Chapter 291: Disgraceful

"Just now, the affirmative team's third speaker said moral constraints are the product of thousands of years of civilization, but I argue that law is the symbol of civilization, 【2】 law upholds freedom and equality, and the principle that all people are equal represents a tremendous advancement in societal development; our university's hundreds of international students, after observing and reflecting, found that not a single Western civilized nation lacks a robust legal system and respect for freedom." 【3】 He Xue, the third speaker from outside Beijing, passionately delivered her arguments according to debate rules, strongly promoting her team's view—that law is the symbol of civilization. 【4】 Li Ye felt profound contempt. 【5】 【You must have a serious misunderstanding of Western legal systems—only the rich play by the law; the poor resort to violence.】 【6】 But seeing how seriously everyone around him was listening, Li Ye felt utterly helpless. 【7】 In the early 1980s, the nationwide craze for learning from the West was just as intense; the perceived superiority of Western civilization strongly guided and permeated the Chinese people's thinking. 【8】 Didn't so many people borrow money just to illegally emigrate, convinced that "life outside is better"? 【9】 "The rebuttal summary phase is over; the free debate begins." 【10】 The host announced the next stage, and the Peking University debate team members, who had previously been courteous and composed, suddenly became as sharp, intense, and even more extreme and hostile as the outsiders. 【11】 "If we abandon morality and rely solely on law as humanity's behavioral standard, then if a thief steals from me right in front of me and I slap him, he'll demand compensation from me, 【12】 even if there are eyewitnesses, I'll still have to cooperate with authorities for investigation and evidence collection to prove I struck him within the legal limits, 【13】 but if moral constraints are deeply rooted in society, the thief, after being slapped, would only flee in panic, fearing everyone present might slap him again." 【14】 "If society loses morality, everyone will obsess over exploiting legal loopholes—fraud, seduction, and other schemes will endlessly emerge; the pace of legal refinement can never keep up with the evolution of criminal tactics, wasting vast social resources." 【15】 The outsider debate team, well-prepared, showed only a brief moment of hesitation before launching their counterattack. 【16】 "That's because our legal awareness is insufficient—if everyone understood and obeyed the law, how could social resources be wasted? Many cases today are resolved directly by the public, who already know right from wrong!" 【17】 "Wrong!" 【18】 Li Ye stood up and said sternly: "What is law? Law is a rigorous system based on evidence, everything decided by enforcement authorities, 【19】 if it's merely subjective public judgment that determines right and wrong, that's not law—it's morality. 【20】 Morality is not static; since five thousand years ago until now, each era has produced new moral standards; today's law may well become tomorrow's morality." 【21】 "But today's morality may no longer suit this era," 【22】 He Xue stood up and declared solemnly: "I won't mention outdated moral relics like 'a subject must die if the ruler commands it.' I ask the affirmative's third speaker: if your father beats you, what will you do? 【23】 Even if he's wrong, according to your cherished moral standard, can you strike back? Can you take legal action? What use is such a moral standard?" 【24】 "Huh~" 【25】 Li Ye smiled, stood up, and said softly: "If my father beat me, I'd go to my grandfather and resolve the issue through moral means." 【26】 "" 【27】 "Hahahahahaha~" 【28】 "Hahahaha~" 【29】 "I can't take it—I really can't take it—is debate allowed to be like this?" 【30】 He Xue's face turned red; she stood up angrily: "Affirmative's third speaker, you're dodging the issue—using morality to counter morality proves morality is irrational and utterly unreasonable." 【31】 "Do you think law is any different?" 【32】 Yang Chen suddenly stood up, speaking with equal sharpness: "In the Western civilized nations you admire, using law to defeat law is the most common, ordinary practice—there are countless examples of monsters escaping justice by exploiting legal loopholes." 【33】 Yang Chen held up a white sheet of paper with a name written on it—Anna Bachmaier. 【34】 "In 1981, in Lübeck, West Germany, a criminal with a history of murder brutally killed seven-year-old Anna Bachmaier, 【35】 yet the monster not only falsely accused the child of seducing him, but his lawyer claimed he was mentally ill and proved his innocence, 【36】 and worse—the same man's previous crime was identical, and he was also acquitted." 【37】 "" 【38】 The entire hall fell silent; such a heinous case was shocking even in the West, let alone in mainland China in 1983. 【39】 "You're lying." 【40】 He Xue whispered, trembling. 【41】 Her teammates immediately snapped to attention and sternly silenced her. 【42】 A debater should never say such a thing—it might be a trap laid by the opponent. 【43】 But after careful observation, Li Ye realized He Xue was impulsive; once continuously provoked, she easily lost control and revealed weaknesses. 【44】 Sure enough, Li Ye pulled a newspaper from under the table and handed it to Yang Chen. 【45】 This newspaper, brought by Li Ye from Hong Kong, contained detailed coverage of a case that had sparked a major public debate on morality versus law in the West. 【46】 Yang Chen raised the paper with righteous indignation: "To refute the baseless accusations made by the opponent's third speaker, I must present evidence." 【47】 "The monster exploited legal loopholes, claiming mental illness to evade trial; just as he was about to succeed again, the seven-year-old girl's mother pulled out a gun and fired eight shots in court, killing the criminal. 【48】 If you were that mother, would you willingly obey the law and sacrifice your own life?" 【49】 "Oh~" 【50】 "Whoa, where did this happen?" 【51】 "Didn't you hear him? It was in Lübeck, West Germany—Lübeck is a city." 【52】 "What happened to the mother? She avenged her daughter but had to pay with her own life?" 【53】 "Sigh, if we rely solely on law, there really are loopholes—the so-called Western civilization isn't entirely superior." 【54】 The audience erupted in chatter; countless spectators were captivated by Yang Chen's case, unknowingly swayed by Peking University's subtle manipulation. 【55】 Yang Chen paused several seconds, letting the atmosphere build, then revealed the outcome. 【56】 "The mother's lawyer, Marianne Bachmaier, also claimed mental instability, arguing that a grieving mother, seeing a hallucination of her daughter in court, accidentally killed the vile criminal." 【57】 "The court accepted the lawyer's argument and sentenced Marianne Bachmaier to only one and a half years in prison. This is using law to defeat law—but do you believe the judge's ruling was based on law or morality?" 【58】 "" 【59】 "Applause, applause, applause~" 【60】 The hall fell silent again—even longer than before. 【61】 Then applause erupted—no one knew if it was for Yang Chen's brilliant argument or admiration for the mother who escaped legal punishment. 【62】 Yang Chen sat down, comfortably basking in the applause. 【63】 He and his teammates believed the outsider team was finished; He Xue's blunder had caused fatal damage. 【64】 But He Xue's next words showed them what "unconventional tactics" truly meant. 【65】 "The affirmative team only cited an extremely rare case, but using morality to regulate human behavior has caused countless unjust tragedies." 【66】 He Xue looked at the audience—especially the female spectators. 【67】 "Everyone knows we long ago advocated gender equality—that women hold up half the sky—but because of so-called moral standards, women's chains have never been broken, 【68】 Think about it: whose surname follows the mother's? If men and women are equal, why must children take the father's surname?" 【69】 "And when families eat meals, isn't the man always seated in the most honored place, eating the best food, while women aren't even allowed at the table? 【70】 These are moral constraints—should we in this new era still let ourselves be perpetually oppressed by such decaying relics?" 【71】 "We should establish new standards to govern ourselves—the law, which grants true equality to all, not morality, filled with rotten filth." 【72】 Li Ye was genuinely shocked—he never expected He Xue to launch such a desperate counterattack. 【73】 Her argument was simple: morality is unfit to regulate human behavior. 【74】 Her evidence? The feminist movement, which had surged for decades since then. 【75】 Look at the female students in the audience—just moments ago cheering for the mother who fired eight shots, now completely swayed by He Xue. 【76】 Why? 【77】 Because of interest. 【78】 Just a few slogans of "equality for all" could overturn millennia-old customs and grant them what they'd never had for thousands of years. 【79】 Isn't that a guaranteed profit? 【80】 Otherwise, how could this movement have surged for decades with no end in sight? 【81】 Why endure the exhausting labor of serving men, when it's far more satisfying to seize power with empty words and ride atop their necks? 【82】 But just as Li Ye thought He Xue was merely using unconventional tactics, her next words made him understand the meaning of "those who scheme against others are themselves schemed against." 【83】 Li Ye had calculated He Xue's impulsive nature; He Xue had calculated Li Ye. 【84】 "If you still think this isn't profound enough, consider the divorces in our society today—who suffers more? And aren't these sufferings all caused by so-called morality, the product of five thousand years of civilization?" 【85】 "After two people separate due to differing opinions or worldviews, why is it always the man who looks down on the woman, why do neighbors condemn the woman but rarely blame the man?" 【86】 "I ask the affirmative's third speaker: suppose your fiancée breaks up with you because your interests diverge—would you, bound by moral standards, scold her, look down on her, even insult her?" 【87】 "" 【88】 Below the stage, Wen Leyu nearly leapt up to slap her. 【89】 【Are you talking about me? Are you talking about me?】 【90】 But Li Ye had already softly uttered three words. 【91】 "Disgraceful."

Law upholds freedom and equality; societal progress hinges on the principle that all are equal. Our university's hundreds of international students, after summarizing their observations and experiences, found that not a single Western civilized nation lacks a robust legal system and respect for freedom.

He Xue, the third debater from outside Beijing, delivered a passionate speech according to debate rules, strongly promoting her view—that law is a symbol of civilization.

Li Ye felt profound contempt inside.

【You must misunderstand Western legal systems. Only the rich play by the law; the poor resort to violence.】

But seeing the audience's earnest attention, Li Ye felt utterly helpless.

In the early 1980s, the nationwide craze for emulating the West was just as intense; the perceived superiority of Western civilization exerted powerful guidance and penetration into the Chinese mind.

Isn't it precisely because people believe "the outside is better" that so many are willing to borrow money just to sneak out?

"The rebuttal summary phase is over. Free debate begins."

The host announced the next segment—free debate. The Peking University debaters, who had previously been courteous and composed, suddenly became as sharp, intense, and even more extreme and hostile as their opponents.

"If we abandon morality and treat law alone as humanity's behavioral standard, then if a thief steals from me right before my eyes and I slap him, he'll demand compensation from me."

"Even with eyewitnesses, I'd still have to cooperate with authorities to investigate and gather evidence proving I struck him within legal bounds."

"But if moral restraint is deeply rooted in society, the thief, after being slapped, would flee in panic—because he fears everyone present will slap him again."

"If society loses morality, everyone will obsess over exploiting legal loopholes—fraud, seduction, and other schemes will endlessly emerge. The pace of legal refinement can never keep up with the evolution of criminal tactics, wasting vast social resources."

The outside Beijing team was extremely well-prepared; they showed only a brief moment of hesitation before launching their counterattack.

"That's just because our legal awareness is insufficient. If everyone understood and obeyed the law, how could social resources be wasted? Look at many current cases—everyone already knows right from wrong, and they resolve them themselves!"

"Wrong!"

Li Ye stood up and said sternly: "What is law? Law is a rigorous system based on evidence—everything depends on evidence, everything is decided by law enforcement."

"If it's merely subjective public judgment that determines right and wrong, that's not law—it's morality."

"Morality isn't static. Since five thousand years ago until now, every era has produced new moral standards. Today's law may well become tomorrow's morality."

"But today's morality may no longer suit this era."

He Xue stood up and declared firmly: "I won't mention outdated moral relics like 'a subject must die if the ruler commands it.' I ask the affirmative's third debater: if your father beats you, what will you do?"

"Even if he's wrong, according to your cherished moral standard, can you strike back? Can you take legal action? What use is such a moral standard?"

"Heh~"

Li Ye smiled, stood, and said softly: "If my father beat me, I'd go to my grandfather and resolve the moral issue with moral means."

「」

"Hahahahahaha~"

"Hahahaha~"

"I can't take it—I really can't. Can debates really be like this?"

He Xue's face turned red. She stood up angrily: "The affirmative's third debater is dodging. Using morality to counter morality proves morality is irrational and utterly unreasonable."

"Do you think law is any different?"

Yang Chen suddenly stood up, speaking just as sharply: "In the Western civilized nations you admire, using law to defeat law is the most common, ordinary practice. Countless examples exist of monsters escaping justice by exploiting legal loopholes."

Yang Chen held up a white sheet of paper with a name written on it—Anna Bachmeier.

"In 1981, in Lübeck, West Germany, a criminal with a history of murder brutally killed seven-year-old Anna Bachmeier."

"But the monster not only falsely accused the seven-year-old girl of enticing him, his lawyer also claimed he was mentally ill and proved his innocence."

"Even more horrifying: his previous crime was identical—and he was also acquitted."

「」

The entire hall fell silent. Such a heinous case was shocking even in the West; how much more so in mainland China in 1983?

"You're lying."

He Xue whispered, trembling.

Her teammates immediately snapped to attention and sternly silenced her.

A debater should never say such a thing—it might be a trap laid by the opponent.

But after careful observation, Li Ye realized He Xue was emotionally volatile; once continuously provoked, she easily lost control and exposed weaknesses.

Sure enough, Li Ye pulled a newspaper from under the table and handed it to Yang Chen.

This newspaper, brought by Li Ye from Hong Kong, contained detailed coverage of a case that had sparked a massive moral-versus-law debate in the West.

Yang Chen raised the paper with righteous indignation: "To refute the baseless accusations made by the opposing third debater, I must present evidence."

"The monster exploited legal loopholes, claiming insanity to escape trial. Just as he was about to succeed again, the seven-year-old girl's mother pulled out a gun and fired eight shots in court, killing the criminal."

"If you were that mother, would you willingly obey the law and sacrifice your own life?"

"Oh~"

"Whoa, where did this happen?"

"Didn't you hear him? It was in Lübeck, West Germany—Lübeck is a city."

"What happened to the mother? She avenged her daughter but had to pay with her own life?"

"Sigh, so relying solely on law really has loopholes. The so-called Western civilization isn't entirely superior."

The audience erupted in chatter; countless spectators were captivated by Yang Chen's case, unknowingly swayed by Peking University's subtle manipulation.

Yang Chen paused several seconds, letting the atmosphere build fully, before revealing the outcome.

"The mother's lawyer, Marian Bachmeier, claimed she suffered a hallucination—seeing her daughter's ghost in court—and accidentally killed the vile criminal due to emotional distress."

"The court accepted the lawyer's argument and sentenced Marian Bachmeier to only one and a half years in prison. This is using law to defeat law—but what did the judge base his ruling on: law or morality?"

「」

"Applause~"

The hall fell silent again—even longer than before.

Then, applause erupted. No one knew whether it praised Yang Chen's brilliant argument or admired the mother's cunning escape from justice.

Yang Chen sat down, comfortably basking in the applause.

He and his teammates believed the outside Beijing team was finished. He Xue's blunder had caused fatal damage.

But He Xue's next words showed them what "taking an unconventional path" truly meant.

"The affirmative has merely cited an extremely rare case. But using morality to regulate human behavior has caused countless unjust tragedies."

He Xue looked at the audience—especially the female spectators.

"Everyone knows we long ago advocated gender equality—that women hold up half the sky. Yet because of so-called moral standards, women's shackles remain unbroken."

"Think about it: whose surname follows the mother's? If men and women are equal, why must children take the father's surname?"

"And at home during meals, isn't the man always seated in the most honored place, eating the best food, while women aren't even allowed at the table?"

"These are moral constraints. In this new era, must we still endure such corrupt moral oppression forever?"

"We should regulate ourselves with a new standard—the law, which grants everyone equality—not the decaying, rotten morality."

Li Ye was genuinely shocked. He hadn't expected He Xue to launch such a desperate counterattack.

Her argument: morality is unfit to regulate human behavior.

Her evidence: the feminist movement, which had surged for decades since then.

Look at the female students in the audience—just moments ago cheering for the mother who fired eight shots, now completely swayed by He Xue.

Why?

Because of interest.

Just a few slogans of "equality for all" could overturn millennia-old traditions and grant them what they'd never had for thousands of years.

Isn't that a guaranteed profit?

Otherwise, how could this movement have surged for decades with no end in sight?

Why laboriously serve men when you can simply speak empty words and seize power over them?

But just as Li Ye thought He Xue was merely taking an unconventional path, her next words made him understand what "those who scheme against others are themselves schemed against" truly meant.

Li Ye had calculated He Xue's volatile temperament; He Xue had calculated Li Ye too.

"If you still think this isn't profound enough, consider the divorces in our society today—who suffers more? And isn't this suffering rooted in so-called morality? In the results of five thousand years of civilization?"

"After two people separate due to differing opinions or life views, why is it always the man who looks down on the woman? Why do neighbors condemn the woman but rarely blame the man?"

"I ask the affirmative's third debater: suppose your fiancée leaves you because your interests diverge. Will you, bound by moral standards, scold her, look down on her, even insult her?"

「」

Below the stage, Wen Leyu nearly leapt up to slap her.

【Who are you talking about? Are you talking about me?】

But Li Ye had already softly uttered three words. 【91】 "Disgraceful."

Shameless.