Seeking good fortune and avoiding misfortune, I became a legend in the entertainment industry by avo

Chapter 176 Fierce Clash

Dong Qiyu was still reeling from the shock of being tricked when the door opened and a man walked in.

In her thirties.

She was wearing what she called a new Tang suit, her hair was dyed gray-white and tied in a small braid, and she was also holding a string of beads in her hand.

He had a cynical smile on his face.

His gaze swept over Dong Qiyu and Zhang Qilin.

"You must be Mr. Dong?" He pulled out a chair and sat down casually, crossing his legs, the beads jingling between his fingers. "My name is Zhou Mingxuan, I work in social media. I heard you're working on a rather interesting project, about Qin Liangyu?"

Dong Qiyu was already fuming, and seeing that this person had no manners whatsoever, she couldn't even be bothered to look at him properly.

If it weren't for promoting Hanfu, this kind of person wouldn't even be qualified to meet her.

Let alone trying to cause trouble in front of her.

Zhang Qilin asked in a calm tone, "Mr. Zhou, please introduce yourself first."

"An introduction? Search my name online, and you'll find tons of articles. As for my interests," Zhou Mingxuan's smile held a hint of mockery, "it's purely out of curiosity. These days, still using this kind of old-fashioned narrative of loyalty to the emperor, patriotism, and national heroes, Mr. Dong, don't you think it's a bit—outdated? Or rather, deliberate?"

Zhang Qilin frowned; this person wasn't here for an interview.

Zhou Mingxuan's words infuriated Dong Qiyu, who glared at him coldly: "Outdated? Qin Liangyu's spirit is a precious asset of the Chinese nation, how could it be outdated?"

"A valuable asset?" Zhou Mingxuan scoffed and shook his head. "President Dong, let's be frank. You're doing this simply to ride the wave of the revival of traditional culture, create some cultural and creative products, and attract some investment, right? Making money is nothing to be ashamed of."

"You—" Dong Qiyu slammed her hand on the table and stood up.

Zhang Qilin held onto Dong Qiyu's arm tightly, otherwise she might have pounced on him and bit Zhou Mingxuan to death.

He kept reminding himself that he had to stay calm in order to earn 5000 luck points and the destiny reward.

He was also very unhappy, but thinking about the contents of the bad fortune slip, he knew that the person in front of him was deliberately trying to cause trouble.

If they are provoked by the other party, they will really fall into their trap.

With Zhang Qilin holding him back, Dong Qiyu was unable to move.

She sat down angrily in the chair, her chest heaving, but her eyes were fixed on Zhou Mingxuan.

Zhou Mingxuan seemed oblivious to her anger and continued in a barbed tone, "Didn't the Ming Dynasty fall because it was destined to? Didn't the people she protected also live under the Qing Dynasty later? If you ask me, her story is a tragedy of being held hostage by the cannibalistic ethics of loyalty, filial piety, and chastity. Are you promoting her so that modern women will follow her example and recklessly become chastity arches?"

"You're talking nonsense!" Dong Qiyu couldn't hold back any longer. She stood up abruptly, pointed at Zhou Mingxuan, and said, "You think you know that period of history and then spout nonsense here? She wasn't kidnapped. She chose to take responsibility and protect her hometown. Her loyalty was to the country and its people, not to any particular emperor."

"Oh dear, you're getting impatient," Zhou Mingxuan said, showing no fear whatsoever, but rather as if he had seen the reaction he had been waiting for.

He even adjusted his posture, and the beads in his hands were being turned even faster: "Look, you get angry as soon as you start talking. Mr. Dong, your mental fortitude isn't up to par. When doing cultural projects, especially those that are prone to controversy, you have to be able to withstand questioning and discussion."

"I only said a few truthful things, and you're already jumping up and down with insults. If this project grows bigger and all sorts of opinions emerge online, won't you get a heart attack from all that anger?"

Then, his smile turned somewhat sinister: "Or perhaps, deep down you know that the hero you're promoting is utterly untenable? That's why you can't tolerate the slightest dissenting opinion?"

Dong Qiyu felt the blood rush to her head, and the string of reason snapped.

She grabbed the ashtray beside her and was about to throw it at Zhou Mingxuan.

"I'll teach you to talk nonsense!"

Zhang Qilin reacted quickly, grabbing Dong Qiyu's wrist as she held the ashtray.

"If you throw it, how will this person spread rumors? How will the news report this? Do you still want to promote Hanfu?" Zhang Qilin's voice made Dong Qiyu, who was about to explode, pause in her actions.

Taking advantage of the opportunity, Zhang Qilin snatched the ashtray from her hand and forced her into her seat.

A fleeting hint of disappointment crossed Zhou Mingxuan's face, but he quickly masked it, shrugging: "Look, this teacher is much calmer. In a discussion, there's give and take."

Zhang Qilin looked at Zhou Mingxuan and said in a calm tone, "Mr. Zhou, we have heard your point of view. However, our project has its own positioning. If Mr. Zhou does not agree with it at all, or even has academic prejudice, then I'm afraid we are not on the same page."

"Thank you for taking the time to come today. Please go back now," Zhang Qilin said in a steady voice.

"Hey, are you kicking us out already?" Zhou Mingxuan adopted a rogue-like attitude. "I haven't finished speaking yet. You can't tolerate different opinions and you're running a one-man show. Isn't that a bit much? If word gets out, it'll damage your project's reputation—"

Zhang Qilin stood up and walked up to Zhou Mingxuan, saying with a smile, "Mr. Zhou, I said the interview is over. If you can't leave, I'll have the hotel security take you out. I think you wouldn't want to be dragged out by more people to see that, would you?"

Zhang Qilin's height of over 1.8 meters stood like a wall in front of Zhou Mingxuan, giving him a sense of oppression.

If Dong Qiyu tries to hit him, he will simply offer his face to her and let her hit him.

Women are ultimately not as strong as men; even if they use a lot of force, it will only result in superficial injuries.

Then he would make a big fuss about it, hoping to cause a huge uproar online and gain some attention.

But the burly man in front of me, although he looked to be in his forties, was in excellent physical condition.

If a fight breaks out and you end up losing, it would be a huge loss.

He came here to cause trouble, but he's not stupid.

He knew very well who could truly hurt him.

"Alright, alright," Zhou Mingxuan stood up. "I'm leaving, but there are some things you shouldn't ignore today, or you'll regret it later—"

Zhang Qilin followed Zhou Mingxuan and escorted him to the door.

Seeing Zhou Mingxuan open the door, Zhang Qilin secretly breathed a sigh of relief.

Their recruitment this time is to find suitable lecturers, and they don't want to cause any unnecessary trouble.

Of course, he was enduring this humiliation in order to gain more rewards.

After Zhou Mingxuan left, he asked Dong Qiyu to end today's recruitment.

If this continues, he might not be able to hold back.

As soon as the door opened, Zhou Mingxuan stood motionless in the doorway. He waved to a spot not far to his right and said, "Teacher Xiang, long time no see. What brings you here?"

Zhang Qilin saw a fat man with crooked eyes and a crooked mouth walking down the corridor to his right. Behind him was a boy holding a handheld digital video camera, filming him.

It was Xiang Dong, a public intellectual who was quite active on the internet.

Xiang Dong grinned: "At the enthusiastic invitation of the masses, I've been asked to talk about Emperor Kangxi, one of the greatest emperors in Chinese history. What are you doing here?"

"Professor Xiang, you are an influential public figure. Please be the judge," Zhou Mingxuan said, looking aggrieved. "I came with good intentions to offer some differing academic views, and I was rudely kicked out. Has our current cultural discussion environment become so intolerant of people's voices?"

Xiang Dong raised his hand to signal Zhou Mingxuan to calm down, then looked at Zhang Qilin behind him.

He flashed what he thought was a friendly smile: "Hello sir, what are you discussing? I'm a historian, and I can offer some advice if there's anything you don't understand."

As he spoke, he walked into the conference room.

Zhou Mingxuan took a few steps back to make way for Xiang Dong.

The cameraman followed them in.

As an active public intellectual on the internet, Xiang Dong's remarks and stances have always been controversial for his personal interests.

Seeing this situation, Zhang Qilin knew that this matter could not be resolved peacefully.

Moreover, the other party has a camera; pushing them out will only allow them to distort the story online by taking things out of context.

The group sat down at the conference table again, and Xiang Dong pretended to ask Zhou Mingxuan what had happened.

Zhou Mingxuan embellished the story.

Dong Qiyu tried to stand up several times, but Zhang Qilin held her down each time.

He waited for the other party to make a move.

After Zhou Mingxuan finished speaking, Xiang Dong looked at Zhang Qilin and the other man with a smile: "Qin Liangyu is of course an extraordinary woman, there is no doubt about that, but I have studied the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties for many years and have always advocated looking at issues from a higher perspective."

"In the late Ming Dynasty, corruption was indeed rampant, the people were suffering, and the dynasty's fate was sealed. When the Qing Dynasty entered the Central Plains, there was certainly war and bloodshed, but we must see that it brought a new atmosphere and a new order."

"The reigns of the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong emperors were truly a golden age, with a territory and national strength that even the Han and Tang dynasties could not match."

"From the perspective of historical contributions, I believe that the Qing Dynasty was another peak in the development of Chinese culture."

Zhang Qilin's voice was neither too loud nor too soft: "May I ask you a few questions?"

Xiang Dong smiled and nodded: "Of course, it's an academic discussion."

Zhang Qilin asked calmly, "Then, Mr. Xiang, you said the Kangxi, Yongzheng, and Qianlong reigns were a golden age. May I ask, what did the common people eat? Bran, wild vegetables,..."

Guanyin clay, or even—”

"Food is the most important thing for the people. During the Qianlong era, the national population nearly tripled, but the cultivated land did not increase accordingly. Coupled with years of disasters, there are numerous records in local chronicles of people selling their children and starving to death."

"Professor Xiang, you study the history of the Ming and Qing dynasties, so you must have read the 'Treatise on Disasters and Anomalies' in the 'Draft History of the Qing Dynasty,' right? During the reign of Emperor Qianlong alone, there were dozens of large-scale famines. Emperor Kangxi was eating chaff and drinking thin gruel. Is this what you call a 'prosperous age'?"

Xiang Dong's smile froze slightly, but he quickly recovered: "Mr. Zhang, every dynasty has its natural disasters. You can't use isolated incidents to condemn an ​​entire era—"

"An isolated incident?" Zhang Qilin's voice remained calm. "The shaving of heads and changing of clothes, the choice between keeping one's head and losing one's hair, the eighty-one days in Jiangyin," the entire city's people fought to the last moment, and after the city fell, corpses littered the fields. Teacher, is this also a new phenomenon?"

Zhou Mingxuan stopped playing the beads in his hand and subconsciously glanced at Xiang Dong.

Xiang Dong's face had turned somewhat pale: "That's emotional nationalism. We need to look at history from a developmental perspective. The Qing army did indeed use violence when they entered the pass, but that was an inevitable price to pay for a change of dynasty. You can't—"

Zhang Qilin gave him no chance to catch his breath: "You say the Qing Dynasty was the pinnacle of Chinese culture, then I ask you, where is that pinnacle? Poetry? Qing poetry is hailed as a revival," but which poem can compare to Li Bai, Du Fu, Su Shi, and Xin Qiji? Novels? Science and technology? Astronomy, mathematics, medicine?

"Compared to the late Ming Dynasty, was the Qing Dynasty an improvement or a regression? The late Ming Dynasty produced works such as *Tiangong Kaiwu*, *Bencao Gangmu*, and *Nongzheng Quanshu*, while the Qing Dynasty, in compiling the *Siku Quanshu*, altered and destroyed 15 ancient books —"

Dong Qiyu stared wide-eyed at Zhang Qilin, never expecting this kid to know so much.

Zhou Mingxuan couldn't sit still any longer. He coughed lightly and said, "Well—Professor Xiang is a scholar, we can't be so aggressive—"

"Academic discussions are about give and take," Zhang Qilin returned Zhou Mingxuan's words verbatim. "What, I only said a few truths, and Professor Xiang can't handle it? How will you maintain your public figure image if people ask you about it online later?"

Xiang Dong's face flushed red and then turned pale, going from embarrassment to anger.

"You're using a fallacy," he raised his voice. "I'm not talking about these trivial details. I'm talking about the big picture of history. Every dynastic change has its ups and downs. You can't use a local phenomenon to negate the whole."

Zhang Qilin calmly looked at Xiang Dong: "Teacher Xiang, you said we should look at problems from a higher perspective. Let me tell you what 'higher' means. Why is Qin Liangyu remembered? Because she chose to protect the people in a chaotic world—"

Enraged, Xiang Dong slammed his fist on the table: "You're launching this project under the guise of promoting traditional culture, but what are you really trying to do? Are you trying to emulate the Xinhai Revolution?"

""

Upon hearing the other person mention the Xinhai Revolution, Zhang Qilin's expression immediately changed: "What about the Xinhai Revolution?"