Diqin Designer

Chapter 61 I Want to Control Public Opinion
Ying Zheng looked at Wang Jian, then at Wang Ben who was standing behind Wang Jian. He had no idea what this father and son were thinking. They were simply worried that their achievements would become too great and would threaten their master, who would kill them.

Am I so intolerant? However, you two, father and son, don't even think about retiring and returning home. I think your contributions are not enough and can be even higher!
After listening to the various candidates for crown prince proposed by the ministers, Fusu received the highest number of votes, while Hu Hai and several young princes did not receive a single vote.

Ying Zheng had anticipated this situation, and today he proposed that he wanted to establish a crown prince in order to verify it, but he would not establish Fusu as the crown prince for the time being. First, Fusu's temperament had not changed, and second, if he established Fusu now, it would attract too much attention to him, and it would be difficult to change Fusu.

Ying Zheng said: "Let's stop discussing the matter of appointing a crown prince today. We will discuss it another day!"

Chunyu Yue opened his mouth and wanted to say something, but then closed it again. He thought that the king would decide on the crown prince today, but it turned out to be a blank.

Zhao Gao, Li Si and others breathed a sigh of relief. As long as the king had not decided on a crown prince today, they still had a chance to make the king change the candidate.

The other ministers were not surprised that Ying Zheng had not yet appointed a crown prince. The king had been putting this issue on hold for many years. If he really decided on the crown prince today, it would be a miracle.

Ying Zheng said, "Although the world is unified now, people's hearts are still not settled. There are conspirators who spread rumors among the people to confuse the people. Over time, it will become a disaster. I want to establish a media platform to monitor public opinion and dispel rumors for the people. What do you think?"

As soon as he finished speaking, Chunyu Yue jumped out again: "Your Majesty, this is absolutely not allowed. Haven't you heard about King Li's story?"

"The affairs of King Li" is the origin of the idiom "It is more difficult to guard against the people's mouths than to guard against the river", which is recorded in "Guoyu. Duke Zhao admonished King Li to stop slander".

Ying Zheng looked at Chunyu Yue and said expressionlessly, "Are you comparing me to King Li of Zhou?"

Under Ying Zheng's gaze, Chunyu Yue lowered his head and said, "I dare not, but since ancient times, the words of the people are like river water, which should be channeled, not blocked. Blocking can control it temporarily, but it will cause the river water to accumulate and become a flood. When the river is blocked and bursts, many people will be injured."

Ying Zheng asked: "Do you think it is a good thing to let people speak freely? What if someone criticizes me and slanders the Qin in private? Haven't you heard that three people can make a tiger?"

Chunyu Yue said: "Your Majesty, if you are upright, your shadow will not be crooked; if you are pure, the water will not be turbid. Everyone in the world knows your virtues, so why would they believe in rumors? Even if there are people who spread rumors, they are just that kind."

What this means is that as long as the king has good character and virtues, he will not be afraid of rumors. Even if some people spread rumors, they are only a minority. You must believe that the people have sharp eyes and will not believe these rumors.

It makes sense, but is it really the case in practice?
When someone throws dirty tricks at you, don't refute them or try to resolve the issue. Instead, rely on your own good conduct to dispel the rumors and prevent others from believing them?

I can only say that the idea is very good.

Even in today's world of well-developed Internet, such rumors and slanders are still difficult to resolve. Otherwise, why is there still no result in a subway voyeurism case, and the Wuxi cake shop incident has been reversed, but some people are still unaware of it and are still cyberbullying the cake shop owner?

This is the case even in modern times, let alone the feudal dynasty like the Qin Dynasty.

If we don't take the initiative to control public opinion, won't the right and wrong be decided by others?
Li Si said: "I agree with your Majesty. The people are ignorant and have no wisdom. How can they distinguish rumors? If everyone can freely comment on government affairs and talk about the king, rumors will spread all over the country, causing endless disasters."

Prime Minister Wang Wan also said: "What the Chief Justice said makes sense. We must examine the opinions of the world, but we also cannot examine them too strictly. We must strike a balance. I think the Zhiyutai can be built." Seeing Wang Wan stand up and speak, Chunyu Yue also knew that the situation was hopeless and the Zhiyutai would definitely be established. He just didn't know what impact this Zhiyutai would have on the world and on their Confucianism.

Since I can't stop it, I'll just join it. Chunyu Yue said, "I'd like to go to the Imperial Palace and serve the king."

Ying Zheng glanced at Chunyu Yue and said, "You don't want the Zhiyutai to fall into the hands of Li Si and become a one-man show for someone like Li Si, do you?"

But Li Nian told him that the public opinion front was very important and he could not let either Li Si or Chunyu Yue control it alone. Li Si was too radical and Chunyu Yue was too conservative.

After much thought, Ying Zheng's eyes finally fell on Wang Wan and he said, "This matter will be handed over to the Prime Minister. Li Si and Chunyu Yue will assist the Prime Minister in formulating the laws and regulations of the Ministry of Public Security, and Zhao Gao will be responsible for monitoring public opinion in the world."

Although in Ying Zheng's heart, Zhao Gao was already a piece of shit, but a piece of shit also has value. Zhao Gao would be killed sooner or later anyway, so why not let Zhao Gao do more dirty and tiring work for him before he died?

After hearing the appointment given to him by Ying Zheng, Zhao Gao was quite happy. The king's favor for him had returned and the king still trusted him.

Monitoring public opinion is a huge responsibility and power, but the king actually gave it to him, which shows that the king still values ​​him.

Wang Wan, Li Si, Chunyu Yue, and Zhao Gao all responded in unison: "We obey your orders!"

Ying Zheng added: "The Zhiyutai is not only a place to monitor public opinion, but also a place to promote the Qin Dynasty and collect suggestions from the people. This matter will be handed over to the Imperial Censor."

"What I mean by 'promoting the Great Qin' is to tell the people of the world about the Great Qin's policies and spread its reputation, making it difficult for villains to slander it. This is a heavy responsibility, and the Imperial Censor must treat it with caution!"

Feng Jie knew that his duties were not as simple as the two sentences Ying Zheng said, but also included beautifying Daqin and so on. He said seriously: "I obey your command!"

Ying Zheng's words made some ministers change their expressions slightly. They all advocated that the people should use their strength but not be informed. However, what the king wanted Feng Jie to do was to spread the reputation of the Qin Dynasty, which was understandable, but telling the people about the Qin Dynasty's policies was contrary to their ideas.

One of the ministers said, "Your Majesty, I think you should not talk to the people about government orders. Since ancient times, the king has governed the people like shepherding lambs. There is no need to let the lambs know why they should do something, just let them know that they should do it this way. And the court judge just said, 'The people are stupid and not wise.' Even if you talk to the people, how can they understand?"

Ying Zheng said: "Is 'since ancient times' correct? Talking to the people is to better implement the government orders. If the people know, the government orders will be easier to implement. If the people do not know, even if the government orders can be implemented, they will often get half the result with twice the effort. Moreover, if the people do not understand today, they may not understand tomorrow."

He wanted to establish favorable public opinion in the six kingdoms, so he needed to tell the people of the six kingdoms about the benefits of Qin's decrees:
Look, the policies of our Great Qin are so good, and the policies of the six countries you followed before are so bad. Come and believe in Great Qin. Under the rule of Great Qin, I guarantee that you will all live a happy and beautiful new life.

The minister was not wrong. From his standpoint and perspective, he believed that governing the people was like herding cattle and sheep. For a dynasty that had already stabilized, this approach was feasible.

However, the current situation of the Qin Dynasty is not stable. What Ying Zheng wants now is to stabilize the world and reduce the problem of the second emperor's death.

　I mentioned the Wuxi cake shop incident in this chapter purely because I felt that there were still people who believed this rumor and cyberbullied the cake shop owner. I wanted to let more people know about it and do my best to dispel the rumor. Thank you all for your support!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)