Court Debate

"I am Dong Huazi," Dong Huazi said calmly, without anger. "The Great Dao is boundless. Although I have studied the Dao for a hundred years, it is not wrong to say I am a beginner. I just don't know how many years this young friend has studied?"

"So you are the National Teacher... It's a pleasure to meet you." Qin Yi tilted his head to look at him, saying it was a pleasure to meet him, but his face clearly showed an expression of "seeing is not as good as hearing."

This expression was more stinging than any words. Dong Huazi finally showed some anger: "What advice does this young friend have?"

Qin Yi sneered, "Ranking by age is inherently inferior. There are thousands of martial artists in the world, but how many old ones are a match for Prince Qinglin? This shows that studying for a long time does not mean knowing a lot. My teacher's Dao, how can one know the order of their birth relative to mine?"

Many people were stunned by these words. Even Liu Su, who was ready to teach Qin Yi about the Dao at any moment, was momentarily stunned by the last sentence and fell silent.

"It is common for young people to be full of youthful vigor and think they are proficient after reading a few books," Dong Huazi said slowly. "Our country is above, naturally it is Upper Li. Upper Li and Lower Dui form Kui. This young man is ignorant and says Upper Dui and Lower Li... Fortunately, the King is magnanimous and is not offended. Do not be so rash in the future."

Qin Yi secretly thought, This is a seasoned official playing a word game, not a debate on the Dao. Liu Su was also speechless. She was not good at debating such things. Instead, Qin Yi himself could retort a few sentences. He pretended to be surprised and said, "Isn't marriage a matter between men and women? So it turns out the Daoist Master's usual position is with the woman on top. This is indeed due to my youth and shallow knowledge. Thank you for the guidance..."

"Pfft..." It was Li Qinglin who burst out laughing. Seeing everyone's eyes on him, he cleared his throat and composed himself, saying, "Qin Yi, you are young and don't understand. It's not strange for someone to like the Sitting Lotus Position. This is a state banquet, so let's not talk about the National Teacher's bedroom dual cultivation topics."

A state banquet? And you brought up the Sitting Lotus? You're doing this on purpose, aren't you? The originally solemn debate atmosphere became strange. Many people were struggling to hold back their laughter, stealing glances at Dong Huazi's expression.

Dong Huazi showed no expression, calmly and cultivatedly saying, "How can an alliance between two countries be discussed in terms of matters between men and women? This young man is ignorant, so speak and act cautiously. Please be seated."

Qin Yi secretly thought, Impressive.

In reality, things like hexagram interpretations are often ambiguous, and there are reasons for any interpretation, which gives charlatans a lot of room. Just like the current "Kui" and "Revolution," if you insist on defining it as "Kui," it doesn't matter. Liu Su has plenty of reasons to teach Qin Yi to interpret "Kui" as an inauspicious hexagram, and similarly, Dong Huazi can interpret "Revolution" as an auspicious hexagram, but this would be endless. Dong Huazi did not choose to debate this but directly brought up politics and ended the topic by acting old and experienced, leaving the King to think for himself.

So-called debate, in most cases, is not about defeating the opponent, but about speaking to the onlookers. Which side is the King more willing to listen to? It goes without saying.

Qin Yi was urgently looking for a countermeasure, but Li Qingjun couldn't hold back and said angrily, "If I marry that savage, I will chop off his dog's head that very night! This is the alliance between the two countries!"

The King's expression sank: "Zhaoyang, be careful with your words."

Li Qingjun stiffened her neck and was about to speak, but Qin Yi pulled her sleeve and smiled slightly: "I have been taught. I thought cultivating the Dao was about detaching from the mundane world and becoming an immortal, but it turns out one should also consider the national alliance. The Daoist Master has taught me a lesson, truly worthy of the title of National Teacher."

The King's expression shifted slightly.

Dong Huazi's eyes also narrowed.

Those who understood also thought this kid was impressive.

What did the King want? To ascend and live forever!

This young man directly pointed out what the King valued most. What should a cultivator think about? What national alliance is more important than this? Coupled with Li Qingjun's desperate appearance, it was clear that even the national alliance was unreliable. It was hard to say how the King would consider their hexagram interpretations this time.

Dong Huazi slowly replied, "There are three thousand Great Daos, not just one. This mortal world, the myriad states of humanity, there is no place that is not the Dao. This young friend is biased."

"Uh... I was presumptuous, I have been taught." Qin Yi did not debate further, as there was no need to continue. He cupped his hands in a salute and pulled Li Qingjun to their seats.

Dong Huazi also returned the salute with great composure, indicating that the matter was concluded.

But everyone knew that this young man's life would not be easy from now on... Looking at Qin Yi, they saw him smiling slightly, completely unconcerned.

The King secretly nodded. This young man truly had a bit of an otherworldly air about him. Where did his daughter find him?

Li Qingjun also understood the meaning of these few sharp exchanges. She plopped down in her seat and happily patted Qin Yi's shoulder, indicating that he had a knack for it.

This intimate attitude was seen by everyone, and their thoughts varied.

Mang Zhan, who had been holding back from speaking, finally spoke: "This King has come with the wish of peace from our entire country, to turn a hundred years of conflict into friendship. We were originally sworn enemies, and to form an alliance naturally requires a bond to initiate it. It is a pity that this King has no sisters, otherwise marrying Brother Qinglin would also be a good story."

His words subtly mocked Nanli for not understanding the bigger picture and also carried a hint of threat.

Li Qinglin sneered, "Even if you send me a sister, I don't think it will affect my view of your Western Wilderness. Relying on women to maintain friendly relations between two countries, when did you, Mang Zhan, become so naive?"

Mang Zhan sighed, "Seeing Zhaoyang Princess today truly felt like a spear piercing my heart. No matter what Brother Li thinks, if I obtain Zhaoyang Princess, I will never enter Nanli in this life."

Li Qingjun was furious. She leaped up, gripping her spear. "I'll kill you! You won't enter Nanli!"

"Zhaoyang, what kind of behavior is this?" The King waved his hand, signaling them to stop arguing.

In truth, looking at this matter purely from a national perspective, a marriage alliance between the two countries was indeed a good thing. Although Nanli was martial, compared to the relatively wild Western Wilderness Kingdom, the people of Nanli had been cultivating civilization for a long time and were not very aggressive. Most of the hundred years of conflict between the two countries involved Nanli passively defending. If a marriage alliance could truly resolve the issue, it was likely that everyone in the court and the public would think it was quite good for Li Qingjun to marry over.

The problem was that Li Qingjun herself was extremely resistant. According to her, if she really married over and ended up beheading her husband, it would be an even greater fuse triggering a deadly war between the two countries. Unless Nanli willingly debased itself, crippled its own princess's cultivation, and sent her to the enemy country, then it would truly be as Li Qinglin said, Nanli would lose all face. And such debasement might not even bring peace; it might instead further provoke the other side's predatory nature.

The King himself was quite inclined to marry his daughter to Mang Zhan, but the premise was that his daughter had to be willing. The key here was...

His gaze fell on Qin Yi. Qin Yi was gently pulling Li Qingjun's sleeve, signaling her to sit down. Li Qingjun then sat down obediently, seemingly very compliant with him.

Perhaps the key lay here: his daughter already had someone in her heart.

Originally, it wouldn't matter how a commoner was molded, but this young man seemed to be a cultivator, and one who seemed to have some skill... The King, who was fascinated by this path, decided to interact with him a bit more before deciding. Thus, he did not answer Mang Zhan's topic, only saying, "Today is merely a welcoming banquet. State affairs can be discussed later."

With the King setting the tone, Mang Zhan couldn't keep pressing the issue in this setting. The topic in the hall quickly shifted to matters of romance and leisure, steered by the Ministry of Rites.

Li Qinglin let out a sigh of relief.

It was good that a decision wasn't made on the spot. Calling Qin Yi over was indeed the right move.

As for the next step... He stared at Mang Zhan, then looked at Dong Huazi, and saw the look they exchanged.

Li Qinglin took a sip of wine thoughtfully, and said in a low voice without turning his head, "Brother Qin, after the banquet, let's have a good talk when we return to the residence."