Green Mountain-Chapter 654 - 511: Competing for Power

Qi Zhaoning left.

Chen Ji pondered carefully over what Princess Liyang had said: Qi Zhaoning is willful, and he cannot annul the engagement, but he can force Qi Zhaoning to withdraw.

Although Qi Zhaoning is willful, she has committed no capital offense. If I were to flee overseas, it would surely make her the laughingstock of the Imperial Capital, but if she could voluntarily break off the engagement, it would preserve her dignity.

It would simply result in Chen Ji being ridiculed for a while, but Chen Ji didn't care.

Thinking of this, Chen Ji turned to look at the shopkeeper Chen Dong, whose lips trembled slightly as he spoke dryly, "Landlord."

Chen Ji smiled slightly: "Don't be afraid, I won't kill you today."

Chen Dong hesitated for a moment: "Then when will you kill..."

Chen Ji corrected him: "I never kill the innocent. If you have done no wrong, there's no need to kill you. Let me ask you a few questions, just answer honestly. How much silver is left in Baoxiang Bookstore's account?"

Chen Dong remained silent.

A worker from the backyard hurried out and said: "Landlord, the shopkeeper doesn't know how much silver is left in the account, he doesn't care about business matters. There are still two hundred and seventeen taels of silver, and this was from when he just sold the carved plates of White Boat Record. If you had come a few days later, this silver would have been turned into some nonsensical commentaries on the scriptures by Sanyang Sanren."

Chen Ji looked up, surveying the Baoxiang Bookstore which had both a storefront and a workshop in the back, seemingly not caring if this bookstore could continue operating: "What's your name?"

The worker replied: "A humble servant, Chen Jia."

Chen Ji asked again: "What's the price of paper in the Capital?"

The worker knew it by heart: "The most common is bamboo paper, used for books and official documents. Among them, Fuzhou Yukuo Bamboo Paper is the best, being soft, smooth, and thick. One hundred and twenty cents can buy a hundred sheets. The Jiuxiang Bamboo Paper from Shuzhou is slightly inferior but has the advantage of being abundant and cheap, one hundred cents can buy a hundred sheets."

"Xuan paper is expensive, with Big White Deer Xuan Paper used in the palace costing one tael of silver per sheet, while the kind used by ordinary officials and the wealthy costs one money per sheet."

Chen Ji nodded, the task he was about to undertake required only the cheapest yellowed bamboo paper: "How about ink?"

Chen Jia replied: "Ink sticks are more expensive; if handcrafted by a famous artisan, they sell for fifty taels of silver each, whereas we usually use ink that comes in one-jin bamboo tubes, selling for thirty-five cents."

Chen Ji pondered for a moment: "Is there a shop using movable type printing in the Glass Factory?"

Chen Jia was taken aback: "Landlord, that thing doesn't work well. Some tried to use movable type printing earlier, but the wooden types broke within a month, and the printed characters often came out missing several parts..."

Chen Ji suddenly asked: "Has the Glass Factory been peaceful lately? Anyone causing trouble?"

Chen Jia shook his head: "No, when Heji was in charge of the Glass Factory, they only collected Peace Money monthly but never handled incidents. Their ruffians often extorted shopkeepers. Now, with new people in charge, although it's unknown whose people they are, they genuinely resolve issues. Even if disputes arise among neighbors, they'll step in to mediate, creating a more peaceful environment."

Chen Ji smiled slightly: "Alright, you all go about your business."

He turned around and left, leaving the shopkeeper and the worker looking at each other in disbelief; did he just leave like that?

Chen Dong stroked his beard: "Didn't you say he delights in killing, feeling uneasy if he doesn't spill blood every day?"

Chen Jia hesitated too: "That's what everyone says outside, claiming he drinks a jin of alcohol daily and kills someone before drinking to enhance the mood..."

Shopkeeper Chen Dong contemplated for a moment: "I don't think the landlord is that kind of person. It's probably just the townsfolk hating his return to Yuan Cheng and making unscrupulous fabrications."

...

...

Chen Ji walked in the Glass Factory, looking for a Meihua Ferry Crossing ruffian resting under an eave, and made a gesture of three and a half sticks of incense with his hands.

The ruffian, dressed in a clean black cloth shirt, immediately became alert: "From where have you come?"

Chen Ji answered: "From Kunlun Mountain."

The ruffian asked again: "Did you see white cranes flying?"

Chen Ji gave a thumbs-up in response: "Only saw five-colored clouds."

The ruffian instantly clasped his hands in a fist salute: "So it's the landlord, please give your instructions."

Chen Ji instructed: "Go to Meihua Ferry Crossing to find Brother Pao and Er Dao, then make a trip to Zhang Mansion to find Second Miss Zhang, tell them I'll be waiting in Silver Apricot Garden at the Chen family on Fu You Street."

The ruffian saluted and ran off like the wind, exchanging signals with another ruffian along the way, immediately having a new ruffian replace his original position.

Chen Ji bought a basket of buns, wrapping them in palm leaves.

By the time Chen Ji leisurely returned to Fu You Street, Brother Pao, Er Dao, and Zhang Xia were already waiting at the side entrance.

Today, Zhang Xia wore a new red ceremonial robe embroidered with wave patterns, girded with a black leather belt, her hair neatly tied at the top with a long red silk ribbon. She was leaning against the stone lion with her arms folded, muttering scriptures with her eyes closed.

Brother Pao and Er Dao both wore black cloth garments with black patchwork shoes, Brother Pao holding a smoking gun silently.

Chen Ji smiled and said: "You all arrived so quickly?"

Zhang Xia opened her eyes but didn't interrupt her chanting of the Cloud Covering Scripture, while Brother Pao smiled and replied: "Since you specifically called us here, there must be something important to do. Tell us, we've been so idle lately our brains are growing moss."

Chen Ji walked towards the side gate: "Has the salt permit business at Meihua Ferry Crossing been going well lately?"

Brother Pao replied casually: "Smooth, smoother than expected. The Eight Great Merchants have never seen such new things, so they've overlooked us for now. That scholar named Huang Que, after failing the Imperial Examination, gave up on it completely and became the second shopkeeper at the Chen Family Salt Shop, selling mixed private salt across various locations. It's said that he has gathered quite a few people under him, all bandits from the Green Forest. Selling private salt is more profitable than being a mountain king."

Chen Ji frowned: "Can he manage these people?"

Brother Pao remarked: "This kid is not very good at academics, but he is very adept at managing people. It's said that he's ruthless and doesn't let emotions govern him, he's taken care of any unruly bandits from the Green Forest. Now, the Eight Great Merchants have their eyes on him, we've been ignored, and the trump card you prepared has no place now."

Chen Ji replied with a smile: "If the trump card can be kept unused, that's best. Perhaps it could save a life in the Renshou Palace in the future."

Brother Pao was curious: "What are you planning to do this time?"

Chen Ji pushed the door open to the Silver Apricot Garden. Xiao Man quickly went to the side room to heat up some towels for everyone to wash their faces.

He sat on a stone stool, finger tapping the table: "Brother Pao, why not sit and guess what I plan to do?"

Brother Pao sat down, tapping the sole of his shoe on his smoking pipe: "You tell me."

Chen Ji considered and said: "I need to make brass movable type, mixing eight parts brass, one part tin, and one part lead."

Brother Pao remained silent, hesitating to respond.

Xiao Man was curious: "Do you really plan to run Baoxiang Bookstore, sir? But I heard no one uses movable type printing anymore."

Chen Ji didn't answer her, and continued: "Oil-based ink needs to be made slowly. I only know to use boiling linseed oil as a base, adding rosin to increase viscosity, then beeswax to enhance fluidity and gloss. If linseed oil is insufficient, walnut oil will do, but linseed oil is preferable."

Brother Pao remained silent.

Zhang Xia silently watched Chen Ji and Brother Pao, usually the most knowledgeable and astute, yet the conversation between Chen Ji and Brother Pao left her feeling some words were strange, unfamiliar, unable to decipher what Chen Ji intended to do.

This feeling was still quite surprising.

Chen Ji continued: "I remember matured ink has two standards; one is the hot ink drips into water and doesn't disperse, it sinks to the bottom and can be pinched and lifted with two fingers, indicating sufficient viscosity. Second, when a feather is inserted into the steam above the hot ink, if the feather doesn't curl, it indicates the moisture is evaporated and the oil is well-cooked... but I've never made this myself, you need to try it slowly."

Brother Pao took a deep breath: "Leave it to me. With Er Dao around, such skilled work won't go wrong."

Chen Ji nodded: "Currently books are printed by brush, but we need to use press printing. This is not difficult. Oil presses used in grain and oil shops can be modified... Brother Pao, can you guess what I intend to do?"

Brother Pao looked up at him: "You're really bold."

Chen Ji laughed: "Now that we're here, we must do something different. Rest assured, I know what I'm doing. We shouldn't start with sensitive topics. First, let's find the most famous people in the capital, those the common folk are most interested in, report their stories, and let's sell the newspaper."

Xiao Man listened perplexed: "What exactly are you aiming to do, sir?"

Brother Pao leisurely replied: "Newspapers."

Zhang Xia was the first to respond: "Official gazette?"

Brother Pao chuckled: "The official gazette is for officials, newspapers are for the common folk, completely different. Official gazettes are all handwritten. To get one, you have to pay heavily to have it transcribed at a gazette house, very troublesome, not everyone can read it."

Brother Pao continued: "Official gazettes only write about court appointments changes, local disasters, and auspicious signs, not real matters. Who impeached whom, who toppled whom, who disliked whom, who argued with whom over jealousy, these interesting things are never written, they make me sleepy."

Zhang Xia listened intently, feeling this matter very important.

Chen Ji corrected: "It can't just be gossip; there should be some serious matters."

He turned to Zhang Xia: "Now that Lord Zhang is the Minister of Personnel, obtaining articles from academic administrators to print shouldn't be difficult, right?"

Zhang Xia agreed with a smile: "Leave it to me."

Chen Ji pondered briefly, then turned to Brother Pao: "You… can you write poetry?"

Brother Pao's eyes lit up: "Know a bit."

Er Dao muttered beside him: "My brother recently heard from Shen Ye that good poetry can allure the most beautiful courtesans to offer themselves, he's been racking his brain every night… writing poetry."

Xiao Man was incredulous, examining Brother Pao: "You, you, you can write poetry?"

Brother Pao chuckled: "Miss Xiao Man, people can't be judged by appearance. While I may look rugged, I can write a dozen poems."

Chen Ji interrupted: "Poems can also be published. In this Ning Dynasty, a good poem can spread far, even reaching Korea and Japan."

Brother Pao readily agreed: "As long as you're not afraid of causing trouble, we'll start. But how much does a newspaper sell for?"

Chen Ji tapped the table: "Five cents."

Xiao Man widened her eyes, unconcerned about what newspapers were, only caring if they could make money: "Just five cents, isn't this business too small? A lamb bun costs five cents already."

Brother Pao smiled proudly: "Miss Xiao Man doesn't know, this business isn't about making money."

Xiao Man puzzled: "Then what's it for?"

Brother Pao calmly replied: "For power."