Chapter 513: News |
Earning money?
Vying for power?
Xiaoman didn't understand how this damned newspaper was related to power. She was only curious: "How to vie for power?"
Brother Pao handed the Tobacco Pipe to Er Dao. Taking advantage of the time Er Dao lowered his head to stuff shredded tobacco into it, he explained: "Do you think the Patron is a person who sells out his country to seek glory?"
Xiaoman said angrily: "Naturally not! Those are all town rumors!"
Brother Pao smiled: "Someone bought off storytellers to widely publicize this matter in the teahouses. Now that the momentum has been built, even if our Patron grew a hundred mouths, he wouldn't be able to clear things up... but newspapers can. Not to mention helping the Patron clear his name; even calling black white would work."
Xiaoman was half-believing and half-doubting: "Is it that effective? You haven't even made it yet but dare to guarantee it, talking as if you've seen this plaything early on."
Brother Pao smiled without speaking.
Zhang Xia was intelligent, and quickly figured out where the crux lay: "I suddenly understand why Brother Pao just now said Chen Ji was acting too bold; this item is truly a taboo. The People Can Be Made To Follow, Not To Understand. Since ancient times, Officials never hoped for the commoners to know too much. But coincidentally, this item can accomplish great matters of state and family, and can also cause the collapse of Propriety and the ruin of music... Chen Ji, are you doing this matter to clear your own name?"
Zhang Xia was bewildered: "Then for what?"
Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "If Lord Zhang wishes to carry out the New Policies, this item can lend him a helping arm. I previously promised before the Meridian Gate that I would help Lord Zhang, but I'm afraid opportunities aren't numerous anymore. With this item around, the next time someone wishes to harm Lord Zhang again, the one who meets with an incident won't necessarily be Lord Zhang."
Zhang Xia suddenly asked: "Found a method to save the Commandery Princess?"
Chen Ji gave a grunt of acknowledgment.
Zhang Xia understood. Chen Ji running this newspaper wasn't running it for himself, but rather to repay her favor from outside Chongli Pass.
This time Chen Ji bore a bad name, but in truth it was blocking a hidden arrow for Zhang Zhuo. Those people who bought off storytellers to oppose releasing Yuan Cheng back were originally aiming for Zhang Zhuo.
If there had been such a thing as a newspaper back then, the direction of the town winds wouldn't have been up to others to decide. Wanting to carry out New Policies meant having to offend the people of the world. Having a newspaper by his side would also add a few more parts of a chance at victory.
Now, Chen Ji already knew how he should save the Commandery Princess; it was only a matter of time. He needed to leave somewhat of a little something behind before leaving the Ning Dynasty, helping the Zhang Family one more time.
After Zhang Xia fell silent for a moment, her face broke into a smile: "Many thanks, and I also wish you success in saving the Commandery Princess soon."
Chen Ji looked toward Brother Pao: "Printing ink and movable type are not things that can be made in a single morning or evening, but only by making these two things well can the newspaper be run well. Additionally, the articles printed in the newspaper must also be carefully deliberated upon; they must be picked from what the commoners are most interested in writing about."
Brother Pao stood up: "Rest assured, I've already thought well about what news to write for the first issue of the newspaper. It will definitely cause a sensation in Capital City."
Chen Ji said with a smile: "I will Wait and See."
Right at this time, a servant came from outside the door to report: "Young Master, the manager of Gufu Pavilion has come to seek an audience again. Should I bring them over?"
Xiaoman became frantic. Not waiting for Chen Ji to answer, she pulled the Little Monk and walked outside: "The Young Master need not pay attention to them. I will just go handle it."
Chen Ji didn't pay it any mind, instead looking toward Zhang Xia: "You must participate in the matter of running the newspaper. After all... this thing will eventually be handed over to you in the future."
Zhang Xia accepted: "Alright."
...
Early the next morning.
Xiaoman woke up amidst the sound of flowing water. When she walked out of the wing room hugging the little black cat, she just happened to see Chen Ji with his sleeves rolled up, pouring the water from a wooden bucket into the water vat.
At first she still wasn't used to Chen Ji carrying water every day, but now she was no longer surprised by it.
Xiaoman inquired: "What does the Young Master wish to eat this morning? I will go make it for you."
Chen Ji put down the wooden bucket and said with a smile: "No need to go to the trouble. We will go eat at Liulichang."
Xiaoman asked curiously: "The Young Master is still going to Liulichang today? What is so good to visit in those bookstores? They're all places those sour scholars like to stay at."
Chen Ji explained: "I have to go look for some things. It's a proper matter."
Xiaoman gave an oh of acknowledgment, kicking open the wing room door of the Little Monk with one foot: "Wake up!"
The three left the Chen Estate and walked south. Just after exiting Xuanwu Gate, they smelled the mixture of cow dung and the sour smell of mung bean milk, along with the scorched fragrance of deep-fried dough rings.
This time Chen Ji headed straight for Wenchang Bookstore in Liulichang. He remembered during the Imperial Examination previously, the store that printed poetry collections from literary gatherings every day and went to sell them in the inner city was this very store.
The store that the bookstore manager yesterday said had the most miswritten characters and misprinted versions of books was also this store.
Wenchang Bookstore was much larger than Baoxiang Bookstore. All eight main doors were opened wide. Just the wooden boards written with book catalogs erected before the door numbered twelve. Among them, six were written with the pre-existing book catalogs, and there were also six written with the catalogs of newly arrived books for the day.
Inside the main hall, people's heads were bobbing around; they were all literati and refined scholars who came to seek block-printed editions from previous dynasties, precious sole surviving copies, or finely proofread excellent editions. In the meanwhile, some people were talking loudly in spirited debates, while the waiters offered up hot tea. There were also places for sipping tea in the backyard. This bookstore had distinctly and properly become a gathering place for literati.
Chen Ji didn't strike up conversations with anyone, only silently flipping through and reading the books, searching for any traces and clues inside them.
Bored to death, Xiaoman followed by Chen Ji's side, not having the slightest interest in flipping through the books: "Young Master, when can the newspaper you guys talked about yesterday be printed out? I also want to see if that Brother Pao was bragging or not."
While flipping through a book, Chen Ji explained with a smile: "Making a new type of thing takes time. Being able to make it within a month would be pretty good. If you're bored, just take the Little Monk to go eat things. No need to wait for me here."
Xiaoman's eyeballs swiveled around: "Is that okay?"
Without turning his head, Chen Ji said: "Go on, go on."
Unsurprising to his expectations, Wenchang Bookstore's books indeed had problems.
As far as he knew, 'Four Dreams of Bianliang' was an item exclusive to Wenyuan Bookstore. But in Wenchang Bookstore, one could actually also see the script for 'Four Dreams of Bianliang'. It was just that the printing was coarse and the paper used was cheap. The cover was written with 'A Pipe Dream' [Huangliang Yimeng], but flipping it open, the content was actually 'Four Dreams of Bianliang'. This was clearly a pirated edition of this era...
Additionally, there were all sorts of fake first-edition block prints and original block prints.
The transmission of information in this era had limitations. Even for poetry and lyrics that spread across the world, it was possible that as they spread and spread, they were no longer the original lines. For another example, the most famous 'Jiangshan Travelogue', recording the matters of Li Jiangshan's lifetime travels. But by the thirty-second year of the Jianing era, the original copies had already severely scattered and fallen apart. Among them, the early hand-copied manuscript of a literato named "Ji Xian" was the closest to the original manuscript, making it exceptionally precious.
If one could find this edition, not to mention a few taels of silver—even for dozens or hundreds of taels, there would be people buying it.
But inside Wenchang Bookstore, just Ji Xian's copied manuscripts of the Jiangshan Travelogue alone filled up an entire shelf to the brim...
Additionally, there were fake fine-carved editions, palace editions, sole surviving copies, and hand-draft copies. A Dazzling Display of beautiful items at cheap prices.
Chen Ji muttered softly: "Isn't this just the Ning Dynasty's Biquge?"
[TN: Biquge is a famous pirated novel website in modern China that steals content from legitimate sources.]
The Military Intelligence Division was tightly organized. They definitely needed one or multiple channels for single-line transmission of messages. Having exhausted their minds to research concealed espionage methods such as the Fanqie Phonetic Method and the Hidden Character Method, they absolutely wouldn't casually abandon them.
There must still be people using it.
Chen Ji flipped from early morning until sunset. Only when the first sound of the evening drums rang out did he return to the Chen Estate. Wenchang Bookstore was too big, and looking for messages required him to be exceptionally detailed, so he read slowly.
Over the course of a day he had flipped through over twenty books, but did not find any traces of hidden characters.
Chen Ji wasn't discouraged either. On the second day, he again led Xiaoman and the Little Monk out the door, standing inside Wenchang Bookstore for a whole day. The manager of Wenchang Bookstore was also quite generous; seeing Chen Ji only look without buying, he didn't get angry, even having a servant send over hot tea and tea snacks, inviting Chen Ji to go to the backyard to find a chair and slowly read.
But Chen Ji tactfully declined, remaining standing at the place with the broadest field of vision where he could observe the positions of everyone casually entering and exiting.
The second day also brought no harvest.
The third day...
The fourth day...
The twelfth day...
All the way until the seventh day of the sixth lunar month. Chen Ji had already flipped through and read the smaller half of the books in Wenchang Bookstore, yet still couldn't discover traces of the Military Intelligence Division transmitting messages. So much so that he even started to doubt whether this dumb method could actually work in the end or not.
On the eighth day of the sixth lunar month, Chen Ji carried water and went out the door as usual. This time, Xiaoman lounged in the courtyard, saying unwillingly: "The Young Master go yourself. I truly cannot stroll anymore. In the past I always envied those first-class maids who could go out to purchase items every day, but only now do I realize this is also an arduous chore."
Chen Ji said with a smile: "If you don't wish to go, then stay at home to watch the house."
Xiaoman asked curiously: "The Young Master never read books in normal days either. How come you've changed your temper today?"
Chen Ji didn't answer, going out the door alone.
It was just that when passing the side gate, he always felt the servant's gaze looking at him was unusual, as if hiding a deep meaning. When his gaze searched over, the servant hurriedly moved his gaze away.
Suspicious, Chen Ji went out the door, walking all the way to Liulichang. However, he saw a Plum Blossom Ferry Stick Bearer slinging a satchel diagonally across his body; the satchel contained a thick stack of yellowish Bamboo Paper.
A group of literati and refined scholars surrounded the Stick Bearer, holding a large Bamboo Paper in their hands as they whispered to one another.
"Didn't expect it! He and Second Miss Zhang actually still have this segment of a story! Is it true or false?"
"If it truly is as this damned 'Capital Morning Post' says, wouldn't the Baron of Wuxiang County be a fickle and heartless person? He has a marriage engagement with Third Miss Qi!"
Chen Ji's expression instantly turned black.
He squeezed his way forward and handed the Stick Bearer five wen of money, taking over a newspaper from the other party's hands.
He saw that the front-page headline of the newspaper was impressively written: "Baron of Wuxiang County Enters Jing Dynasty For Narrow Escape; Second Miss Zhang Storms Western Capital's White Tiger Hall"!
Chen Ji raised his brows. He clearly remembered saying to Brother Pao previously: "Let's first look for the most famous people in Capital City, look for the people the commoners are most interested in, report their gossip, and sell the newspapers out first before saying more." Brother Pao had also sworn a solemn vow saying: "I've already thought well about what thing to write for the first issue of the newspaper. It will definitely cause a sensation in Capital City."
It turned out he himself was Brother Pao's news.
Chen Ji looked at the surrounding literati and refined scholars taking delight in talking about it. Leaving other matters aside for now, it had indeed caused a sensation in Capital City.
(End of this chapter)