Qin Dynasty: Who offended my frail and sickly minister?

After he finished speaking, the entire room fell silent.

Fusu quietly took a couple of breaths, glancing quickly at Yao Jia out of the corner of his eye.

He was really struggling to keep up with all those words, but thankfully—judging from Yao Keqing's bright eyes, the effect should be pretty good, right?

Not just good, it's absolutely fantastic!

Yao Jia could barely suppress the smile in his eyes; if the occasion hadn't been inappropriate, he would have praised him out loud on the spot.

Zhou Wenqing smiled and nodded secretly.

Fusu's argument was clear and logical, his words sharp yet composed, and he demonstrated a keen understanding of the situation, flexibility, and control, ultimately achieving a better result than Yao Jia's continued sophistry.

After all, as the heir apparent of the Qin Dynasty, showing leniency and understanding the greater good first would better highlight the King of Qin's broad-mindedness, benevolence, and love for his people, and would give a resounding slap in the face to those who kept calling Qin a "tyrant."

Zhou Wenqing's gaze fell on the doctor from Jimo.

Next, all that's left is for Yao and Jia to make their final push...

The thought had barely formed in his mind when Yao Jia had already made his move.

He stepped slightly to the side from behind Liu Bang, cautiously took half a step forward, and first bowed slightly to Fusu:

"Thank you for your protection, young master. I have truly broadened my horizons today."

Immediately afterwards, he straightened up, his gaze shifting to the physician of Jimo, then sweeping over the several Qi officials whose faces were ashen, his tone rising, the last syllable sharp:

"I was unaware that this is the way Qi treats its guests, and this is the spirit instilled by the Jixia Academy?"

Zhou Wenqing's brow twitched slightly upon hearing this.

Are you going to start by stacking up taunts to the maximum right away?

Yao Jia said: No, that's still a long way off!

Zhou Wenqing watched as Yao Jia spoke fluently and relentlessly, seemingly going berserk. However, he remained extremely cautious and discreet, quietly retracting the half-step he had just taken and steadily retreating back to the "safe zone"—behind Liu Bang.

Immediately afterwards, his combat effectiveness increased to another level, and every word he uttered struck at Qi's sore spots:

"Everyone knows that Jixia Academy was once the best in the world, with a flourishing literary style. But now it seems that even the Qi court's atmosphere is so narrow and unbearable. People get angry easily based on their likes and dislikes and use their power to intimidate others. You can imagine what kind of state Jixia Academy has become."

He raised his head slightly, his tone carrying an undisguised sneer:

[At this point, I hope readers will remember our domain name: 20 ...

"I'm afraid it's just a hollow reputation left behind, and it's long since lost its former glory."

As soon as he finished speaking, Liu Bang felt countless scorching, fierce gazes, almost capable of burning through a person, sweeping over him all at once.

He felt a chill run down his spine, and his admiration for Yao Jia vanished in an instant.

No wonder you went back to hiding. So you knew you'd get beaten up for saying that, huh? So your main tactic is to charge ahead with your mouth while your legs back down, huh?

Liu Bang couldn't help but swallow hard, his eyes frequently glancing at the military officials near the front of the Western Seat, their fists clenched and their murderous aura radiating towards him. In his heart, he silently cried out:

Yao Keqing! Do you have some misunderstanding about my martial prowess? This is the main hall of the Qi Kingdom. There are not only civil officials who can talk a good game, but also military generals who can "manually refute"!

However, Yao Jia was clearly oblivious to Liu Bang's inner turmoil, and his output remained undiminished:

"In comparison, our Qin's newly created papermaking technique is truly remarkable. A single sheet can carry the literary tradition of a thousand years, record the doctrines of a hundred schools of thought, and pass on the classics of ten thousand generations. Once the Qin Academy is completed, it will be even more worthy of being called the head of all scholars in the world."

"No wonder you are all so fearful and wary, doing everything you can to prevent us from entering to observe and learn. It turns out you are afraid that your already ruined foundation will be seen through at a glance, leaving you a laughing stock in the world."

He waved his hand slightly, feigning concession, his tone carrying just the right amount of mockery:

"Very well, since that's the case, there's no need to trouble the Jixia Academy Chancellor to specially lead the way and accompany us. We will save you all some face by letting this ceremony be cancelled, so as to save you from racking your brains to cover it up and causing unnecessary gossip."

Wow~ Did a cold wind just blow by? It sent a chill down my spine. Liu Bang shivered involuntarily and blinked.

It turned out to be a barrage of glares, almost solidified, radiating murderous intent and bringing the temperature to the depths of winter.

Hmm, that makes sense. He said, "Why would there be a cold wind blowing at this time of year?"

Liu Bang suddenly realized!

Liu Bang remained silent...

Liu Bang turned his head and reached out his hand—

Fan Kuai! Help! Your brother Ji can't hold on any longer!

The ministers of Qi were truly stung this time.

As Yao Jia said, the Jixia Academy was indeed declining and gradually fading away.

The more insecure they became and the more their glory faded, the more the people of Qi tried their best to protect this glorious shell of "the hub of a hundred schools of thought and the head of the scholars in the world," deceiving themselves and not allowing any outsiders to have a say.

Now that Yao and Jia have publicly exposed their true colors, they have reached their limit!

The atmosphere in the hall instantly exploded. All the civil and military officials in the hall turned ashen-faced, their fists clenched so tightly that their knuckles turned white and cracked.

The physician from Jimo was enraged. He strode forward, shoved aside the guards blocking his path to officialdom, and shouted in a voice that shook the palace:

"Ignorant brat, utterly arrogant!"

"Our Jixia Academy has stood for hundreds of years, its literary tradition has flourished for millennia, and the flame of the sacred way has never been extinguished, nurturing countless scholars throughout the land and carrying on the traditions of rites, music, and culture from various states!"

His eyes widened, filled with rage, and he stared intently at Yao Jia. He strode closer, leaning forward, and raised his hand as if to grab Yao Jia's collar and question him.

"Your Qin state's still-developing academy dares to speak so arrogantly and compare itself to us?"

"Why not?"

Yao Jia answered without changing his expression or peeking out.

Liu Bang, who was calmly "protected" in front of him: "..."

Speechless, he could only suppress his emotions, his back tensed, his eyes gradually sharpening as he prepared to defend himself.

A plan to ignite conflict at any moment —

"Doctor of Jimo, please wait!"

A tall, lean figure with white hair and beard walked out slowly.

He was dressed in a plain scholar's robe, solemn and neat, with the edges slightly faded from starching, without any luxurious patterns or wrinkles. Step by step, he walked steadily to the side of the doctor from Jimo, turned to the side, cupped his hands in greeting, and looked up at him: "Doctor, I apologize for your rudeness."

Doctor Jimo froze, his surging anger abruptly suppressed. His chest heaved a few times, but he managed to forcefully restrain himself, taking a half-step back. His voice was rough but somewhat restrained as he bowed slightly in greeting: "Chancellor Meng."

Chief Scholar Meng nodded slightly, no longer looking at him, but turning to Yao Jia with a dignified and upright expression: "The Vice Envoy said that the students of Jixia Academy are timid and deliberately conceal the academy's foundation, not daring to show it to others. Is this true?"

Yao Jia's expression turned serious, and he said in a deep voice, "That's right."

Meng Ji looked at him and said, "The Jixia Academy has been established for seven hundred years, with the foundation of its learning being the inclusiveness of all schools of thought and the open discussion of doctrines. It embraces scholars from all over the world and accepts opinions from all directions. There has never been a precedent of closing its doors to guests or hiding its shortcomings."

Yao Jia said calmly, "Just because it didn't exist before doesn't mean it won't exist in the future, much less that it doesn't exist now. Empty words are unreliable and cannot be trusted."

Upon hearing this, Chancellor Meng was not angry. Instead, he nodded slightly and said, "The Vice Envoy is right. Words alone are not enough, so I will not argue with you."

Having said that, he abruptly turned to face King Jian of Qi on the throne, his back straight, his expression solemn, and he bowed respectfully, cupping his hands in supplication:

"Your Majesty!"

"As the Chancellor of Jixia Academy, I am in charge of the academy's cultural heritage and the protection of its millennia-old traditions. It is my duty to ensure that the reputation of our Great Qi Academy, with its century-long history, is not unjustly slandered or wantonly disrespected by outsiders!"

"Your Majesty, I humbly request permission to allow the Jixia Academy to clean its altar and open its four gates in three days, and to hold a grand gathering for scholars from all over the world and students from various states to come up to the altar to lecture, debate and discuss the Way."

"I will personally lead the way and accompany the Qin delegation throughout the entire enrollment ceremony, allowing them to peruse the academy's classic texts, observe the atmosphere of our scholars, and witness the character of our students!"