Chapter 358 "I'm Here to Admit Defeat"

"By the way, has the Grand Tutor arrived? How are the preparations?" Zhao Duan skillfully changed the subject.

Mo Chou gathered her thoughts and walked inside with him, saying:

"The Grand Tutor has arrived. As for Zhengyang, he hasn't come yet. There are quite a few people inside."

As the two were talking, they had already walked along the main road of the plum garden and arrived at today's "main venue", which was a forest garden with a huge pavilion as the center, pavilions, towers, mountains, rivers, and plants.

A lot of tables and chairs have been placed around, and servants are walking back and forth. The scholars present have formed a square "square formation" and are talking in low voices.

The atmosphere was solemn but restless, and when Zhao Duan arrived, he did not attract much attention.

It seemed that everyone present was focusing their attention on Dong Xuan and Zhengyang.

"Brother Zhao..."

Suddenly, Dong Da, a mediocre-looking man in a Confucian robe, stood up from the crowd and waved to him, indicating that a seat had been reserved for him.

As the grandson of the Grand Tutor, Dong Da was in an excellent position. He controlled the seats around him, and those scattered around were all familiar faces.

The most eye-catching person was naturally Grand Tutor Dong, who had arrived, closed his eyes and pretended to be asleep, but had not yet gone on stage.

Beside him were Han Zhou, Wang You and other scholars from the Xiuwen Academy.

"Is the Grand Tutor resting?" Zhao Duan walked to the seat and asked softly.

Dong Da nodded and explained worriedly:

"Before the battle began, Grandfather didn't talk to anyone to avoid distracting his attention. Zhengyang has been hiding in the inn for several days, presumably to recuperate. My grandfather rushed into the battle, having been lecturing at the Imperial College yesterday. He's old and his energy is running low, so he can't afford to distract himself."

Uh... Zhengyang is not what you think... Zhao Duan muttered in his heart.

He sat down with Mo Chou and greeted acquaintances such as Han Zhou first, then looked around. As expected, he did not see Yuan Li, Li Yanfu and other court officials at the level of ministers of various ministries.

However, there were several people at the level of assistant minister who were present.

Not long after they sat down, Sun Lianying, the warden of Baima Prison and their old leader, also arrived.

"Master Supervisor? Are you here to join in the fun too?" Zhao Duan was surprised and made room for the empty seat next to him.

The old official with white hair and sunken eye sockets sat down and nodded to his "colleague" Mo Zhaorong before glancing at him:

"You are allowed to come, but we are not allowed to come?"

"How dare I..." Zhao Duan subconsciously wanted to smile and make jokes, but he restrained himself considering the occasion.

After Sun Lianying took his seat, he used his eyes to signal some powerful figures in the crowd around the Plum Garden:

"There are quite a few important figures from the Confucian community here today. Do you see that guy across the street? The one with the white beard is Qiu Shan, the headmaster of the Western Suburbs Academy. Ha, the number of students who pass the imperial examinations here is comparable to that of the Imperial College under the Imperial Academy.

"You should have seen the Imperial College's chief academic officer next to him. Did you see the man he was talking to? He's also a Confucian scholar, a master who has been living in seclusion and rarely comes out. He was even exposed today. He rushed to the capital from another place the day before yesterday..."

"And don't underestimate that younger man looking at you. He was the top scorer in the imperial examination last year. Although he's still in the stage of cultivating his talent, he's a talent on par with Han Zhou.

"Han Zhou is famous for his many poems, but this top scholar excels at policy essays. If his imperial examination hadn't coincided with the death of the previous emperor, he would have been admitted to the Xiuwen Academy..."

The old eunuch understood that Zhao Duan didn't know much about the famous scholars in the Dayu Dynasty, so he took this opportunity to introduce them one by one in a low voice.

Zhao Duan was greatly surprised to hear this.

Only then did I realize that the level of literature in the literary world has reached its peak today. It may not happen once in ten or twenty years that so many Confucian scholars gather together.

From this we can see the great significance and influence of the debate between Zhengyang and Dong Xuan.

"Master Bianji has arrived!"

Suddenly, singing was heard outside the Plum Garden. The scholars in the room were stunned for a moment and turned to look. Zhao Duan frowned:

"Why are people from Shenlong Temple here? Da Bing... ahem, Mo Zhaorong, did you arrange this?"

Mo Chou's expression darkened noticeably, and she quickly whispered:

"Of course it can't be me."

The imperial court tried to reduce the impact, so naturally it would not invite this famous monk who represented Abbot Xuanyin.

That means I came uninvited...

"Master Bian Ji has always dealt with many Confucian scholars and often participated in literary gatherings, so it is not surprising for him to come here, but..." Bachelor Han Zhou also frowned.

Although there is nothing wrong with the people sent by Shenlong Temple at this time and nothing can be said, it will undoubtedly add weight to the debate.

"The wizard is coming?"

"Master Bianji has arrived too!?"

Many scholars stood up to greet them.

Zhao Duan didn't move. He glanced coldly at the monk who was wearing a white monk's robe, with a string of green Buddhist beads hanging on his wrist, handsome appearance, and eyes as clear as a child, who came like the moon surrounded by stars.

On the surface, the Imperial College's chief academician who was in charge of presiding over this discussion stood up and said in surprise:

"Why is the wizard here?"

Monk Bianji smiled and said:

"I have always had many interactions with scholars in the Confucian Academy. How could I miss such an important event as today? Is Mei Jiji not welcome?"

The old chief priest, whose surname matched Meiyuan's, was startled for a moment and said with a smile:

"Master, you are welcome. Someone bring a chair."

Bian Ji smiled and thanked him. Glancing at Zhao Duan's table, his eyes lit up and he walked straight over, clasping his hands together and saying:

"Amitabha, it's been a long time since we last met."

It has indeed been a long time since we last saw each other. Ever since the last "Buddhist-Taoist Battle", the empress sent Mo Chou to lead troops to the Shenlong Temple and gave them a severe beating.

This group of monks really kept a low profile for a while.

Zhao Duan smiled and said:

"Master, it's been a while since I've appeared. I almost forgot about you. You've chosen a good time to come out this time. Oh, by the way, how is the injury of the young Master Tianhai? He didn't use enough force in the arena last time and caused some damage. I wanted to pay you a visit at your temple, but was delayed by a business trip."

This is a bit stingy.

Monk Bianji, dressed in white and famous for his verse "In spring, the grass turns green," smiled as if he had completely forgotten his initial unpleasantness. He said with a smile:

"Tianhai's injuries were not serious, but he experienced a life-or-death battle. It was a blessing in disguise. I will thank you if I make further progress in the future."

"Haha, I'll remember that. Don't regret it."

Zhao Duan smiled and said:

"By the way, which side do you think the Master is favoring in today's discussion?"

"...The Grand Master is very knowledgeable, so I naturally have high hopes for him." Bian Ji answered flawlessly.

Zhao Duan laughed: "That would be great."

After a seemingly friendly but actually somewhat sarcastic greeting, Bian Ji walked over and sat down opposite.

Mo Chou and the others looked solemn and highly suspicious, because the imperial court had humiliated the Shenlong Temple in the last battle between Buddhism and Taoism, and Bian Ji came here this time specifically to make fun of the imperial court.

Zhao Duan didn't say anything, his eyes seemed half open. After a while, he saw that the seats in the plum garden were gradually filling up, and the time was gradually approaching the agreed time.

The only position left for the Zhengyang School is still empty.

Suddenly, he opened his eyes and heard a roar almost as loud as a tsunami coming from outside the Plum Garden. It was the noise of the scholars watching outside.

"Mr. Zhengyang is here!"

After a while, the sound of singing and greeting was heard.

Everyone fell silent, stopped talking, sat up straight, and looked towards the entrance of the plum garden.

I saw a group of people from the "Zhengyang School" coming in a mighty procession. The leader was naturally Zhengyang, who was wearing a cloak, a Confucian robe, and a square hat.

Behind him followed close students such as Lu Cheng and Song Juren.

Many people present stood up to show their respect for this great scholar of the time, but some people also keenly noticed that Mr. Zhengyang looked tired and had dark circles under his eyes.

He seemed to be in a bad state of spirit, but his eyes were so bright as if there was a burning fire that never went out.

"Grandfather, someone is coming."

Dong looked at the Grand Tutor loudly. Sitting upright in a high-backed chair, wearing a crimson official robe, the dignified Grand Tutor Dong Xuan opened his eyelids and looked sharply at his opponent in the distance.

Of course the two knew each other, but the last time they met was more than ten years ago.

Dong Xuan struggled to support himself on the armrests with both hands, veins bulging on the wrinkled backs of his hands. The old Grand Tutor stood up, his majestic aura like a mountain emerging from him.

Zhao Duan was slightly surprised. It was only at this moment that he witnessed for the first time the aura of this "Nanyang Beidong", the leading figure in the literary world of the Dayu Dynasty.

The crowd was slightly agitated, but they tried their best to suppress it.

The disciples of the Zhengyang School stopped one after another and stood in several rows at the reserved seats. Most of the acquaintances were in high spirits, even excited.

They have been spreading their theories everywhere these days and have been looking forward to this academic debate that will promote their own school of thought.

For this group of scholars, having the opportunity to participate in today's battle is something they can brag about for the rest of their lives.

Only Lu Cheng and Mr. Song had particularly heavy expressions, especially when they saw Zhao Duan watching the excitement openly in the "audience seats", they felt an unconcealable fear.

Zhao Duan also smiled at them and even waved.

then……

The two of them became even more panicked, and there was even a hint of horror in their eyes.

Because they realized that most of the people present were probably kept in the dark and had no idea that the much-anticipated debate had actually ended yesterday.

Today is the second...

So, what was this King Zhao's motive, concealing it from everyone and luring his mentor out to such a whirlwind? This thought made the two men even more nervous.

I couldn't help but look at my mentor's back, wondering how he would respond.

Mr. Zhengyang kept walking, broke away from the crowd, and walked alone to the high platform of the pavilion in the center of the crowd in full view of everyone.

Grand Tutor Dong Xuan also came up almost at the same time.

There were cushions and desks in the pavilion for the two to sit down and discuss.

Seeing the scene of a man in a red robe and a man in a Confucian robe standing opposite each other, all the scholars in the Plum Garden held their breath, looking forward to the following exciting debate that was destined to be recorded in history.

The autumn wind suddenly blew through the pavilion, blowing the hair of the two great scholars.

Dong Xuan was as if facing a formidable enemy. He stared at Zhengyang intently, gestured for him to take a seat, and said:

"I am a guest from afar. Although I am in the capital and you are in Yunfu, thousands of miles away, I have long heard of the Zhengyang School's aspiration to 'carry on the legacy of the past sages.' I never imagined that I would have the opportunity to debate with you today."

Mr. Zhengyang stood in the pavilion calmly, without saying a word.

His eyes were strange, without excitement, solemnity, fighting spirit or nervousness.

He was in a very bad condition, and had been feeling very abnormal since he left Bailu Academy last night.

At this moment, Mr. Zhengyang, who had been sitting in the inn all night until dawn, looked past Dong Xuan, who was looking like he was facing a formidable enemy.

He looked behind the Grand Tutor and saw a familiar, smiling face in the crowd.

Mr. Zhengyang was silent for a moment and looked away.

He cupped his hands, and the first words he spoke silenced the entire Plum Garden:

"I'm here to admit defeat."

After a brief pause, he uttered his second sentence of the day:

"But I didn't lose to you, I lost to him."

Mr. Zhengyang raised his hand and pointed his finger at Zhao Duan, who was smiling in the crowd.

The autumn wind blows.

The huge plum garden was completely silent.

…

Next chapter at midnight

(End of this chapter)