Zi Nü, Nong Yu, How to Control Public Opinion?

Dusk approached.

At home.

Yan Lingji had changed into a long, fire-red dress. The red was pure and vivid, yet not ostentatious; instead, it set off her skin, which was as white as snow, and her features, which were as delicate as a painting.

The hem of her dress trailed on the floor, rippling like water as she walked. A silver silk ribbon was tied around her waist, accentuating her slender, graceful figure.

Six jet-black, glossy hairpins were tucked into the back of her hair in a fan-shaped arc, adorned with a few blood-red gemstones that trembled slightly with her movements, like drops of cinnabar caught in her hair.

On her right wrist, she wore a jade bangle with floating floral patterns, and a silver necklace inlaid with tiny vermilion gems circled her fair neck.

She stood still before Zhao Linchuan, lifted the sides of her skirt slightly with both hands, and spun around lightly.

"Am I beautiful?"

"Beautiful beyond words." Zhao Linchuan leaned back in his chair. "So beautiful that I truly want to build a house of gold just to hide you away inside."

Yan Lingji froze for a moment, then the corners of her mouth curled upward. The smile spread from her lips to her eyes, and her entire being exuded an indescribable charm.

"Wouldn't that make it 'hiding a beauty in a golden house'?"

She let out a soft laugh and turned toward the back hall. After a few steps, she looked back, her eyes shimmering.

"Rest for a while; I'll go make you something to eat."

She blinked, her voice dropping low as if afraid of being overheard. "Wait for me~"

As her voice faded, her figure vanished behind the door curtain, leaving behind only a faint, lingering fragrance in the air.

Zhao Linchuan watched her back disappear. He withdrew his gaze, slowly closed his eyes, and sank his consciousness into his sea of awareness.

Deep within his sea of awareness, a cold notification had been waiting for a long time.

[You have altered the future trajectory of the continent.]

[Reward obtained: Character Summoning Cards—Zi Nü, Nong Yu. Jinyiwei * 1000.]

Zhao Linchuan's focus lingered for a moment on the floating card.

On the card was an elegant pavilion where two women sat by a window, drinking together.

One was dressed in purple like sunset clouds, looking intoxicated, while the other sat with her head bowed, plucking at zither strings, her profile quiet and focused.

The image was vivid, and even the moonlight outside the window was clearly discernible.

"Zi Nü, Nong Yu." Zhao Linchuan silently repeated the two names, a hint of satisfaction flashing in his eyes.

Zi Nü was a remarkable person. To be able to operate an intelligence network like Zilan Pavilion in such chaotic times proved that her methods, temperament, and ability were all top-tier.

Coupled with those one thousand Jinyiwei... He slowly opened his eyes, his gaze falling on the twilight outside the window.

With this, he could establish an intelligence network that belonged entirely to him in the shortest possible time.

It was unknown how much time had passed, but the sky had turned completely dark.

After the two finished dinner, Zhao Linchuan looked at Yan Lingji, who was sipping tea from a small cup, and suddenly said, "Tomorrow, I'm taking you out to hunt for a soul ring."

"Hmm?"

Yan Lingji set down her cup and raised an eyebrow.

"So, we should sleep separately tonight."

Yan Lingji paused for a moment, and then a hint of mischievous amusement surfaced in her beautiful eyes.

She tilted her head slightly, resting her chin on one hand, and scanned Zhao Linchuan's face.

"Why?" she asked lazily. "Are you afraid of me?"

The next morning.

The sky was barely bright, and the morning mist had not yet dissipated. The chirping of birds echoed in the courtyard.

Zhao Linchuan opened his eyes and turned his head to look at the figure curled up in the quilt beside him.

"What time do you think it is?" He reached out and gently pinched her cheek. "Time to get up and pee."

Yan Lingji wrinkled her nose without opening her eyes. She reached out from under the quilt and slapped his hand hard.

"Can't you be normal for once!" Her voice was muffled and slightly slurred, yet her annoyance was still evident. "You have no refinement at all."

"You're the refined one." Zhao Linchuan chuckled, threw off the quilt, and stood up. His bare feet touched the cold floor as he grabbed his outer robe and draped it over his shoulders. "Sleep a bit longer."

"I'm going to tell Qian Xunji. We'll set off around noon."

"Got it..." Yan Lingji rolled over, pulled the quilt up to her chin, and mumbled vaguely.

"So much for sleeping separately... you still wore me out all night."

About a quarter of an hour later.

Pope Hall.

The guards in front of the hall bowed as they saw Zhao Linchuan, and he walked into the hall without any obstruction.

Unexpectedly, Bibi Dong was there as well.

She stood in the middle of the hall, dressed in light purple casual attire, looking down at the documents spread across Qian Xunji's desk.

Hearing his footsteps, she looked up and gave him a nod, acknowledging his arrival.

Qian Xunji sat behind the massive desk with a tall stack of documents piled in front of him. He still held a pen in his hand, clearly having been reviewing papers for a long time.

It had to be said that Qian Xunji was truly a workaholic.

Before the sky had even fully brightened, he was already sitting there.

"You've come at just the right time."

Qian Xunji looked up, saw Zhao Linchuan, set down his pen, and leaned back in his chair to rub his temples.

"Regarding what you said earlier about controlling the continent's public opinion, do you have a plan for that yet?"

Zhao Linchuan stood still in the hall, pondered for a moment, and spoke slowly: "The workload for this is immense, and the funds required will likely reach an astronomical figure."

"It doesn't matter." Qian Xunji waved his hand, his tone casual. "Just tell me what you have in mind."

"Then I shall make a fool of myself with my humble opinion."

Zhao Linchuan's gaze was clear as he said:

"As everyone knows, the masses are foolish."

"They tend to follow trends blindly, believing the first person who brings them 'information' or the last person who 'converses' with them."

He glanced at their expressions, and seeing that both were listening intently, he continued.

"My idea is to utilize our Spirit Hall's various branches across the continent to distribute something called a 'newspaper'."

"A newspaper?" Qian Xunji repeated the word, a flicker of interest crossing his eyes.

"Similar to official gazettes or court bulletins, yet different," Zhao Linchuan explained. "We can print all sorts of strange tales and interesting anecdotes from the continent on them to entice the common folk to purchase them."

"We can specifically hire literary masters to compile novels and serialize them in the papers."

"Furthermore, we can hire a group of people specifically to dig up the scandals within the palaces of the Two Great Empires and the various kingdoms, invisibly tarnishing the image of the royal families in the eyes of the commoners."

Bibi Dong couldn't help but raise an eyebrow upon hearing this, the corners of her mouth curling slightly upward.

Zhao Linchuan continued: "Afterward, we send people to wipe out the bandit spirit masters and fallen spirit masters entrenched in various mountains, and then publicize these deeds extensively in the newspapers."

"In this way, the image of our Spirit Hall can be elevated imperceptibly."

His voice remained steady and unhurried.

"As long as we can make the commoners unable to live without these newspapers, within a year or two at most, we will be able to completely control public opinion."

"By then, heh heh..." Zhao Linchuan's lips hooked upward, "we will be able to paint black as white."