A topic from AEG's L5R CCG Rules forum, copied for Oracle of the Void from a copy of the forum saved in October 2015, so pages it didn't save are missing. Players' names are left out; the rules officials are named. Rulings are as they stood on these dates; later rulings, the rulebooks and the Rules Archive may differ.
In regards to this ruling of before destruction http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=68332
Since the trigger for destruction still occurs, can I now play Utter defeat, negating the following ruling?
http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=65074&p=836436&hilit=heated#p836436
In regards to this ruling of before destruction http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=68332
Since the trigger for destruction still occurs, can I now play Utter defeat, negating the following ruling?
http://www.alderac.com/forum/viewtopic.php?f=59&t=65074&p=836436&hilit=heated#p836436
No, sorry.
Zen perhaps oversimplified things in his answer that you linked, but he was essentially correct. To be more specific:
During a Heated Discussion, destruction is replaced by dishonoring as an Indefinite Conditional Effect. These occur in Step D of Timing.
The opportunity to play Reactions occurs in Step F, at which point the destuction trigger is already gone.