Chapter 51-Part 2

Young master Jiang raised her head slightly, scanning the students below the stage, and loudly declared, “To achieve great things, one must forsake small virtues; to bring peace to the world, one must display great virtue!”

As soon as she said this, the audience erupted in boos.

Ziyu, with a mocking frown, retorted, “By your logic, all the ancient ministers who assisted wise rulers must have been without virtue? Should rulers rely on a group of petty and unscrupulous people to bring peace to the world? By that reasoning, Shang Tang should have abandoned Yi Yin and chosen someone like Meixi, and King Wen should have discarded Jiang Ziya and picked a treacherous flatterer like Fei Zhong!”

His rebuttal drew cheers from the students below, putting Jiang Xiurui at a disadvantage.

But Young Master Jiang remained unflustered, placing her hands on the warm stove on her lap and calmly saying, “Forsaking small virtues is for the sake of the world; it’s not the same as those like Meixi and Fei Zhong, who relied on feminine charms and flattery to gain favor.”

She paused and then continued, “You are a well-read scholar who frequently quotes historical texts. I, being less knowledgeable, dare not misquote history…”

Before she could finish, someone from the crowd jeered, “If you don’t know history, you’re just a drunkard and a glutton! Get off the stage and stop embarrassing yourself!”

A chorus of boos followed, drowning out Young Master Jiang’s voice.

Jiang Xiurui glanced at the ringleader and threw her warm stove at him.

With her excellent marksmanship, she narrowly missed his head, hitting the pillar behind him. The scattered embers made a few jeering students jump in place.

Qian’er, always perceptive, quickly handed over another stove, anticipating her mistress’s needs.

The sight of the iron stove wrapped in coarse cloth and filled with hot water made the jeering students fall silent, fearing a painful scalding.

With the audience finally quiet, Jiang Xiurui raised her eyebrows in satisfaction, holding the stove, and continued, “Since I am not versed in history, I will speak of current events…”

She cast a malicious glance at Ziyu and said, “For example, your ancestor, who was a staff officer under General Yuan Zhen of the previous dynasty, switched allegiance to Fang Ye, a leader opposing Yuan Zhen, during a battle. When Fang Ye encountered our Great Qi’s ancestor emperor, he was utterly defeated. Your ancestor, seeing the tide turn, urged his subordinates to behead the sleeping Fang Ye and present his head to the ancestor emperor, thus securing your family’s wealth and prosperity and the unification of Great Qi…”

She paused deliberately, then lowered her voice slightly, “If your ancestor had adhered strictly to minor virtues and remained loyal,never serving two masters and never changing masters three times, how could he have assisted a truly wise ruler and brought peace to the world? Such an example is worth learning from!”

Ziyu never expected this foreign hostage to reveal such a secret about his family’s rise to power.

Although his ancestor’s achievements in assisting the ruler were undeniable, if Young Master Jiang continued speaking, his ancestor would be seen as a treacherous opportunist. How could he ever face his peers and teachers again?

Flushed with anger, Ziyu was about to loudly refute her.

But Dou Siwu from the Ding branch preemptively struck the gong and shouted,  “Young Master Jiang, the best of the Ding branch! You argued well! You argued brilliantly!”

He then led a few Ding branch students in loud cheers, drowning out Ziyu’s sharp retorts.

Frustrated, Ziyu considered throwing something in retaliation but hesitated when he saw Dou Siwu leading the jeers. He knew that if he retaliated, Dou Siwu would not hesitate to beat him to a pulp.

Young Master Jiang, having enjoyed Ziyu’s discomfort, signaled to Dou Siwu, who immediately stopped the commotion.

Ziyu, seething, finally retorted, “Nonsense! My ancestor had long revered the Great Qi’s ancestor emperor and was merely biding his time in the enemy camp to serve him…”

Before he could finish, Jiang Xiurui waved, and someone brought in an old imperial record, which ordinary people couldn’t access.

Jiang Xiurui casually pulled out a volume and read aloud an emperor’s remark about Ziyu’s ancestor, stating that despite his great contributions, his fickle nature made him unfit for a position of integrity, rejecting the suggestion to appoint him as the head of the Ministry of Justice.

No one expected Jiang Xiurui to produce an imperial record!

With the emperor’s judgment that Ziyu’s ancestor was fickle, who could argue that he was loyal and steadfast?

The crowd’s gazes turned peculiar as they looked at Ziyu.

The thin-skinned Ziyu, unable to bear the embarrassment, stormed off the stage in tears amidst the Ding branch’s mocking laughter.

Supported by Qian’er, Jiang Xiurui stood up, feeling invigorated.

Never mind about the gold that was cheated! Let it be used to help the thin-skinned Brother Ziyu recuperate.

But her satisfaction was short-lived as she noticed the Crown Prince, wearing a black fox fur cloak, standing under the corridor.

Her smile faltered, and she quickly ran up, asking, “This cold wind is harsh. How long have you been standing here, Your Highness?”

Feng Liwu, whose anger from the camp mysteriously dissipated, calmly replied, “Not long, just long enough to see you sneak out the imperial records that the ancestor used to write daily records.”

This was a serious accusation!

Jiang Xiurui quickly explained, “It wasn’t sneaking out; I borrowed it officially with a record from the historian. Students can borrow non-confidential imperial records with your permission, Your Highness, for writing essays…”

Feng Liwu vaguely remembered signing a borrowing slip for her a few days ago.

A vengeful dog that always seeks revenge, causing such a commotion just to vent some anger!”