Before the scholars could devise a clever way to attack Zhu Yunwen, Zhu Yunwen took the initiative and said:

"Back in the day, Confucius, the sage of Confucianism, traveled throughout the states and took on countless disciples. His purpose was to spread his Confucian culture and thought to the world. He devoted his life to making sure that everyone in the world had books to read and could increase their knowledge."

But look at you now, thinking you're all learned and therefore arrogant, looking down on everyone and extremely self-righteous.

"Let alone teaching ordinary people, even when facing royalty like myself, you all act so self-important. I can't imagine how condescending you are towards ordinary people. And what contribution can you possibly make to society?"

The old man in black angrily retorted, "You're saying we've accomplished nothing?"

Chen Ye sneered: "More than that! In my opinion, besides reading some books and sticking to your own ideas, what else can you do besides barking like self-righteous dogs? Cultivating oneself, managing one's family, governing the state, and bringing peace to the world—which of these have you accomplished?"

"Hmph, you're quite adept at chasing fame and fortune, and indulging in pleasures everywhere. You only care about your own enjoyment and reputation, and can't do anything useful for society. What kind of education did you receive? Disgusting, utterly disgusting!"

Zhu Yunwen spoke eloquently, his words like the muzzle of a cannon, a string of sharp remarks that left those so-called literati dumbfounded and trembling.

They hadn't yet figured out what methods or approaches to use to continue targeting Zhu Yunwen.

Unexpectedly, Zhu Yunwen's attack caught them completely off guard.

That fierce attack was like a giant foot trampling down on the self-righteous dignity of these Confucian elders, pinning them firmly into the mud.

Especially the latter part of the speech, which seemed to have directly ripped out the pride in the hearts of these so-called literati and scholars, causing them to slump into their chairs, completely unable to muster the courage to argue with Zhu Yunwen any further.

From the very beginning, this game unfolded almost entirely with Zhu Yunwen dominating the match.

These great Confucian scholars, when arguing with other literati, would likely have the upper hand.

But when facing Zhu Yunwen, a person from later generations, he was clearly not so good at speaking.

The Minister of Rites panicked when he saw that the situation was not good.

However, after careful consideration, he realized that Zhu Yunwen's words were indeed irrefutable.

At this moment, the old man in black took another breath and said to Zhu Yunwen:

"You say that we have made no contribution to self-cultivation, family management, governance of the state, and bringing peace to the world? I disagree. We scholars, who rely on the imperial examinations to become officials, how could we not have contributed to the well-being of the people?"

Zhu Yunwen stared at the old man in black and said:

"That refers to other writers, not you. To put it simply, everything I said before was referring to everyone here. Do you understand?"

Or rather, have any of you here made any contribution to the people or the world? Or have the students you have taught made any contribution to the world or the people?

The scholars fell silent again, clearly deeply hurt by Zhu Yunwen's direct humiliation.

At this moment, the Minister of Rites finally couldn't help but speak to Zhu Yunwen:

"Your Highness, I know you are sharp-tongued, but I must tell you that all the scholars in the world will support Your Highness, Zhu Yunwen, the Second Prince, and will never support you."

Zhu Yunwen burst into laughter, and then said to the Minister of Rites:

"You really think highly of yourselves. Have you ever considered that I have never needed your support? It doesn't matter who you support, it has no effect on me whatsoever."

Furthermore, since you mentioned Zhu Yunwen, I must say that your vision and taste are very poor, which once again confirms my belief in the disgusting nature of you so-called scholars.

Zhu Yunwen repeatedly hired assassins to kill me. In the imperial court, he used various schemes to frame me, distort the facts, and twist the truth. Since you are an official, you are also a witness to these things in the imperial court.

Not to mention the recent construction of the Prince's Mansion, where Zhu Yunwen colluded with the previous Minister of Revenue to impose harsh conditions on the project, embezzle funds, and force his subordinates to hire the elderly, children, and disabled to do the work, even at the cost of causing deaths.

"Hmph, if such disloyal, unfilial, unkind, ruthless, and vicious people can gain the support of you so-called scholars, then my decision to despise these scholars is truly wise."

After saying this, Zhu Yunwen stood up, waved his sleeve, and turned to leave. He had only taken two steps when he added lightly:

"I regret wasting my time coming here today. I am ashamed to be associated with you!"

This statement was undoubtedly another blow, making those scholars and literati so angry that their chests ached.

The old man in black even felt a little dizzy and lightheaded.

They have some knowledge and are often praised highly, but they have never been belittled like this before.

Moreover, they couldn't refute it, which was a great humiliation for them.

Zhu Yunwen, however, did not care much. Indeed, these so-called great scholars were nothing in his eyes, and would not affect his grand plan or cause him any harm.

It's nothing more than a few mosquitoes, causing a slight feeling of disgust.

Simply staying away from these mosquitoes will solve the problem.

But for these great Confucian scholars, Zhu Yunwen's selection today has clearly caused them great harm.

At the very least, it will make them question the meaning of life for a long time to come!

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