Lin Menghuai looked at Sheng Ping again, her face full of guilt.
It's all her fault for being too soft-hearted; otherwise, His Highness would definitely have won this match too!
Sheng Ping walked forward with a smile and patted Lin Menghuai on the shoulder, "It's alright, watch me."
He then stepped onto the stage, saying, "I will be the one to conduct the third debate. Please give me your feedback!"
Di Yushu snorted and glared, then turned to Ning Xuan and said, "Your Majesty, this is probably not appropriate!"
Even he couldn't out-argue Sheng Ping's words, so why did this person personally get involved!
Ning Xuan asked, "What do you find wrong, my dear minister?"
Di Yushu was so anxious that her forehead was covered in sweat. "Your Highness is a princess, who dares to argue with you?"
Ning Xuan smiled, stroked his beard, and said calmly, "Today, let's not treat Shengping as a princess. Let's just debate. If we debate well, I will reward us handsomely!"
Di Yushu wanted to try again and get Sheng Ping to make a substitution, but someone had already stepped onto the other side of the ring.
This person was the candidate chosen by the assembled officials, Grand Secretary Zhuang of the Hanlin Academy.
He walked slowly, giving a scholar's salute first to Ning Xuan, then to Sheng Ping.
"I am Zhuang Luo, and I humbly request Your Highness's guidance."
Su Yan introduced Zhuang Luo to Ye Panjiu, "Zhuang Luo was the second-place scholar in the imperial examination when His Majesty first ascended the throne. He is fifty years old now and ranks first in scholarship among the scholars of the Hanlin Academy. He is generally recognized as second."
He was clearly a formidable rival. Ye Panjiu silently cheered for Sheng Ping in her heart, but she couldn't help but wonder about what had happened before: "Why did Lin Menghuai beat him up? Did she hate him?"
Su Yan smiled and said, "Lin Menghuai doesn't want to get married; she wants to lead troops into battle."
Ye Panjiu exclaimed, "What a person with a clear goal!"
On the stage, Sheng Ping returned the bow, saying, "Grand Secretary Zhuang, please show mercy."
Then, turning to Ning Xuan, he said, "Your Majesty, please give me a question."
Ning Xuan had already thought of the topic for the debate, and raised his voice, "Let's discuss how to avoid this disaster for the Wang family."
As soon as he finished speaking, the crowd fell silent; no one dared to utter a sound.
Even the ministers sitting next to Ning Xuan were on edge.
Zhuang Luo broke out in a cold sweat. The Wang family's affairs were so sensitive that if he made a wrong move in today's debate, it would be a disaster for the Zhuang family.
Everyone knows how much His Majesty loathes the royal family now.
Sheng Ping glanced in the direction of Su Yan and Ye Panjiu, and sure enough, it was just as Brother Su had predicted.
She prepared extensively on these topics yesterday, and her staff prepared even more.
Sheng Ping gestured for him to go first, saying, "Lord Zhuang is old, and I am but a junior. How can I not show respect to the elder? Please go first, sir."
Zhuang Luo moved his lips, but before he could speak, he felt his throat tighten, so he picked up the tea and took a sip.
Xunzi said, “Human nature is such that people are born with a desire for profit. When this is followed, they will fight and compete, and they will lose the spirit of yielding. The royal family has been rich and powerful for a long time, and they have disregarded etiquette and law. They have not restrained themselves, which has led to this disaster! If the ministers had always examined themselves with etiquette and law, this could have been avoided.”
Sheng Ping smiled faintly, "At the beginning of life, people are inherently good. The Wang family is greedy for power and wealth, and only cares about accumulating riches. This is because their family values are not upright, and they have not set a good example for their descendants. As a result, the upper beam is not upright, and the lower beam is crooked, which leads to evil deeds such as kidnapping women and plundering the people's wealth!"
The power of etiquette and law is questionable in the face of factionalism and mutual protection among officials. The Wang family's disaster has been brewing for a long time, yet the etiquette and law have not changed. This already extremely corrupt family still hopes to reflect on itself, which is truly naive!
In my opinion, we should emphasize family traditions and precepts. The decline of any prominent family or clan begins from within!
Many people applauded as soon as he said that!
That's not the case. You can't kill it from the outside, but the inside starts to rot and decay, and that's the root cause.
Even Ning Xuan applauded.
Di Yushu lowered his head. It was over; he was really going to lose.
Zhuang Luo drank several mouthfuls of tea in a row. Already old, he shakily put down his teacup, glanced at the people below the stage, and felt even colder.
"As Your Highness says, when the power of etiquette and law is weak, it is easier to conceal a family's corrupt practices, making them even more difficult to investigate."
Sheng Ping replied, “Anything that touches upon etiquette and law is a major matter, and we will do everything we can to cover it up and not let outsiders know about it. But minor matters of improper family conduct will not be covered up so desperately. There are many officials and servants, and such minor matters will surely spread widely.”
For example, Lord Di repeatedly disciplined Yunxin with family rules, locking his own daughter in the ancestral hall without food or water, clearly intending to kill her. I rescued her when she pleaded for help; who doesn't know this? There must be some clues to follow. Investigating this matter further will reveal whether any breaches of propriety or law were made.”
Di Yushu's face flushed red, and he quickly knelt before Ning Xuan. "Your Majesty, please understand! This old minister was only angered by the rebellious daughter and had no intention of taking her life! The Di family is a family of upright officials and we are not afraid of any investigation!"
His head slammed heavily against the blue bricks.
Sheng Ping laughed on the stage, "Minister Di is being too sensitive. I was just using this as an example, why the fuss? Lord Zhuang?"
Di Yushu wanted nothing more than to curse Sheng Ping to death, but he could only kneel there, frantically trying to wink at Di Yunxin with his eyes.
Please speak up for me!
Di Yunxin glanced at her biological father, then turned away from him.
The Di family is indeed a clean and upright family, unafraid of investigation. However, they are extremely authoritative and inflexible, forcing their children to conform to their expectations. Any slight misstep will result in family discipline.
Being born into the Di family was the most painful thing.
She followed her mother's temperament, and her mother was angered to death by Di Yushu.
She just can't be like other siblings, who can be molded and kneaded like clay!
She now lives independently as a woman, as if she never had a father.
It's even more impossible for me to speak up for him.
Ning Xuan waved his hand, "My dear minister, come back and sit down. Listen to what Lord Zhuang has to say."
Di Yushu quickly thanked the emperor and sat back down.
Minister Lin rolled his eyes discreetly. This guy is as cunning as can be!
There must not be even the slightest hint of doubt in His Majesty's mind.
Zhuang Luo wiped his sweat with a handkerchief. "Lord Di is completely innocent. He was just a bit too strict in disciplining his children, but that doesn't mean his family has any bad traditions. It's clear that Your Highness has given the wrong example. Family traditions are ultimately a private matter between family members. How can they be linked to the important affairs of the state?"
Sheng Ping hurriedly replied, "If Lord Di can be so ruthless in disciplining his children, how can we believe he has any compassion for the common people? A father killing his own daughter—isn't such a serious matter considered a violation of family values? Lord Di has served in the court for thirty years, working diligently and conscientiously, yet why has he never had any disciples? Does Lord Zhuang think that scholars are afraid to come and pay their respects after hearing about Lord Di's actions?"
Di Yushu's heart was pounding. He never imagined that when they were talking about the Wang family, they could dig up all his secrets.
He was about to kneel down again when Ning Xuan waved his hand and pulled him down to sit. "My dear minister, there's no need for you to say anything more. Let's listen."
Zhuang Luo opened his mouth; he knew why Di Yushu had no disciples.
Clearly, long ago, there was a scholar who sent a poem and a visiting card to Di Yushu. Di Yushu thought it was good, so he invited him into his mansion and gave him some pointers.
To everyone's surprise, the scholar ran away three days later. He had clearly passed the county-level imperial examination, but he refused to take the exam again and never mentioned that Di Yushu was his teacher.
This happened so long ago; Prince Shengping wasn't even born yet.
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