Shengyuan Continent, Kongcheng, Daofeng Mountain, Holy Court.
In the main hall of the Academy of Selection of Talents, nine great scholars and many university scholars were present, continuing to discuss the candidate for the top of the four great talents as if it were their daily work.
Before, every Grand Secretary came, but now, there are only nineteen Grand Secretaries, almost half less, because many of them are tired of the lengthy disputes.
The Holy Academy has never been a highly efficient place, but the evaluation of the four great talents this time has definitely exceeded the lower limit of the Holy Academy.
In the early morning, as usual, all the great scholars and university officials said their own things. Some of them kept praising Lei Chongmo, almost making him as virtuous as Yi Zhishi or Fang Yun. Others kept attacking Lei Chongmo, repeatedly exposing his past. If Lei Chongmo were here, he would have been so angry that his literary courage would have exploded before going to the war realm.
There were also some people who acted as peacemakers, hoping that both sides would take a step back, but neither side gave in. One side insisted that Lei Chongmo be the leader of the four great talents, while the other side would rather choose the least famous university scholar than let Lei Chongmo take the position.
By the afternoon, the two sides seemed to be really angry and started arguing.
Yun Luo, the elder of the Hall of Etiquette, coughed lightly and everyone shut up immediately. Yun Luo was the most conservative person in the Selection Institute and he seldom spoke. But as the elder with the highest status in the Hall of Etiquette, everyone had to give him enough respect whenever he spoke.
In selecting the four great talents, the opinion of the Hall of Rites is the most important. If the Hall of Rites does not approve, even the pressure from the Eastern Saint will be useless.
"Among the four great talents, talent is the most important. Do you have any objection?" Yun Luo said.
Everyone nodded slightly, no one objected.
"But, among the four great talents, the most important thing is virtue. They all say that virtue and talent are both necessary, but how many people can say that talent and virtue are both necessary? There are great talents in Fengcheng, the Demon King has great talents, and all races in the Ten Thousand Worlds have great talents, but there are not many races that match 'virtue'."
After Yun Luo finished speaking, the great scholar Lei Tingzhen hurriedly said, "Mr. Yun's use of the example of the demonic and rebellious race is a bit too extreme. Since we are selecting the top four talented people, talent must be the most important. After all, we are not selecting the 'Four Virtuous People'. In terms of talent, the top of the four is none other than Lei Chongmo."
Yun Luo raised his eyelids, glanced at Lei Tingzhen, and said, "Oh? Brother Tingzhen, are you admitting that Lei Zhongmo is immoral?"
Some people laughed secretly. Although Yun Luo was an honest man, he had dug a trap. Lei Ting was too anxious and jumped into it without paying attention.
Lei Tingzhen knew that he had fallen into a language trap, but his expression remained unchanged. He continued, "I haven't finished what I said yet. Even if we choose the 'first of the four great talents and virtues', Lei Chongmo is still qualified. Virtue can be divided into great virtue and small virtue. How could Mr. Yun not know that?"
"Please give me some advice, Brother Tingzhen." Yun Luo asked humbly, like a gentleman.
"What is minor virtue? The Book of Changes says 'A gentleman should improve his virtue and cultivate his studies'. This virtue is 'virtue'. You and I should have virtue in our daily conversations, behavior, and the way we treat others. Otherwise, we will be considered to have no virtue. This kind of virtue is private virtue, which is minor virtue. Those who value minor virtue are private gentlemen."
"What is great virtue? The Records of the Grand Historian records 'carving a stone to praise the virtue of Qin'. What virtue did Qin have? Was it friendly to others? Was it gentle and polite? Was it polite at every step? None of them. The virtue of Qin was that we had the same track for our vehicles, the same writing system, the same wheels for our carriages, the same weights and measures, and we saved the people from disasters. This is not what a gentleman can achieve, but the grace of the country and the great virtue of the human race. The one with great virtue is a gentleman like you."
"I believe that even if a person's minor virtues are flawed, as long as his major virtues are intact, he is still a modest gentleman and a virtuous person. Let's not talk about Lei Chongmo's personal virtues, just talk about his major virtues. His marriage with the dragon clan and the creation of Jiaolong Wentai are all contributions to the human race. Looking at the other three talents, what major virtues can be compared with Lei Chongmo's?"
After Lei Tingzhen finished speaking, many people fell silent.
Suddenly, Yun Luo lowered his head, as if reaching out to touch the official seal, and his expression changed slightly.
All those present were great scholars or university officials, and no details could be hidden from them. Everyone was very curious about what could have caused Yun Luo, a great scholar who never showed his emotions, to change.
Afterwards, many people noticed that the great medical scholar Zhang Zangxiang also suddenly lowered his head, as if reading a letter.
After a few breaths, Zhang Zangxiang suddenly sighed and said, "I agree that Lei Chongmo is the leader of the four great talents."
Everyone was shocked. Zhang Zangxiang highly respected Fang Yun, and the Lei family was hostile to Fang Yun, so he had always opposed Lei Chongmo becoming the leader of the four talents.
Liu Bailuo, a university scholar from Jing State, could not help but ask, "Mr. Zang Xiang, can you tell me the reason?"
Zhang Zangxiang's eyes flashed with anger. He glanced at Lei Tingzhen, then sighed and said, "Back then, I owed my old friend a big favor. Today, the son of my old friend sent me a letter, and I have to repay this favor."
Everyone was stunned and looked at Lei Tingzhen. Lei Tingzhen remained calm and composed.
"The Lei family is simply a bunch of rats, servile and despicable!" Liu Bailuo, who is over eighty years old, couldn't help but curse.
Lei Tingzhen didn't even look at Liu Bailuo and said, "Someone insulted the Xusheng family in public. I think this person has no talent and no virtue and should be expelled from the Selecting Talents Academy. Who objects?"
The strange thing was that all the great scholars did not object. Then everyone realized that not only Zhang Zangxiang and Yun Luo had read the letter, but He Qionghai, the elder of the War Hall, was also reading the letter.
No one objected, and a powerful force descended and expelled Liu Bailuo from the Zeying Academy.
Everyone present understood that the Lei family had been operating in secret these days and had found the weaknesses of the three great scholars, Yun Luo, Zhang Zangxiang and He Qionghai, and were using targeted means.
Many university scholars were extremely angry but dared not speak out. Now the outcome was still undecided. If they were as impulsive as Liu Bailuo, it would be like giving the Lei family an advantage for nothing. It would be better to wait. If they were powerless to reverse the situation in the end, it would not be too late to vent their anger by cursing the Lei family.
After a few breaths, Lei Tingzhen looked at He Qionghai and said with a smile: "Brother He, what do you think about Lei Chongmo being elected as the first of the four great talents?"
He Qionghai was silent for a long time, then slowly said: "Some old friends may know that when I was young, I indulged myself for several years due to a temporary setback and became notorious. Later, I was instructed by His Majesty the Southern Saint, and I repented and turned over a new leaf. Today, the person I accidentally injured sent me a letter. I thought about it for a long time, and I will pay for my mistake today. However, Lei Chongmo is definitely not a good person. If he is elected as the leader of the four great talents, I will exile myself to Liangjie Mountain and never return to Shengyuan Continent."
Many university scholars showed sorrowful expressions, but they did not blame Zhang Cangxiang and He Qionghai for turning against each other at the last minute, because everyone has made mistakes and owed favors to others. As long as they have not done anything treacherous or evil, and have changed their ways, there is no reason to blame them even if they are not praised. The fact that the two spoke their mind straightforwardly was admirable.
Especially He Qionghai, he is a great scholar in the War Hall, he has a violent temper, and he has killed countless monsters. When he was over a hundred years old, he entered the War Hall and enjoyed the position of elder, which was actually considered as retirement and also a reward from the Holy Academy. But such a person was forced out of the Shengyuan Continent by the Lei Family, and he had to fight to the death in Liangjie Mountain when he was over a hundred years old.
.(To be continued~^~)