The moment Zhong Hui spoke, Zhang Hua's face darkened.
He was about to challenge him when Wei Shu tugged at his sleeve.
Zhong Hui noticed the young Gentleman of the Yellow Gate. He glanced at him before saying to Cao Mao, "Your Majesty, when discussing important affairs, there is no need to include fawning flatterers."
Zhang Hua calmly asked in return, "In that case, where should a man without virtue, who deceives his sovereign and spouts wild claims, stand?"
"Right beside me."
Zhong Hui answered without a moment's thought.
Zhang Hua was about to speak again, but Wei Shu said unhurriedly, "Lord Zhang, do not be rude to Lord Zhong. Lord Zhong possesses great talent, and the heights of his moral character are truly far beyond our reach. How could we be rude to him?"
Zhong Hui's face darkened as well.
In this era, one could not say someone's parents' names to their face, including words that sounded the same. It was a tremendous insult.
Yet Wei Shu had stressed the word "far," pronounced yao. This was a direct personal attack.
Cao Mao said somewhat helplessly, "Enough, Maoxian, Yangyuan. Lord Zhong is not a rude man. He must have his reasons for saying this."
He then turned to Zhong Hui and said with a smile, "Zhang Maoxian is young. Please do not take offense, Lord Zhong."
This was the equivalent of saying that a child was still young and did not know any better. It was blatant favoritism.
Speaking of which, Zhong Hui was not very old himself. He was only seven years older than Zhang Hua, while Yang Hu and Du Yu were both older than Zhong Hui!
But Zhong Hui was so formidable that, in later years, he was always compared with men like Jiang Wei and Deng