World's First Traitor System (449)

Chapter 449 - Reputation and Riches

Good news seldom travels far, while bad news spreads like wildfire. After Fan Li's enfeoffment as King, his first major state initiative, the [Alliance Council], was immediately rejected by his three allies: Wei, Han, and Wu.

News of this spread throughout the land, significantly damaging Fan Li's prestige. Some mocked him for his audacity, claiming he lacked the strength of a Great Vehicle realm Emperor yet presumed to lead the four nations.

Others compared him unfavorably to Yao Guang. She had been a peak Great Vehicle expert and the leader of women worldwide, possessing unparalleled prestige among the five nations, which justified her position above Wei, Han, Wu, and Chu. Fan Li, lacking strength and moral standing, dared to harbor such delusions? In an instant, he became synonymous with overestimation, a laughingstock for the entire world.

"This infuriates me!"

"Truly infuriates me!"

Inside the Chengming Hall of the Great Chu Imperial Palace, Xiang Ning slammed a copy of the official gazette onto the floor, stomping on it fiercely for good measure.

"The Great Ming Palace Bulletin? What rubbish! And it's officially sponsored? It's nothing but alarmist talk, baseless slander, twisting black into white..."

Xiang Ning rattled off every idiom she could think of, as if doing so could forcefully refute the Great Ming’s articles that ridiculed and mocked Fan Li.

Obtaining a copy of the Great Ming Palace Bulletin was not difficult. Every prefecture and county in Great Ming had dedicated agencies selling the gazette at a very cheap price. As an official news product, the articles in the Great Ming Palace Bulletin consistently maintained a certain style: the domestic situation was excellent, while foreign affairs were generally chaotic.

The recent issues, especially, featured extensive front-page coverage of the [Alliance Council]. Fan Li's arrogant face, and the fragile alliance of the three nations feigning harmony while harboring discord, were vividly brought to life through the skilled writing of the gazette's editors!

"Fan Li!" Xiang Ning demanded. "How does Great Ming know the details of the Council? Do we have traitors in Great Chu?" She fretted anxiously, only to see Fan Li sitting calmly behind his desk, engrossed in processing the day's memorials.

"Traitors?" Fan Li answered casually without looking up. "That's inevitable. Just as I’ve planted numerous spies in Great Ming, and even has eyes and ears in Wei, Han, and Wu."

"Uh..." Xiang Ning was momentarily speechless. She had intended to express righteous indignation but found that the tactics the enemy employed against Fan Li were things Fan Li had long been doing himself. Was it merely the pot calling the kettle black?

"Moreover," Fan Li continued, "even if Chu's intelligence wasn't leaked, Wei, Han, or Wu could have leaked it. Therefore, Your Majesty need not investigate deeply. I anticipated this day would come."

"But, setting aside the alliance's failure for now, your personal reputation..." Xiang Ning trailed off as she saw Fan Li look up, staring at her with a peculiar expression.

"My reputation?" His reaction reminded Xiang Ning of something. Fan Li was a treacherous minister. Did treacherous ministers even have reputations? If one attacked a treacherous minister's reputation, would they be harmed? Or completely unscathed?

"Then... should we retaliate?" Having been derailed by Fan Li, Xiang Ning wasn't quite as angry anymore. But failing to return a blow was impolite; how could she sit by and let the other side attack while they passively endured?

"Retaliate? What does Your Majesty wish to do?" Fan Li asked curiously.

Xiang Ning thought seriously for a moment, then suddenly slapped her forehead excitedly. "Let's also publish a Great Chu Palace Bulletin and spend every day fabricating bad things about Emperor Jiajing! How about that?"

"Your Majesty." Fan Li put down the wolf-hair brush in his hand and rubbed his slightly sore neck. "Actually, the private newspaper offices and bookstores I’ve invested in started operating long ago."

Xiang Ning was somewhat confused. What? The brilliant idea she had just thought of was actually already being done?

Seeing her blank and bewildered look, Fan Li smiled faintly. "Times Monthly, the Mortal Post, the Confucian Forest Bookstore – has Your Majesty never heard of them?"

"I... of course, I've heard of them!" Xiang Ning's dark, glistening eyes widened. "But aren't these publications and bookstores products of Great Ming? I heard that scholars in Chu wanting to buy new books from the Confucian Forest Bookstore need to pay in advance and wait at least a month to receive the books imported from Great Ming. How did they become yours!?"

Times Monthly, the Mortal Post, and the Confucian Forest Bookstore had been established about ten years prior. With their excellent writing and content, they had long gained fame far and wide. For scholars across the land, besides studying ancient classics, the best way to read new books and articles was through these three media outlets. Because all three were founded in Great Ming, the world naturally assumed they were Great Ming products.

"I’m the investor, not the legal entity—ah, what I means is, I hired locals to be the bosses, while I merely controls things from behind the scenes." Fan Li scratched the tip of his nose.

Why establish these enterprises in Great Ming? The primary purpose, of course, was to make money. Great Ming had the largest population under heaven, so its market was naturally the biggest. By establishing newspapers and bookstores in Great Ming, local sales were naturally excellent.

"Wait!" Xiang Ning remembered something else. She ran to the bookshelf, rummaged through it, and pulled out a booklet with a brand-new, even slightly glossy cover. Fan Li recognized it at a glance as last month's issue of Times Monthly. Because it was first released in Great Ming, it had only arrived in Xiang Ning's hands as tribute a few days ago.

"Fan Li, you say you founded Times? Then why does this issue contain no less than seven articles criticizing you?" Xiang Ning demanded. "Did you perhaps establish newspapers and bookstores just to scold yourself?"

Xiang Ning didn't doubt Fan Li; she simply couldn't understand his actions. Having just returned to the country, she had only recently begun reading articles and books from Times Monthly, the Mortal Post, and the Confucian Forest Bookstore, yet she had quickly become a loyal fan. However, the numerous articles within them that slandered Fan Li, Great Chu, Wei, Shu, and Wu truly made Xiang Ning grit her teeth in frustration. Yet, because the articles were brilliant and insightful, she found them irresistible, always unable to resist, picking them up to read again and again.

"Oh?"

Fan Li paused slightly. He hadn't expected Xiang Ning to read them so carefully. "Has Your Majesty not discovered?" he asked. "While this issue of Times has seven articles scolding me, there is also one article subtly criticizing Emperor Jiajing for his many years of cultivating mysticism and excessively draining the people's wealth?"

Hearing this, Xiang Ning first paused. She immediately flipped through the book to check and indeed found an article, only about a thousand characters long and worded subtly and vaguely, but upon careful reading, it was exactly as Fan Li described. Xiang Ning was astonished. Publishing articles criticizing Emperor Jiajing within Great Ming – how could Times Monthly possibly survive?

"What exactly is going on?" she couldn't help asking.

"It's nothing. I get scolded often, so I wanted to drag Emperor Jiajing down with me," Fan Li chuckled. "I already have the name of a treacherous minister; being scolded seven times a month is nothing significant. But the articles criticizing Emperor Jiajing, accumulating day by day, amount to a considerable number, and their influence subtly permeates deep into people's hearts."

"Furthermore, my original intention in establishing the newspaper offices and bookstores was still to make money."

"Trading my reputation for Great Ming's real gold, silver, and spirit stones – I’m willing to be condemned by word and pen for a lifetime."

"With the money finally earned, I will arm Great Chu's soldiers to the teeth.  Does Your Majesty think it's worth it?”