The elite did not migrate south

Chapter 170 Thank you General

Given Zheng Chong's timid personality, he probably wouldn't come here voluntarily.

Who else in the court can invite this person to come?
Since even Sima Zhao couldn't do it, it must be Sima Shi.

So what abilities does Zheng Chong possess? Or, in other words, what qualities does he possess that would allow him to serve Sima Shi?

Confucian classics.

This person had extremely high attainments in rites and laws, and no one could surpass him. He once wrote "Collected Commentaries on the Analects of Confucius" with He Yan, and was one of the editors of "Laws of Jin".

So in the end, what was Sima Shi going to do by inviting this learned master of classics to the banquet?

First of all, we can rule out the idea of suppressing Cao Mao through debate.

Not to mention that Zheng Chong himself had no desires and did not like debating at all. Even if the two sides debated, it would not be shameful for Cao Mao to lose.

This could also bring him fame. Being able to debate with Zheng Chong at this age, even if he loses, would make him a genius among geniuses.

In fact, Cao Mao felt that Sima Shi would never set a trap for him, and he was definitely not an opponent in his eyes.

Cao Mao felt that the most likely scenario was that Sima Shi himself did not have the energy to check the content of the debate between Cao Mao and others, and asked Zheng Chong to come just to see what everyone was saying and whether there were any dangerous remarks. As a master of Confucian classics, Zheng Chong would definitely be able to see through any hidden problems in the debate at a glance.

Sure enough, when Cao Mao tentatively asked Zheng Chong to debate with him, the pure-hearted Zheng Chong agreed without hesitation.

The celebrities were all a little shocked. They probably didn't expect that Zheng Chong actually wanted to have a discussion with Cao Mao.

Cao Mao did not mention any classics. He pondered for a moment and then asked slowly:

"Xia had declined, Xiang had been killed, Shaokang gathered the remaining Xia elders and restored Yu's achievements; Gaozu, a master in agriculture, commanded the talents of the people, destroyed Qin and Xiang, and brought the whole country under his control. These two monarchs can be said to be great sages of exceptional talents."

"Now, if we examine their merits, who should be ranked first?"

The celebrities were in an uproar.

Who is better, Shaokang or Liu Bang?

This seems to be a very simple question, but if you think about it carefully, there is a different metaphor in it.

Zheng Chong remained calm, seemingly oblivious to the allusion. He replied earnestly, "Your Majesty, the succession of sacred artifacts is a matter of destiny. Virtue is granted by destiny, and those who follow it will inherit it. Their achievements in establishing and succeeding the throne are all different. Shaokang was virtuous, but he cannot be compared to Emperor Gaozu."

Cao Mao smiled and continued, "Since ancient times, emperors have had their merits, virtues, words and deeds, and each has its own merits and demerits. It is not necessarily the case that those who founded a business were all superior, and those who succeeded them were all inferior."

In the first week, Cao Mao had a debate with Xun Yi and others at the Imperial Academy to see who was more powerful, Shaokang or Liu Bang.

Those ministers insisted on Liu Bang.

But this was not because they thought Liu Bang was really powerful, but because they believed that the benevolence of the newly obtained Mandate of Heaven was higher than the benevolence inherited from their ancestors.

To put it simply, the Sima family, who will take power next, are more benevolent and have more destiny. You, a guy who inherited their ancestors, cannot compare to them, and your destiny is not as good as theirs.

Cao Mao also tried to prove through various arguments that Shaokang was not necessarily worse than Liu Bang. In fact, he did not care who was stronger or weaker between the two. He just wanted to prove that those who inherited the mandate of their ancestors also had the mandate of heaven and could be more benevolent than the "usurper".

In the end, the ministers Cao Mao mentioned were speechless and forced to admit Cao Mao's point of view.

At this moment, taking advantage of the gathering of famous scholars, Cao Mao raised this argument again.

Sima Fu's expression kept changing.

The many celebrities present had different expressions, but they all listened to the debate between the two very seriously.

Cao Mao pressed forward step by step. After learning from the lessons of the first week, Cao Mao's debating ability was further strengthened. He attacked the old man Zheng Chong with heavy blows and spoke at an extremely fast speed, not giving the old man much chance to think.

However, Zheng Chong's literary talent was not to be underestimated. Faced with Cao Mao's "unethical" behavior, he remained calm and unfolded his arguments layer by layer. He was more powerful than Xun Yi and others, and he left Cao Mao speechless several times.

The debate became more and more exciting.

Regardless of the political content behind it, just the verbal confrontation between the two is truly intoxicating.

The celebrities remained motionless, listening attentively to the debate between the two, their eyes full of light.

"Shaokang, who spread virtue, was the hero of the benevolent. Gaozu, who relied on strength, was the ruthless leader of the wise. The difference between benevolence and wisdom distinguished the two emperors. May I ask, Lord Zheng, which one was more benevolent?"

"Although Shaokang accumulated virtue and benevolence, he inherited the legacy of Yu the Great and passed it on to the Han emperor. He rose from a commoner and led a ragtag group of people to achieve the work of an emperor."

Even Sima Yan was very excited. Although he could not understand the classics, he could still understand this kind of historical debate. Listening to Cao Mao's heroic attack, which forced Zheng Chong to constantly adjust the direction of his debate, Sima Yan almost couldn't help but cheer loudly.

"His Majesty!!"

"Sikong Gong is old, please discuss this another day."

Sima Fu finally couldn't help but interrupt the debate between the two and started to persuade them.

At this point, the two had been debating for nearly an hour, and Zheng Chong's condition had begun to decline. He was sweating profusely, breathing rapidly, and his physical strength was really exhausted. Debating was quite physically demanding.

On the other hand, Cao Mao became more and more courageous as the battle went on and was not ready to stop.

Sima Fu didn't dare to let the debate continue. It didn't matter if he lost to Cao Mao, but if Sikong was involved, it would be a big deal.

Cao Mao looked at Zheng Chong, who was panting in front of him, and said nothing.

If I hold on a little longer, I might be able to outlast this old man in front of me, but it would be meaningless. What good would it do even if I won?

Will celebrities change their stance to support me?

The experience of the first week told Cao Mao that it would not happen.

He put forward this argument just to bring some more blessings to the general. Even if it means letting him sit at his desk a little longer to read the content of his debate, it would be worth it!
In addition, there is Sima Fu standing aside.

If Sima Shi only wanted to know the content of the classics, he could have sent Zheng Chong. Why would Sima Fu also appear here?

Sima Fu and Zheng Chong coming together can only mean one thing.

Sima Shi began to suspect that there was something wrong with the banquet, or began to suspect Wang Xiang, Chen Qian and others.

So he sent these two people, one to record and identify, and the other to reconnaissance and identification.

So, he wanted to debate this topic with Zheng Chong.

In this way, one can more or less put on a cover for the real work to be done, mislead the other party's judgment, and make the other party think that the problem is in the war of public opinion.

The next moment, Cao Mao frowned, looking very unwilling.

Zheng Chong also spoke up, "Your Majesty, I am exhausted. We can discuss this another day."

"Well, whatever."

Cao Mao nodded and sat back in his seat. He looked discouraged and a little reluctant. He sat in his seat without saying a word.

The celebrities were already excited. They began to comment on the debate, but had no intention of participating in it. They just flattered the two people's wonderful debate.

The scene became lively again.

Sima Fu frowned and looked at Zheng Chong beside him.

The two looked at each other and said nothing more.

"Your Majesty, it's alright. I saw it all clearly. You were so close to winning, but it was the Grand Tutor who showed his partiality. Don't be discouraged. Didn't we agree to discuss this next time? Next time, I'll go first and hold him off for a while. When he's tired, Your Majesty can go up next!"

Sima Yan sat beside the emperor and tried to comfort him.

With Sima Yan's comfort, the emperor's mood seemed to have improved a lot. He began to take the initiative to find many famous scholars, drink with them, and chat and laugh.

He especially liked Wang Shen and always kept him by his side.

When Cao Mao walked in front of Ji Kang, looking at Ji Kang with complicated eyes, Cao Mao shook his head gently. Ji Kang understood what he meant, put away his anxiety, returned to his original appearance, and took a big sip of wine.

In fact, Cao Mao was also trying to figure out what went wrong. He wanted to know who Sima Shi suspected and what he suspected.

When Cao Mao walked in front of Chen Qian, Sima Fu put down the wine cup in his hand.

Cao Mao immediately understood that Chen Qian was under suspicion.

How could that be??
Cao Mao glanced at the wine cup in front of him and couldn't help but shout, "Why are you drinking so slowly? Drink faster! Drink faster!"

Chen Qian hurriedly picked up the wine cup and drank it happily.

Cao Mao walked around him and continued talking to the next minister.

Cao Mao was surprised to find that when he was chatting with Zheng Mao, Sima Fu still looked at him frequently.

What's going on with Zheng Mao here?

As expected, Cao Mao gave up on instructing Chen Qian and went straight to the other famous scholars. While everyone was debating, Lu An stayed by Cao Mao's side.

"It's done."

Lu An found the right moment and spoke to Cao Mao.

It seems that Ji Kang handed the matter over to Lu An. This is a good thing. After all, Ji Kang is too conspicuous. Lu An is much better. His work will not attract too much attention.

Even now, when he stood beside her, not many people would stare at him.

"Thank you."

"Don't dare."

At this banquet, Cao Mao was destined to fail to complete the three things he wanted to do at the beginning.

However, he was not discouraged. Chen Qian was a very smart man. Wouldn't he be suspicious when Sima Fu and Zheng Chong suddenly appeared here?
For Cao Mao, this was even a good reason to persuade Wang Xiang to take action in advance.

If Wang Xiang knew that Sima Shi had begun to suspect them, he would have to follow Chen Qian no matter how reluctant he was. It would be too late to sell out his teammates now.

Cao Mao looked in the direction of Sima Fu and gave him a very gentle smile.

He raised the wine cup in his hand.

Please thank the general for me. This is a toast to him.

(End of this chapter)