The art of debate has existed since ancient times. However, nowadays, scholars call it "Qing Tan".

Qingtan usually takes place at gatherings of literati and scholars, where participants demonstrate their wisdom and insights through verbal exchanges.

Zhang Sheng and his companions had discussed this matter before, either at a restaurant or at a banquet hosted by someone else, but they had never held a competition on their own.

There are even judges who rate their performance.

"Master, who will be the judges?" Yin Siqi felt nervous but also a little excited.

There is no intellectual who does not expect his opinions and ideas to be recognized by others. Even a young man like this is no exception.

"The tentative judge is the teacher from our academy. I'll write to Principal Min later to see if he's free to come over."

"If you want to ask your family and friends to come over, you can notify them now. It will also be a good opportunity for your parents to see if you are well."

"Can you really invite your family over?"

No matter how steady these students appear on a daily basis, they are still teenagers. It has been almost a month since they came to Taohua Village, and they have not been back home. It is normal for them to miss their parents for a while.

"Then I'm going to write a letter to my father right away, so he can see the results of my recent studies."

"Yes, yes, yes. Then I'm going to write to my sister. Last time I wrote to her saying that the food in the cafeteria is delicious, she really wants to eat it."

"Then I write to my fiancée?"

"Oh~ Brother Xu, when did you get a fiancée? Why didn't we know about it before?"

The students of Juzhou were laughing and joking.

But the students from Kyoto were very disappointed.

Their family and friends are all in Kyoto, so they definitely can't make it in just five days.

Seeing their expressions, Zhang Sheng quickly patted Yin Siqi's shoulder. "Don't be sad. At worst, I can lend you my father. As long as you can withstand his beatings."

Yin Siqi shook off Zhang Sheng's hand, moved aside and didn't want to talk to him.

Gu Jiayue watched them laughing and joking, and also noticed the loneliness of the Kyoto students. She quickly said, "I'll arrange for someone to transcribe the entire process of the competition. If your family can't be there, you can write down the details of the competition and send them back. They can also see it."

After hearing Gu Jiayue's arrangements, the students in Kyoto finally smiled again.

Yin Siqi clapped his hands and said, "Then I have to write a letter to my servant. He writes very fast and has a great memory. Letting him help record it will definitely help him capture all the wonderful moments."

Su Yichen was not to be outdone. "Then I'll call my servant over too. He's a great painter. He'll paint a picture of me, a hero invincible in the world. My mother will surely love it."

"My servant only knows how to fight. What should I do?"

Su Yichen quickly stepped forward. "Brother Lu, give me ten taels of silver, and I'll have my servant draw a few for you."

Lu Jinlan's face lit up with joy. "Okay, no problem. I'll give Brother Su twenty taels. You can draw me a few more pictures when the time comes."

Su Yichen weighed the silver and said, "No problem, I'll let him draw for you first."

Except for Shen Shuyan, most of the people who came from Kyoto were either rich or noble. Therefore, they would never go out without their servants.

However, Jiang Luli didn't like these, so he ordered the servants not to enter the academy, and the students had to take care of their own lives in the academy.

Of course, if you can't do it, it's your ability to ask others to help you.

Jiang Luli not only demands this of his students, he also basically demands the same of himself. However, due to his noble status, no matter how frugal he is, he will openly be accompanied by a dozen people. For example, Lu Yao and those quick and intelligent servants.

"Okay, let's draw lots. Here are twenty-nine slips of paper with two characters written on them: front and back. The team that draws the same number will be the first team."

Gu Jiayue took out a bamboo basket, and everyone stepped forward in order to draw lots.

Zhang Sheng opened it and took a look. "Hey, I drew the right number. Who else drew the same number as me?"

Su Yichen on the side quickly raised his hand. "Brother Zhang, I want to be your partner." After getting to know Zhang Sheng for a while, he felt that he was quite compatible with him, so the two of them had a good relationship.

"Brother Shen, what's yours?"

Shen Shuyan took out the note he had drawn. "Brother Su, we are rivals now. I will not accept any mercy."

Su Yichen felt a moment of loss. He really wanted to be on the same team with Shen Shuyan. But since it was a draw, he didn't dare to break the rules.

"It's okay, we'll be teammates next time." Shen Shuyan patted Su Yichen's shoulder.

Su Yichen cheered up and said with a smile, "Brother Shen, even if you are my good friend, I will not let you down on purpose."

Everyone burst into laughter.

Gu Jiayue then asked the study committee member Fu Wenhan to register the results of the draw.

"Okay, let's draw debate topics now. There are over twenty of them, and you need to draw three. Who will come up and draw the first one?"

Study committee member Fu Wenhan was pushed up.

He could only helplessly reach into the bamboo basket and grab a piece of paper.

Gu Jiayue took the paper and read aloud. "Let's see what the study committee member has given us as the debate topic. 'Which is more effective in maintaining national stability: literary talent or military strategy?' Okay, the affirmative side is that literary talent is more effective in maintaining national stability, and the negative side is that military strategy is more effective in maintaining national stability. Take note."

"Who's next?"

This time it was Yin Siqi who was pushed up.

He was very calm and took it without hesitation.

"The second question is, 'Which is more important to national prosperity, agriculture or commerce?' The affirmative side is agriculture, and the negative side is commerce."

This time, Gu Jiayue didn't need to ask, Su Yichen stood up on his own.

"The third question is, 'Is human nature inherently good or evil?' The affirmative side is that human nature is inherently good, and the negative side is that human nature is inherently evil."

After all three debate topics were drawn, everyone fell silent.

The affirmative side is fine, they think their views are mainstream and most people can accept and agree with them.

The fifteen people who drew the opposing side all had gloomy faces. These three questions may seem simple, but each one has a unique charm when you think about it carefully.

For example, the third question is about whether human nature is evil or good. Xunzi said, "Human nature is evil, and the good is false." This shows that human nature is evil, and the so-called good is the result of artificial cultivation and transformation.

But Mencius also said, "The goodness of human nature is like water flowing downwards. There is no man who is not good, and there is no water that does not flow downwards." He emphasized that human nature is inherently good, just like water naturally flows downwards.

It seems that whatever you say makes sense, and whatever you say can convince or dissuade people.

Debate is indeed difficult.

"Okay, we've drawn the topics. Each team will select a team leader. We have three debate topics, and each requires five participants. Everyone must participate. If the affirmative side is missing one person, someone will have to participate in two debates. You will arrange the specific personnel distribution yourself. Next, I will explain some debate rules and etiquette."

Next, Gu Jiayue explained the rules needed to participate in modern debate competitions.

"In a formal debate competition, each team is typically composed of several debaters, typically four: first, second, third, and fourth. The first debater is primarily responsible for the opening argument, elaborating on their side's basic viewpoints and position framework. The second and third debaters typically conduct subsequent rounds of attack, rebuttal, and in-depth argumentation. The fourth debater is responsible for the closing statement, systematically organizing and summarizing the entire debate."

"But now we have five people on each team, so we'll add one person for the defense, rebuttal, and in-depth argumentation."

Gu Jiayue's original plan was for each team to consist of four people, but that meant five people couldn't sit on stage and compete. This might have disturbed the children's moods. So she settled on five. An extra person wouldn't have a significant impact on the debate, rebuttal, and in-depth arguments; after all, each situation had a time limit.

"Our competition is timed. You only have half an incense stick for your opening statement, one incense stick for your defense, and half an incense stick for your free debate and closing statement. So when you prepare your arguments, you must manage your time carefully and clearly present your evidence and points within the limited time."

In the following time, Gu Jiayue explained all the processes in detail to everyone so that they could have a clear understanding of them.