So you're saying I misunderstood you?
Yuwen Guo said, somewhat bewildered!
"Prime Minister, there's no need to blame yourself so much. I consider you a friend, and I can bear this grievance. I forgive you..."
Seeing Li Zhu's outrageous actions, the Princess of Xiliang was completely dumbfounded, thinking to herself that this Crown Prince was truly a... genius...
Yuwen Guo couldn't understand for a moment how he had made a mistake, and was even accused of having a narrow mind...
Li Zhu pulled the Xiliang princess back to sit down. Before he could speak, the Marquis returned to the private room. However, he did not see the live prisoners he had been ordered to bring back. He looked at the Marquis with suspicion, waiting for his explanation!
"Seeing that the situation was hopeless, the assassins all committed suicide, so there were no survivors..."
"Then what?"
Li Zhu felt that as the commander of both the inner and outer marquises, the other party couldn't possibly have been completely unaware of anything; it was simply a matter of whether the other party was willing to tell him or not!
"Your Highness, judging from the assassins' appearance and accent, they are likely from Youzhou. Most importantly, the calluses on their hands indicate they are soldiers..."
Upon hearing the Marquis's words, Li Zhu fell into deep thought, feeling that something was amiss. The person who killed him was not from the forces of the Second Prince and the Third Prince, but rather from the subordinates of Shi Jingtang, who had already been executed…
Unable to figure out who was targeting him, Li Zhu stopped thinking about it. The most important thing was to be happy and live a good life. He would deal with whatever came his way. With that thought, he unconsciously put his hand on the shoulder of the Xiliang princess and started drinking with her as if they were brothers!
"Your Highness, is there only two lines of poetry in the court?"
Seeing Li Zhu's increasingly outrageous actions, even the Prime Minister Yuwen Guo could not stand it any longer. Remembering his original purpose for coming here, he immediately asked!
"Prime Minister, I think two sentences are enough!"
It wasn't that he didn't want to show off by reciting all the poems, it's just that the other lines all had specific experiences and narratives, and weren't suitable for showing off!
"With such poetic talent, why not put your heart into creating a good poem? To utter such a timeless masterpiece but only produce one line is truly disheartening, leaving one feeling of being stuck in limbo..."
Just as Yuwen Guo was complaining, a group of scholars and literati suddenly walked out of the street. There seemed to be no less than several hundred people. Li Zhu thought there was some excitement and wanted to see what was going on!
But these people actually stopped right outside their private room, and the young man in the lead shouted loudly.
"Yuwen Guo, you were the former prime minister of the dynasty, and you were obligated to serve the emperor. Now you have betrayed us, which is a disgrace to us scholars..."
Upon hearing this person's words, Li Zhu was immediately stunned. This person was coming for him! Yuwen Guo had been persuaded to surrender by him. Although he hadn't joined the Crown Prince's faction, everyone had automatically categorized him as being on the Crown Prince's side!
This is also an unwritten rule: since you were persuaded by the Crown Prince, you must have submitted to him!
"This guy is really brave..."
Li Zhu looked at Yuwen Guo with great interest and said that he felt that the scholars and literati of ancient times were sometimes really brave. They could actually do things like cursing the prime minister in the street!
If you say there's no one behind this, Li Zhu wouldn't believe it even if you beat him to death. Without some kind of backing, who would dare to be so reckless?
"This man is named Zhang San, a renowned scholar in Luoyang. He is proficient in all six Confucian arts and is a truly talented individual..."
Even when he was being insulted, Yuwen Guo still praised the other party!
"This kind of person is not worth worrying about; they're being used as pawns without even realizing it..."
Li Zhu said calmly!
"Perhaps he did it willingly..."
Yuwen Guo sighed, wondering whether he was lamenting the loss of the integrity of scholars or lamenting that even such talented people were being driven by profit!
"Yuwen, you shameless scoundrel, do you have the nerve to do it but not the shame to admit it? You were once regarded as a great Confucian scholar, how can you do this and live up to the respect that all the scholars in the world have for you?"
Zhang San roared, spouting nothing but righteousness and morality!
"He's trying to become famous by stepping on your face..."
Li Zhu saw through this little trick. After all, he wasn't stupid and couldn't possibly be blind to such tactics. It was just that the other party appeared at a very opportune moment, and it was obvious that their purpose was to trip him up!
If they successfully undermine Yuwen Guo's prestige, it will definitely reduce his influence among scholars and literati, making it difficult for Li Zhu to gain his own power in the court. Such a move is truly insidious!
"I'll go downstairs and meet him..."
As he spoke, Yuwen Guo was about to go down and have a debate with Zhang San!
"Prime Minister, you are a man of high moral character and prestige; there's no need to fuss over such a person..."
Li Zhu pulled him aside and tried to persuade him!
Feeling Li Zhu pulling him, Yuwen Guo subtly withdrew his hand and subconsciously moved to the side to create distance between them!
This left Li Zhu speechless. This was truly... enough to make one want to swear... It seemed that his sexual orientation wouldn't be explained away anytime soon!
"But the other side clearly came prepared, bringing so many scholars and intellectuals along to force me to show myself. If I didn't go out, I would be branded as a coward, a traitor, and someone without any principles..."
Yuwen Guo said helplessly that he had no choice but to go out in this situation. The other party had gone to great lengths to get him to show himself, just in case he refused to fight!
But in the current situation, as long as he accepts the challenge, regardless of whether he wins or loses, Yuwen Kingdom's reputation will be affected!
If they lose, all the accusations will be confirmed, and since their strength is inferior to the new generation, their reputation will plummet. On the contrary, Zhang San will rise to fame and become the new leader, and Yuwen Kingdom will no longer pose a threat!
Everyone thought it was normal that he won, after all, Yuwen Guo was the prime minister, an old man who could be Zhang San's grandfather. Moreover, they felt that it was beneath him to argue with the younger generation at his age, and it could still damage his reputation!
Zhang San, who challenges him, will be praised for his courage, resourcefulness, and extraordinary boldness. In any case, he won't lose out. This is an open and unbreakable strategy!
"Prime Minister, why should we follow a path preordained by others? He's just a clown; I'll go and beat him up for you..."
"How vulgar! We scholars are all well-educated and courteous; how could we resort to violence..."
Yuwen Guo scolded him, his beard bristling and eyes wide with anger!
"Then I'll go and scold him for you..."
Li Zhu didn't give Yuwen Guo a chance to speak again before walking outside!
The diners downstairs had all been scared away, leaving the entire lobby empty and a large space in front of the shop. Zhang San stood opposite the door, while the other literati were scattered on both sides, watching Zhang San's performance!
Seeing Li Zhu come out, Zhang San was visibly taken aback for a moment, but quickly regained his haughty demeanor, not even glancing at Li Zhu, and asked arrogantly.
"Who are you? This is not a place for you. Get out of the way! Can you afford to pay for disrupting my debate?"
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