"The lowly woman of the Lin family bore a son, Lin Ke. My son Ke has committed more than seventeen hundred offenses in his lifetime."
Lin Xuanji's face was expressionless. As his thin lips opened and closed, he spoke words colder than ice:
"Today, all beings at court and beyond live and work in peace, and all things beneath heaven enjoy tranquility. Yet Ke has blinded heaven's ears and thrown the world into turmoil. I wish to cast aside the affection of a cow licking its calf and execute this son in the name of the Way of Rites."
His tone was icy. Not only did he refrain from judging whether Lin Ke's mother, who happened to share the surname Lin, should be granted the title of an imperially honored lady.
Instead, he took the opposite course, declaring outright that he intended to kill his own son, and cloaking it in the noble name of sacrificing family for righteousness.
Having finished, Lin Xuanji looked again at Princess Tian before him.
"Princess Tian, if you truly feel this old man stands in your way, you need only kill me. I am willing to give my life for the Path."
A few glimmers of sanctity appeared in Lin Xuanji's eyes, still as an ancient well. He then turned toward the civil and military officials, humans and nonhumans alike, bowed with his hands clasped, and straightened to speak:
"In years past, Confucius traveled among the states, leaving behind the undying Sacred Path. Thus, the orthodox lineage of our human race became the Spring and Autumn Human Race."
"Confucius gave his life for benevolence; Mencius chose righteousness. The Hundred Schools of Thought each followed their own path, and thus the pure and impure of the world were divided: rulers acted as rulers, ministers as