My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 135 A tribute to the imperial court! An unspeakable hymn of loyalty!
As soon as the news of the real-name system for authors got out, the bosses couldn't sit still.

Although their methods of manipulating public opinion, directing traffic, hyping hot spots, and inciting opposition are still relatively primitive, they have already vaguely realized that the most critical principle to keep playing this game is...

Anonymous.

Precisely because they keep their identities secret, Huazhou's authors can express their emotions in their books without restraint, can let themselves go and call on readers to insult their opponents in their books, can engage in verbal battles with their opponents in newspapers and books without hesitation, compete for rankings and votes, and even instigate, deceive and intimidate their opponents, using every possible means.

After all, no one knows the authors' true identities beneath their pseudonyms.

All oppositions and conflicts are under the control of Huazhou's entertainment giants.

The most intense incident was when an author was so angry after being scolded that he directly hired a hound from "You Know Wo Know Shop" to open a box for his peers. This matter was suppressed by the joint efforts of Huazhou officials and businessmen, and stricter industry rules were established from then on, ensuring the iron rule of "matters within the circle should be resolved within the circle."

From then on, writers knew the importance and sanctity of anonymity, and believed that their bosses would protect their personal safety and true identities.

So the cyberbullying game became more intense.

This kind of "fan vitality" can ensure market activity, increase reader loyalty and the popularity of works. It is a means for bookstore owners to increase revenue and maintain exposure, and it is also a magic weapon to exclude dissidents.

For example, if some ignorant outsiders want to open a shop here, or if some disobedient small authors dare to refuse the master's high-quality contract, they can instruct their obedient authors to come forward and call on readers to set the pace.

For example... Look! This book is actually insulting to men! Go and report it and boycott it!

And so on.

Originally, the country bumpkins from Lin County wanted to open a store here, but the bosses were path-dependent and had to rely on the power of public opinion to resist. After all, based on their experience in struggle, there were too many humiliating points in "Legend of Huangji War Heaven", which could easily create a huge rhythm.

First, hire "pure passers-by, not taking sides" to publish anonymous articles in newspapers to denounce the seven great hatreds of "Legend of Huangji Zhantian".

Then the editor of the newspaper will "deepen the story behind the book "Emperor" and explore its great influence on the growth of young people and the customs of Huazhou."

Finally, the authors personally take the stage to direct the readers' general attack.

With these three tricks, Chen Botang's bookstore was forced to close down as soon as it opened due to the influx of righteous passers-by.

——But for some reason, Li Bailong actually predicted their actions!

First, they used the government seal to seize the management power of newspapers and public opinion from the Tongwen Bureau, and then they directly used the killer move of "real-name authentication"... Damn it!

In this case, let alone instructing the authors to guide the readers to form groups...

——These authors can even fight among themselves!

Just think about it, that slave girl who usually engages in verbal battles with me and whom I wish to eat alive has actually exposed her true identity and personal information... Shouldn't I just go to Didi to place an order?
——Hehehe, usually I can only pay people to scold you and make up dirt on you in posters and newspapers, but now that your true identity as a little bitch has been exposed, I am going to physically chew your teeth!

The bookstore owners usually play this trick very deeply, and only then did they know how deep the bomb is buried in the Huazhou literary world. Once Li Bailong's poisonous plan is implemented...

With this in mind, they no longer cared about the negotiation with Chen Baitang. Led by Zheng Xiuyuan, the bosses of the Qushiwen Club rushed to the Tongwen Bureau, knocking on the door and asking to see Governor Li to ask him to revoke his decision.

"He's playing with fire!"

On the way, a group of people discussed with gnashing teeth: "If Bao Li insists on having his own way, we will spread the news first... This is too much, it's really too much!"

Today, the Tongwen Bureau has been completely renovated. It is no longer the laughing stock and paper-made office in the eyes of Huazhou officials and businessmen. After everyone was informed, they were led into the main gate and into the second hall.

Director Li seems to be working.

Zheng Xiuyuan, who was walking in the front, saw a beautiful purple figure flash by like a startled wild goose and walk towards the inner room behind the hall. The president did not think much about it and directly led everyone forward to pay their respects.

"Forget it, get up." Li Bailong asked, "You all gathered here to pay back the money?"

...Fuck!

The momentum of the crowd was dampened by the debt collector's stick.

Zheng Xiuyuan calmed down and whispered, "No, I came here for the 'real-name authentication' that the governor mentioned."

Li Bailong was shocked and asked: "You are the authors?"

He looked incredulous: "I can't believe it. Looking at the way you all look, how can you write a BL story about two men fighting for sex?"

Zheng Xiuyuan had been suppressed and bullied by Li Bailong for two days, and he was extremely angry when he heard this.

He said in a gloomy tone, "The governor has misunderstood. We are not the authors. After all, we are old and don't understand romance. We are not like the governor, a man who knows the little girl's thoughts so well. He writes about the love between men and women so vividly and touchingly. If you don't know, you would think Mo Feng is a girl."

……Grass!

Li Bailong froze for a moment—he had forgotten about this!
hateful!

Seeing Bao Li being humiliated, some people couldn't help but chuckle, and the hall was filled with a happy atmosphere.

As expected of Director Li, he remained calm in such a situation. He just looked at the bosses who were trying to hold back their laughter, then picked up a pen and started writing on the paper.

Seeing this, no one dared to laugh for a moment.

Li Bailong acted as if nothing had happened and said calmly, "If you are not the author, why are you here?"

"Please take back your order, sir." Zheng Xiuyuan was quick to speak, but then he regretted it and hurriedly said, "Sir, the structure of Huazhou's literary world is different from other places..."

"Wait a moment."

Li Bailong interrupted him and looked at everyone present: "What we are discussing now is the affairs of Huazhou literary world, right? To be more precise, the affairs of the authors under Huazhou Bookstore, right?"

Zheng Xiuyuan was a little confused: "...Ah, yes."

Director Li looked around and said solemnly, "Why are those bosses who don't own any bookstores here joining in the fun? They are hiding here, are they trying to get our secrets?"

"..."

Chairman Zheng felt a headache.

The Qushiwenhui is the guild of Huazhou's cultural industry. Everyone works together to feed the officials, exclude competitors, and formulate industry rules. They have always advanced and retreated together.

Nowadays, the Li protests are rampant, and there is strength in numbers. So even though the "real-name system for authors" has no direct relationship with the boss who does not run a bookstore business, everyone still came to Tongwen Bureau to show their support. Unexpectedly...

Li Bailong added: "However, it's just in time for you to come. If you have time, you may stay and check with the corrupt officials we are interrogating..."

Before he finished speaking, someone called out, "I have some business to attend to, so I'll take my leave now."

Someone took the lead and the others followed suit.

As a result, there were only about ten bosses left in the hall.

They directly or indirectly control nearly 90% of Huazhou's publishing and printing businesses, have almost all author resources, and in fact monopolize the entire city's readership.

Zheng Xiuyuan sighed silently.

Divide and conquer, what a good method... - It seems that Li Bailong intends to start from the literary world and use publishing as a breakthrough.

He gathered his spirits and bowed deeply: "Please think twice about the real-name authentication. Writing books for entertainment is a niche thing. There are many famous writers in Huazhou who are of extraordinary status. They hide their identities and write for their own entertainment, and they can also entertain the public. If their identities are exposed and their lives are affected, they may give up writing, which really damages the cultural atmosphere of Huazhou..."

At this point, Zheng Xiuyuan paused for a moment and continued, "Once the readers know the whole story, they will probably be very dissatisfied, which will damage your reputation..."

Li Bailong ignored this and asked directly: "As the boss of Chairman Zheng's bookstore, do you know the true identities of the authors?"

Zheng Xiuyuan replied: "Those with public identities are all known, but those with hidden identities are all unknown. Your Excellency has also written books in Huazhou, and you should also know that the bookstores in Huazhou are not interested in the true identity of the author."

Director Li nodded and asked a soul-searching question: "Who will be held responsible if something goes wrong?"

Zheng Xiuyuan was surprised and asked, "What's the problem?"

"If the books published by the authors under Mr. Zheng contain content that advocates for the people of Bac Ninh, or even criticizes the government, slanders the heroes and heroes of the dynasty, or even sympathizes with the evil cult, spreads things that go against human ethics, and promotes evil ideas..." Li Bailong asked, "What should we do then?"

Chairman Zheng immediately rejected the idea, saying, "Impossible! This would never happen in my bookstore!"

Director Li narrowed his eyes. Officials do not believe in verbal promises, but only believe in the responsibility attribution system!

"The president has given me a promise, so can I assume that if something like this happens, whether the author is caught or not..." he asked quietly, "President Zheng will be held jointly responsible?"

"..."

Oh shit!

Zheng Xiuyuan reacted and became furious.

He knew that if he dared to nod here, this corrupt official would directly take all the books from his bookstore and make up stories and find charges against him!

"In summary……"

Seeing that he didn't say anything, Li Bailong said calmly, "I feel the same way about the bosses' sincere desire to protect the authors. If you don't want to use the real-name system, that's fine. You just have to sign a guarantee with me here, promising that you will take full responsibility for any problems with your books in the future. Then you don't have to use the real-name system."

What he meant was that if they didn’t implement the real-name system, Li Bailong would directly deal with them.

Everyone was outraged. One boss asked, "So if we implement the real-name system, then the bookstore won't be responsible if there are any problems with the books in the future?"

Li Bailong said calmly: "How is that possible? You are still guilty of inadequate review."

……damn it!

It is really troublesome to go against the officials.

Because the word "official" has two pronunciations, whatever it says is what it is!
Zheng Xiuyuan felt extremely tired and tried hard to find a chance to break the deadlock. Suddenly, an idea flashed through his mind, and he asked, "Excuse me, Lord Li, does Mr. Chen Botang's bookstore also have such rules?"

Li Bailong said calmly: "Treat everyone equally, don't use your real name, and be responsible."

President Zheng stepped forward and asked: "Is it the same for "Legend of the Imperial Battle Heaven"?"

Director Li remained calm: "Yeah."

Zheng Xiuyuan's heart pounded, but he suppressed his excitement and turned the tables: "That is to say, if this book contains inappropriate content and I report it to you, you will enforce the law impartially and not only investigate the author to the end, but also sentence Boss Chen to a crime of poor review?"

Li Bailong raised his eyelids and glanced at him.

"It's up to you." Director Li said slowly, "This book was previously investigated by the Six Gates in Lin County for spreading evil ideas and violating morals. It was also involved in a lawsuit for colluding with the Demon Cult, which caused a big mess. In the end, the Emperor's uncle, the Minister of Agriculture, and the Lord of the Lei Mansion jointly issued a statement to clear the book of suspicion and restore the innocence of this person. If you think you are more perceptive than these three temple giants, feel free to report it."

He looked up at the other person and said, "Since you reported this to me, I am just a fourth-rank official. I dare not take the initiative and will report it to the court."

"..."

shit!

When Zheng Xiuyuan heard this, he felt his scalp tingling and gave up the idea of ​​starting with the imperial edict.

But now, what can we do?

He thought about it blankly, but felt that he had no clue. Li Bailong used official regulations to suppress him, and they were just businessmen, so they had no power to fight back... because there was no administrative means to check and balance Li Bailong!
He could only helplessly grasp the weapon of public opinion: "Your Excellency's move... may cause surprise in Huazhou."

Chairman Zheng sighed almost begging for mercy, "After all, many authors are unwilling to make their personal information public, and there are many radical readers. If they knew the author's information, what if it caused a tragedy..."

"Well, this problem does exist objectively."

Li Bailong thought for a moment and nodded, "How about this, I will take a step back. The author only needs to come to this office secretly to register their identity. I promise to keep their identities confidential. Unless a major case occurs, only I have the right to know their personal information... What do you think?"

Zheng Xiuyuan was still not happy.

He already knew that Li Bailong wanted to support Chen Baitang to open a store. He also knew the identity information of all the famous authors in the city, and threatened him with "review warnings"... He was simply successful in poaching people!

"grown ups……"

He wanted to beg, but didn't know where to start.

Li Bailong suddenly said angrily, "This is not okay, that is not okay. Why is it so difficult to carry out work in Huazhou? Chairman Zheng, are you dogs deliberately perfunctory and monopolizing the cultural and creative industries of this state?"

Upon hearing this, President Zheng was suddenly enlightened.

He looked back at his companions, and they all looked helpless.

Zheng Xiuyuan gritted his teeth and whispered, "I heard that Boss Chen wants to open a store? Huazhou colleagues always welcome friends from other places to come and compete fairly and stimulate the local market..."

Li Bailong smiled and said, "It's great that you are willing to participate in healthy competition. I support it. Speaking of which, I also think that since Huazhou didn't have a real-name system in the past, the authors should be given a buffer period, such as a few months..."

Chairman Zheng thought about it and said hurriedly, "Your Excellency is wise and kind. Why don't you issue an official document and give everyone a clear deadline to prevent people from being uneasy. If everyone is settled, they will be more likely to support the Tongwen policy."

If we can delay for a few months, there may be a turning point!
Li Bailong nodded and pondered for a moment.

He suddenly became worried again: "The grace period is easy to say, but what if something goes wrong during the grace period? Moreover, the real-name system is to ensure the loyalty of the authors. Those who are willing to authenticate their real names are naturally loyal, but during the grace period, how can I ensure that everyone is loyal to the court?"

Huh? What does that mean? What does he want to do?
Zheng Xiuyuan was at a loss whether to laugh or cry: "Of course everyone is loyal to the court...How can we ensure this? Do we have to write a letter of guarantee?"

Li Bailong seemed to be reminded and suddenly slammed the table.

“No need to write a guarantee!”

His eyes were blazing, and he said loudly: "I have thought of it! If you want to prove your loyalty to the court and Da Qi, you don't need any guarantee letter, or even any real-name system..."

Zheng Xiuyuan asked hurriedly, "You haven't asked for advice yet?"

Li Bailong slammed the table and said decisively: "In my opinion, as long as a tribute work is written, a hymn of loyalty that cannot be expressed in words, and it is recognized and commended by the court, then the author is naturally loyal!"

He said decisively: "You don't even need to use your real name!"

(End of this chapter)