Chapter 82: Freedom Fighter
Denico hurried forward, barking at the bewildered foreman, "What are you standing around for? Apologize! This is the owner of our newspaper."
"Yes, yes." The foreman nervously took a few steps back, bowing repeatedly. "I, I'm terribly sorry."
Joseph gestured to the surrounding workers. "You should apologize to them."
"Ah, right." The foreman turned and bowed his head to the shabbily dressed people. "I apologize..."
Denico frowned, shaking his head to signal, "Let's go."
The foreman scrambled backward out of the storeroom, stumbling over a roll of rope used for binding books and almost falling.
The workers all cast grateful glances at Joseph. Some of the bolder ones even bowed to him, saying, "Thank you, my lord. You are truly a kind and benevolent man."
Joseph noticed the cracked skin on the workers' hands and instructed Denico, "Mr. Denico, please buy some lanolin for everyone to use for free. We must prevent chilblains.
"Also, every year during the coldest month, pay them an extra week's wages as a winter allowance."
The workers could hardly believe their ears. They felt that this young noble owner was practically an angel incarnate. Not only did he stop the foreman from hitting people indiscriminately, but he was also incredibly generous to them.
These unassuming laborers weren't very articulate, so they simply resumed their work in silence. However, their movements were noticeably faster than before, and they were more meticulous when bundling and arranging the books.
Joseph continued walking through the gaps between the stacks of books, picking up a small pamphlet. He saw that its paper was yellowish-gray and coarse, clearly of the lowest quality, and the printing was rudimentary. It was simply stitched together in the middle with some plant fibers, barely holding together.
However, the pamphlet had a full 16 pages, including five illustrations.
He looked at the mountain of books and turned to ask, "Mr. Denico, how many copies were printed this time?"
Denico quickly stepped forward. "Your Highness, thirty thousand of each type of pamphlet were printed. That should be enough for sales in Paris and the surrounding towns."
Joseph nodded. "What is the cost of one of these pamphlets?"
"Because it has more pages, it costs 1 sou and 5 denier," Denico added. "The lithographic printing you invented is truly miraculous. Without it, the cost would definitely exceed 3 sou."
In fact, with old copperplate printing, no pamphlet would dare to include five illustrations – the cost of engraving the copperplates would increase the pamphlet's cost several times over.
It could be said that the pamphlets launched by the Paris Business Journal this time were absolutely the gold standard of the pamphlet world.
Joseph said without hesitation, "Then sell them at cost price."
"Yes, Your Highness." Denico was already accustomed to his boss's extravagance. The pricing of the last batch of newspapers would have resulted in a loss if not for the shops clamoring to place advertisements.
Joseph opened the pamphlet in his hand. The first few pages contained feel-good fiction, with an article titled "Just How Much Money Have the High Court Judges Stolen?" inserted in the middle.
After that, four more such articles were interspersed between the feel-good stories.
Joseph quickly skimmed through them, finding that the articles' quality was quite unsatisfactory. The writing was tedious and failed to sufficiently rouse the readers' anger or evoke much empathy.
He couldn't help but frown slightly. "The articles need to be more provocative."
Denico nodded awkwardly. "Yes, I will do my utmost."
Joseph knew it wasn't his fault. The Paris Business Journal used to be a small newspaper with a circulation of only a few hundred copies, and its editors' capabilities were limited.
He thought for a moment, then pointed to the pamphlet in his hand. "We can start by improving the titles.
"For example, 'Just How Much Money Have the High Court Judges Stolen?' could be changed to 'Outrage! 'If You're Poor, Get Lost! You Don't Deserve to Win,' They Said.'
"The next article, 'The Truth Behind Chief Justice Vezinier's Handling of Leon's Inheritance Case,' could be called 'Shocking! A Widow, Two Men, and Chief Justice Vezinier: A Story That Must Be Told.'
"'The Impact of the Tax Bill's Failure to Pass on National Finances' could be changed to 'Horrifying! They're Stealing France's Money, and We're None the Wiser.'..."
Denico's eyes widened instantly.
These new titles, while seemingly having some slight connection to the article content, weren't quite the same thing.
However, the main point was that these titles were incredibly enticing. Anyone who saw them would undoubtedly be compelled to read the articles!
He sighed inwardly, 'If the Crown Prince were a journalist, he'd be fought over by every major newspaper just for his talent in crafting headlines.'
As Joseph was speaking, he saw a newspaper manager signal to Denico from a distance. The latter quickly said to Joseph,
"Your Highness, your guest has arrived."
Joseph nodded and went with Denico to the newspaper office.
A disheveled, middle-aged man with deep furrows had been waiting there.
Seeing them enter, he quickly rose and bowed to Denico. "It's a pleasure to meet you, Mr. Denico. Thank you for publishing my article. What can I do for you?"
Denico, following Joseph's instructions, immediately said to him, "Mr. Xavier, this is Mr. Marat."
He then pointed to Joseph, who was wearing a tricorn hat. "Mr. Marat, this is the owner of our newspaper, Mr. Xavier.
"Oh, it was his directive that allowed your article to be published."
Marat quickly bowed to Joseph. "Thank you very much, Mr. Xavier. You are truly young and accomplished, managing the Paris Business Journal so admirably."
Joseph smiled and returned the greeting, gesturing to a nearby chair. "Mr. Marat, please sit."
Yes, his main purpose for coming to the newspaper office today was to meet Marat — the renowned Jacobin leader from history, a god of slaughter who could send three thousand heads rolling with a single signature.
Marat's article analyzing the Tax Bill had been rejected everywhere, finally landing at the Paris Business Journal.
Denico, needing such submissions at the time, had published it directly.
And when Joseph saw Marat's famous name in his own newspaper, a sudden flash of inspiration struck him, and he had Denico arrange a meeting.
Joseph knew very well that while Marat appeared to be merely an incisive journalist, he actually possessed immense influence and extensive connections, particularly among the common people. If handled properly, he might play a significant role in Joseph's struggle against the High Court.
However, given Marat's extreme disdain for the monarchy, Joseph had no choice but to meet him under an assumed identity.
Once Marat was seated, Denico excused himself, citing an urgent matter in the storeroom, and left.
Joseph looked at Marat and smiled. "I have always greatly admired you, Mr. Marat. You are a true freedom fighter."
Marat was clearly pleased by this title, immediately bowing slightly. "It is my honor to fight for justice and rights for the people of France."
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