Jian Zhaoxing

Chapter 487: Lamenting the Hardships of People's Livelihood

"Don't worry, I understand." Lin Zhiqing nodded.

After finalizing the content, she drew several small squares on the rice paper.

"Zhiqing, what information do we need to fill in for these parts?" Lin Shi'an couldn't help but ask.

Lin Zhiqing tapped the paper: "Draw!"

"A painting? A painting can be published in a newspaper?" Lu Nanyue was somewhat surprised.

Lin Zhiqing nodded: "Of course."

"So what should we draw?" Lin Yangyang asked.

Lin Zhiqing already had an idea in mind: "Draw some crops that people have always been in contact with, as well as some simple fruits and medicinal herbs."

"This is great!" Lu Nanyue clapped her hands:

“There are many people who have been poisoned or died because they did not know how to identify things at the clinic. Drawing pictures of fruits and medicinal herbs can help people distinguish them, and the people will definitely be willing to do so.”

Lu Huai and the others also thought the idea was feasible, so they all nodded in agreement.

"In addition, some people are illiterate, so we can simply draw out the advantages and disadvantages of marriage alliances and the matching issues to make it easier for them to understand," Lin Zhiqing added.

Others nodded.

Then, Lu Huai spoke again:
“I can write some simple numerology on it, so that even girls who cannot go to school can still receive some knowledge.”

“Yes, that’s a good idea.” Lin Zhiqing nodded in agreement.

With Lu Huai taking the lead, the others immediately started discussing it one after another.

It contains information on methods for improving physical health, military strategy, and ways to make money.

These ideas neither violate the laws of Da Sheng nor cause trouble, and are indeed feasible.

Lin Zhiqing originally intended to include the study of mind and character in the newspaper, but this would make it obvious who wrote it.

To avoid causing trouble for others, this matter can be discussed later.

After deciding on the distribution of the slabs, Lin Zhiqing was very happy.

The main content is definitely related to marriage alliances.

She dictated these words, and Lu Huai quickly wrote them down.

Looking at the article "A Statement on the Stance of Refusing to Arrange a Marriage Alliance," Lin Zhiqing took a deep breath.

After Lu Huai read it through, even Lin Yangyang couldn't help but praise it: "Wonderful, truly wonderful!"

With things at this point, the subsequent production of the newspaper became very simple.

Three days later, the first official newspapers were published.

When Butcher Zhang from the West Market opened his door early in the morning, he found a piece of paper stuffed into the doorway by someone.

He picked it up and scratched his head, saying, "What is this thing? I don't understand it, but the paper feels nice to the touch."

As he spoke, he placed the papers under the cutting board to save himself the trouble of wiping the table.

Butcher Zhang's meat was always of excellent quality, and it was all sold out in one morning.

When he finished his work and started tidying up, he found that the paper was gone. He turned around and saw his daughter sitting at the table, holding the paper with great affection.

Butcher Zhang frowned and snapped, "You brat, get back to work!"

Zhang the butcher's daughter reluctantly stood up, stuffed the paper into her waistband, and then walked towards a wealthy family with a basket full of meat slung over her shoulder.

When she reached the side door, she knocked on it with practiced ease, and a maid immediately came out to fetch the meat.

Then, the maid noticed the paper at the butcher's daughter's waist and, out of curiosity, picked it up. After reading its contents, the maid's eyes lit up, and she gave the butcher's daughter a few copper coins to buy the paper.

Her father was a student who had taught her to read a few characters, but later, due to a lack of money for the imperial examinations, he sold her to a wealthy family as a maid.

Upon seeing the words "Duke of Pei," she couldn't wait to go to the main courtyard and hand the paper in her hand to the head maid.

Upon hearing that the paper bore the name of the Duke of Pei, the head maid immediately took it into the courtyard and handed it to her mistress.

The young lady didn't think much of it at first, but she immediately became interested when she saw the words "Duke Pei's Standards for Daughters-in-Law".

And this is just the tip of the iceberg.

After spending an afternoon reading the newspaper, the young lady was deeply moved and unable to calm down for a long time.

During dinner, the family discussed the matter of a marriage alliance.

Seeing that the men at the table all agreed that a marriage alliance was feasible and beneficial to merchant families like theirs, the young lady recalled the discussions about marriage alliances in the "newspaper" and immediately spoke up:
“Father, on the surface, the marriage alliance means that Dasheng has gained five cities, but in the long run, if Daliang goes back on its word, the officials on Dasheng’s side will certainly not want to go to war for my safety.”

"Furthermore, if Daliang doubles the tariffs, it will not be good for merchants like us."

"It's too much of a woman's kindness. The Great Liang, mindful of the Great Sheng's strong and well-equipped army, will certainly not cause trouble," the man at the table said.
"Furthermore, those women are supposed to win over the heart of the Liang emperor after they marry into the family. If they fail to do so, it's simply because they lack the ability!"

The two different viewpoints clashed immediately, and neither was willing to give in.

At the same time, such scenes were not happening in just one place.

Initially, the appearance of newspapers did indeed arouse the interest of many people.

However, everyone's attention was mainly focused on the private affairs of those officials.

Some people even came specifically to ask others for newspapers, just for those few pieces of gossip about officials.

But soon, as the newspapers spread the word, the topic of conversation gradually shifted to "whether or not a marriage alliance should be formed."

The newspapers presented two completely different viewpoints: some thought we should go, while others thought we shouldn't.

This perfectly fits the current situation, where a great conflict has arisen between two people with different views.

As time went by, some people in Shengjing even set up stages to imitate the "debates" in newspapers for people to discuss.

In less than half a month, debate competitions had spread throughout the teahouses and theaters of the capital, even overshadowing the storytellers.

Hearing other people's stories is never as satisfying as participating yourself.
When the main characters in the newspaper's gossip section learned that their private affairs had been exposed, the scene became quite lively.

Especially the Duke of Zhongyong, whose wife was a notoriously shrew. When she learned that the Duke of Zhongyong was keeping a mistress outside, she made a scene for several days.

Once this incident came out, the authenticity of the newspaper became self-evident.

The debate over the marriage alliance became increasingly heated. Initially, only a small number of people disagreed with the marriage alliance, but after the story of the Duke of Zhongyong came to light, everyone felt that the person who wrote the newspaper must be an official.

Therefore, the value of this newspaper is self-evident.

By the time the newspapers reached the residences of other high-ranking officials, the number of people who supported and opposed the marriage alliance was almost evenly split.

The number of people who do not support marriage alliances is even showing a growing trend of increasing numbers.

The Lin family's garden.

The maids and servants were discussing it enthusiastically.

"Only those with weak knees would support a marriage alliance. Just think about it, if anything happens to the young lady after she marries into Daliang, we servants will definitely be implicated!"

“That’s right. Miss is such a kind person. After she leaves, our reward money might be canceled.”

"If the Great Liang attacks us another day, the first to suffer will be the maternal family of the woman who was sent to marry a foreign ruler. What will we do then?"

"Keep your voice down, it'll be bad if they hear you."

"Ahem." Lin Yangyang took Lin Zhiqing's hand, interrupting the servants' discussion.