Dragon Firmament

Everyone was also surprised. Although they had their own reasons for proposing the punishment, even those ministers who were close to the Li Family who argued with them could only excuse Li Hao by saying that he was young and ignorant, and that he was arrogant and conceited because of his favor.

Where does this talk of soaring ambitions and patriotic concern for the people come from?

It's not easy to get these pedantic scholars to offer such praise.

The Grand Preceptor respectfully said, "Your Majesty, a few days ago, one of my students rushed back from Qingzhou City with a book of Book of Poems. According to my student, all the poems in this book were written by that Young Master of the Li Family. He has verified this from various sources and there is absolutely no falsehood in it!"

"Oh?"

Yu Emperor was surprised; the young man could actually recite poetry?

On second thought, if the other person can Chess, what difficulty could there be in reciting poetry?

In his mind, chess was much more difficult than composing poetry.

Of course, this must never be revealed to the scholars in the Hanlin Hall before him, otherwise he would surely argue until his head splits open and he had to find out the truth.

"Upon receiving this Book of Poems, I, an old man, feel only shame. We Confucian scholars spend our days reading the Book of Sages and observing the vast rivers and mountains of the All Under Heaven, yet in the end, we are not as talented or broad-minded as a child who sits idly in the courtyard all day. I am truly ashamed to face Your Majesty."

At this point, the Grand Preceptor slightly raised his hand to cover his face, revealing a look of sorrow and regret.

Everyone stared in disbelief.

This old guy is probably really under a spell.

When will you ever see them utter the word "ashamed"?

He usually argues even when he's being unreasonable, but today he actually says I'm convinced?

Yu Emperor was even more intrigued and said, "My dear minister, stop keeping me in suspense and tell me quickly, what is the reason?"

Upon seeing this, Grand Preceptor Zhao Shugong pulled out Book of Poems from his loose sleeve and presented it with both hands.

After Chu Jiuyue, the eunuch beside Yu Emperor, beckoned him to take the man, Zhao Shugong looked again at the Liang Province Commander, flicked his sleeve, and said with lightning speed:

"It's true that father and son fought each other, and it's true that it violated moral principles, but you're wrong to say that it's unacceptable regardless of the reason!"

"I, Great Yu, but I will never rigidly adhere to it to the point of death!"

"Otherwise, wouldn't we be a bunch of outdated and pedantic people?"

Isn't that right?

The military officers were all secretly curling their lip in disapproval.

Zhao Shugong, however, looked intently at Zhao and said loudly, "I ask you all, can someone who says something like 'I only know how to die for my country on the battlefield, why should I need to be wrapped in a horsehide to return home' be considered a true patriot?"

"Can someone who can say 'Since ancient times, who has ever escaped death? Let my loyal heart shine in history' be considered patriotic?"

"Do not speak of the glory of Enfeoffment as Marquis as a marquis, for the success of one general is built upon the bones of ten thousand!"

Zhao Shugong stared intently at the Liang Province Commander, his gaze intense, his voice resounding throughout the court. "These words are meant to advise against mentioning Enfeoffment as Marquis, for one general's success is built on the bones of ten thousand! One should have compassion for the fallen soldiers, not be preoccupied with Merit and Fame!"

"I ask you all, what kind of person is someone who values All Under Heaven so highly and regards Merit and Fame so lightly?!"

"Just based on this alone, how many people could actually do it?!"

Everyone was stunned, speechless for a moment, but then they were filled with indignation. "Tell me, what's with that look? It's like we're all here for Merit and Fame."

The Liang Province Commander's expression changed slightly; those few words had a significant impact on him.

His Anger the Qing Prefecture youth stemmed more from his concern that the fall of Heaven's Gate Pass would bring disaster to the people of Liang Prefecture.

But that line, "Why must one be wrapped in a horse's hide to return home!"

As a veteran of many battles, he had witnessed the brutality of the battlefield and seen soldiers who were not even able to leave behind a complete corpse.

These words brought tears to his eyes.

The same sentiments were in the hearts of those soldiers who fought to the death and defended their posts.

It's just because I'm bad at expressing myself; I can't put it into words.

At this moment, Yu Emperor was also flipping through the collection of Book of Poems handed to him by Chu Jiuyue, turning the pages quietly, his expression becoming solemn and silent.

"Even if he was patriotic and a good general and loyal minister, the fact that he drew his sword and killed his father is Non-Contention!" someone suddenly said.

Zhao Shugong looked at the man and sneered, "It is indeed the truth, but does the truth necessarily mean it is real?"

The man was taken aback, stunned by the question, his thoughts thrown into disarray.

That's why they say these pedantic scholars are so eloquent; one question from them left them speechless.

"Flowers in a mirror, the moon's reflection in water; what is seen is not reality."

Zhao Shugong said coldly, "Even if it were true, does that mean King Xingwu himself is entirely without fault?"

"Isn't punishing his son to Heaven's Gate Pass severe enough? I ask you all, who dares to go and guard Heaven's Gate Pass?"

"..."

Everyone was speechless. They were talking about the father and son killing each other, so how did the fire get spread to them?

"Such a sincere young man, who can treat the common people this way, how could he not tolerate his own father? I think there must be other reasons behind this, and we need to investigate thoroughly before making any decisions!" Zhao Shugong said loudly.

Those who had previously suggested punishing Li Hao looked at each other in bewilderment.

With the Hanlin Academy on their side, plus those who were already embroiled in the controversy, they're unlikely to be in the right.

"What can a few poems prove? It's just empty talk; anyone can do that." Another voice rang out; it was another military Commander, his expression indifferent.

Zhao Shugong sneered and said, "Then tell me."

"I am only good at military campaigns, not poetry, but I can still speak frankly: we are willing to die ten thousand deaths to serve our country and the emperor!" the Commander said.

Zhao Shugong sneered, "If one lacks passion and inspiration, one cannot compose such profound and insightful poems. Anyone can spout such plain language."

As renowned scholars, after reading this collection of Book of Poems, they developed a very favorable impression of the young man they had never met before.

Seeing a poem is like seeing the person; they know that if someone has a crooked mind, one or two poems might be acceptable, but they could never produce so many loyal poems.

At first, they didn't believe it either, but after continuous inquiries and understanding from various sources, they became convinced that it was indeed all the work of that young man alone.

The fact that such a Feiran young man could emerge from among these rough and uncivilized military generals was astonishing and shocking to these great Confucian scholars, truly opening their eyes to a new world.

"He can traverse three thousand miles in a single battle, and with one sword he can hold off a million soldiers!"

At this moment, Yu Emperor's voice softly rang out from the imperial court, causing everyone present to tremble.

What magnificent and powerful poetry!

A light slowly shone in Yu Emperor's eyes, and the image of that peerless genius youth from Qing Prefecture became clearer in his mind.

"What a fine poem, what a fine young man!"

Yu Emperor smiled and showered him with praise.

Those who had previously wanted to argue further changed their expressions slightly and fell silent.

Imperial Capital Yu has spoken, there's no point in discussing this further.

All we can do is pray that the snowstorm Outside the Pass will truly break that boy...

The court session has adjourned.

Qian Ming Palace.

Yu Emperor strolled over, and Chu Jiuyue followed behind him, slightly bowing.

"You saw that child at the True Dragon Banquet, what did you think of him?"

Yu Emperor walked slowly and casually stopped in front of a flowering tree, but there was only one flower on the tree, and snowflakes fell on the branches.

Upon seeing this, he suddenly recalled a line of poetry from Book of Poems:

When autumn comes on the eighth day of the ninth month, my flowers will bloom and Bai Hua will wither!

A slight smile played on his lips. The little guy was fierce in Chess, so it wasn't surprising that he could compose such a Killing Aura poem.

Chu Jiuyue pondered for a moment, then bowed and said, "Your Majesty, I observed that the child's demeanor was casual and unrestrained, but his temperament was calm and composed, unlike a frivolous and arrogant person. The cause of that day was indeed that the Buddha Master's Personal Disciple had the intention to kill first, although it was extremely subtle, I still managed to catch it..."

Yu Emperor's eyes flickered slightly, and he whispered, "Buddha Master..."

He looked up into the distance and said softly, "It's snowing. I wonder how that child is doing Outside the Pass. I heard that King Xingwu has withdrawn all his troops there. It seems he has figured out the implication in my words earlier and is planning to abandon that place."

Chu Jiuyue lowered his head and remained silent; he knew that sometimes it was better to say less.

"If you have time, go and take a trip there. I heard that the child left in a hurry and didn't even Side Sword. Deliver one Past him for me."

Yu Emperor smiled and said, "I'll give you that... Dragon Firmament."

Chu Jiuyue was shocked; that was the number one of the Ten Great Famous Swords Under Heaven.

His Majesty's fondness for that young man from the Li Family seems to be even greater than he imagined.

"Yes," he replied respectfully.

"Heavenly Gang isn't afraid of his son dying, but I am a little afraid..."

Yu Emperor chuckled and said, "By the way, tell him that if he gets tired, he can return to Great Yu Province. I will allow him to study in the outer hall of the Qian Dao Palace and live with the princes."

Chu Jiuyue's pupils contracted slightly, but she still respectfully agreed.

Heaven's Gate Pass, on the Frontier of Liang Prefecture.

Azure Cliff City is now just a small mound of earth.

The snow fell heavily, swirling and swirling into the camp tents, covering the corpses of the Demon that had fallen the day before.

It's snowing.

Li Hao stopped writing and used his Object Manipulation Cultivation Method to cover the snowflakes, preventing them from touching the paper and getting it wet.

"Angling is inconvenient on snowy days..."

Li Hao muttered to himself, looking towards Qing Prefecture, wondering if it had snowed there, or if the lake had begun to freeze...

"Today, you two should also consider leaving."

Li Hongzhuang said to Li Hao and Li He.

Li Hao's gaze shifted slightly as he quietly observed her.

Li Hongzhuang smiled calmly and said, "When you went to wipe out their lair yesterday, did you inquire about the situation at the Dragon Mountain Dojo? There's more than one Immortality Realm Great Demon there. You killed Chi Tiger Lord, that Old Dragon's mount, and they will definitely retaliate!"

"Over the years, they have hesitated to launch a full-scale attack, and I suspect it's intentional."

Thinking about his investigation, Li Hao asked, "Do you know the reason?"

"There are several possibilities. The first is to use this opportunity to demand more human sacrifices from the Northern Cold Kingdom. The second is to slowly erode our Li Family. After all, it wouldn't be very meaningful for them to directly break through Heaven's Gate Pass. Dragon Gate Road has already been occupied, and they can enter the country at will, although on a small scale."

"On the contrary, trapping us here and continuously draining our resources suggests that the Old Dragon may have a grudge against our Li Family Ancestors and is doing this on purpose."

Li Hao nodded, it seemed that Li Hongzhuang also knew.

"But today, they will most likely come in anger and won't hold back," Li Hongzhuang said.

As she finished speaking, the ground seemed to shake violently.

All three of them turned their gazes toward the outside of the camp.

There, several enormous and majestic figures appeared at the edge of the field of vision.