He Was Still Firing Away

At the Golden Kylin Gathering, Gu Chenfeng's counterquestion rang out.

Zhong Yanqi's heart tightened as well.

He had slapped the damning label of "bringing ruin to the nation and suffering to its people" onto the Gu Lineage.

He had thought it would frighten this notorious wastrel of the Imperial Capital into a panic.

Instead, Gu Chenfeng had turned the tables by invoking the Founding Emperor, the Late Emperor, and the reigning sovereign.

He had pinned the charge of "speaking with imperial authority and deciding life and death"-a blatant act of usurpation and grave disrespect-on Zhong Yanqi himself.

Clearly, Third Young Master Gu had thrown caution to the wind.

He intended to stake the reputation of the entire Gu Lineage and fight Zhong Yanqi to the bitter end.

At last, Zhong Yanqi could not help taking another hard look at the composed young man in the pavilion.

He found it difficult to believe that this young master, widely mocked throughout the Imperial Capital as a good-for-nothing,

could possess such courage and resolve.

Yet although Zhong Yanqi was startled, he was not afraid.

He was a great Confucian scholar of the Great Li Dynasty, a tutor to the princes.

Behind him stood the Imperial Academy, countless scholars and students, and the entire Confucian scholarly community.

Unless his opponent could produce irrefutable evidence to refute him,

the scholars of the realm would defend his every word and deed through learned debate!

At that thought, Zhong Yanqi's mind settled, and the scholar's proud spirit in his chest blazed fiercely.

He laughed aloud.

"Ha ha... Evidence? What need is there for evidence?

"The gods watch from three feet above your head. If you wish no one to know, then do not commit the deed!

"Since Old Chancellor Gu's time, have the younger generations of your Gu Lineage committed any shortage of outrageous deeds?"

Zhong Yanqi spoke with impassioned conviction, pointing at the blue heavens like a fighter prepared to face death.

"Twenty years ago, Gu Lingxiao, the General Who Guards the North, was barely into his twenties.

"In the Imperial Capital, he spent his days fighting roosters, walking dogs, eating, drinking, whoring, and gambling. He was a notorious wastrel.

"He was detained for days after organizing a brawl, then the Right Chancellor sent men to escort him to the northern frontier to join the army.

"A few months later, the Barbarian Tribe's great army invaded the northern Frozen Expanse.

"Yet General Gu suddenly displayed valor unmatched throughout the army, leading his troops from victory to victory, slaying dozens of enemy generals, and capturing the Barbarian Tribe's deputy marshal alive. He commanded like a god!"

At this point, Zhong Yanqi laughed again, his laughter steeped in mockery.

"For General Gu to undergo such an enormous transformation in mere months, he would have to have been possessed by a god.

"Otherwise, not even a three-year-old child would believe such a story, would they?

"On the contrary, over the years, soldiers and merchants at the frontier have witnessed it with their own eyes.

"In that bitterly cold frontier land, General Gu spent every day surrounded by singing beauties and dancing girls, living in a drunken dream.

"Vast quantities of fine wine, beautiful women, gold, silver, jewels, and miraculous medicines were delivered to his residence.

"Is this the bearing of the Great Li Dynasty's youngest and most promising general, the empire's God of War?"

Thunder burst from Zhong Yanqi's tongue.

As the scholars and students present listened to him enumerate Gu Lingxiao's conduct at the frontier,

anger surged in their chests, filling them with righteous indignation.

They felt that "the empire's God of War," the reverent title bestowed on the Gu Lineage by the people of Great Li,

was overdue to be exposed as a sham, so the truth could be laid bare before the world.

And Zhong Yanqi was still firing away!

He fixed his gaze on Gu Chenfeng, the mockery in his eyes deepening.

"As the saying goes, those below follow the example of those above. I thought the title 'the empire's God of War' was ironic enough.

"Who could have imagined that the Gu Lineage would produce a 'poetry champion of the Imperial Capital' as well?

"As far as I know, Third Young Master, you have no love for letters and no aptitude for martial pursuits.

"After finishing your elementary schooling as a child, you abandoned your studies.

"Nor did I ever hear of any poems or essays by you appearing during those years.

"Yet, to everyone's surprise, you either made no move at all, or, the moment you did,

"you produced a dazzling poem such as 'Drunken West Chamber.'"

Zhong Yanqi let out a cold laugh.

"Heh... Your marvels surpass even your father's, Third Young Master.

"Forgive my limited knowledge, but could such 'earth-shaking transformations' be an innate gift of the Gu Lineage's descendants?

"Or have certain people resorted to underhanded methods to deceive the world in pursuit of fame and fortune?"

Every word Zhong Yanqi uttered struck like a thunderclap that could rouse the deaf.

Some hot-blooded students present were stirred to shout aloud.

"Elder Zhong is absolutely right! The Gu father and son have deceived the world and stolen their reputations, making fools of everyone. How despicable!"

"Exactly! Old Chancellor Gu may have been loyal and virtuous, but his descendants have disgraced their family and betrayed the realm."

For a time, the crowd seethed with outrage, their united voices fierce enough to melt gold.

Inside the pavilion, Imperial Uncle Xiao and Zhang You could no longer conceal the excitement on their faces.

Meanwhile, Su Wanyue, Ouyang Cai, and Shangguan Bingxin,

and even Princess Yaoyin, felt their hearts rise into their throats, worried for Gu Chenfeng and the Gu Lineage.

After this turn of events, the Gu Lineage's reputation might well be utterly destroyed.

The Gu father and son would become "rats crossing the street" in the Great Li Dynasty, targets for everyone to strike.

Even the third prince, who had been coldly watching events unfold from another pavilion,

now knitted his brows and focused intently on the situation here.

At the same time, Zhong Yanqi posed his final question.

"Gu Chenfeng, are you satisfied with my answer?"

With every eye upon him, Gu Chenfeng remained seated calmly in the pavilion.

He poured himself wine at his leisure, and after drinking three cups in succession,

Clap, clap, clap...!

Gu Chenfeng suddenly began applauding in praise.

"Excellent, excellent, excellent! Elder Zhong, you truly deserve your place as a towering authority among Great Li's Confucian scholars and a model of integrity among its civil officials.

"What a thoroughly satisfying speech."

Everyone present was astonished by his reaction.

What was wrong with Gu Chenfeng? Had the shock been so great that he had lost his mind?

Zhong Yanqi stroked his beard and sneered.

"Then you agree with my views, Third Young Master?"

Gu Chenfeng's smile gradually turned cold.

"I agree... I agree with your fucking mother!"

Gu Chenfeng's furious shout made everyone jump.

After a moment of surprise, Zhong Yanqi snorted coldly.

"Hmph. Third Young Master, you have flown into a rage out of shame and resorted to filthy language. Aren't you afraid of sullying the Gu Lineage's reputation?"

"I'll sully your fucking mother!" Gu Chenfeng continued paying his respects to the man's parent.

"Whelp, cease your insolence!"

Zhong Yanqi was finally growing angry.

"I'll be insolent to your fucking mother!"

"You..."

Zhong Yanqi's face flushed with fury as he pointed at Gu Chenfeng.

Bang!

At that moment, Gu Chenfeng finally slammed the table and sprang to his feet in the pavilion.

He pointed back at Zhong Yanqi and roared his rebuke.

"Zhong Yanqi! You white-headed cur! You gray-bearded old thief!

"You wear a scholar's robe in vain and falsely claim a mantle of righteousness, when in truth you harbor sinister intentions, senile and muddleheaded!

"You've spent your life poring over the classics until your hair turned white. Did all those books of sages end up in a dog's belly?!

"Your actions do nothing to benefit the realm. Instead, you stab loyal ministers through the heart and chill the courage of our soldiers.

"You bolster treacherous villains and break the nation's backbone!"

Gu Chenfeng's barrage of abuse came like an unbroken volley of cannon fire, leaving not a single gap.

Under that onslaught, Zhong Yanqi's eyes bulged and his breathing grew rapid.

The finger he pointed at Gu Chenfeng trembled uncontrollably.

"Whelp, you-you-you..."

But Gu Chenfeng did not pause, continuing to fire away furiously.

"You old thief! You claim my father stole credit at the frontier and amassed wealth by breaking the law. Did those dog eyes of yours ever witness it firsthand?

"You sneer that my poem wasn't original and slander me as an ignorant incompetent.

"Did those dog eyes of yours ever see me when I was studying diligently?

"You have not a shred of proof, yet you shamelessly stick your decrepit face out here and invent accusations at will. Have you no shame?!"

"You...!"

The abuse left Zhong Yanqi's head spinning, and even his body began to shake.

Gu Chenfeng raised his voice to deliver the killing blow.

"You! You reek of rotten pedantry, your belly is full of snakes and scorpions, and you seek to plunge the Great Li Dynasty into chaos-

"Traitor! Old thief!! Miserable cur!!!"

At those words, Zhong Yanqi was so furious that he gaped speechlessly, trembling all over.

"You... whelp... ah..."

At last.

The great Confucian scholar of the Great Li Dynasty opened his mouth wide, rolled his eyes back, and fainted on the spot.

"Elder Zhong!"

The surrounding scholars and students rushed forward, rubbing his shoulders and pressing his chest.

Some pinched the groove above his upper lip, while others splashed water on him. The scene dissolved into chaos.

Inside the pavilion, Su Wanyue, Ouyang Cai, Shangguan Bingxin, and Princess Yaoyin,

along with Imperial Uncle Xiao and Zhang You, who had originally been waiting to enjoy the spectacle, were all stunned.

They wondered whether Gu Chenfeng had actually cursed this great scholar to death.

Fortunately.

A moment later.

"Urgh...!"

With a choking gasp and a shudder, Zhong Yanqi slowly regained consciousness.

"Whelp, your bloody moth... cough, cough!"

Forcing back a curse against Gu Chenfeng's mother, Elder Zhong looked at him with weak, gloomy eyes.

"Third Young Master, what a viciously sharp tongue you have!

"Still, there was some truth in what you said just now. I have indeed never visited the frontier and cannot personally gather evidence against General Gu.

"But whether that poem of yours was original is very easy to establish.

"If you truly possess learning and talent, why did you not dare accept when Zou Tai invited you to compose a poem earlier?"

Zhong Yanqi truly lived up to his standing as a great scholar of his generation.

Even under such circumstances, he could steady his mind and seek out his opponent's weakness.

And the scholars and students present, who worshipped Zhong Yanqi and followed his lead unquestioningly,

immediately went on the attack when they heard him.

"Exactly! If you truly have learning and talent, Third Young Master, why don't you dare compose a poem?"

"You must have a guilty conscience, afraid of exposing yourself!"

"That's right! Elder Zhong is a master of his generation. Why would he slander a junior like you?"

Faced with their attacks and doubts, Gu Chenfeng merely smiled with contempt.

"You think I refused to compose a poem because I was afraid?"

"Wasn't that the reason?" Zhong Yanqi countered coldly.

"Ha ha ha..."

Inside the pavilion, Gu Chenfeng threw back his head and laughed for a while.

Then his gaze swept over the countless indignant scholars and students outside the pavilion, and the cold-faced Zhong Yanqi.

His tone dripped with scorn.

"I'm not boasting, but when it comes to poetry, none of you here are worthy of making me lift my brush!"