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Emperor Kang Cheng had only arrived a short while ago when the tournament began. After all, the emperor’s time was precious, and it was not appropriate to keep him waiting.
On the stage, Grand Scholar Zhang Yong quickly announced, “Today’s debate topic is: Is the rule of the Tang and Yu dynasties difficult to achieve?”
As expected, Fan Quan was assigned the opposing stance.
Lu Desheng scoffed, “What a bold statement! To dare discuss the difficulty of achieving political clarity with the audacity of a mere scholar!”
Most of the other officials shared Lu Desheng’s sentiment, finding the scholar arrogant.
Lu Songli was not surprised by the topic. During the previous sixth round of the tournament, several alternative topics had been proposed, and the rule of the Tang and Yu dynasties was one of them. This referred to the ideal era in ancient times when politics was clear and the people were prosperous. It was essentially asking whether achieving a prosperous era of harmonious governance in the current dynasty was difficult.
Lu Songli reviewed the debate topics of the tournament. They had already debated topics like “Is human nature inherently good or evil?” “Which comes first, establishing a family or starting a career?” “Can loyalty and filial piety coexist?” “Is it easier to know what’s difficult or to do what’s easy?” And lastly, “Can heroes be judged by their successes or failures?” Upon careful consideration, she realized there was a certain logic behind these topics, and they were presented in a progressive manner.
This set of topics comprehensively summarized the process of a person’s growth. After experiencing these life lessons, if they could achieve alignment between their knowledge and actions, then they would be qualified to become officials. Not to mention the saying, “Those who excel in their studies become officials.” Fan Quan had already been qualified to become an official before his mourning period, but he was simply unlucky. Today’s topic, discussing the difficulty of achieving a prosperous era, was perfectly valid for him.
Those who hadn’t heard any of the previous rounds might find this topic disjointed and think Fan Quan was arrogant.
Emperor Kang Cheng remained calm. It was clear that someone had already explained the content of the previous tournaments to him, allowing him to seamlessly assume the role of a listener.
Observing Emperor Kang Cheng and the officials present, Lu Songli could draw the above conclusions. Taking it a step further, the person who set these topics had a certain understanding of Emperor Kang Cheng.
Fan Quan had won all of the previous debates. He didn’t always stand on the positive side, sometimes taking the opposing stance, but he was equally eloquent and debunked his opponents. These topics also aligned with his growth pattern. This indicated that he was a mature talent, not just someone who excelled in their studies. If she were Emperor Kang Cheng, she would also want to meet this person. Because, as things stood, Fan Quan had almost become the kind of talent who could be put to work immediately.
Thinking about this, her gaze involuntarily swept over Xie Zhan, and she couldn’t help but marvel at the Xie and Zhao families. Their combined efforts in crafting and promoting Fan Quan were impressive. Ordinary people couldn’t withstand their chain of strategies.
While her thoughts raced, Fan Quan was already standing on the stage with the debater representing the positive stance, engaging in a battle of wits. From their suite, they had a clear view of the performance of everyone on the stage.
Fan Quan eloquently argued on the stage. Lu Songli listened intently, picking out key points: “What kind of rule is the rule of the Tang and Yu dynasties? The sage exerts his heart, the soldiers exert their lives, the ruler rectifies himself… Human efforts have limits, but successors never cease… It is only fortunate that my way is not alone…”
The extracted idea that Fan Quan wants to express is that achieving a prosperous era in the current dynasty isn’t difficult. The Emperor governs with diligence; soldiers follow orders and defend the nation; officials conduct themselves with integrity, setting an example and leading by moral authority. With the entire Da Li Dynasty united, the country is not far from a golden age. However, one person’s or even one generation’s efforts are limited, and this vision of prosperity might require more successors to carry the torch forward. That’s essentially the gist of it.
After hearing this, Lu Songli felt relieved—Fan Quan was essentially painting a rosy picture for the Emperor. In a previous life, this guy might have been a painter.
Look at this—it’s a big, round, and tempting vision. If these words were spoken to Emperor Kang Cheng two decades ago, when he was still full of vigor and ambition, they would have surely worked. Unfortunately, Emperor Kang Cheng is now old, his teeth are not as strong, and this might not appeal to him as much.
Yet, as long as Emperor Kang Cheng is still on the throne, he cannot openly show disinterest, because an Emperor who doesn’t aspire to lead a prosperous reign isn’t a good Emperor. Besides, Lu Songli knows that the point isn’t just the vision itself; it’s about introducing future successors. As long as the Emperor has a clear mind, he must always be eager to seek out talent.
Fan Quan, through this debate, has shown himself to be a capable statesman and a persuasive orator, at least on the surface.
Now, it depends on whether her father can stand strong and keep Fan Quan out.
Lu Songli saw that, even before the main player had arrived on the battlefield, Yan Hua, also a censor, couldn’t resist teasing her father.
“Lord Lu, this Fan Quan somewhat reminds me of your younger self. What do you think of him?” Yan Hua said mockingly.
Everyone present knew that Lord Lu Desheng had caught the Emperor’s eye and been brought back to the palace for promotion after a similar debate. Isn’t Fan Quan now walking the same path he once did?
Even those who weren’t in on the details could sense something was up. In the world of officials, there are no fools, especially those summoned to serve close to the Emperor—they are the sharpest of minds. No simpleton can get close to the Emperor.
Zhou Chengzhong was thinking that whether their Censorate would gain a new colleague depended entirely on Lu Desheng.
Lu Desheng sneered. They indeed had good eyes; this young man had some of the vigor he himself had in his youth. But now, times had changed. Lu Desheng had advanced, and was no longer the inexperienced novice he once was. Fan Quan was just showing off his skills before a master swordsman, overestimating himself!
Everyone was waiting for his response, so Lu Desheng stiffly replied, “Not much. Compared to me, he’s far inferior, completely unworthy of comparison.” His evaluation was blunt and unkind. A joke! When dealing with an enemy, one must be as ruthless as an autumn wind sweeping away fallen leaves—there’s no room for courtesy.
“You’re really not humble,” Yan Hua mocked.
Lu Desheng responded, “I’m just telling the truth!”
The others thought: “Just the truth? How can he shamelessly say something like that?”
Others also tried to persuade him, “Lord Lu, this young man Fan Quan has performed quite well. We should be more tolerant.”
Lu Desheng glanced at these people, each of whom was clearly biased.
Yan Hua, feeling triumphant, said, “Everyone has sharp eyes. No matter how much you criticize him, you can’t deny Fan Quan’s excellence. In the debate competition hosted by Zhang Daru, he won six consecutive rounds and is now known as ‘Fan Six Victories.'”
Lu Desheng’s eyes widened instantly. The emperor had privately praised his name more than once, Lu Desheng—victorious again and again. What was this old man trying to do? Even taint his name? Shameless!
“Fan Quan, Fan Quan—breaking all the taboos, a trash name!” He even dared to compare himself to Lu Desheng! The word “compare” was one his daughter had taught him, and he found it particularly fitting here.
“You—” Yan Hua was so angry he ground his teeth. “Anyway, the fact is that he is outstanding, and if you don’t admit it, it’s because you can’t tolerate others!”
Most of the courtiers who were present had indifferent expressions, watching from the sidelines.
The reason no one liked Lu Desheng was simple: it was all because of that immunity token. Lu Desheng, oh Lu Desheng, it’s true that the emperor favors you now, but who hasn’t had their honeymoon period with the emperor? Why do you get to have an extra life compared to the rest of us?