Sheng Boyuan stood rooted to the spot, his expression shifting.
It was not just Sheng Boyuan. Shame also surfaced on the faces of several officials.
The other officials fell into two sharply divided camps, as distinct as the Jing and Wei rivers: either calm-faced or furious.
Sheng Boyuan had nevertheless exposed what many people were thinking.
To avoid Sacred Way Suppression, sacrificing Fang Yun, who was gravely injured and whose literary rank was unlikely to advance any further, was no great matter.
Sheng Boyuan fell silent for several breaths before saying, "Void Sage Fang, you misunderstand. That was not what I meant. I merely believe that, for the sake of the entire Jing Kingdom, admitting fault would cost you little while yielding a great deal."
"The costs and benefits are not yours to decide." Fang Yun looked coldly at Sheng Boyuan.
"I will not argue with you. Anyone with eyes can see it. Since you are unwilling to admit fault, Void Sage Fang, we can only trade away other interests to reach an agreement with the Miscellaneous School," Sheng Boyuan said.
Fang Yun said slowly, "A son feels no pain selling off his father's fields."
"You..." Sheng Boyuan had never expected Fang Yun to be so rude.
The other officials watched helplessly, though some were chuckling to themselves.
Zhang Poyue smiled and said, "The words may be coarse, but the truth isn't. Almost everything the Miscellaneous School wants was won by Void Sage Fang. Anyone who sells out the Jing Kingdom's interests without knowing right from wrong is indeed a son who feels no pain selling off his father's fields."
Sheng Boyuan suddenly felt weary. He had never imagined that Fang Yun would disregard the bigger picture so completely. He was nothing like the Fang Yun Sheng Boyuan had once