Minister Sai immediately gave Fang Yun a look, asking him to think it over carefully.
Right Prime Minister Cao De'an also looked at Fang Yun, but his expression remained calm.
The young Duke immediately said, "Brother Lei, you underestimate the number one scholar in Jing State. If Fang Zhenguo doesn't agree with you, how can he be a role model for scholars? How can the scholars of Jing State be suppressed by a member of the Lei family like you!"
Finally, one of the old Hanlin scholars couldn't help himself and shouted, "You little bastard, I once pointed at your father's nose and yelled at him in the court. If you act so recklessly today, I'll break your legs! You bastard father gave birth to a tortoise son. You are a bunch of bastards with shells!"
Tens of thousands of people lowered their heads and chuckled, and many ignorant children laughed out loud.
“A turtle father gave birth to a turtle son! A turtle father gave birth to a turtle son… Woo…” A child just followed and shouted a few words when an adult covered his mouth.
The little fox huddled in Fang Yun's arms, giggling mischievously, with its two front paws put together, crawling like a turtle.
The young Duke's face turned red with embarrassment. No matter in status or position, he was higher than the old Hanlin, but he would never dare to say a word back on the Double Ninth Festival. Even if he said no, hundreds of old scholars would surely rush over with their crutches, and he and the Kang Palace would surely become the laughing stock of the Ten Kingdoms.
"Young Duke, could you please say less? Are you trying to force us to be loyal here?" Minister Sai said slowly.
“You…” The young Duke wanted to scold Minister Sai for his treason, but when he saw the looks of the many officials sitting on the right, he had to swallow his words back and lower his head to drink.
The young Duke's left hand trembled slightly.
"Serving the King" and "Purge the Concubine" have almost the same meaning, which may be a powerful minister seizing the throne, or it may be a group of ministers enraged and killing treacherous officials. Although "being loyal" is not as direct as "serving the King" or "Purge the Concubine", their essence is the same.
Ever since the Eight Heroes of the Eastern Han Dynasty killed treacherous officials, incidents of outrage among officials have occurred repeatedly, and each time the law was not applied to punish the entire group.
The little Duke was just a Juren. Unlike the Left Prime Minister, who was a Grand Secretary, if he provoked public anger, the officials would definitely take action. They were not weak scholars.
The young Duke drank a glass of wine, clenched his teeth, lowered his head, and there was more fear than anger in his eyes.
He didn't expect that Fang Yun had such a great appeal in Jing State that there were officials willing to start a campaign to support the king or to purge the emperor for him. Once this excuse was implemented, let alone his mere Duke, the entire Kangwang Mansion might be destroyed by the scholars of Jing State.
Even if this is only the most extreme possibility, it is too terrifying.
It was not until this time that Fang Yun understood the difference between officials in the capital and local officials.
Tong Luan, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of War, coughed lightly and said, "Everyone, please be patient. Fang Yun, do you agree with the Lei family's proposal? I also think that the Lei family's proposal is unfair. However, if you don't dare to accept the challenge, just give up. No one in the world will laugh at you."
Zhao Hongzhuang looked at Fang Yun anxiously, hoping that Fang Yun would not agree.
Yang Yuhuan's face was calm as usual, she looked at Fang Yun quietly, and there was even a hint of smile in her eyes, because she believed that no matter what, Fang Yun's choice must be the best.
Fang Yun raised his head slightly and said, "Minister Tong, why do you say 'dare not'? Is it that our human race dares not to defend Liangjie Mountain, or that you dare not to charge into the barbarian tribe?"
Tong Luan immediately said: "You said that the two 'dare nots' require the sacrifice of life, so we must weigh the pros and cons. You and the Lei family are just betting on a poem. There is no big loss. If you don't agree, you naturally dare not. After all, you are the role model of the literati in my Jing country. You can't just take the benefits without fulfilling your responsibilities."
"Then, Minister Tong, do you dare to offer some prizes to show your courage?" Fang Yun asked slowly.
Everyone's conversation was conducted in a thunderous voice, and tens of thousands of people present could hear it clearly.
Many people nodded slightly. A scholar should have the courage of Fang Yun, even if the other party is a duke, a member of the Lei family, or a famous Hanlin for many years.
Tong Shilang's eyes moved slightly, and he smiled and said, "Not long ago, I got a borneol inkstone, which was condensed from the borneol of the demon lord Jiaolong. It is a first-class inkstone. It is a perfect match with the Mo Jiao brush washer. If you can really get Jian Ming's Mo Jiao brush washer, then I will give you this borneol inkstone. If you don't become the champion today, you must give me the first copy of your national poetry."
The whole audience was shocked. This borneol inkstone was several times more precious than the Mojiao brush washer. Not to mention the Hanlin Wenbao, even the Grand Secretary Wenbao was not as valuable as it.
Camphor can be made into inkstone, and dragon marrow can be made into ink. They are the best inkstones or ink sticks in the world. Even if the Jiaolong is not as good as ordinary dragons or real dragons, it is still a dragon species after all.
After the death of a dragon, borneol is difficult to preserve. Only under special conditions or when it is deliberately sealed by people can it form a borneol inkstone. It is much more precious than dragon bones, dragon horns and dragon scales.
The ink made from the dragon's blood ink ingot and the dragon's brain inkstone can greatly enhance the power of war poems. The Demon Lord's dragon's brain inkstone is enough to increase the power of a war poem by 50%!
Ordinary literati cannot directly refine the borneol inkstone into a literary treasure. Only by sending the borneol inkstone to the saints or to the saints’ former residences and undergoing a long period of baptism can it be refined into a literary treasure.
Fang Yun had a lot of inkstones at hand, and he even got a Hanlin Wenbao inkstone in Shengxu, but that inkstone only sealed a Hanlin war poem, and it could not increase the power of the newly written war poem at all.
The four treasures of the study - pen, ink, paper and inkstone - can all increase the power of war poems, but the inkstone is rather special. Apart from the legendary inkstone turtle, which is even rarer than the borneol inkstone, only the borneol inkstone can increase the power of war poems, which no other inkstone can do.
"Is Minister Tong crazy?"
"Humph, he may not be crazy, but wise. He thinks Fang Yun will lose, so he deliberately took out this magical item. Every time the dragon's blood inkstone appears in the Ten Kingdoms, it will attract attention. If Fang Yun loses, this dragon's blood inkstone can make the name of Fang Yun's failure spread more widely. What's more, this old man is close to the left prime minister, so doing this will definitely please the left prime minister."
"From now on, whenever Minister Tong sees Fang Yun, he should take out the borneol inkstone. Fang Yun might... Sigh..."
"The borneol inkstone and the ink dragon brush washer complement each other, enough to make the brush washer more powerful. I really hope that they will end up in Fang Yun's hands."
“It’s too difficult, too difficult…”
Fang Yun and Tong Luan stood on the right and left, looking at each other.
"Why, do you want to prove that you really don't dare?" Tong Luan asked with a smile.
"Since Minister Tong is so sincere, I will accept this great gift. Then, as you said, if I can win the first prize in the literary competition, I will get this dragon's blood inkstone. If not, I will give you a copy of a poem that protects the country."
"That's great! Please help keep it for me, Right Prime Minister." Tong Luan said as he threw the borneol inkstone to Cao De'an.
Cao De'an held the borneol inkstone in his hand and stroked it gently, while the several university scholars next to him looked on with envy, not to mention the others.
The borneol inkstone is made of dark red stone with a shiny and smooth surface. Strange patterns can be faintly seen inside, which is a fatal attraction for every reader.
The Mojiao brush washer, Denglong stone and borneol inkstone became the focus of the Double Ninth Festival Literary Meeting. Everyone was talking about it, and in the fragrance of chrysanthemums and dogwood, they almost forgot that today was the Double Ninth Festival Literary Meeting.
When the sun was high in the sky, someone suddenly called out, "The great scholar has arrived."
Everyone looked towards the capital, and saw two people in purple robes flying over on white clouds. (To be continued...)