The Empress's No.1 Lackey-Chapter 422: The public uproar over theoretical disputes

In the distance.

After leaving the Princely Heir's residence, Xue Shence and others went ahead while Zhao Douan stayed behind to handle the aftermath.

"A bunch of idiots! If it weren't for Mr. Zhao today, you would have suffered." Hou Renmeng walked a few steps, swung his sheath, and beat three Jinyi men wildly.

Zhao Douan raised his hand to stop him and said indifferently, "Let it go, hitting them any more will truly cripple them."

"Damn it, it'd be better if they were crippled!" Hou Renmeng continued with an uncontrollable anger, and scolded the three men, "Aren't you going to thank Mr. Zhao?"

The three men, like awakened from a dream and red-eyed like guilty children, accepted the beating and admitted their errors.

Zhao Douan's face showed no sign of annoyance, and he calmly said:

"This will not happen again. Hou, you take them back to the government office first, apply some medicine on the wounds. I will come back in the afternoon for a meeting; it appears I have been too lenient with you all. Let this incident serve as a lesson."

Hou Renmeng's face was filled with shame as he nodded in agreement.

Ashamed to stay any longer, he wished to return immediately to enforce discipline.

"By the way, there's one more thing," Zhao Douan suddenly stopped him, instructing:

"When you get back, have someone check whether Xu Zudi and Mrs. Xiao set out together from Qingzhou Rode or if they encountered each other along the way."

Hou Renmeng was stunned, "You mean..."

Zhao Douan glanced at him and said, "Do you think, with this outburst from Prince Heng's son, that he was merely backing Li Lang out of frustration, looking for trouble, wanting to humiliate me?"

He replayed everything that had happened earlier in his mind:

The rebukes Xu Zudi had directed at Li Lang in the room, and that last game...

Zhao Douan's gaze drifted off as he said somberly, "It seems we have won a battle today, not losing face and settling matters, but who knows if Xu Zudi's most important goal was achieved?"

Only then did Hou Renmeng catch on:

"You mean, the Princely Heir staged this to show us? That the focus wasn't really on Li Lang, but on Mrs. Xiao? That he deliberately let us see how he treats the head of the Xiao family from East Lake as a servant? That this is his true intention?"

Zhao Douan nodded and smilingly said, "It is progress that you've guessed this much."

Hou Renmeng grinned and flattered:

"Following Mr. Zhao, being constantly exposed, we always learn something, right? Outsiders call you the millennium fox; we are far behind."

"Don't force flattery if you can't compliment," Zhao Douan glared.

After sending a few subordinates away and organizing his thoughts, he then hastened his horse to catch up with the main force ahead.

Xue Shence smiled, "All set?"

Zhao Douan expressed his gratitude, "Thank you, Sir, and colleagues for your support."

Xue Shence, not wanting to delve deeply into this topic, laughed heartily, "How about this? For lunch, you treat us to drinks."

Zhao Douan also laughed, "It should be so; we must not return unless we are drunk."

The group watched this exchange, laughing tacitly, brushed over the incident, and headed straight to the agreed restaurant.

The entire second floor of the restaurant had been reserved in advance; the group took their seats, eating and drinking in a harmonious atmosphere.

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However, halfway through the banquet, a commotion was heard downstairs followed by intense discussions, with the words "Zhengyang School" faintly heard.

This attracted the attention of the military officers, and Xue Shence sent someone to inquire about the situation.

Before long, the inquiring military officer returned with a solemn face:

"There's trouble. Mr. Zhengyang is challenging Grandmaster Dong!"

Zhao Douan, holding a wine jug midair, narrowed his eyes: "What's going on?"

The military officers all perked up their ears.

They soon learned about the incident.

There was no morning court today, and in the morning, Mr. Zhengyang had entered the Palace to meet the Empress, and scholars including Dong Xuan received him as a sign of respect for this great Confucian scholar from the south.

However, Mr. Zhengyang issued a challenge in the Palace, stating he had come because he could not bear to see the teachings of the Saint distorted and the righteous path decline.

Therefore, he had come to the Capital to "rectify learning, reshape rites," and wanted to debate the mainstream teachings in the Capital.

Grandmaster Dong Xuan, as a senior authority, accepted the challenge on the spot, and they agreed to hold a scholarly debate five days later at Mei Garden in the Capital.

Soon, the news began to spread, causing a public uproar.

The commotion downstairs was due to two groups of scholars engaged in a fierce debate_turning into a shouting match.

"Bang!"

Shi Meng clenched his fist and struck the table, "What kind of Mr. Zhengyang, coming here to cause trouble."

The rest of the group also showed signs of indignation, with some calling out to chop the scholars.

Xue Shence listened with an expressionless face and a worried look; he understood that a renowned scholar of a "near-saint" status absolutely couldn't be touched.

Thus, the military officers were merely venting. Killing was easy but once done, it would spark a national uproar, the consequences of which were hard to predict.

This battle would be fought not with gunpowder but with words and pens.

Then, the group rapidly ended their meal.

Zhao Douan descended the stairs, mounted his horse, and headed straight for the Xiuwen Pavilion, needing to understand the situation!

...

...

Xiuwen Pavilion.

As Zhao Douan approached the entrance, he subtly sensed something was amiss.

"Mr. Zhao!" The gatekeeper, seeing him arrive, perked up.

"Is the Grandmaster here?" Zhao Douan dismounted swiftly and asked urgently.

"He is, they all are."

"Good."

Zhao Douan tossed the reins and strode in; the gatekeepers, knowing his identity, did not stop him.

Just as he entered the courtyard, he heard intense discussion coming from a room.

Zhao Douan directly pushed open the door and saw inside the Xiuwen Pavilion, where all the scholars were neatly gathered around a long table.

At the age of senility, wearing the robe of a Grand Scholar, with a face like a date, Grandmaster Dong sat in the main seat, expressionless.

To his left was Han Banshan, the first scholar of the Capital.

To his right was Mo Zhaorong, who was like a huge block of ice.

"Scholar Zhao? You've arrived!" Everyone stopped their discussions and turned their heads to greet him when they saw him.

Zhao Douan, with a solemn expression, nodded and walked into the midst of the scholars, wearing armor, and asked with a frown, "What exactly is going on? I've heard that the Grandmaster is going to debate with Zhengyang."

Mo Chou's face seemed to actually bear the character "worry" as he gestured for him to sit down before nodding and saying,

"That's right, Zhengyang is coming aggressively, probably entrusted by Mu Prince to attack our Capital's ritual laws and moral code."

Aren't people speaking too directly?

No concealment at all... Zhao Douan criticized internally when he saw that the scholars remained unfazed, understanding that within Xiuwen Pavilion, the conflict with Eight Princes had already been laid open long ago.

The Empress's succession was illegitimate, which had always been the greatest weakness in Xu Zhenguan's regime's legitimacy.

Put aside the distorted rhetoric propagated by Kuangfu Society; even if one took a step back, everyone knew it was the Second Prince's coup, and the Empress was the one who quelled the rebellion.

But according to ritual law, Xu Zhenguan should have searched for surviving members of the Royal Family, adopting one or somehow establishing a new male emperor.

Yet, she declared herself Empress, giving scholars the chance to criticize her on the basis of ritualistic laws.

Over these three years, led by Dong Xuan from the Northern Faction, they had managed, using classical references, to muddle through the legitimacy issue.

But outside the Capital, especially in the south, the voices accusing the Empress of usurpation had never ceased.

Now, perhaps due to the implementation of the "New Policies," the Eight Princes had grown anxious.

They finally began to make their moves.

Prince Huaian sent his daughter to probe, Prince Jing used the Taicang Silver Mine as a chess piece to force a split in the Li Party.

Prince Heng sent his Princely Heir with unclear intentions, while Mu Prince had invited Zhengyang to make a comeback, using ritual law to strike back.

Zhao Douan inwardly sighed, realizing that though ritual law seemed intangible and invisible, it was extremely crucial.

"Without a legitimate name, the words do not flow smoothly, and without smooth words, the deeds cannot be accomplished," was exactly the principle.

Han Banshan said gravely,

"This time, the opponent has come prepared. He hasn't been seen for ten years, and once he appears, he draws the attention of Great Yu's Nine Roads and Eighteen Prefectures. On his journey here from the south, although he seemed low-key, he was actually very conspicuous, making sure that news of his arrival in the Capital was known by everyone.

When he entered the city, he even brought over a hundred students with him, making a name for himself these past few days in the city. Now that he has issued a challenge, the Grandmaster cannot but accept, and only the Grandmaster is qualified to take on this battle."

Zhao Douan curiously asked, "Zhengyang's banner is just for a scholarly debate?"

Mo Chou looked at him and explained,

"Just a scholarly debate. Zhengyang is very clever; he did not directly attack the matter of Her Majesty's ascension but made it clear that it's purely about an 'academic dispute.' This makes it difficult to move against him, but the world isn't foolish. This scholarly debate, in essence, falls back on ritual law. If he wins the argument... it will be very troublesome."

Zhao Douan turned his head and looked towards Dong Xuan, who had not spoken a word, and asked seriously,

"Grandmaster, how confident are you?"

Dong Xuan's demeanor was very cold today, or rather, very solemn. His face, already deeply lined, bore especially deep wrinkles now, and his gaze was heavy:

"If this debate is likened to a game of chess, in terms of skill, I'd say I'm slightly stronger, but the opponent has the first move, so it's hard to say."

Zhao Douan understood.

This was a tactful way of putting it. Debating was never just about the 'debater's' eloquence; the topic was even more crucial.

Dong Xuan hadn't been dealt a good hand.

"Five days later, what will be the topic?" Zhao Douan pressed further.

Grandmaster Dong calmly said, "What is legitimate learning."

That's not the worst-case scenario... Zhao Douan breathed a slight sigh of relief.

Zhengyang's banner was "Rectify learning, mold ritual law," and what the Empress feared was ritual law, but Zhengyang did not directly attack it because that would only force the court to extremes.

Although Zhengyang had emerged, he didn't seem to be seeking his own death... If Zhengyang had directly attacked ritual law upon his arrival, there would have been only one outcome.

That would be to use his own death to provoke the anger of scholars everywhere, providing ammunition for Zhuang Xiaocheng's media war.

But he didn't choose this extreme path and instead took a detour by only discussing "legitimate learning," subtly giving the court the option to respond and leaving a little room for himself.

After all, if the topic was legitimate learning, there was still a chance of winning and even if he lost, the damage wouldn't be fatal.

Of course, it would only be non-fatal; legitimate learning and ritual law are integral, securing the former would benefit the latter.

"We were just strategizing, considering possible moves Zhengyang might make, and how to win or at least draw," Han Banshan explained.

"You guys continue," Zhao Douan indicated that he was there to listen in.

The others were not too surprised; they all knew Zhao Douan had unique insights in statecraft and seemed to have a certain level of proficiency in poetry.

But when it came to the fundamentals of Confucianism, the Saint's teachings, numerous classics, and extracting relevant passages... Pure scholarly accumulation was not something "geniuses" could simply understand.

Dong Xuan and Zhengyang were geniuses in this field, having accumulated decades of scholarly diligence.

Zhao Douan was only a few years old.

If state strategies could be derived from practice and observation, and poetry could depend on talent, then the Saint's teachings required decades of steady hard work.

This was why only Grandmaster Dong dared to accept the challenge; Han Banshan, and such talents, wouldn't dare show their faces.

Logically, no one thought Zhao Douan could surpass these two in scholarly accumulation. They were merely hoping he might have some "unique ideas" or "unconventional strategies."

Seeing that he had no suggestions, the scholars were slightly disappointed, but they still actively resumed their heated discussions, filling Xiuwen Pavilion with noisy sounds amid a tense atmosphere.

Zhao Douan was once again alone, quietly sitting to the side.

Listening to the discussions of others was reminiscent of his first visit to Xiuwen Pavilion.

Amid the noise, he reached out his hand and picked up a thick document from the table.

He opened it.

It turned out to be a compilation by the scholars of the "Zhengyang School"'s various scholarly views, including Mr. Zhengyang's lectures in Yunfu, answers to his disciples, and some articles he had published.

These were interpretations and perspectives on Confucianism, more accurately, analyses of the ancient Sage's discussions.

At first, Zhao Douan didn't perceive anything particular, but gradually, his expression turned somewhat strange:

"This doctrine... seems familiar? A bit of Heart Learning mixed into the logic? No... this Zhengyang's doctrine, seems... full of holes."

——

I've procrastinated again, sorry for the delay.