Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 486 A Few Things About Widows

Lin Zhiqing's fingertips touched the fine fiber texture, but there was no roughness.

Her eyes lit up, and she gently pulled on both ends of the paper. The mulberry paper stretched outwards, bending into a slight arc, but it was not torn.

"Not bad, it's flexible enough, and it won't tear easily when torn," Lin Zhiqing nodded, looking at Lu Huai:
"You have excellent taste."

Lu Huai slightly raised his chin and picked up his teacup.

He dripped a drop of water on the corner of the paper, and the water stain slowly spread but did not spread out.

"The density is just right; it absorbs ink well without smudging, making it perfect for printing." Lu Nanyue couldn't help but smile.

Lin Zhiqing nodded. To ensure everything went perfectly, she asked Chaoyan to bring a small piece of woodblock and dip it in ink to test the print.

When she picked up the woodblock, Lin Shi'an couldn't help but exclaim in admiration, "Excellent!"

The handwriting is clear and sharp, the ink is evenly applied, and even the finest patterns are fully presented. It is indeed a good paper!
Seeing the satisfied looks on everyone's faces, Lin Zhiqing nodded:
“Use this kind of mulberry paper, Lu Huai, three hundred copies. I’ll have Chao Yan send you the silver.”

“No need for money. You’ve forgotten, this isn’t just your business, it’s my sister’s business, and it’s the business of countless women,” Lu Huai said.

“That’s right, Xiao Qing’er, you don’t need to be polite with Lu Huai about this little bit of money.” It wasn’t Lu Nanyue’s money, so she said this very casually.

"Not bad, not bad, you've got the awareness!" Lin Yangyang clapped her hands.

Lin Zhiqing didn't refuse too much, but instead instructed, "You need to check carefully, and make sure there are no signs of insect damage or creases."

Lu Huai nodded: "Don't you trust me to do things?"

Lin Zhiqing smiled slightly, of course she was relieved.

Once the paper issue was settled, the next problem was the layout.

Lin Zhiqing took a deep breath and recalled what newspapers looked like in her previous life.

Newspaper layout design does not pursue "the more content the better," but rather focuses on readers' needs, emphasizing "ease of reading, focus, and recognizability."

This is also what Lin Zhiqing needs.

Last time they rushed through it, simply piling up all the words without any aesthetic appeal.

At first glance, it may seem passable, but upon closer inspection, it easily loses its appeal and has a very high rejection rate.

If you want newspapers to spread widely and for everyone to see and remember their content, you can't just stick to the old ways.

Based on her memories from her previous life, Lin Zhiqing drew a rough outline on Xuan paper and divided the page into sections.

After thinking for a moment, she left a relatively large space in the middle of the newspaper, and then looked at Lu Nanyue and Lin Yangyang.

"Cousin, Yangyang, do you know who the most sought-after young men and women are in Shengjing City?" Lin Zhiqing asked.

"Well, I really don't know." Lin Yangyang scratched her head.

"I know, I know!" Lu Nanyue's eyes lit up:

"The grandson of the Grand Tutor, the son of the Duke of Pei, and the daughter of the Imperial Censor, has always been very popular in Shengjing City."

"Then do you know who they have grudges or entanglements with?" Having just asked, Lin Zhiqing shook her head again:

"Forget it, I can't spread rumors about others for no reason."

"I've got it!" She clapped her hands and picked up her brush to write on the rice paper.

Lu Nanyue was very curious and went over to take a look, and was instantly attracted.

"The Untold Story of Young Master Qu and the Widow!"

"Shocking! The Marquis of Zhongyong visits a pleasure boat at night, and a lost jade hairpin causes a stir!" "Breaking news! The Duke of Pei personally admits to three demands regarding his daughter-in-law!"

Upon hearing this, Lin Yangyang's eyes lit up instantly: "Qing-meimei, you even know the requirements of the Duke of Pei for his daughter-in-law?"

"Zhiqing, what about the romantic escapades of the Marquis of Zhongyong?" Lin Shi'an couldn't help but ask.

Seeing the two's keen interest, Lin Zhiqing nodded in agreement.

Sure enough, no matter where you are, people can't resist their gossipy nature.

"The relationship between Marquis Zhongyong and Jiang Yunhe is ambiguous. He frequents brothels, according to information gathered by my men," Lin Zhiqing replied.
"As for the Duke's requirements for his daughter-in-law, I really don't know."

"Huh?" Lin Yangyang was a little worried:

"Can others believe it? Besides, isn't this newspaper supposed to expose the conspiracy behind the marriage alliance?"

"Isn't writing these things irrelevant to our purpose?"

Lin Zhiqing picked up the Xuan paper and waved it in front of the group:

"Cousin, put aside our purpose for now, just tell me, at first glance, were you interested in continuing to read this newspaper?"

Lin Yangyang nodded without hesitation: "Of course! I don't usually hear about these things, let alone the common people."

Lin Zhiqing nodded, and asked the same question to the other three people.

Lu Huai, Lu Nanyue, and Lin Shi'an all nodded, indicating their interest in reading on.

"Zhiqing, people who don't know you might think you're lying by someone's bedside, that's how you know so much." Lin Shi'an's face turned slightly red.

"How would I know?" Lin Zhiqing was very excited and added several more similar comments in one go.

“These things are far removed from people’s lives, but everyone is interested in them and their eyes will definitely linger on them.”

"As long as you keep people's attention, they will definitely look at other content. This is a way to attract people to read the newspaper."

Everyone exchanged knowing glances.

Putting everything else aside, even Lin Shi'an couldn't help but want to explore these few lines of text, let alone the common people.

Especially the line "The Duke of Pei's requirements for his daughter-in-law"—many women in the capital admire the Duke of Pei's son, and if this newspaper were published, it would surely be snapped up.

Lin Zhiqing was well aware of the situation in Beijing and knew what methods to use when facing different audiences.

This newspaper was primarily intended for women, so it featured articles about young men.

Of course, apart from the Duke of Pei, the other two are things that Lin Zhiqing confirmed, and are not rumors.

Needless to say, Young Master Qu was not a good person to begin with, and Lin Zhiqing felt no remorse at all for writing these things down.

"Little Qing'er, how did you come up with such a brilliant idea?" Lu Nanyue couldn't help but ask:

"If something truly heinous happens, wouldn't it be possible to write about it in the newspapers, such as the affair between Jiang Yunhe and Jiang Liuyun?"

"No, the risk is too great." Lu Huai stopped him, looking at Lin Zhiqing with a firm gaze:
"These few articles today are still within a controllable range, so you can write them with confidence. However, the source of this newspaper must not be the Lin family."

Otherwise, you risk retaliation.

Lin Zhiqing nodded: "I understand, I will manage this well."

Lu Huai thought for a moment, but still felt uneasy and added, "The affairs of the court should not be written about, nor should the affairs of the royal family."

"Don't worry about the rest, I'll take care of everything else."