Xuanxia

Chapter 439: Wine Strengthens Yue Heng’s Courage

As the sun sets, more and more people gather in the debate hall.

Most of the people there were students who came to watch the fun, and of course there were also some teachers. They did not deliberately divide the area, and the teachers and students who were familiar with each other sat at the same table. Before the debate began, they had already started drinking.

After the debate hall was almost full, Ling Haojie and Xia Yinping finally arrived.

At this time, even outside the debate hall, there were a large number of people gathered in three layers inside and outside, and many of them were not students but tourists from outside.

"So many people?"

Fu Qingzhou asked curiously, "So many people are interested in a debate?"

"Who doesn't like to watch the excitement?" Bai Xiaochuan said with a smile: "Have you forgotten, the last time Brother Jin came to give a lecture, wasn't there also a large crowd?"

"That's right." Fu Qingzhou smiled and said, "Students, no matter if they have free time or not, as long as they are not locked up in their rooms studying, they will be interested in anything."

"That's right, brother! That's right!" Bai Xiaochuan slammed the table excitedly: "That's exactly the truth!"

The arrival of Vice Presidents Ling and Xia means that the debate is about to begin.

The opening process was not very interesting. It was nothing more than a bunch of flowery speeches and introductions. Fu Qingzhou's eyelids began to droop after listening to them. He also didn't know the names of the coaches who came to judge.

On the contrary, the students who came to watch the fun were in high spirits. Before the debate even started, many of them had already flushed cheeks from drinking. They clapped and cheered from time to time, creating a very lively atmosphere.

After the debate began, the opposing side started to explain the topic first. The main debater on the opposite side was the "Yuan family member" mentioned by Bai Xiaochuan, the dark and thin boy... This boy named Yuan Shihua took out a stack of manuscripts that was thicker than the one in Yue Heng's hand, and started reading aloud.

"My opinion is that the court should promote more talented people from aristocratic families and official clans..."

"The children of aristocratic families and official families have been influenced by the profound family culture since childhood..."

"…and the glory of his family can also inspire him to forge ahead and make continuous progress…"

This time, Fu Qingzhou felt even more sleepy.

He can take risks alone, fight in fierce battles, and investigate complex cases...but asking him to engage in this kind of flowery debate?

I really want to die.

Then he began to yawn.

Just as he yawned several times and his eyelids began to droop, Yun Lu, who was sitting next to him, came over and lowered her voice: "Brother Fu, don't go too far!"

"Ah?" Fu Qingzhou rubbed his eyes in confusion.

"Stop yawning!"

Yunlu gritted her teeth and said, "They're all looking at us!"

Fu Qingzhou looked to the side... Oh my god, it was probably because he yawned too loudly just now and stretched his body before he could stop yawning, which caused everyone around him to look at him.

Not only the judges sitting in the front row, but also the countless students watching...

After all, it is a debate. Look at the other people, no matter what, they all have a stack of papers in front of them, serious expressions, pens in their hands, writing quickly - no matter they are on the affirmative or negative side, they have to write down what others say, so that they will have a basis whether they are supporting their teammates or refuting the other debater!

Unlike Fu Qingzhou, who looked like a second-rate guy, holding his cheek with his eyelids fighting each other, and yawning so hard that tears came out.
Look at Yuan Shihua who was still reading the opening argument carefully. He was staring at Fu Qingzhou with eyes that looked like he was about to burst into anger.

"Strange, isn't it a good thing to have an opponent who doesn't listen carefully?"

Fu Qingzhou lowered his voice and asked, "Why are his eyes so wide open?"

Bai Xiaochuan took notes while turning his head and said with a suppressed smile: "He thinks you look down on him."

"Oh~" Fu Qingzhou suddenly realized.

Finally, Yuan Shihua finished reading his manuscript and sat down, clearly feeling a little unhappy.

At this time, it was Yue Heng's turn to speak.

He let out a light breath, stood up with the stack of manuscripts in his hands, and began to read word by word.

However, his voice was a little jerky.

Although Yue Heng is a bold person, it doesn't mean he is fearless... What's more, the Sword-Bearing Academy is the place he most desires to go in his life. Now that he hasn't been admitted here yet, he can express his views in front of countless teachers and students. For him, it is inevitable to be nervous.

Therefore, when he read the words, he stuttered a little and his speech was not so fluent.

As a result, even though the manuscript he wrote was very brilliant, it still made everyone frown slightly.

Finally, after he finished reading this opening argument and sat down again, a layer of fine cold sweat had covered his forehead, and even the hand holding the manuscript was shaking slightly.

Seeing this, the debaters on the opposite side looked at each other, and a smile involuntarily appeared on their faces.

"Good, now that both sides have expressed their opinions, we can move on to the questioning section."

On the judges' bench, Xia Yinping said leisurely, "Both sides can take turns to nominate a debater to challenge, and the challenged side must answer... Now the representative of the noble family should start the challenge." As soon as the voice fell, a debater on the opposite side immediately stood up and looked at Yue Heng with sparkling eyes: "Brother Yue, I have a question."

Yue Heng had just sat down, without even wiping the cold sweat off his forehead, when his name was called. He quickly stood up and bowed, "Excuse me."

Fu Qingzhou, Bai Xiaochuan and Yun Lu all frowned when they saw this.

The other party thinks Yue Heng is a soft persimmon and wants to pick on him...

"May I ask Brother Yue..."

The debater sneered, "Most people in the Jianghu break the law with force and act on personal impulse. It is hard to guarantee that there is no blood on their hands. If the court wants to use such people, how can we guarantee that they are not criminals and evildoers?"

Yue Heng was shocked.

The other party asked a very sharp question right away...

Cold sweat was pouring down his forehead. He opened his mouth twice but didn't utter a word. Bai Xiaochuan and Yun Lu were so anxious that they also broke out in sweat.

For a short time, the venue fell into an awkward silence. The debaters on the opposite side sneered, many students with different opinions shook their heads, and Ling Haojie's brows were furrowed like an iron lock.

at this time……

"Brother Yue, come here."

Fu Qingzhou lowered his voice and handed over a glass of wine: "Drink."

Yue Heng: “Ah?”

"What?" Fu Qingzhou winked at him and said, "Get into shape!"

Yue Heng gritted his teeth, responded, took the wine and drank it all in one gulp.

Fu Qingzhou laughed - his good brother was extremely talented, but Yue Heng, who didn't drink, always lacked a bit of heroism.

Yue Heng suddenly drank a lot of liquor, which shocked everyone around him.

"What is this guy doing? The people on the other side are waiting for him to answer questions, why is he still drinking?"

"After all, he is not from our Sword Academy... This is too ridiculous."

"Why did Vice President Ling find these people to debate this time? One of them was dozing off, and the other was drinking? If anyone wants to drink, it should be us."

Just as the discussion gradually rose, Yue Heng put down his wine glass.

He was a man whose face turned red when he drank. After drinking this glass of strong liquor, his face immediately turned red.

But at the same time, this splash of red... also quickly dispelled his timidity.

"Good question!"

Yue Heng's eyes widened, and he slammed the table: "Then the children of noble families don't bully others!"

The debater on the opposite side who asked the question originally had a sneer on his face, but he was immediately frightened by his slamming of the table and his counter-question.

Yue Heng ignored him and said, "When selecting talents, the court should base their selection on both moral integrity and ability, not on their family background!"

"Although people in the Jianghu rely on martial arts to establish themselves, they are not all willful and reckless... They practice martial arts for self-protection, chivalry, or to make a living. They are not all criminals as the world says!"

"If the court wants to employ such people, it should set up a test method, strictly screen them, and eliminate the bad and retain the good. If they violate the law, they will be severely punished by the law. Why should the court worry too much?"

"Furthermore, employing people from the underworld does not mean condoning their reckless behavior, but using their strengths to make up for the lack of military strength in the imperial court! If the imperial court can clearly legislate and strictly supervise, why worry that these people will not be employed by the imperial court?"

As he was talking, Fu Qingzhou poured more wine. When the glass was full, Yue Heng tilted his head back and drank another glass, then continued to drink like crazy.

After a series of counterattacks, Yue Heng waved his hand and said, "So I think that if the court wants to recruit people from the underworld, it should use virtue and talent as the standard, and use legislation as a guideline to strictly screen them. This is the best policy... In this way, your problem will not be a problem."

After saying that, he sat down carelessly.

"..."The debater on the opposite side was stunned. He had never expected that the man who was so dull and stuttering just now would suddenly talk like firecrackers.

Just as he was stunned, Fu Qingzhou stood up suddenly.

"Come on, man, what's your name?"

He shouted, "Forget it, it's my turn to ask you... Tell me, have the glory and privileges passed down from generation to generation by aristocratic families and official families become the root cause of the solidification of social classes?"

"Can the children of aristocratic families really be selfless and put the country first because of their family background?"

"I heard that aristocratic families can appoint talented people to official positions, right? If there are truly talented people among the children of aristocratic families and official families, why not allow them to demonstrate their talents through fair competition, rather than relying on the family's reputation to directly enter the court? The court should select talents with fairness and justice as the top priority. Why do they favor aristocratic families and ignore the ambitions of the poor people in the world?"

(End of this chapter)