Yu Yuling thought, Father was right to have me learn breadth of vision from Brother Wang. If my learning and insight could one day reach even half of his, that would be wonderful.
Yu Qianlou forgot to chew the sticky rice in his mouth. Such a genius! His breadth of mind and insight have long since surpassed not just his peers, but even the scholar-officials of Jingzhou! I entered official service early enough and have seen something of the world, yet these arguments never even occurred to me!
Though Yan Youcheng was close to Liu Cheng, he too was won over by Wang Yang's arguments. And why did that line-"Hands tucked in sleeves, he idly preaches benevolence and righteousness; of a hundred useless things, Liu Cheng is the most useless"-actually have such a catchy ring to it?!
Each had his own thoughts, but they flashed past in an instant. None had time to examine them closely; they hurried to listen, afraid of missing even a single word from Wang Yang.
"...To train troops, we must first increase our financial resources. The previous policy of Register Verification was aimed at tax revenue. If taxes cannot be increased, we must turn to commerce. Throughout history, taxation has suffered from one great failing, namely-"
"Enough!" Liu Cheng sprang to his feet and pointed at Wang Yang, shouting in agitation, "Wang Yang! You cloak falsehood in eloquence! You wrench words from their context! You fashion heresies to confound the righteous path and weave deceitful arguments to beguile men's hearts! You let merchants' profits override the sages' righteousness, bearing a surname among the illustrious while plying a peddler's trade! And now, rather than repent, you boast without shame and recklessly sully the policies of the state!"
Yu Yi had been listening to a crucial point