Hearing this, not just the academy students, but even the Left Guard officials stood frozen in place. They naturally believed Chen Chao had ways to handle the situation, but they did not expect the Commander to resolve it in such a forceful manner right from the start. This was something that everyone did not expect.
Teacher Zhang said coldly, "Do you know what you're doing?"
He enjoyed high prestige and commanded universal respect in the academy, and was accustomed to receiving admiration from countless people, he never imagined someone would dare speak to him in such a manner.
Chen Chao gripped the hilt of his saber, looking at Teacher Zhang with a smile that was not a smile, not rushing to speak.
Teacher Zhang was already somewhat irritated, and seeing Chen Chao's action, he almost could not control himself and wanted to continue attacking.
However, before he could act, Chen Chao's voice resonated once more, "What's the meaning of this? Teacher not only struck my Left Guard official but now wishes to kill me, the commander of the Left Guard?"
There was a hint of playfulness in his voice, but it carried a serious warning.
Teacher Zhang swept his sleeves, and a surge of qi burst from the sleeves, causing the tiles on the ground to shatter.
Chen Chao paid no attention to Teacher Zhang but turned to the other Left Guard officials, saying, "Quickly capture this Teacher and take him back; don't let him escape."
The officials looked at each other in confusion, utterly unsure why Chen Chao was saying such things at this moment. Nevertheless, even if this was the instructions of the Left Guard's commander, they dared not move lightly at this moment.
Because there would definitely be opposition.
Sure enough, someone in the crowd soon spoke up in a cold tone, "Why is this happening? Does Commander Chen truly take this place to be the Left Guard's office? Is the Divine Capital the Left Guard's private property too?!"
The one who spoke was naturally Huang Zhi. He had always been at odds with Chen Chao, this was already an open secret. Now that he spoke up, the academy students collectively chose to stand on his side.
The moment he said this, everyone was waiting to see how Chen Chao would embarrass himself. But in reality, Chen Chao just laughed coldly, "Why? I presume you've all read many books in the academy, but perhaps you haven't read the Great Liang's laws!"
Chen Chao stared at Teacher Zhang with an indifferent gaze, "Since Teacher is a teacher in the academy, you must be someone who enjoys a high prestige and commands universal respect in the academy. However, this official can't understand why, after achieving such high esteem, Teacher no longer holds the Great Liang's laws in awe and veneration anymore?"
Teacher Zhang frowned and said, "What a razor-tongued brat."
Chen Chao shook his head, "It's not that this official has a sharp tongue, I just want to ask Teacher, which article in the laws of Great Liang says that one can attack my Left Guard's officials for no reason?"
"You're making slanderous remarks!"
Without waiting for Teacher Zhang to speak, Huang Zhi, who had spoken earlier, immediately defended him, "Teacher Zhang was just anxious to investigate the situation inside the courtyard. Your Left Guard wanted to conduct an autopsy first!"
Huang Zhi also glared at Chen Chao fiercely, determined not to lose to him again today, as the academy students stood on the side of justice today.
Chen Chao smiled and said coldly, "What a claim that we want to conduct an autopsy first. My Left Guard is investigating a case, if we encounter something we don't understand, we naturally have to do a post-mortem investigation. Who can object to this?"
"Does that mean you can harm my Left Guard officials just because of your baseless suspicions? If that's the case, where does the law of Great Liang stand in your eyes?"
Chen Chao questioned word by word, "Could it be that the Great Liang's laws regulate everything except the academy?"
This statement was a killing blow to the heart. Although strictly speaking, the academy was part of the foreign sects, it had long been entwined with the secular dynasty. Academy students in the Great Liang Dynasty naturally had to abide by its laws, especially since the academy was located in the Divine Capital.
Even someone as transcendent as the Dean probably could not say something like the academy students did not need to follow the Great Liang's laws.
Hence, Huang Zhi was rendered speechless, unable to find any words.
Chen Chao glanced at him and did not continue speaking. He just turned his head to face Teacher Zhang and said calmly, "Teacher, what do you think?"
Breaking the deadlock with the Great Liang's law was something Chen Chao had planned in advance. If it came to a physical confrontation, he was not this Teacher Zhang's match. What he could do now was to ensure that this teacher had no chance to attack.
Teacher Zhang was silent for a long time. It seemed as if his anger was gradually dissipating. His earlier actions did imply an intention to attack an official appointed by the court. If they latched onto this, even he might find it difficult to justify.
However, at this moment, it was virtually impossible to make him admit his mistake in front of so many academy students.
"Since it's the Left Guard's investigation, have you found evidence of Scholar Xie colluding with foreign cultivators?"
His voice was somewhat cold, changing the topic. He was going to break the deadlock from this angle. Got to admit, this Teacher Zhang was not a fool.
Upon hearing this, the Left Guard officials present felt uneasy. If they had found evidence, they would not be in such a passive position. In reality, they found it strange too. Could they have really made a mistake?
Chen Chao naturally knew that no evidence could be found at this moment.
He said calmly, "The case is not closed, and there is no conclusion yet."
Teacher Zhang laughed coldly, "According to your meaning, you still have to conduct a post-mortem before you can investigate clearly?"
Chen Chao tacitly admitted it.
Teacher Zhang continued, "If, after the autopsy, it's proven that Scholar Xie is innocent, what then?"
Chen Chao said calmly, "Naturally, there will be punishment under the Great Liang's laws."
Teacher Zhang said, "If it was destined to be wrong from the beginning, why must we wait for the erroneous result to take place before doing something about it?"
In fact, Teacher Zhang's words were not necessarily sophistry. If someone was found to be planning to commit murder from the start, could he be killed first before committing the act? If they could not kill him first, would it be more reasonable to wait until after he kills someone before subduing him, potentially causing the loss of another innocent life?
Chen Chao responded, "Teacher, your words make some sense, but not much."
"If we follow Teacher's reasoning, then we should naturally intervene beforehand. However, how does Teacher judge that your actions are correct? In other words, suppose someone shows no intention to harm, and merely buys a knife from the blacksmith to slaughter a chicken at home. Yet, Teacher assumes that the person intends to commit murder and acts preemptively. Does that make sense?"
He spoke casually, but there was some logic in his words too.
Teacher Zhang frowned. He naturally understood what Chen Chao meant. He was questioning how Teacher Zhang would prove that his judgment was correct if he considered the outcome undesirable.
This was indeed a thought-provoking matter.
Teacher Zhang said, "So, we can only wait for the answer, even if we regret it?"
Chen Chao replied, "If there were no constraints by the Great Liang's laws, I'm afraid there might be even more regrets."
After a moment of silence, Teacher Zhang suddenly pointed to the lifeless body of Scholar Xie under the eaves and said, "This old man has been friends with him for decades. Now that he has passed away, I cannot stand by and watch you humiliate him."
The moment he said this, Teacher Zhang practically revealed his thoughts, causing Chen Chao to furrow his brows, sensing some trouble.
The way Teacher Zhang spoke indicated his unwavering trust in Scholar Xie, and he seemed unconcerned about any trouble his actions might bring.
Chen Chao asked, "Does Teacher believe that you can bear any consequence?"
Teacher Zhang said calmly, "This old man has been friends with him for decades, I naturally know what kind of person he is. This old man absolutely refuses to believe he's a spy!"
Chen Chao remained silent and did not speak immediately. He just glanced at Weng Quan, who was standing weakly on the side at this moment. When Weng Quan saw Chen Chao's gaze, he managed a pale smile.
Chen Chao did not say anything. The students from the academy started to get noisy again. Their voices were loud, and the situation seemed to be slipping out of control, possibly heading in a direction that none of them anticipated.
"There's nothing in the world that cannot be resolved."
Chen Chao said, "Naturally, if someone has done something, there must be evidence."
Teacher Zhang said, "Then take out the evidence."
One must take out the evidence.
Without evidence, nothing would work.
Chen Chao suddenly asked, "How many friends does someone like Scholar Xie have in the academy?"
Although Teacher Zhang did not understand the meaning behind Chen Chao's question, he quickly replied, "A person as open and honest as Scholar Xie naturally has many friends. There are many teachers in the academy who are on good terms with him."
Chen Chao asked, "Then why are you the only one here, Teacher?"
"Isn't it enough for this old man to come alone?"
Teacher Zhang spoke with some displeasure, feeling that the young man in front of him seemed a bit too arrogant.
However, after a moment, Teacher Zhang raised an eyebrow, as if he had sensed something.
