Chapter 1419: Drinking Contest
Chapter 1419: Drinking Contest
After Qi Xuansu finished his speech, there was a thunderous applause, regardless of what the people below truly thought of him.Tampering slightly with seating arrangements could still be brushed off as an unintentional mistake, but if no one applauded, it would not only embarrass Qi Xuansu in public, but it would also be a slap to Great Sage Shi’s face.
After all, it was Great Sage Shi who decided to grant Qi Xuansu an honorary title of Daoist Palace Laureate. Qi Xuansu also made it clear at the beginning of his speech that it was Great Sage Shi who asked him to speak.
In any case, Qi Xuansu belonged to the Beichen Hall and had no authority over the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, which was one of the reasons they felt emboldened. However, Great Sage Shi could determine their futures and fates as a member of the Golden Tower Council.
Qi Xuansu was certain that rumors would soon spread, claiming he was arrogant and looked down on the people of the Wanxiang Daoist Palace, even bringing up his past experiences. After all, his time at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace had not been particularly outstanding, with no notable awards. His truly remarkable achievements all came after he left the Daoist Palace.
Despite the Daoist Order distancing itself from Confucian influence for many years, the idea that all pursuits were inferior to academics still ran deep in people’s minds.
Their strategy was to first prove that Qi Xuansu was only average at the Wanxiang Daoist Palace and question how a mediocre student could rise so quickly. Then, they would attribute it to his privilege of having an influential adoptive mother and a powerful master like Sage Donghua.
With that, they would have ample grounds for criticism and defamation, allowing them to brush off all of Qi Xuansu’s efforts and contributions.
This was based on the logic that academic performance determined one’s life achievements. Those who studied well would surely be capable officials. If they failed, it must be due to an unfavorable environment. This was a scholar’s narrow view.
The knowledge learned from books must be transformed into practice and applied. To study without being able to apply it was just rigid memorization.
Truly outstanding people excelled at everything. However, some people were only suited for exams and were not genuinely phenomenal.
Since these people shared certain similarities with truly outstanding individuals in terms of academic performance, they were mistakenly believed to be exceptional. When those truly outstanding individuals soared ahead while they failed to rise, they usually blamed fate and resented others.