After saving the Empress, I became the top scholar in the imperial examination.

Master Ning smiled and picked up the book again.

……

……

The list of candidates for the provincial examination was posted early on November 5th.

October 29th, the weather was cool and overcast.

Datong Street.

Ning Nan rode in a horse-drawn carriage and slowly made his way to the office of the Nancheng Daily. At the end of the month, as the major owner of the newspaper, he always had to come and settle accounts.

For the vast majority of people in Beijing, they naturally wouldn't know who the owner behind the newspaper was.

Even at the newspaper office, apart from Li Xing, the five original employees, and Qiu He, the manager hired last month, no one else knew that this young man was their boss.

A study in the backyard.

Qiu Hedi, a middle-aged shopkeeper with a thin face and slightly bulging eyes, stood outside the desk.

"Master, this month a total of sixteen shops of various kinds have come to cooperate with our newspaper. Tianjinlou has published another article, and Songhelou is also going to publish one. As instructed by you, since Songhelou and Tianjinlou are close by, I declined Songhelou's offer and scheduled it three months later... Master Tan of Tianjinlou indeed said that you are generous... At the rate of five taels per word, we have earned nearly two thousand taels of silver just from this kind of 'GG' income..."

Manager Qiu reported respectfully with his hands at his sides, a hint of delight in his voice.

"Furthermore, the booksellers at Changqing Trading Company have lowered our cost price by one copper coin, so the cost of printing one newspaper has dropped to eight copper coins!"

Ning Nan sat in a sandalwood chair, holding an account book in his hands, and frowned, saying, "Changqing Trading Company didn't suffer any losses, did it?"

No, no.

Qiu He quickly shook his head and said:

"I asked Chen Ruhai's boss. Our printing volume is getting larger and larger, and their bookstore has already made a lot of money. Moreover, it seems that one of their craftsmen has made something that has reduced the printing cost, which is why they lowered the price for us."

"Oh, it seems the technology has improved..." Ning Nan nodded and hummed in agreement.

As Qiu He spoke, his expression remained calm, but his heart was filled with turbulent emotions.

Last month, when the young employer offered him a monthly salary of eight taels of silver to become the manager of the Nancheng Daily, he was quite skeptical.

I wonder which rich kid is selling off his family's land without a care in the world, wasting money like water.

He naturally knew about the Nancheng Daily; it was a very famous newspaper. Among the owners of bookstores and ink shops, it had long been a laughing stock about losing money to gain publicity, and not just any ordinary joke.

At first, the newspaper company was giving away the so-called newspapers for free, which made them very happy, but they didn't know what the other party was after.

Since the beginning of last month, after newspapers started selling for money, they only cost five coins a copy, and I heard that if you buy them directly from the newspaper office, they only cost three coins a copy.

He just couldn't figure out this problem no matter how he tried.

When some of the bookstore owners met for a meal, the Nancheng Daily, which cooperated with Changqing Trading Company, was naturally one of the topics of conversation.

But Qiu He never expected this.

The Nancheng Daily, which he once laughed at, will one day have its owner come knocking with money, earnestly saying, "Mr. Qiu, Mr. Chen Ruhai says you're quite good, a rare business talent among his acquaintances, and also runs a bookstore, which connects you a bit with us..."

Immediately, the other party offered a monthly salary of eight taels of silver, double his previous salary. He didn't hesitate any longer. Although he didn't know how long he could work there, he was confident that even if the *Nancheng Daily* closed down, he could find work in the capital with his skills. However, unexpectedly, after the other party proposed the so-called "GG" idea and personally went to Fulai Tavern and Tianjinlou to collect the first two "GG fees," the *Nancheng Daily* started making money at an unstoppable pace. Every day, shops throughout the city were practically handing over money!

The name "Qiu He" quickly became a hot topic among various guilds.

The more this was the case, the more cautious Qiu He became, knowing that he actually had no real merit and that it was his employer's skillful methods that made him stand out. He was always afraid of making the slightest mistake and having his employer replace him as manager.

"Shhh..."

Ning Nan flipped through the pages of the Longmen account book, feeling quite satisfied.

When Chen Ruhai introduced this Manager Qiu to him, he said that the most important thing about Manager Qiu was that he was "clean-handed". In the past, at Yunfeng Bookstore, someone offered him five hundred taels of silver to do something to Yunfeng Bookstore and smash Yunfeng's signboard. This man refused and slept in the bookstore every day to prevent any shop assistants from taking the money and causing trouble in the bookstore.

Later, Yunfeng's employer spent a lot of money to hire a mediator to reconcile with the rival, turning enemies into friends. Only then did the rival laugh and tell the story, a small trick to let bygones be bygones and to flatter the other party. Qiu He's reputation for being "clean-handed" spread like wildfire.

Ning Nan was flipping through the account books at this moment and felt that Chen Ruhai had not recommended the wrong person.

Just then, "Knock knock knock!"

A knock sounded at the door, and a waiter came to report that a distinguished guest had arrived and specifically requested to be served by "Manager Qiu".

Qiu He was displeased to be disturbed, and his thin face darkened. Since it was rare for the master to come and check the accounts, he naturally had to stay here with him so that he could answer any questions the master might have and avoid any suspicion or misunderstanding.

Ning Nan didn't take it to heart, and looked up with a smile, saying, "Manager Qiu, please go ahead and take care of the guests."

Qiu He's expression showed a moment of struggle.

Ning Nan held the account book up slightly with both hands and smiled, "The account book is fine. I just want to take a closer look so I have a better understanding of the situation. Manager Qiu, please go ahead without worry."

Qiu He let out a soft breath, as if he had taken a reassuring pill, then took his leave, opened the door, and went to keep the distinguished guest company.

This study was originally reserved for the owner and is located in a secluded corner.

Aside from the cleaning lady, there are usually no outsiders visiting.

Mr. Ning flipped through the account books again and looked at them. The newspaper's costs were divided into three parts.

One expense was printing money; the second was hiring scholars and intellectuals to write articles; the third was the salaries of Editor-in-Chief Li and his staff, as well as daily expenses such as rent and food… Of course, there was also money to bribe officials, such as the clerks and constables in Shangyuan County. It's easier to deal with the King of Hell than with his underlings; relying solely on the Imperial Guard's intimidation wasn't a long-term solution.

So although he earned quite a bit from "GG" fees, after all the miscellaneous expenses, he only made about five or six hundred taels a month.

call.

Master Ning let out a sigh of relief, glanced at the neatly arranged account books one last time, then closed them and placed them on his desk. Qiu He would handle the rest himself.

He stood up, opened the door, and walked out, from the backyard to the front yard.

While still on the veranda.

Then they saw that the door to a side room used for receiving guests had been opened.

Qiu He walked out excitedly, and said respectfully:

"Rest assured, esteemed guest, the content you wish to publish will appear in the morning edition of the *Nancheng Daily* tomorrow morning, word for word... At that time, everyone in the city will read this article... Your article is so brilliant that it truly puts me and the scholars in my humble abode to shame..."

Hearing this string of incredibly fluent flattery, the owner of the Nancheng Daily stopped in his tracks, couldn't help but smile slightly, and felt that he hadn't made a mistake in choosing this person; Manager Qiu knew how to do business. He deliberately paused, wanting to wait for Manager Qiu to see the guest off first.

At this moment, the distinguished guests accompanied by Manager Qiu also came out of the side room, chatting and laughing.

The person at the head was dressed in a magnificent purple robe, with a jade belt around his waist and a folding fan in his hand.

The other person was wearing a thick red striped mandarin jacket and a melon-shaped hat with a fur trim, and had a handsome appearance.

Behind the two were five or six followers, one of whom was burly and tall with eyes that were like thunderbolts, making people afraid to look him in the eye.

Ning Nan was stunned for a moment.

The other party seemed to be taken aback for a moment as well.

A few breaths later, before Qiu He had even turned around...

The handsome man in the melon-shaped hat noticed him, and a fleeting look of surprise crossed his eyes.

"Ah, Brother Ning," he said with a smile, "you're also planning to publish something in the Nancheng Daily?"