He changed Tiwat

Han Fulai's face once again revealed that familiar smile.

Just as he had told Anaye and the others, Sharif was merely following orders; the one who truly wanted to obstruct the "Flora Festival" and dismantle the "Zubair Theater" was someone else.

His target was never Sharif.

He wanted to hold this "hearing" to publicly reveal the difference in the attitudes of the Church towards the two generations of Grass Gods. One of his purposes was to force the Great Sage Azar out from behind the scenes and make the conflict public.

The second objective was to attract a sufficiently influential "audience" to the "hearing," since the entire "hearing" was the "evidence" he wanted to present to that "audience."

Making things public is for the purpose of "putting things on the scale".

Since we're going to use a scale, we should use the largest one in Mount Sumeru!

Chapter 51 Experts in Manipulating the Rules

Saidaf's expression was very solemn.

He had just confirmed the "Art Prohibitions" stored in the "Canned Knowledge," and Sharif was not lying; it was indeed an order from the Council of the Church.

Saeedal had worked with Hazard for many years and was quite familiar with Hazard's tone—the repeated references to "the nation of reason" and "true wisdom" in the ban were undoubtedly Hazard's work.

The content of the ban also reflects the Church's consistent stance on "art":

In his ban, Azhar prohibited large-scale song and dance performances and gatherings in Sumeru City, stating that vulgar artistic performances tarnished the honor of the "Land of Wisdom." He also claimed that large-scale private gatherings could easily lead to group conflicts and safety incidents, citing several cases of such incidents, all of which were legally and logically sound, and indeed, there was nothing wrong with the ban on paper alone.

The only question is, why did Hazard suddenly issue this "art ban"?

Ordinary people might just think the Instructions Council is being arrogant when they see this ban, but they wouldn't think there's anything unusual about it... After all, which government doesn't have a few special bans?

Compared to the bans in Fontaine, a "rule-of-law country"—such as "banning the naming of domestic animals 'Furina'" and "banning the consumption of ketchup alone in canteens and restaurants"—Hazard's ban is quite reasonable. At least he won't arrest all the people singing and dancing and lock them up in Melo Petersburg.

People can sing and dance at home, and the Church of England won't interfere; it just doesn't allow performances like those at the Zubair Theatre.

Strictly speaking, this ban will not have a significant impact on the general public in Sumeru. Sumeru has always been known as a "city of scholars," where people admire knowledge and wisdom, and have a long-standing tradition of regarding song and dance performances as vulgar entertainment. Mainstream public opinion should also support this ban.

As for whether the Zuber Troupe, and the desert dancers who roam the Grand Bazaar and the port area, would lose their livelihoods as a result, that was not within the scope of the Council of Religious Affairs' consideration. Rather, most scholars would applaud the possibility of using this ban to drive those unintelligent "low-end population" out of Sumeru City.

But in the eyes of the scholar Sadaf, the ban came too suddenly... or rather, it was too "targeted"!

The only place in Sumeru City with large-scale song and dance performances and gatherings is the Grand Bazaar, and the only "large-scale folk gathering" is the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival".

Moreover, the ban was issued just a few days before the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival," clearly indicating that it was prohibiting the people of the Grand Bazaar from holding the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival"!

The "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" is a celebration of the birth of the Little Lucky Grass King. The fact that the Dowager Monastery prohibits the holding of the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival" by the common people speaks volumes about its attitude.

—In Han Fulai’s previous words, the official teaching council is “using the Great Tree King to negate the Little Lucky Grass King.”

For the senior scholars of the Council of Education, this was actually an open secret and nothing to be surprised about.

As is widely known, the Little Auspicious Grass King, who resides in the Pure Goodness Palace, has never appeared to govern in the past five hundred years.

Although the scholars of the Order of the Church always refer to the "Lord of Wisdom," the true "master" of Sumeru who holds real power has been the Great Sage who has been leading the Order of the Church for hundreds of years, not the Grass God who lives in a corner that no one cares about.

The Church has been deliberately downplaying the presence of the Little Lucky Grass King for quite some time now. In Saidaf's memory, the Church has always been perfunctory in its attitude toward the "Flower Goddess's Birthday Festival." It has never taken the initiative to organize it. Instead, it would just allocate a small amount of money to beggars after people applied for it, and let those who wanted to celebrate entertain themselves for a few days.

However, on the surface, the ruler of Sumeru is still the "God of Wisdom," Little Auspicious Grass King, and no one would deny that.

The Order of the Order can downplay the presence of the Grass God, or even completely ignore the existence of the Little Lucky Grass King. That's the truth, but you can't say it like that.

Hazard's ban is nominally still "prohibiting private gatherings to prevent security incidents," not "prohibiting the celebration of the Little Lucky Grass King's birthday."

Just like how Liyue's Jade Capital Terrace doesn't allow tourists to throw offerings into the lotus pond, does that mean people aren't allowed to worship the Geo Archon? Of course, it's to prevent people from wasting food and polluting the environment!

However, even with Hazard's attempts at pretense, the "targeting" of the ban was still far too obvious.

Those with ulterior motives, such as him and Han Fulai, could easily seize upon this ban as evidence to attack Hazard for disrespecting the grass god and blaspheming the gods.

Moreover, this is not just a matter of "labeling." The fifth of the six root sins of the Church—"fearing God but not performing acts of dedication"—is exactly what Hazard did!

Saadafi didn't know why Hazard was so eager to ban this year's Flora Festival, but for him, it was a golden opportunity.

This is a piece of evidence that fell from the sky!

The veins on Saidafi's thin hand were even showing from the force he exerted.

He gripped the "canned knowledge" containing a copy of the ban tightly and said solemnly, "I have confirmed the contents of the ban. Just as the Instructor Sharif said, his basis for closing the Zubair Theatre comes from this 'art ban' of the Great Sage Azhar."

These words immediately caused a stir in the audience, with many people exchanging bewildered glances—if that "art ban" was truly the order of a great sage, wouldn't there be no room for discussion at all? Not only would the Zubair Theater be demolished, but many people standing there would also lose their jobs!

Besides the performers who are engaged in singing and dancing, the Grand Bazaar is also home to many vendors in related industries, such as artisans who make costumes for dancers, music shops that make musical instruments, merchants who sell theatrical dolls, snake charmers who perform tricks, and shops that sell specialty perfumes and spices. Many people's livelihoods are closely related to artistic performances.

With this ban in place, what's the point of all this "debating"? Everyone should just pack their bags and find their own way to make a living!

Just as everyone was filled with anxiety, Han Fulai's voice rang out again: "Mr. Saidaf, I would like to ask if the ban mentions any orders to 'close down or demolish the Zubair Theater'?"

Saidaf was slightly taken aback upon hearing this, but quickly recovered and replied with a smile, "No."

Han Fulai then turned to Sharif: "Mr. Sharif, you just said that you were carrying out the administrative order of the Council of Religious Affairs, but the ban does not contain anything related to the Zuber Theater."

"According to the administrative procedures you yourself have stated before, all administrative orders must be delivered to the implementing party in both written and oral form, and must be publicized in advance."

"The ban did not include any order to close and demolish the Zubair Theatre, nor did the Zubair Theatre receive any official notification of the 'arts ban.' From this perspective, closing the Zubair Theatre violated due process and was a breach of the rules. Therefore, the administrative order to close the Zubair Theatre is invalid!"

His voice drowned out all the commotion in the audience, and like a stabilizing force, instantly calmed the public's unease.

All eyes were on the stage.

Sharif still tried to argue: "...rules also have special applications, which are supported by past relevant cases. The formal order to close the Zubair Theatre can be issued retroactively by the Vatican, which does not affect the effectiveness of the administrative order."

Han Fulai smiled slightly: "So you're saying that you 'haven't received any 'official orders' to close the Zubair Theater ahead of schedule, and that it was your 'personal judgment,' right?"

Shariputra was speechless.

He believed that the "official order" would be issued soon, at most a couple of days earlier or later. Since the Great Sage had given him the order directly through the "Void Terminal," it naturally represented the decision of the Order Council. However, Han Fulai was right; the Great Sage's verbal notification did not have legal effect, and his actions, strictly speaking, did indeed violate administrative procedures.

Although such things are very common within the Order of the Instruction system, the instructors believe that a violation of the rules is a violation of the rules, and if the other party uses the "rules" that they regard as the gold standard to argue, they have nothing to say.

Saidaf loudly proclaimed his verdict: "As of now, the official order from the Vatican to close the Zubair Theatre has not been issued. In other words, Vatican Sergei Sharif's premature commencement of the closure process was indeed premature. This court finds that Vatican Sergei Sharif violated procedural due process, and the administrative order to close the theatre is invalid!"

With a smile on his face, Han Fulai opened his arms to the audience and gave a grand finale, which was met with thunderous cheers.

The instructors are merely "academic bureaucrats," and the Instruction Academy is just an "academic clique." But our Secretary Yuehaiting is a professional bureaucrat!

When it comes to manipulating the rules, we're the experts!

Chapter Fifty-Two: The Gentleman's Noble Character

The defeated Sharif walked off the stage expressionlessly.

This was the first time in his life that he had lost a "debate," but surprisingly, he didn't feel any resentment.

He was filled with an inexplicable sense of weariness, as if he had just finished a very difficult task, or failed to finish a task within the stipulated time... But now that things had come to this, it seemed that whether the task was completed or not was irrelevant.

He was simply relieved that his work was over.

Two of the thirty mercenaries guarding him went to meet him, presumably to protect him as he left, but Sharif waved them off.

He knew that no one would care about him, this "loser".

The same is true.

Those who had previously wanted to grab him and beat him up now paid no attention to Sharif, who was now just a figurehead. Everyone was celebrating this triumphant victory—the representative of the Grand Bazaar had defeated the representative of the Vatican!

Even a "temporary victory" is enough for the people in the Grand Bazaar to open a few more bottles of wine and hold a few celebration banquets that night.

Occasionally, a few people would wink or make sarcastic remarks at Sharif, or even perform a street dance in front of him to provoke him, but Sharif simply ignored them and continued on his way with his head down.

It wasn't until Nilu and the others, along with Anaye, stopped him.

"Father. I... have a few words I want to say to you."

The sound of his daughter's voice finally made Sharif raise his head.

In Anaye's eyes, her father had never looked so dejected as he did today, nor had he ever waited for her so quietly, listening attentively to her thoughts.

She hesitated for a moment before speaking, "I've been reflecting on this for a while. But it's not about reflecting on what was wrong with running away from home; it's that I've finally realized that my confrontational attitude was meaningless."

“I’ve always wanted your approval, but I always disappoint you. My running away from home was just a way of venting my frustrations. In other words, I was pressuring you to give up your high expectations of me.”

She paused, looked into Sharif's eyes, and asked softly, "...But then, how is what I'm doing any different from what you're doing?"

"Anaye, well said!" Little Paimon cheered Anaye on from the side.

They all knew that Anaye had a lot to say to her father, but when the time came, she was too afraid to face Sharif. If it weren't for Nilu and the others forcibly dragging Anaye away and stopping Sharif, the father and daughter might never have been able to open up to each other.

However, Anaye also inherited Sharif's stubborn character; once she made up her mind to do something, she would do her best to do it well.

Ying looked at Anaye with a gratified expression.

Before Anaye came to see Sharif, this "strategist" had actually given Anaye quite a few ideas, such as scolding Sharif—

"What's the point of having such high expectations of me? If you become a sage or a saint, would I still need to study so hard every day? Would I still need to worry about my future? It's all because you didn't work hard when you were young!"

...Unfortunately, Anaye doesn't seem to have adopted it.

Well, it's fine as it is now.

Sharif remained silent.

Anaye shook her head: "I won't impose my expectations on you anymore. I've found the life I've always wanted at the Zubair Theatre. I will move on from the family conflict and strive for my new goals."

"If you're willing to destroy this place at all costs, I will fight you to the very end alongside my comrades here; even if the enemy is the Order of the Church, we will still fight them to the very end!"

Sharif gazed at his daughter.

As Anaye spoke these words, his eyes shone with a light he had never seen before—a passion for life, an expectation for the future, and a dream of a better life. These were the same edges that had once appeared in his younger eyes, but which had long been smoothed out by the years.

Sharif's gaze left his daughter and swept over the people around her, one by one.

Nilu, Zubair, Ying, Paimon... and other troupe members whose names he couldn't recall.

He used to disdain getting to know these people, but now he regrets it a little.

He finally spoke: "...Are they all your friends now?"

Before Anaye could answer, Zuber interrupted, "Shouldn't you be asking us that question?"

Paimon and Ying simultaneously puffed out their chests and raised their heads: "Of course!"

"We're already good friends with Anaye!"

The troupe members all smiled and said, "Isn't that obvious?"

"We've been family for a long time."

Nilu gently put her arm around Anaye's shoulder and said solemnly, "Without a doubt. Once you join the 'Zubair Troupe,' you're one of us, and we'll always be by her side!"

Sharif's lips twitched, as if he wanted to laugh... but he seemed to have forgotten how to laugh, and it could only be described as "facial muscle twitching": "Hmph, naive, simple-minded, but... it actually made me feel relieved."

“I never understood what kind of magic the theater possessed that could make Anaye abandon the Church of God, this sacred place of wisdom… but now I think I understand a little. Anaye being here isn’t so bad…”

"so……"

He turned to Zubair and bowed silently: "Anaye has been well taken care of by you all these years. As a father, I am very grateful. Thank you."

"This is something I shouldn't say as a religious leader, but as a father, I want to remind you all—the 'art ban' will be officially issued soon, and you don't have much time. If you want to stop the demise of the Zubair Theatre, you can only take advantage of this time to contact a few influential scholars and ask them to initiate a discussion with the Religious Council about the censorship system for artistic performances."

"As for what the outcome will be, I can't be sure, but this is probably the only way... to save this theater. It's my daughter's home now, and I don't want to see it disappear."

An untimely large hand landed on Sharif's shoulder, followed by a very irritating voice: "Hey, old Deng, if you lost, just tuck your tail between your legs and leave. What are you pretending to be a good guy for? The Zubair Theater is now my 'River Dragon's' territory. It's none of your business. You should be thinking about whether you'll be expelled from the Faculty by that Great Sage of the Faculty because you lost too badly, hahahaha."

Sharif's face really started twitching now.

Unfortunately, it seems that Sharif can never finish his sentence when facing this "Liyue River Dragon".

Mr. Seidaf, who had come with his "group of thirty" mercenaries, nodded slightly, and two mercenaries put their arms around Sharif's shoulders.

“Sir Sharif, in view of your violation of administrative procedures and premature closure of the Zubair Theater, I will appeal your misconduct to the Papacy as a hearing adjudicator. Please cooperate with my investigation.”

Han Fulai clasped his hands in a fist salute to Saidaf: "Mr. Saidaf is a man of great virtue!"

Saidaf exchanged a silent glance with him.

The impeachment of Sherif was a request that Han Fulai secretly made to him after the match.

As for why—it was naturally to save this upright instructor from the vortex of power.

It's better to suspend Sharif for a period of time for investigation due to his misbehavior at this hearing than to watch him be crushed to pieces by the aftermath of the ensuing power struggle.

Saidaf gave Han Fulai a slight bow, silently replying in his heart, "Mr. Han is truly virtuous."

Requesting three days off

I was very busy recently, preparing documents for the military parade and writing updates. I was exhausted every day and barely had time to play games. I finally got through this busy period and logged into the game to find that version 6.0 was coming soon. I still had a lot of unfinished tasks and unclaimed treasure chests.

I'm taking three days off to prepare for my match against Lauma!

Updates will resume on September 4th. That's all.