Chapter 197 Establishment of the Supervisory Office
On the top floor of Wangshu Tower, when the cry of "Zhou Zhong the barbarian is coming" rang out, the entire rooftop was in chaos!

Most of them are people who curry favor with the powerful. Faced with Zhou Zhongman, who really dares to kill people, can kill people, and may even exterminate the entire clan, no one dares to compete to see who has a tougher neck.

Even many Confucian scholars with integrity in their hearts were so angry that they trembled and dared not speak easily. Their own death was a small matter, and with Zhou Tieyi's character, his family would definitely not be harmed!

Many people even rushed to the balcony in panic, trying to climb over the wall to escape, but when they saw the sky more than 200 feet above them, they even began to complain about why the organization had chosen this place as the Wangshu Tower, where they could neither go up nor down.

As the organizer, Wang Qixing personally witnessed Zhou Tieyi killing someone. He shouted, "Burn all this paper!"

We can’t give Zhou Tieyi any evidence to kill us!

When everyone heard this, they immediately realized that Zhou Tieyi's purpose was to participate in politics, so in the past two months, even if he wanted to kill someone, he would give a reason to kill him, at least to convince the people. Otherwise, who would listen to his orders in the future? Would he just keep killing people? If that were the case, the emperor would not tolerate him.

One after another, the beautiful articles were quickly devoured by the flames. Of course, there were a few who were really stubborn. Among them was Wang Mingyi's junior brother, Gou Yishen, a scholar who dared to challenge Zhou Tieyi in Taixue Academy.

Maybe it was because he was drunk, but he shouted, "Why are you all so flustered? We are here, and we will die today to show Zhou Tieyi's evil ambitions, so that everyone in the world will know!"

The people around him, including the beautiful maid who had just served him, looked at Gou Yishen as if he were a madman, and some even stepped away, forming an empty circle. If you want to die, don't drag us to be buried with you.

Wang Mingyi, who was on the balcony, saw the singing and dancing of the birds and swallows just now turned into birds and beasts running away in an instant. He sighed deeply and walked over. In the astonished eyes of everyone, Wang Mingyi swung his right hand, forming a short stick of righteous energy, and then hit his junior brother Gou Yishen on the back of the neck.

With a clang, Gou Yishen fell to the ground.

Wang Mingyi's move was measured. His righteous spirit was different from that of an ordinary wooden stick. It only sealed Gou Yishen's mind.

The people around looked at him even more strangely.

First came Gou Yishen, who dragged everyone to death.

Then came Wang Mingyi who attacked his junior fellow apprentice from behind.

Why is Che Wenyuan, the disciple of the great Confucian sect, so weird!
Wang Mingyi bowed to everyone and said, "My junior brother just drank too much, so he was talking nonsense. Now he has passed out, it's fine, everyone please don't take it to heart."

After saying that, he ignored everyone and dragged his fellow apprentice towards the balcony.

Cui Yu, who had been staying at home watching the show, was also stunned.

When Wang Mingyi came up to him, he smiled awkwardly and said, "Brother Mingyi is really very resourceful."

Wang Mingyi glanced at his unconscious junior fellow apprentice and sighed, "Only the wisest and the most foolish remain unchanged."

While the two were talking, Zhou Tieyi arrived!

Ah Da kicked the door open with one foot, and it broke into pieces and fell to the ground with a clang.

Zhou Tieyi wore a white tiger fighting unicorn brocade robe and a golden crown on his head. He raised his thick black eyebrows and said with a smile, "Everyone, how can this literary gathering be without me, the peerless poet? Or do you look down on me, Zhou?"

He took one step into the main hall, and then another step towards the crowd.

The invisible air waves and mental oppression spread. Even the scholars who had condensed great energy, those who were profound in legalism, and those who spoke the truth from famous schools did not dare to collide with them. They could only retreat step by step. For a moment, all the lights in the hall were dimmed.

Wang Mingyi sighed, and at this time he walked up to Zhou Tieyi, clasping his fists and saying, "Since General Zhou has come to the literary gathering, why bother with force? Using literature to suppress others will win the hearts of the people, while using force to suppress others will only satisfy your momentary pleasure."

The other people at the literary meeting looked at Wang Mingyi sideways. They had just been secretly mocking Wang Mingyi for attacking their junior brother from behind and had only dared to hide aside like a coward. But now Wang Mingyi stood up and blocked Zhou Tieyi for everyone, which made them feel guilty.

Zhou Tieyi did not follow Wang Mingyi's line of thought and asked, "But I can first use civil tactics to win the hearts of the people, and then use force to trample you underfoot. That's also possible. Use both civil and military tactics. Isn't that what Confucianism always advocates?"

Wang Mingyi fell silent. No matter how sharp his words were, as long as Zhou Tieyi wanted, it would be difficult to resolve today's matter peacefully. It was just a matter of how much price he would pay in the end.

For a moment, he did not think about his own safety, but instead thought about how to restrain Zhou Tieyi, this "beast" in the future.

Seeing Wang Mingyi's silent expression, Zhou Tieyi suddenly laughed and said, "I was just teasing you."

For a moment, the sound of soft exhalations could be heard throughout the hall.

Zhou Tieyi patted Chen Daxing on the back and said, "Why don't you say a few words to your brother?"

Zhou Tieyi patted Chen Daxing on the back, and immediately everyone in the room focused their attention. The sons of officials and talented cultivators examined the boy standing next to Zhou Tieyi from head to toe.

He wore a brown shirt, baggy trousers, and straw sandals. He was neither good at literature nor martial arts.

The comments came down one after another, making those eyes unconsciously carry a bit of sarcasm. Zhou Tieyi was powerful, but except for the warriors, there was no one around to help him.

It is said that those who are in the right way will have many supporters, while those who are in the wrong way will have few supporters. This is why it is so.

Under these powerful and scrutinizing gazes, Chen Daxing, an ordinary boy of fifteen or sixteen, didn't know what to do. He could only look at Wang Mingyi with eager eyes.

Wang Mingyi didn't say anything either. He immediately understood that Zhou Tieyi's purpose of coming today was for him, not for these Confucian scholars in the room.

Sure enough, Zhou Tieyi continued with a smile, "What's wrong, Brother Yi? You forgot about new friends because you had old ones, right? Didn't you like to bring Chen Daxing with you before? Why didn't you bring him with you to the literary gathering today? If he doesn't go to your side, you won't come over, right? Or do you think... he is not worthy!"

Zhou Tieyi's last words were like a knife, stabbing directly into the hearts of Wang Mingyi and Chen Daxing.

"As Confucianism says, scholars, farmers, merchants and artisans. You, Wang Mingyi, are a scholar, and a high-ranking scholar at that. How can you make friends with low-ranking workers? Even if you are willing, the 'old friends' present here may not be willing, right?"

Many of the Confucian scholars around were frowning.

How did Wang Mingyi get to know this 'new friend'? How did he, Wang Mingyi, make friends? And was he secretly bribed by Zhou Tieyi?

Many problems arise.

The simplest way now, of course, is for them and Wang Mingyi to accept Chen Daxing, but this goes against their conscience, and by doing so, they will inevitably follow Zhou Tieyi's wishes. It is difficult for anyone to guess what other tricks Zhou Tieyi will use afterwards.

Wang Mingyi paused for more than ten breaths, then said to Chen Daxing, "I was not thoughtful enough today."

Then he walked step by step to Chen Daxing.

Wang Mingyi's choice made the Confucian scholars present both admire and be dissatisfied.

I admire Wang Mingyi for being a responsible person, but I am not convinced that Wang Mingyi actually gave up everyone present for Chen Daxing.

Once this nail is driven into the ground, even if everyone maintains harmony on weekdays, they will always think of this incident at critical moments.

Different road non-phase plan.

Wang Mingyi made his choice, but Zhou Tieyi was still not satisfied. He looked at the large rosewood table in the middle of the hall. There were pens, ink, paper and inkstone on it, but there was not a single piece of paper. When he just came in, there was a burnt smell in the air.

"Everyone, I heard from the owner of Wangshu Tower that you have to leave calligraphy on the top three floors. How come you haven't written even one article yet? Or did you just write something shameful?"

A famous monk suppressed his anger and said, "Just now I was upstairs and heard that Master Zhou was coming. I felt that the article I wrote was not smooth, so I burned it. Now I'm waiting for you to write it!"

When everyone heard this, they all echoed, "That's right. I heard that Master Zhou is known as the 'unparalleled poet'. If he writes down his works, his name will surely be passed down through the ages."

"Not only will it be famous for generations to come, but the Tianjing Newspaper and the Awakening Newspaper will surely compete to publish it in the future!"

The last sentence hit the nail on the head and everyone smiled without saying anything.

They know that Zhou Tieyi is good at writing poetry.

However, it is extremely difficult for a poem to be published in both the Tianjing Daily and the Awakening Newspaper at the same time.

Because Zhou Tieyi set the tone for his newspaper as vernacular, while "Xingshi Bao" was written in written language, this was an irreconcilable contradiction, and even if a great scholar came, it would be difficult to have both.

Zhou Tieyi chuckled and was waiting for you to say this.

He picked up the wolf hair brush and started writing.

“Having a great time, reaching the star with your hands.”

“不敢高声语，恐惊天上人。”

There is not a single profound word in the whole poem, it is written entirely in vernacular Chinese, but it is appreciated by both the elite and the masses, and was able to be published in both the "Tianjing News" and the "Xingshi News"!
After Zhou Tieyi finished writing the poem, Wang Mingyi and others standing beside him also finished reading the poem.

The light in Wang Mingyi's eyes dimmed.

Regardless of whether Zhou Tieyi had prepared in advance or was simply gifted with poetic talent, he can indeed be described as unrivaled in the art of poetry.

Zhou Tieyi put down his pen and ink and looked around, "Remember to add my name to tomorrow's edition of Awakening Newspaper, so that people all over the world can see how an article should be written!"

He smiled and said, "Come and take a look. If you think you can compare with me, stay. If you can't, get out!"

"By the way, those who go down should remember to tell the people in Wangshu Tower that whoever wants to use the upper three floors in the future should use my poem as the standard. If they can't do it, then it's Wangshu Tower that is bullying me, Zhou Tieyi!"

Zhou Tieyi didn't say what the consequences of bullying him would be, but everyone could hear that the consequences would be serious.

Zhou Tieyi left the sandalwood table, and everyone gathered around him.

After reading the whole poem, there was another long silence.

In the past, they often said that good poems can be eaten with wine during literary gatherings, but today, after seeing this good poem that is appreciated by both the elite and the masses, they suddenly felt that the beautiful maids had lost their color and the fine wine had lost its taste. It turns out that good poems can not only be eaten with wine, but can also hurt people.

If they were just competing in poetry, they do have some confidence, but to write something so magnificent with such simple language requires great talent in one's mind.

After everyone finished reading, they left one by one. When Wang Mingyi was about to leave, Chen Daxing suddenly stepped forward and said to Zhou Tieyi, "Second Young Master, I don't understand poetry, and I want to leave too."

Zhou Tieyi looked over and was not surprised. He smiled and said, "Remember to go to work on time tomorrow."

Chen Daxing, who was prepared to be beaten, was surprised and happy when he heard this. He thanked Zhou Tieyi and quickly caught up with Wang Mingyi who was leaving.

Wang Mingyi stopped, looked at Chen Daxing, and said softly, "You still have a chance to choose. It's much better to follow him than to follow me."

Chen Daxing smiled innocently and said, "Brother Yi just agreed to stand with me. I can't abandon Brother Yi now, right?"

He pointed at the Confucian scholars in front of him. They had no intention of waiting for Wang Mingyi at all. Now that the rift had arisen, it was naturally difficult to mend the relationship.

Wang Mingyi stood there, thought for a moment and suddenly smiled, "I remember there's a spicy hot pot stall in Suzaku City that closes very late, do you want to go eat there?"

Chen Daxing nodded vigorously, "Yes!"

After everyone left, the entire Wangshu Tower seemed to become quiet all of a sudden.

Zhou Tieyi leaned against the railing to enjoy the breeze, looking down at the straight and crisscrossing streets of Qinglong City. The ground lamps on both sides were like veins of the earth, and the smoky yellow lamps were like flowers blooming on the trees, lighting up the entire tipsy night.

Beside him, He Qigong stepped aside half a step and also immersed himself in the night.

Zhou Tieyi admired the night view for a while before turning to look at He Qigong. "How does the debauchery of Tianjin compare to that of Shantongfu?"

He Qigong was slightly stunned, and then he replied respectfully, "Shantong Mansion is far inferior."

Not only the scenery is not as good, but the people are not as good either.

······
In Cheng'en Hall, today is the small court meeting that is held once every three days.

However, the number of memorials submitted to the palace today is five times more than in the past!
Yuchi Pojun flipped through the memorials for a while, and all of them were talking about one thing:

"Tianjing Daily" is a disaster to the country and the people!
Yuchi Pojun looked at it for a while, then put down his pen and took the initiative for the first time. He smiled at Dong Xingshu and Qingkong Gui and said, "How should I annotate the memorial today?"

The two were silent for a long time, looking at the memorials that were like a mountain.

This memorial will be wrong no matter how you annotate it, and it will be wrong even if you don't annotate it.

But the two of them couldn't stop the person from writing the memorial.

"Submit it as before."

Dong Xingshu spoke. He was particularly silent today.

afternoon.

His Majesty came out of the Xuanfa Hall and walked into the Imperial Study, where the Queen Mother greeted him respectfully as usual.

The emperor took a look at the pile of memorials and asked, "What happened today? Why are there so many memorials?"

The Queen replied, "Nothing serious happened."

The emperor sat down and the empress immediately handed him the memorial.

The first memorial, open.

On the ten crimes of Tianjing News!
His Majesty read it with a frown.

The second memorial, open.

Refer to the "Tianjing News" which cunningly borrowed the emperor's intention.

His Majesty felt a little annoyed and turned the pages faster.

The third memorial, open.

It was heard that Zhou Tieyi was extremely rebellious.

······
The sound of summer cicadas became noisy. In the imperial study, even though it was spring-like all year round, the Emperor Daxia was as irritable as the cicadas outside.

Suddenly, he said in a stern voice, "Su Xibi!"

Su Xibi quickly knelt on the ground.

"Go find Feng Zikuan and catch all the cicadas outside!"

"According to the order."

Su Xibi quickly agreed and walked out of the imperial study.

At this time, the Queen Mother spoke up, "These are just the words of a few losers. Your Majesty, don't take them to heart."

The Emperor of Daxia laughed in anger as he looked at the memorials which were five times more than usual.

"Normally, if I ask them to care about military and national affairs, they can't write a single piece of shit. But today, just to criticize someone else, they wrote an article that could overwhelm me!"

"I have to wonder whether they want to participate in Zhou Tieyi's war or whether they want to tire me to death!"

The Queen was silent.

Even though they were the only two people in the hall, she couldn't answer questions related to the life and death of the emperor.

The emperor picked up the memorial of Qingkong Gui that he had kept and threw it directly into the pile of memorials. Looking at the pile of memorials that looked like a dark cloud, he sneered and said, "My general flag said before that the people were worried about the dark clouds covering the sun, but now it seems that it is not just the people who are worried, I am also worried about the dark clouds covering the sun!"

After a while, Feng Zikuan arrived and the cicada chirping outside had completely disappeared.

"How is the Tianjing News today?"

His Majesty had already returned to his usual demeanor, and asked casually.

Feng Zikuan answered honestly, "According to the plan set by General Zhou, all 130,000 copies should be sold today. The previous 300,000 copies have also been sold out. Now the printing bureau is rushing to print an extra million copies to spread around the world!"

His Majesty now spends more and more time on spiritual practice and less and less time learning about the information in Tianjing.

He hesitated for a moment, "Where is the Awakening Newspaper?"

Feng Zikuan smiled sarcastically, "I heard that 3,000 copies were sold, and more than 2,000 of them were bought by students from Tai Academy."

"He is just trying to cover his ears and steal the bell!"

The Great Xia Emperor commented, and then said to Su Xibi, "Draft an edict!"

Su Xibi hurriedly found a pen and paper from the emperor's desk.

Then I heard His Majesty say, "Zhou Tieyi, the general flag of the God-Slaying Division, has made great contributions in publishing newspapers. The imperial edict has been issued to teach the people of Tianjing that he has been promoted to the position of Inspector of the God-Slaying Division and an Inspectorate has been established to supervise the rumors of the people. I hope you will encourage him!"

Rewards for merit.

The last time Zhou Tieyi's soldiers crossed the river, they delayed the time for Mei Qingchen to transform into a beautiful jade. Even though the Emperor of Daxia thought Zhou Tieyi had done a good job, he could only secretly admire the treasures and gorgeous clothes.

Because whether Zhou Tieyi let Mei Qingchen have a meal or killed Che Wenyuan, it could not be an obvious reason for reward.

Of course, it is easy for His Majesty the Great Xia to break these explicit rules, but he will have to pay a price.

After all, the biggest beneficiary and maintainer of this rule is himself.

But this time it was different. The achievements of Tianjing Daily were obvious to all, and the difference between 300,000 copies and 3,000 copies was obvious.

Using this as an explicit reward is both reasonable and appropriate.

What’s even more amazing is the reward content.

Inspector, this is an official position that conveys authority just by the name.

What's more, the emperor also gave him two additional rewards. The first was the power to establish a legislative body, which gave Zhou Tieyi the power to recruit his own subordinates.

Secondly, those who can be appointed as the head of a house must be at least officials of the fifth rank, and officials of the fifth rank can already attend morning meetings in court.

Being able to attend court, even if it is only the smallest official position in the court, is of great significance and represents both the inner and outer worlds.

Su Xi wrote down the key information, and the rest just needed polishing.

　Next chapter at night
　　
　
(End of this chapter)