Chapter 1001: Chapter 961: The Influence of Newspapers

Lin Yi was showing everyone with his actions that he wanted to unify these three countries in the shortest possible time and then proclaim himself Emperor.

After all, the title of King of Dayou was just the title of a ruler of a small country, whereas Emperor was a truly great title.

In this moment, everyone was aware of Lin Yi’s ambitious desires, and they understood his grand ambitions. At the same time, they couldn’t help but feel excited.

If the Dayou Kingdom really unified the world, then their identities and statuses would rise accordingly.

As for the governance of the other two capitals, naturally, it would require their involvement.

Moreover, the ministers of those countries clearly would not be highly valued by Lin Yi.

The ones who would truly be valued would always be the old ministers.

In this way, their opportunities would be much greater and their power would rise to an unprecedented level.

If possible, they could directly take a high-ranking position in a region and become the local authority there, which was their ideal pursuit.

The meal continued for nearly three hours before it concluded because today was a national day of celebration. Thus, everyone was very happy, at least outwardly.

But those who were truly happy were the common people.

While hosting the feast for the ministers here, the soldiers carrying the reports were already gradually arriving at the designated locations.

And as the newspapers were read aloud, suddenly, everyone erupted.

Indeed, among this group of soldiers, there were people responsible for specifically reading the newspapers to the public.

Furthermore, there was one more thing: these individuals were tasked with staying in the local areas for at least ten days.

During these ten days, they had to continuously read this matter aloud to the visiting people.

After all, some cities were only tens or even hundreds of miles away from the Capital City, and with the speed of fast horses, they could arrive here within a few hours.

Following usual procedures, the local chief would first host these visitors sent to deliver the decree and also entertain them with a good meal, allowing them to stay there for several days before passing on the real message.

Of course, after passing on the message, whether the local officials or influential aristocrats would follow through or pass it on to the lower ranks was beyond their control.

However, the current individuals were indeed different, as they carried imperial orders and had been carefully selected by Lin Yi.

Thus, none of them paid any attention to the local county official.

Even if he repeatedly invited them, it was to no avail – they simply ignored him.

Instead, they gathered the nearby people overnight and read the content of the newspaper aloud in front of everyone present.

In an instant, the local aristocrats’ faces turned pale, looking at the soldiers reading the newspaper on the stage, their eyes ablaze with anger, clenching their fists and grinding their teeth, wondering whether to eliminate these individuals.

After the newspaper was read aloud, the ones most affected were these aristocratic families.

And now, only a few of the local people were present, giving them enough room to maneuver – at worst, eliminate all these individuals.

But once this matter spreads, once all the people in the countryside know about this, the losses it would bring would be enormous.

Whether it was financial or reputational damage, it was unstoppable.

More importantly, their authority would face great threats.

If imperial power truly reached rural areas, then they would be reduced to mere small officials.

At that time, perpetually hanging over their heads would be a sharp sword, which none of them could endure.

After much hesitation, finally, they dared not act.

First, the other party had considerable numbers, with ten soldiers present, and just from their equipment, it was clear they were imperial troops.

Not to mention the combat strength of these soldiers, their backgrounds were not something he could provoke.

If he truly slaughtered them on the spot, though it might not cause immediate waves, surely soon enough, once the Imperial Palace received news, they would send a large army to visit.

At that time, their aristocratic family might be completely eradicated, not to mention losing their official positions – even their heads might be on the move.

But letting this continue was not a solution, and for a while, they were spinning in circles with worry.

After exchanging glances, a few aristocrats quietly withdrew from the crowd, returned to their homes, and began discussing countermeasures.

"Lord Wang, the court is forcing us to the brink."

"Indeed, if this decree truly gets disseminated, we will suffer significant financial losses."

"Not only that, if this Emperor truly enforces this decree, everyone’s fear of our family will decrease."

"Lord Wang, please think of a way. If the significance of our existence is reduced, how can we govern this place? How can we continue to live leisurely?"

"If those unruly people unite to report us, we wouldn’t be able to stop them."

In a luxurious hall, seven or eight people sat around, with an elderly man dressed in official robes with graying hair at the center, silently listening to the complaints of those around him, while a wrinkle tightened between his brows.

He understood all the things everyone mentioned and had already thought of them, but he didn’t know how to face the new Emperor.

Others might not know, but he had indeed heard something – he heard that the two Prime Ministers and the six Ministers had all been dismissed by this new Emperor.

Not only that, but the previous King of Dayou and Prince Ning were both executed by this guy.

This alone indicated the brutality of the other party. If he acted rashly, he might be courting disaster himself.

For a while, he began to think repeatedly in his mind about how to resolve this crisis.

If handled poorly, his years of management might go to waste.

[To be continued...]