Chapter 27: A Virtuous Scholar for the Country and the People

Ji Feng looked at Lu Fang, who was "baring his fangs and brandishing his claws" under the hall, with a wry smile. This little guy was really unforgiving.

He did indeed act as a witness, but no matter which side lost, he couldn't let the betting conditions be realized.

"Cough, cough, cough..."

Ji Feng coughed twice and looked at Prime Minister He Fan.

The one who had contact with Lu Fang in this hall and helped speak out just now was this person.

He Fan understood and nodded, smiling:

"Lu Fang, asking Xiao official to kneel is indeed a bit too much. How about this, let Xiao official just apologize to you, and don't kneel. However, you can make a request to him, how about that?"

Lu Fang bowed to He Fan,

"Since the Prime Minister has said so, then let's do it this way. Just treat it as me pitying this Xiao official for being so old. As long as he gives me one hundred thousand taels, I won't make him kneel."

The Prime Minister was quite caring toward Lu Fang, and he was willing to give this face.

Xiao Qi's expression was uncertain, and finally nodded in humiliation.

One hundred thousand taels was much more cost-effective for the Xiao family than making him kneel. He looked at Lu Fang as if he had smeared shit on his face, gritted his teeth and said:

"I was wrong. I will give you the one hundred thousand taels."

"No need!" Lu Fang raised his chin slightly and said: "Donate that one hundred thousand taels to the soldiers at the border. You can give the silver notes directly to the Ministry of Revenue."

"Good! Everyone is happy." Ji Feng nodded with a smile.

The History family Semi-Sage Sima Yu had been writing the History Book of Time. Seeing that the matter was finished, he wrote:

"Scholar Lu Fang finally donated the one hundred thousand taels of compensation to the soldiers at the border. He is truly a virtuous scholar for the country and the people."

As soon as the words fell, the Semi-Sage Sima Yu had already disappeared.

You must know that on the other side, Su Li, who had just become a Semi-Sage, was taking Xiao Wanlin to the Xiao Mansion to ask the three Semi-Sages of the Xiao family for an explanation.

This was a rare historical event!

"I wonder how Eldest Senior Brother is doing?"

Lu Fang retreated from the Xuanzheng Hall, walked out of the palace gate, and walked quickly toward the Li Fu.

Even from a long distance, he could clearly see the Haoran Zhengqi condensing without dispersing above the Xiao Mansion on Xiande Street, turning into rolling cyan clouds and the sea, with one vision after another.

One could imagine how intense the Semi-Sage battle in the Xiao Mansion would be.

Lu Fang stopped at the intersection of Xiande Street for a long time before shaking his head and leaving. With his current strength, he couldn't help even if he went, and he would become a burden.

Although Eldest Senior Brother was a Semi-Sage, it was said that the Xiao Mansion had three Semi-Sages.

One against three, would he suffer a loss?

A death battle should be impossible. This is the capital of the Great Zhou; how could a Semi-Sage death battle be allowed? If it really got out of control, the Zhou Emperor would definitely send someone to be a peacemaker.

"The Xiao family didn't make things difficult for you, did they."

Li Yu stood at the gate of the Li Fu. Seeing Lu Fang return, she couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief and hurried up to meet him and ask.

Seeing Lu Fang lowering his head with a dejected look, Li Yu thought he had been humiliated in the palace.

"Sigh!" Lu Fang sighed heavily. He was really worried that Eldest Senior Brother might suffer a loss in the Xiao Mansion.

"As long as the green hills remain, there is no need to worry about firewood."

Li Yu comforted him and very carefully welcomed Lu Fang into the living room of the mansion. Seeing that he was still lowering his head, she felt somewhat disappointed that he didn't live up to expectations and said loudly: "A man should be a man, it's just a little setback..."

Lu Fang interrupted: "Did you read Dream of the Red Chamber and read out scholarly aura?"

The two's questions were like a cow's mouth not matching a horse's mouth...

It turned out that Lu Fang had been lowering his head because of the scholarly aura wrapped around Li Yu's hand, which looked even more than Chen Ji's.

Because quite a few people had read out scholarly aura in the past two days.

The Realm Spirit of the Ink Brush Realm no longer prompted one by one. The extra scholarly aura was also considered by Lu Fang to be the reason why more people read Red Chamber.

As for how many people had read out scholarly aura now, he didn't know very well.

"I read out the scholarly aura just yesterday."

Li Yu replied casually.

She often ran to Lu Fang's place to read the latest Red Chamber, so naturally, like Chen Ji, she knew that she could read out scholarly aura, and she knew its function and effect very well.

"What kind of humiliation did you suffer in the palace? Did the Xiao family slander you with 'Dream of the Red Chamber'? Didn't you tell the Emperor that 'Dream of the Red Chamber' can read out scholarly aura?"

Li Yu finally couldn't help but ask.

"I didn't have time to play the trump card of 'scholarly aura' before the Xiao family couldn't pose a threat to me, so I forgot to say it. I was just busy 'scolding' the Xiao family."

Lu Fang smiled bitterly and shook his head.

Before entering the palace, Lu Fang, Li Yu, and Chen Ji had discussed countermeasures. Scholarly aura was the trump card to turn defeat into victory.

"Ah?" Li Yu scratched her head and said unhappily: "What are you talking about? Why don't I understand a little bit? You didn't suffer humiliation, then why are you dejected?"

"I am your little martial uncle, don't be disrespectful."

Lu Fang reminded, and then told the process in the Xuanzheng Hall.

From entering the hall and being requested to be executed by Xiao Wanlin and many civil and military officials, to the arrival of Second Senior Brother Su Li, then to the bet with Xiao Qi, writing an imagery-level "Ode to Lime," and finally ending with the Xiao family apologizing on the spot.

Lu Fang was spitting everywhere as he spoke.

Li Yu listened with an exceptionally rich and interesting expression, and kept whispering: "Not afraid of being crushed to pieces, I want to leave innocence in the world..."

Is it true or false? Saying he could write an imagery-level poem and he wrote it.

Even a Semi-Sage probably wouldn't dare to say this sentence.

No wonder even the trump card of scholarly aura wasn't used, the Xiao family softened, and was written in the History Book of Time with the bad name of "slanderer."

History family Semi-Sage Sima Yu recorded in the History Book of Time:

Twenty-ninth year of Tianfeng, September 22nd.

Because his junior brother Lu Fang was slandered by the Xiao family, Su Li, who had just stepped into the Semi-Sage realm, threatened Xiao Wanlin to the Xiao Mansion to ask the three Semi-Sages of the Xiao family for an explanation.

A private contest was inevitable.

Due to many factors, the three Semi-Sages of the Xiao family relented and admitted their mistakes, ending with Semi-Sage Su Li scolding and leaving.

Did the matter end here?

Of course, it didn't end.

As the imagery-level good poem "Ode to Lime" flowed out, "Not afraid of being crushed to pieces, I want to leave innocence in the world" became the best talk of the people in the capital.

"Do you know under what circumstances this good poem was written by the great talented scholar Lu Fang?"

"Didn't the History Book of Time record it? It appeared on the history steles of academies everywhere. It was slandered by Xiao Qi, and then Lu Fang wrote 'Not afraid of being crushed to pieces, I want to leave innocence in the world'."

"Yes, yes, yes! It's spread everywhere now."

"It seems everyone knows about this, but there is one more thing everyone must not know."

"What thing?"

"Yo, don't sell the secret, hurry up and say it."

"This matter has something to do with the elegant prose written by Lu Fang. Have you heard of scholarly aura? This is an amazing thing..." ===== CHAPTER 28 =====