Amazon agreed to allow only five-star reviews for Xi’s book in China

One parable I enjoyed went something like this (paraphrasing extensively because I don't remember details/names).

Mr. Lao was the personal secretary of the king in one of the titular warring states. This gave him a lot of power and influence, in particular because he managed the king's schedule and chose who would receive an audience. One day, a wealthy merchant named Mr. Hsu requested an audience. Mr. Lao was curious, because Mr. Hsu had a reputation for being the handsomest dude in the land. So he goes to his wife and is like "do you think I'm more handsome than Mr. Hsu?" and she said "Of course you are darling". Then he goes to visit his concubine and is like "do you think in more handsome than Mr. Hsu? And the concubine is like "of course you are!". The next day, a merchant like Mr Hsu was waiting in the crowd to request an audience with the king. Mr. Lao asked the same question, and the merchant told him that of course Lao was better looking. The time for Mr. Hsu's audience came, and when he stepped into the room Mr. Lao was like "Damn, that guy is way more handsome than I am".

After the audience, he cleared the room and spoke to the king. "Your majesty, before seeing Mr. Hsu with my own eyes I asked 3 people who they thought was more handsome. My wife said me, because she loves me. My side-chick said me, because she fears me. A petitioner said me, because he wanted something from me. Nevertheless, my appearance is nothing compared to the good looks of Mr. Hsu"

The king pondered this for a few moments before speaking. "My trusted servant, I see your point. From here on out, have our guards and spies give a $10 reward to anyone who criticizes me in private. Give a $100 reward to any petitioner who justifiably thinks I've made a mistake, even if I eventually rule against them. Give $1,000 to any of my advisors who talks shit about me behind my back. Give $10,000 to the ones that have the balls to speak criticisms to me directly."

This was an expensive program, because people will always find something to complain about. But every week, Mr. Lao found himself distributing fewer and fewer bounties. The kingdom ran smoother and smoother as the king heard criticisms that people were afraid to levy before.