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Admit defeat?
Grand Scholar Zheng’s current words caught everyone off guard. Did he really admit defeat? However, upon reflection, it made sense.
Ye Yiming had posed two questions, but Grand Scholar Zheng had failed to answer even one. The first question was circumvented because it wasn’t posed by Ye Yiming himself, and as for the second question, the answer was given directly.
In such a situation, how could Grand Scholar Zheng have the courage to listen to Ye Yiming’s third question?
Thus, it was no surprise when Grand Scholar Zheng admitted defeat. Though it startled everyone, it wasn’t beyond acceptance.
At least, admitting defeat was better than being beaten.
“Alright, then. This competition ends here. I now announce that Ye Yiming is the winner of this match, so his actions in court seven days ago were not wrong. This matter is settled!”
Speaking these words, Emperor Lin Wanjun felt a sudden relief. The unexpected relaxation made him chuckle silently, filled with mixed emotions.
Alas, who would have thought that Ye Yiming, this young rascal, would stir up such an incident, earning praise for his intelligence from all the civil officials!
A playboy, and the foremost among the four playboys of the capital, had now successively impressed the Prime Minister, the Grand Scholar, and numerous other ministers. It was indeed a peculiar situation.
“Long live the Emperor!”
As Lin Wanjun was contemplating the recent events concerning Ye Yiming, the attending ministers knelt and saluted him.
Long live the Emperor?
Watching the kneeling ministers, Lin Wanjun suddenly felt a bit disenchanted. He waved his hand impatiently at the eunuch beside him and said, “Xiao Dezi, let’s return to the palace!”
“Prepare to return to the palace!”
A sharp voice echoed as Lin Wanjun departed amidst the ministers’ farewells.
…
Recently, the capital has been rather unsettled, coincidentally all linked to the little Duke of the Duke’s Mansion.
First, in court, in front of all civil and military officials and the Emperor, he made Prime Minister Wu, the head of the civil officials, vomit blood. Then, he defeated the third son of the Prime Minister’s residence in one move. Subsequently, with the cultivation of an early-stage Human-level martial artist, he forced back the second son of the Prime Minister’s residence, a peak Earth-level martial artist and one of the three geniuses of the capital.
Later, he won 1.5 billion taels of gold from the He family. Finally, he held the most extravagant pill auction in the entire capital. This series of events showed people a different little Duke, sparking widespread discussion.
People in the capital initially thought the little Duke would be quiet for a while after these events. But unexpectedly, after holding the auction in the morning, shocking news spread in the afternoon that the little Duke had debated scholars in the Hall of Gathered Virtue and made all the civil officials bow in admiration.
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This not only surprised but deeply shocked everyone.
Little Duke, what are you up to?
While everyone was discussing Ye Yiming, he was already in a restaurant eating and drinking.
He had no choice; he hadn't even had lunch before being summoned to the Hall of Gathered Virtue by the Emperor, where many events unfolded. By now, he was starving.
“Burp~”
After a long while, Ye Yiming let out a loud burp, then rubbed his full stomach with a content and satisfied expression.
“Woof~”
After devouring the last delicacy on the table, Da Hei also barked at Ye Yiming in satisfaction.
Da Hei was there because when Ye Yiming was summoned to the palace by his grandfather, Da Hei had followed. However, palace rules did not allow Da Hei inside, so it waited outside for Ye Yiming.
Now, both man and dog, with eyes half-closed, basked in the happiness of being full and soon fell asleep.
Ye Yiming slept straight until dusk, only waking up when Da Hei licked him.
In his sleep, Ye Yiming felt a wet sensation on his face, groggily opened his eyes, and saw Da Hei wagging its tail expectantly.
Seeing this, Ye Yiming muttered “glutton” under his breath and tossed a few low-grade super martial pills to Da Hei.
“Woof~”
Catching the pills, Da Hei barked happily again.
Ignoring the excited Da Hei, Ye Yiming glanced outside to see the sky already darkening. He realized it was late.
Huh, it’s dark already? I better get going.
Upon returning to the Duke’s Mansion, Ye Yiming was informed by Ye Qi that his mother, Wang Yulian, was looking for him. His heart skipped a beat.
If his mother was looking for him, it couldn't be good. I’d better hide with Grandpa.
Thinking of his mother’s impending lecture, Ye Yiming shivered, glanced around to ensure his mother wasn’t nearby, and then sneaked into his grandfather’s small courtyard.
“You little rascal, you’re finally back?” Just as Ye Yiming sneaked into the courtyard, he was spotted by his grandfather, who was having dinner in the small pavilion.
Seeing his grandson sneaking around, and thinking of recent events, the old man immediately knew Ye Yiming was hiding from his mother.
Caught so quickly, Ye Yiming scratched his head awkwardly and said, “Haha, good evening, Grandpa!”
“Evening?” The old man first exclaimed in surprise, then laughed, teasing, “Yes, it’s quite early now!”
Realizing his mistake, Ye Yiming regretted his words. It was clearly dinner time, how could it be early?
“Alright, come and eat!” Finally, unable to stand his grandson’s foolishness, the old man invited him to join for dinner.
Grinning, Ye Yiming eagerly ran over.
After dinner, Ye Yiming accompanied his grandfather in the small pavilion, drinking tea.
After a while, his grandfather spoke.
“I heard you made quite a scene in the Hall of Gathered Virtue today?”
Ye Yiming, sipping tea, was taken aback. Seeing his grandfather’s amused expression, he pondered for a moment and then said, “It wasn’t showing off, Grandpa. You don’t know, Grand Scholar Zheng was just too…”
“Too pedantic, right?” Before Ye Yiming could finish, his grandfather interjected.
The word “pedantic” made Ye Yiming slap his thigh and exclaim, “Exactly! Grandpa, you’re right. Grand Scholar Zheng is so pedantic! He kept harping on minor issues, claiming my disrespect to Prime Minister Wu was disrespect to the Emperor, and wanted to punish me. What nonsense!”
Listening to Ye Yiming’s complaint, the old man chuckled, took a sip of tea, and said, “Ah, you seem to have quite an opinion on Zheng Wensheng!”
“Zheng Wensheng?” The sudden mention of a name puzzled Ye Yiming.
Seeing his grandson’s confusion, the old man paused, then burst into laughter.
“You don’t even know that Grand Scholar Zheng’s name is Zheng Wensheng?”
Watching his grandfather laugh, Ye Yiming felt helpless.
No one told me his name was Zheng Wensheng! How’s that my fault?
Seeing his grandson’s helpless expression, the old man laughed even harder. After a while, he finally spoke again.
“Well, Zheng Wensheng, though a Grand Scholar of the Hall of Supreme Harmony, is a Confucian scholar influenced by Confucian ideals since childhood. His personality is a bit stubborn, so he can be somewhat pedantic, but it’s not a big deal.”
So Grand Scholar Zheng is a Confucian scholar!
Hearing his grandfather’s words, Ye Yiming finally understood why Grand Scholar Zheng was so intent on punishing him.
Confucians advocate “moral governance” and “benevolent rule,” valuing ethical relationships. Growing up in such a household, Grand Scholar Zheng would naturally place great importance on these ideals.
In his view, regardless of right or wrong, Ye Yiming’s attitude towards Prime Minister Wu at that time was a great disrespect to an elder, violating ethical principles, and thus, a crime!
With this understanding, Ye Yiming felt that Grand Scholar Zheng didn’t seem so bad after all.
Seeing Ye Yiming’s realization, the old man smiled and continued to tell him more about the civil scholars of Tianyang.
This significantly changed Ye Yiming’s previously negative view of Confucians due to Prime Minister Wu and Grand Scholar Zheng, leaving him deeply reflective.