The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

Zhu Gaochi was speechless for a moment.

He glanced at the pale-faced scholars and felt a little uneasy.

Damn it, this nephew of mine is so annoying.

Just then, a commotion broke out in the distance.

Zhu Gaochi looked over instinctively and saw Zhu Di and an old monk dressed in black slowly approaching.

Zhu Zhanji quickly stood up, somewhat surprised.

"Grandpa Emperor and Junior Tutor have arrived."

Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao walked slowly into Mingli Square, where people bowed and paid their respects wherever they went.

Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Zhanji, Zhu Gaoxu, and others hurriedly stepped forward. Zhu Gaochi bowed and said, "Why has Your Majesty come here in person? It's windy today, please take care of your health."

Zhu Di waved his hand, his gaze sweeping over the empty platform and the slightly anxious crowd below, and said indifferently, "I heard that Zhanjun has not yet arrived? So I came with the Junior Tutor to see what's going on."

Upon seeing this, Zhu Zhanji immediately stepped forward.

"Grandpa Emperor, you are wise!"

"The conference on the Dao began at dawn, and now it is almost noon, yet the Prince of Jiyang has yet to appear."

"The esteemed scholars, students, and officials below the stage have been sitting for nearly two hours. Many of the elderly gentlemen are quite old and have not eaten or drunk anything. I'm afraid they may not be able to hold on any longer."

"I believe that Brother Zhanjun's actions were not unintentional oversights, but rather a deliberate delay to wear down his opponent's energy and spirit, so that he could gain an advantage when the opponent was exhausted."

"Such behavior is not only dishonest and unethical, but also extremely disrespectful to all scholars present today! I beg Your Majesty to investigate this matter thoroughly!"

Zhu Gaoxu's eyelids twitched upon hearing this.

That nephew of mine is such a tattletale!

Zhu Di and Yao Guangxiao looked at each other in bewilderment.

Given their status, they originally didn't plan to come today.

But then he heard that something was wrong, so he came over to check.

Hearing Zhu Zhanji's words, the two felt a mix of emotions.

Zhu Di remained silent for a while.

"Putting the facts aside, this tactic is pretty good."

Yao Guangxiao clasped his hands together in prayer.

"indeed."

Zhu Zhanji: "..."

I almost forgot, both of them are cunning old foxes.

No, is that right?

Can we ignore the facts?

Zhu Gaochi's lips twitched as well.

Zhu Gaoxu chuckled.

"What Father says is very true."

Zhu Di coughed lightly.

"However, waiting like this isn't a good idea."

"Send men to find out where the Prince of Jiyang is."

Zhu Zhanji then cupped his hands in greeting.

"Yes, Grandfather."

Just then, an even greater commotion arose, even more so than when Zhu Di had just appeared.

Zhu Di, Yao Guangxiao, Zhu Gaochi, Zhu Gaoxu, and Zhu Zhanji all looked in the direction of the sound and saw a crowd parting like a tide to create a path in the distance.

A boy dressed in a tight-fitting outfit walked slowly, followed by several servants. The servants carried some strange objects in their hands, the most eye-catching of which was a large kite.

The visitor was none other than Zhu Zhanjun.

Upon seeing Zhu Zhanjun, the scholars who had been waiting for a long time disregarded their decorum and craned their necks to look on.

Damn it, if it weren't for the fact that this Prince Jiyang is a member of the royal family, they would really want to curse this little brat's ancestors for eighteen generations.

These old men almost fainted from exhaustion.

Many of them stood up, seeing stars, and would have fainted if they hadn't been supported by their disciples.

Zhu Zhanjun saw countless people staring at him, many of whom had eyes that seemed to be spitting fire.

He seemed quite content, as if he couldn't see the resentment of the crowd, and waved his hand.

"Thank you for your hard work, everyone."

[Ding! Silver Treasure Chest obtained!] x20

Everyone: "..."

After a while.

Zhu Zhanjun walked up to Zhu Di and bowed.

"Grandson greets His Majesty."

Zhu Di stroked his beard, somewhat amused and exasperated.

"Zhanjun, why are you only coming on now?"

"Although this old man's tactics are not bad."

"However, it's not exactly honorable."

Zhu Zhanjun was taken aback, then pursed his lips.

"Grandpa, how am I old?"

"I'm just waiting for the right time."

Zhu Di was somewhat bewildered.

"Waiting for the right time?"

Zhu Zhanji, who was standing next to him, said irritably.

"Third brother, don't talk nonsense at a time like this."

"What are you waiting for? If you keep waiting, it'll start thundering and raining."

"Distinguished scholars from all over the land came upon hearing the news."

"Among them were many renowned Confucian scholars."

"Many more students of the Imperial Academy, as well as some of the most renowned young talents, have come here specifically for this conference."

"Waiting here for you for hours is an insult to the dignity of my royal family."

Zhu Zhanjun blinked.

"Brother, aren't you tired of babbling on and on?"

Zhu Zhanji's eyelids twitched, and he took a deep breath.

"What's tiring?"

Zhu Zhanjun touched his chin.

"Aren't long and complex sentences, in a way, a form of language rebuking yourself?"

"So, aren't you tired?"

[Ding! You have obtained a golden treasure chest!]

Zhu Zhanji: "!!!"

You little rascal, what nonsense are you spouting?

Zhu Di, Yao Guangxiao, Zhu Gaochi, and Zhu Gaoxu, who were standing nearby, were stunned.

Zhu Di couldn't help but growl at Zhu Gaoxu.

"You son of a bitch, you better stay away from kids from now on."

Zhu Gaoxu: "???"

Zhu Zhanjun glanced at the crowd not far away, ignoring their displeased old faces, and pondered.

"There are quite a few people here today."

Yao Guangxiao coughed lightly.

"Your Highness, today's Mingli Square is a gathering of wise men and women, young and old alike. It would not be an exaggeration to say that it has brought together half of the best scholars of our time."

"Among those white-haired scholars, the one dressed in a dark gray Taoist robe with a solemn face is Mr. Cao Duan of Mianchi Yuechuan. His studies are deeply rooted in the Taiji and Tongshu, and he advocates that 'principle is the master of qi.' Many scholars in the north follow his teachings, and his school is very popular."

"Another person who was simple in clothes and had a free and easy temperament was Chen Xianzhang from Lingnan. He advocated 'quiet sitting and purifying the mind' and 'learning by self-attainment,' which gradually became a new trend in Jiangnan. Although the talents under his tutelage were still young, they already showed a style that was very different from the old learning."

Yao Guangxiao paused slightly, then shifted his gaze to the other side: "Those people next to me are also pillars of their respective schools of thought. The one with a dignified face and piercing eyes is Hu Juren, a distinguished student of Mr. Chongren Wu Kangzhai. He strongly advocated 'reverence and investigation of principles,' and was extremely strict in his adherence to these principles, having a profound influence in Jiangxi."

"A little further away is Mr. Lou Liang, the founder of the Yugan School. His school advocated 'the unity of mind and principle' and emphasized 'cultivating clues in stillness.' He had many talented students, and his teachings also resonated here."

"And those people sitting upright under the east shed, with their dignified bearing, are the disciples of Confucius."

"The ten-year-old boy at the head of the group is none other than the contemporary Duke Yansheng, Kong Yanjin."

"Behind him is Kong E, the leading figure of the younger generation of the Kong family, who will surely become one of the Confucian masters of the world in the future."

"As for the younger generation, they are also a gathering of outstanding talents, and they are all below the stage at this moment, eager to witness Your Highness's way."

Zhu Zhanjun said with a smile.

"In other words, all the great Confucian scholars who were famous throughout the world in the past and the young talents who will be famous throughout the world in the future are here."

"It seems I have no choice but to become a time assassin and crush them all."