The Great Ming Demon Pill: Your Majesty, please address me as the Crown Prince!

Zhu Di immediately puffed out his beard and glared.

"You little monkey, you look like you're asking for a beating."

Zhu Zhanjun gave a sly smile.

"Grandpa, I also have children's urine here. I've heard it has miraculous effects on all kinds of diseases."

"If you...

"Stop." Zhu Di's face twitched, and he quickly said, "Didn't you say you were going to report on the newspaper's progress? Let me see it."

Zhu Zhanjun blinked, then took out a newspaper from his pocket and handed it to Zhu Di.

"Grandpa Emperor, look!"

Zhu Di took the newspaper and glanced at it.

The newspaper prominently displayed the words "Da Ming Xin Bao" (The Great Ming New Daily).

The front page carried the news "The Khalid Mission Pays Tribute, and the Two Countries Discuss Silk Road Trade," briefly describing the Khalid Kingdom's presentation of gifts at the banquet and the Ulugh Beg Prince's challenge of "verifying the silver in the gold Buddha." It also highlighted how Prince Zhu Zhanjun of Jiyang cleverly verified the silver using a water displacement method, convincing the Khalid mission.

Next to it is a section on "Everything About Daily Life," which introduces several new vegetables recently cultivated by the museum: tomatoes, eggplants, celery, etc., with brief descriptions of their appearance, how to eat them, and key points for cultivation.

In addition, there are sections for articles and poetry reviews, gossip and entertainment, and serialized novels.

After reading it carefully, Zhu Di found it difficult to lift his head for a long time.

After a long while, he reluctantly put down the newspaper and couldn't help but slam his hand on the table.

"good!"

"This newspaper is comprehensive, containing important national news, new knowledge that benefits the people, and interesting academic discussions. It is well-organized and written in a simple and easy-to-understand style."

"Zhanjun, if this newspaper were published regularly and distributed throughout the city, it would indeed spread information rapidly in all directions, guiding the people's wisdom—a truly great achievement!"

He looked up at Zhu Zhanjun, his face full of satisfaction: "Your Majesty has granted your request and will fully support the publication of the Da Ming Xin Bao."

"You can coordinate the required manpower and materials with the relevant authorities."

"We must ensure that the content is accurate and beneficial to the country and its people."

Zhu Zhanjun bowed with a smile: "Grandson obeys the decree! I will certainly not fail my Imperial Grandfather's expectations!"

Zhu Di nodded in satisfaction.

"Hey, by the way, you little monkey, don't be in such a hurry to leave."

"I found the last page of 'Journey to the West' in your newspaper quite interesting. Do you have any more? Let your imperial grandfather show it to you."

"The waters in these legends and novels are too deep for you to grasp."

"Bring out more drafts, and your grandfather will correct them for you."

Zhu Zhanjun: "..."

...................

About half a month later.

As dawn broke, Nanjing gradually awoke in the morning light.

Near the Confucius Temple on the banks of the Qinhuai River, the vendors at the morning market had just set up their stoves. Next to the steaming steamer baskets of buns, an old man selling tofu pudding was scooping out tender white tofu.

Pedestrians were already hurrying past on the bluestone pavement along the street.

"Newspapers for sale! Newspapers for sale!"

A clear and melodious child's voice suddenly rang out in the streets and alleys, breaking the tranquility of the early morning.

Several teenagers, dressed in bright green short jackets and matching hats, with cloth bags slung across their chests and stacks of papers in their hands, darted out from the streets and alleys.

Their green clothes stood out against the drab street scene, attracting the attention of passersby.

"Freshly printed *Da Ming Xin Bao*! One copper coin a copy!"

The lead newsboy was about twelve or thirteen years old, with dark skin but bright eyes. Standing in the open space in front of the Confucius Temple, he cleared his throat and began to sing:

"La la la! La la la! I'm a newspaper-selling expert!"

"Don't wait until dawn to wait for the dispatch; keep walking and shouting!"

"Today's news is really good; a newspaper costs only one coin!"

The tune was simple and catchy, and the lyrics were straightforward and interesting, gradually drawing a curious crowd around.

A middle-aged woman carrying a vegetable basket stopped and asked a vegetable vendor nearby with a puzzled look, "Aunt Wang, what's that song? What's this 'Da Ming Xin Bao'?"

"I don't know either." Aunt Wang shook her head, craning her neck to look. "It sounds like something new and interesting. A copper coin isn't expensive..."

Just then, another newsboy ran to the teahouse entrance and called out to the innkeeper, who had just opened the door, "Innkeeper, would you like a copy of the *Da Ming Xin Bao*? The front page has big news about the tribute mission from the Kingdom of Halie, and also a detailed account of His Highness Prince Jiyang's ingenious solution to the Golden Buddha problem!"

The teahouse owner, surnamed Liu, was a middle-aged man in his forties. Upon hearing this, his eyes lit up: "Halie Kingdom? King Jiyang? Really?"

"Absolutely true!" The newsboy waved his newspaper. "It's written in black and white! There are even new recipes, what are they called... Scrambled eggs with tomatoes! Braised pork with eggplant! These are all novel dishes that we've never seen before in the Ming Dynasty!"

Manager Liu pulled out a copper coin from the counter: "Give me one! I want to see what kind of novelty this is."

The newsboy quickly collected the money and handed over a newspaper.

Manager Liu unfolded the document and saw that the paper was of decent quality and the printing was clear. Sure enough, the front page had the words "The Khalid Mission Pays Tribute, King Jiyang Cleverly Solves the Difficult Problem" written in eye-catching font.

He glanced at it briefly, then exclaimed in admiration, "Brilliant! How come I never thought of this method of testing gold by draining water!"

This sound attracted several early-arriving tea drinkers to gather around.

"Manager Liu, what is this wonderful item?"

"That's right, let us see too!"

Manager Liu generously spread the newspaper on the table: "Please take a look, everyone. This is the newly published 'Da Ming Xin Bao' (Great Ming Newspaper), one copper coin per copy."

"It says that at the grand banquet in the palace a few days ago, the prince of Hali Kingdom deliberately posed difficult questions to embarrass our Great Ming Dynasty, but His Highness Prince Jiyang solved them on the spot!"

"To be honest, I vaguely heard about this news a few days ago."

"But they are all scattered, some true and some false."

"Now the newspapers are saying it all very clearly and plainly."

"It's much more reliable than us ordinary people asking around randomly!"

Upon hearing this, everyone immediately gathered around with interest. Those who could read read it aloud, while those who couldn't listen intently.

"My goodness, His Highness Prince Jiyang is truly a child prodigy!"

"That's right, I heard she's only seven or eight years old!"

"To know about important events in the palace for just one copper coin, this is a good deal!"

"I learned about the envoy from the Kingdom of Halie from my second cousin, but he was vague. He described it so clearly now, it's like he was there himself."

"Tsk tsk, this 'Da Ming Xin Bao' says it was edited by the Prince of Jiyang, so it can't be fake, it's all the truth about the palace."

"Yes, in the past, we would never have had the chance to find out."

"..."

Just then, a newsboy ran by in the street, singing: "The Great Ming Daily! One copper coin! The 'People's Livelihood and Daily News' section teaches you how to grow new vegetables! High yields of tomatoes and eggplants! One acre can yield hundreds of catties!"

Mr. Zhao, the owner of the silk shop across the street, had just opened his door when he heard this and waved: "Hey, newspaper vendor, come here!"

The newsboy trotted over: "Sir, how many copies would you like?"

Boss Zhao pulled out three copper coins: "Three copies! One for me, one for the accountant, and one for the workers in the back."

He took the newspaper, muttering to himself as he read, "If there really is a new vegetable that can produce several hundred kilograms, I could buy some seeds and try it out on the farm..."

This scene was playing out in various parts of Nanjing.

At the rice market in the south of the city, several laborers pooled their money to buy a newspaper and huddled together listening to their literate companion read aloud the section about "the specialties of the Khali Kingdom: golden brocade and saffron." They marveled, "We've never even heard of these Western Region products!"

In front of the blacksmith's shop in the west of the city, the old blacksmith asked his apprentice to buy him a newspaper. He flipped to the "New Vegetable Planting" page, squinted at it for a long time, and then turned to his wife and said, "Old woman, this article says there's a vegetable called celery that's good for clearing heat and promoting urination. You've been feeling a bit feverish these past few days, so why don't we buy some seeds and plant some in the yard?"

In the scholarly area near the Hanlin Academy, several students preparing to go to the Imperial College each had one.

They not only read the news, but also carefully studied the poetry commentaries and classical discussions in the newspapers, debating with each other.

"Brother Li, look at this article commenting on Du Fu's poems; its insights are quite fresh!"

"Brother, I am more interested in this theory of 'gravity of all things.' His Highness Prince Jiyang's words are truly astonishing..."

"Have you guys read it? The next installment is called 'Journey to the West,' it's really interesting!"

"..."

In less than an hour, the first batch of 5,000 copies of the "Da Ming Xin Bao" were sold out.

The newsboys' pockets were empty, but they all had beaming smiles—the newspaper office said they would get half a penny for each newspaper sold, and this morning each of them had earned at least twenty or thirty pennies!

"That's all! Come back tomorrow!" the newsboys called out to those who still wanted to buy a newspaper.

"That's it?" The people who couldn't buy any complained.

"Is there more tomorrow?" someone asked.

"Yes! Every day! Available from 7 AM!" the newsboy shouted. "There's new content tomorrow too! I heard they're serializing something like 'Journey to the West,' the story of the Monkey King's pilgrimage!"

"A monkey going on a pilgrimage?" Everyone was even more curious.

That afternoon, teahouses, restaurants, and bookstores throughout Nanjing, wherever the "Da Ming Xin Bao" was published, were packed with people listening to and discussing the news.

A newspaper is often passed around until the edges are frayed and the paper is soft.

Those who could read would read aloud to those who couldn't, and when they heard something interesting, the whole room would burst into laughter.

They marveled at anything new and interesting.

Upon hearing that it was useful, I quickly wrote it down.

As night falls, the conversations at many dinner tables shift from gossip to "the Khalid delegation," "the gold Buddha and silver verification," and "tomatoes and eggplants."

Some more astute businessmen have already begun to ponder this.

The newspaper says that the Kingdom of Khali wants to trade. Wouldn't it be a great deal if those special products from the Western Regions could be sold to the Ming Dynasty?

Qianyuan Palace.

Zhu Di remarked to Yang Rong with emotion.

"Zhanjun is truly my lucky star; he has accomplished another great feat."

Yang Rong bowed and said, "Your Highness Prince Jiyang's method is indeed a pioneering move. With the free flow of information, the people's wisdom will gradually be enlightened, which is of great benefit to the country and the people."