Invasion Myth: Starting with the Schoolteacher

Chapter 806 Let's Speak the Fair Words

Xu Xuan keenly grasped this point and took the opportunity to use the "method of solving the problem" as a pretext to lead the discussion to a deeper exploration of the scriptures.

For a moment, the study was filled with a warm atmosphere of "sitting and discussing philosophy".

Who would have thought that the two sides, who were at each other's throats just moments before, could now be having a pleasant conversation?
Fu Tianchou unconsciously stroked his beard and nodded, his gaze lingering on Xu Xuan for longer and longer. Putting aside his prejudices, he had to admit that this excessively young instructor was indeed amazing.

"The future life is terrible"

The old man sighed inwardly.

Even in the capital city, a place where talents gather, it is rare to see such a young man with outstanding demeanor—especially since he has no family background to rely on and has reached this point purely through his own talent and learning.

A complex emotion began to spread through my heart.

Aren't you too outstanding?

Could it be that the rumors about the young Dean Chongqi are not unfounded?

After several rounds of tea, the atmosphere in the study gradually became more pleasant.

Seeing that the time was ripe, Lu Dan brought it up in a half-joking tone: "It's interesting, a few days ago in Luoyang, someone actually tried to pin the case of the Wenquxingjun statue on you, sir."

"boom!"

The celadon teacup was slammed heavily onto the table, making a jarring clanging sound. Fu Tianchou's expression suddenly turned cold, all traces of his previous warmth vanishing.

"This is utterly absurd!" The old man slammed his fist on the table, his white beard trembling with rage. "I have lived a life of integrity, and yet I am slandered as colluding with such wicked and immoral gods?!"

Even the most outrageous person has friends. He's just strong-willed and not a weirdo, so he naturally knows some things.

Lu Dan was at a loss and secretly regretted his rashness.

"My lord, please calm down."

"Calm down!" Fu Tianchou paced back and forth in the study, his official robes fluttering in the wind. "Who doesn't know that Wenchang governs official career and scholarship, while Wenqu governs talent and romance?"

He suddenly turned around, pointed at his own nose and said angrily, "I have never written a decent poem in my life. When I was young, I never even stepped into a brothel. And I have two daughters who are already adults."

"To say I'm colluding with the God of Literature? Isn't that an insult?!"

Xu Xuan almost burst out laughing. This old man was quite honest, even revealing his shortcomings such as "difficulty in writing poetry" and "no romantic history" to prove his innocence.

Then the old man launched a fierce and relentless attack.

"What is the Court of Justice doing?!" The old man's withered fingers jabbed heavily into the air, as if poking the nose of some unseen political enemy. "How can such an absurd and outrageous false accusation be accepted as a case? Are you law professors just good at reciting the Jin Code, but incapable of distinguishing right from wrong?!"

"And the Ministry of Justice!" Fu Tianchou didn't give anyone else a chance to speak, turning around and pulling a scroll of official documents from the bookshelf. "The review opinion on last year's Suzhou case was utter nonsense! I said it long ago."

The most exciting part is yet to come; even the imperial censors are powerless.

He was firing off a barrage of attacks: "The most hateful thing is that bunch of cowards in the Censorate! Back when they were impeaching people with me, they were all so righteous and indignant, but now? They can't even suppress this kind of false accusation. Have you all become echo chambers since I left the capital?!"

Lu Dan was completely bewildered by the barrage of reprimands.

Only then did he truly understand the power of a "veteran censor of three dynasties"—this old man might not be good at investigating cases and judging cases, but when it came to cursing people, he was definitely a professional among professionals.

He could easily compose those parallel sentences and rhetorical questions, each wave of momentum building to a crescendo.

Now the situation has completely reversed. Lu Dan, who was supposed to be representing the Court of Justice in questioning, is now the one being interrogated.

Fu Tianchou was pressing him for an explanation: Why did the central government turn a blind eye to such false accusations? Was someone deliberately condoning it? Who was stirring up trouble behind the scenes?

"This humble official... this humble official is truly..." Lu Dan stammered, his back already soaked with sweat.

Xu Xuan finally chuckled and leisurely joined the battle.

“Lord Fu is devoted to the country, so someone must be deliberately framing him.” He tapped his teacup lightly with his fingertips, making a crisp sound. “How about this—have Senior Lu present you with the so-called ‘evidence’ received by the Court of Justice for your personal review. With your keen insight, you will surely be able to distinguish the truth from the falsehood.”

Gah~~~
Before he could finish speaking, the study fell silent.

Fu Tianchou's white eyebrows twitched suddenly, and his previously imposing rebuke abruptly ceased. The old man narrowed his eyes, re-examining the seemingly gentle young man—

Hey kid, you've been waiting for me here!

He silently withdrew his earlier praise. This wasn't some humble young man; he was clearly a master of combat.

If someone dares to fabricate evidence, they must have something to back it up; otherwise, why would they dare to target me?

And I probably wouldn't be able to undo this move myself; normally I would just frame him.

Court politics is never about evidence, but about who has the bigger voice and the more arrogant attitude.

For example, during the Han Dynasty, there was the "Three Dukes' Rumors and Reports," which meant that the officials in the offices of the Three Dukes and the ministers could impeach and report officials based on rumors.

This was a clearly legal system, and from then on, censors officially gained the right to "report matters based on hearsay," thus becoming part of the feudal supervisory system.

In this set of rules, not only the inexperienced Lu Dan, but even Xu Xuan would have to admit defeat.

So the Holy Father's strategy was simple: just step forward. After all, Senior Lu had studied under Professor Sheng for a long time, so don't forget that criminal cases require evidence.

Simply present the evidence and let the other party refute it; no matter what they say, it will sound somewhat weak.

After all, there is only one truth to everything. Sure enough, Fu Tianchou's mentality took a sharp turn for the worse, and he lost the air of a high-ranking official he had before.

The ensuing exchange suddenly became more restrained. The three of them actually discussed each of those absurd "evidence" points one by one, and Lord Fu even had to patiently explain his whereabouts on a certain day, month, and year.

This is the strength of criminal law, which distinguishes it from the power of hearsay reporting.

Professor Sheng was already relentlessly attacking the censors even before he resigned.

After a few incense sticks had burned, Lu Dan received the response he deserved, which was enough to satisfy his demands.

The remaining judgments were not his responsibility.

When the topic turned to the case of Deng You, the prefect of Suzhou, the temperature in the study seemed to drop a few degrees.

"This case has been under investigation for over a year." Fu Tianchou stroked the files on the table, his knuckles tapping the bamboo slips with a dull sound. "I now suspect that the root of the problem is not in Suzhou, but in Luoyang."

A sharp glint flashed in his eyes—a political instinct honed over many years as an imperial censor.

In the past, one would have already slammed their fist on the table and used this suspicion to impeach the Ministry of Justice for negligence and the Ministry of Personnel for dereliction of duty.

But now.
The old man looked down at his faded official uniform and a bitter smile appeared on his lips.

The title of "Governor of Yangzhou," which seemed like an honor but was actually a demotion, was like an invisible shackle for him when he left the capital. He had to produce tangible achievements instead of just criticizing people based on intuition.

Xu Xuan and Lu Dan exchanged a glance. They both realized: those people in the capital had played a truly cunning trick.

He used the position of supervisor to silence Fu Tianchou, and then deliberately assigned him to the most difficult case to investigate.

This is hardly an important task.
Ultimately, the atmosphere of the conversation plummeted to freezing point.

Seeing the atmosphere had reached this point, Xu Xuan suddenly sighed softly, adopting a righteous and outspoken demeanor:
"Let me say a few words of fairness—"

It's starting, it's starting.

Remember, people who claim to speak the truth are usually not the truthful ones.

"The Suzhou case concerns the dignity of the imperial court. Since the officials in the court attach so much importance to it," Xu Xuan frowned slightly, feigning confusion, "why not send more professional people to investigate?"

“Why else would it be…” Lu Dan replied subconsciously, his tone carrying a hint of Xu Xuan’s teasing, “Naturally, it’s because the court trusts Lord Fu.” He realized his mistake after saying that and hurriedly lowered his head to drink his tea.

Fu Tianchou's face flushed. This subtle attack made him feel extremely uncomfortable.

"But the one-year deadline has passed," Xu Xuan added, his face filled with genuine worry. "This progress..."

The conversation suddenly shifted: "A student suddenly remembered a phrase that is quite fitting here and now."

The two looked up at the same time, their emotions quite different.

"There is a sequence to learning, and each profession has its own expertise."

Xu Xuan's words were spoken casually, yet they were like a soft sword piercing a vital point.

Lu Dan nodded secretly upon hearing this—these words both gave the old minister face and pointed out the crux of the problem.

In this context, it means that although you may be old and knowledgeable, if you are not good at handling things, then don't do it; leave it to someone who is capable.

Knowing when to retire gracefully is not necessarily a sign of being a true man.

Fu Tianchou understood this principle perfectly well. But as proud as he was, how could he be willing to admit that he was not up to the task?
What Xu Xuan originally wanted to say was: No one is perfect, who can be without fault? To err is human, to forgive divine.

These words, seemingly meant to comfort, were actually a sharper rebuke to the old man that he had made a mistake.

However, considering that the other party was not a bad person and that they might have dealings with Ning Caichen in the future, and perhaps even some deeper connections, they went a little further.

An eerie silence fell over the study. Fu Tianchou's face flickered in the candlelight, sometimes ashen, sometimes flushed. This veteran official, serving three emperors, was experiencing unprecedented torment—

Should one stubbornly stick to their own opinion to save face, or humble themselves and seek a compromise?

After completing this attack, Xu Xuan prepared to retreat.

Why did the Confucian tradition first emphasize Yu Gong, and then Yin Dashi?

It's because they are not only skilled in both literature and martial arts with a wide range of methods, but also broad-minded, good at recognizing and utilizing talent, and do not reject other methods.

As for the public, it goes without saying that they have already cooperated very well with a certain demon.

Both sides had engaged in several team fights and developed a certain level of teamwork.

Grand Scholar Yin did not look down on the monk Qingyou sent by Xu Xuan.

Upon learning that this monk had single-handedly fought against Xu Feiniang in Shu, he clapped his hands and laughed, exclaiming, "This is a gifted general from heaven!"

The demonic sects in Sichuan are now driven mad by this "imperial lackey"—that bald monk, despite possessing genuine Buddhist cultivation, deliberately targets and attacks the branches of the demonic sect. They can neither defeat him in a fight nor win an argument, so they can only jump up and down in their caves and curse every day.

In contrast, consider Fu Tianchou.
Xu Xuan, who had already left the Fu family's gate, glanced back at his shadow in the twilight and gently shook his head.

Ultimately, it's a limitation imposed by one's perspective.

(End of this chapter)