Chapter 236: Whispers and Schemes in Mingsha City

Insider? Could this be about those barricaded areas in Mingsha City, the ones under Li’s control?!

Niu Hongchang leaned back abruptly.

To be honest, with the boost from A Chinese Odyssey and online chatter from tourists, nearly everyone following Mingsha City has become curious about that area; Niu Hongchang is no exception.

“Some parts are, some parts aren’t!”

Zhang Si said.

“What do you mean?”

Niu Hongchang’s interest grew stronger.

“The post stated that aside from preparing to shoot an upcoming light-hearted ancient costume comedy in the cordoned-off section of Mingsha City, they’re actually planning to build Yuelu Academy!”

“What? Build Yuelu Academy?”

Niu Hongchang was momentarily stunned.

Well, the post revealed that the Ancient Architecture Research Institute plans to establish a new university in Mingsha City called Mingsha Academy, and in a bid to fully embrace traditional aesthetics, they intend to replicate Yuelu Academy exactly—using the renowned academy as their blueprint!

“This…”

Taking a moment to recover, Niu Hongchang said, “Mingsha City is really pushing the envelope! Is this for real? It almost sounds like they’re deliberately boasting—just declaring a university to be built?”

Frankly, that area used to be a no-man’s land! Mingsha County barely has a hundred thousand people—how can a small county build a university?

After a pause, Niu Hongchang added.

Besides, Jinlong Ancient City has been operating for over a decade without daring to add extra attractions in its park, yet Mingsha City not only plans a university but also wants to mimic Yuelu Academy.

It all sounds like idle chatter from a king at night!

“General Niu, the plan to build a university should be legit!”

After the post went live, netizens even checked the education department’s website and found that Mingsha College had indeed been approved. However, this university isn’t managed by Mingsha City—it’s run by the Ancient Architecture Research Institute, focusing on ancient architecture and restoration.

But whether they plan to mimic Yuelu Academy remains unclear.

While speaking, Zhang Si’s face revealed a trace of distaste.

If this university really gets built, it will bring a steady influx of residents to Mingsha City. Unless its accreditation is revoked, that area won’t run short of regular patrons.

Even a mediocre college attracts high school graduates—after all, they earn a bachelor’s degree.

“What about the rest?”

Strangely, once the university project was confirmed, Niu Hongchang’s good mood evaporated—the thrill of an exclusive premiere completely vanished.

“The post also spilled that Mingsha City is preparing several other exhibits for the Cultural Expo—planning to showcase all traditional snacks from the provinces of Long Kingdom and even aiming to recreate Emperor Qin Shi Huang’s grand sacrifice ceremony.”

Upon hearing this, Zhang Si added,

“All the traditional snacks from every province? And a grand sacrifice ceremony? Building a college is one thing—but these two seem a bit exaggerated.”

Not to mention, how many local specialties does Long Kingdom really have, and how do they plan to pull off the grand ceremony?

Niu Hongchang’s brows furrowed instantly.

“General Niu, I agree there’s some exaggeration at play, but Mingsha City never shies away from bold schemes—they might actually be planning this.”

“If Mingsha City really goes through with this, wouldn’t it be a disadvantage for us? It would surely attract loads of local and international media.”

Niu Hongchang slowly reclined in his chair.

In his view, this was hardly good news.

“General Niu, from where I stand, this could actually work in our favor!”

Zhang Si looked at Niu Hongchang.

“Favorable?”

“General Niu, if these two projects move ahead as the post suggests, H Country will be the first to sweat. If I recall correctly, they’ve already secured intangible heritage status for their kimchi and palace rituals. But how can palace rituals ever compare with a grand sacrifice ceremony? Besides, the kimchi from Long Kingdom’s Sichuan Province apparently has a much longer history than H Country’s.”

So once H Country catches wind of this, they’ll undoubtedly make a big fuss over these projects to save face—and that would ease the pressure on our project considerably.

Zhang Si voiced his opinion.

“H Country?”

After the analysis, Niu Hongchang gradually regained his composure, no longer as fired up as before.

“Yeah! Without this post, the two projects might have caught everyone off guard at the expo! But now that they’re pre-exposed, the element of surprise is gone.”

Instead, all the pressure falls on Mingsha City. If they can’t pull it off or if H Country still overshadows them, Mingsha City will be the disgrace of Long Kingdom.

Clearing his throat, Zhang Si continued,

“Now that you mention it, you’re right!”

Niu Hongchang subconsciously stroked his chin.

“That’s why I find this post so amusing. If it’s truly from an insider, that person must be an idiot! They thought it would boost Mingsha City’s image, but instead they’ve revealed all their cards and thrown the city into the spotlight.”

Zhang Si added.

In his view, although the public is intrigued by Mingsha City’s secrecy, the city never feels compelled to respond—that’s just their usual style.

“So where was this post made? Can we be sure it’s from an insider in Mingsha City?”

After a long silence…

Niu Hongchang looked over at Zhang Si.

“The post’s IP address is indeed from Mingsha City, but we can’t conclude it’s from an insider just yet! However, I suspect it almost certainly is—using Mingsha Academy by referencing Yuelu Academy is classic Mingsha City. After all, Yuelu Academy is Long Kingdom’s top ancient academy, unmatched in renown and scale!”

“What else could Mingsha City possibly mimic?”

“Oh, that is indeed interesting.”

Niu Hongchang’s expression relaxed considerably.

“So, we’ll just sit back and watch the show.”

In reality, Zhang Si from Jinlong Ancient City caught wind of the post; online,

on a well-known forum, this mysterious post had already sparked endless debates, with netizens divided in their opinions.

“I was just wondering, is this for real?”

“It must be! Just the audacity to build Yuelu Academy is enough.”

“If it’s true, the expo at year’s end will be a lot more exciting. Visiting Mingsha City to sample traditional snacks from across the nation would be a great experience.”

“Yeah, and the grand sacrifice ceremony too! It promises to be spectacular.”

“Spectacular, my foot. Are you all really that clueless or just pretending? This rumored cultural exhibit by Mingsha City is now exposed prematurely—what’s H Country going to say? Won’t they scoop up these ideas and present them in their own projects?”

“Ah!”

“In theory, the more secretive a cultural exhibit is, the better. This post is nothing but a ploy for attention—a complete idiot move! I suggest Mingsha City launch a thorough investigation to find the leaker.”

Following such comments, many netizens gradually began to react.

“So, what now?”

Although netizens often complain about how bad their country is, deep down they still don’t want to be outdone by H Country.

“What choice do we have? We can only scrap these projects and start over!”

“Scrap them? I think it’s already too late.”

“How can it be too late?”

“Think about it—the traditional food plan and the grand sacrifice ceremony are already the pinnacle of cultural exhibits. What could possibly top them?”

“Any changes would only make it worse!”

“This…”

Many netizens were left dumbfounded once again.

“So that poster is a complete idiot and should be severely punished. Honestly, if I knew who it was, I’d have given them a couple of punches already.”

“So what do we do now?”

“What else can we do? It all depends on how Mingsha City handles it. I’d bet most likely they’ll stubbornly stick to their original plans for these two exhibits.”

“Sigh, it was originally a great opportunity, but now…”

In Yan City at the Director Association, Ding Xiaoping and Bai Ming sat at a computer, watching as online comments and posts quickly trended, their faces breaking into satisfied smiles.

“President, that move of yours is just brilliant!”

Coming back to reality,

Bai Ming couldn’t help but give Ding Xiaoping a thumbs up.

Ever since this edition of the Film Festival was labeled the worst in history by netizens, the Director Association has been set on making life tough for Mingsha City.

After much thought, they came up with this tactic.

In their eyes, it was a stroke of genius beyond compare.

In order to get the post out,

Ding Xiaoping even sent someone to Mingsha City. This so-called leak was posted covertly from inside the Mingsha Tourism office building, making it look like it came straight from within Mingsha City.

“Hehe, this is just the appetizer!”

Ding Xiaoping narrowed his eyes.

In crafting this post, the Director Association staff stretched their imaginations to the limit—aiming for nothing short of genius! In his view, when it came to traditional snacks and palace rituals, Mingsha City was doomed to fail.

And don’t forget about Yuelu Academy!

If Mingsha City manages to build Yuelu Academy, it will lose its novelty among the public. But if they fail, it could completely tarnish the reputation of Mingsha Academy!

Who would want their child to attend a university that can’t deliver on its promises?

“This is just the appetizer?”

At that, Bai Ming was momentarily stunned.

For some reason, seeing Ding Xiaoping’s expression sent a chill down Bai Ming’s spine—even a twinge of relief. Thankfully, he was with the Director Association; otherwise, things could have turned ugly.

“Of course! If Mingsha City messes with me, I won’t let them off easy! They’ll have no time to even cry!”

Ding Xiaoping shot a glance at the computer screen.

“So, what do you plan to do?”

Coming back to reality,

Bai Ming quickly responded,

“Besides the traditional snacks and palace rituals, doesn’t Mingsha City have two more exhibits—ancient architecture and traditional medicine? We’ll target those next. But first, let’s let this wind blow a bit longer; once all the social media starts buzzing about the food and palace rituals, we’ll make our move.”

“Targeting ancient architecture and traditional medicine?”

Bai Ming hesitated for a moment.

In his view, these two subjects lack substance and are unlikely to spark much interest—after all, everyone knows Mingsha City’s forte is ancient architecture.

PS: Brothers, there are two more chapters tonight. Lao Ba is adjusting his rhythm these days and will make up for earlier delays.