Taoist Master

An Unexpected Turn of Events

Looking about the hall, Ci Hangs eyes remained hooded having been one of the lucky ones to be invited as Bai Qian so eloquently put it. Of course he would be invited because he attended every debate and though he wasn't a vain man, there were so few in the world that could beat him. Di Jun was one of course and so was Mo Yuan and Bai Qian, but going by the expectant faces looking straight ahead at Qing Qius queen, he really didn't think there would be many willing to involve themselves, preferring instead to watch the show which was already unfolding because he could feel her simmering anger from where he was sitting and that was one tier below Mo Yuan.

"The floor is now open." Di Juns soft voice questioning with a look towards Bai Qian.

Only she had no intention of kicking off what was his debate seeing as he was using her to entertain the rest, so taking his cue from her, Di Jun took the opportunity to add even more pressure on her seeing as the rest had fallen deathly silent along with Ci Hang who was also biding his time along with Mo Yuan.

"Governance, accountability and responsibility are duties that each of us are all answerable to in some form and none more so than those in a position of power." he began with a pointed look at the scowl on Bai Qians face. "Humility, honesty and transparency are the foundations of a good relationship between oneself and those whom they teach, and that means identifying the speaker is just as important as his words." He continued to a deathly quiet hall.

"But there is also one other important attribute that must be taken into account when ones words are taken as truth and that is accessibility. After all, if one expects their words to be heeded or at the very least heard, then the responsibility lies in being accessible should those words prove ambiguous or false." he stated before falling silent so that his words could quietly dwelt on and a reply formulated.

And he was quietly pleased to see the differing reactions to his words. All understood what he had said, though it seemed not all agreed which was fine with him. Strong views made for a healthy debate and seeing as the Lady Grand Master was the one all of them were thinking of, he leaned back to wait for the next speaker, which he knew would not be her. Not yet.

Watching as he leaned back against his seating, she could not contain the scowl, but she remained where she was. She had no intention of rushing to the dais to defend herself just yet. In fact, she wanted to hear what Mo Yuan or anyone else had to say before she took the dais so it was with relief and a little apprehension when Di Jun held up his hand for Ci Hang who quietly rose to his feet.

Ci Hang didn't normally jump in so quickly, but he did feel the need to even out the debate somewhat with a few words and hopefully creating a space for calm debate seeing as he could feel her rising ire at what she was seeing as a direct attack. And it wasn't that he felt it necessary to take sides that saw him offer a little diversion, because he loved the heatedness of the debate as anyone, but he did want her to stand without the anger which really only highlighted her youthfulness and therefore lack of experience. So in a small way, he aimed solely to tame her enough to get her on the dais.

"The Way that cannot be named is not the Way." he replied quietly with yet another quote from the Tao and directly at Di Jun who dipped his head respectfully and automatically bringing a smile to her face and she would have stood there and then to speak, only Mo Yuan was jumping in.

"Mm, that is correct, and I would like to elaborate on that." Mo Yuan replied which had every head turning to look at him. Other than herself, Mo Yuan was not expected to stand on the dais, because his rank was much higher than the rest, so he remained seated.

"The way is the founding reality for everything born into existence. It is without birth or death so therefore it is nameless and without identity in itself. The Tao beyond human knowledge is traceless and untouchable. Those who follow the Tao and therefore the Way, do not put stock in names or even titles because the nameless is the way of the Tao." he finished it before turning to bow his head politely at Ci Hang, who conceded his point with a nod of his own head, then turning to Di Jun to offer the same accordance, Mo Yuan folded his hands over his lap to indicate that he had finished.