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

Chapter 8 This story is really great.

Yu Xiangdou looked puzzled, took the storybook, opened it, and after reading a few pages, his eyes were immediately glued to it.

He spent his days dealing with storybooks, and his reading volume was comparable to that of a website editor in later generations.

I've read too many traditional Chinese storybooks, but I've rarely seen any masterpieces.

The novels and vernacular stories of the Ming Dynasty were a blue ocean market, with demand but limited supply.

Nowadays, apart from masterpieces like Water Margin, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and Jin Ping Mei, most of the storybooks on the market are crudely made.

The writers of vernacular stories in the Ming Dynasty were almost all lower-middle-class literati who failed the imperial examinations. Who among respectable people would write novels?
They pieced together stories from various sources, relying on hearsay, resulting in a disjointed and unsystematic narrative.

This "The Legend of Judge Dee of the Tang Dynasty" is completely different.

The story unfolds with each case as its foundation, employing the episodic format with masterful skill. This meticulously crafted detective novel, which also incorporates historical materials, is something Yu Xiangdou has never seen before!
"This...this..." Yu Xiangdou was extremely excited, even forgetting his fear, and looked at Zhang Yunxiu, saying, "My lord, who wrote this? Please be sure to introduce it to me. If this book is published, it will surely become as popular as Water Margin and Journey to the West, sweeping across the country!"

"Does Master Yu think this story is good?" Zhang Yunxiu said with amusement.

"Great! That's fantastic! It far surpasses any other storybook on the market!" Yu Xiangdou exclaimed excitedly.

"If I were to say that I wanted to serialize this story in a newspaper in chapters, with multiple sections covering current affairs, anecdotes, and the story itself, do you think it would be a good idea?"

"This"

Yu Xiangdou was a businessman, and Zhang Yunxiu's few simple words immediately sparked his imagination. If things went as the other party suggested, the newspaper, relying on the appeal of storytelling, plus various current affairs news and folk anecdotes, would indeed have great potential!

In a society where information dissemination is slow, there's no reason why a comprehensive information source like a newspaper wouldn't be popular.

But why doesn't anyone do it?

Yu Xiangdou frowned and said, "Lord Zhang may not know, but the court has relaxed its control over bookstores in recent years. However, ordinary people still dare not openly publish books to discuss politics, as this is a capital offense. Publishing some storybooks would be quite good though."

Zhang Yunxiu looked at him like he was an idiot and said, "You seem to have forgotten who I am?"

"My lord." Yu Xiangdou's mouth dropped open.

He gasped. If it had the name of Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, this newspaper could really have been published.

Now, Yu Xiangdou was truly tempted. Zhang Jiangling's name was renowned among the people!
But he was still a little scared: "My lord, is this the Grand Secretary's idea?"

“That’s not something you should be asking,” Zhang Yunxiu said coldly.

Yu Xiangdou shuddered and immediately bowed his head, saying, "This humble subject has been presumptuous. Please forgive me, Your Excellency."

Zhang Yunxiu, without batting an eye, pointed to the stack of silver notes on the table.

"Consider this your equity investment. From now on, you will provide manpower and effort, while I will provide the content. All output will be split 20/80."

It's so dark!
Yu Xiangdou inwardly grumbled, but he could accept it. If this "newspaper" were published, even a 20% stake would definitely be profitable.

He said energetically, "Please rest assured, sir, I will do my utmost in this matter!"

"Let me make this clear from the start," Zhang Yunxiu said coldly. "I'm giving you this business because I value your talent, but if you have any moral failings, like stealing seals or engaging in other illegal activities, don't blame me for being impolite!"

This young master, the Grand Secretary, is truly unpredictable!
Yu Xiangdou immediately replied, "Don't worry, sir!"

Zhang Yunxiu gave a few more instructions before letting Yu Xiangdou go, satisfied.

Having narrowly escaped death, Yu Xiangdou wanted to leave the room as soon as possible. Being with this young master was too stressful!
He planned to seek out the young ladies at Huayueju to soothe his frightened young heart.

"and many more!"

Zhang Yunxiu's voice nearly gave Yu Xiangdou a heart attack. He could only turn around and fawn, "What are your orders, sir?"

Zhang Yunxiu stepped forward, patted Yu Xiangdou on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "I would appreciate it if Master Yu could help with all the expenses at Huayueju today."

Yu Xiangdou's facial muscles twitched, and he nodded repeatedly, saying, "Of course, of course."

After leaving Huayue Residence, Zhang Yunxiu was in a great mood and did not intend to stay overnight.

Smallpox, urinary tract infections, and syphilis remained prevalent during the Ming Dynasty.

Besides, at his age, who knows who's who he'll end up with! Zhang Yunxiu, being sensible, didn't bother his fourth brother Zhang Jianxiu, who was probably about to ascend to the heavens. Instead, he sat in the carriage and reviewed his plans.

He has an advantage: as a time traveler, he can see almost anyone recorded in history.

Yu Xiangdou was a man of good character and virtue in history. Jianyang Study, which was preparing to set up shop in the capital, needed a powerful backer more than traditional bookstores.

With shared interests, cooperation naturally eliminates the fear of betrayal.

Zhang Yunxiu also has countless storybooks at his disposal, as well as his father, the Grand Secretary, and his childhood friend, the Emperor. This is the foundation upon which he relies for everything he does!

In the past few days, Fourth Brother Zhang Jianxiu has already sold that painting of immortals. It was an emergency, but he still managed to get a full nine thousand taels of silver!
When they received these silver notes, both of them were almost red with envy.

Under Zhang Juzheng's strict upbringing, the two of them were almost driven to madness by poverty!

Fourth Brother Zhang Jianxiu felt somewhat guilty about this wasteful behavior, but he was immediately seduced by the allure of women.

Zhang Yunxiu, however, felt no burden.

With this money, I can do something that benefits the country and its people. Isn't that better than letting it hang in my study collecting dust?

What did Zhang Juzheng know?!

Moreover, if he could get the newspaper up and running, Zhang Yunxiu believed that earning back 10,000 taels of silver was only a matter of time.

Just as Zhang Yunxiu was pondering, a smug smile appeared on his face.

A tentative question came from the front of the carriage.

"Um, young master, where are you going?"

It was quite unusual to see someone out so early in the morning, and the coachman was a little suspicious.

Zhang Yunxiu patted his head.

"Almost forgot."

He then said in a very serious tone.

"Let's head back home. I'm not like that good-for-nothing Zhang Jianxiu. I'm going back to study hard!"

The day after the court assembly, Yang Sizhi, the supervising censor of Shaanxi Province, received his colleague Yang Keli in his backyard.

When the topic of the court assembly came up, Yang Sizhi slammed his fist on the table in anger.

"Zhang Jiangling is autocratic and disregards the imperial court, truly a threat to the nation!"

The dialogue between the two days ago is still fresh in my mind.

Every night when Yang Sizhi closed his eyes, he could see the emperor's furious face.

"Execute him by slow slicing, and his entire family will be exiled!"

Every time Yang Sizhi thought of those words, he felt terrified and broke out in a cold sweat.

He attributed all the reasons to Zhang Juzheng.

Compared to Yang Sizhi, Yang Keli, the supervising censor of Yunnan Province, was clearly more composed.

On that day, Yang Keli did not rashly join the impeachment, and he saw things clearly.

He stroked his beard and offered words of comfort.

"Brother Yang, there is no need to be too pessimistic. This matter is mainly due to your recklessness and your simplistic understanding of the court."

Yang Sizhi was somewhat indignant and stood up to speak.

“Brother Ziyu, how can you speak like this? As censors, we are here to share the emperor's burdens. If we are only thinking about protecting ourselves, how can we live up to our official robes? How can we live up to His Majesty's kindness to us?”

(End of this chapter)