In no time, the tea was ready.
The tea is good; Jing Zhe had tasted it before. It comes from Jiangling and is said to be named after its proximity to Qingyun Gate.
This tea is really good. Next time I see Qingqiu, I can ask her to bring me some, that shouldn't be a problem, right?
He's a member of the Qingyun Sect, after all. [Smug face emoji]
The tea was brewed by Gui Zhi (Su Mochen only rolled her eyes at him, which was already a huge favor). Back in Yongzhou, he always drank her tea. When could he get Su Mochen to brew it, or at least brew hers…?
Yes, that's difficult.
Just as Jing Zhe was holding his teacup and daydreaming, Su Mochen walked over and said with a smile, "I told Father Emperor long ago that you have the most crooked ideas, whether it's making ice, strong liquor, or floral water."
Jing Zhe immediately corrected her: "Don't talk nonsense. I admit I have a lot of ideas, but none of them are crooked."
Su Mochen chuckled and continued, "After hearing Father Emperor talk about the newspaper, I also found it particularly amusing. Besides you, who else could come up with such an idea?"
He then asked, "How's the newspaper going? Any progress on the paper?"
"Everything is as usual, everything is going well."
Just like in the imperial court, Jing Zhe started kicking the ball around.
Su Mochen glared at him with displeasure: "Looks like you still don't consider me one of your own, and you're still keeping things from me?"
"I'd like to treat you like one of my own."
Jing Zhe looked her up and down, especially noticing that Su Mochen was wearing a silk, form-fitting, waist-cinching dress today, which made her chest appear fuller and fuller, causing him to glance at her a few more times. He was also worried about Su Mochen, hoping that it wouldn't burst open...
He added in his mind: I can be honest with my own people, can you be honest with me?
Su Mochen noticed Jing Zhe's gaze, her pretty face flushed slightly, and she rolled her eyes at him before changing the subject, saying, "Since you don't want to say, then I'll guess!"
So he paced around the hall and said seriously, "First of all, this literary section, since it's the first issue of the newspaper, you definitely want to attract everyone. The poem you put on it will definitely be a new poem, and it will definitely be your poem. After all, you are the number one talent in Anguo. There will be a good gimmick, right?"
Jing Zhe gave her a thumbs up. "Hmm, not bad, but only half right."
"half?"
Su Mochen tilted his head, his eyes suddenly narrowing into crescents, and chuckled softly, "Hmm, and also Zhu Sheren's poems, right?"
"..."
This time, Jing Zhe was stunned.
Su Mochen rarely leaves the palace, so it's impossible for him to know that Su Mochen went to see Zhu Xinning—no, even if he did know, no one would think of that, right?
Seeing Jing Zhe's blank expression, Su Mochen was unusually smug: "This is actually quite easy to guess—but the prerequisite is understanding you! Although you're a bit of a scoundrel, a bit of a rogue, a bit of a rascal, and a bit thick-skinned, and also—"
"Just say 'but'!"
Jing Zhe quickly interrupted him, fearing that if he continued, he would become a heinous villain!
"But you have one good point: you're very sentimental, especially towards your sisters!"
At this point, Su Mochen suddenly felt a pang of sadness, and her gaze towards Jing Zhe was slightly resentful, but that didn't stop her from continuing.
"So, since this is a literature section, and Second Sister was once the most talented woman in Jingzhou, her poetry is naturally excellent. Not only that, Second Sister is now the only female civil official in Anguo, and her future is limitless. However, her reputation throughout Anguo is still too low, so you're planning to help her gain fame, aren't you?"
Jing Zhe was a little stunned as he listened to Su Mochen's logical analysis, so much so that he didn't even realize she was referring to him as "Second Sister" instead of "Your Second Sister".
"As expected of Princess Mo Chen, her intelligence is truly extraordinary!"
Su Mochen smiled and said, "It seems I guessed right. Now it's even easier to guess. The military section will definitely be about Sister Jinghong. Sister Jinghong has been stationed in Liangzhou for many years. It's the most arduous, tiring, and dangerous place. It's only right to promote her. The common people will definitely like to see it, and the other generals won't have any objections."
Jing Zhe nodded repeatedly, not wanting to interrupt her.
"As for the entertainment section, it's actually the easiest for you to write. On the carriage back to Jingzhou, you casually told a story about a monkey, which shows that you know many similar stories. Just pick one and put it on the list, and it will become a topic of conversation for the common people. The entertainment section is responsible for breadth, while the literature section is responsible for depth. This idea is not bad."
Jing Zhe didn't speak, but his expression said it all.
Su Mochen was somewhat smug, but still reminded him, "I told you this in the carriage before. This monkey story is good, but it's not suitable to spread it around. If someone with ulterior motives finds a loophole, you'll be in great danger."
Jing Zhe smiled and shook his head: "You said it yourself, entertainment is about breadth, so this first story must expand that breadth to the maximum scale and firmly capture the hearts of all the people. I do know many other wonderful stories, but compared to the monkey story, they are all too slow to heat up. Only the monkey story can instantly grab everyone's attention!"
Seeing that Jing Zhe was determined, Su Mochen was still a little worried.
So Jing Zhe smiled and said, "Don't worry, I've already figured out how to explain it to His Majesty. And the reason Mo Chen is worried is because he's afraid the monkey will give the people hope of overthrowing the oppressive rule, right? Actually, you've only heard half the story. Once you know the ending, you won't be worried anymore."
Next, Jing Zhe told the story of how the monkey's journey to the West to obtain Buddhist scriptures ended, how he converted to Buddhism, and how he became the Victorious Fighting Buddha.
After finishing his explanation, he said, "Although the monkey possessed extraordinary magical powers and was unruly and disobedient, attempting to overthrow the Heavenly Court, didn't he still fail in the end? The common people won't overthink it; if even the monkey couldn't do it, how could they?"
Hearing this, Su Mochen felt a little relieved, but couldn't help but remind him, "You must inform Father Emperor in advance—no, I'll talk to him myself, otherwise, once your newspaper is published, the court will probably be filled with remonstrances. If Father Emperor is not prepared in advance, he might really blame you!"
Jing Zhe smiled and expressed his gratitude.
"The three segments have been finalized: two for publicity and one for entertaining the public. Given your personality, you certainly won't let the first episode end so blandly, right? So I'm guessing that at least one of the remaining two segments will involve scheming against others, or maybe both."
Seeing Jing Zhe's astonishment, Su Mochen tilted his head back, looking on with curiosity.
"I wonder who's going to be unlucky..."
"..."
————
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