Liu Tan held victory firmly in his grasp and took no offense. He smiled. "If you insist on yielding the floor, I can present my argument first. There are fifty-five particularly clear instances in which the Old-Text Book of Documents surpasses the New-Text version. Are you sure you want to hear me first?"
Fifty-five instances?!
He had actually listed as many as fifty-five!
No wonder even Wang Jian, a great master of Classical Studies, held the Liu family's second young master in such esteem!
A murmur of astonishment rose from the audience.
The New-Text camp grew deeply anxious. Liu Zhao's brows knitted tightly, his expression more grave than ever.
"Fifty-five?! Then I'd better go first." Wang Yang cleared his throat and came out with a statement. "Actually, the Old-Text Book of Documents is a fake."
The Confucian students looked bewildered, unsure whether they had heard him correctly. They immediately began asking one another, "What did he just say?" "Which family?" "What family does the Old-Text Book of Documents belong to?"
It was not that Wang Yang had spoken unclearly. No one could connect the Book of Documents with the word "fake."
Liu Tan was also taken aback. Uncertainly, he asked, "What did you say the Old-Text Book of Documents was? Of fine virtue?"
Wang Yang repeated, "The Old-Text Book of Documents is a fake. Fake, as opposed to genuine. It is a spurious text, forged by later generations."
For a moment, the gathering fell silent. Then it erupted!
"He must be mad!"
"He actually said the Old-Text Book of Documents is a forgery. Did I hear that right?!"
"Hah! He knows he's no match for Liu Tan, so he's deliberately making outlandish claims."
"How can he say such things on so solemn an occasion?! Utterly absurd!"
"Why did Liu Zhao