Starting with a daily divination to build an immortal clan

Chapter 56 Punishment
He was a refined old man named Cui Wenzhao, a renowned scholar from the Cui family of Lincang, and currently the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial.

Cui Wenzhao was dressed in a moon-white scholar's robe, with a turban on his head, a gold ribbon around his waist, a jade pendant hanging on his right hand, and a gentleman's long sword hanging on his left.

After standing up, he first bowed to the screen on the high platform, and then bowed to Lu Zhiyuan with his hands clasped.

After the ceremony was completed, he slowly and deliberately spoke: "Ritual is about self-discipline. To follow the ritual and act accordingly is the mark of a gentleman."

Lu Zhiyuan sneered.

"How can Cui Sheng be considered a gentleman?"

A hint of embarrassment flashed across Cui Wenzhao's face as he realized that Lu Zhiyuan was alluding to the incident during their debate in Lincang, when he secretly went to the Censorate to report Lu Zhiyuan because he couldn't win the argument.

But since things had come to this, he could only use all his knowledge to defeat Lu Zhiyuan in the court, in front of Emperor Yu and all the scholars of the world, from the perspective of "propriety," so that Lu Zhiyuan would have no chance to turn the tables.

"Whether I am a gentleman or not is for others to judge. Please, Mr. Lu, give your opinion."

Fearing that Lu Zhiyuan would expose what he had done in front of so many people, Cui Wenzhao quickly changed the subject.

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and shook his head, then picked up the teacup in front of him.

"Gentlemen, look at this. If we use this cup as a 'gift' and the tea as 'affection,' but we cling to the shape of the vessel and the tea becomes stagnant, how is that any different from rotten water?"

Cui Wenzhao sneered: "Lu Sheng's words are completely wrong. The Book of Rites clearly states: Men should be capped when they come of age and women should be made to wear hairpins when they come of age. They should restrain themselves and return to propriety. This is the fundamental principle of heaven and earth. If one follows one's nature, how is one different from a wild beast?"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall nodded in agreement.

Clearly, everyone agreed with Cui Wenzhao's statement.

Lu Zhiyuan slowly stood up and looked out of the hall.

"When you arrived earlier, did you notice the two conjoined pine trees in the garden in front of the hall?"

Upon hearing this, everyone looked towards the garden outside the hall and indeed found two enormous ancient pine trees intertwined, a truly peculiar sight.

Lu Zhiyuan continued, "Two trees growing intertwined, can that hinder their ability to reach the sky?"

"Rituals and laws should be like bamboo trellises supporting saplings, not iron chains binding giant trees."

"Lu believes that etiquette is a form of self-cultivation, which begins in the heart and originates from emotions, rather than being outwardly expressed."

As he said this, he looked at Cui Wenzhao with a smile.

The implication is obvious.

Etiquette is a form of self-cultivation. If one's inner cultivation is insufficient and one only pays lip service, that is hypocrisy and not true etiquette.

Upon hearing this, Cui Wenzhao's face flushed red, and he pointed at Lu Zhiyuan with trembling fingers, shouting angrily!

"What nonsense!"

"What nonsense!"

"The principles of propriety and etiquette are standards established by the sages of the past; you are misinterpreting them!"

"Your Majesty, I request that Lu Zhiyuan be punished for his disrespect before the palace!"

Seeing the old man's exasperated look, Shen Wenyan couldn't help but speak up:
"Who is being disrespectful by roaring in front of the palace? The students should be the ones to decide."

Some Confucian scholars and civil and military officials in the hall all looked at Cui Wenzhao with strange expressions. They obviously did not expect that the Director of the Directorate of Ceremonial, who always regarded himself as "knowing the rules" and was known as a model gentleman, would be broken down by a few words.

To make such an impolite act as "roaring in front of the palace".

Ding!
Behind the screen, the bronze bell rang, and everyone stopped talking.

Cui Wenzhao realized his lapse in composure and sat back down in his original seat, his face pale.

"If you ask again, what is it...?"

"Your Majesty, this old minister has something to say."

On the high platform, before the eunuch could finish speaking, an elderly man with white hair slowly stepped out from behind the seven great scholars, cupped his hands, and spoke.

The eunuch glanced at him, then turned and went behind the screen.

moment--

"Sage Xun, please speak."

After receiving permission, the old man cupped his hands in a respectful gesture, then turned to look at Lu Zhiyuan, a hint of apology flashing in his eyes. "I know Songyan is a man of great talent, but a boat sailing in turbulent waters will capsize if it turns too sharply. Does Songyan understand this?"

"Songyan" was Lu Zhiyuan's courtesy name. Using this name to address him represented Xun Zaizhou's respect and recognition of him.

Those present may not have understood Xun Zaizhou's words, but Lu Zhiyuan seemed to be deep in thought.

"Songyan, please listen. In the past, on the streets of Wangcheng, there was a coachman named Zhao Er. He was driving with three people when he suddenly went mad and began to rampage through the bustling streets."

"If Song Yan were the commander of the Imperial Guards handling this matter, what decision would he make?"

After Xun Zaizhou finished speaking, everyone in the hall frowned and fell into deep thought.

Someone secretly suggested that Zhao Er could be shot; once he was dead, the horse, which was not being spurred on, would soon stop.

However, as soon as this statement was made, some people immediately raised objections.

Zhao Er was innocent; he just suddenly fell ill. His crime did not warrant death. How can his family be killed like this?
Someone suggested again that the horses pulling the carriage could be shot; without the horses, the carriage would stop quickly.

However, this suggestion was immediately rejected by some people who were knowledgeable about chariot driving.

If a horse is suddenly shot while traveling at high speed, the carriage will inevitably overturn, and the people on board will be injured or even killed.

"If we let them drive recklessly through the streets, the common people on the streets will also suffer!"

"This won't work, that won't work," someone couldn't help but say.

Behind Lu Zhiyuan, Shen Wenyan looked worried.

This was a tricky question, and he didn't know how his teacher would answer it.

Lu Zhiyuan frowned and pondered for a long time, then smiled with relief and looked at Xun Zaizhou.

A trace of grief flashed across Xun Zaizhou's face. He solemnly bowed deeply to him, then turned and cupped his hands toward the screen on the high platform: "Your Majesty, please forgive me. This old minister takes his leave."

Watching Xun Zaizhou's departing figure, Lu Zhiyuan slowly turned around, looked at Shen Wenyan behind him, and smiled gently.

"Anu, your master is leaving now."

Shen Wenyan was taken aback, and said somewhat anxiously, "Master, you can answer it, you can definitely answer it!"

When Lu Zhiyuan was imprisoned in the Inspectorate, Emperor Yu issued an edict that if he could win the argument with a group of great Confucian scholars in court, he would be pardoned.

Lu Zhiyuan won the first two debates easily. The current debate topic seems tricky, but he doesn't think his teacher can't answer it.

Lu Zhiyuan shook his head slightly and stuffed a note into his hand.

"We'll see when you get back to Jinliu Village."

"I have been living in seclusion for many years and have written down half a volume of my insights. I will have Uncle Ya take you to retrieve it later."

After giving these instructions, he turned around proudly, looked at the screen on the high platform, and bowed slightly: "Your Majesty, this subject has lost."

Upon hearing this, the many students and officials in the hall all breathed a sigh of relief.

They were genuinely afraid that Lu Zhiyuan would even defeat Xun Zaizhou, who came from the Confucian Temple, in a debate.

If that time truly comes, the entire literary world of Dayu will likely be shaken, and the sage path that scholars across the land have been striving to pursue will probably be impacted.

Now that Lu Zhiyuan has lost, it means that the way of the sages is correct, and his words have become fallacies and heresies, despised by the world.

"Master!"

Shen Wenyan rushed over and knelt down on the ground.

Lu Zhiyuan smiled and helped him up: "Don't be sad. Your teacher died for the Dao in my heart. How fortunate."

After saying this, he quietly awaited the verdict from the high platform.

The eunuch stepped out from behind the screen, looked at Lu Zhiyuan with pity, and said loudly:

"By imperial decree, Lu Zhiyuan, a Doctor of the Imperial Academy, has acted arrogantly and rebelliously, and should be executed. However, he is old and has been kind to me by lecturing him. I cannot bear to kill him. I hereby order the Inspectorate to 'pull out his tongue so that he cannot speak; cut off his wrist so that he cannot write' as a punishment. His student Shen Wenyan and his servant Ya Bo are punished with twenty strokes of the cane and confined to their homes for ten years as a warning to others."

As soon as the eunuch finished speaking, more than a dozen Black Scale Guards rushed into the hall and dragged the two of them out.

These two chapters are controversial, but they are foreshadowing the later plot and will be very useful later on. Please believe me, I really didn't mean to be offensive. I'm so sorry.



(End of this chapter)