Chapter 258: Strangled in the Cradle
Chapter 258: Strangled in the cradle
Zhang Fei simply accepted Su Shi's advice passively, just like his previous actions, all of which were passive.
He never actively pursued the tabloids, although he was fully prepared for it.
The matter originally originated from a leak, and Zhang Fei initially chose to go to Kaifeng Prefecture to file a complaint, but the Kaifeng Prefecture was unwilling to accept it. He had no choice but to decide to retaliate.
After Xu Zun's issue was resolved, Zhang Fei became very low-key. It was Sima Guang, Han Qi and Su Shi who came to him on their own initiative instead of him pursuing them.
But he planned all this secretly.
This is a conspiracy.
The reason why Zhang Fei behaved very low-key was because he knew that in the feudal era, public opinion was a very sensitive issue.
Therefore, he had already asked Shenzong to play with him. If Shenzong refused to play, he would not dare to play.
...
...
However, in this era, many people have a vision that transcends the times.
Wang Anshi is one of them.
Genuine bookstore.
"What's going on?"
Zhang Fei looked at the seven or eight Kaifeng government officials and asked with a puzzled look on his face.
The leading yamen runner said, "We are here on orders. Your workshop must temporarily stop all printing activities and is not allowed to sell any tabloids."
Zhang Fei asked, "I wonder what law we have violated?"
The yamen runner said: "We don't know about this, we are just following orders."
Zhang Fei nodded. At this moment, he finally understood why Wang Anshi did not look for him.
Hou Donglai was completely depressed. He was about to make a fortune, but then this splash of water came down...!
He quickly pulled Zhang Fei aside and said, "Sanlang, what should we do?"
Zhang Fei said: "We will try our best to cooperate with the government. What else can we do?"
Hou Donglai said anxiously: "We have to think of a way out. What if the government doesn't allow us to print?"
"We'll talk about it later." Zhang Fei shrugged. "Now these officials don't know what's going on. What can I do?"
Hou Donglai and his craftsmen could only comfort themselves by saying that good things come to those who wait.
But for Zhang Fei, this was not surprising.
As soon as I got home, Xu Zhiqian came to greet me.
"I heard that Kaifeng Prefecture sent people to close down the genuine bookstore?"
"Um."
Zhang Fei nodded.
Xu Zhiqian asked: "Who gave the order?"
Zhang Fei shook his head and said, "It's not clear at the moment." In fact, he knew in his heart that it must be Wang Anshi.
The only people who can give orders to Kaifeng Prefecture are the Vice-Chancellors, and among the Vice-Chancellors, there are currently two factions, and Sima Guang's faction is definitely not a possibility.
Even if Sima Guang realized this problem, he would communicate with Zhang Fei first instead of giving orders directly.
It must be Wang Anshi.
Xu Zhiqian sighed softly: "It's not that easy, but it was still blocked in the end."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "I never said it would be easy, but..."
Xu Zhiqian asked: "But what?"
Zhang Fei smiled deeply: "Now it's easy."
......
His guess was correct. It was Wang Anshi who ordered the closure of his legitimate bookstore, but Wang Anshi was not targeting Zhang Fei. He was only targeting the tabloid.
Judging from the circulation of this tabloid, he had already anticipated how much trouble this tabloid would cause him when his new law was promulgated.
Because he knew that those who had the ability to publish tabloids were the ones he wanted to target.
By then, the right to public opinion will still be controlled by them, which will be very troublesome.
Wang Anshi, on the other hand, was resolute and decisive in his actions. He would do what he said and would not drag his feet. This was the biggest difference between him and Sima Guang.
However, this action immediately aroused impeachment from the censors and advisers in the court.
Even Wen Yanbo, Zhao Yan, Lu Gongzhu and others were shocked.
They were all still immersed in the competition of writing articles, and Wang Anshi was at a disadvantage at the moment.
You can't afford to lose. You can't win in writing, so you close other people's store.
What is this?
The voices of opposition suddenly came like a roaring wave.
The entire imperial city was in an uproar.
Even the reformists found Wang Anshi's behavior very confusing.
There is no need to do that.
So embarrassing!
Zhao Xu had to come out to calm the storm.
Chuigong store.
"Wang Jiefu, what right do you have to close down the genuine bookstore? The actions of the genuine bookstore are not illegal."
Sima Guang angrily accused Wang Anshi.
Zhao Xu also looked at Wang Anshi curiously. He originally wanted to help Wang Anshi by using the tabloid, but Wang Anshi slapped him in the face, and Zhao Xu felt a little dizzy.
Wang Anshi said: "I didn't order the closure of the legitimate bookstores. I just asked them not to print tabloids for the time being?"
Wen Yanbo asked, "What's the difference?"
Wang Anshi said solemnly: "Don't forget, everyone, this disturbance originated from the tabloids. If the tabloids hadn't leaked the secrets of the Court of Justice, there wouldn't have been a crisis.
Instead of investigating this matter and preventing it from happening again, the imperial court is happy to promote the tabloids. Isn't this encouraging this kind of evil trend?"
Sima Guang couldn't help but frown when he heard this.
Fan Chunren suddenly stood up and said, "The leak of court secrets must be investigated, but it has nothing to do with tabloids."
Wang Anshi said: “But without the tabloids, it would not have caused such a big disturbance, and the court could have controlled it early to prevent the situation from getting worse.
You all should know how the court bulletin is published. It has to be carefully worded and checked by the Privy Council and the Secretariat. Only after it is confirmed to be correct can it be released to the public.
You all should know why this is the case.
The Xu Temple incident illustrates this point perfectly. Now everyone knows that the Xu Temple incident was just a casual mention during a discussion, but once it was exaggerated by the tabloids, it immediately became such a big crisis. "
Fan Chunren said: "But it is more difficult to prevent people from speaking than to prevent rivers from flooding. This cannot be prevented."
"I am not trying to stop people from speaking out, I am trying to ensure the stability of the country."
Wang Anshi said: "Let me tell you what will happen if tabloids are not strictly controlled. The state prints court newspapers because they are needed for government affairs, while the purpose of printing tabloids by the people is to make money. The way to make money is to make the content attractive to the eye.
For this reason, merchants will inevitably exaggerate the facts and make alarmist statements. Perhaps a small defeat on the front line will be reported in the tabloids as the enemy army is already approaching Bianliang. This will attract people to buy tabloids, which will inevitably cause panic. The court will be unable to defend itself. What should it do? "
After these words were spoken, Sima Guang, Wen Yanbo and others were all silent and thoughtful.
They gradually came to realize that this seemed to have gone too far.
Wang Anshi continued, "I am not saying that the genuine bookstores are guilty, nor am I saying that I want to close down the genuine bookstores. I just want them to stop printing and distribute until the court has come up with a conclusion. Moreover, I am not afraid of losing the article as the outside world says. If we really want to compete, we will publish it in the court bulletin. As long as it does not endanger the stability of the country, we can publish as many as we want and compete in any way."
Chen Shengzhi immediately stepped forward and said, "Your Majesty, what Wang Xueshi said makes sense. Public opinion still needs to be controlled. Although the articles currently published by the official bookstores are still worth reading, I am afraid that some treacherous people will use tabloids to disrupt national stability."
Zhao Xu nodded slightly.
Sima Guang said, "That being said, what Fan Sijian said makes sense. It is better to guard against the people's mouths than to guard against the river. If the court suddenly issues an order to ban tabloids, the scholars will not understand, which may lead to a greater crisis. We should still handle it with caution."
Zhao Xu asked, "What do you think?"
Sima Guang said: "I think we shouldn't adopt a one-size-fits-all approach. We can prohibit tabloids from publishing any news related to current affairs, but we should still allow them to publish popular stories in tabloids for people's entertainment."
Wang Anshi hesitated for a while and said, "It's not impossible to do so, but it must be reviewed by the court before the tabloid can be opened. Otherwise, it will release false information and cause chaos. Even if the court punishes those people, it will be useless. After all, the consequences have already been caused."
Sima Guang nodded.
Zhao Xu said very straightforwardly: "Let the two of you handle this matter."
He also felt guilty. After all, he was one of the culprits behind the scenes. He could not have any attitude towards this matter. His ministers were too shrewd and any negligence might be discovered by them.
After the meeting, Sima Guang grabbed Wang Anshi and whispered, "You are afraid that the tabloids will be unfavorable to your new law."
Although he did not object in the palace, he had to point out Wang Anshi's little thoughts to prevent Wang Anshi from thinking that he was being fooled.
Wang Anshi laughed and said, "Just dealing with you is already a headache for me, how can I spare any effort to deal with that tabloid. If Junshi is willing to support me, then he can publish it, and I am not afraid."
Sima Guang snorted, "With your personality, you can turn a good thing into a bad one. I won't support you."
Wang Anshi laughed and said, "You have a steady character. It's just one law, but you have dragged it on until now and haven't issued it yet. If I could live to be 300 years old, I would definitely follow your example."
Sima Guang said: "There is no such thing as speed in governing a country."
Wang Anshi said, "If the patient dies, no matter how good the medicine you develop is, it will be useless. If you can't cure the patient, you are a quack. Haha... Goodbye."
Having said that, he slipped away.
Sima Guang muttered with disdain: "That's better than killing the patient."
......
After Wang Anshi left the palace, he went to find Zhang Fei and told him that it was he who gave the order. He also asked Zhang Fei to stop printing the tabloid first and that he could only continue printing the tabloid after applying.
"You won't blame me, will you?"
Wang Anshi looked at Zhang Fei and asked.
Zhang Fei said with a wronged look on his face: "No."
Wang Anshi laughed and said, "It's okay if you blame me. Then you will know that I am doing this for your own good."
Zhang Fei immediately said: "Speaking of doing good for me, then I have to ask, what is good for me?"
Wang Anshi said: "If the court does not control it, and tabloids are prevalent in your legitimate bookstore, once there is a problem with the tabloids, whether you published it or not, you will be implicated. If the matter is very serious, you may even be held criminally responsible."
Zhang Fei said, "Is it true? Are you trying to scare me, Mr. Wang? I am Mr. Zhang's Ear Pen."
Wang Anshi snorted, "Do I really need to scare you? Wasn't your father-in-law a victim of this tabloid? You used poison to fight poison, and I supported that, but if you really want to avoid this, you still have to control it. If you use too much of this poison, it will backfire on you."
Zhang Fei nodded and said, "Okay, I will post some interesting stories about widows from now on."
"Tsk!" Wang Anshi frowned and looked at the boy.
"Oh no."
Zhang Fei coughed and said, "She's not a widow, she's a singing girl. That's fine, right?"
Wang Anshi nodded. "It's just some harmless news. I won't bother you. Just pay the tax."
Zhang Fei said: "I am afraid that I won't be able to make too many friends and disappoint the expectations of Grand Secretary Wang."
Wang Anshi laughed: "A little bit adds up to a lot."
After Wang Anshi left, Zhao Xu immediately sent someone to secretly meet with Zhang Fei.
Inform Zhang Fei about the previous court discussion.
Zhang Fei nodded repeatedly after hearing this: "You are indeed worthy of being Grand Secretary Wang. You actually convinced Grand Secretary Sima and the others."
These words were absolutely from the bottom of his heart, because he knew that Wang Anshi was not exaggerating, but he did not expect that Wang Anshi could foresee this step.
Zhao Xu laughed and said, "Your tricks of manipulating public opinion are fancy, but in the end you can't hide it from my ministers! Haha..."
Zhang Fei had boasted before, but Zhao Xu didn't believe it at the time. Now that he has proven that he is right, he quickly called Zhang Fei over and teased him.
Zhang Fei was slightly startled, then smiled and said, "Your Majesty, I haven't lost yet."
Zhao Xu was surprised and said, "Even Sima Junshi supports you, there is no way you can win."
Zhang Fei smiled and said, "Your Majesty, please don't disbelieve me. Grand Secretary Wang's idea is right. We should be on guard against this, but his approach is totally wrong. He doesn't know how to play with public opinion. Within seven days, Grand Secretary Wang will be extremely worried about this matter."
Zhao Xu immediately asked: "What do you want to do?"
Zhang Fei raised his hands: "I don't do anything, I just rest at home."
Zhao Xu shook his head and said, "I don't believe it."
Zhang Fei chuckled and said, "Why not make a bet?"
Zhao Xu was also in his early twenties, full of vigor and vitality, and he immediately responded, "Whatever you want, what do you want to bet on?"
Zhang Fei thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, if you are so short of money, don't gamble."
Who are you looking down upon? Zhao Xu said angrily: "Even if I am short of money, I am still richer than you."
Zhang Fei held up five fingers: "Five thousand strings of cash. I just want to buy a house."
Zhao Xu snorted, "I'm afraid you can't buy this house."
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