bookbashuk Chapter 1203 Barbara: Pay attention, don't lose points.
Chapter 1203 Barbara: Pay attention, don't lose points.
After the celebration banquet, on the square in front of Yuehai Pavilion.
Ke Qing sat alone in a chair next to the main table, her head drooping limply, her hands resting on her knees, exuding a sense of powerlessness.
It failed. Everything failed.
She had meticulously prepared a celebration banquet, hoping to persuade Ningguang through a face-to-face meeting. However, in the end, not only did she fail to get Ningguang to listen to a single word, but the banquet also ended in a bad mood, and she even lost her composure in front of all the merchants.
"What should I do..." she murmured to herself, her voice so faint it was like a mosquito's hum, her eyes uncontrollably reddening, her heart filled with despair.
If you can't even communicate face-to-face, how can you talk about changing Liyue's future?
In her melancholy, Ke Qing's thoughts involuntarily drifted to Shao Yun, remembering how he had saved her from distress on the beach.
She recalled what Ningguang had said, that Shaoyun had "saved" her at a crucial moment, which allowed her to successfully assume the position of Yuheng Star;
Finally, the image of herself secretly making a vow to Shao Yun's retreating figure flashed through her mind.
The sun shone brightly that day. She clenched her fist and promised in her heart that she would be a good star of Yuheng and live up to his recognition and Liyue's trust.
But what about now? Ningguang relies on Shao Yun as her "backer" in every way, stubbornly believing that only by attaching herself to Shao Yun can Liyue be stabilized.
He wanted to change his situation, but he couldn't even take the first step.
"Why... am I going to let Mr. Shao Yun down?" Ke Qing covered her face and said, choking back tears.
“Clearly, I swore an oath that day… Why, Mr. Shao Yun, are you now so supportive of Ningguang?”
She couldn't understand it, and she couldn't swallow her anger.
"Then why did you protect me in the first place? Did you think I was naive and ridiculous, and wanted to keep me around to laugh at me?"
What Ke Qing didn't know was that all her confusion and grievances stemmed from a huge misunderstanding.
The so-called "Shao Yun supports Ning Guang" is nothing more than Ning Guang using Shao Yun's "tiger skin" as a banner to intimidate people and consolidate his own power.
She suffered from "information asymmetry" from beginning to end, and was kept in the dark by the illusion woven by Ningguang.
Just as Keqing was immersed in self-doubt and sadness, Barbara slowly walked over and saw Keqing sitting alone in the shadows, looking emo.
Her advice ultimately failed... It's time to move on to the next step.
"Miss Keqing, what's wrong?" Barbara walked to Keqing's side and asked softly.
Upon hearing the voice, Keqing slowly raised her head, her face still streaked with tears. When she saw it was Barbara, a bitter smile appeared on her lips.
“I failed,” she explained, sniffing and speaking in a hoarse voice.
"I only managed to offer her a few words of advice before Ningguang changed the subject and started talking to me about her business profits, completely unwilling to discuss the future of Liyue with me..."
"Hehe, thinking back to how I was a few days ago, I'm really ridiculous." She shook her head, laughing at her own naiveté.
"I thought I could change something through the victory celebration, and that as long as I spoke my mind, Ningguang would waver."
"Now it seems that I was just deceiving myself, and I didn't even have the right to make her listen to me seriously."
……
Seeing Keqing wallowing in self-doubt after her failure, Barbara knew that now was the perfect time to unleash Zhongli's "backup plan" and push the project forward.
She took out the stack of organized intelligence data and gently placed it on the table in front of Ke Qing.
“Miss Keqing, one failure doesn’t mean anything. We have other ways.”
Ke Qing raised her tear-streaked face and looked blankly at the documents on the table, her eyes full of confusion.
Seeing this, Barbara continued to explain, "Ningguang's unwillingness to listen to your advice, and even her deliberate avoidance of key issues, shows that she has no intention of changing anything."
"Since the soft approach isn't working, let's try the hard approach. Contact the people we can win over in the contact information and confront Ningguang head-on!"
Keqing was stunned for a moment. She was facing Ningguang head-on. The last one was Maocai Gong.
"But how can we fight back? Ningguang has Shao Yun's reputation as a backer, and he also controls 70% of the business..."
“It is precisely because she seems stable that we must break this ‘stability’!” Barbara interrupted Keqing’s concerns, pointing to the name on the file.
“Look, these businesses whose industries were swallowed up by Ningguang and turned into professional managers have long been dissatisfied with her.”
"What about the other Seven Stars? Perhaps they also disapprove of her dictatorship; some people from Moon Sea Pavilion have even privately complained about Ningguang."
"As long as you step forward and take the lead, you can unite these people and form a force to fight against Ningguang!"
She paused, then encouraged, "Keep your spirits up, don't lose points. You are the Jade Balance Star of Liyue, and you have the responsibility to 'correct current malpractices and protect the people's livelihood.' As long as you raise your voice, there will definitely be people willing to follow you!"
"At that time, we can join forces with businesses to raise policy questions and with officials to demand transparent decision-making, exposing Ningguang's dictatorship to the public. Even if she has Shaoyun's reputation, she cannot ignore everyone's voice!"
Keqing looked at Barbara's determined eyes, then looked down at the densely packed intelligence reports on the table.
She remembered her promise to Shao Yun and her worries about Li Yue's future, and her hesitation was gradually replaced by a fierce determination.
She quickly wiped away her tears, clenched her fists, and steeled her resolve.
"Alright! We'll do as you say! I'll gather these people and confront Ningguang head-on!"
Then, Keqing took out her "Survival Hairpin". This hairpin had been with Keqing for a long time. Although she didn't use it on a daily basis, it had indeed been with her for a long time.
The function of this hairpin is similar to that of the pipe that Ningguang holds, which symbolizes the Libra scales. They are not used much; they are just a symbol of status.
Similarly, it has the effect of seeing the person as if seeing the object.
She looked at Barbara and continued, "There are so many businesses and people in the information, I can't contact them all by myself. Besides, some people are cautious by nature and may not easily trust strangers."
“Take this hairpin and contact them. Just seeing it will be as if I am here. Thank you, Miss Barbara.”
After receiving Keqing's "hairpin," Barbara agreed to continue helping her.
After all, Barbara had no choice but to agree.
……
After separating from Keqing, Barbara arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Rebirth and met with Zhongli, who had been waiting for her.
As soon as Barbara arrived at the entrance of the Hall of Rebirth, she saw a familiar figure standing at the door.
Zhongli was gazing absently at the distant Qunyu Pavilion.
Hearing footsteps, he slowly turned around, his gaze falling on Barbara, and asked calmly, "How did things go at the victory celebration?"
Barbara stepped forward and reported to Zhongli in detail about the argument between Keqing and Ningguang at the victory banquet, how their conversation broke down, and Keqing's final decision to fight back.
She didn't omit any details, including Keqing's loss of composure and her final resolute act, all of which were clearly described.
After listening, Zhongli raised his hand to rub his temples and sighed inwardly.
"As I expected, Ningguang would never give up the status and power she has gained. For her, power is the foundation of her existence, and once she lets go, everything she has achieved will vanish."
He paused, then added, "Actually, Ningguang's actions are not wrong under Liyue's rules."
"Since ancient times, the winner takes all and the loser eats the dust. This is the tacit rule in the business and political world."
"Her only mistake was failing to recognize the current situation and thinking that she could continue to use Shao Yun as a 'backer' indefinitely, believing that she could control Liyue forever by relying on Shao Yun's reputation."
“But little did they know, times have changed.” Zhong Li’s voice was now cold. “Shao Yun is now our enemy. To continue to rely on him is to have chosen the wrong side.”
Barbara stood aside, listening to Zhongli analyze the situation, but her heart remained unmoved.
She had no interest in things like "choosing the wrong side" or "power struggles." All she could think about now was completing the mission as soon as possible, settling the debt she owed Zhongli, so she could focus on preparing for Barbatos' resurrection.
She interrupted Zhongli's analysis and said directly, "Mr. Zhongli, I have already passed on the information you gave me to Miss Keqing."
"She also gave me her hairpin as a token, instructing me to use it to contact the merchants and influential people listed in the information. Next, I need to... go and discuss cooperation with those people according to the plan."
Seeing that Barbara was unwilling to listen, Zhongli encouraged her, "Well, thank you for your hard work. Contacting those people is not easy; most of them are cunning and calculating, so you need to be careful."
He then added, "Don't worry, I'll also secretly help you."
“I won’t leave you to face those ruthless merchants alone. If necessary, I will help you stabilize the situation.”
Barbara nodded on the surface upon hearing this, but inwardly she couldn't help but complain.
"That sounds nice, all this talk of 'secretly helping' and 'stabilizing the situation.' Isn't it just because you're afraid I lack experience and will mess things up, thus delaying your plans to transform Liyue?"
Despite the complaints, everything I'm doing now is worthwhile in order to resurrect my god and settle this heavy debt of gratitude.
Even if she is used as a pawn, even if she has to deal with those difficult merchants, she must grit her teeth and persevere.
“I understand, thank you, Mr. Zhongli.” Barbara raised her head, a submissive expression on her face. “I will do my best to complete the mission and will not let you down.”
Zhongli looked at her obedient appearance, nodded in satisfaction, and said nothing more, only giving her a word of advice:
"It's late, you should go back and rest. You can start contacting them again tomorrow."
……