"Zhou Shi'an is the greatest traitor in the world!"
A few days later, major newspapers in the capital published a critical article with a very sensational title.
It was obvious that the offended officials, including military generals and nobles, united and launched a fierce counterattack against Zhou Shi'an.
They picked out sentences, scenes and paragraphs from the novel "Officialdom" and criticized them one by one.
Zhou Shi'an was described as an unforgivable criminal.
If he were alive, he would be a traitor to the Great Zhou, the biggest traitor.
The unrest in the officialdom of the Great Zhou Dynasty and the instability among the people are all Zhou Shi'an's responsibility.
What a big hat was put on Zhou Shian’s head.
Some people even publicly called out in newspapers: "Please execute Zhou Shi'an to appease the people of the world."
Ordinary people said: We have never asked for the execution of Zhou Shi'an, please don't represent us.
We are just spectators, watching the excitement in the officialdom.
Zhou Shi'an, the person involved, remained unknown for decades. He even became a beggar and wandered around the northwest.
After the publication of "Officialdom", it became famous all over the world in a short time.
From officials to ordinary people, he is the person that everyone is discussing recently.
He is famous!
Very famous!
I believe that in the future, any book he writes, as long as it has substance and real content, will cause a rush to buy it.
Sanyuan Gong Yang Yuanqing even teased him: "Brother Zhou is now more famous than me. Next time I write a book, I'll have to ask Brother Zhou to write a preface to help promote it."
Zhou Shian laughed bitterly, "It's all bad reputation! Brother Yang, you asked me to write a preface, I'm afraid it will tarnish your book."
"Brother Zhou, you're too modest! Your so-called bad reputation is all slander from officials. I've already read your book. It's profound yet accessible. 'Officialdom' lives up to its name."
"Brother Yang, thank you for your compliment!"
Sun Zhuangyuan looked envious and said, "When will I be able to write a masterpiece that is world-famous like Brother Zhou?"
"That day will come!"
…
The officials launched a fierce counterattack against Zhou Shi'an and dug up all his secrets.
Born into the Zhou family of Chuzhou, he fell out with his clansmen, spent years in poverty, and so on and so forth…
During the imperial examination year, countless students gathered in the capital.
The students were influenced by the provocation, and the fact that the students who were petitioning at the palace gate were still besieged and unable to escape aroused their emotions.
Many students were outraged and rushed to the Zhou family's residence in the capital to demand an explanation.
Some people even went to the Pingnan Marquis' Mansion to besiege it.
Just because the wife of the Marquis of Pingnan, Zhou, was from the Zhou family of Chuzhou, she had to call Zhou Shi'an uncle.
The gates of the Zhou family's residence in Chuzhou, located in the capital, are kept closed every day.
Servants had to go out carefully through the back door when they went out to buy meat and vegetables, and they dared not say that they were servants of the Zhou family.
It would be a lie to say that the Zhou family did not resent Zhou Shian.
No one can stand being besieged by a group of scholars every day.
While feeling resentful, I also feel proud and proud.
The Zhou family of Chuzhou and the Sun family of the capital, one in the south and one in the north, are two powerful families with hundreds of years of heritage.
The previous generations of the Sun family had the honor of writing the imperial edict of succession, which severely suppressed the Zhou family. The Zhou family was naturally unwilling to accept this!
In addition, most of the Zhou family members worked in local government offices and had no influence in the court. They were not as powerful as the Sun family, and their reputation was declining day by day.
Therefore, the Zhou family was very anxious from top to bottom.
Zhou Shi'an is recognized as the most talented person in the Zhou family in recent decades, but also the one with the weirdest temper.
It was precisely because Zhou Shian was talented that the family did not give up on him even though Zhou Shian announced that he had severed ties with the family.
Except for the time when he wandered in the northwest, his tribe members did not know his whereabouts. In the following years, they kept an eye on him.
Zhou Shi'an was noticed by Lord Lu and entered the Secretariat, which made the Zhou family very happy for a while.
Later, Zhou Shi'an resigned from his official position and went to teach at Shanhe Academy. His clansmen felt very regretful, but they did not have the courage to complain to him.
It was not until the publication of the book "Officialdom" that Zhou Shi'an became famous all over the world.
Officials exposed Zhou Shi'an, and the Zhou family of Chuzhou was also exposed, and the entire family became prominent.
The entire Zhou family, from top to bottom, was in pain and happy.
Zhou Shi'an, the most talented person in the Zhou family, did not waste his talent after all and wrote the work "Officialdom" which will definitely be passed down through the ages!
This achievement is enough to comfort the ancestors of the Zhou family and is the pride of the entire Zhou family. It is comparable to the glory of the Sun family.
The old people in the Zhou family cried with joy.
Young people also feel proud when reading the book "Officialdom".
"In the future, I will also write a work comparable to 'Officialdom'."
"Let's pass the imperial examination first."
"I want to apply to Shanhe Academy and become my uncle's student."
"I also want to take the entrance exam for Shanhe Academy."
The Zhou family's sons were excited.
As for the students outside the gate who were besieging the house, everyone ignored them.
In the words of the Zhou family's ancestor, "They are all jealous! Jealous of Shi'an's talent and luck. They hate themselves for not being able to write such a shocking work that will be recorded in history. They are all a bunch of villains, don't pay any attention to them. Our Zhou family's roots are in the local government. Even if the masters in the court have long arms, they can't wipe out the Zhou family in one fell swoop."
The Zhou family is ready to make sacrifices.
But no one complained.
For the sake of the family's reputation and to support Zhou Shi'an's writing, the Zhou family is willing to make sacrifices.
At worst, I can just stop being an official and go home to be a rich man.
The Zhou family has so many Jinshi and Juren scholars, no official dares to look down on them.
There were also people in the court who spoke on behalf of the Zhou family.
Zhou Shi'an, the source of all this, hid in Shanhe Academy and never left the house.
No matter how harsh the weather was outside, he would still be thinking about his next book.
He had so many ideas and so much to say, and he was eager to write it all down.
He stopped caring about other people's opinions decades ago.
Shanhe Academy is his best armor.
No matter how powerful those officials are and how many connections they have all over the world, they cannot reach into Shanhe Academy.
Seeing that Zhou Shi'an was counterattacked by his ministers and was cursed by the people of the world, Lord Lu couldn't stand it anymore.
He found Queen Gu, the culprit who planned all this, and demanded an explanation for Zhou Shi'an.
Zhou Shian is his good friend, and he cannot sit idly by and watch his friend being slandered and bearing the infamy for the rest of his life.
He came to the Prince of Qin's Mansion and met Queen Gu.
The palace maid invited him into the flower hall.
In the spring when flowers are blooming, the Qin Palace is full of flowers, which is pleasing to the eye.
Niuniu is catching butterflies among the flowers.
Heng'er seems to never grow up, and he plays the game of catching thief with Xun'er.
Gu Jiu was in the flower hall, sitting on the floor, holding a cup of fragrant tea. The aroma of tea was refreshing and refreshing.
"Master Lu is here! Please take a seat!"
"Your Majesty is in such a refined mood!"
"It's rare to have sunny and warm weather, so we should cherish this beautiful spring."
"Your Majesty is busy dealing with memorials in the palace and doesn't have the leisure to do this."
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "Lord Lu, are you standing up for His Majesty?"
Lord Lu shook his head. "I was just saying this casually. Please don't take it personally, Your Majesty."
"Of course I won't argue with Lord Lu."
Gu Jiu poured the tea himself and placed the cup in front of Lord Lu. "This year's new tea was shipped from the south by water. Although it's not a top-notch tea, it tastes pretty good."
"It is my humble honor to have the privilege of drinking the fragrant tea brewed by Her Majesty herself."
After saying that, he picked up the teacup and took a sip.
The fragrance of tea lingered between his lips and teeth, and he couldn't help but praise: "Good tea!"
"I'm glad that Lord Lu likes it. Ah Qing, weigh out a pound of new tea and bring it back to Lord Lu later."
"As you command!"
The maid Aqing led the other maids out of the flower hall.
In the huge flower hall, only Gu Jiu and Lord Lu were left.
Lord Lu put down his teacup and said, "Your Majesty should have guessed the purpose of my visit."
Gu Jiu shook his head. "I don't know your intention. Please explain clearly."
Lord Lu took a deep breath and said, "As for Zhou Shi'an, please show some mercy, Your Majesty. You are pushing him into a desperate situation."
Gu Jiu raised his eyebrows but said nothing.
Lord Lu continued, "When the court was filled with criticism of Your Majesty, Wenqing Bookstore suddenly launched Zhou Shi'an's 'Officialdom.' This was clearly an attempt to divert the conflict within the court. Now no one cares about Your Majesty's arbitrary decisions, no one cares about the officials in the imperial prison, and everyone is pointing the finger at Zhou Shi'an.
It was obvious that Her Majesty had used this tactic of deflecting conflict very skillfully and successfully. However, this was unfair to Zhou Shi'an. He had clearly shouldered all the pressure on His Majesty's behalf, and he did not deserve to be wantonly insulted and bear a lifetime of infamy. Her Majesty, please stop! You have already achieved your goal, and you should not continue to sacrifice Zhou Shi'an.
Gu Jiu picked up the teapot and refilled the teacup with water.
She asked softly, "On what grounds does Lord Lu make this request?"
Lord Lu said solemnly, "As a close friend of Zhou Shi'an, I beg Your Majesty to show mercy."
Gu Jiu took a sip of tea and asked, "How long has it been since Lord Lu last saw Mr. Zhou? How do you know he's not enjoying it?"
"Impossible! I know him well. He is not someone who would do anything to gain fame."
"He's certainly not that kind of person, but he's managed to become famous all over the world. Who doesn't know Zhou Shi'an these days? Wenqing Bookstore has once again successfully packaged a literary giant and secured a place for him in the literary world."
Lord Lu frowned, obviously disagreeing with Gu Jiu's statement.
Gu Jiu smiled and continued, "Lord Lu, would you like to see Mr. Zhou remain unknown for the rest of his life? Would you like to see his talent buried in a pile of old papers, eventually returning to dust, and the world never knowing there was a talented man named Zhou Shi'an?"
"But he shouldn't have to bear so much blame. He has already shouldered all the pressure for Your Majesty. What else does Your Majesty want from him?"
"So I will repay him! Repay him heavily."
Lord Lu raised his eyebrows, looking surprised.
Gu Jiu pursed his lips and smiled, "Lord Lu is very perceptive. Many people are still foolishly attacking Mr. Zhou, but Lord Lu has seen through everything. The publication of "Officialdom" at this time is indeed to divert the contradictions within the court.
Some people, fearing chaos in the world, feel uneasy if they don't engage in a couple of verbal battles every day. Liar-fighting in the court is useless and only delays matters. I have reopened the battlefield. Let's all engage in verbal battles in the newspapers. The winners and losers will be judged by the public.
They could call Mr. Zhou the world's greatest traitor, and Mr. Zhou could certainly curse back. Or perhaps his fellow book fans could curse back for him. Swearing is something all writers are good at, and it can also enrich the leisure time of the people of the capital and benefit their physical and mental health.
Heresy!
Lord Lu was so angry that he blew his beard and glared.
"Could it be that the Queen used similar remarks to deceive His Majesty?"
"Lord Lu, be careful with your words!"
Gu Jiu's expression was cold. "This isn't about instigating public opinion, but about guiding it. Lord Lu should learn this as well. Everything has two sides. We can turn a disadvantage into an advantage. Similarly, we can also turn a favorable situation into an unfavorable one. It all depends on how we guide it."
Lord Lu frowned and asked, "I only wish to clear Zhou Shi'an's name. He is an upright gentleman and should not be subjected to such stigma."
Gu Jiu nodded and said, "If you want to clear Mr. Zhou's name, it's easy."
Whitewash?
Lord Lu was stunned, and finally understood the word literally. It was very vivid and appropriate.
He applied it flexibly, "Yes, I just want to clear his name."
Gu Jiu nodded and said, "Everything is going according to plan. Mr. Zhou is an extremely valuable talent of Shanhe Academy. How can I sit idly by and watch him being attacked by scholars all over the world without fighting back? Lord Lu, please don't be anxious. This play will take some time to finish. I sincerely invite Lord Lu to watch the play patiently."
Lord Lu was filled with questions. "How does the Queen plan to fight back? How is she going to clear Zhou Shi'an's name?"
Gu Jiu threw the latest issue of the Mountain and River Academy Newspaper in front of Lord Lu. "It's clear that the style of the Great Zhou Life Show is no longer suitable for the upcoming battle. I have decided that starting from the next issue, the Mountain and River Academy Newspaper will be published publicly. Then, we will have a unique official discussion."
Lord Lu frowned. "I have always had a question. What good would it do to Your Majesty and Your Majesty to expose the truth and ugliness of officialdom to the world?"
"It's about supervision!" Gu Jiu said firmly, "All officials need supervision!"
Lord Lu frowned, "Your Majesty, aren't you afraid of getting yourself into trouble?"
Gu Jiu smiled and said, "This step is indeed a bit big, and it hurts a bit. But plans can't keep up with changes, and sometimes we have to proceed ahead of time."
"Please explain clearly, Madam!"
Gu Jiu played with the jade bracelet on his wrist. "The next series of events will require Lord Lu to mediate and stabilize the emotions of the officials in the court. His Majesty intends to change the ancestral system."
Lord Lu couldn't close his mouth.
This, this, this is too big a step. Aren’t you afraid of getting hurt?
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