"To govern the realm, one must take the people's hearts and customs as the foundation. To set their hearts right and foster wholesome customs, one must uphold law and ritual. This act of Your Majesty's..."
For a moment, Yang Ren could not bring himself to continue. Disappointment, anger, bewilderment-the five flavors churned together in his heart.
How could His Majesty do such a thing?
The assembled ministers exchanged looks as well. Those filthy, eye-defiling things had been written by King Zhou?
It was not as though they had never suspected someone at court of writing them. After all, the books promoted romances between humans and spirits. To some extent, they could soften the impact of Daji being a fox spirit and help people gradually accept her.
But if King Zhou had written them himself, that was an entirely different matter. There was only one word for it: absurd.
At the head of the hall, Zi Shou looked immensely pleased with himself. Watching the ministers' reactions only made him feel even better.
It was already too late to ban them. Little Liu Bei's influence had spread throughout Chaoge, and some nobles and merchants had even spotted a business opportunity and were shipping copies elsewhere to sell. Before long, they would spread across the realm.
No wall in the world could keep the wind out. Now that he had admitted it in open court, the rumors would run faster than rabbits. Before the night was out, every street and alley would be buzzing with talk of King Zhou writing Little Liu Bei.
What a benighted ruler!
Yang Ren was about to launch another tirade. There was no covering this up. How could His Majesty have done something so foolish?
But before he could speak, Bo Yi stopped him.
Yang Ren, the great