Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 22 Protect My Newspaper
Xinming Bookstore.

The second edition of the Wanli Xinbao was already in the works before the first edition went on sale.

The craftsmen under Yu Xiangdou were quite professional, and with the first version as a starting point, the second version was much easier.

In fact, at the time of the ninth year of the Wanli reign, the printing industry of the Ming Dynasty was at a level that was among the most advanced in the world.

The movable type printing technique was invented in the Northern Song Dynasty and was further developed in the Ming Dynasty.

It can even achieve two-color, three-color, four-color, and even multi-layer overprinting techniques for color printing.

In the Huguang region during the Wanli reign, "Lianqi paper" was extremely inexpensive, which greatly increased the popularity of books.

Therefore, many scholars in later generations believe that the Wanli reign was likely an important turning point in the transition of ancient Chinese society to modernity, and this is not an unfounded claim.

The enlightenment of ideas and the budding of capitalism are already showing signs of emerging in this era.

unfortunately
If Zhang Yunxiu wanted to change history, he had to take a completely different path.

And newspapers were the first step.

Upon arriving at the workshop, Zhang Yunxiu, drawing on experiences from later generations, modified some of the workshop's systems and work details.

Besides that, the most crucial thing is the final draft.

Once the manuscript is finalized, the typesetters can begin typing the text, embedding it into the grid of the type tray in the correct order.

This is a rather tedious process.

Fortunately, Yu Xiangdou had skilled craftsmen under his command, so it wasn't too difficult.

"One tael of silver is equivalent to one shi (unit of dry measure) of japonica rice; one tael and one mace of silver is equivalent to one shi of glutinous rice; six mace and forty wen of silver is equivalent to one shi of millet; and four mace of silver is equivalent to one jin (unit of weight) of fine tea."

"Mandarin fish: fifty coins per catty; crucian carp: one hundred coins per catty; carp: twenty-four coins per catty."

"The third month is the Ren Chen year, the twenty-third day is the Xin You day. Auspicious for: offering sacrifices, opening a market, and trading. Inauspicious for: marriage, travel, and burial."

In the workshop, Zhang Yunxiu and Yu Xiangdou were studying a newly printed draft together.

Looking at the dazzling array of items on the screen, Yu Xiangdou couldn't help but sigh.

"Mr. Zhang is truly a man of great talent. He managed to obtain so many prices, with only minor discrepancies, and most of them actually conforming to market prices! He must be from the Ministry of Revenue?"

Among the newspapers, the price list is the hardest to obtain.

If it weren't for the Ministry of Revenue's warehouse figures, where would Zhang Yunxiu have gotten such detailed information?
Zhang Yunxiu frowned, as if his secret had been discovered, and reprimanded him.

"Don't ask what you shouldn't ask."

"Yes, yes, I apologize for my intrusion."

Yu Xiangdou immediately nodded repeatedly, confirming his guess.

He was wildly imagining things in his head. Zhang Yunxiu pretended to be mysterious on the surface, but in reality, he was a little uneasy.

The Ministry of Revenue was already overwhelmed with matters such as land surveying and the Single Whip Law, so how could it have the time to help Zhang Yunxiu with any price statistics?
Even if Zhang Yunxiu wanted to, Zhang Juzheng would absolutely not agree.

These figures were basically extracted by Zhang Yunxiu from later books such as "Wanshu Zaji", "Ming Huidian", and "Gongbu Changku Xuzhi".

Some were from the ninth year of the Wanli reign, while others were five or six years apart. However, given that the Ming Dynasty was still based on an agrarian economy, prices did not actually fluctuate much.

By referring to this material and making a simple comparison, you can obtain an accurate figure.

"The content of this issue is well arranged, and with my article 'On Reforming the Native Chieftain System to Directly Appointed Officials,' it will be perfect."

Zhang Yunxiu took out a piece of paper, handed it to Yu Xiangdou, and pointed to the contents on it.

"Add the above article to the front page, and remember, you are not allowed to leak it before it is officially printed, or I'll break your legs!"

Yu Xiangdou shuddered, quickly took the manuscript, and nearly wet himself after glancing at it.

He stammered, barely able to speak, “Lord Zhang.”

"Call me 'Sir'." Zhang Yunxiu was a little annoyed by everyone calling him "adult" so he simply asked everyone else to call him "Sir".

"Mr. Zhang, isn't this tantamount to making irresponsible remarks about state affairs? Even if you are the son of the Grand Secretary, isn't this somewhat inappropriate?"

Yu Xiangdou is such a coward! Zhang Yunxiu is the son of the Grand Secretary, but he is just an ordinary merchant. If something happens to him, he will definitely not be able to escape.

Zhang Yunxiu comforted him, saying, "Don't worry, I'll hold the sky up if it falls. If something were to go wrong, our first edition from a few days ago would have been a disaster. You still have your head hanging around your neck, don't you?"

“Alright then,” Yu Xiangdou wiped the sweat from his brow and looked at the manuscript with a sigh. “Once this article is published, I wonder how many great scholars and high-ranking officials will be astonished.”

Despite saying that, Yu Xiangdou was actually still afraid.

These past few days, he has even dreamt that the authorities are coming to arrest him, and he lives in constant fear.

Asking him to give up? That's impossible!

The profits from newspapers are truly astonishing; they make more money than he could from publishing several storybooks!

The top booksellers in the capital only earn four or five hundred taels of silver a month, while the newspapers estimate that they will earn twice as much!
How can a businessman not go crazy if costs are to be lower and profits to be higher?

He said it was inappropriate, but if Zhang Yunxiu asked him to quit the business, Yu Xiangdou would kneel down immediately and acknowledge Zhang Yunxiu as his father!

Immediately afterward, Zhang Yunxiu arranged everything for the second edition of the newspaper, specifically instructing that the update of "The Legend of Judge Dee of the Tang Dynasty" must keep readers on the edge of their seats. Even Yu Xiangdou, a seasoned reader of vernacular stories, couldn't help but give Zhang Yunxiu a thumbs up for his meticulous attention to detail.

"Sir, your skill in designing buttons has reached a state of perfection!"

After settling things in the workshop, Zhang Yunxiu prepared to return and continue his subsequent creative work.

He's very busy now, spending all his time in his study, either writing a sequel to "The Legend of Judge Dee of the Tang Dynasty" or preparing some articles for any eventuality.

Fortunately, I had references in my mind for these ideas, so writing them down wasn't difficult.

Just as Zhang Yunxiu stepped out of the Xinming Bookstore and before he could even get into his car, he was stopped by a furtive-looking man in black.

"Um, Mr. Zhang, please wait a moment."

The voice sounded like someone was pinching their nose, clearly belonging to a eunuch.

Zhang Yunxiu immediately recognized the person and said with a smile.

"Oh, it's Eunuch Zhang! What brings you here?"

"Don't make a fuss~ Don't make a fuss~"

The eunuch Zhang Cheng became anxious.

A short while later, the two entered the carriage, and Zhang Cheng finally breathed a sigh of relief.

"Young Master Zhang, please remember to keep this a secret. His Majesty has ordered me to deliver this secret decree to you."

Secret edict?

Zhang Yunxiu was startled, and his mind immediately began to wander.

If the young emperor were to join forces with me to get rid of Zhang Juzheng, should I put righteousness before family ties?

Zhang Cheng saw Zhang Yunxiu's doubts and smiled, saying, "Young Master Zhang, there's no need to worry. It's just some simple message."

"I see." Zhang Yunxiu immediately reached out his hand and said, "Give it to me."

"Give what?"

Zhang Yunxiu said impatiently, "It's a secret decree!"

Does this damned eunuch think he can extort a bribe? This is outrageous! He dares to solicit bribes even for the Emperor's secret decree?

Zhang Cheng's face twitched. He felt that this kid was very impolite, but the other party had a high status with the emperor, and this was a secret decree, so there was no need to go through the cumbersome procedures.

He was a little embarrassed and pointed to his arm.

"To avoid suspicion, His Majesty wrote the secret edict on my arm. I urge Mr. Zhang to take a look."

"arm?"

Zhang Yunxiu frowned, then realized that the palace was full of spies. If the young emperor wanted to secretly send him a message, writing it on his arm would obviously be much less likely to be discovered than writing it on paper.

Before Zhang Yunxiu could speak, Zhang Cheng had already shown the writing on his arm.

But there was a line of small characters written on it in vermilion ink.

"Shiyuan, you must protect my newspaper."

Zhang Yunxiu was completely bewildered by this. "Your newspaper? Your Majesty, you didn't even pay for it, so when did it become your newspaper?"

After a moment of confusion, Zhang Yunxiu suddenly realized something, narrowed his eyes, and looked at Zhang Cheng.

"Father-in-law, can you still write with your other arm? I have something to tell His Majesty."

"You!" Zhang Cheng's deadpan face hardened, looking somewhat unwilling, but since the emperor had given the order, he had no choice but to comply.

He stretched out his other arm and said.

"Write! But don't write too much!"

"Please rest assured, Father-in-law."

Zhang Yunxiu nodded and took out a brass fountain pen from his pocket.

He wasn't used to using a calligraphy brush, so he asked someone to buy him a fountain pen from a Portuguese merchant.

The copper fountain pen of the 16th century was still in its infancy, but after Zhang Yunxiu's improvements, it was still usable.

"what is this?"

Zhang Cheng's face turned deathly pale with fright, and he took two steps back.

The nib is sharp and appears to be made of metal.

It doesn't look like a writing implement; it looks more like a dagger.

　Note 1: Price data is taken from "Miscellaneous Records of Wanshu", "Collected Statutes of the Ming Dynasty", and "Regulations for Factory and Warehouse Works of the Ministry of Works".

　　Note 2: The true fountain pen wasn't invented until the 19th century. The source of the bronze fountain pen mentioned here refers to the bronze fountain pen described in the calligraphy manual of the Spanish calligrapher Juan de Iciár. Much of Western history lacks empirical evidence; for the sake of the plot, we'll assume it's true for now.

　　
　
(End of this chapter)