Brother Xiao, well said, well said." Lin Wanrong chuckled coldly, saying, "As Brother Xiao mentioned, I am indeed not a man of letters." Seeing a hint of embarrassment in Xiao Qingxuan's eyes, who seemed to want to say something, he mercilessly interrupted with a wave of his hand.
Xiao Qingxuan could only lightly bite his lower lip, giving Lin Wanrong a faint smile, revealing a set of pristine teeth. Lin Wanrong's heart skipped a beat at his handsome appearance, quickly turning his head to avoid looking at him.
Damn this deceased demon, unexpectedly trying to flirt with me, Lin Wanrong felt extremely annoyed, but he could do nothing about it.
After finally adjusting his mood from the irritation, Lin Wanrong no longer looked at the demon's face and continued, "Although I am not a man of letters and do not endorse their complacency in the face of the current situation, I believe the root cause is not within them."
"Not within them?" Xiao Qingxuan, this demon young master, furrowed his delicate brows and asked, "I wonder what Brother Lin means by this."
Lin Wanrong spoke slowly, "It's simple. What we see now is a reflection of the country's livelihood. And livelihood is an indicator of the state of governance in a country. Oh, by the way, do you understand the term 'livelihood'?"
Xiao Qingxuan showed a struggling expression, indicating he barely understood. Lin Wanrong didn't bother explaining and continued, "The bustling scenes of officials and ladies on Xuanwu Lake that you see now are the result of the country's public opinion."
Lin Wanrong was still not accustomed to this unfamiliar place, so he directly referred to it as "this country."
"Public opinion?" Xiao Qingxuan evidently encountered a term difficulty, wrinkling his pretty brows. Lin Wanrong, finding his delicate appearance reminiscent of a famous historical figure, quickly banished the unpleasant thought.
Damn, why did I think of such a disgusting analogy? Lin Wanrong shook his head quickly, dispelling the terrible idea.
Xiao Qingxuan glanced at him and shyly asked, "Mr. Lin, could you explain to me what public opinion means?"
This guy is quite diligent in learning, calling me Mr. Lin again now. Thinking of the multiple meanings associated with the title "Mr.," Lin Wanrong suddenly developed goosebumps, preferring to be castrated by God than to be this demon's "Mr."
"Brother Xiao, please don't call me Mr. in the future, alright? Honestly, I have a bit of, well, allergy to this title." Lin Wanrong frowned and said.
Xiao Qingxuan was momentarily stunned, then quickly agreed, "Alright, Brother Lin."
Lin Wanrong helplessly rolled his eyes; this deceased demon was truly unchanging.
Xiao Qingxuan seemed to realize his mistake, and his white-as-jade face turned slightly red. He hastily smiled apologetically.
Unwilling to argue further, Lin Wanrong had his first extensive conversation with someone since arriving in this place. In the past month, he almost felt stifled. Anyway, he had plenty of time, and finding someone to listen to him ramble about these things in this remote place was indeed challenging.
"The so-called public opinion is essentially propaganda. As long as you control the direction of propaganda, creating whatever public opinion you want is not a problem. If you want these officials to revel in singing and dancing, then they will; if you want them to bravely face national crisis, they will. It all depends on the flexible application of means." Lin Wanrong said indifferently.
Xiao Qingxuan was indeed a clever person, immediately understanding his meaning. He excitedly said, "Mr. Lin, are you suggesting that we control..."
He stopped halfway, clearly having grasped the idea.
This kid is quite talented, quick to react and understands the principle of speaking three-pointedly.
Lin Wanrong coldly smiled and said, "Whether it is a time of peace or a national crisis depends on the competence of those in power. Currently, even though there is a national crisis, these officials are still enjoying peace and prosperity. There is no sense of tension, which can only be attributed to the mistakes of those in power."
Although Lin Wanrong had arrived in this place by accident just a month ago, he didn't belong here in the first place. With no reverence for emperors and definitely not bowing to them, he inherently carried a bit of arrogance. Therefore, he spoke without caring much about the consequences.
In fact, only a fearless young man like him dared to say such things. Even if others had similar thoughts, they wouldn't dare to express them directly.
This Xiao with the surname of the demon was evidently a loyal royalist, and upon hearing Lin Wanrong's sarcastic remark, his face turned somewhat unpleasant. He coldly retorted, "Brother Lin, I think the reality may not be as you imagine. Our current emperor is in his prime, diligently governing, and in the face of the northern invasion, it is a challenge, but it also represents an opportunity for our majestic Huaxia. From what I understand, the current emperor is ambitious, vigorously reforming the bureaucracy, rectifying the officialdom, accumulating strength, striving to achieve victory without fighting, and glorifying the spirit of our majestic Huaxia."
This kid surprisingly knows how to find opportunities in a crisis. Although his words sound grand, phrases like the emperor's prime and ambitious might just be deceiving the ignorant.
Lin Wanrong, even though he had only been here for a month, understood that the current emperor was over sixty years old, and due to his extravagant youth, he still had no heir, only having two princesses. What prime and ambitious? That old guy is probably impotent by now.
As for whether he is diligently reforming the bureaucracy, that is up to the emperor to decide, and the livelihood of the people is the best evidence. Compared to the vivid contrast between the picturesque scenery of Jinling and the northern war flames, the four words "diligently reforming the bureaucracy" probably just hang in the emperor's hall to look at.
Judging by Xiao's expression, he had absolute trust in the emperor. Lin Wanrong didn't bother to argue with him, sneering and saying, "Since ancient times, the merits and demerits are left for future generations to judge. Little Xiao, since you have such extraordinary confidence in the emperor, I hope your feelings are accurate, and I hope he brings blessings to the people under heaven."
When the demon young master heard Lin Wanrong call him Little Xiao, it was apparent that he had never heard such a term before. His face blushed for a moment, and he glared at Lin Wanrong.
Lin Wanrong's thick skin was like a city wall, naturally ignoring the disdain in his eyes. Instead, the handsome servant boy, who blushed and clenched his little fist, seemed ready to fight him.
"From Brother Lin's words, it seems you lack confidence in the current emperor?" The son of the demon lord's face became even more unsightly, looking at Lin Wanrong and speaking deliberately, one word at a time. He spoke with an imposing manner that seemed to come from a wealthy and influential background, an aura not common among ordinary people.
Unfortunately, Lin Wanrong was immune to
such nonsense as wealth, power, and tyrannical airs. His petty thoughts were like a child's petty quarrel to Lin Wanrong. However, the blush on his face made him exceptionally charming.
If I were into having male pets, I might consider keeping him. Suddenly having this thought, Lin Wanrong was startled. What kind of demon is this? He almost changed my sexual orientation.
"Confidence?" Lin Wanrong looked at him and smiled, "Little Xiao, don't pin your hopes on that old emperor. A person can only rely on oneself."
"You—" Hearing Lin Wanrong showing no respect to the emperor, he even directly called him 'old emperor,' Little Xiao's face turned red with anger. Pointing at Lin Wanrong, he said, "How dare you speak such rebellious words?"
In his anger, even his earlobes turned slightly red, and the two tiny points on his translucent earlobes became more apparent.
"So, you're a little girl."