With the scientific expedition imminent, it is said that in order to attract customers, the major restaurants in the capital have come up with a strange idea: to hold various debate activities.
The term "debate" refers to the process of debating and refuting a point of view. Debates are not limited to specific content; both sides engage in in-depth discussions and debates on a particular viewpoint or issue in an attempt to persuade the other side.
Among them, the most attractive is Mingyue Tower.
When Wang Xiuxiu sat down, she stumbled upon a spectacular verbal battle.
In the hall, a scholar in a blue robe faced off against five or six students in brocade robes.
He was thin and wiry, with sharp, sword-like eyebrows. He twirled a half-cup of cold tea between his fingers, tilting his head as he listened to the other person quoting classical texts about "propriety should not be abandoned," and then suddenly chuckled.
"Since you are all well-versed in the *Zhou Li* (Rites of Zhou), do you know the next line after 'punishment does not extend to high-ranking officials'?"
With a flick of his wrist, he spilled the remaining tea at the other man's feet. "—It's 'The executioner is not by the ruler's side.'"
The audience erupted in uproar!
The young men from prominent families blushed – these words were a blatant sarcasm directed at their reliance on their family's influence to climb the ranks in the imperial court.
Wang Xiuxiu also burst out laughing.
"What a sharp-tongued scholar!" Wang Xiuxiu sighed inwardly, leaning against the table.
The man in the blue robe insulted the other without using any vulgar language, calling him pedantic and refusing to mention "stubborn to the end," instead asking, "Have you ever seen an ancient corpse in an uncorrupted coffin?"
It satirizes those who curry favor with the powerful, without directly calling it "flattery," but instead asks with a smile, "Can your spine bend on its own?"
The most brilliant thing was when someone brought up the saying "A gentleman is cautious even when he is alone," he immediately replied, "No wonder you all dare to bark when you gather in a crowd."
Lu Jingze frowned: "Quite sharp-tongued..."
Lu Jingze, being a military officer by origin, was unaware that this was how scholars often cursed others.
"Your Highness is mistaken." Wang Xiuxiu's eyes lit up. "He said 'the guilty should not be by the emperor's side' but didn't mention 'treacherous ministers should be executed,' specifically choosing the most infuriating allusions from the *Zhou Li*, and those very all belong to the Langya Wang clan—"
Aristocratic families value etiquette above all else, yet he insists on using the very rules of propriety to slap people in the face!
When the melee ended, Xiao Er nervously came to collect the broken teacups.
Wang Xiuxiu later learned that the scholar in the blue robe was named Zhang Heng.
He pulled a small piece of silver from the money he had won in the argument and handed it to the waiter: "This is to make up for it. I was so caught up in the argument that I forgot I need these cups to support my family."
The waiter stood there, stunned, clutching the silver coins.
Zhang Heng turned and went out, and caught sight of a beggar child who had fainted from hunger in the corner. He then stuffed the last half ingot of silver into the child's arms.
Wang Xiuxiu clearly heard him mutter: "I should have known better than to break that cup..."
"See that?" She nudged Lu Jingze. "He's like a venomous snake when he's cursing, but turns around as soft-hearted as an old lady—such a person would be excellent if he were in the Censorate."
——-
With the imperial examinations approaching, teahouses outside the examination hall in the capital were packed with candidates from all over the country.
As Wang Xiuxiu passed by in her carriage, she suddenly heard a burst of cheers. Lifting the curtain, she saw a group of students in blue robes gathered together, with a tall, thin young man standing in the middle, arguing heatedly with someone by tapping the table with the ribs of his fan.
Wang Xiuxiu thought the car looked familiar, so she asked the driver to stop the car so she could get a better look.
Upon closer inspection, it turned out to be someone I knew.
"Brother Zhang Heng, your words are far too harsh!" The pale-faced scholar opposite him blushed.
"Meaningful?" Zhang Heng scoffed. "Brother Li says 'scholars from humble backgrounds should be content with their lot,' but he doesn't say 'sons of noble families should relinquish their official positions'—"
He suddenly grabbed a teacup and splashed water across the table, the water stains outlining a vast map. "It's like this cup of tea," he said. "You only allow yourself to drink your fill, yet you complain about others being thirsty?"
Amidst the laughter of the entire room, Wang Xiuxiu couldn't help but smile.
She gestured for the driver to stop the car, and listened intently through the screen window.
The pale-faced scholar hurriedly said, "Children of noble families learn etiquette from a young age, naturally..."
"Should we naturally cling to the *Rites of Zhou* as if it were a foot binding?" Zhang Heng interrupted, his fan tip suddenly pointing at the jade pendant at the other man's waist. "Brother Li, this dragon-patterned pendant of yours is probably enough to feed an ordinary person for three years, isn't it?"
Before a response, he continued with a smile, "Of course, you'll say this is the dignity of 'passing down scholarship'—" then suddenly his voice turned serious, "But do you know that when starvation is rampant, can dignity even be used to cook porridge?"
Wang Xiuxiu's pupils contracted slightly.
These words, though seemingly sarcastic, actually struck at the sore spot of aristocratic families—not mentioning corruption, but rather the concept of "respectability."
Instead of criticizing those who hold positions without performing their duties, they asked, "Maybe you can cook porridge?"
The most ingenious part was citing the Zhou Li, the most important text among aristocratic families, as evidence, leaving the other side with no room for rebuttal.
Wang Xiuxiu chuckled as she watched Zhang Heng's smug expression. "If someone like him were to enter the Censorate, he could probably even tear down the roof of the Langya Wang clan."
After listening for a long time, Wang Xiuxiu instructed the people around her, "Go and investigate this person's background."
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