ように言う — reported command, but whose politeness level applies?

Question

先生は学生に静かにするように言った. If the teacher said it rudely (静かにしろ！), does ように言う still stay neutral, or does it inherit the original bluntness?

Accepted Answer

ように言う neutralizes the register — it reports the CONTENT of the instruction, not the original wording or tone. So whether the teacher barked 静かにしろ！or gently asked 静かにしてください, the reported form 静かにするように言った stays the same. If you want to preserve the original bluntness you'd need a direct quote instead (「静かにしろ」と言った).