My virtue is above yours.

The library's collection of books is vast and numerous, with bookshelves that are three zhang tall (approximately 10 meters) high enough to be counted. And this is only the fourth floor, where all disciples can borrow books.

He quickly rummaged through the bookshelf.

Most of them are scriptures, history books, or records of daily life in Taoist temples.

He even found a copy of "Lament of a Maiden in Spring," a vernacular novel by some female Taoist priest who had mistakenly included it in the category of official history books.

"The person in charge of organizing is so careless."

Chen Jingxuan searched through the books, not even letting any of the records of strange events slip by, making sure he didn't miss anything.

Finally, the relevant record was found in a book that documented the daily life of a Taoist temple.

"There was a Taoist priest in Qingfeng Temple who was very powerful and virtuous. His disciples dared not disobey his precepts and none dared to resist him. At first, it was thought that he had a way of governing his subordinates, but upon further investigation, it was found that he had mastered the art of ritual and propriety."

Chen Jingxuan felt that this was very similar to the symptoms his senior brother had experienced.

Minister Fan's words were law; he established a law forbidding barking, preventing the eldest brother from making a sound. He certainly hadn't expected that he could enter the dog's body and detect the traces of his magic.

If Vice Minister Fan practices the Way of Rites, then most of the situations he is currently facing can be explained.

As a man of principle, Vice Minister Fan highly valued etiquette and became a great Confucian scholar through his extensive study of classical texts. In his daily life, he was extremely strict about etiquette, forbidding single men and women from being alone in a room and being overly particular about seating arrangements, all in order to conform to the rules of etiquette.

The traditional rites and ethics emphasized social order and class distinctions, which naturally clashed irreconcilably with the ideals of equality for all beings and the absence of distinction between immortals and mortals advocated by Niwanjun.

For practitioners of the Way of Rites, resisting the theory of Mudball Lord becomes a natural mission.

The existence of Shengyang Academy is a great opportunity for Minister Fan, who cultivates the Way of Etiquette. Making the academy, which carries the ideas of Niwanjun, disappear from the world is the best way to uphold etiquette. For him, it can greatly increase his cultivation and may even be an opportunity for him to break through his realm.

Because of its unique position, Shengyang Academy has always existed in an awkward manner, preventing both those who oppose and those who defend Niwanjun from interfering.

The emperor's sudden urge to requisition land and demolish buildings perfectly suited Minister Fan's needs, allowing him to destroy the academy with a legitimate reason.

First, Vice Minister Fan stole the academy's house and land deeds, leaving the headmaster without proof of the academy's ownership. He then used the imperial law as a pretext to refuse to pay the resettlement funds.

He could threaten anyone who wanted to fund the academy by claiming they were "causing trouble in the name of Lord Niwan," thus deterring them from doing so.

That's why he threatened himself and Lord Zhu, telling them not to interfere.

If the academy does not receive resettlement funds and loses its support, it will be difficult to survive, and Vice Minister Fan can legitimately make Shengyang Academy disappear.

Everything was done according to the rules, which was reasonable and legal. His political enemies could not use disrespect for Niwan-jun as a reason to attack him.

All the reasoning is logical, except for the last question which cannot be explained.

Why was Vice Minister Fan able to steal the contracts himself?

He might have gone to steal it himself out of caution, unwilling to rely on others and increase the risk of things going wrong. If he was truly that cautious, his brother might not have known about the entire plan and scheme.

But the problem lies in why he was able to steal it himself.

Can a person who practices etiquette truly condone the act of stealing?

How can his Daoist heart remain steadfast after engaging in such despicable acts?

If one's mind is disturbed, what use is it to obtain such a great opportunity?

Chen Jingxuan was completely baffled. He was certain that his senior brother had not misheard; the smell was exactly the same as that of Vice Minister Fan.

He began to doubt whether he had made a mistake in his judgment.

Vice Minister Fan was not a practitioner of ritual cultivation. His magic was only similar in function to the ritual cultivation methods described in books. He practiced a different path.

Chen Jingxuan continued searching through the library, but still couldn't find any texts that matched Fan Shilang's magic. It seemed that the path he cultivated was most likely the path of ritual.

He leaned against the bookshelf, pondering how to deal with Vice Minister Fan.

He couldn't back down just because of a few words from the other party. That would play right into the enemy's hands. His master had been supporting the academy for so many years without encountering any problems. His lineage couldn't be changed. If someone with ulterior motives really wanted to use Shengyang Academy to attack him, regardless of whether he saved the academy or not, they could use that as an excuse to attack him.

We already know that Vice Minister Fan is a thief, but we don't have enough evidence. We can't exactly drag our eldest brother over to testify, can we?

The current problem is that the contract is nowhere to be found. The best option for Vice Minister Fan is to destroy the contract, the second best option is to hide it, and the worst option is to exchange it for money.

Although I don't think the other party would be foolish enough to exchange a contract for money, I still need to check it before I feel at ease.

Chen Jingxuan decided to go to the Ministry of Works to look for clues as originally planned.

He put the books back on the shelf and woke up Zhao Qingshan and the other two who were sleeping soundly in the corner of the library.

The obese Zhao Qingshan slept in the middle, with the other two people resting their heads on his large belly.

Chen Jingxuan patted the three of them: "Hey, wake up, it's time to go."

"Dinner's ready!" Zhao Qingshan woke up with a start.

Chen Jingxuan lowered his voice to avoid being overheard by Jiang Zhen outside: "It's time to go."

Zhao Qingshan rubbed his eyes, still half asleep: "If you're going to leave, then leave. Why are you calling us?"

"You forgot, you said you were going to cover me."

Zhao Qingshan suddenly realized: "Right, right, right. I almost forgot. Senior Brother Chen, leave it to us."

The three of them each took a book from the shelf, swaggered out, and came up to Jiang Zhen.

"Senior Sister Jiang, may we borrow a book?"

"Register me."

Jiang Zhen took the three books and asked coldly, "Are you sure you want to borrow these three books?"

"Absolutely true." Zhao Qingshan said with certainty, making a small gesture behind his back, signaling Chen Jingxuan to make a quick getaway.

Jiang Zhen picked up one of the books and showed the cover to the other person: "Which of you wants to borrow 'The Records of Guishui'?"

Zhao Qingshan said frankly, "I'll borrow it, so what?"

Jiang Zhen looked him up and down, then sneered, "It does suit you quite well. Take it, take good care of yourself, drink plenty of hot water, and you can also drink some ginger tea. It's normal to feel a little uncomfortable the first time you come here, but you'll get used to it after a few more times."

She suddenly raised her voice: "Hey, junior brother behind you, why don't you walk with your head held high? Have you done something shameful, or are you also trying to borrow the *Gui Shui Zhi*?"

Zhao Qingshan quickly said, "There's no one behind you. Senior Sister, who are you talking to?"

"Noisy."

Jiang Zhen suddenly swung out a palm, and a burst of true energy burst forth from his palm, instantly turning Zhao Qingshan and the other two into three stone figures, unable to move.

Jiang Zhen jumped out from behind the desk, bypassed the three people, and faced Chen Jingxuan, who was making a runaway.

Chen Jingxuan chuckled: "Senior Sister Jiang, what a coincidence! You're not going to turn me into stone too, are you?"