Looking at Pei Xiu's solemn expression, Cao Mao finally smiled and nodded.
"Good."
"Then how do you think we should promote them, Lord Pei?"
Pei Xiu said calmly, "That isn't difficult."
"Ban them."
"Then hide them away."
"Don't let anyone read them."
Cao Mao's expression stiffened. He raised his head again and scrutinized Pei Xiu.
Because of his peculiar temperament, Pei Xiu always looked as though he had taken mineral powder, even when he was sober. This had always left Cao Mao unable to tell whether the man was clearheaded.
Pei Xiu saw the suspicion in Cao Mao's eyes and explained.
"Your Majesty, you don't understand the Literati of today."
"If Your Majesty forces them to read these books, shoving them into their hands, I guarantee that very few will read them. It may even have the opposite effect, with a whole crowd coming forward to refute them."
"But if Your Majesty takes the opposite approach and deliberately conceals them, letting only the news spread while asking Lord Wang and those in the know not to explain the specific contents to outsiders for the time being, they will become something the renowned scholars sing the praises of."
Pei Xiu had voiced the defining characteristic of the Wei-Jin Literati.
To put it kindly, they were rebellious. They harbored profound doubts about everything, trusting neither the Imperial Court nor, still less, those in power.
To put it unkindly, they were contrary wretches begging for a beating, and their mental state was none too stable.
Cao Mao could understand that. Back when he had written poetry with Ruan Ji and the others, Sima Zhao had ordered it banned, only for it to spread in a roaring frenzy...
These children had been rebellious since they were small. Not a single word of good advice