Kou Yuan opened his mouth, only to find himself speechless.
He cited the Great Declaration; Wei Zi answered with the Great Declaration.
He cited Master Dong; Wei Zi answered with Confucius.
He cited the duties of remonstrance officials; Wei Zi answered with the Analects.
"When all condemn a man, one must examine him"-he countered the sages' words with the sages' words.
Wei Zi had broken his arguments and thrown them back, one by one.
In that moment, the words everyone had deemed wild and defiant had left the entire Court unable to refute them.
"This minister has said all he has to say."
Seeing that no one spoke, Wei Nisheng knelt and bowed to the floor.
"If Your Majesty deems my words wild and defiant, I am willing to submit to the axe and battle-axe!
If Your Majesty deems my words worthy of consideration, I ask to try them on Ningxia's fields, to put them to the test!"
As Wei Zi finished, every gaze in the hall fell upon the Imperial Throne.
Then Qin Yan stepped out of the ranks, holding his court tablet.
"Having heard Vice Director Wei's three statements, even this old man felt his heart tremble."
Silence fell over the hall once more. Even Qin Gong, a great master of Neo-Confucianism, said his heart had trembled!
"Your Majesty, after that first shock, this old minister considered them carefully..." Qin Yan said slowly.
"What he says need not be feared does not mean Heaven should not be feared, but that fear of Heaven must not bring our work to a halt.
What he says need not be emulated does not mean rejecting our ancestors' virtue, but that old rules must not lead a new age astray.
What he says need not be heeded does not mean disregarding words,