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

At 7:30 a.m., the aroma of meat buns and soy milk filled the first canteen of Northeastern University. Most of the people eating at this time were undergraduates who were preparing to go to their 8 a.m. classes, and they were all still sleepy.

Zhao Shuyao carried a stainless steel plate and sat down at a four-person table by the window. On the plate were two fried dough sticks, a steamer of xiaolongbao (soup dumplings), and a bowl of steaming soy milk.

He pushed the plate to the center of the table, took out his phone from his sweatpants pocket, placed it flat next to the bowl of soy milk, picked up a small steamed bun with his chopsticks with his right hand, and skillfully swiped his left thumb down on the screen.

Zhao Shuyao bit through the dough of the xiaolongbao, the soup bursting in his mouth, but his gaze fell on the comments section.

Public opinion has sparked a great deal of rebellious spirit and creative enthusiasm among this generation of netizens, especially the arguments about "marriage exchange" and love triangles in the early Qing Dynasty royal family, which have become the biggest source of amusement in the comment section.

A netizen with the ID "Historical Gossip Crowd" spent several hours creating a detailed "Illustrated Chart of Royal Marriage Ethics in the Early Qing Dynasty" using drawing software.

The diagram is filled with arrows pointing in different directions, eventually forming a perfect closed loop.

The comments section below exploded.

"Why does their relationship seem so abnormal to me?"

Someone immediately commented: "This relationship is abnormal no matter how you look at it. If it looks normal to you, then it's not normal."

The third netizen immediately joined the discussion: "Are you guys giving me a tongue twister? It's normal for them to be abnormal; if they were normal, that would be abnormal."

The fourth netizen was even funnier: "You all step aside and let me speak. Actually, I can't really say anything. I think he's really acting strangely!"

Finally, a class representative with the title of academic star summarized: "It's actually very simple. It's just a closed-loop intermarriage system within an uncivilized family. In their minds, there are no ethical constraints. They purely treat women as bargaining chips to consolidate their power and property. So, Senior Zhao is absolutely right to say that they are uncivilized."

Zhao Shuyao swallowed the steamed bun in his mouth and almost burst out laughing when he saw the string of comments on the screen that were very much in the style of Northeast Errenzhuan (a traditional Chinese folk art form).

Having struggled in academia in his previous life, Zhao Shuyao was relentlessly suppressed by a coalition of people. He eventually learned a bloody lesson: when facing those who hold the power of discourse, you must never fall into the "self-justification trap."

As soon as you start using historical materials to prove that you haven't spread rumors, the other side will use countless magnifying glasses to find typos in your historical materials and drag you down with red tape.

The most effective method is to learn from the older generation's approach—ask questions, label them, and let the other party explain.

I've brought up the "Manchu-Mongol marriage exchange" and the "ideological castration." I'm not responsible for proving how serious they are. I'm just asking you, Yan Chongnian, is this behavior worthy of being called a "great emperor of all time"?

If you don't answer, I'll accuse you of "summoning the remnants of feudalism."

This logic, though seemingly crude, is an incredibly powerful weapon against those who have long monopolized the right to define things—a true game-changer.

Zhao Shuyao took a sip of soy milk.

Just then, two shadows were cast in front of him, and two tall boys sat down on the empty seats opposite Zhao Shuyao, one on each side.

Zhao Shuyao didn't stop moving. He looked up and sized up the two people opposite him.

The boy on the left has a buzz cut and wears a black jacket. His eyes hold an undisguised scrutiny. The boy on the right is slightly overweight, wears half-rimmed glasses, and has his hands crossed next to his plate with his back very straight.

There were plenty of empty seats in the cafeteria at this time, but these two people were carrying trays without getting any food. The stainless steel trays were completely empty, so they definitely weren't there to share a table.

"What's wrong?" Zhao Shuyao put down his spoon and took out a napkin to wipe his mouth.

"You are Zhao Shuyao." The boy with the buzz cut on the left spoke, his tone of certainty and his voice deep.

"It's me." Zhao Shuyao tossed the scrap paper into the nearby trash can. "Did you need my advice?"

The chubby boy on the right, wearing glasses, leaned forward, looked into Zhao Shuyao's eyes, and said in an extremely serious tone: "We are students from the History Department and the Manchu Language Elective Class. Let's get to know each other. My name is Ebin, and his name is Tongda."

Zhao Shuyao nodded without replying. E and Tong are two branches of the eight major Manchu surnames.

Seeing that Zhao Shuyao remained unmoved, E Bin frowned and continued, "We are both Manchus, and we both have clear family genealogies. Our ancestors were from the Bordered Blue Banner."

When he spoke the words "In the Banner" and "Bordered Blue Banner," his chin was slightly raised, and his tone conveyed a deep sense of certainty and pride, as if these words represented some inviolable sacred halo.

Zhao Shuyao looked at the two of them and understood their purpose.

These two people saw the video online and felt that their national pride and family honor had been violated, so they came to confront the perpetrators.

"Oh, the Bordered Blue Banner." Zhao Shuyao leaned back in his chair, arms crossed. "These days, it's quite rare for a family to still have a complete genealogy. So, you two descendants of the Bordered Blue Banner, sitting in front of me with empty plates this early in the morning without even eating breakfast, you're not here to discuss the allocation of banner affairs in the early Qing Dynasty, are you?"

Tong Da slammed his hand on the table, not with much force, but with a loud voice: "You don't need to be sarcastic here. We're here today because of what you said in the lecture yesterday, and what you posted online afterwards."

Tong Da took a deep breath, his tone becoming extremely stern: "All your words are fabrications filled with strong subjective bias. You portray legitimate Manchu-Mongol marriages as vulgar 'exchange marriages,' and you describe the Qing emperors' governance of the country as hedonistic. You are deliberately smearing our Eight Banners ancestors!"

Ebin quickly added, "Your remarks have had an extremely negative impact online, seriously damaging the reputation of our family and the entire Eight Banners descendants. We demand that you immediately delete the video from the internet and post a public apology to us on the school's campus forum."

The order of events is clear, the logic is logical, and the demands are explicit.

Several students passing by the cafeteria noticed the commotion and slowed down, glancing at the table every now and then.

After listening to this righteous and stern condemnation, Zhao Shuyao scanned the two men's faces back and forth. He was neither angry nor offended. Instead, he found the scene rather comical.

Zhao Shuyao picked up the soy milk beside him, took a slow sip, and then put it back in its place.

"My fellow students," Zhao Shuyao said in a very calm tone, even with a patient air of academic inquiry, "you just said you belong to the Bordered Blue Banner, right?"

"Yes, is there any doubt about that?" Ebin asked, raising his head.

Zhao Shuyao sighed and shook his head.

"There's something I'm puzzled about." Zhao Shuyao looked at them, the corners of his mouth slowly turning upwards. "If the people sitting here today asking me to apologize were descendants of the Plain Yellow Banner or the Bordered Yellow Banner, I could understand to some extent."

"After all, their ancestors lived a life of luxury alongside the emperor, reaping the greatest benefits. What are you, the least favored and lowest-ranking Bannermen, doing here trying to pick a fight with me?"

Upon hearing this, E Bin and Tong Da on the other side were stunned.

They thought Zhao Shuyao would try to argue his way out and use historical records to refute their claim that he hadn't slandered them, but they never expected that Zhao Shuyao would directly target their "banner affiliation".

"What do you mean?" Tong Da's face darkened. "Why are we, the Bordered Blue Banner, disliked? We are one of the original Eight Banners established by Nurhaci, and we have made great contributions in battle. Stop trying to sow discord here!"

Zhao Shuyao looked at the two of them as if they were idiots, and the mockery in his eyes could no longer be concealed.

This is the most typical example of blind self-congratulation. They don't even know what their ancestors went through, but just because they have the title of "Manchu" above their heads, they can't wait to charge into battle for their masters.

"Gentlemen, I see you don't understand your Bordered Blue Banner at all." Zhao Shuyao leaned forward, crossed his hands on the table, and fully entered teaching mode.

"Since you want to talk about war achievements and honors, then let's go back in time with your family tree." Zhao Shuyao's voice was calm, but every word hit the nail on the head. "When the Taizu established the Eight Banners, who was the first banner leader of the Bordered Blue Banner? It was Amin."

"What happened to Amin later?" Zhao Shuyao didn't wait for their answer and gave the answer directly, "Huang Taiji thought he had too much power, so he found an excuse to strip him of his title and imprison him. He died in prison. From that time on, the Bordered Blue Banner became a thorn in the emperor's side."

Ebin opened his mouth, wanting to interject: "That's a power struggle at the top, what does it have to do with ordinary people in the banner..."

"How can it be alright?" Zhao Shuyao interrupted him directly. "After Amin fell from power, Jirgalang took over the Bordered Blue Banner. He barely survived until Huang Taiji died, and then during the Shunzhi reign, he encountered Dorgon as regent."

"Dorgon was from the Plain White Banner. How did he treat you from the Bordered Blue Banner? He suppressed and purged you like crazy. Your Niru (military units) of the Bordered Blue Banner were dismantled, and your pastures and lands were forcibly annexed by other banners."

Zhao Shuyao extended a finger and tapped it lightly on the table.

"In the early decades of the Qing Dynasty, your Bordered Blue Banner was firmly ranked last in the Eight Banners hierarchy." Zhao Shuyao stared intently at the two young men in front of him.

"The upper three banners eat meat, the lower five banners drink soup, but you Bordered Blue Banners don't even get a few mouthfuls of water to wash dishes. Every time there is a battle, the Bordered Blue Banners are the ones who rush to the front as cannon fodder; when it comes to rewards, the Bordered Blue Banners are the ones who get the most remote and barren land."

Zhao Shuyao spoke faster and faster, each word piercing the heart.

"In the capital at that time, a bondservant of the Upper Three Banners, that is, a servant who served tea and water to the emperor, could point at your nose and curse you ordinary bannermen of the Bordered Blue Banner when you walked on the street. Your ancestors not only suffered from the exploitation of the imperial class, but also from the collective oppression of the other seven banners."

Zhao Shuyao paused for a moment, allowing the information to ferment in their minds.

Seeing E Bin's slightly trembling lips, Zhao Shuyao delivered the final, fatal blow.

"So, I really can't understand it." Zhao Shuyao spread his hands, looking at them with a face full of doubt. "Your ancestors were suppressed by the highest rulers of the Qing Dynasty for hundreds of years, and were exploited as victims of political struggles for hundreds of years."

"Now, I stand up and criticize the emperor and system that exploited your ancestors." Zhao Shuyao leaned back, his eyes filled with a profound sense of absurdity. "Not only do you not reflect on this history, but you also feel that you have been wronged, and you come here to denounce me on behalf of the masters who bullied your ancestors?"

"What kind of psychological miracle is this? Has Stockholm syndrome, spanning three hundred years, manifested in you?"

The surroundings were unusually quiet. Several students at the next table, who were eating fried dough sticks, even forgot to eat and listened attentively to the entire science lecture.

Tong Da's cheeks flushed red, and his eyes behind his glasses were filled with astonishment and panic. The family education he received since childhood only told him that his ancestors were from the Manchu bannermen and were people of status.

But no one ever told him that beneath this identity lay such a humble and humiliating historical truth.

He wanted to refute it, desperately searching his mind for Qing Dynasty historical terms he had learned, only to find that he knew absolutely nothing about the specific power struggles within the Bordered Blue Banner.

Ebin's chest heaved violently. He clenched his fists tightly, and after a long pause, he managed to squeeze out a sentence: "You...you're taking things out of context. No matter what, we are also members of the Eight Banners..."

"Yes, you are indeed one of them." Zhao Shuyao ruthlessly interrupted his last shred of dignity, "but please don't package your slaves' blind obedience to their masters as some noble sense of family honor."

Zhao Shuyao stood up, reached for his phone on the table, and put it in his pocket.

Looking down at the two young men who had completely lost their arrogance.

"We are all cultured people who have received higher education. If you want to debate with someone, you should first find out your own background." Zhao Shuyao picked up the plate that had been cleaned.

"If you really want me to apologize, go back and read more of your county annals and daily records, and see how your ancestors knelt and begged for survival in the cracks. After you understand the history of your ancestors, if you still have the face to sit here and ask me to apologize, then we can talk slowly."

After saying that, Zhao Shuyao didn't look at them again, picked up his plate, and turned to walk towards the dish recycling area.

Tong Da and E Bin were left facing an empty table, the mocking words "not even as good as a bondservant" still echoing in their ears, and their backs hunched over completely.