My book friend Long Aotian

Chapter 97 Call me Director Li!

Can't go wrong.

It’s that yamen, for sure.

In another world, the Department of Education can be called...

General Administration of Poetry, Literature and Drama of the Great Qi Dynasty.

General Administration of Wenqu.

Da Qi Opera Zongli Yamen.

as well as……

The wonderful rice jar of Director Li, a writer of cool novels.

Oh oh oh oh oh oh oh — hold it in! You must hold it in!

Don't laugh out loud. Don't laugh out loud. Don't laugh out loud!
Be calm, be decent, how can you bow down for such a small power, and serve the feudal emperor uncle!

After all, I am no longer at the age where I dream of being promoted. The promises from the Emperor's uncle and the high position in the Lintai government are no longer attractive to me. As for the power to censor operas and control cultural creation, I...

——It’s hard to refuse.

Li Bailong tried his best to suppress his emotions so as not to let his uncle notice anything.

As a pulp writer, it’s hard to describe my creative process over the past few months.

He racked his brains to cater to readers and write exciting stories that the people love to read, but he fell into the embarrassing situation of being investigated by the government and being socially disgraced.

They were afraid of being discovered by their family, their teachers, and their peers. Later, piracy became rampant, and they were controlled by greedy profit-seekers.

In the end, his pure personal hobby was targeted by the evil Feng Lin Huoshan, and his pure novel became a tool for party struggles and a handle for the enemy to frame him for colluding with the Demon Sect...

The harsh creative environment for online writers in this dynasty is evident from the harsh conditions.

Obviously, it is in urgent need of the country's loving care.

After all, you see, Li Bailong is a respectable person with a decent social status, but his creative environment and writing situation are still so bumpy...

——Not to mention those pathetic colleagues who don’t have a proper job, are seen as idle by their families, are too embarrassed to introduce their real occupations when they go out, are "unstable", are outside the social evaluation system, are looked down upon even on blind dates, and are evaluated as not as good as office workers with a monthly salary of 3,000 yuan.

They work day and night, and focus on typing diligently, yet they are still criticized by readers, sucked away by pirated copies, exploited by websites, controlled by an iron fist, and bullied and despised by all walks of life. They are truly pitiful, weak, and helpless.

If I could become the Director of Wenqu Bureau...

——Then you can bully them together with everyone!

Amidst all this random thought and nonsense, Li Bailong quickly calmed down and did not let King Zhao notice his turbulent emotions.

after all……

“Go to work, go to work, go to work!” If Aozi had a body, his face would have turned red and two streams of magma would have been spewing out of his nostrils. He shouted loudly, “Promise him, ah ah ah ah!”

There is only one way for Aozi to heal his wounds and recover, and that is to write exciting stories and collect wishes.

However, the mechanism of wish power is complicated and inexplicable, and there is even a distinction between pirated and genuine books. If readers all read pirated books, then even if the imperial book is circulated throughout the world, Aozi will find it difficult to gain even a single inch of wish power. So if Li Bailong wants to collect wish power, he not only has to write the book well, but he also has to crack down on piracy and promote genuine books.

This is a really difficult thing to do.

Baihua Valley has deep roots in Lin County, and the collusion between officials and military officials is deep, so Li Bailong was able to take advantage of the situation and promote the crackdown on piracy, allowing the operation to proceed more smoothly.

However, there are more than thousands of states, counties and prefectures in the world.

The public has a weak sense of copyright, and booksellers do not care about the difference between genuine and pirated books. They just print any good book they can find, which has long become a traditional habit that is difficult to shake. It is not too difficult to sell "Legend of the Imperial Battle of Heaven" to the whole territory of Qi, but it is necessary to eliminate pirated books throughout the country...

Goo, just send me to the Goblin's Lair.

In fact, Li Bailong had decided to shoot down the airship and escape, and then go to Fenglin Volcano after he had fully developed his writing skills. His biggest concern was not Fenglin's pursuit, but how to deal with piracy. After all, as a lone and anonymous writer, it was more difficult to combat piracy.

Later, when the Lingyu Sect intervened, he decided to transfer to Biyoutian, perhaps taking this into consideration.

After all, with the Lingyu Sect's control and influence over its territorial homeland, it must be easy to promote the authentic version.

However, this matter is not perfect.

The matter of writing a book could be known to a few people in Lingyu Sect, but as a distinguished guest of Lingyu Sect, his persistence in combating piracy and maintaining genuine products was somewhat eye-catching. If it was investigated in depth, over time, some smart people might notice something.

but now.

The Emperor's uncle brought an unimagined path.

That is - make the most important decision in life! Prove to everyone that he has the ability to become the emperor of the literary and artistic world of Da Qi! Join the Wenqu General Bureau!

Perfect the auspicious words database by yourself!
Establish review standards that will make folk art practitioners work hard and put in a lot of effort!
Strike a heavy blow against the gutter rats like online writers!

Join Wenqu Zongli Yamen!

Become... Director Li in the hall!

Obviously, judging from the powers and responsibilities of this "Education Department", cracking down on piracy is well within its authority.

After all, this is to improve the business environment, optimize the soil for cultural creation, encourage excellent literary and artistic works to flourish, and to allow Da Qi to produce more excellent works!

I do this entirely for the public good! I have no selfish motives at all!

——Nan San Wu! How reasonable! Even Wen Quxing would open his eyes after hearing this!

Even……

"In the seventh year of Qingtian, the list of key works support projects and key works support topics of vernacular novels of the Education Department of Da Qi was announced. With the approval of Lord Li Bailong, the chief celestial official of the Education Department of Lintai, the novel "Legend of Huangji Warring States" by Linxian writer Long Batian was selected as a key work for support and included in the list of recommended books for extracurricular reading by martial arts children and published and distributed by the Education Department at public expense. Lord Li pointed out that supporting cultural and creative industries is the national policy of Da Qi, and the Education Department should implement it unswervingly..." Oh oh oh oh oh, the flag is raised!

I'm already excitedly pulling out the flag!
If one could truly usurp such authority, the power of one's wishes would surely be as overwhelming as a tsunami.

After all, no matter how hard private bookstores work to promote their books, or how much blood and sweat they shed to report and crack down on piracy, it cannot be as useful as a single official document from the government.

This time he was chosen to be the person in charge of the Education Department. Within five years, he will be able to lead Da Qi to the moon.

and so……

I have decided to appoint Director Li of the Education Department!

Having made up his mind, Li Bailong stared at the gold paper in his hand. The confusion on his face slowly turned into a little curiosity. Then, he snorted, and a look of nonchalant disdain appeared on his face again.

Throwing the gold paper aside, he said, "Strange government office, absurd authority, inexplicable courtesy, the job of the emperor's uncle is really absurd."

King Zhao was overjoyed when he saw this.

He was not afraid of Li Bailong's rejection, but he was afraid that Li Bailong had no interest at all!

Li Bailong refused. As a succubus of the Great Qi, he would always find a way to convince the other party. However, if Li Bailong had no interest, even if he was persuaded to take the position, he would just go through the motions and after working for a while without any results, he would turn around and run away to the Lingyu Sect, making everyone's work in vain.

Unfortunately, this kid has a complete escape route and is hard to control, so we can only lure him with benefits.

"It just looks strange. After all, the Education Department is still the main government of the Imperial Palace, and it holds great power. If you manage it well and achieve results, the court will definitely rely on you. Given time, the Education Department will definitely return to its former glory. In terms of power, it may be able to compete with the Wuwei Mansion..."

King Zhao said meaningfully: "After all, the nature of the Education Department is special. It was placed with high hopes when it was first established. It is the only department among the twelve prefectures of Lintai that combines the power of decision-making and execution..."

Li Bailong was surprised and asked: "How is this possible?"

"How is it impossible? In the beginning, Lintai did not have twelve prefectures. They were all established for specific events. They were given great power in the early stages of establishment, and decision-making and execution were unified, so that the situation could be quickly opened up. Later, when major events were settled, the decision-making power was slowly taken back. Wuwei Prefecture, Nongji Prefecture, and the like all had similar founding experiences."

The uncle replied, "When the Education Department was founded, it was highly valued and had great power and responsibility. However, the successive heads of the government failed to do their job well, and the situation has been declining. There is no such thing as 'taking back the decision-making power after success', so now it is still integrated with decision-making and execution. I think this is a good opportunity for you."

Li Bailong's expression moved slightly.

This subtle expression caught the emperor's uncle's attention and made him laugh secretly.

After all, they are young people, their character is not well-cultivated and it is difficult for them to control their emotions.

He continued, "Lingyu Sect promised to protect Baihua Valley, right? I told you before that if you agree, I will also take care of Baihua Valley, including the source of students, business, and even the advancement of the sect, so that your senior sister and even the fellow disciples who pass the martial arts examination will have a bright future."

"But the protection promised by outsiders can never be perfect and comprehensive. There will always be things that are not taken care of. How can you feel at ease with your own family? You have made achievements, entered the Lintai, become a half-step prime minister, a noble in the court, and revitalized the power of the Education Department. You are a giant in the court. Why do you need others to protect Baihua Valley?"

Li Bailong smiled faintly when he heard this.

"Uncle, please don't make empty promises. Who can predict what will happen in the future? I don't even know what you want me to do. You said I could be promoted to the imperial court and become a prime minister. If I really succeed by chance, won't someone take advantage of me, tear me down, and kill me?"

King Zhao was stunned and burst into laughter.

"You are lazy, kid." He pointed at Li Bailong, "I know you are a little cynical because of Wen Renzhuo's incident, but you don't have to worry about someone stealing the credit."

"To tell you the truth, the position of the head of the Education Department has been vacant for many years. This year I will take on the position concurrently. If you do a good job in the task assigned to you now, I will transfer you to the capital to be my deputy."

"I'm not good at this, so I won't interfere with you. If you achieve great results, in five years at the latest, when you are fully grown, the position of Palace Master can be handed over to you. From beginning to end, I will not hinder execution, interfere with personnel matters, or appoint my cronies. The only thing I will do is to clean up your mess - this is also the promise of King Zhao."

The uncle looked kind and gentle, and asked with a smile, "How is it?"

Li Bailong looked hesitant and indecisive, as if he was struggling with his own conscience.

After a while, he slowly exhaled and looked at his uncle.

There was helplessness, relief, and some indescribable expectation in that look.

——It’s done!
King Zhao had seen this familiar look in the eyes of countless talented people!
"Uncle, please speak frankly." Li Bailong said softly, "What exactly do you want me to do?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the joy on King Zhao's face turned into distress.

He hesitated and said in distress, "This is the most difficult part. After all, I can't tell you directly, but I still want you to understand... Let me organize my words."

After knocking on the table for a moment, King Zhao said in confusion: "I just guessed that you can do this job well, but if I want to be sure, I have to test you first."

"So I plan to send you to Huazhou to do something. If you succeed and prove that you are really capable, I will send you directly to the capital to enter the Lintai and take charge of the Education Department. If you fail, you will return to the Lingyu Sect and preside over the military reform. This matter has already been agreed with Biyoutian, and they are also happy to see it happen."

Huazhou.

The capital of Jiangbei Province, a hub of rivers and land, a thoroughfare, an important cultural center of the Great Qi Dynasty, and a place with developed folk art and entertainment.

Li Bailong's heart moved slightly, as if he vaguely realized something.

He nodded in thought: "Huazhou...what does the emperor's uncle want me to do?"

"The executive agencies of the Ministry of Education in various places are called 'Tongwen Bureaus', which means writing the same language. The work of the Tongwen Bureau in Huazhou is very bad. The officials are in collusion with each other and do their jobs very poorly. The atmosphere is disgusting and it is hard to describe in a few words. I will recruit you as the head of the Tongwen Bureau in Huazhou to rectify the administration of officials and restore its functions..."

The emperor's uncle looked at Li Bailong and hesitated for a moment.

His tone was slightly suspended and became less certain, but this was not because he was intentionally hiding something, but because even he himself found it difficult to sort out the causal logic.

After all, he just happened to notice an amazing phenomenon.

Then the only variable in this phenomenon was found.

Recruiting Li Bailong to do the job was not out of confidence in recruiting talented people, but just a matter of giving it a try when there was no other way or idea.

He tapped the table and said slowly: "After you take control of the Huazhou Tongwen Bureau, you will do in Huazhou what you did in Linxian."

Damn, I swallowed dozens of chapters yesterday. It was really exciting.

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(End of this chapter)