Tea Shiyin remained silent for a long ti, just quietly watching them bow and bend over.
There was a sudden knock on the door outside, and a blind woman with covered eyes ca in, carrying a yellow dessert. Tea Shiyin was a bit surprised: "Laiya, it's not noon yet, is it?"
"The dining hall isn't open anymore. After such a big event last night, I just wanted to make so desserts to comfort friends."
Laiya placed the dessert and then turned to leave, but she accidentally tripped over Ming Shuiyun's toe as she passed by. Ming Shuiyun quickly helped her up, but she waved it off to indicate she was fine and smoothly slipped a note into Ming Shuiyun's hand before quickly leaving the curator's office.
Ming Shuiyun wanted to see the contents of the note, but the atmosphere in the curator's office was too heavy. Any slight movent would draw attention, so she had to temporarily set it aside.
Tea Shiyin took a bite of the bouncy egg pudding and snorted: "Given that your attitude in admitting mistakes is quite sincere, there's no need to bow. At your ages of seventy or eighty, your backs won't hold up."
The Empress Dowager seed relieved: "In that case..."
"But I still refuse."
Tea Shiyin said coldly: "Why should I save those strangers whose nas I can't even say? Why should I rescue the people from disaster? Why should I... save you?"
"Why should you shaless and incompetent people get to survive while I have to die for you?"
"I've never made mistakes in my life, why should I suffer? I'm clearly a good person; why should I lay down my life for you bad people?"
"They want to live, you want to live, don't I also want to live? Do you think a few kind words and so bows will make obediently sacrifice my life for the Holy Sword Glory? Who do you think you are, who gave you such courage?"
Several Cabinet Ministers were so infuriated by his scolding that they wanted to call Yu Ke from outside for physical intervention, but they fell silent under the glare of Ling Jiangli.
Violence was never an option for them from the start, not because they feared they couldn't handle this Sword Holder who seed under thirty, but because the Sword Holder lineage held monopolistic power—when the Holy Sword was suspended, only a Sword Holder could summon it! Nobody else could achieve this!
Heaven knows how the Sword Holder lineage was passed down, but if you provoke a Sword Holder, and he doesn't pass on the techniques, what if in the future the Ming Royal Family suspends the Holy Sword again but the Sword Holder lineage gets cut off? That would an nobody could summon the Holy Sword!
Who dares to provoke the Sword Holder lineage will have his head smashed by the Imperial Family in no ti!
Alas, one has to wonder why the illustrious Grand Ancestor set up a separate Sword Holder lineage back in the day. Wasn't he afraid the Sword Holder lineage would break and the Holy Sword Glory would remain suspended forever?
The Empress Dowager took a deep breath, but before she could speak, Cha Huan stepped forward and loudly questioned: "Does saving lives need any justification? Not saving lives is what needs a justification!"
"I'm sorry, I'm a selfish, diocre person," Tea Shiyin said calmly: "Sacrificing my life to save others, I truly need a reason for that."
"Alright then, I read a sentence in the newspaper which I think fits this situation perfectly—'With great power cos great responsibility!'"
"This sounds less like a reason and more like moral blackmail. Why does soone with great power have a greater responsibility? Do those with great power owe you sothing? Are the strong ones born to be hijacked by the weak?"
"Because people have a conscience! They have compassion! They have empathy!"
Cha Huan straightened his back, his eyes bright, even though there was a bald patch above his right ear, it didn't diminish his aura a bit: "I've always looked down on that old bastard, Crane Tears—even if he died heroically in battle now—but in my view, his reputation as the Pillar of Stopping Killing fits perfectly. It's the most glorious achievent of his life!"
"Whenever he saw, heard, or sensed a brawl, he would arrive at the scene of the cri in the shortest ti to stop the fight or catch the murderer. Although he mostly did it to show off and flaunt his force, he did do many good deeds, saving many people, indirectly saving countless families!"
"Though other Pillars might not be like Crane Tears, idling around every day to save people everywhere, when they encounter, see, or hear of a malignant event happening, they seldom walk away without doing anything. At the very least, they try to stop the harmful act and saving people is a common occurrence."
"Why is that? Does cultivating combat techniques make one benevolent, or a busybody?"
"Of course not!" Cha Huan's voice was like thunder, deafening: "It's just that Pillars cannot bear it, it's just that Pillars can!"
"With cultivation to the martial pillar realm, our eyesight and hearing surpass ordinary people. If a child gets beaten by thugs in an alleyway, ordinary people won't even hear it, so how can you expect them to act? But we, Pillars, can hear the thug's insults, judge that their fists would break the child's ribs, know that no one nearby can stop their violence!"
"And a Pillar needs only take a slight action, even shout aloud, to halt the ongoing evil."
"Because one can save others, compassion arises. Because compassion arises, one must save others!"
"The more I say, the angrier I get, I won't pretend anymore!" Cha Huan walked up and slapped the table hard, scolding Tea Shiyin: "I don't care what your na is, but when I learned from Yu Lian that you could cancel the suspension of the Holy Sword, there's been a fire in my belly!"
"Why does Yanjing need to set up a Statistical Departnt and arrest people at will? Why do rebellious ambitions rise in every district? Isn't it because of the suspension of the Holy Sword, that these monsters and demons know the next twenty years will be a ti of chaos, so they eagerly step forth to blight the world?"
"And you, you clearly can cancel the Holy Sword's suspension, let the Holy Sword Glory once again suppress the world, extending peace by a few more years. Although it cannot solve all problems, it's certain many shouldn't die but will live because of it, while ambitious ones not fit to live will obediently stay hidden!"
"I don't know how afraid you are of dying, but you knowingly let innocent civilians be devoured by the torrent of troubled tis while standing by, how can you truly have a clear conscience!?"
Faced with Cha Huan's roaring, Tea Shiyin's expression remained calm as he said, "If I said that even if a million corpses piled up in front of , I wouldn't feel a ripple in my heart, would you think I'm being difficult?"
"However, I understand why you brought the Principal along."
Tea Shiyin cast a glance at the Empress Dowager and Ling Jiangli behind him: "I thought it was just the Principal shalessly insisting on being involved... didn't expect he was your trump card."
"Such a great weapon as justice can only exert its overwhelming power when wielded by a paragon of virtue like the Principal. With him personally preaching, who can remain unashad, without compassion, without rcy? Even if morally coerced, it's willing."
"Sword Holder."
The Empress Dowager said, "You misunderstand... but if the cost of summoning the Holy Sword Glory is that we old folks walk into the grave, I represent the Imperial Family in saying we are willing. As long as it saves the people of Yanjing, the Imperial Family is willing to die."
"The Imperial Court is also willing," Ling Jiangli spoke calmly, ignoring the signaled gazes from the Cabinet Ministers behind: "If you don't know who to kill, just ask Cha Huan—he's been waiting for this day for a long ti."
Cha Huan looked stunned.
Tea Shiyin rely raised an eyebrow.
"...At least you have so awareness." He said: "But whether or not to kill you all, let the next Supre decide."
Tea Shiyin signaled them to be quiet and looked at the seven Palace Masters: "Alright children, you've listened for long enough, you should understand the situation now, right? Or maybe I need to explain—"
"Yanjing cannot currently resist an invasion from the Outer District armies, and the only solution is to summon the Holy Sword Glory. Even if it's indeed summoned, the Emperor still has to wield it."
"The invaders will co from the South and the North, although we don't know the exact number, but one cut to the South, one to the North, surely resolves the problem. This ans the Emperor needs to wield it twice."
"You might know the Emperor's life is consud by wielding the sword, but do you know exactly how it's consud?" Tea Shiyin raised two fingers, then retracted one: "One swing, half a lifeti is gone."
The Palace Masters were dumbfounded, and Ming Dailan cautiously asked: "Then with two swings, doesn't that an instant death?"
Tea Shiyin shook his head: "No, the first strike halves the lifeti, the second strike halves the remaining life. aning only a quarter is left."
"Among past emperors, yours is the unluckiest—just ascended to the throne and three-quarters of life is lost. But as a reward, the new emperor will hold the Holy Sword Glory, beco the supre ruler of this nation, their commands dictate the fate of this vast land, their na be eternally revered in history."
"But don't be nervous, as I haven't yet agreed to summon the Holy Sword Glory."
Tea Shiyin glanced at the Empress Dowager, Ling Jiangli, Cha Huan, and others: "These incompetent adults have created such a ss, yet want you children to pay the price, I'm profoundly ashad for them... I'm not targeting any one of you, I'm talking about all of you, including you, Cha Huan, you're all incompetent rubbish."
"So, I want to hear what you have to say."
Tea Shiyin took a bite of the egg pudding, looking at the seven Palace Masters: "Based on your answers, I'll judge..."
"Whether the current Glory is still worth saving."
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