Nie Changju kept his head lowered, turning things over in his mind. Earlier, he had voluntarily stood behind Fang Yun, outwardly making a compromise.
The Qing Officials had used a supplementary issue of the Xiang Prefecture Gazette to strike back at Fang Yun, setting fires throughout Xiang Prefecture. If they opposed Fang Yun before the people from the Hall of Punishment, they might well force him to take a perilous, unconventional path.
Ultimately, Nie Changju was a Qing Official, not someone from Qing Kingdom or the Left Prime Minister. The people of Qing Kingdom and the Left Prime Minister hoped Fang Yun and the Qing Officials would destroy each other, but the Qing Officials understood very clearly that they had to resist Fang Yun without plunging into all-out war. Otherwise, they would inevitably become sacrificial victims.
Balance and compromise were the foundations upon which Xiang Prefecture's officials stood. Both the Qing Officials and the Jing Officials ought to achieve those two things.
However, Nie Changju's true purpose was to pour oil on the fire. The more Xiang Prefecture officials opposed the Hall of Punishment, the harsher its punishment would be.
Opposing the Hall of Punishment could be treated as an extremely grave offense, but the Human Race had always refrained from punishing the masses for a collective offense. In the end, the only person the Hall of Punishment truly punished might well be Fang Yun. Even if it intended to punish the Qing Officials, Nie Changju could claim that circumstances had forced his hand, then turn around and pin the blame on Fang Yun.
Nie Changju was worried because he feared that, if Fang Yun's plans failed, he would take them all down with him.
After all, a dignified Void Sage truly driven into a corner had the power to