Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court
Chapter 370 The North-South Score Line

The Crown Prince almost blurted it out.

He paused for two seconds, glancing at Xu Yanmiao, who looked as if nothing had happened and was even giving him a polite, clueless smile. The Crown Prince's mouth twitched slightly.

Thank goodness he didn't say it. Otherwise, based on that one sentence alone, he'd top the list of all Crown Princes throughout history for all the wrong

reasons.

-He enjoyed fun, but he didn't want to become the fun!

And he quickly made a mental note of that move.

Though he wasn't that young anymore and likely wouldn't use it himself, he could still teach it to his sons and grandsons!

Even better, he could help them stand on the moral high ground—"A gentleman argues with words, not fists." That was a teaching passed down from the ancients! (Resolute.jpg)

He turned back to the students who were waiting for him to speak again.

The students all had serious expressions, listening intently as if receiving sage advice. The once-boisterous din had softened to a low hum-light murmuring discussions, most likely about the Crown Prince himself.

Smiling slightly, the Crown Prince continued from the earlier "A gentleman argues with words, not fists," and said, "Since this student is said to have acted maliciously, let him be put in prison first. Once we investigate and find the wrongdoing, we can proceed with the judgment."

As soon as the words left his mouth, a few attendants immediately stepped forward to seize the northern student and prepare to send him to prison.

Several of the student's classmates grew anxious.

"Your Highness! The truth of the matter isn't yet known. This is too rash!"

"Your Highness, if he has been to prison, then his record will be stained. This was just a quarrel, nothing more. There's no need to go this far between classmates."

The ones speaking included both southerners and northerners. It had only been an argument, plus a general dislike for each other. Things had gotten heated, and sure, maybe they wanted to pull out knives, but it wasn't like they really wanted to send someone to prison!

Destroying someone's future was too cruel-the hatred between them hadn't reached that point!

Even the southern student who had accused the northern student of "malicious behavior" was flustered now: "If he's willing to sincerely apologize, then let's let this go. I don't think he did it on purpose. If he absolutely refuses to admit fault, then we can report it to the authorities."

The northern student stared in shock at his former opponent, who had just been fiercely arguing with him moments ago.

The onlookers were also utterly surprised.

After all, if that student said so, he must have evidence of the other's wrongdoing. And even with that, he was still willing to repay evil with virtue—this was enough to prove his character. Plus, if the northern student refused to admit fault and they reported him to officials, it would echo Confucius's teaching: "If you repay evil with virtue, how will you repay virtue?"

The Crown Prince said sternly, "That won't do. If he committed an illegal act, it's not something you can decide not to pursue."

The southern student quickly added, "It wasn't a crime per se. He accidentally poisoned my cat. I was too upset, so I kept targeting him."

The northern student was dumbfounded. "Your cat named Nai Gao? When did I poison it?!"

The southern student's face changed instantly, clearly upset. "I saw it with my own eyes-don't deny it! I know you didn't do it on purpose. You probably only knew that apples are good for a cat's coat, but didn't know apple seeds are toxic to cats. I don't blame you, but you can't just refuse to admit it!"

The northern student's face also changed, just as displeased. "I did feed it an apple, and I truly didn't know cats couldn't eat the seeds-but why would I give it the seeds?!"

The southern student angrily retorted, "I found apple seeds in Nai Gao's vomit! That day, only you fed it an apple. If not you, are you saying a little kitten could've eaten an entire apple, down to the seeds, by itself?!"

The northern student said, "How should I know what happened? But it wasn't me!"

The two of them were about to argue again, hands already on their sword hilts.

Just then, Xu Yanmiao, who had finished flipping through the Gossip System, felt an urgent voice rise in his mind:

[You're wrong, you're wrong! It wasn't your classmate who poisoned the cat-it was your father! He thought raising a cat was a frivolous distraction that would ruin your chances in the imperial exams, so he fed the apple seeds to your cat himself!]

[Don't blame the wrong person! It's your father who's the real beast!]

Yes, indeed!

All the officials who could hear his thoughts silently agreed in unison.

What a beast! If you'd lashed out at your classmate and dragged down the exam pool, we'd still respect you as a man. But hurting an innocent kitten? Calling you a beast is an insult to beasts!

Poor kid. If he ever finds out the truth... who knows what he'll do. In this society, filial piety is everything.

The officials all sighed and shook their heads.

Meanwhile, the southern student remained utterly confused under the pitying gazes of the Crown Prince and his attendants.

The Crown Prince gave a subtle signal to the Jinyiwei.

The Jinyiwei: "......"

Of course. The Emperor is suspicious by nature.

The Jinyiwei stepped forward. "Your Highness, this subject may be able to uncover the truth."

The Crown Prince feigned surprise. "You can find out? How?"

The Jinyiwei lowered his head, concealing his expression from others. "There is a marquis in Changzhou. His Majesty, worried that his household might be oppressing the people, has secretly stationed many Jinyiwei agents here. I believe we can find out."

Now it was everyone else's turn for a collective pupil quake.

They'd long heard of the current Emperor's suspicion-but they hadn't expected this!

Members of the Marquis's household among the crowd were instantly terrified and ran back to the estate to report the news.

After the household in Changzhou learned what happened, they never dared bully the locals again—but that's a story for another time.

When the Jinyiwei finished their "investigation" and returned, they loudly reported to everyone that it had indeed been the southern student's father who had poisoned the cat. They even disclosed where he had bought the apple that day-leaving no room for doubt.

The southern student was completely stunned.

"That's impossible! This... this can't be!"

Now, everyone looked at him with sympathy.

Even the northern student who had been wronged no longer held a grudge. He patted the other on the shoulder and said kindly, "You... my condolences."

If it were someone else, you could at least seek revenge. But if it's your own father... unless you want to cut yourself off from society entirely.

[I actually have a suggestion, you know.] Xu Yanmiao's voice piped up again in his mind:

[Strike where it hurts. People like that care the most about bringing honor to the family name. If they can't do it themselves, they push their children to do it. What they fear most—is their children disowning them.]

The crown prince nodded.

That was true. The problem was, a scholar couldn't just disown his father for no reason—even if he was willing to give up becoming an official, the local government still needed achievements like "managing unfilial sons" on their record.

[The recommendation is to try persuading his mother to divorce and remarry. After all, from what I've seen, that father isn't any good either-he poisoned his son's beloved pet just for his own selfish reasons, forbade his wife from contacting her own family because he believed that once she married into his family, she belonged to them completely. He used coaxing, threats, and intimidation, nearly driving her into postpartum depression back then. Tch!]

[After the divorce, see if the mother has any intention of remarrying. If she does, great! Treat the new father wholeheartedly, and once successful and accomplished, only acknowledge the new father. That'll be enough to make the old one die from rage. Especially considering the son was originally his.]

[The only issue is whether the person in question can think of this method or not.]

The crown prince's attendants received a signal from their superior and understood immediately.

-They would find an opportunity to help the man "think of" this solution.

Whether he would actually use it, though, was out of their hands.

With side matters settled, it was time to return to business.

The crown prince looked at the northern students comforting the southern ones, and the southern students earnestly apologizing and expressing gratitude. Very pleased, he said, "Among classmates, as long as it's not a matter of principle, a simple conversation can resolve things. Resorting to violence only damages the bonds of fellowship."

The students all agreed.

Looking at their faces-especially the northern students-the crown prince suddenly sighed. "I know you feel disheartened that northern scholars seem less accomplished than those in the south, but it's certainly not because northern people are stupid. If that were the case, how could the Minister of Revenue govern the ministry? He is a thoroughbred northerner."

The northern students were deeply moved: "Thank you, Your Highness!"

With the crown prince's words, the next time someone mocked them, saying northern people were less intelligent and therefore worse at studying, they would finally have a strong rebuttal.

The crown prince continued, "As for the imperial exam issue, I promise you all-I will definitely come up with a solution."

Northern students: "!!!"

Northern students: "Thank you, Your Highness!!!"

But after making the promise, the crown prince began to have a headache.

Back at the inn, he was still muttering to himself, "How should I solve this? Maybe... set quotas in the provincial exams? Equal numbers of spots for northerners and southerners?"

At the same moment, Xu Yanmiao's inner thoughts sounded in his mind: [I wonder if it would work to set different score lines for different regions. For example, the Jiangnan region has better educational resources, so the test questions could be made more difficult, and only those who score in the top (Grade A) could proceed to the metropolitan exam. Meanwhile, in the north, where the quality of education is poorer, the questions could be easier, and those who score mid to upper tier (Grade B) could still qualify for the metropolitan exam.....]

The crown prince looked at Xu Yanmiao in surprise.

This time, he really wasn't trying to fish for ideas, nor did he expect Xu Yanmiao to come up with anything. But wow-even this thick-browed, honest-looking guy actually had a solid idea!

The crown prince mulled it over-it really might work. And it could even promote economic development in the north.

-He didn't believe that people who were average students and couldn't compete in their home region wouldn't be tempted to move north.

And those capable of relocating were either wealthy or influential. People like that would definitely bring tutors with them. With more teachers brought in, wouldn't they settle down there eventually?

Especially merchants.

Once they settled, resources would follow. After ten or twenty years, maybe a few decades, how could the north not rise?

A region-based scoring system—it was practically an open conspiracy as clever as the ancient "Enfeoffment Order"!

The crown prince gave Xu Lang a look full of praise.

Xu Lang returned a confused look.

[Why is the crown prince looking at me? Is he expecting me to give advice?]

[I really can't though—I don't even know if these ideas suit Great Xia's national conditions. I wouldn't dare say. If the steps are too big, it could all

fall apart.]

The crown prince patted him on the shoulder. "I'm crediting you with a merit!"

[Huh?]

The crown prince smiled. "If it weren't for you wanting to visit the academy, I wouldn't have realized how deep the north-south divide had become. Isn't that worth a commendation?"

Xu Yanmiao became a bit embarrassed. "It was just a coincidence..."

The crown prince shook his head. "Even coincidences count as achievements. Xu Lang, don't turn it down-otherwise, in the future, no one who achieves something by chance will dare to claim credit again."