This debate, destined to be unique, was indeed difficult to not notice the stark differences between the two when they met.

One was not yet of age, still just a ten-year-old child, while the other had long passed the age of understanding destiny.

Even those who knew that Qiao Yan had come prepared couldn’t help but break into a cold sweat when they saw the confrontation between the child and the elder.

But when they heard Qiao Yan, standing in front of Zhang Jiao, facing the great wise and virtuous teacher who had established a religious organization of hundreds of thousands, calmly saying “I apologize for keeping you waiting for half a month,” they each breathed a sigh of relief.

Cheng Li had already formed an impression of Qiao Yan as a naturally gifted orator at Changshe City, and now, this impression was being refreshed once again.

Perhaps this was no longer just the level of an orator.

She was too calm, more like a qualified politician, a qualified leader, than just an orator.

Such qualities appearing in a young girl should have been considered unbelievable.

But in the context of the Yellow Turban Rebellion, amidst the chaotic times and imminent dangers, there was a sense that she was born for this moment.

Even for someone as insightful as Cheng Li, there was probably so much more profound thinking involved that even he couldn’t understand.

He just thought that since Qiao Yan was from Yanzhou, it wouldn’t be a bad thing for Yanzhou to have someone with such ability.

What mattered now was the debate at hand.

Zhang Jiao, standing on the stage, looked out at the countless pairs of eyes around him.

Due to his markedly different behavior over the years, it was also impossible to discern Zhang Jiao’s mood at this moment.

All that could be seen was that after a moment, he shifted his gaze back to Qiao Yan and said, “It hasn’t been long. I really want to hear what reasons you have to say that my Taiping Dao is a fallacy.”

With so many followers having developed under this Dao, how could he be willing to believe that there was any fallacy in it?

To discuss the Taiping Dao, one would have to trace it back to the book that outlined its principles, which would lead to the Taiping Qing Ling Shu, said to have been written by Emperor Jing.

This was the forbidden book Qiao Yan mentioned in her conversation with Zheng Xuan.

The Taiping Jing was derived from the Taiping Qing Ling Shu, and while it was more of a patchwork and compilation than an original work, it was not something that could be achieved overnight.

Zhang Jiao had full confidence in his efforts and evidence.

Moreover, to make others believe, he himself must be a faithful believer.

If he had such an attitude, then what about Qiao Yan?

Faced with Zhang Jiao’s almost questioning tone.

Her voice and gaze were firm.

In the opportunity she had as Liang Zhongning’s military adviser, she had reviewed both sides.

During this so-called half-month of preparation for battle, she had also re-read them under Zheng Xuan’s guidance.

So, based on the three-part outline of the debate, the details she had added one after another gave her more confidence.

On the surface, suppressing this great wise and virtuous teacher seemed almost absurd.

It should be noted that the residual influence of the Taiping Dao could not be ignored even during the period of the Three Kingdoms’ warlords, and it, along with the Five Bushels of Rice Teaching inherited by Zhang Lu of Hanzhong, was considered the origin of Taoist organizations.

To pull it down from its pedestal sounded like a legend.

Perhaps it was because of her inherent ambition that she felt a boiling enthusiasm while standing on the high platform.

At this moment, she had no fear of hitting a huge rock; she only had the eager intention to challenge and provoke something.

Zhang Jiao argued for his orthodoxy, so how could she not be seen as striving for something!

Qiao Yan replied, “As I mentioned to you before, today’s debate is divided into three parts. This first part will discuss the paths of the sun, moon, and stars.”

Zhang Jiao was a little surprised; this was too awkward a topic for someone so young.

He realized he had underestimated Qiao Yan.

This child, who could render the Yellow Turbans helpless with his abilities, obviously wouldn’t just refute publicly with arguments like “one male should have two females to represent yin and yang” from the Taiping Jing.

He immediately asked, “How do you distinguish the movements of the sun, moon, and stars?”

Qiao Yan rolled up his sleeves and pointed upwards, saying, “Do you not know how the Taiping Jing mentions the sun, moon, and stars?”

Zhang Jiao knew that Qiao Yan was obviously not ignorant about this; he just wanted to hear it from Zhang Jiao’s own mouth.

But in Zhang Jiao’s understanding, the discussion of the sun, moon, and stars in the Taiping Jing inherited the essence of the Tian Guan, and it also corresponded to the San Tong Si Fen calendar.

Even if Qiao Yan wanted to refute any inaccuracies, with her experience, it was almost impossible.

Therefore, compared to the implicit aggressiveness in Qiao Yan’s words, Zhang Jiao’s tone was obviously much gentler, “Among the three lights of the sun, moon, and stars, the sun is the longest.

The sun and moon represent great brightness, the sun symbolizes the ruler, the moon symbolizes the ministers, and the stars symbolize the officials, shining together with the virtuous, and all things are harmonious and prosperous.

The three lights follow their paths relentlessly, illuminating the eight poles.

If they lose their path, the light will extinguish.

When the light is present, the stars are arranged in their positions and do not disorderly move. This is the essence between heaven and earth, the spirit at its utmost.”

Qiao Yan remained unfazed and continued to ask, “Then, what about eclipses of the sun and moon, and the movements of the stars?”

Zhang Jiao replied, “The anger of heaven and earth manifests in the sun, moon, and stars.

If harmony is maintained, there will be no eclipses. During the best times of antiquity, there were mostly no eclipses.

Later generations behaved inconsistently, losing the intention of heaven and earth, causing yin and yang to gradually fall out of love. This is the cause of eclipses and natural disasters.”

“Then, what is the intention of heaven and earth?” Qiao Yan asked again.

Her three consecutive questions did not stop, nor did she refute anything Zhang Jiao said, which made him feel somewhat uneasy.

But upon careful thought, there didn’t seem to be any problem.

The other party wanted to discuss the teachings of the Taiping Tao and also genuinely wanted to hear about the Taiping.

In the meanings of the sun, moon, and stars that were discussed first, Zhang Jiao responded with the explanation from the Taiping Jing.

In the entire doctrine of the Taiping Tao, there was a sense of “governing with virtue is like the North Star,” linking the movements of the sun and moon with earthly affairs.

So, in this second question, when Qiao Yan asked about the phenomena of solar and lunar eclipses, Zhang Jiao’s response naturally explained that eclipses occurred due to disturbances in human affairs.

Of course, since the sun symbolized the king, a solar eclipse was seen as a sign of the king’s lack of virtue.

This interpretation was not unique to the Taiping Tao but was a common belief in the entire societal context.

If you were to ask anyone living in the Han Dynasty to name kings who were blamed for their lack of virtue due to a solar eclipse, they could easily mention several.

A well-known example is Emperor Wen of Han.

Zhang Jiao couldn’t see any problem with the two responses he had given.

As for this third question—

Zhang Jiao replied, “Its governance is pure and upright, calm and without evil, with the three lights shining brightly.”

As soon as he finished speaking, he heard Qiao Yan chuckle.

“Good! Since you have finished speaking, it is now my turn to speak. Let me also make it known to you, by what evidence do I speak this as the first argument.”

As she said this, she seemingly casually took a step forward.

This was both a sign of starting to speak and a move to create psychological pressure on her opponent invisibly.

Zhang Jiao saw her raise her eyes.

Although he could only look up due to the height difference, there was no sign of timidity in her eyes, only firmness.

Qiao Yan said, “Let’s debate point by point.”

“According to what you said, the sun, moon, and stars are at their utmost, the stars are in their positions and do not disorderly move, and during the harmonious times of ancient human relations, they were in the most orderly state. However—”

Her gaze swept over the Yellow Turban soldiers below who seemed to think this statement was unquestionable, and then she nodded towards Zheng Xuan below the platform,

“I discussed this matter with Duke Kang of Beihai.

He mentioned that he had a close friend who had previously observed the stars and moon in the capital and had seen that the moon was not always round.

According to him, the stars sometimes deviate from their paths and do not remain fixed. If what you said is true, how do you explain these phenomena?”

“Changes, recorded in the annals, are precisely documented by Liu Hong and Liu Yuanzhuo.”

Upon hearing these two names, Zhang Jiao’s heart skipped a beat.

If one were to consider the most renowned astronomers of the time, Zheng Xuan would easily be in the top three, while Liu Hong was undoubtedly the leader.

For any astronomer of the time, being appointed to oversee the prediction of solar and lunar eclipses was a recognition of their status.

Four years ago, Liu Hong had already obtained this position.

As for Zheng Xuan, even though he did not gain fame for his astronomical achievements, he had long resided in Qingzhou.

Nonetheless, for the people of Jizhou, he was still a respected elder in the academic field.

If not for this, in the historical Battle of Guandu between Cao Cao and Yuan Shao, they would not have specially compelled him to come, serving as a prop to enhance their reputations, nor would the Yellow Turbans have avoided him.

Now, upon hearing Qiao Yan mention him, it was as if she was indicating that he was present.

Although they knew it was somewhat inappropriate, these people couldn’t help but cast their gazes towards him.

Qiao Yan continued, “Several years ago, Lord Liu proposed a prototype of a calendar, called the Qianxiang Calendar,

which received widespread recognition from several knowledgeable individuals such as Sir Cai Bojie and Duke Zheng.

One of the foundations of the Qianxiang Calendar is known as the Lunar Departure Table.”

If Zheng Xuan were not present, Qiao Yan would not have been able to speak so confidently.

This Lunar Departure Table, which is considered in later generations as explicitly proposing the unevenness of the moon’s motion, even with Qiao Yan’s memory, it would have been impossible to recall it verbatim.

But Zheng Xuan was different.

He spent thirteen years in seclusion, writing and discussing only with classics and letters as companions.

However, he remembered clearly the new theory proposed by his good friend, the Lunar Departure Table.

If he were to speak up personally, it would somewhat take advantage of his reputation.

But if he only presented facts as evidence, along with records of astronomical observations—

Then, the debate on the stage would still be between Qiao Yan and Zhang Jiao.

That’s fine!

The Lunar Departure Table, transcribed by Zheng Xuan, was delivered to Qiao Yan’s hands and then unfolded in front of Zhang Jiao.

Qiao Yan said, “The phenomenon of uneven lunar motion has existed since ancient times, following a certain order.

There is another rule besides the orderly motion.

The recent changes in lunar motion due to modern variations can be said to have no connection!”

“If you were to argue that human observations and deductions are also limited, and even Duke Zheng and Lord Liu are prone to errors, then let us debate the eclipse of the sun and moon and the intention of heaven and earth.”

As if sensing that Zhang Jiao intended to say something, Qiao Yan preempted him.

She didn’t give Zhang Jiao a chance to interrupt, continuing, “According to the teachings of the Taiping Tao, if the ruler’s governance is unclear, it leads to chaos.

When morality declines, there is a decline in the intention of heaven and earth, and the three lights of the sun, moon, and stars are extinguished, exactly as described.”

During a solar eclipse, if the emperor behaves morally, the stars and planets will not disrupt their course.

However–

“As I look back over the past few hundred years, this statement is often not followed!”

Her eyes sparkled like bright stars, and the words that came from her lips were filled with an indescribable confidence.

“During the reign of Emperor Xiaojing, on the day of Renshi in the third year of the second month, there was an eclipse.

Yet, in the first year of Houyuan, in the seventh month of Yisi, there was another eclipse.

The former occurred after the suppression of the Rebellion of the Seven States, and the latter during the prosperous reign of Emperor Wenjing, with the future Emperor Xiaowu as the crown prince.

It is difficult to say that there was disorder in their rule.”

“Then, during the reign of Emperor Xiaowu, there was an eclipse on the day of Yisi in the second month of Yuanshuo.

However, since the sixth year of Yuanguang, Wei Zhongqing has been the General of Chariots and Cavalry, leading an army north to attack the Xiongnu.

In the first year of Yuanshuo, he marched out of Yanmen with thirty thousand cavalry, swiftly defeated and decapitated thousands of enemies, and in the second year of Yuanshuo, repelled the Hu invaders in Yuyang in Shanggu, captured Gaoque, and since then, the regions of Shuofang and Wuyuan in Bingzhou have been peaceful.”

“Can these not be considered as examples of lack of virtue in emperors?”

Below, there were whispers of agreement.

Emperor Xiaojing and Emperor Xiaowu were referring to Emperor Jing of Han, Liu Qi, and Emperor Wu of Han, Liu Che.

The prosperity of the Han dynasty has continued to this day, and the people of Han, living in difficult times, naturally long for the virtuous emperors of the past.

Emperors Jing and Wu have become the ideal rulers in their imagination.

Listening to Qiao Yan, even the Yellow Turban soldiers who couldn’t understand the earlier talk about the sun, moon, and stars could mostly understand what she was saying now.

The great and wise teachers say that the movements of the sun and moon correspond to earthly phenomena.

When a ruler lacks virtue, there will be a solar eclipse. But in reality?

The year after suppressing the Rebellion of the Seven States, there was a solar eclipse.

During the height of the Wenjing era, there was a solar eclipse.

In the second year after Wei Qing’s victory at Yanmen, there was a solar eclipse.

The year the court gained control of the Shuofang and Wuyuan territories, there was a solar eclipse.

This clearly does not align with the teachings of the great and wise teachers.

Despite their high regard for Zhang Jiao, they couldn’t help but show a hint of confusion at this moment.

But Qiao Yan didn’t give Zhang Jiao a chance to argue.

Relying on her well-prepared and abundant evidence, she continued, “If you think all I’ve listed is from the Western Han, and the appearance of an era of peace is due to adapting to the circumstances of today, that’s fine too.”

Zhang Jiao couldn’t help but feel a sense of sarcasm in her words.

“Let’s talk about the Yongping period during the reign of Emperor Xiaoming.

There were two solar eclipses visible in Luoyang within a year.

However, during Emperor Xiaoming’s reign, he rested and recuperated, urged agriculture, and later led troops to defeat the Xiongnu at Tianshan,

Thanks to which Ban Zhongsheng led thirty-six officials on a mission to the Western Regions,

Urging various countries to send envoys to the court, and also made the words of Chen Zigong from years past come true.

‘Those who violate the strength of my Han, no matter how far, shall be executed.’

After nearly a hundred years, this has come to pass again.

I dare to ask, can this also be said to be due to the lack of virtue of the emperor?”

Emperor Ming of Han, during the reign of Ming and Zhang!

This remains a period of prosperity for the great Han.

During the reign of Emperor Ming, there were occurrences of solar eclipses that were quite outrageous, with two solar eclipses happening in a single year. But does that indicate that the emperor’s virtue was lacking and that chaos ensued under his rule?

After several decades to a century, reestablishing communication between the Western Regions and the Han dynasty brought back the statement from the Western Han period, “If anyone dares to offend the mighty Han, no matter how far they are, they will be punished,” making it known once more to the outside world.

If this is indeed a warning from the heavens to the emperor, then the heavens seem rather muddle-headed.

Qiao Yan’s fervent words calmed down a bit at this point. She turned her gaze back to Zhang Jiao’s face and asked, “May I ask, is this statement present in the Taiping Jing (Scripture of Great Peace)?”

Naturally, it is not.

Shocked, Zhang Jiao listened as Qiao Yan concluded, “This is not the fault of the emperor, but rather the normal course of the movements of the sun and moon.”

Not only did Zhang Jiao stand stunned, even Zheng Xuan was momentarily stunned.

Both he and Liu Hong had been studying astrological theories for many years, but they never dared to boldly claim that a solar eclipse was not a sign of the emperor’s fault.

However, for her to say such things at this moment, even if it reached the heavens, no one would dare to say it was presumptuous.

Instead, she would be greatly praised.

Because she spoke those words at the most appropriate moment.

If solar eclipses are not considered to be the wrath of heaven caused by the emperor’s loss of virtue, then what about droughts? Locust plagues? Major epidemics?

Zhang Rang listened with his eyes gleaming, wishing he could take out a pen and record everything Qiao Yan said.

He prided himself on his ability to gauge the emperor’s intentions, but his decades of managing his position likely couldn’t compare to the impact of Qiao Yan’s words if they reached the palace.

His previous speculation was indeed correct: even if she missed the reward of being ennobled, Liu Hong would never shortchange this meritorious figure.

Qiao Yan’s words undoubtedly provided him with a reason to explain the calamities plaguing the world.

If Zhang Rang could think of this, how could Zhang Jiao not?

His expression changed repeatedly before he finally squeezed out a sentence, “The movement of the sun and moon is beyond the knowledge of ordinary people; we cannot fully trust temporary phenomena.”

This indeed was a reason.

The sun and moon are mysterious, and a temporary discrepancy shouldn’t be taken as definitive.

Moreover, people don’t always know everything, but in debates, one always needs to anticipate what the opponent might say. How could Qiao Yan not have expected Zhang Jiao to respond this way?

She smiled and said, “That’s right, you always like to contradict yourselves, using those Spring and Autumn period style arguments. What I said is just something that can’t be obtained.”

“A four-character critique that is entirely believed—what does that count as?”

Before Zhang Jiao could utter the words “presumptuous,”

Qiao Yan quickly continued, “Don’t say I’m talking nonsense here! In Volume 67 of the Taiping Jing, it is mentioned that all these sages and extraordinary men were originally ignorant, but attained knowledge through diligent study.

Then, in Volume 88, it states that the highest level of people are those who are naturally knowledgeable;

the next are those who, although not naturally knowledgeable, acquire knowledge through persistent study.

May I ask you, since the Taiping Dao is your guiding principle, do you not also strive to fully adhere to it—”

“Are you naturally knowledgeable, or did you acquire knowledge through effort?”

Zhang Jiao was at a loss for words.

Is it possible that you are too familiar with the Taiping Jing? How could you catch such an error?

From the audience, Cao Cao laughed loudly, showing no regard for Zhang Jiao, “My niece is really a clever imp. I wondered why she was looking for inconsistencies in the Taiping Jing—it turns out she intended to use it here.”

However, Qiao Yan, standing on the stage, did not display any aggressiveness after using Zhang Jiao’s own doctrine against him.

Instead, she waved her hand and said, “But considering that the Taiping Jing is a compilation of the wisdom of many, it is quite possible that there are some contradictions within.

If your rebuttal consists solely of this, it’s no matter; we can put aside discussing celestial phenomena for now and move on to human affairs for our second debate.”

What she said was… even more piercing than pressing the advantage after a victory.

Saying that “the Taiping Jing is a compilation of the wisdom of many” might sound light, but it essentially questions the uniqueness of the position of the Great Virtuous Teacher.

Aren’t you gathering the wisdom of many? Then why isn’t the leader you, or your incapable brother?

Zhang Jiao felt stifled, as if there was a bit of blood in his throat, but he had to suppress this frustration and asked, “What do you mean by human affairs?”

Qiao Yan said word by word, “Medical skills.”

This time, instead of advancing another step towards Zhang Jiao with the invisible victory of the first round, she walked two steps towards the edge of the high platform, facing the side where the Yellow Turban soldiers were.

“I know that many of you owe your lives to the Great Virtuous Teacher’s talismans and water. The Taiping Jing says that ‘the heavenly physician descends, all diseases are eliminated, and thus one attains old age. Is this not so?”

A chorus of affirmations rose from below.

Zhang Jiao summoned some energy.

From these affirmations, it was not hard for him to hear that although Qiao Yan’s eloquent refutation had cost him some prestige and even made him doubt the Taiping Dao himself, it had not reached the point where he had to concede defeat.

At this moment, Qiao Yan turned to him and asked, “How do you treat them?”

He slowly replied, “The essential principles of Taiping…”

“It is stated in the Taiping Jing that to eliminate diseases and greatly open the way, one must follow the methods of swallowing the words from the alchemical books.

Specifically, this involves adding blessings to the talismans, mixing them with water, and then consuming them, which invokes the heavenly physician to descend and bestow blessings from the clouds.”

This indeed had always been the practice of Zhang Jiao and his brothers.