Daming: I help my wife be the empress

Chapter 586 The Road to Booksellers, the Dilemma of the Beijing News

Outside the city of Nanjing, where the Beijing News is located.

Because of work needs, this is also a large yard, even bigger than the one of the Da Ming Pao newspaper office, but it is relatively rough in terms of architecture and decoration.

Tomorrow is June [-]th, and it is the day when "Da Ming Pao" will be published, so the people of Beijing News got busy ahead of time.

In a main hall, when the candles were lit, senior officials of the Beijing News were discussing matters.

"Boss, this is an addition to the next newspaper issue, please take a look." The editor-in-chief Chu Liangcai said and handed a stack of written manuscripts to Zhang Yuansheng.

Speaking of which, Chu Liangcai did not originally have the position of editor-in-chief of the newspaper. Although he was born as a scholar, he was only a manager after being hired by Zhang Yuansheng a few years ago-in charge of those below who wrote new content on the basis of the newspaper. Poor scholar.

As for Zhang Yuansheng, he was originally just a middle-level bookseller who went astray.

What is a crooked way?He does not sell four books and five classics, imperial examination materials, novels, poetry collections, etc. like other booksellers, but monopolizes novels such as "Jin Moumei", which are despised by mainstream scholars but loved by most young literate people. Even picture books.

When the business was the best, he even sold picture books such as "Jin Moumei" to overseas countries such as North Korea and Japan.

It's a pity that there is an upper limit to crooked ways, and he is just a middle-level businessman after all he does.Later, in order to go a step further, he learned from others to recruit and sell Dibao, and went a step further and developed his own "Beijing News".

As expected, he did not make a mistake in this step. As the influence of the Beijing News expanded, he was valued by many gentry, big landlords, and big businessmen, and finally entered the upper class circle and became a big businessman.

Now Zhang Yuansheng is over sixty years old, but he is still in good spirits. The business of selling books has been handed over to his son, but he is in charge of Beijing himself.

After the "Da Ming Pao" appeared in the world, Zhang Yuansheng was astonished as a man of heaven, and quickly showed courage to make major changes to the Beijing News, almost completely imitating the Da Ming Pao newspaper.

For example, under the Beijing News, there are now editorial offices, distribution managers, printing workshops, financial houses and other institutions, most of which are only one or two characters away from those under the Ming Pao.

As for the layout of the newspaper, it is almost in line with the "Da Ming Pao".

Among them, writing in vernacular Chinese, publishing "advertisements" for businessmen in newspapers to solicit business, and soliciting manuscripts from other folks, these three ideas were most admired by Zhang Yuansheng.

Of course, the Beijing News did not simply copy the content of the Da Ming Pao from the very beginning, but added material, that is, added some of its own content.

As for changing the Da Ming Pao article, someone had paid Zhang Yuansheng to do it, but after much deliberation, he still bit the bullet and refused, and offended a few powerful people for this.

Because he had a feeling that if he really falsified the "Da Ming Pao" article and published it, he would be punished.After all, there are not only many explanations of the imperial government's decrees, but even the emperor's original words.

Does tampering with Da Ming Pao articles count as distorting the Holy Will?Even false preaching?
That's a serious crime of beheading and ransacking...
Zhang Yuansheng helped the reading glasses worth hundreds of taels on the bridge of his nose, his eyes lingered on one of the manuscripts for a long time, then handed it to Chu Liangcai, and asked: "For the sake of using (Chu Liangcai's words), please take a look at this manuscript." What exactly do you mean? Are you playing against the imperial court’s ‘Great Steelmaking Order’?”

When Zhang Yuansheng was a teenager, he also aspired to study and become an official. Unfortunately, after several exams, even a boy student failed to pass the exam, so he gave up his studies and went back to inherit the family business as a bookseller.

Of course, he is 60 years old, has run the Beijing News for many years, and has dealt with people in the upper circles, so he still has some knowledge.

It's just that the scholar's articles are already tactful, and the articles that contradict the imperial court are written more obscurely, and sometimes it is difficult for him to figure out the meaning.

At this time, people with more literary talents and knowledge are needed as staff officers.

Chu Liangcai had read all the manuscripts, took a look at this time, and said: "This article is indeed against the 'Great Steel Making Order', after all, when the emperors of the Ming Dynasty were in power before, mine mining was considered to be an act of competing with the people , mine miners are considered the source of disaster.

In the last ten years of his reign, the first emperor always wanted to open mines to increase his annual income and solve the problem of military pay, but was repeatedly blocked by courtiers, and it was not until the 14th year of Chongzhen that he was forced to implement it..."

Having said this, Chu Liang stopped suddenly, because he noticed that Zhang Yuansheng was showing impatience, and then he realized that it was useless to talk about these government affairs with Zhang Yuansheng.

After thinking for a while, he said: "In my Jiangnan gentry family or clan, there are many people who profit from mining, and many of them are black mines that have not been reported to the Secretary.

If the large-scale iron and steel smelting orders are implemented in various places, the mining affairs will inevitably be stricter.Black mines are very likely to be found out and severely punished by the government, and the mines on the bright side must also increase the treatment of miners.

In addition, although some mineral deposits have not been exploited, they are regarded as belongings by various families.Under the Great Iron and Steel Smelting Order, it must be mined by the court or others. Isn't it like digging out the flesh of these people?
This Jinling Cassia is the ghostwriter of these people, and there are several people behind you, my boss, so I am afraid that this article must be arranged. "

Zhang Yuansheng frowned.

After a while of silence, he suddenly said, "I have news that the imperial court established a news department under the formerly empty shell of the Propaganda Department."

"Information Department?" Chu Liangcai's expression changed when he heard that, remembering that Da Ming Daily often referred to current events as news, he couldn't help asking: "Could this department be related to our newspaper industry?"

"I heard that those newspapers are in charge of us, even the "Da Ming Pao" newspaper office, they are all under it."

hiss~
Chu Liang couldn't help taking a breath, and then said: "If so, I'm afraid the imperial court will really do something to me and other folk newspapers, but I don't know how to do it? Ban it all?"

Zhang Yuansheng shook his head, "If they are all banned, just issue an imperial decree. Why do we need to set up a special department? Most likely they want to control us."

"Then the boss has found out who the official in charge of the Information Department is? It is very important to have a good relationship with this person."

"Not yet." Zhang Yuansheng shook his head, "But since we know this, we have to take it easy when we publish the publication.

Now the imperial court is making great efforts for the "Decree of Great Steelmaking" and "Decree of Great Railway Construction". Obviously, it is very determined to implement these two policies. If we jump out at this time and sing against the imperial court, I am afraid that there will be no good results. "

"Then the manuscript of Cassia will not be arranged in the next issue?"

Zhang Yuansheng showed hesitation when he heard the words—the people behind Cassia Zi had too much energy, and it was simply not something he could resist now.

Gritting his teeth, he said: "It still needs to be arranged, but you can polish it up so that the meaning of the text can be hidden deeper."

Revising the manuscript overnight?

Chu Liangcai didn't want to do the job as soon as he heard about it, he couldn't help but said: "Master, Cassia is the most jealous of others touching his manuscripts, I'm afraid we can't explain to him if we do this."

"I'll tell him later."

After deciding on this matter, Zhang Yuansheng continued to read the additional manuscripts, only to find that several were against the imperial court, some of which were aimed at the "big iron and steel smelting order", and some were aimed at other policies. The meaning of the text was even more obvious than that of cassia seed .

"Isn't it okay for these people not to sing against the court?"

Zhang Yuansheng felt a headache, and even regretted being too deeply connected with those people.

'If things go on like this, isn't the Beijing News going to become the biggest front against the imperial government's policies?How can there be a good end like this? '

Thinking of the incomparably elite new troops in the military parade held last year when the Holy Majesty ascended the throne, and thinking about the fate of those grain merchants and landlords who opposed the Zhaowu court, Zhang Yuansheng only felt a chill in his neck on a hot day.

Chu Liangcai could understand part of Zhang Yuansheng's difficulties, but he couldn't solve them - after all, the Beijing News was able to grow to the scale it is today because of those people.

Just when Zhang Yuansheng was upset looking at the remaining manuscripts in his hand, there was a sudden exclamation from outside.

Then there was the sound of armor clashing and stern shouting.

"The imperial guards are assisting the Information Department and the Jinyiwei in handling affairs. This place is already surrounded. Please cooperate honestly and don't move!"

"Master, please forgive me, we are not thieves."

"I was just hired to do a job and I didn't know anything."

"Master Jun, our boss and several shopkeepers are inside..."

Zhang Yuansheng, Chu Liangcai and other Beijing News executives were panicking when they heard that someone had sold them out.

Thinking of the Imperial Guards surrounding here, he completely lost the thought of running away, looked at each other, and walked out obediently.

(End of this chapter)