Court Debate

"I am Donghuazi," the old man said indifferently, sounding rather calm. "The Great Tao is limitless and profound. Although I have been studying it for almost a hundred years, I don't think there's anything wrong in being called a beginner. I wonder how many years our young friend here has been studying the profound Great Tao?"

"I see. You're the master teacher… I've heard so much about you." Tilting his head, Qin Yi looked at the old man. Despite his polite words, the look on his face clearly said "you sounded much more impressive before I saw you in person".

That expression hurt Donghuazi more than any sarcastic comments, and he finally sounded a little irritated. "I wonder if our young friend here would like to share his opinion."

Qin Yi grinned and said, "Determining the importance of a person solely by their seniority is such an unreliable method. There are countless martial arts practitioners on the continent, but how many of the ones older than Prince Qinglin could be a match for him? Having studied something for a long time doesn't mean a person knows more in the subject. If another person knows more than I do, they don't have to be older than me for me to consider them my teacher."

That little speech successfully baffled a lot of people. Even Liusu, who was ready to help Qin Yi with the debate, was rendered speechless by those words.

"That's the arrogance of youth speaking. They think they know everything just because they've read a few books. It happens," Donghuazi said unhurriedly. "This kingdom is the superior one, so the Li trigram is certainly on top and the Dui trigram is on the bottom which makes it 'Kui', the sign of happiness. The teenager here was ignorant enough to say that Dui was on top of Li… Luckily, the king is open-minded enough to forgive your offence. Please don't be so reckless in the future."

Qin Yi expressed his mockery inwardly, for the shrewd priest had just tried to make himself a victim of literary inquisition. This wasn't a debate on Taoist theories! Liusu didn't know what to say either, because it wasn't good with such quibbles. Qin Yi himself was actually able to come up with some retort. He feigned an amazed tone and said, "I thought we were talking about a marriage here, which usually involves a man and a woman. I see that you prefer positions with women on top. I guess I was ignorant, then. Thank you for enlightening me…"

"Pffft…" Li Qinglin burst out laughing. Seeing that everyone else was staring at him, he cleared his throat and straightened his face. "Qin Yi, you're still too young to know this, but some people enjoy the cowgirl position. Since we're at a state banquet, let's not discuss the master teacher's preferences here."

We're at a state banquet? You totally said that on purpose! Qin Yi thought. Immediately, the serious mood of the debate changed, and many people tried to fight back their laughter as they stole glances at Donghuazi.

Donghuazi didn't openly react. Instead, he only said indifferently, "We are discussing an alliance between two kingdoms, and it is not equivalent to love-making. Young man, if you don't know what you're saying, you should be more careful with your words. Now, please take a seat."

Qin Yi secretly applauded the old man.

Often, the manifestation of a divination could be very vague, and one could explain it in a million different ways which gave charlatans a great chance to work their scams. Such as the position of Li and Kui here. If Donghuazi insisted that the two made a "Kui" sign, Liusu was more than capable of teaching Qin Yi to turn "Kui" into an omen. On the other hand, Donghuazi could argue that the other way around was an auspicious sign, and it could go on forever. However, instead of making the argument, Donghuazi brought politics into it and ended the topic forcibly, taking advantage of his seniority. The king was left to figure things out himself.

A so-called debate usually wasn't about convincing the opponent but making the onlookers listen. As for whose side the king would take? Well, the answer was pretty obvious.

Qin Yi was urgently trying to find something to say when Li Qingjun couldn't hold it in anymore. She yelled, "If anyone makes me marry that barbarian, I'll chop his damn head off on the night of my wedding! That's the only alliance you'll have between our two kingdoms!"

The king's face darkened and he said, "Zhaoyang, watch your language."

Li Qingjun raised her chin and was about to say something else when Qin Yi tugged her sleeve and smiled. "Thank you for the free lesson. There I was, thinking that all cultivators should be above worldly matters and focus on their eventual ascension, but I now see that the master teacher cares about alliances as well. That was a great lesson. No wonder the master teacher is so famous."

The king's eyes flickered.

And Donghuazi's pupils contracted as well.

Those who understood what Qin Yi said were amazed as well.

What did the king want the most? Ascension and immortality.

The teenager had figured out what the king valued the most. What should a cultivator have in mind? Certainly not an alliance between the two kingdoms. With Li Qingjun's firm opposition, it was obvious that this alliance was probably not going to happen. No one could tell how the king would react to the two different explanations of the divination.

Donghuazi slowly said, "There are many ways one can cultivate, and profound knowledge can be found everywhere in this big world. Young friend, you're not seeing the big picture."

"Well, I apologize for my rudeness." Qin Yi didn't try to talk back, because there was no need to. He cupped his hands at Donghuazi and led Li Qingjun to their seats.

Donghuazi was generous enough to return the salutation, indicating that the discussion was over.

However, everyone knew that the teenager would have some tough days ahead of him. Qin Yi only smiled and didn't seem affected at all.

The king was secretly impressed and wondered where his daughter had found such a special teenager.

By then, Li Qingjun also saw what the argument was about. She sat down in her chair and happily patted Qin Yi on the shoulder as a compliment.

The other people watched their intimate interactions with various opinions.

Mang Zhan, who had remained silent for a while, finally spoke. "I came here with the best wishes from my kingdom and wanted to end this hundred-year war. Our two kingdoms have been bitter enemies for generations, and to form an alliance, we will need a good intermediary. Unfortunately, I don't have any sisters. Otherwise, I would gladly marry one to Brother Qinglin."

He was subtly mocking Nanli for not seeing the big picture and there was something threatening about his voice as well.

Li Qinglin smirked. "Even if you had a sister to give me, I don't think that'd affect my opinion of you. Mang Zhan, are you so naive that you believe an alliance between our two kingdoms would depend on a marriage?"

Mang Zhan sighed. "The moment I saw Princess Zhaoyang today, I felt my heart had been pierced by a spear. Brother Li, you can think what you want, but if I can have Princess Zhaoyang's hand in marriage, I'll never set my foot in Nanli again."

Li Qingjun flared up. Grabbing her spear, she jumped to her feet and yelled, "Killing you will have the same effect!"

"Zhaoyang, be polite." The king waved her off and ended the argument.

This marriage would indeed benefit both countries if one were to consider the big picture. Nanli might have a tradition of practicing martial arts, but compared to the more primitive Xihuang, Nanli had created a farming civilization for many years, and its people weren't very aggressive. For the majority of the hundred-year war between the two kingdoms, Nanli had been passively defending its land. If a marriage alliance could really work out, everyone at the royal court would happily see Li Qingjun married off.

The problem was that Li Qingjun herself found the suggestion utterly deplorable. If she really ended up cutting her husband's head off after her wedding, that would only trigger more violent wars. To prevent that, Nanli would have to strip away all her martial arts abilities before sending her on her way. However, just like Li Qinglin argued, doing so would be an utmost humiliation for Nanli. Moreover, the compromise wouldn't necessarily bring peace. Instead, it might make their enemy more violent.

The king himself preferred to marry his daughter to Mang Zhan as well, but only if his daughter would do so willingly. The problem was…

His gaze landed on Qin Yi, who was tugging at Li Qingjun's sleeve to gesture her to sit down, which Li Qingjun did. It seemed that she listened to him.

So, here was the problem. His daughter might already have a lover.

The king didn't think that handling a commoner teenager would be a problem. However, the teenager seemed to be a cultivator, and an able one at that… Obsessed with the idea of cultivation, the king decided to make a decision after getting to know Qin Yi better. Hence, he didn't respond to Mang Zhan's suggestion but only said, "Let's enjoy the welcoming party today. State matters can wait until tomorrow."

The king had spoken, and Mang Zhan had to drop the topic. Soon, officials of the Ministry of Rites led the discussion to more relaxed ones.

Li Qinglin heaved a sigh of relief.

Not making a decision was a good thing. He was right to have invited Qin Yi over.

As for what to do next… He looked from Mang Zhan and Donghuazi and just happened to see the looks they exchanged.

Sipping his wine, Li Qinglin whispered without turning his head, "Brother Qin, we need to talk after we get back to my residence."