Zhang San, please behave yourself!
Chapter 678 - 620: Wonderful Person!

Chapter 678: Chapter 620: Wonderful Person!

"Thank you for saving me. My name is Ma Bi. May I know how to address you?"

After being saved by Zhang San, the scholar thanked him immediately upon stopping.

When Zhang San heard the other’s name, he was momentarily stunned and asked, "Your name is... Ma... Bi?"

"Ma Bi."

"’Ma’ as in ’steed’ and ’Bi’ as in ’brush.’ It is said that when I was born, I cried incessantly. Later, upon seeing a brush in the house, I stopped crying. Hence, my family believed I held the potential for scholarship and named me ’Bi.’"

Zhang San then understood the ingenuity behind the other’s name.

"How may I address you, benefactor?"

Zhang San smiled and waved his hand, saying, "A name is merely a label, much like you are called Ma Bi. You may be called Ma Bi, and I can be called Ma Bi too, right? Similarly, you can call me Zhang San, and I can call myself Zhang San."

Hearing this, Ma Bi quickly intervened, speaking softly, "Do not jest, benefactor. Nowadays, when people hear ’Zhang San,’ they can’t wait to curse bitterly. If you claim that’s your name, even in jest or coincidentally, you might still suffer undue misfortune."

Although Zhang San was reluctant to admit it, he had to acknowledge that, in the current public opinion environment of the Capital, there indeed existed such a possibility.

Yet Zhang San still responded with a light smile.

"No matter. A name is just a label. What someone is named or surnamed has never been important. What truly matters is a person’s essence. Only the heart reveals the truth."

In that moment, Ma Bi felt that the benefactor who had just saved him not only looked handsome and dashing, but also spoke with the air of a wise man.

Yet, he always felt that something was slightly amiss, but he couldn’t quite put his finger on what it was at that moment.

"Speaking of which, Ma Bi, why do you specifically think Zhang San is a good person? I observe that men mention Zhang San as if they were cuckolded by him, and women as if he were their own man. Everyone seems eager to grind their teeth in anger."

Ma Bi gently smiled, clasping his hands and explaining, "Benefactor, I judge this way. First, Kaihuang is not a foolish emperor. The prosperity of the Great Sui over these years and the stability of its people in all aspects clearly reflect Kaihuang’s wisdom. Such a wise emperor could not have tolerated a traitor."

"Second, Zhang San repelled Tujue’s four armies, which many claim was mere rumor. However, Kaihuang’s rewards sufficiently prove that Zhang San’s merits are genuine."

"Lastly, I heard that Zhang San is the direct disciple of the Pharaoh, the leader of Legalism. Observing Pharaoh’s life, although the four disciples he previously accepted all met various ends for various reasons, with Pharaoh’s skill and discernment, a disciple he favored could not possibly be colluding with Tujue."

Zhang San found that this person named Ma Bi thought meticulously and was indeed impressive.

"Although I do not know about your scholarly achievements, judging from your thoughts, it seems you have a good chance of excelling in the imperial examinations this time, Brother Ma Bi!"

Hearing this, Ma Bi couldn’t help but sigh.

"Benefactor, frankly, before coming to the Capital, I thought the same. Honestly, in my hometown, those sons of local gentry and wealthy homes really amount to nothing. But here in the Capital, I’ve realized there are always bigger fish. It’s not just about insight; many children of noble families and political clans have read books and understood ancient sages, some of whom I’ve only heard of in texts. Others can discuss them as if reciting treasures from memory. I... fall short too!"

Zhang San knew this truly reflected a reality, that children from noble families and political clans received far better education from a young age compared to ordinary people.

Yet Zhang San felt that Ma Bi was not a blindly arrogant person; he acknowledged the gap between himself and others and accepted it, showing he still had room for improvement.

And he did not just default to assuming all children of noble families and political clans were incompetent due to their different class.

This type of thinking was the most ignorant and the most terrifying.

Hence, Zhang San and Ma Bi started walking around nearby, Zhang San chatting with him while trying to draw out more of his thoughts.

Soon, Zhang San managed to elicit many of Ma Bi’s ideas.

Ma Bi had been studious since childhood, but due to his poor family background, he always believed in promoting education, not allowing knowledge to circulate only within the families of the privileged and the wealthy political elites.

If everyone in the Great Sui could read, if everyone understood the principles of conduct and action, a cleaner and more talented spirit would emerge across the Great Sui, potentially leading to countless talents emerging.

With the efforts of these talents, the development of the Great Sui would advance by leaps and bounds.

Just as the two were enjoying their conversation, Zhang San suddenly heard another voice amidst the many that were attacking him, starkly different from the rest.

"Wait! Listen over there!"

Zhang San said, pointing towards a nearby restaurant.

The restaurant covered a large area, spanning both sides of the street, so a wooden bridge was constructed above the street, with a large pavilion on it that resembled an attic, where a group of students were drinking and reveling.

Although the imperial examination results had not yet been released, many had gotten to know some knowledgeable or high-status students during this time.

After the exams, it was common to make more connections, regardless of one’s own exam outcome, to pave the way for one’s future by relying on these new contacts.

Moreover, once the results were out, it might be too late to start currying favor.

Thus, after the exams, interactions among the students became increasingly frequent.

At that moment, in the pavilion above, many were speaking ill of Zhang San, but then a student seated at the main seat suddenly burst into laughter.

"Zhang San would never betray his country!"

Just seven words, and the whole place was stunned.

At that moment, everyone turned to look at him.

Not only the students in the pavilion, but also because his voice was loud and the pavilion itself was situated above the street, some passersby who heard him couldn’t help but look up towards the pavilion.

The student who had just spoken picked up his wine cup, drained it in one gulp, and then continued to laugh loudly a few more times.

"Zhang San is highly regarded in the military, admired by all soldiers. Just this fact alone confirms that Zhang San could not possibly collude with the Tujue. Otherwise, the attitude of the many soldiers would be unexplainable!"

"Moreover, Zhang San’s reputation among the martial artists in the northern part of Longyun Path is even better! Zhang San has even led martial artists to ambush the Tujue warriors multiple times, thus ensuring that all martial forces in the northern Town Martial Office locations pay him genuine respect!"

"Ask yourself, who knows Zhang San better, the soldiers and martial artists who are close to the Tujue in the northern part of Longyun Path, or you scholars who are far away in the Capital, disconnected from the Tujue and yet discuss so freely?"

With these words, the whole place fell silent, no one could find a reason to refute, and it seemed... no one dared to.

"Now, news has already spread that the Emperor has bestowed upon Zhang San the title of Marquis Beyond the Law. This is a bona fide marquis title! Tell me, who dares to publicly criticize an Imperial marquis?"

"It’s just that everyone knows, behind this event, there must be powerful figures stirring things up, so everyone had to publicly perform in the crowd. After all, isn’t it just to show loyalty to the influential figures upstairs in hopes of being noticed and then becoming a pawn?"

At this statement, the pavilion fell silent, you could hear a pin drop.

Only then did Zhang San realize that the affair concerning him shouldn’t have been so sensational, and besides, these people talked about him daily but didn’t actually go to the Imperial Palace’s gates to petition.

It turned out that many knew he was being framed, but just wanted to seize the opportunity to curry favor.

"But I am different! Although I am from a collateral branch of the Wen Family, now that the head of the Wen family, Wen Chudao, has stepped into the Purple Mansion Realm and the Wen Family’s status is like the sun at midday. Unfortunately, the main branch of the Wen Family is incompetent, which has given us from the collateral branches a chance to enter the Capital and contend for the position of the Family Head. What I ought to do is not to flatter but to boldly express my own thoughts. And you, one by one, don’t even dare to speak the truth, yet still hope for a future. Gentlemen, I apologize, but I, Wen Bi, do not like wasting precious time with those who grovel, I take my leave."

Zhang San looked at this person named Wen Bi, feeling he was also a remarkable individual.

He had just thought about taking Ma Bi over to meet him, but just then, Shen Zhongdian came over.

"Brother San, my grandfather has urgent business, he requests your presence."

Upon hearing that it was about Shen Wei and noting Shen Zhongdian’s polite tone, Zhang San knew it was no small matter.

He turned to Ma Bi, bowed with a smile, and said, "Today’s meeting was fate. I have matters to attend to, so I must take my leave now. We shall meet again another day."

Ma Bi also immediately bowed and took his leave from Zhang San.

But after saying goodbye, Ma Bi realized that he didn’t even know what the other person was called, nor where he was from. How were they to meet again another day?