He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

"Therefore, my point of view is very clear: the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty, on the whole, far surpassed the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty."

"Does anyone have any other ideas? If so, please share them so we can discuss them together."

The elderly man in his eighties sitting on the podium had the nameplate in front of him bearing the three characters "Yan Chongnian".

This person's titles are so numerous they could overwhelm you. A simple online search reveals a long list of experts, scholars, and association presidents. Just one glance at it can give an ordinary person a suffocating feeling of being oppressed by authority.

Faced with such an academic mountain, any dissenting voice seems utterly ridiculous.

The old man leaned back in his chair, looking at the young people below the stage with great satisfaction. These were all top students from prestigious universities, such as the History Department of Northeastern University.

The room fell silent. In his view, his arguments had completely convinced this group of future historians. No one dared to stand up, and no one was able to stand up.

"Zhao Shuyao, the Q&A session is about to begin; the lecture is about to end!"

"Didn't you always say in the dorm that you had a deep understanding of Ming and Qing history? Now the person in question is Professor Yan, an absolute authority who has appeared on the 'Lecture Room' program, a titan in the field of Ming and Qing history!"

Zhao Shuyao completely ignored the urging of the skinny Yang Wei next to him in a low voice. He stared at the sanctimonious old man on the podium. This guy was extremely active in the era of the rapid growth of the Internet and social media, and had put forward countless outrageous theories that distorted the truth and glorified the Qing Dynasty.

What disgusted Zhao Shuyao the most was that this guy had been spouting nonsense for half his life and hadn't gotten away with anything. Not only had he not been punished, but he had also made a fortune and was living a very comfortable life.

Thinking of those ignored and whitewashed stories of blood and tears, Zhao Shuyao felt as if a stone was lodged in his chest.

Without any hesitation, he suddenly raised his hand, stood up, and looked directly at the podium.

The old man clearly hadn't expected anyone to actually stand up, but being a seasoned veteran, he simply regarded Zhao Shuyao as some fervent admirer eager to show off. He gestured for someone to hand him the microphone, his tone carrying a condescending tolerance.

"What's your name, student? If you have any questions or insights after reading my article, please feel free to share them so we can discuss them."

Zhao Shuyao grabbed the microphone and his cold snort instantly echoed throughout the entire lecture hall.

"My name is Zhao Shuyao, a graduate student in the Department of History at Northeastern University. My major is also Ming and Qing history. However, my research approach is probably completely different from Professor Yan's, so the conclusions we reach may be very different."

Yan Chongnian paused slightly, his smile fading a bit, but he still maintained the composure of an academic giant, waving his hand and saying, "Young people are good to have some drive in academics. We are all doing research on Ming and Qing history, so it's perfectly normal to have academic differences. Feel free to speak your mind, and it's okay if you're wrong. I won't blame a young student."

Zhao Shuyao sneered and gripped the microphone.

"Professor Yan, your core point was that the total number of emperors of the Qing Dynasty, including Nurhaci and Hong Taiji before the conquest of China, and Puyi, the last emperor, far exceeded that of the Ming Dynasty, right?"

Yan Chongnian brought the microphone closer, his tone becoming increasingly unequivocal: "That's right, that's my conclusion. I want to emphasize it again to everyone: the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty, whether in terms of their individual governing abilities or their ultimate achievements in both civil and military affairs, far surpassed the sixteen emperors of the Ming Dynasty. This is an indisputable fact!"

Zhao Shuyao nodded, his voice suddenly rising: "Since you insist on making this characterization, then I'll share the conclusion I've reached after so many years of research. Since university, I've been poring over historical materials from various archives, reading countless local gazetteers, and comparing countless official and unofficial histories. My conclusion is—the twelve Qing Dynasty emperors you speak of, who are considered unprecedented in history, are all nothing but a bunch of heinous bastards!"

The moment the words fell, the entire classroom seemed to fall silent.

Repressed.

It was more than just oppressive.

Zhao Shuyao shouted out all the words that had been weighing on his heart in one breath, completely ignoring the old man's ashen face on the stage, who looked like he had swallowed a dead fly. He felt that the pent-up frustration in his chest that had lasted for half a month had finally disappeared, and he felt extremely relieved!

It took more than ten seconds for the students below the stage to recover from their shock, and suppressed gasps and whispers erupted like a tsunami.

"Has Zhao Shuyao gone mad? How dare he curse in public? This is Professor Yan!"

"Does he not want to graduate? Having offended this academic tyrant, how can he possibly survive in the field of history?"

"I think he's gone mad from reading too much. Even if there's a disagreement in this kind of setting, he should keep it to himself. Everyone knows Professor Yan is Manchu, and his ancestors even had noble titles. Isn't he just slapping him in the face in public?"

All that could be heard from him was incomprehension, fear, and avoidance that distanced him from the group. No one dared to speak up for Zhao Shuyao. The immense pressure of being isolated by the entire group was pressing down on him relentlessly.

Yang Wei, sweating profusely, grabbed Zhao Shuyao's arm, his voice trembling, "Zhao Shuyao, have you lost your mind? If you have a disagreement, write a paper to refute it privately! Why did you embarrass him in public?!"

"You're about to be evaluated for that study abroad qualification, and you've provoked him at this crucial moment. Don't you know how hard it is to find a job in history these days? You've ruined your future with just one sentence!"

Faced with this overwhelming threat, Zhao Shuyao not only did not back down, but instead forcefully pulled his arm back, crossed his arms, and stared coldly at the podium.

"What's wrong, Professor Yan? Did my conclusion offend you? Or is it that, besides using your status to intimidate others, you don't even know how to refute me?"

At this point, Yan Chongnian could no longer even maintain a semblance of composure. He pointed his withered finger at Zhao Shuyao, his lips trembling uncontrollably, and it took him a long time to finally squeeze out a few words.

"Zhao Shuyao, is this the quality of a graduate student at Northeastern University? We can have normal academic debates, but not the kind of utterly uncultured, vulgar argument you've displayed!"

"You openly call the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty bastards? Fine, then I'd like to ask you, what historical evidence do you have to support your absurd and nonsensical ramblings? We historians value historical materials, not just your empty words!"

Zhao Shuyao met his murderous gaze without flinching: "You want evidence, huh? There's an abundance of evidence that's readily available!"

"Since you insist on being stubborn, let me give you the most direct example: when the country faced annihilation and foreign invaders came to our doorstep, what kind of integrity did the last emperors of these two dynasties display?"

"The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty, Emperor Chongzhen, is portrayed by you so-called experts as a muddle-headed, incompetent, stubborn, and indiscriminately killing loyal officials! But have you all forgotten what he did when the country was destroyed and his family perished?!"

Zhao Shuyao's voice was firm and resolute.

"He didn't run away, he didn't surrender. He truly embodied the saying, 'The emperor guards the nation's gate, the monarch dies for the state.' He reigned for seventeen years and indeed didn't achieve any feats that defied fate, but he held on for seventeen years. We, the history students here, know very well how corrupt the world was at that time. He would rather hang himself than suffer humiliation!"

"Let's take a look at the disgusting things that the last emperor of the Qing Dynasty, whom you so admire, did!"

"To preserve his family's wealth and power, and to continue to lord it over the people, Puyi shamelessly accepted the Japanese invitation and went to Northeast China to become the puppet emperor of Manchukuo, serving as a groveling dog to the invaders!"

"My logic is very simple: as an emperor, you can be incompetent, you can be bad at things, but when faced with national righteousness, you absolutely cannot back down, much less become a traitor! So, I wonder what face Professor Yan has left to whitewash these completely different kinds of backbone?"

Yan Chongnian stared at Zhao Shuyao, his chest heaving violently, clearly frantically trying to come up with a counterattack. After a long while, he forced himself to suppress his trembling and spoke with what he thought was impeccable logic.

"My student, your argument itself is not wrong, but when I was lecturing just now, I already separated and defined Puyi's special circumstances. Didn't you listen carefully?"

"Using a single example of a dynasty's last reign to generalize about the entire dynasty is extremely narrow-minded. More importantly, I have repeatedly emphasized that when looking at history, we must never step outside the specific historical context of the time!"

Yan Chongnian tapped the table, as if he had regained his sense of authority over all living beings: "You are completely judging the ancients from the perspective of a modern person with God. Because you already know the course of history, you think Chongzhen was great and Puyi was hateful."

"But for people at that time, survival was the first rule! Imposing moral principles from a God's-eye view is not only unfair, but also a major academic taboo!"

Zhao Shuyao laughed in anger upon hearing this shameless sophistry.

"Professor Yan, are you saying I'm being overly critical of the ancients from a God's-eye view?" Zhao Shuyao, holding the microphone, ruthlessly tore off the other's pretense. "Then when you were just making that series of criticisms of the Ming and praises of the Qing, weren't you also from a God's-eye view?"

"When you evaluate the emperors of the Ming Dynasty, you scrutinize their personal moral flaws with a magnifying glass; when you evaluate the emperors of the Qing Dynasty, you use 'specific historical circumstances' to excuse their incompetence. What? You hold the switch to the God's-eye view, don't you? If it's beneficial to the Qing Dynasty, it's fine for you; if it's detrimental to the Qing Dynasty, then it's not for me?"

Yan Chongnian's face instantly turned liver-colored, and the veins on his forehead bulged. He had lived to such an old age and was always treated with great respect wherever he went. When had he ever been so brutally humiliated and bullied in front of hundreds of people by a mere brat?

But he knew he absolutely could not lose his composure on the podium, so he forcibly suppressed the urge to have Zhao Shuyao kicked out, his tone icy cold.

"This is sophistry and unreasonable argument. It seems Zhao Shuyao is determined to cause a scene today. Since you don't even have the most basic patience to listen to a lecture, I'll tell you again in the most straightforward way!"

Yan Chongnian's eyes turned extremely fierce: "My conclusion is not based on the integrity of the last emperor at all, but on the overall quality of the dynasty's operation. Every emperor of the Qing Dynasty worked tirelessly day and night, diligently governing and caring for the people. Their dedication to the affairs of the country far surpassed that of previous dynasties!"

"And the emperors of the Ming Dynasty? Some sought immortality, some were carpenters, some didn't hold court for decades—they were all eccentrics who didn't care about the people at all!"

Yan Chongnian looked coldly at Zhao Shuyao, a mocking expression curling at the corner of his mouth.

"Faced with such irrefutable evidence of diligence versus absurdity, I'd like to see what kind of fallacies you, Zhao Shuyao, can come up with to refute it?"