Film and Television: The Great Feng Sword Immortal, starting with Lingyue's updo hairstyle

But who would they be showing off to in the academy? Was it for Xu Xinnian? That would be far too boring!

Inside the Temple of the Second Sage, towering vermilion pillars, each two zhang tall, support the magnificent hall, while the statue of the academy's founder, the Second Sage, stands proudly atop the hall.

The Second Sage was dressed in a blue Confucian robe, with one arm behind his back and the other casually resting on his waist. His gaze was distant, looking towards the sky. His posture was exactly the same as the statue of the night watchman in the government office.

Beside the sage stands a sculpture of a white deer. This white deer is not the sage's mount, but rather a symbol of his virtuous wife.

Zhao Shouyan said:

"The white deer once listened attentively to the teachings of the sages, and the sound of the classics lingered in its ears for a long time."

Later, it transformed into human form and remained by the side of the sage. The bond between the human and the demon deepened with age, and they eventually married.

"People have always been intolerant of love between humans and demons, whether in the past or today. However, the sages taught us that love is boundless and that when people are bound by affection, whether human or demon, they can stay together until the end."

Su Nan had no right to accuse the Saint of having unique taste, after all, he himself had only spent one night with a woman in this world, and that woman turned out to be an incarnation of a fox demon.

Chapter 149 The Position of Powerful Minister: Each Has Its Own Merits

"Humph!"

Wei Yuan suddenly asked, "Brother Su, what do you think of the imposing presence of this sculpture?"

Inside the night watchman's office, Su Nan once said that scholars were actually useless.

"It was when I encountered the statue of the Second Sage at the night watchman's office that I began to understand who the Second Sage was. Now, I have a profound understanding of the Second Sage; he is truly great and his love is boundless."

Zhao Shou smiled and said:

"Brother Su, you possess extraordinary bearing!"

Wei Yuan's lips curled slightly. Su Nan's argument had actually changed from "utterly useless" to "extremely great." He could truly be described as opportunistic, saying one thing to one person and another to another.

Su Nan glanced at Wei Yuan and said sincerely:

"Lord Wei, everything I've said comes from the bottom of my heart."

On Zhao Shou's side, the topic shifted to the struggle over the foundation of the nation, aiming to clarify his position while trying to win the support of southern Jiangsu.

During Emperor Renzong's reign, the position of Crown Prince remained vacant for more than a decade. During this period, Renzong showed particular favor to his eldest son born of the principal wife and a prince born of a concubine.

The birth mother of that illegitimate prince was a noblewoman who was highly favored by the emperor, so Emperor Renzong had the idea of ​​making him the crown prince.

"The abolition of the eldest son in favor of the younger son is the source of chaos. All civil and military officials in the court opposed this. Although Emperor Renzong issued edicts many times, they were repeatedly rejected by the cabinet."

Those who spearheaded this movement at the time were all outstanding talents from Yunlu Academy.

This debate, which concerns the very foundation of the nation, has lasted for six years without any resolution. Neither side is willing to back down, resulting in four changes of the chief minister and multiple rotations of officials in the government.

Until a scholar from Yunlu Academy ascended to the position of Grand Secretary, he resolutely joined Emperor Renzong's camp, successfully resolved the dispute, and single-handedly bore all the criticism.

"Because Emperor Renzong disliked Yunlu Academy and believed that the academy posed a threat to imperial power, Cheng Hui came into being and established the Imperial Academy, with the aim of having the court cultivate talents on its own."

"From that time onward, the decline of Confucianism began."

Su Nan pointed to a stone tablet and asked:

"Is this engraved with Cheng Yasheng's calligraphy?"

He bravely faced danger to repay the emperor's kindness, his name will be remembered for eternity... Cheng Hui.

Zhao Shou sighed softly, “Indeed, I have carefully read Brother Su’s article. Although it aims to assist the monarch, it is unique and does not blindly cater to the emperor’s wishes.”

Requesting flowers...0

Su Nan thought to herself: It depends on the author.

Whether as Liu Shan in his previous life or Su Nan in this life, Zhuge Liang held the position of a powerful minister, yet each had his own strengths. The former seemed lazy but actually delegated authority, while the latter was courageous and decisive.

In this context, Zhuge Liang naturally had no need to flatter the emperor.

"The mind of an emperor encompasses the whole world and is free from the trivialities and distractions of selfish desires. Therefore, he does not need to cater to the teachings of Confucianism. If Confucian scholars were to follow and cater to them, their moral backbone would also be broken."

Su Nan's few words were enough to make Zhao Shou deeply agree, "No wonder Su Zhexian has already transcended the realm of a gentleman at such a young age. He truly has unique insight and extraordinary understanding!"

"Brother Su has a broad mind and a clear mind. Reaching the level of a near-sage in the future is not an unattainable goal!"

At this moment, Wei Yuan spoke calmly, “Su Zhexian, your words, while greatly beneficial to Yunlu Academy, have inadvertently offended the Imperial Academy.”

Su Nan knew that the conflict between Yunlu Academy and the Imperial Academy was actually a debate over the orthodoxy of the school. If he were to side with one side out of gratitude to Yunlu Academy, it would surely provoke strong resentment from the students of the Imperial Academy.

Chapter 150 An Unexplainable Fear

Many of the important officials in the court were students of the Imperial Academy.

Blocking someone's livelihood is no less harmful than taking their life, and destroying someone's faith, even by digging up their grave and whipping their corpse, cannot quell the hatred in one's heart.

Wei Yuan continued, "The Qi faction, the Wang faction, and the Liang faction are constantly fighting, but from now on, they share a common opponent, and that is you, Brother Su."

Su Nan said calmly, "Isn't their common enemy the eunuch faction?"

"520" "It seems we two are kindred spirits."

Wei Yuan said with emotion.

"Alas... The way of the gentleman should be to stay away from partisan strife, but I consider myself a scholar who aspires to create lasting peace."

Wei Yuan and Zhao Shou had thoroughly realized that Su Nan clearly did not want to be bound by anything, nor did he want to become a vassal of any power.

However, as of now, Su Nan clearly prefers to maintain close ties with Yunlu Academy and Wei Yuan, and given that he has found it difficult to form alliances with other forces in the court, this is enough to constitute a key advantage.

Huaiqing suddenly felt a tremor in his heart as he sat in the back hall. The two major powers that Su Nan was close to had particularly close ties with him.

Suddenly, she had a thought: she longed to have an in-depth discussion with Su Nan on topics such as Confucianism, Taoism, and military strategy. She felt a strong urge to have an academic debate with her.

She must always remember her identity; as the eldest princess, she must never allow Su Nan to look down on her.

Huaiqing was quite puzzled. She sought advice from Zhang Shen and discussed with Wei Yuan, thinking that she would not be looked down upon because of these two elders. However, whenever she thought of discussing philosophy with Su Nan, a nameless fear welled up in her heart.

Southern Jiangsu is unfathomable.

Be more reserved.

Thinking of this, Princess Huaiqing regained her former tranquility, like a flower blooming in full glory.

She gently lifted her skirt and walked away with light, graceful steps. Her silk dress fluttered in the wind, her elegant posture captivating and enchanting.

As soon as Su Nan stepped out of the gates of Yunlu Academy, the news spread quickly throughout the entire academy. From then on, the academy gained a great Confucian scholar who stood shoulder to shoulder with the dean, and Su Nan became the leading figure among these five distinguished scholars.

Three days later, Xu Lingyue went home to get her clothes.

At the dining table, Li Ru cautiously asked, "Lingyue, why are you moving things in such a hurry?"

A faint blush rose to Xu Lingyue's cheeks, her happiness overflowing. "Young Master has already made it clear that there's no need for another month of testing; he's very satisfied with my performance."

Li Ruxin's heart skipped a beat, and she stared intently at Xu Lingyue, "What methods did you use?"

Before Xu Lingyue could speak, Xu Xinnian interjected, "Mother, please don't misunderstand. Su Zhexian is a great Confucian scholar, with the demeanor of a near-sage!"

Set your heart and your destiny.

Little Pudding, with a bun in his mouth, shouted loudly:

"Abandon old habits and usher in an era of lasting peace!"

In recent days, Xu Xinnian has repeatedly mentioned these words, to the point that even his little Pudding has learned them.

Li Ru glanced at her son and said dismissively:

"Which of those ministers in the court wasn't a well-read scholar, yet they all flocked to the ranks of the Jiaofangsi (Imperial Music Bureau)!"

"Even the Confucian scholars of your esteemed academy have found young concubines of seventeen or eighteen years old, and even boast of them using things like 'pears'..."

"Pear pressing!"

Before Xu Xinnian could respond, Little Pudding Xu Lingyin excitedly shouted.

"That's a pear tree over a crabapple tree, not something you can eat."

Xu Xinnian gently patted Xu Lingyin's forehead, his tone tinged with a hint of humor.

Chapter 151 The Sublimity and Solemnity of Reading, A Room Full of Nobles

"Hiss... I see!"

Xu Lingyin's two big eyes widened even more.

“Mother, the young master is no ordinary scholar.”

Xu Lingyin spoke softly, taking small bites of her food as she slowly opened her mouth.

Li Ru breathed a sigh of relief and said:

"Fortunately, this Su Zhexian is a righteous man, unlike those scholars with only a minor official position who dare to elope to the brothel behind their wives' backs!"

Xu Pingzhi and Xu Xinnian both remained silent, resolutely putting the topic out of their minds.

Xu Lingyue hurriedly explained, "No, no... I didn't mean that, I didn't mean that they are different. I meant to express that you are still young, compared to those great scholars."

Li Ru stared at Xu Lingyue's face, and a nameless worry welled up in her heart.

At this moment, Xu Pingzhi suddenly spoke to Xu Xinnian:

"I have heard that there has been a sudden upheaval in the court recently, with the Wang faction, the Qi faction, and the Liang faction joining forces to launch a fierce impeachment against your academy."

At that moment, Xu Xinnian paid no attention to his father's words, "Without Su Nan's birth, the Confucian school would be forever shrouded in a long night!"

"Thanks to Su Zhexian's words, I instantly felt the nobility and solemnity of reading... Father, let's just treat those so-called noble and wealthy people as their nonsense!"

"These great scholars upheld unwavering beliefs, and every member of Yunlu Academy never betrayed their original aspirations. They would rather stay away from the world than bow down to pressure!"

Xu Pingzhi spoke with concern, “However, I have heard that the crimes accused are extremely serious, such as disrespecting the emperor, ignoring the court, deviating from the right path, and even committing the crime of great disrespect!”

The food Xu Xinnian was chewing suddenly lost its usual deliciousness. He never expected that the power struggle among the higher-ups would escalate into such serious accusations.

"Well, that's not surprising. After all, it was a severe blow to the Imperial Academy, tantamount to humiliating servants to their faces. It would be truly remarkable if they could endure the humiliation."

Hearing that Xu Xinnian was nonchalant about it, Li Ru immediately panicked, "Ci Jiu, that's a capital offense! How can you be so indifferent!"

Xu Xinnian stated firmly and decisively:

"This matter concerns the righteous path; even at the cost of life and death, we will not yield!"

At this moment, Xu Lingyue said softly, "It shouldn't be that serious. The night watchman, Lord Jinluo, came today and mentioned that Lord Wei and the Princess have vouched for Yunlu Academy."

Xu Xinnian couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and exclaimed:

"I never expected this, I never expected that the academy, which has always regarded Wei Yuan as an enemy, would now be the one speaking up for the academy."