Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 488 The Game of Humanity

As the saying goes, what you fear most is what will happen.

When the servants saw Lin Zhiqing arrive, they dared not speak and immediately dispersed.

Once the surroundings quieted down, Lin Yangyang, whose face had been clouded with gloom, suddenly broke into a smile.

She spoke in a low voice:

"Qing-meimei, the contents of this newspaper have even reached the Lin family. It seems that many people are indeed discussing it!"

"It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say you're incredibly insightful. How do you manage that?"

Lin Zhiqing walked forward slowly: "I used a little bit of cleverness."

"I know, you mean debate, right?" Lin Yangyang understood immediately.
"I had never heard of this before. It is said that debates are now held in teahouses all over the capital."

“That’s right, it’s a debate competition.” Lin Zhiqing’s gaze was far-reaching.

A key characteristic of debate is that it must be conducted by two people with differing viewpoints.

If Lin Zhiqing had simply and directly written about the many drawbacks of marriage alliances in the newspaper, it might have provoked a backlash from some people.

If you think it's bad, then I'll insist on saying it's good.

However, if both different viewpoints are published in the newspaper, most people will think about and compare the two perspectives.

In this process, everyone's thoughts will be revealed.

After information is filtered through the mind, it will naturally generate different branches.

Select people with two different ideas, set them up, and then put them on the stage.

At this point, many people insist on their own ideas and do not want to lose the debate in front of others and lose face.

The debate competitions that first appeared in Beijing were all set up by Lin Zhiqing, and some of the participants were even "plants"!
However, the later people took the stage voluntarily.

As the stage gets bigger and bigger, and more and more people want to get on it, some people will inevitably be persuaded by others.

This cycle repeats itself, constantly increasing the level of discussion surrounding the issue while simultaneously pushing and pulling the issue.

Firstly, it can subtly change the mindset of some people.

Secondly, it can also increase the attention this matter receives, influencing the decisions of certain officials in the court.

After listening to Lin Zhiqing's explanation, Lin Yangyang nodded in sudden understanding:
“Sister Qing, your skills in manipulating people’s hearts are too adept. In my opinion, you should be the one to become an official and judge cases.”

"You see through everyone's expressions and movements; I am completely in awe of you."

"It's not that exaggerated." Lin Zhiqing smiled slightly.
"Another point is that when debating a topic, people are accustomed to starting from their own interests."

For example, even with the same issue of marriage alliances, everyone's motivation is different.

Officials were concerned with the stability of the court, merchants with whether tariffs would change, and ordinary people with issues such as taxation.

Even the servants of the Lin family just now had the thought that a marriage alliance was not a good thing.

Because Lin Zhiqing represents the Lin family, if there are any changes in the Great Liang, the Lin family will be the focus.

Regardless of the changes in the Lin family, the servants below were naturally filled with fear and anxiety.

How could Lin Zhiqing, who married into Daliang, have the same peace and stability as Lin Zhiqing in Shengjing?

Therefore, the focus of attention regarding marriage alliances differs for each individual.

Different focuses lead to different ideas.

Many people only realize after careful consideration that while marriage alliances were beneficial to the imperial court, they brought no benefit to those below the court, and even caused some harm.

In such situations, people naturally want to protect their own interests, which is why "debates" arise.

In general, Lin Zhiqing is playing the human element.

Judging from the current situation, this move was indeed the right one.

Some people have begun to think that marriage alliances are not entirely a good thing.

Lin Zhiqing has won this battle of public opinion.

After returning to Shuqing Pavilion, Lin Zhiqing crossed out the word "common people" in the booklet.

Who is the next target? Her fingertips hovered over the words "Censorate," "Duke of Pei," and "Royal Family," before finally pointing to the Censor-in-Chief.

There's no way around it; the difficulty level for the Duke of Pei and the Crown Prince is hellish.

From simple to complex, only the Censorate is relatively easy to get started with.

Lin Zhiqing was no stranger to Wang Yuan, the Imperial Censor.

She even gets a headache when she talks about this person.

This old man realized his mistake during the court hearing and immediately apologized to the Lin family without making any excuses.

This also reflects that unless there are sufficient reasons to explain that the marriage alliance is not good and will not benefit the Great Sheng, Wang Yuan's mind cannot be changed.

No, not just Wang Yuan, but the entire Censorate.

The people in the Censorate were all censors, and they were always ready to remonstrate to the death; they had very strong tempers.

Their thinking is generally biased towards the interests of Dasheng.

The benefits of this marriage alliance to Dasheng are now quite obvious.

Five cities, cattle, sheep, and warhorses, under a pact of non-aggression.

Each one, taken individually, is incredibly tempting.

The Censorate would most likely consider this a worthwhile deal.

They are focused on immediate gains, not on potential future problems.

This kind of thinking is really hard to change.

Whenever Lin Zhiqing thought of Wang Yuan, she would picture herself being locked out of the gate.

She had a premonition that if she went directly to Wang Yuan's door to explain the pros and cons, she would definitely be turned away.

what can we do about it?

Lin Zhiqing frowned.

Lin Yangyang yawned beside her: "Qing-meimei, the Liang envoys will be staying in Shengjing for another month. What do you think their reaction will be when they see the newspapers?"

“It has little to do with them. In any case, the decision is made by the people of Dasheng.” Lin Zhiqing replied, then a thought suddenly flashed through his mind.

"Wait, the Liang envoy is still in Shengjing..." Lin Zhiqing clapped his hands and looked at Lin Yangyang:

"Cousin, does the Imperial Censor have a daughter?"

"That's right." Lin Yangyang nodded. "Why did you ask that?"

Lin Zhiqing's brows furrowed with joy: "I've got an idea! Someone come here!"

"Miss, what are your orders?" The guard outside pushed open the door and entered.

"Have the people of Daliang made any moves recently?" Lin Zhiqing asked.

"No, it's very quiet over there at the Sifang Pavilion. Apart from people coming in and out of the palace, there's no other activity," the guard replied.

"The Imperial Palace?" Lin Zhiqing frowned and thought for a moment. Ever since the marriage alliance was finalized, the Liang envoys had been particularly fond of visiting the Imperial Palace.

It seems the peace talks are progressing very smoothly.

However, the people of Daliang didn't seem to care at all about Jiang Yunhe's affairs or the previous incident involving the fake Yan Hang.

It's strange in a way that's hard to explain.

However, now is not the time to think about that.

Lin Zhiqing shook his head and spoke again: "Go and investigate the daughter of Wang Yuan, the Imperial Censor, in detail."

"Yes!" The secret guard took the order and left.

"Investigate Wang Yuan's daughter?" Lin Yangyang scratched her head. "Qing-meimei, what are you planning to do?"

Lin Zhiqing's tone was full of profound meaning:

"Cousin, have you ever heard the saying, 'You'll never know the pain until you're whipped yourself'?"