The teahouse instantly fell silent.
Some people frowned in thought.
Others suddenly understood and said nothing.
A burly man snapped, "Nonsense! I know Lord Song is a Grand Confucian of our age, promoted to Third Rank and appointed prefect of the capital. But what good policies did he have for keeping the people of Beichen City content? In governance, could he compare to adding a hundred thousand households in one year? In military merit, could he wipe out the entire Devil-Armored Devil Army in a single battle? In poetry, could he achieve Mountain-and-River Manifestation? The gap is far more than a little."
"Exactly. If holding high office made someone a good official, the world would have been at peace long ago. Of course, it's true that people in high office know how to get along."
"Lord Li is unquestionably the best official in the northwest today! He might even contend for the title of best official in the realm!"
An old man stroked his beard and smiled. "I have lived in both Beichen City and Far-Reaching City, and I greatly admire Mr. Yunjing. He has a deeper understanding of the classics and profound attainment in Literary Cultivation. But I have also heard people discuss him, and many reached the same conclusion: he is more like an idle cloud or a wild crane, with no fondness for power or position. Judging him solely as a man, Mr. Yunjing is truly an exemplar in this regard, and none of us has any right to criticize him. But when judging him as an official, whether we call him an idle cloud and wild crane or say he dislikes power and position, all we can say is that he 'cherishes his own person.' Any further judgment might be disrespectful to Mr. Yunjing, so I