Chapter 74

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"Then how do you explain these?" Li Er, furious, picked up the flyers Zhao Chen had printed earlier from the ground, his eyes blazing with anger as he demanded, "Did you also accidentally print these and scatter them all over Chang'an by accident?"

"Your Majesty, I believe you should also praise me for this!" Zhao Chen glanced at the enraged Li Er, gritted his teeth, and stammered. As he spoke, he subtly moved closer to the door, ready to dash out if Li Er threw anything again.

Li Er, hearing this, was momentarily stunned. After a moment, he pointed at Zhao Chen, so angry he laughed, "Alright, alright, give me a reason, so I can see your silver tongue!"

"Your Majesty, I am not making baseless claims!" Upon hearing this, Zhao Chen straightened up and said to Li Er, "Your Majesty, you have only seen the bad side of this matter but have not noticed the good side. I believe the benefits outweigh the drawbacks, and it can be a great achievement for generations to come!"

Li Er, who had thought Zhao Chen would just be making a fuss, was instantly stunned by these words! As Zhao Chen had said, he had indeed only seen the bad side of the matter and had never considered the good side.

Thinking about this, Li Er frowned and pondered for a moment. Then he looked at Zhao Chen, puzzled, and asked, "Why can't I think of any good side? Tell me!"

"Yes!" Zhao Chen, hearing Li Er indirectly admit his own stupidity, was overjoyed inside but maintained a serious demeanor and said, "Our Tang Dynasty is vast and will become even larger. However, information is often isolated, and many times, it is passed by word of mouth, leading to confusion!"

Zhao Chen paused slightly, then continued, "So, I thought, why don't we gather information from all regions and distribute it uniformly?"

"News bulletins?" Li Er, hearing this, suddenly looked at Zhao Chen with a sneer and coldly interrupted, "News bulletins have already existed since the Western Han Dynasty. Do you need to tell me this?"

News bulletins? Zhao Chen, hearing this, was slightly taken aback but quickly realized that Li Er was referring to the official gazettes!

"Your Majesty, it can also be called a news bulletin!" Zhao Chen shook his head at Li Er and said, "But what I am talking about is not comparable to a news bulletin!"

Before Li Er could object, Zhao Chen continued, "News bulletins are for local officials, and the content is mostly about major events in the court. What I am suggesting is for all the people of the Tang Dynasty, with content ranging from court personnel changes to local customs and traditions!"

"Go on!" The sneer in Li Er's eyes disappeared, and he frowned as he listened to Zhao Chen, pausing for a moment before looking at Zhao Chen and saying.

"Your Majesty, imagine this!" Zhao Chen looked at Li Er, his voice very persuasive, "If a local official has outstanding achievements, we can write about his deeds, how he governs the region, and how he benefits the people. Once it is written, what will happen when other local officials see it?"

Seeing Li Er's entranced gaze, Zhao Chen continued, "And the soldiers on the battlefield, if there is a particularly brave and skilled soldier in a battle, what will happen when other soldiers hear about it?"

"Can we also write about pests like Zhao Yuankai, right?" Li Er, listening to Zhao Chen, suddenly thought of something and looked at Zhao Chen with a half-smile, half-sneer.

"Your Majesty is wise!" Zhao Chen pretended not to understand the deeper meaning in Li Er's words, bowed to Li Er, and said loudly, "We will follow Your Majesty's suggestion and create a special section to record officials like Zhao Yuankai, who harm the country and the people, as a warning to other officials!"

Li Er glared at Zhao Chen but was too lazy to pursue it further. He was still thinking about what Zhao Chen had said, clearly moved by it!

As Zhao Chen had said, this would indeed be incomparable to news bulletins, and the impact would be immeasurable. Li Er, who was good at drawing inferences, had already thought of some things based on Zhao Chen's rough outline.

Later, Li Er's face suddenly turned pale, and he closed his eyes, taking a deep breath.

"This matter..." Li Er paused, looking intently at Zhao Chen, about to speak, but was interrupted by Zhao Chen.

Zhao Chen bowed to Li Er and said loudly, "I will do my best, and I will definitely teach the printing craftsmen sent by Your Majesty!"

Heavens, newspapers are a fierce and dangerous beast, and they should not be in the hands of a small fry like him. Even someone like Changsun Wuji should not take over lightly, or one day, it could cost him his head.

Li Er, whose words were cut off by Zhao Chen, was initially annoyed, but hearing Zhao Chen's words, he suddenly laughed.

This kid is slippery and quick to react. He had planned to entrust this matter to this kid, but before he could say it, the kid had already preempted him.

However, upon further thought, this matter should not be entrusted to anyone else. The power it contained was immense, and Li Er had already experienced it. If he entrusted it to someone else, he would not be at ease, and no one would dare to take it on!

"Since that's the case, write a detailed memorial and present it to me!" Li Er's mood suddenly improved, and he generously promised, "If this succeeds, I will reward you heavily!"

However, as soon as he said this, Li Er's face turned slightly awkward. Indeed, when he looked at Zhao Chen, he saw the kid staring at the floor, as if he hadn't heard Li Er's words at all.

Seeing this, Li Er was momentarily speechless!

In fact, Li Er also wanted to fulfill his promise, but it was difficult! He was now penniless, and even with the support of the gold mine from the Jinma Mountain, he was still struggling. If not for this, as the emperor of the Tang Dynasty, he would have to beg his ministers for help.

Without money, he could only reward with an official position! But the problem was, this kid hadn't even reached the age of adulthood yet!

If he had already reached adulthood, he wouldn't be so troubled. He could directly grant an official position, and with this kid's talent, his performance would not be bad!

Fortunately, after the New Year, this kid would reach adulthood!

Li Er suddenly breathed a sigh of relief. If he hadn't reached adulthood, he wouldn't dare to use this kid!

Just as the two were in an awkward silence in the hall, the old eunuch, who had been absent for a long time since the Qinling Mountains, silently slipped into the hall, like a cat, came to Li Er, and whispered something to him.

Zhao Chen was too far away, and the old eunuch deliberately lowered his voice, so Zhao Chen couldn't hear anything.

However, what puzzled Zhao Chen was that when the old eunuch reported to Li Er, both of them kept glancing at him, and Li Er's eyes were cold, making Zhao Chen's back shiver.

What the hell is going on?

Zhao Chen stood there, mouth agape, staring at Li Er, then glared fiercely at the old eunuch. This old scoundrel, who had promised to owe him a life when he healed his injuries, had disappeared for months after leaving the Qinling Mountains. Now, upon their first meeting, he was reporting to Li Er in front of him, truly a dead eunuch!

"No need!" The old eunuch said something, and Li Er suddenly said in a domineering tone, "Since they have openly entered Chang'an, withdraw all the people. I am not so narrow-minded!"

"Understood!" The old eunuch, hearing this, did not hesitate, bowed to Li Er, and turned to leave the hall.

"A guest has come from afar!" Just as Zhao Chen was puzzled, he heard Li Er's voice, "This person is no ordinary person and is now outside Chang'an, specifically asking to visit you."

A guest from afar!

And specifically asking to visit him in Chang'an!

Moreover, the old eunuch was acting as if facing a great enemy!

Who is it? Zhao Chen was confused. Since he came to the Tang Dynasty, the farthest he had been was to Lantian, and the people he knew were all in Chang'an. How could there be a guest from afar?

"This person claims to be from the Hidden Sect!" Li Er, seeing the confusion on Zhao Chen's face, looked at him coldly and said sternly.

The Hidden Sect had always been a taboo for Li Er. Zhao Chen was initially not favored by Li Er because he suspected Zhao Chen was from the Hidden Sect.

Now, after finally dispelling his doubts, he never expected that someone from the Hidden Sect would openly come to visit Zhao Chen, which made Li Er furious!

The Hidden Sect! Zhao Chen, hearing this, was momentarily stunned, but in a moment, his eyes blazed with anger, and he frantically felt for the two crossbows on his waist, only to find them missing, remembering they had been left outside the palace before entering.

"Do you still owe me a life?" Zhao Chen, suddenly seeing the old eunuch, immediately called out to him, his voice filled with killing intent.

"Of course, I still owe you!" The old eunuch, hearing this, couldn't help but glance at Li Er. Seeing Li Er's expressionless face, he nodded to Zhao Chen and said.

"Alright!" Zhao Chen, hearing this, gritted his teeth and said, "Help me kill that bastard from the Hidden Sect, and we will be even!"

Damn, this is too much!

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