Green Mountain-Chapter 655 - 512: News

Making money?

Grabbing power?

Xiao Man didn't understand how this damn newspaper was related to power; she was just curious: "How to grab power?"

Brother Pao passed the pipe to Er Dao and explained while Er Dao was packing tobacco: "Do you think the landlord is a traitor to the nation?"

Xiao Man angrily replied: "Of course not, that's all street gossip."

Brother Pao smiled: "Someone bribed the storytellers in tea houses to spread the rumors, now the momentum is building and even if our landlord had a hundred mouths, he couldn't explain it away... But the newspaper can. Not only can it clarify the landlord's name, but it can also turn black into white."

Xiao Man was skeptical: "Is it really that effective? You haven't even made it yet, and you're making promises, speaking as if you've seen this thing before."

Brother Pao smiled without speaking.

Zhang Xia, being clever, quickly grasped the key point: "I suddenly understand why Brother Pao just said Chen Ji has become bolder, this item is indeed taboo. People can be made to follow, but cannot be allowed to know too much. Throughout history, officials did not want the common people to know too much, yet this item can accomplish great matters for the nation and can also cause the collapse of rites and music... Chen Ji, are you doing this to clear your own name?"

Chen Ji shook his head: "I don't care about reputation."

Zhang Xia queried: "Then why?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "If Lord Zhang wants to implement new policies, this item can aid him significantly, I previously promised at the Imperial Palace Gate to help Lord Zhang, but I'm afraid there aren't many chances left. With this item, next time if someone wants to harm Lord Zhang, it might not be him who suffers."

Zhang Xia suddenly asked: "Have you found a way to rescue the Commandery Princess?"

Chen Ji nodded.

Zhang Xia understood; Chen Ji was publishing the newspaper not for himself but to repay the favor from outside Chongli Pass.

This time Chen Ji carried the burden of a bad reputation, actually shielding Zhang Zhuo from hidden arrows. Those who bribed storytellers opposing the return to Yuan Cheng were originally targeting Zhang Zhuo.

If there was a newspaper at that time, street opinion wouldn't be dictated by others. To implement new policies, one must offend everyone, having a newspaper in hand increases the chances of success.

Now, Chen Ji has already figured out how to rescue the Commandery Princess, it's just a matter of time; he wants to leave something behind before leaving the Ning Dynasty, helping the Zhang family once more.

Zhang Xia smiled after a moment of silence: "Thank you, and I wish you will rescue the Commandery Princess soon."

Chen Ji looked at Brother Pao: "Ink and printing blocks can't be made overnight, but only by getting these two things done right can the newspaper be successful. Moreover, the articles printed in the newspaper must be carefully considered, they must be about topics that the people are most interested in."

Brother Pao stood up: "Don't worry, I already know what news the first newspaper will cover, it's sure to cause a sensation in the Imperial Capital."

Chen Ji smiled and said: "Looking forward to it."

At this moment, a servant reported from outside: "Master, the shopkeeper from Gufu Building is here to seek another meeting, should I bring them in?"

Xiao Man panicked, dragging the little monk away before Chen Ji could answer: "No need to bother the master, I can handle them."

Chen Ji didn't mind and instead looked at Zhang Xia: "You have to be involved in the newspaper business; after all... this thing will be handed over to you in the future."

Zhang Xia agreed: "Alright."

...

...

Next morning.

Xiao Man woke up to the sound of running water. She hugged the Little Black Cat and walked out of the side room, seeing Chen Ji rolling up his sleeves as he poured water from a wooden bucket into a vat.

At first, she was unaccustomed to Chen Ji fetching water each day, but now she saw it as normal.

Xiao Man asked: "Master, what would you like for breakfast? I'll go make it for you."

Chen Ji put down the wooden bucket and smiled, saying: "No need to trouble yourself, we'll go to the Glass Factory to eat."

Xiao Man curiously asked: "Master is going to the Glass Factory today? What's good about those bookstores, they're places frequented by pedantic scholars."

Chen Ji explained: "I have to find some things; it's business."

Xiao Man responded with an 'oh' and kicked open the little monk's room door: "Wake up!"

The three left the Chen Mansion and walked south. Just past Xuanwu Gate, they smelled the mixed scents of cow dung and fermented bean juice, along with the scent of fried dough rings.

This time, Chen Ji went straight to the Wenchang Bookstore in the Glass Factory; he remembered that during the Imperial Examination, this was the bookstore that published literary meeting poetry collections daily to sell in the inner city.

Yesterday, the bookstore's shopkeeper said the most misprinted and misbound books also came from this one.

Wenchang Bookstore was much larger than Baoxiang Bookstore, its eight large doors all opened wide. There were twelve wooden boards listing book titles just in front of the door. Six boards listed the old book titles, and the other six listed the titles of new arrivals for the day.

The main hall was teeming with people, all literary scholars and gentlemen in search of previous dynasty's editions, precious rare copies, and well-edited originals. Amidst the crowd, some engaged in high-spirited discussions while the waiters served hot tea, and the backyard offered a place to sip and appreciate tea. This bookstore had clearly become a gathering place for literati.

Chen Ji didn't engage in conversation with anyone; he silently flipped through the books, looking for any trace or clue.

Xiao Man, bored to tears, followed Chen Ji with no interest in looking through the books whatsoever: "Master, when will the newspaper you talked about yesterday be published? I still want to see if that Brother Pao was just boasting."

While turning the pages, Chen Ji explained with a smile, "Creating something new takes time; getting it ready within a month would be quite an achievement. If you're bored, take the little monk to get something to eat; you don't need to wait here for me."

Xiao Man's eyes darted around: "Can I?"

Without turning his head, Chen Ji replied, "Go on, go on."

As expected, there were indeed issues with the books at Wenchang Bookstore.

From what he knew, the "Four Dreams of Bianliang" was exclusive to Wenyuan Bookstore, yet Wenchang Bookstore was selling them as well. However, the print was crude, the paper was cheap, and though the cover read "A Dream of Yellow Millet," the content was clearly "Four Dreams of Bianliang." This was undoubtedly a pirated edition of the era...

Additionally, there were various fake first prints and original editions.

Information transmission in this era had its limitations; even famous poetry disseminated throughout the world might, over time, not remain true to its original wording. For instance, the well-known "Jiangshan Travelogue," which documented Li Jiangshan's life travels, was fragmented by the 32nd year of Jianing. A scholar named "Ji Xian" had an early hand-copied version closest to the original, making it exceptionally valuable.

If this version could be found, it would fetch not just a few taels but even dozens, or hundreds of taels would be willing to buy it.

But at Wenchang Bookstore, there was an entire shelf filled with Ji Xian's manuscript of "Jiangshan Travelogue"...

Furthermore, there were fake finely carved editions, palace editions, unique editions, and manuscript editions, all dazzling and inexpensive.

Chen Ji muttered quietly, "Isn't this the Ning Dynasty's Biquge?"

The Military Intelligence Department was organized meticulously and would surely require one or more exclusive lines for message transmission. They invested much effort to research concealed espionage methods like the Reverse Cut Technique and Hidden Word Technique and would not abandon them easily.

Someone must still be using these methods.

Chen Ji searched from morning until sunset, returning to the Chen family at the first sound of the evening drum. Wenchang Bookstore was too large, and he had to be particularly thorough in his search, which made it slow going.

In one day, he flipped through over twenty books but did not find any trace of hidden words.

Chen Ji was not discouraged; on the second day, he once again took Xiao Man and the little monk with him, and they stayed in Wenchang Bookstore for the entire day. The shopkeeper of Wenchang Bookstore was rather generous; seeing Chen Ji only read but did not buy, he was not angry. He even sent servants with hot tea and refreshments, inviting Chen Ji to find a seat in the courtyard and take his time.

But Chen Ji politely declined, always standing in a place with the widest view, able to observe the position of anyone entering and leaving at will.

No results on the second day either.

Third day...

Fourth day...

Twelfth day...

By the seventh of June, although Chen Ji had gone through a large portion of the books in Wenchang Bookstore, he still hadn't discovered any trace of the Military Intelligence Department's message transmission method, making him start to doubt whether this clumsy approach would work at all.

On the eighth of June, Chen Ji was as usual fetching water and heading out when Xiao Man, lounging in the courtyard unwillingly, said, "Master, you go on your own, I really can't wander anymore. I used to envy those top maids who could go out every day to buy things, but now I realize it's a hard job too."

Chen Ji replied with a smile, "If you don't want to come, stay home and watch the house then."

Xiao Man asked curiously, "Master, you didn't used to read books, why the change today?"

Chen Ji didn't answer and went out alone.

As he passed the side door, he always felt the servant looking at him unusually, as if harboring some deeper meaning. When Chen Ji looked back, the servant quickly averted his gaze.

Chen Ji left the house suspiciously and walked all the way to the Glass Factory, where he saw a ruffian at Meihua Ferry Crossing with a sling bag across his shoulder, filled with a thick stack of yellowing bamboo paper.

A group of literati gathered around the ruffian, holding a large sheet of bamboo paper as they whispered to each other.

"Who would have thought he and Second Miss Zhang had such a story, true or false?"

"If what this blasted Capital Morning News says is true, then wouldn't the Marquis of Wuxiang be a fickle and heartless person? He is engaged to Third Miss Qi, after all."

Chen Ji's face darkened at once.

He squeezed forward and handed the ruffian five cents, receiving a newspaper in return.

The headline on the front page of the newspaper glaringly stated: "Marquis of Wuxiang Survives Against All Odds in the Jing Dynasty, Second Miss Zhang Bursts into the White Tiger Festival Hall of the Western Capital."

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow, clearly remembering that he had previously told Brother Pao, "First find the most famous person in the Imperial Capital and the people the commoners are most interested in, report on their scandals, sell the newspapers, and worry about the rest later." Brother Pao also had confidently said, "I've already thought of what to write in the first newspaper, it'll surely cause a sensation in the Imperial Capital."

Turns out, he was Brother Pao's news.

Chen Ji looked at the literati around him, all engrossed and enthusiastic; setting aside everything else, it had indeed caused a stir in the Imperial Capital.