All-around protagonist mentor

Hearing Yizhilang's blunt, even derogatory, comments, Yunjianyue, hidden behind the curtain, trembled with rage, gritting her teeth and burning with anger. The guests also frowned, their faces showing indignation.

Yi Zhilang's words are typical nitpicking and finding fault where none exists. Wuyi Pavilion is a brothel, not a school. Yun Jianyue has never claimed to be a talented woman, and Wuyi Pavilion has never made such a claim. Moreover, the guests come to Wuyi Pavilion to seek pleasure, not to listen to lectures.

As long as the moon lute in the clouds is played well and the singing is good, and the guests like to listen, who cares about the lyrics and music or what the reason is?

While many scholars and literati enjoyed composing poems, lyrics, and music in brothels, it was purely for entertainment, something they did casually when the mood struck them. To seriously discuss scholarship in a brothel? Wouldn't that be utterly insane?

Although everyone knew that Yi Zhilang was looking for trouble, they dared not speak up to refute him because of his status.

After her anger subsided, Yun Jianyue looked around at the silent hall and suddenly felt a sense of enlightenment. A cold smile appeared on her lips.

Ha! These are the men who usually treat themselves like goddesses!

In the past, these people would cry and shout that they admired me, and would be willing to go through fire and water for me, to give me their hearts and souls, and to give me everything, as if life would be meaningless without me. But today, for such a small matter, not a single person dares to step forward, all afraid of offending the Holy Dynasty.

Although Yun Jianyue disliked these people harassing her, she was still very proud of herself for being so popular.

However, this sense of pride has now turned into a violent nausea.

Seeing that no one dared to oppose him, Yi Zhilang became even more arrogant, surveying his surroundings and sneering, "It's really strange, a courtesan of this caliber can get so many admirers...tsk tsk!"

Upon hearing Yizhilang's words, the anger of everyone present instantly flared up again, and several hot-tempered individuals immediately tried to stand up.

What does Yizhilang mean by that? Doesn't he mean they have no taste or vision?

It was one thing for Yi Zhilang to belittle Yun Jianyue before; although they admired Yun Jianyue, it was none of their business. Offending the Holy Dynasty for a courtesan was certainly not worth it.

But now Yizhilang is even belittling them, which is going too far.

Clearly, this was Yizhilang taking revenge for the lack of respect he received when he entered, and he was mocking the guests.

Seeing this, Xuanxin frowned slightly, feeling somewhat displeased.

I asked you to force the moon in the clouds to show itself, so why are you arguing with these guests who have nothing to do with the matter?

However, since Yi Zhilang was one of their own, Xuan Xin couldn't say anything. Holding her wine glass, she quietly watched how Yi Zhilang would behave.

Although Yi Zhilang launched a tirade of ridicule, in the end, no one had the courage to stand up. Those who were about to get up and lash out either weighed their options in their minds or were pulled back by their companions, and they suppressed their anger and sat back down.

Yi Zhilang looked around, a sarcastic smile on his face, and continued, "Hey, everyone, please don't misunderstand."

"Um?"

Everyone present was taken aback. Seeing that Yi Zhilang seemed to be about to explain something, they felt a little relieved and wondered if they had misunderstood and that he wasn't talking about them.

Yi Zhilang chuckled, revealing a very sincere expression, and said with utmost seriousness, "I'm not targeting anyone in particular. I'm saying that everyone here has very low taste."

"Buzz~~~!"

Yi Zhilang's words were like adding fuel to the fire, causing an uproar at the scene. Everyone was furious, and a buzz of discussion arose.

This bastard is making fun of me!

"Bang!"

Inside the private room, Jiang Shangqiu slammed her hand on the table and stood up, her pretty face turning ashen with anger. She looked down at the scene below with a cold glint in her eyes.

Qingxuan munched on sunflower seeds, grinning strangely, her eyes darting around, lost in thought. Tianyujun, however, was still reeling from some immense shock, completely unaware of what was happening downstairs.

"hateful!"

Jiang Shangqiu clenched her fists, gritted her teeth, and said angrily as she looked down at Yizhilang.

"I gave this Yizhilang some face out of respect for the Holy Dynasty, but I didn't expect him to be so ungrateful. Does he really think I, Xufangjing, am easy to bully? And these people..."

Jiang Shangqiu glanced at the many guests downstairs, his eyes filled with chill and disappointment: "It's disgusting."

Although the chatter downstairs was incessant and everyone was filled with anger, they only complained and vented to their companions, muttering curses under their breath. No one dared to actually stand up and lash out at Yizhilang.

Seeing that everyone present was only venting their anger in secret, but dared not directly challenge him, Yi Zhilang felt even more pleased and sneered, "I observe that most of you here are over twenty years old, and I presume you have all settled down and started families, perhaps even having children?"

"Hmph! He clearly has a beautiful wife at home, yet he still comes to this kind of brothel to seek pleasure. Doesn't he fear breaking her heart?"

As soon as Yi Zhilang said this, the noise in the main hall of Wuyige immediately subsided, and many people showed expressions of guilt and shame.

Indeed, many of the guests here are married with children. And a significant number of them came here secretly, without their wives' knowledge.

This time, Yi Zhilang's accusations were different from his previous mockery of their taste and taste. Yi Zhilang's words were indeed reasonable, leaving them with no room for rebuttal.

Everyone present felt incredibly aggrieved. First, their taste was mocked, then their character was belittled, but they couldn't afford to offend the other party's status. They could only swallow their anger.

Just bear with it!

A real man knows when to bend and when to stand firm!

We're all adults; we've long passed the age where we act impulsively and disregard everything else.

After tonight, once we leave this Wuyi Pavilion, there will be plenty of opportunities to settle this score.

Although none of the people present dared to offend the Holy Dynasty and openly confront Yi Zhilang, Yazhou was, after all, their territory. They were confident that they could find an opportunity to secretly eliminate Yi Zhilang, and then clean up the mess so that no one would know who did it.

Everyone reached a consensus without prior agreement. They suppressed their anger and gradually calmed down, ceasing their muttered curses and simply watching Yizhilang in silence.

Xuan Xin immediately sensed the strange atmosphere at the scene, and his face darkened. Although he was not afraid of the people present, even a powerful dragon cannot suppress a local snake, and it was better to avoid trouble.

Thinking this, Xuanxin sighed inwardly, preparing to remind Yizhilang to quickly steer the conversation back to Yunjianyue and force her to show herself.

But at that moment, Yi Zhilang suddenly puffed out his chest, sneered, and loudly proclaimed, "Hmph! Hypocritical and sanctimonious, there are no gentlemen in the Wuyi Pavilion."

Upon hearing this, Xuanxin swallowed back the words she was about to say and lowered her head to drink her wine.

The pavilion was completely silent at that moment, and Yizhilang's sarcastic remark elicited no reaction from anyone. The guests all silently ate their food and drank their wine.

However, in the various private rooms, many people of status in Yazhou gave instructions to their servants. The servants nodded and hurriedly left Wuyi Pavilion through the back door.

Having finally vented his anger after a barrage of sarcastic remarks to everyone present, Yi Zhilang turned his gaze back to the stage, preparing to launch another attack. But just then, a chuckle came from the third floor:

"Deceitful and treacherous, a bunch of petty people on the altar of saints."

"who!?"

Yi Zhilang was startled at first upon hearing the sound, then a surge of anger rose within him, and he immediately looked up towards the third floor. Everyone present was also overjoyed and looked up in unison in response to the sound.

Qingxuan stood at the top of the stairs in the third-floor corridor, carrying a wine pot in one hand and a wine cup in the other. Seeing Yizhilang looking over, Qingxuan laughed heartily, jumped up, and sat on the handrail. With a light push, Qingxuan slid down the handrail with a "whoosh" and into the lobby.

Yi Zhilang glared at Qing Xuan with fury, his voice sharp and stern: "Who are you?! How dare you insult my Great Holy Dynasty?!"

The Hall of Saints was where the successful candidates in the imperial examinations met the Emperor to express their gratitude and deliver speeches. Countless scholars of the Holy Dynasty considered ascending the Hall of Saints as the pinnacle of their lives, representing the recognition of their talents by the court officials.

As a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), Yi Zhilang had naturally been to the Hall of Saints, which he considered the proudest moment of his life. Unfortunately, his remarks on the Hall of Saints were not appreciated by the high-ranking officials of the Holy Dynasty.

Qingxuan said that the people on the Saints' Platform were all villains who trampled on Yizhilang's greatest glory, which directly touched his sore spot and made him furious.

Facing Yi Zhilang's murderous gaze, Qing Xuan remained unfazed and laughed heartily, "Of course, of course. I am but a humble countryman named Qing Xuan. I happened to pass by and came in for a few drinks. I just happened to hear what Scholar Yi said and couldn't help but chime in."

"Hey, Scholar Yi, don't misunderstand. I'm not targeting you. I'm saying that everyone on the Altar of Saints is a villain."

Yi Zhilang glared at Qing Xuan with eyes blazing with fury and roared, "Utterly despicable! Outrageous! How can those of us who have ascended the Altar of Saints be considered villains? If you cannot give me a reason today, I will tear you to pieces!"

"Oh dear~, I'm so scared~." Qingxuan covered her chest with her arms, pretending to be frightened, then threw her head back and laughed loudly, slowly saying, "Alright, since Scholar Yi wants to hear the reason, I will give you my explanation."

"Since the ancient times, our human race has prospered. The great scholars who can be called sages in history all have their own classic doctrines."

"I wonder if you, Scholar Yi, have written any masterpieces that have been passed down through generations and are known to all? Or have you founded any schools of thought, established any doctrines, or formed any academic lineage?"

"this......"

Yi Zhilang's face immediately froze, and he was speechless, unsure of how to respond.

Writing books and establishing doctrines is the most important thing in a scholar's life, even more important than life itself. Its purpose is to promote and spread one's academic thoughts and make them accepted by the world. Once one's theories are accepted and recognized by the world, it is a remarkable achievement. One will be hailed as a sage and will be remembered in history, bringing glory to one's ancestors.

The most common way to achieve this goal is to write and publish books to spread them throughout the world. Or to gather like-minded people, establish a school of thought, and spread one's ideas together. Over time, all these processes have been simply referred to as "writing books and establishing doctrines," which has become a standard requirement for "sages and worthies," hence Qingxuan's question.

Of course, the requirements for writing and establishing a book are extremely high; it's not something just anyone can do. The person involved must possess exceptionally profound academic attainments and intellectual depth, and their ideas must be unique and distinctive to qualify for this task. If one simply plagiarizes others' theories or resorts to unorthodox or heretical doctrines, they will only be despised and ridiculed, becoming a laughingstock and forever branded with infamy.

Many scholars lacking sufficient scholarship who did this ended up with their works and theories not being recognized by the world, unable to bear the various insults and criticisms from the outside world, and ultimately committing suicide. In severe cases, even their families were affected, with some entire families dying suddenly.

This shows how serious the consequences can be if one fails to write a book or establish a doctrine.

Although Yizhilang was arrogant and conceited, he still had some sense of self-awareness and did not dare to touch this matter.

Seeing Yi Zhilang's extremely conflicted expression and inability to answer, Qing Xuan chuckled: "The Platform of Saints, the Platform of Saints, since it's called that, then naturally everyone who ascends the platform must be a sage. But judging from Scholar Yi's troubled look, he probably hasn't written any books or established any doctrines. And it's not just Scholar Yi; I suppose most of the people who have ascended the Platform of Saints in the Great Sage Dynasty over the years haven't met this requirement either, right?"

"Since you haven't written any books or established any doctrines, then you and these people are naturally not sages. Yet you have all been on the Platform of All Sages, which makes the Platform of All Sages unworthy of its name. Since the Platform of All Sages is unworthy of its name, yet its reputation is so resounding, isn't this just deceiving the world and stealing fame? And you who have been on the platform are naturally a group of deceitful people who steal fame."

"What else can a charlatan be but a villain?"