Yongli Ming Dynasty

Chapter 348 Times
Guangzhou City, it is already July, the height of summer, the weather in the south is extremely hot, and the pedestrians on the street have already changed into short coats.

It was noon, and people were walking under the eaves of shops on both sides of the street, avoiding the scorching sun above their heads.

In Zhongxianfang, under the shade of a tree on the street, more than a dozen teenagers in their early teens gathered under the tree.
The older boy in the lead gave some instructions to the people below, and then the boys each took a stack of newspapers from under the tree and scattered into the market.
A group of young men entered the street, and soon the sound of newspaper sellers could be heard.

"Sell newspapers, sell newspapers"

"Xingming Times, exclusive front page"

"The imperial court uncovered a major treason case. The thieves in Huizhou were secretly colluding with the Tartars. The imperial guards captured them all in one fell swoop."

"Selling newspapers, the imperial court has uncovered a major case of treason..."

After the imperial court moved its capital to Guangzhou, it began to control tabloids in the name of banning rumors.

After repeated strict inspections by the imperial court, the number of tabloids on the Guangzhou market gradually decreased. At this time, only a few newspapers and periodicals were still on sale in Guangzhou, and the most famous of them was Xingming Times.
Xingming Times has a very deep background and can often get exclusive news from the court and publish it. Getting the news is not a big deal. The most important thing is that Xingming Times can publish the news.

He can publish what other tabloids can publish, and he can also publish what other tabloids cannot publish.

Xingxingming Times was already a must-read newspaper for officials and gentry in the city. Some low-level officials in the court even needed to rely on this newspaper to learn about the latest developments in the court.

At noon, the South Street Teahouse was bustling with people. On the stage in the middle of the lobby, a storyteller was telling the story of loyalty. The tables around the stage were filled with tea drinkers. From time to time, people would cheer and give tips.
As Guangzhou became the imperial capital, merchants and travelers from all over the world gathered there, and the streets of Guangzhou became more and more prosperous. In the space of one or two years, places for entertainment such as teahouses gradually opened up all over the city.

At the window of the teahouse, sea merchants Zhao Kuo and Chen Bozong were having morning tea. Although morning tea is called morning tea, for the people of Guangzhou, it can be eaten at any time.
At the tea table, Zhao Kuo saw the newsboy rush into the building and throw a broad bean into his mouth. He also took the opportunity to invite him over and asked casually:

"There may be a supplement today"

"According to the master, there is a supplement, and Hengxiang Sanren's latest issue of Smiling Proud Wanderer is also serialized."

Ma Kuo was delighted at first, but then he suddenly yelled angrily.

"This bastard is even worse."

"I was waiting for him to update when I was drifting on the sea. Damn, I've already returned from Japan, and this bastard hasn't updated a single issue yet."

"Quick, quick, bring the supplement here"

The newsboy heard this but did not move. He then spoke

"There are two journals, the main and the secondary. A single journal costs ten cents, and a double journal costs fifteen cents. Do you want a single journal or a double journal?"

"Don't talk nonsense, bring it quickly"

Zhao Kuo threw out a string of copper coins, which looked like there were about seventy or eighty coins, but Zhao Kuo didn't care at all and threw them out.
The newsboy thanked him for the reward, then took out two newspapers and handed them to Zhao Kuo and the other man at the table.

Zhao Kuo took the newspaper, but did not read it directly. Instead, he stood up and shouted to the tea drinkers behind him:

"That bastard Hengxiang Sanren has resumed publication. Come and read the latest issue of Smiling Proud Wanderer."

The tea drinkers behind him were originally listening to the storytelling and chatting, but when they heard what Zhao Kuo said, they all looked overjoyed and rushed to the newsboy.

"Quick, quick, get the supplement."

"That bastard, do you know how long I have been waiting for these people?"

A group of tea drinkers immediately came forward and surrounded the newsboy. The newspapers in the newsboy's hands were quickly snapped up by the tea drinkers.

The square table was filled with snacks, red shrimp dumplings, white soup dumplings, green lotus leaf chicken, steamed spareribs, fried spring rolls, chicken feet, water chestnut cakes, and all kinds of dishes on the table, but Zhao Kuo and Chen Bozong didn't care at all. They just took their newspapers and buried their heads in reading.

A quarter of an hour later, Zhao Kuo put down the tabloid in his hand with a feeling of unsatisfied. But the next moment, Zhao Kuo looked dissatisfied and started to curse.
"That Linghu Chong is really outrageous. In a snowy cave, alone with a single man and a single woman, with his junior sister right before his lips, this bastard actually waited there all night in vain and did nothing. It really ruined the mood."

"If it were me, I would have made sure that this Junior Sister couldn't even get out of bed, let alone go down the mountain. Linghu Chong actually has the nerve to regret that Junior Sister Yue has fallen in love with someone else. I think he deserves it."

"And what is the origin of the Siguo Cliff Cave at the end? Why are there the sword moves of the Five Mountains Sword Sect, and so many ways to break them? Damn it, he didn't explain anything clearly, and he just stopped talking."

"The master has been waiting for him for half a year, and this bastard has done this. Is this reasonable? Is this reasonable?"

Zhao Kuo held the tabloid and cursed loudly. Chen Bozong, who was standing beside him, also raised his head and sighed.

"This Hengxiang Sanren has always been like this, updating every few months, with 700 to 800 words each time, which makes it hard for us, the spectators, who are waiting for the update."

Zhao Kuo put the tabloid aside, picked up a chicken claw and began to chew it, as if he wanted to vent all his resentment towards Hengxiang Sanren on the chicken claw.
Zhao Kuo chewed chicken feet and muttered
"Linghu Chong has acquired so many martial arts skills in the Cliff of Regret. His martial arts skills will surely improve greatly after practicing."

"If I were Linghu Chong, after I mastered martial arts, I would definitely rush down the mountain immediately, pull out Yue Buqun and beat him up, and then seize the position of the leader of Huashan Mountain."

"This old man is really unreasonable. The thief from Qingcheng Sect took advantage of Linghu Chong's misfortune, so why couldn't he kill him? Going to a brothel and hiding two women is not a big deal, but he has to meddle in other people's business."

"He himself is a hypocrite who doesn't allow people to go to brothels, and he even tries to control others from going there either."

"If we follow his method, all the brothels in the world will be closed down. Where will the master live in the future? This guy is really evil-hearted and deserves to be beaten!"

Chen Bozong picked up a piece of steamed pork ribs, smacked his lips, and said

"Yue Buqun is Linghu Chong's master. If that were true, it would be a betrayal of the master and ancestors."

"Then beat him up in public, make him lose face, and then rebel against the sect. After all, Linghu Chong has acquired so many martial arts skills, who would care about being the chief disciple of Huashan?" "After rebelling against Huashan, just start your own sect, and then capture Junior Sister Yue and Junior Sister Yilin, and sleep with them together. Wouldn't that be fun?"

Zhao Kuo had a look of yearning on his face, and Chen Bozong smiled when he heard this.

"If that's the case, it's pretty cool, but it doesn't match up with the previous events, so I don't think the sequel will be written this way."

The two were very excited and speculated about the next step. Zhao Kuo raised his head and drank the wine in the glass, but suddenly said
"By the way, where exactly is Huashan Mountain?"

"I have actually studied it a bit. The Five Mountains in this book are all taken from famous mountains in the world. Huashan is in Qin Province."

Zhao Kuo's expression changed when he heard this, and he said

"Qin Province? Isn't that in the hands of the Tartars? What if those Tartars find Huashan and get the martial arts from the Cliff of Repentance?"

Chen Bozong heard this and shook his head and smiled.

"It's just a novel, how can you take it seriously? Even if there is any advanced martial arts in this world, it should be in the hands of the court."

"Just like the Sword Manual of Exorcism of the Lin family in Fujian Province, even if it really has such a miraculous skill, it would have been taken away by the Zheng family in Fujian Province long ago. How could it be left in the hands of an escort agency?"

Zhao Kuo heard this, but still refused to accept it. He said

"Who knows? Maybe the Cliff of Repentance really exists."

"After Your Highness drives those Tartars out of the Central Plains, I will go to the Huashan Cliff and find those secret books so that I can become a martial arts master."

Zhao Kuangda was so angry that he wiped his hands with a towel and picked up the supplement tabloid to read it. After reading it again, he couldn't help but snorted.

"Don't let the master know who that Hengxiang Sanren is, otherwise the master will definitely catch that bastard and put him in a small dark room and make him write 3,000 words a day."

"If the word count is not enough, the master won't even let him go to the toilet!"

The diners at the next table had also finished watching the update. After hearing what Zhao Kuo said, they also laughed.

"That would be too much."

"He just has to hold it in. He has only updated this little bit in half a year. He is really too lazy."

"If I don't hold it back, how can I let this guy know the methods of those of us waiting for the next watch!"

At this time, the storytellers' repertoires were either about Yue Fei or the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin. These plays were performed over and over again. Even though the storytellers occasionally innovated, people were already tired of listening to them.

As soon as the "Swordsman" was published in Xingming Times last year, it immediately attracted many fans.

Various unheard-of martial arts that seemed real or fantasy, the grudges and hatreds between the martial arts sects, these novel settings quickly captured a large number of readers. Now in Guangzhou, countless people are waiting for updates every day.

But this bastard author was diligent in publishing the book at first, publishing it every five or six days. But later on, it took longer and longer, and it was only updated once every two or three months, which made the audience in the city very angry.
There are also opportunists in the city who want to use the name of Hengxiang Sanren to continue writing and make profits, but they are easily seen through by the onlookers in the city.
Because this Hengxiang Sanren has always been published only in Xingming Times, the sequel that leaked from other bookstores and tabloids can almost be identified as fake at a glance.

Upon hearing this, several tea drinkers at the neighboring tables nodded and said

"Old Zhao, this is a good idea. If we can capture that Hengxiang Sanren, I can provide a house to trap him."

“Then I will provide the writing.”

"I know a locksmith who can provide me with a fine iron lock that will prevent him from escaping from the house."

The tea drinkers were very excited and soon completed the plan of the small dark room. All they had to do was arrest the Hengxiang Sanren.

Everyone in the teahouse laughed and chatted for a while, then dispersed and drank tea and chatted.

Zhao Kuo took a sip of the Yubing wine in his glass, then picked up the supplement to read other content. After a while, Zhao Kuo put down his glass and suddenly exclaimed:

"Rising Grain Store has opened a new store in Yongfengfang. During the first three days of opening, we will offer a dou of rice for only 100 coins, and each person is limited to buying three dou."

Xingming Times is divided into two editions: the main edition contains official news, discussions among scholars, and other serious content, while the supplement contains a variety of content.

There was a thief in the city, a family was fighting over property, a son of an official went to a brothel and happened to run into his father and got beaten up. Basically, everything was covered.

For the gentry and officials in the city, the main publication is naturally more important, but for the common people in the city, the supplement is obviously more interesting.

For small sea merchants like Zhao Kuo and Chen Bozong who were on the ship, they would not go to the grain store to rob rice for a few copper coins. But when Chen Bozong heard this, he couldn't help but sigh.

"This Risheng Grain Store is really well connected. There are countless shops in the city that spend hundreds of gold coins but can't get a single line of news published in Xingming Newspaper, but this Risheng Store can even report the opening of a grain store."

Although the Xingming supplement publishes all kinds of news, it never accepts advertisements easily. The Xingming Times would rather save space for gossip than accept money from merchants in the city.

Someone has calculated that since the founding of Xingming Times, all shops that have been featured in the newspaper have seen booming business, which has also made shops in the city increasingly flock to Xingming Times.
Chen Bozong spoke again at this time

"Before setting sail last year, I went to Dinghushan in Zhaoqing to collect tea, but I found that there were grain shops called Rishenghao in every county along the way."

"I heard from the sea merchants in Fujian Province that there are Risheng Grain Shops all over Fujian Province. At this rate, I'm afraid that Risheng Grain Shop will open shops all over the provinces of Ming Dynasty."

Chen Bozong's face was full of emotion. In the eyes of ordinary people, these sea merchants were already rich, but in the eyes of a behemoth like the Risheng, they might just be ordinary peddlers.
(End of this chapter)