Jianshen San said, "The edict of the Great Saint cannot be forged, but the interpretation of the Great Saint’s thoughts cannot be decided by Prime Minister Gong, can it?"

Gong Tianrui looked at Jianshen San, feeling a slight irritation. This person was a variable, changing the course of this palace coup in a manner contrary to common sense. After all, how could a Mahayana Stage Cultivator who helped Ye Wuyue secure the position of General Director be so clean and innocent! And yet, he could even control such a supreme treasure as the Unruffled Platform!

However, from his spirit, there was indeed nothing to criticize.

Gong Tianrui once again revealed Li Kaide’s edict, reciting it aloud, "’Regarding Ye Wuyue, his conduct is unstable and his heart is not upright, he should be regarded with caution.’ This means that Ye Wuyue’s intentions are not righteous, what else could it mean!"

Jianshen San said, "I think not necessarily. Only the Great Saint truly knows what it specifically means."

Gong Tianrui said coldly, "Is it necessary to invite Great Saint Yan Cheng to explain? The Great Saints are concerned with the world, where would they have time to involve themselves in such matters."

"The Great Saints are busy with myriad affairs, it’s understandable that they can’t be here. But I believe having someone from Wenxin Heaven interpret it would be more appropriate."

"What do you mean!" Gong Tianrui felt uneasy, "Is this your place to speak?"

Ye Wuyue smiled. Gong Tianrui had lost his composure, she was well aware this indicated his lack of confidence as well. She said clearly,

"The Demon Extermination Bureau has an open-minded atmosphere, anyone may express their opinions. Jianshen San, go ahead."

Jianshen San nodded slightly, "I am but a Mahayana, unable to guess the thoughts of Great Saint Yan Cheng, it is better to let the students of the Great Saint come."

The students of the Great Saint?!

Gong Tianrui was shocked. He quickly searched in his mind for who were the students of Great Saint Yan Cheng.

At this moment, an arc of scholarly aura slowly descended into the great hall.

As the arc dissipated, two figures emerged.

Seeing one of them, Gong Tianrui’s face turned deathly pale.

That was Guan Xin, the student of all the Great Saints of Wenxin Heaven, the most outstanding graduate of Wenxin Academy throughout its history, achieving the Saints’ Monument by the age of thirty, and highly likely to succeed the Primordial Ancestor to become the next Confucian Ancestor’s Saint—Guan Xin.

Beside Guan Xin was Bai Yihuan.

Guan Xin gracefully saluted,

"Guan Xin from Wenxin Heaven, greetings to all present."

Bai Yihuan chirped with a laugh, "I’m Bai Yihuan, a third-term student of Wenxin Academy."

In terms of cultivation, Guan Xin was not particularly outstanding in this hall, but in terms of status, she was the highest.

Though she was a Saint, her status was almost equivalent to a Great Saint.

Everyone, upon seeing her, had to conduct themselves with proper etiquette.

After a round of courtesy, Ye Wuyue asked,

"Could Saint Guan please explain to us what this edict intends to express?"

Her heart was somewhat excited. Why Guan Xin was here, she couldn’t fathom, nor could she understand what was going on with Jianshen San, why did the situation seem to be under his control?

Guan Xin read through the edict and then said,

"Mr. Li is quite a stickler, upright and rigid, and often uses quite severe language when evaluating others. Here, the phrase ’unstable conduct,’ he actually often commented on students like this at Wenxin Academy, meaning something different than what everyone might think—it refers to someone’s behavior not aligning with the rites of Confucianism." She smiled, "He used this term quite a bit to reprimand the person next to me."

Bai Yihuan smiled awkwardly, "Indeed that’s the case."

Guan Xin continued, "As for ’not upright heart,’ that was commonly used by him to criticize students who behaved boldly. It actually relates to his character, preferring stability and steadiness, rather than indicating evil intentions. What truly denotes a malicious heart, he would usually phrase more harshly, like ’his mind deserves to be punished, contrary to ethical norms, disregarding Heavenly Dao.’ Lastly, ’regarded with caution’ is a habitual phrase, used for admonishing students."

If anyone else made such statements, it would lack credibility,

But it was Guan Xin who spoke these words.

Ye Wuyue looked intently at the edict, "So that’s how it is, this junior thanks Great Saint Yan Cheng for the critique and guidance."

Gong Tianrui seemed as if he had just awoken from a daze, somewhat lost in thought.

He stared blankly at Guan Xin, Jianshen San, Ye Wuyue, and others. Present were not court officials nor Cabinet members, but outsiders irrelevant to politics. Now, to accuse with those so-called seven sins would only render him, the Prime Minister, hypocritical.

Seeing this, Ye Wuyue stepped forward,

"This junior must also thank Prime Minister Gong for his supervision and guidance, allowing me to realize that there are indeed multiple solutions to some matters. Prime Minister Gong, as a faithful servant of Shangjing, puts his heart and soul into his work, and cannot be said to lack devotion. This junior will certainly learn from his rigorous and serious character."

These words gave Prime Minister Gong a proper way out.

He took a deep breath, in an instant, seeming to have aged a thousand years, he chuckled wryly,

"The future belongs to the young. The numerous affairs of the Demon Extermination Bureau have already left me overwhelmed, even my prized judgment has mostly vanished. It seems I should focus on court affairs. I hope the Demon Extermination Bureau, under the leadership of Ye Zongsi, will become ever stronger."

Ye Wuyue said,

"The Demon Extermination Bureau is the bureau of the Immortal Continent, aimed at eradicating all Demon Cultivators, today, and always."

Gong Tianrui sighed in dismay,

"Ye Zongsi is overworked, please rest well, I will handle the remaining matters, and won’t trouble the Demon Extermination Bureau further."

After saying this, he turned to leave.

...

The night was nearing its end.

In Ye Wuyue’s chamber, only she and Jianshen San remained.

Looking at this familiar yet unfamiliar man, Ye Wuyue hesitated slightly, pondering for a moment before asking,

"Are you... really Jianshen San?"

Jianshen San’s ink-like body swayed gently, gradually stabilizing. After a while, he raised his head, his face completely changed, smiling as he said,

"Nineteen Princess, long time no see."

Ye Wuyue was shocked, her pupils narrowing to a dot,

"Fan... Wu... Bing!"

Fan Wubing laughed, "Ye Yixian said I am your other brother. Is this how you address your brother?"

Ye Wuyue sat down in a daze, all her sharpness vanishing entirely, transforming into an ordinary girl,

"Wubing... brother?"