"Let's leave that aside for now. You seem very confident. Have you already thought through the content for the five sections?"
Seeing Jing Zhe nod, Emperor An continued, "Now that you've made up your mind, why don't you tell everyone about it?"
However, Jing Zhe shook his head this time.
After being rejected twice, Emperor An frowned and glared at Jing Zhe: Don't I have any pride?
Jing Zhe chuckled twice, but wasn't too afraid: "Your Majesty, I can't give away any spoilers!"
Spoilers?
Not only was Emperor An curious, but the other ministers had also never heard of him before. They all looked at Jing Zhe with great anticipation, as if they could always hear many new terms and strange things from him.
"Spoilers, for example, if I tell everyone the contents of the newspaper in advance, when the newspaper comes out, won't everyone lose all their anticipation? Actually, that's not the most important thing. After all, how many people are there in the imperial court? I'm afraid that if all the people in Jingzhou know about it, who will read the newspaper when it's printed?"
But Yu Sheng smiled and suggested, "What President Jing said makes sense, but it's fine to just tell us. We're all very tight-lipped, how could we just tell anyone?"
Jing Zhe glanced at him, thinking to himself, "I'm not afraid of anyone else, but I'm afraid of your gossipy mouth!"
So he shook his head.
"If President Jing is worried about giving away too much information, you can talk about the military section in advance. There's no need to say anything else."
"Duke Yu, that's not right. If you were going to say something beforehand, you should have mentioned the literature section!"
Hao Junguang retorted, not to be outdone.
"My lords, let's not argue anymore. Neither the literature section nor the military section can satisfy everyone. How about we talk about a neutral entertainment section or lifestyle section? With President Jing's eloquence and knowledge, it will surely be very interesting!"
"Yes, yes, that's a great idea!"
Everyone else chimed in with agreement.
Only Jing Zhe stood to the side, scoffing: Does he think I don't exist?
"No, even if we only tell one person, the whole of Jingzhou will know in a few days!"
"How could that be, President Jing? We're very tight-lipped!"
The ministers all gave their assurances.
"Hehe, you all keep your mouths shut, you'll only tell one person at most—and you'll even say, 'I'm only telling you, so please don't tell anyone else,' right?"
The ministers looked at each other, somewhat embarrassed, thinking, "How do you know me so well?"
"So, everyone only tells one person, and that person tells another person, and so on and so forth. Before long, the whole city will know. Will I still be able to print this newspaper?"
"That's not the worst part. The worst part is the spread of misinformation, like—let me give you an example..."
As he spoke, Jing Zhe looked at Bai Qingyuan.
Upon hearing "for example," Bai Qingyuan tensed up, and sure enough, Jing Zhezhen looked at him.
I'll fuck your mother!
"Just an example!"
Jing Zhe gave a heads-up beforehand, then said, "It's about that old Bai and old Wang story I told last time. Everyone just laughed it off, but if it gets out, it might actually become the story of Grand Tutor Bai!"
"Don't mention me again!"
Bai Qingyuan's veins bulged as he let out a loud shout.
"Grand Tutor Bai, please don't get so agitated. Besides, my example is based on evidence. I actually heard similar rumors on the street, talking about you, Grand Tutor Bai. After thinking about it, I realized that someone probably spread the news from the court the day before yesterday, and it was all distorted and misrepresented."
Jing Zhe's serious expression left Bai Qingyuan speechless, yet also somewhat alarmed: "Are people really talking about this?"
"Of course it's true, why would I lie to Grand Tutor Bai?"
Jing Zhe shrugged.
Bai Qingyuan's face turned completely black.
My crotch is covered in mud!
With the culprit right in front of him, Bai Qingyuan stubbornly complained to Emperor An, "Your Majesty, can you please stop him from using me as an example all the time? If this continues, he will ruin my reputation!"
Emperor Andi thought for a moment, then nodded.
"President Jing, you're not allowed to keep using Grand Tutor Bai as an example. You should at least use someone else!"
"..."
"Yes, Your Majesty's criticism is quite correct. How about I take the Duke of Yu as an example?"
Upon hearing this, everyone perked up. Jing Zhe was making fun of the Duke of Yu, and he might get scolded!
"For example, if I say that Duke Yu was brave and resourceful on the battlefield when he was young, and that with him leading the army, we could fight against thousands of troops—if this is spread like wildfire, it will probably end up as Duke Yu killing thousands of troops on the battlefield all by himself, which is too unreliable."
"..."
After hearing this "example," Bai Qingyuan wanted to cry.
I recognized them by their eyes; they were definitely targeting me on purpose.
Yu Sheng, on the other hand, was all smiles: "This is a true son-in-law!"
As for why Jing Zhe suddenly attacked Bai Qingyuan, Yu Sheng knew the answer best. It was because he had just secretly told Jing Zhe about Bai Qingyuan speaking ill of him. Otherwise, why would he have started attacking him as soon as he went to court?
But the more I look at her personality, the more I like her!
...
After listening to their banter for a while, Emperor An was in a good mood. Seeing that Jing Zhe was unwilling to elaborate, he prepared to leave the court and talk to Jing Zhe alone.
He then smiled and said, "It seems that President Jing is planning to keep everyone in suspense and give everyone a surprise later?"
Before Jing Zhe could nod, Bai Qingyuan snorted coldly: "I'm afraid it won't be a pleasant surprise, but a shock!"
"oh?"
Originally intending to say a few words and then quickly leave the court, Emperor An was surprised to find that Bai Qingyuan, who had been scolded for a while, still had the energy to make sarcastic remarks. He frowned and asked, "What do you mean by that, Grand Tutor Bai?"
Bai Qingyuan stepped forward, cupped his hands to Emperor An, and said, "Your Majesty, I have thought about it carefully after returning home. I feel that although this newspaper seems simple, if it can be done well, its influence will be considerable!"
Emperor An didn't speak, thinking to himself, "Do you need me to say it?"
But it's too late for you to object now!
"Therefore, I believe that when President Jing is working on such an influential newspaper, he must not mix in any other things."
Upon hearing this, Jing Zhe sneered repeatedly.
Emperor An then asked, "For example?"
"For example, money and power."
"Oh? Grand Tutor Bai, please explain in detail!"
Emperor An seemed to have taken a liking to this. He had already been sitting up halfway, but after hearing what he said, he sat down again.
"I believe that President Jing's original intention in starting this newspaper was good. Each section should present different things to everyone, and each section should also be fair and just."
After saying this, Bai Qingyuan's gaze lingered on Jing Zhe and Yu Sheng, and he said sternly, "If someone engages in favoritism and corruption, deliberately currying favor for the sake of someone's money or power, and disregards the facts by writing nonsense in the newspapers to mislead public opinion, then I think such actions and methods are far too despicable!"
"..."
————
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