Hao Zhuang was facing a barrage of accusations from a large crowd. On one side, various merchants were cursing him, and on the other side, his fellow classmates were calling him shameless, intentionally defaming Zhang Fang’s reputation.
Zhang Fang’s fans were practically ready to tear Hao Zhuang apart.
“This person is truly malicious! Jealous of Zhang Lang’s achievements today, and seeing no benefit for himself, he runs here to slander Zhang Lang! Absolutely despicable!”
“Bah! One look at his face shows he’s not a good person! Fortunately, everyone here hasn’t believed his words easily!”
Hao Zhuang trembled with rage, unable to speak. He hadn’t expected things to escalate to this point. Last time at the teahouse, he exposed Zhang Fang, but Mu Qing led the defense, turning him into the image of a petty, jealous person. Now it was the same; he had just exposed Zhang Fang’s dark secrets when Mu Qing brought a large group of classmates to verify Zhang Fang’s innocence!
Confronted with the crowd’s spitting and their disdainful, furious glares, Hao Zhuang didn’t know what to do.
Suddenly, a constable barged in, loudly searching for Hao Zhuang.
“Who is Hao Zhuang?”
The crowd pointed to Hao Zhuang’s position and promptly cleared a path for the constable to enter.
The constable arrived in front of Hao Zhuang, expressionless, and announced, “In this provincial examination, candidate Hao Zhuang’s answers are suspected of cheating! Come with us to the magistrate’s office for an investigation!”
Hao Zhuang’s eyes widened, shaking his head vigorously, and screamed in agitation, “Impossible! You are framing me!”
But no one believed him, and many in the crowd continued to curse at him.
“How dare he cheat! Such a shameless, unprincipled, and morally corrupt creature! He deserves severe punishment!”
“From the moment he spoke ill of Zhang Lang, I knew he was a bad person! Truly!”
Overwhelmed by the pressure, Hao Zhuang fainted from anger, being dragged away by the constables.
Zhang Fang had just returned to the inn when the landlord Wang eagerly sought to confirm what had happened with Hao Zhuang and informed Zhang Fang of the situation outside.
Zhang Fang’s reaction was remarkably calm. After learning that Hao Zhuang had been taken by the constables, he asked Wang to prepare some food, stating he wanted to visit Hao Zhuang.
Landlord Wang thought Zhang Fang was exceptionally magnanimous! Hao Zhuang’s actions today were clearly aimed at ruining Zhang Fang, but Zhang Fang held no grudges and even wanted to show concern!
Due to the slight impact on Zhang Fang’s reputation, Landlord Wang worked hard to promote Zhang Fang’s kindness, making it known that he went to visit Hao Zhuang in prison.
Zhang Fang’s fans, upon learning of this, felt he was too good and too soft-hearted.
“Oh my Zhang Lang! How could he be so wonderful! Others want to harm him, yet he still wants to save them!”
“Zhang Lang is a person of feeling and loyalty! If it weren’t for such a noble individual, how could he write such splendid stories?”
In an instant, Zhang Fang’s fame grew even larger! Everyone praised his kindness and loyalty.
Xu Chang, upon hearing this, went into a fit of laughter.
“What a good Zhang Fang!” He used Zhang Fang to suppress Hao Zhuang while pretending to be the good guy.
People like Zhang Fang had such profound schemes! Xu Chang felt he would have to be extremely cautious in future dealings with Zhang Fang.
Zhang Fang not only prepared food but also brought a change of clothes to the prison.
Upon seeing him, Hao Zhuang was particularly agitated, wishing he could tear Zhang Fang apart, furiously shouting and cursing without restraint.
“I knew it was you! You resent me for telling outsiders about your affairs! So you had the governor send someone to arrest me! Zhang Fang, you are so vicious! Everyone outside is being manipulated by you! Those fools have all been deceived by you! You are hypocritical and disgusting, and you will surely face retribution in the future!”
Looking at Hao Zhuang with a calm expression, Zhang Fang set down the items and turned to leave, not even intending to engage in a conversation with him.
This infuriated Hao Zhuang even more, and he hurled the items Zhang Fang brought at the walls while continuously cursing, “You feel guilty! Come back! Get back here! I will remember today’s grudge! I will definitely tear off your hypocritical facade in the future and reveal to the world just how malicious and disgusting you are!”
Zhang Fang ignored Hao Zhuang; the business cooperation meeting was about to begin, and he had to personally preside over it.
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