He fiercely criticized the Manchu scholar clique and the twelve emperors of the Qing Dynasty.

Zhao Shuyao paused for half a second, his index finger lightly rubbing the left mouse button twice.

This is illogical.

In the early 2016 internet landscape, an account that focused on hardcore historical popularization, even if it published an article about Puyi the day before and the data was explosive, would only attract defenders of the historical community or exasperated fans of Qing Dynasty dramas.

However, the uniform "gold V" logos on the screen clearly exude a strong sense of femininity.

"Gossip Guru," "Entertainment Scout," "First Line of the Chinese Entertainment Industry"...

Why are these marketing accounts, which usually only focus on what brands of haute couture celebrities wear on the red carpet, suddenly swarming into his comment section like sharks smelling blood?

Zhao Shuyao narrowed his eyes and scrolled down with the mouse wheel. He didn't look at the meaningless insults, but instead precisely locked onto a pinned video that had been forwarded tens of thousands of times in the flood of information.

The video's title, highlighted in bold red by a marketing account, reads: "Powerful Response! Queen of Pop Angrily Criticizes Internet Celebrity Zhao Shuyao: Utterly Shameless, Attention-Seeking!"

Zhao Shuyao leaned back in his chair and tapped the play button.

The scene shifts to a group interview backstage at a large commercial event. In the center of the screen, the diva, who holds a very high position in the Chinese music scene and is known for her outspokenness, is wearing long hair and holding several microphones with different media logos.

For the first second, the diva had a very approachable professional smile on her face, answering polite questions about the preparation of her new album.

But the next second, a male reporter's voice came from off-screen.

"Teacher, we all know that you are a member of the Manchu Plain Yellow Banner. Have you recently come across Zhao Shuyao, a very popular history blogger online? He has made some subversive criticisms of Qing Dynasty history. What do you think of his remarks?"

The moment the name "Zhao Shuyao" reached the ears of the diva, the scene in the video underwent an extremely subtle yet vivid change.

Zhao Shuyao pressed the space bar, and the screen froze.

He looked at the woman's micro-expressions on the screen and couldn't help but click his tongue inwardly. The diva's originally upturned eyes drooped rapidly in a fraction of a second, and the muscles around her cheekbones suddenly tightened. That friendly smile seemed to have been forcibly wiped away with a rag, replaced by a condescending disgust.

Press the space bar again to continue playing the video.

"Who are you talking about? I don't know them." The diva raised her head slightly, her chin facing the camera, her voice icy cold. "There are all kinds of people online now. Every day, so many people spout nonsense online for a little bit of traffic, saying things that are completely unfounded and have no bottom line."

She didn't even want to look at the reporter who asked the question, and simply turned her head away.

"I really can't stand people like that, and I don't care at all what they say."

A standard tactic used by entertainment industry bigwigs to undermine you: first, strip you of your presence; then, label you as someone who "has no bottom line for traffic"; and finally, use an aloof attitude to cut ties.

But the reporter was clearly a shrewd person who knew the secrets of online traffic and had no intention of letting go of this perfect point of conflict.

"But Teacher Tianhou," the reporter said, her voice tinged with amusement, "he's presented a whole host of county gazetteers and historical materials as rebuttals, and he's gained a lot of support from young people online. Do you really have no opinion on his historical views?"

The diva's face darkened completely, her expression as if someone had stepped on the hem of her expensive gown on the red carpet.

"I don't really read much!" Her speech quickened noticeably, her tone carrying an undeniable air of authority. "As for history, I don't know much about it either, after all, it's not my field!"

He paused briefly at this point, then delivered his self-proclaimed, highly inclusive, but actually riddled with flaws, concluding statement:

"But I know a little common sense: every dynasty has its merits! History is complex, so I generally have no respect for people who completely deny everything and only know how to smear other people's ancestors!"

After saying this, the diva shoved the microphone into her assistant's arms, turned around and left, leaving the camera with an extremely arrogant back view.

The video ends abruptly there.

The dormitory was quiet. Zhao Shuyao sat quietly in front of the computer, looking at the blacked-out playback window, feeling both amused and exasperated.

Depressed, extremely depressed.

He stretched out two fingers and pinched his brow.

What kind of situation is this?

He was flipping through county annals and checking account books, engaging in a rigorous battle of logic with academic cliques in the field of history, trying to expose the truth behind those fabricated histories.

Then a singer suddenly appeared out of nowhere, relying on his identity as a descendant of the Manchu people, without even having read his own articles, and started to act condescendingly.

"I don't understand history, but I know that every dynasty has its merits." Zhao Shuyao repeated this sentence softly, a mocking smile tugging at the corner of his mouth.

This is an extremely terrifying and widespread rogue logic of "rationalist" and "objective," using "dialectics" as a shield to try to cover up all reactionary and brutal acts.

Scroll down with your mouse; the comments section has already turned into a battlefield.

The pop diva's millions of fans are frantically controlling the comments section.

"The queen of pop is awesome! These kinds of internet celebrities who just ride on someone else's coattails should be banned immediately!"

"Support the diva! Some internet celebrities are just bored and have nothing better to do than chase attention, disregarding national unity!"

"I'm taking our queen away. No deal. And that guy Zhao something-yao, please go your own way and don't get involved!"

Of course, there were also many counterattacks supporting Zhao Shuyao.

"Can't those illiterate people in the entertainment industry meddle in history? They can't even understand historical records, so what are they pretending to be?"

"The diva is getting anxious. She can't hold back anymore now that she's seen her ancestor's underwear exposed."

The fans of the three sides were locked in a fierce battle in the comments section, with tens of thousands of comments posted.

Zhao Shuyao flexed his wrists, and his eyes became extremely clear.

This is not just an attempt to provoke him; it's an attempt to use the massive influence of the entertainment industry to downgrade a serious academic and cognitive correction into a farcical fan war. If this unhealthy trend isn't quickly suppressed, academic barriers will be completely disrupted.

"I didn't provoke you, but you still insist on coming to me to make your presence known." Zhao Shuyao placed his hands on the keyboard, his eyes flashing with extreme humor and coldness.

No wonder he wanted to launch a cross-industry attack. Since the other party cared most about the dignity of the entertainment industry, he started by digging into their cultural literacy.

Instead of forwarding the video, I went directly to the queen's official account via the link and opened the comment box under her latest post.

His fingers flew across the keyboard, producing no crude words, only the unique, bloodless, sarcastic tone of a cultured person.

"I just watched that teacher's interview, and as the junior you described as 'having no bottom line,' I have to ask you some questions."

The first sentence establishes distance and context for the conversation.

"You said, 'Every dynasty has its merits.' This sounds quite magnanimous from a dialectical point of view, but I'm sorry to say that after searching for a long time with a high-powered microscope in your ancestor, the Manchu Qing Dynasty, all I saw was the emasculation of Chinese civilization for hundreds of years, as well as the exploitation and enslavement of the common people."

"You yourself admit that you don't understand history. If you don't understand it, why do you insist on drawing conclusions about a past full of suffering? Is this the kind of rigor you should demonstrate as a 'cultural worker' with great social influence?"

Zhao Shuyao paused for a second after typing this, his gaze falling on an old CD on the table next to him. It was a bargain his roommate Yang Wei had found at a street stall.

A brilliant idea flashed through my mind, and a top-tier counterattack meme that would have resonated with the entire internet in 2016 came to mind: You want to act like a senior figure in the music industry? Then I'll give you a taste of your own medicine in your proudest area.

He continued to tap.

"It is said that cultural workers must first and foremost be cultured, but in your eloquent speech, I really didn't see the slightest bit of cultural depth, and you even lacked the most basic manners of listening."

"Also, since we're on the topic of your field of expertise, I'd like to add that I really can't appreciate your songs from the last few years; they just feel like they lack the depth and maturity that comes with age."

Zhao Shuyao's lips curled up as he delivered the decisive blow.

"In comparison, I think a singer from a few years ago understood music better. He had a truly weathered voice, especially in his song 'Kashgar Poplars,' where his voice was full of resilience that had endured many hardships. That truly touched the soul. What does that teacher think?"

The moment he sent the message, Zhao Shuyao could almost picture the pop diva trembling with anger upon seeing the comment, so furious she could barely hold her phone.

The feud between the diva and this singer is a well-known and highly sensitive topic on the internet these days. This combination of praising one while criticizing the other, along with the historical logic of this attack, pushed the mockery to its extreme.

Pressing the send button and watching his comment being pushed to the top by the system, Zhao Shuyao was too lazy to wait for the siege from the diva's fans, so he switched pages directly.

There was an even bigger fish jumping in the water.

He typed the letters "teacher a" into the search box and pressed enter.

Gao Xiaosong, the public intellectual who was publicly confronted yesterday, has finally made a move.

The page redirects to a long response article of over a thousand words prominently displayed at the top of Gao Xiaosong's homepage, accompanied by his signature photo of him holding a folding fan and deep in thought with his eyes closed.

Zhao Shuyao leaned forward slightly, his eyes scanning the contents of the article, and he couldn't help but burst into laughter.

This is practically a textbook-level "guide to pretentious rationalism".

In his article, Gao Xiaosong exudes an air of arrogant condescension: "Some young people nowadays occasionally flip through a couple of books on the history of the Ming Dynasty and look up a few excerpts from local chronicles online, and they really think they have figured out the general trend of the world."

"History is like a little girl who can be dressed up however you like. Your understanding of wise rulers, famous ministers, and famous generals is on a completely different level from my understanding of standards."

"When looking at history, you need to consider the big picture and the convergence of Eastern and Western civilizations. Don't think that you can prove your point of view is irrefutable by making a few clever remarks or impressing an old gentleman in the lecture hall."

"There are countless books in this world. I have read far more books and crossed far more bridges than your generation can imagine. Therefore, your narrow-minded nationalist view is simply untenable."

The entire article fails to cite any substantial historical material for rebuttal; it relies entirely on piling up empty rhetoric and using "extensive reading" and "broad experience" to intimidate the reader.

Zhao Shuyao became excited upon seeing the response.

He was initially worried that this public intellectual would downplay or ignore his challenge, but to his surprise, the other party directly confronted him and did so in the most foolish way—by relying on his seniority.

"Your standards for wise rulers and famous generals are different from mine?" Zhao Shuyao muttered to himself, stretching his knuckles by interlacing his fingers in front of his chest, making a crisp sound.

Isn't this just giving him free publicity and making him a sitting duck?

Zhao Shuyao leaned back in his chair, his eyes gradually turning cold. He had only posted a few pictures and articles before, and it seemed that these cultural compradors who controlled the discourse really thought he was just a naive young man who became famous by luck.

"Since you think I went too far," Zhao Shuyao flicked his wrist, gripping the mouse, "then today, right here in Cyber ​​Plaza, I'll teach you what a true scholar is!"