Follow the path of Dao from infancy

The crowd was also astonished, although their proposal for punishment came with their own thoughts, even the ministers close to the Li Family who argued with them would at most excuse Li Hao on the grounds that he was young and ignorant, spoiled by favor into arrogance, and inevitably frivolous.

Where did this ambition as soaring as the clouds and patriotic concern for the people come from?

It was not easy to make these rotting pedantic scholars utter such praise.

The Grand Tutor said respectfully, "Your Majesty, some days ago, one of my students hurried back from Qingzhou City, bringing with him a collection of poems. According to my student, all the poems in this collection were written by the young master of the Li Family; he verified it thoroughly, there is no falsehood!"

"Oh?"

Emperor Yu was surprised, that youth could actually compose poetry?

Upon reflection, if the other party could play chess, what was so difficult about composing poetry?

In his heart, chess was certainly much harder than writing poetry.

Of course, he absolutely could not reveal this thought to the scholars from Hanlin Hall before him, otherwise they would surely split his head with their arguments, insisting on having a rationale.

"Upon receiving this collection of poems, I, an old man, only felt ashamed. We scholars read books of sages every day, observe the vast rivers of the world, and yet in the end, we are not as talented and broad-minded as a child who sits in a courtyard all day; truly, we are unworthy to face Your Majesty."

As the Grand Tutor spoke, he slightly raised his hand to cover his face, showing a mournful and regretful expression.

The crowd watched, dumbfounded.

This old fellow must be really bewitched.

Since when have they heard the word "ashamed" come out of their mouths?

On normal days, they would stubbornly argue even in the face of unreason; today, they were actually saying they were convinced?

Emperor Yu's curiosity was further piqued, and he urged, "My minister, stop with the suspense. Speak quickly, what exactly is the reason?"

Upon seeing this, Grand Tutor Zhao took out the poetry collection from his wide sleeve and presented it with both hands.

After Chu Jiuyue, the eunuch beside Emperor Yu, waved his hand to receive it, Zhao turned his gaze back to the military governor of Liangzhou, flicked his sleeve, and with an electrifying look, said:

"It's true they fought as father and son, and going against social norms is also true, but to say any reason is unacceptable, that statement is wrong!"

"In Dayu, we respect rituals, but we never adhere to dead rituals!"

"Otherwise, wouldn't we all be a bunch of antiquated fools?"

Isn't that true?

The generals sneered secretly to themselves.

But Zhao had a piercing gaze, and he said aloud, "I ask you all, isn't someone who can say 'I would rather die on the battlefield for my country than be wrapped in horsehide to be sent home' a true patriot?"

"Is someone who can say 'Since ancient times, who has escaped death? May my loyal heart illuminate the annals of history' considered patriotic?"

"Speak not of awards and titles when a general succeeds, but remember that his success is built upon a mountain of bones!!"

With his gaze fixed on the military governor of Liangzhou, Zhao's eyes burned with intensity, his voice resounding in the court, "These words are to discourage the talk of noble ranks and titles, 'Success of one general atop a mountain of bones'! They reflect sorrow for the soldiers who died in battle and disinterest in fame and glory!"

"I ask you all, what kind of person is one who holds the world in such high regard and fame so lightly?!"

"With just this alone, how many people could really do it?!"

The crowd was stunned, momentarily speechless. However, they soon felt indignant — you have your say, but what is the meaning behind your gaze, as if we're all here just for fame?

The military governor of Liangzhou's expression slightly changed; those lines had a considerable impact on him.

His anger towards that youth from Qingzhou stemmed more from the worry that Heavenly Gate Pass would fall and the people of Liangzhou would suffer.

But that line, "What need is there for a horsehide shroud on my return"!

As someone long accustomed to the battlefield, he had seen the horrors of war and those soldiers who couldn't even keep their whole bodies intact.

That line moistened his eyes.

The soldiers who fought to the death and protected the pass, didn't they feel the same?

It was just that, being not good with words, they couldn't express it.

At this moment, Emperor Yu was also browsing through the collection of poems passed to him by Chu Jiuyue, quietly flipping through it, his expression turning solemn and silent.

"Even if he is patriotic, a capable general and loyal minister, the fact that he drew a sword against his father cannot be ignored!" suddenly someone said.

Zhao glanced at the person, sneered, and said, "It is indeed a fact, but is a fact necessarily the truth?"

The man was taken aback by this question, becoming stupefied, his thoughts scrambled.

No wonder they say these pedantic scholars have silver tongues — he was completely stumped by that one question.

"Flowers in the mirror, and the moon in water; what the eyes see isn't always reality."

Zhao said coldly, "And even if we take a step back and assume it's true, can it be said that King Xingwu had no fault at all?"

"Is it not severe enough to send his son to guard Heavenly Gate Pass? I ask you all, who dares to guard Heavenly Gate Pass?"

"..."

The crowd was left speechless. They were discussing filial piety clashing with duty, yet how did the fire come to burn them?

"Such a youth with a sincere heart, capable of such consideration for the people, could he not show tolerance towards his own father? I believe there must be other reasons involved, we need a thorough investigation before commenting further!" declared Zhao loudly.

Those initially proposing punishment for Li Hao looked at each other in dismay.

With Hanlin Hall siding with them, in addition to the already controversial fellows, it seemed they were mostly unlikely to win the argument.

"What can a few poems prove? They're just words. Who isn't capable of that?" Another voice rose, belonging to another military governor, his expression cold.

Zhao sneered, "Then let's hear you say something."

"I'm only skilled in warfare, not in composing poetry, that's all. But I can still manage some plainspoken words — loyal to the emperor and willing to die for the country, we shall never shirk from death!" said the governor.

Zhao snorted, "Without a surging heart, it is impossible to produce poetry so profoundly piercing to the bone; such platitudes are indeed something everyone can say."

As great scholars, having perused this collection of poems, they held a very favorable impression of the youth they had yet to meet face-to-face.

Seeing poetry as seeing the person, they knew that if one had perverted thoughts, a poem or two might suffice, but it would be impossible to create so many poems of loyalty.

They did not believe it at first, but after continuous investigation and multiple clarifications, they became convinced that these poems were indeed all composed by that young man alone.

Among these rough and barbaric generals, how could such a gifted and young talent with splendid literary grace emerge, causing a group of great scholars to feel both admiration and shock? Indeed, it had been an eye-opener for them.

"One man battled across three thousand miles, one sword could resist a million troops!"

At this moment, atop the court hall, Emperor Yu's voice gently spread, and everyone listening felt a tremor in their hearts.

What majestic and grand poetry!

Brilliance slowly shot out from Emperor Yu's eyes as the image of that peerless genius from Qingzhou became clearer in his mind.

"Good poetry, fine lad!"

Emperor Yu said with a smile, not stinting his praise.

Those who had wanted to argue further a few moments ago changed their expressions slightly and fell silent.

Now that Emperor Yu had spoken, there was no point in further discussion.

All they could do was pray that the snowstorms outside the Frontier Pass could indeed overwhelm the youth...

The court session was over.

Inside the Qianming Palace.

Emperor Yu paced here, with Chu Jiuyue following closely behind him, slightly bent over.

"You've seen the boy at the True Dragon banquet, what do you think of him?"

Emperor Yu walked slowly, randomly stopping in front of a flowering tree, but there was only one blossom on the tree, with snowflakes falling on its branches.

Seeing this, he was suddenly reminded of a line from his book of poetry:

Wait till autumn comes on the eighth of September, my blossom blooms and a hundred flowers perish!

A slight smile curved his lips; the youngster was aggressive in chess, and creating such a fierce poem seemed not so strange after all.

Chu Jiuyue pondered for a moment then bowed and said, "Answering Your Majesty, I observed the child's behavior to be casual and carefree, but his temperament is steady, not like the frivolous and arrogant sort. The incident that day was indeed initiated by the direct disciple of the Buddha Master. Although very subtle, I still caught it..."

Emperor Yu's eyes flickered slightly as he said, in a low voice, "Buddha Master..."

He looked up into the distance, speaking softly, "It's snowing. I wonder how that child is fairing beyond the pass. I heard that King Xingwu has withdrawn all the troops from there. It seems he has figured out the hints in my previous words and is planning to abandon that place."

Chu Jiuyue remained silent, head bowed, knowing sometimes it's best to speak less.

"If you have time, take a trip there. I've heard that the child left in a hurry and didn't even bring a sword. Bring him one in my stead,"

Emperor Yu said with a smile, "Send him the... Dragon Soar."

Chu Jiuyue felt a jolt in his heart; that was the foremost among the ten great famous swords.

The Emperor's fondness for the young Li seemed greater than he had imagined.

"Understood," he responded respectfully.

"Tiangang isn't worried his son might die, but I am somewhat afraid..."

Emperor Yu chuckled and said, "Also, tell him if he's tired, he can return to Dayu State. I permit him to study in the external halls of Gan Tao Palace, to live alongside the princes."

Chu Jiuyue's pupils shrank slightly, but he still respectfully assented.

...

...

On the frontier of Liangzhou, at Heavenly Gate Pass.

The mere mound that was Cangya City.

Heavy snow fell, fluttering down and covering the tents in the campsite, blanketing the bodies of demons that had fallen the day before.

"It's snowing."

Li Hao stopped writing the cultivation technique, using his power to ward off objects to prevent the snowflakes from touching the paper and dampening it.

"On a snowy day, it's inconvenient for fishing..."

Li Hao muttered to himself, glancing in Qingzhou's direction, wondering if it was snowing there and if the lake had started to ice over...

"Today, you two should consider leaving as well,"

Li Hongzhuang said to Li Hao and Li He.

Li Hao's gaze shifted slightly, quietly watching her.

Li Hongzhuang smiled faintly and said, "Yesterday, when you went to exterminate their lair, did you ask about the situation at Longshan Taoist Temple? There's more than one Great Demon in the Three Immortal Realms. You killed Chi Hu Jun, the steed of that old dragon, and they will surely seek revenge!"

"All these years, they haven't launched a full-scale assault. I suspect they're doing it deliberately."

Li Hao, thinking of his own investigations, asked, "Do you know why?"

"There are several possibilities. The first is to demand more live sacrifices from the Northern Cold Country. The second is to slowly erode our Li Family. After all, directly breaching Heavenly Gate Pass wouldn't mean much since Dragon Pass Road has already been occupied; they can easily cross the border, just not in large numbers."

"On the contrary, by trapping us here, they can continuously deplete us. That old dragon might hold a grudge against the ancestors of our Li Family and act with this purpose."

Li Hao nodded; it seemed Li Hongzhuang knew it as well.

"But today, they'll probably come in fury and won't hold back," said Li Hongzhuang.

As she finished speaking, the ground seemed to shake violently for a moment.

The three of them looked simultaneously toward the outside of the camp.

There, several giant and towering figures appeared at the edge of their vision.