Echoes of My Heart Throughout the Court-Chapter 331: The More You Deny, the Guiltier You Seem New

Tong Xin was focused on the Crown Prince.

The officials of the Great Xia were focused on Xu Yanmiao.

The onlookers were gossiping about Master Zhu while also watching the disciples of the Hundred Schools gang up on Mencius’ descendants.

No one cared about Zhu Bailu, who had initiated the debate in the first place.

Zhu Bailu stood alone in the middle of the arena. He glanced around at the cold, empty space surrounding him, then looked at Xu Yanmiao, who was completely encircled by admirers, practically being worshipped like the moon among the stars. His old face burned with humiliation.

Then, noticing that the emperor was still standing alone at the edge of the venue (Jinyiwei: Are we invisible?), Zhu Bailu’s eyes lit up. He hurried over and bowed. “Your Majesty?”

The emperor was absentminded. “Mm…”

His ears, however, were fully tuned in to Xu Yanmiao’s discussion.

[Did Master Zhu get his daughter-in-law pregnant? Of course not! How did the rumors get so outrageous?]

The old emperor nibbled on melon seeds, still able to spare a thought: Probably because there’s no Bai Ze.

The Jinyiwei commander glanced at Zhu Bailu, whose face had turned deathly pale from being ignored by the emperor, and clicked his tongue twice.

That’s all it takes to break you? Meanwhile, that official who collapsed a whole floor with his concubine still goes to work at the Ministry of War every day like nothing happened. If this is all you can take, you’re not cut out for court politics!

[Even Master Zhu’s political enemies only accused him of poor family discipline, implying that his daughter-in-law’s pregnancy was questionable. But you people have escalated it to claiming Master Zhu himself slept with her? This… This is worse than his political foes!]

[Oh? And among those spreading and believing this rumor are Master Zhu’s own disciples and descendants!]

What?! Even his own people were involved?!

The Jinyiwei commander instantly lost all interest in Zhu Bailu.

Other than ensuring the emperor’s safety, nothing was more important than gossip! Who’s Zhu Bailu? Never heard of him!

Zhu Bailu himself had no idea what was happening. Gritting his teeth, he forced himself to speak again. “Your Majesty, this humble servant, Zhu Bailu, pays his respects—”

The old emperor, annoyed at being interrupted, waved a hand dismissively. “What respects? I don’t want to see you right now!”

Zhu Bailu’s face turned even paler.

He replayed the emperor’s words over and over in his mind, analyzing every syllable and every pause.

His complexion grew more ashen, his posture more defeated. Glancing at the crowd gathered around Xu Yanmiao, he raised his sleeve to cover his face and quickly left.

Resigning. I’m resigning.

How could I possibly show my face in the court after this?

Still, he couldn’t help but glance back, hoping someone had noticed his departure.

“……”

Not a single person looked his way.

Not a single person turned around.

They were all focused on Xu Yanmiao!

What kind of spell has Xu Yanmiao cast on these people?! How can he be so captivating?! He’s just clearing Master Zhu’s name—do these people actually care whether Master Zhu was wrongly accused?!

Zhu Bailu couldn’t understand it at all.

Just as he couldn’t hear Xu Yanmiao’s thoughts.

[I know they mean well, but every time someone brings up Master Zhu’s moral character, before they even specify the accusations, his defenders immediately declare: “Master Zhu definitely didn’t sleep with his daughter-in-law!”]

[Master Zhu must be so grateful to you all. Hardly anyone knew about this before.]

[Isn’t this the classic case of ‘The more you deny, the guiltier you seem’?]

“……”

The Jinyiwei commander clenched his fist tightly.

He must not laugh. He must not laugh!

He was Jinyiwei, responsible for the emperor’s and crown prince’s safety. He had to stand like a weapon at their side. And weapons do not suddenly burst into laughter!

But damn, this whole Master Zhu situation is just too funny!

Who would have thought that the evolution and spread of these rumors were thanks to his oh-so-loyal disciples and descendants?

The Jinyiwei commander fought to suppress his laughter and scanned the surroundings.

Huh? Where did that Zhu-something-Liu go?

Never mind. Not important.

Better focus on what little Bai Ze is going to say next.

Xu Yanmiao glanced at the gossip system and answered the three questions with unwavering certainty—

“False.”

“False.”

“False.”

Someone asked him, “How can you be so sure it’s false?”

Xu Yanmiao replied, “After his son, Zhu Shu, passed away, Master Zhu was devastated. Since Jianyang’s Koting Academy was a place his son loved dearly, he moved there to live. Meanwhile, his daughter-in-law did not remarry and instead took his grandson back to their ancestral home in Wuyuan, Jiangxi. From Jianyang to Wuyuan… it’s a distance of 500 to 600 li. How exactly would they have had a convenient affair?”

The person hesitated before suggesting, “Well… maybe it happened before his son died…”

Xu Yanmiao explained, “Zhu Shu had a mischievous and unruly nature. Master Zhu, worried he wouldn’t be able to discipline him properly, sent him to study under Lü Zuqian in Jinhua County, Wuzhou, just a year after his coming-of-age ceremony. He stayed there for three to four years before getting married, and then, four years later, he passed away. In total, he was only married for four years, during which he returned home just once—for the imperial exams. He even died in Wuzhou. So when would Master Zhu have found the time to have an affair with his daughter-in-law and even get her pregnant?”

[What, did he just get lucky with a single shot?]

[Over fifty years old, yet still as vigorous as ever? A one-shot miracle?]

[If you insist on this theory… well, that’s just plain disrespectful.]

The officials of Great Xia were struggling to suppress their laughter.

The person asking the questions couldn’t hear Xu Yanmiao’s thoughts but was still choked up by his words. After a long pause, they stubbornly asked, “How do you even know all this?”

Before Xu Yanmiao could answer, an official abruptly spoke up, “It’s recorded in the Royal Archives.”

—He was willing to risk everything to keep the imperial ancestors out of this mess.

“How many times did Master Zhu see his daughter-in-law after his son’s marriage…”

“It’s recorded in the Royal Archives.”

“After his daughter-in-law returned to the Zhu family’s ancestral home, the two never met again…”

“It’s recorded in the Royal Archives.”

“Did Master Zhu ever meet his daughter-in-law before she was married… Wait, actually, you don’t need to answer that!”

Even the person asking the questions realized they had crossed a line. Quickly, they changed the topic. “Then… what about the famous courtesan incident—”

“The rumor claims that when Master Zhu was accused of misconduct with a courtesan, the one who brutally tortured her for information was Yue Lin, the Judicial Commissioner of Zhejiang East at the time. But…” Xu Yanmiao’s expression turned odd. “Yue Lin… wasn’t even serving as the Judicial Commissioner of Zhejiang East during that period.”

As he spoke, he casually recited the full list of officials who actually held that position at the time.

The questioner was stunned. “That’s also…”

A second official chimed in, “That’s right! That’s also recorded in the Royal Archives!”

“Hiss—”

The crowd collectively sucked in a breath.

The 𝘮ost uptodat𝑒 novels are pub𝙡ished on freeweɓnovēl.coɱ.

The Royal Archives! Terrifying!

Some people quietly took a few steps back, hoping to avoid drawing attention to themselves—what if their own personal affairs were also documented in the archives?

This was horrifying!

As for the emperor himself—“…Ahem.”

Yes, the Royal Archives were that powerful! Just like how the Jinyiwei were truly everywhere, capable of monitoring the entire empire.

Speaking of which… where were the Jinyiwei responsible for fabricating evidence? Had they finished yet? Otherwise, if they ever needed to present the records but couldn’t… wouldn’t that be embarrassing?

Meanwhile, the Jinyiwei were galloping back at full speed, racing to forge the documents.

Xu Yanmiao coughed and asked, “Now, does anyone still want to prove whether Master Zhu did anything?”

The entire venue fell silent.

After a moment of thought, Xu Yanmiao added, “Master Cheng will do as well. Although they didn’t take in nuns or commit adultery with their daughters-in-law, there are still some rumors…”

“No, no, no! That won’t be necessary!”

At least half the people looked utterly dejected, not daring to lift their heads.

Some couldn’t help but sneak glances at Xu Yanmiao, their eyes filled with admiration.

This… this is truly the legendary Xu the Omniscient… his knowledge really is boundless!

But, as always, someone refused to back down and jumped out to challenge him. “You’re speaking with such enthusiasm—this is disrespectful to the sages!”

Xu Yanmiao responded politely, “Oh no, not at all. I merely learned from the sages themselves.”

The person choked. “What?”

The young man smiled. “Master Zhu once said that Confucius’ teachings are useless.”

So, he was simply taking a minor interest in the sages’ gossip—surely that wasn’t too much?

“You’re spouting nonsense—”

“It’s true. If you don’t believe me, check Collected Sayings of Master Zhu (Zhuzi Yulei).”

The onlookers were visibly shaken, their pupils dilating in shock.

The questioner looked just as if their entire worldview had collapsed.

Master Zhu… so this is who you really were!

Nearby, Tong Xin clutched his bag of spicy dried beef, both arms trembling.

Quan Yizhang glanced at him, pulled him aside, and asked in a hushed voice, “What’s wrong?”

Tong Xin struggled to hold back his laughter. “Your young friend… he’s too amusing.”

Quan Yizhang considered for a moment. “He’s lying?”

“No.” Tong Xin finally suppressed his laughter, straightened up, though his eyes still twinkled with amusement. “He’s telling the truth… but he’s absolutely taking advantage of the fact that none of these people have read Collected Sayings of Master Zhu in its entirety.”

Quan Yizhang grew curious. “How so?”

The great scholar Tong Xin cheerfully explained, “Master Zhu’s exact words were: ‘If we were to return to the era of feudal aristocrats, even the greatest sages would have no place to use their talents. Don’t believe me? Look at the Spring and Autumn Period—what use did Confucius’ teachings have back then?’”

Quan Yizhang’s eyes widened.

Then…

“Hahahahahaha—!”

The crowd turned back, bewildered. They stared at Quan Yizhang in confusion, unable to understand why Lord Quan was suddenly laughing so hard.

“Ahem.” Former Prime Minister Dou cleared his throat. “This debate has concluded. Young Master Xu concedes defeat, and Master Zhu is declared the winner. Does anyone have any objections?”

No one objected.

But no one cheered either.

Now that they had been reminded, the crowd turned their resentment elsewhere, angrily scanning for Zhu Bailu.

If it weren’t for him, this debate wouldn’t have even happened!

Former Prime Minister Dou watched with a satisfied smile as their hostility shifted away from Xu Yanmiao, silently taking credit while remaining unnoticed.

Meanwhile, Xu Yanmiao discreetly attempted to leave the academy.

Just as he was about to step out, Quan Yizhang grabbed him. “Xu brat! Are you really not going to join the Classical Prose School? You have incredible potential!”

Tong Xin, standing nearby, curiously examined this so-called Xu the Omniscient.

—It was his first time seeing his friend practically begging someone to join their school of thought.

Xu Yanmiao blinked and firmly shook his head. “No, thank you for your kindness, Lord Quan.”

Quan Yizhang attempted to tempt him. “Are you sure? If you join, I can teach you the ultimate debate technique.”

[That… does sound a little tempting.]

Quan Yizhang: Got him!

[But no way! No one is dragging me back to senior year of high school!]

Nooo!

Quan Yizhang panicked.

What even is ‘senior year’?!

If ‘senior year’ has the guts, it should come out and face me! My twin iron canes aren’t just for show!

“Just listen first! Hear me out, and then we’ll talk!”

Xu Yanmiao’s eyes lit up, and he immediately stood at attention. “Please, Lord Quan, go ahead.”

Quan Yizhang cleared his throat. “It’s actually quite simple. If you want to win a debate as quickly as possible, all you have to do is say something that your opponent can’t refute.”

[For example?]

Quan Yizhang: “For example… roughly a thousand years ago, there was a famous debate between the Huang-Lao Daoists and the Confucians. The topic was whether King Tang and King Wu acted under the Mandate of Heaven or if they were simply ministers who overthrew their ruler.”

“Mhm, mhm!”

“The Huang-Lao Daoists argued that Tang and Wu did not act under the Mandate of Heaven; they committed regicide. The Confucians, on the other hand, claimed that Tang and Wu were righteous rulers who punished tyrants, thus fulfilling the Mandate of Heaven.”

“Mhm, mhm!”

“At first, the debate was fierce. Neither side could defeat the other.”

“Mhm, mhm!”

“Then, the Huang-Lao scholar declared: ‘A ruler is a ruler, and a minister is a minister. The hierarchy between them cannot be disrupted. Even if Jie and Zhou were tyrants, they were still kings. Even if Tang and Wu were saints, they were still ministers. If a king errs, it is the minister’s duty to correct him—not to overthrow him! What kind of logic justifies regicide?’”

“Mhm, mhm!”

“And then, the Confucian scholar simply asked: ‘So what does that make our current dynasty’s founding emperor, who overthrew the previous regime?’”

Xu Yanmiao choked on his own saliva. “Cough, cough, cough!”

[That’s just… escalating the argument to dangerous heights!]

Quan Yizhang: Oh! So this ‘escalating heights’ thing that Xu keeps muttering in his thoughts… this is what he meant!

Yeah, that’s definitely an escalation.

Quan Yizhang continued, “Now, at the time, the emperor was present at the debate. He had been listening with great interest. But the moment he heard that line, he immediately interrupted, shut down the debate, and smoothed things over, saying, ‘Whether or not Tang and Wu acted under the Mandate of Heaven is too complex to determine. Let’s just leave it at that.’”

Xu Yanmiao nearly crashed like a broken machine. “Wait… you can do that?!”

Quan Yizhang nodded and kindly asked, “Have you learned the technique now?”

Xu Yanmiao also nodded, deep in thought.

[Oh, I get it now! During this debate, I didn’t even need to say all that extra stuff. I could have just said: ‘According to your logic, His Majesty’s mother remarried, his sister remarried, his two daughters have already divorced, and His Majesty is quite enthusiastic about arranging their remarriages… So, Your Majesty, based on your family’s conduct—including yourself—none of you really adhere to ethical norms!’]

The distant Emperor Tiantong, who had been secretly eavesdropping, suddenly froze.

Even farther away, Zhu Bailu inexplicably felt a chill down his spine.

Hahahaha, that would definitely stop all the debate.

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