Usurpation of Mongolia: My father-in-law is Genghis Khan

Chapter 258 The people were in an uproar, cheering and welcoming the new emperor!
Of course, even if Zheng Qingzhi coughed up blood again, he still had to keep going and get things done.

The scholar-officials of the Song Dynasty had already been looked down upon by Zhao Shuo for their moral character, and there was no way they could recover. If they were also looked down upon by Zhao Shuo for their abilities, then they would be completely exposed.

His immediate priority was to go to Shi Songzhi's residence with Qiao Xingjian and ask him to come out of retirement and join them in managing the overall situation.

Upon hearing the news that Zhao Yun had abandoned Lin'an, Shi Songzhi felt no pain in his back or legs and gladly followed.

The three discussed the matter carefully and made seven decisions.

Firstly, all the laborers who had worked to reinforce the defenses of Lin'an were given wages and dismissed.

Secondly, the troops remaining in Lin'an will be uniformly organized and managed. Only a small number of loyal and reliable soldiers will remain stationed within the city, while the majority will camp outside. Their logistics will be guaranteed, awaiting Zhao Shuo's reorganization. It is imperative to prevent any mutinous troops from looting Lin'an before Zhao Shuo takes control.

Thirdly, he demanded that all officials within the city be on duty at the yamen every day. Those who missed even one day would be immediately dismissed, losing even the qualification to serve Zhao Shuo or serve as officials in foreign lands.

Fourth, all local officials and soldiers were strictly required to ensure that they were not extorted and that local stability was guaranteed.

Fifth, strictly enforce the curfew to prevent anyone from taking advantage of the chaos to cause trouble.

Sixth, send an envoy to Zhao Shuo, requesting him to quickly dispatch a large army to take over the defenses of Lin'an.

In fact, the army closest to Lin'an among Zhao Shuo's troops was the army in Pingjiang. Zhao Shuo also sent Guo Zhongyuan, the fourth commander of the first ten thousandth household of the Han Army Bordered Yellow Banner, to take charge of the overall situation.

But does Guo Zhongyuan have the audacity to take advantage of this easy money?

Furthermore, Guo Zhongyuan's forces were not the regular Eight Banners army, but rather various militias of varying quality. What if someone, tempted by the prosperity of Lin'an, looted the city? This was a concern that couldn't be ignored.

Seventh, all three wrote letters to their relatives and friends in Zhejiang, urging them not to resist, to maintain local order, and to wait for King Zhao Shuo's army to take over.

In any case, Zheng Qingzhi, Qiao Xingjian, and Shi Songzhi have decided to join Zhao Shuo, and they did so without any hesitation.

What? To die for the Song Dynasty?
Even Zheng Qingzhi doesn't have this idea at all.

Oh, the emperor and officials of the Song Dynasty are shameless, expecting me to risk my life to save face for them?

There are no doors!

Now, I must earn my reputation and let King Zhao Shuo know our capabilities. In the future, when a new dynasty is established, we may very well be remembered in history as founding fathers like Wei Zheng.

It's the Song Dynasty that's incompetent, not us!

……

……

Half a month later, in Lin'an City, Qinghefang, Xianrong Lane.

This is a street lined with silk fabrics, hence the name "Silk and Velvet." It used to be a bustling commercial hub with a large flow of people.

As Zhao Shuo's army drew ever closer to Lin'an, the area not only did not decline, but instead became increasingly prosperous.

Especially in the last half month, with the three prime ministers in power, they are unsure of the new emperor's thoughts and dare not impose restrictions on the people. The newspaper boys who used to sneak around no longer hide, but openly sell various tabloids, making it more and more lively.

The term "small newspaper" refers to unofficial newspapers that are distinct from the official "dibao" (court gazette). They originated in the Northern Song Dynasty and flourished in the Southern Song Dynasty.

As the saying goes: "The tabloids originated from the Imperial Secretariat and were produced by the officials of the Imperial Secretariat. In recent years, when there were doubts about certain matters that were unknown to both the court and the people, the officials of the Imperial Secretariat would compete to write them down on small pieces of paper and send them to the people far and wide. These were called tabloids." The content of the tabloids was also defined as "matters that were not reported in the Imperial Gazette or matters that officials petitioned for action that had not yet been taken."

The popularity of tabloids popularized the profession of "journalist" and even gave rise to the term "news." Zhao Sheng of the Southern Song Dynasty wrote in his *Chaoye Leiyao*: "There are so-called 'internal spies,' 'provincial spies,' and 'yamen spies,' all of which are private tabloids, and they are subject to the prohibition against leaks, hence the risky name 'news.'" The "internal spies," "provincial spies," and "yamen spies" he referred to are equivalent to today's reporters covering various key departments. "Internal" refers to the imperial palace; "provincial" refers to high-level administrative institutions such as the Secretariat and the Chancellery; and "yamen" refers to government offices below the provincial level.

Of course, the publication of various tabloids influenced public opinion and aroused the vigilance of the imperial court.

As stated in the edict of the fifth year of Emperor Xiaozong of the Southern Song Dynasty: "Recently, it has been heard that unscrupulous individuals have fabricated baseless rumors, calling them 'small newspapers,' which are being spread both domestically and internationally, causing alarm and confusion. From now on, apart from the Imperial Secretariat, which is responsible for reporting matters to the relevant authorities, any such individuals shall be severely punished. The officials who request such reports shall be instructed to carry them out by imperial decree, and the Censorate shall impeach them with written documents. The Lin'an Prefecture shall always be vigilant in its investigation."

Of course, it's impossible to ban all kinds of tabloids with just an imperial edict.

The objective needs of the common people, the excessive profits of tabloids, and the power struggle between the scholar-officials and the emperor combined to keep various tabloids circulating semi-publicly in Lin'an.

"News! The latest imperial decree!"

"His Majesty has arrived in Xiuzhou and is expected to reach Lin'an in three days!"

"By imperial decree and the orders of the three ministers, on the day of the Emperor's arrival, the people shall not open their markets, but prepare food and drink to welcome the royal army! The people of the city who are of good character and wish to welcome the Emperor can register through the Lin'an Morning Post!"

"The Emperor's latest decree regarding the former Song territory has been issued; you must read it!"

"A businessman must read the government's tax revenue analysis in the north! Understand the government's spirit and make a fortune!"

"Analysis of the value trend of Jiaozi (paper money): Should we buy or sell now? An analysis from a retired official of the Ministry of Revenue! To get rich, you have to read the Fortune Daily!"

……

Zhao Shuo is about to visit Lin'an. How will he view the people of the Southern Song Dynasty? What impact will this have on the scholars, farmers, artisans, and merchants of the Southern Song?
Who among the soldiers and civilians of Lin'an doesn't care?

Furthermore, the sudden shift from a semi-public underground to an open market, allowing newspaper vendors to sell newspapers openly, led to a more than fivefold increase in business. These tabloids constantly disseminated and even fabricated various true and false news, attracting the attention of soldiers, civilians, and the general public.

Many new scholars and merchants have entered the scene, starting new newspapers in hopes of making a name for themselves during this chaotic period.

Yu Xiaojiu is one of the newspaper boys who sell newspapers on the street. He is seventeen years old this year and has been selling newspapers for ten years.

When he was seven, a fire killed both his parents and destroyed his family's possessions. He only managed to avoid becoming a beggar by secretly selling newspapers to newspaper vendors. Over the past ten years, he has even learned some characters through his connection with the newspaper vendors and can be considered to have a rudimentary understanding of literature.

Yu Xiaojiu found it quite amusing to recall how Zhao Shuo had been referred to in the newspapers these past few days.

The people of Song did not have any ill feelings towards Zhao Shuo, after all, it was rumored that Zhao Shuo had the blood of Emperor Taizu, and after all, Zhao Shuo expanded the territory and made a name for himself in foreign lands, which brought honor to the Chinese people.

Of course, the Song Dynasty court was deeply wary of Zhao Shuo, and they dared not print the name "Zhao the Emperor of the North" directly in the newspapers.

Therefore, when these tabloids published news about Zhao Shuo in the past, they tried to be as neutral as possible and referred to him as "Zhao Shuo".

However, after Zhao Shuo captured Xiangyang and issued the "Letter to the People and Soldiers of Jiangnan," they felt that it was inappropriate to call Zhao Shuo by his given name directly. Therefore, they addressed him as "King Zhao Shuo."

Then, news of the change of allegiance in the four provinces arrived, and almost everyone realized that the fate of the Song Dynasty was sealed and it could not hold on any longer. These newspapers, referring to Zhao Shuo, began to disregard the attitude of the Song court, calling him "the Sage of the North" or "the Emperor Zhao of the North".

When Zhao Yun abandoned Lin'an and left, some newspapers referred to Zhao Shuo as "Your Majesty" and others as "Your Majesty".

Today, the date of Zhao Shuo's arrival in Lin'an has been set, and all newspapers have uniformly referred to Zhao Shuo as "Your Majesty".

The government is the government!

There is only one such emperor in the entire world, requiring no embellishment. The title of "King" is utterly inadequate to describe Zhao Shuo's nobility!
Yu Xiaojiu estimated that even if Zhao Shuo let slip a hint that day, these newspapers would start referring to him as "Your Majesty".

"Hey! Xiao Jiu! Come here!"

Suddenly, a voice familiar to Yu Xiaojiu rang out outside a shop.

Yu Xiaojiu knew who was calling him. The man's surname was Chen and his given name was Youcai. It turned out that he was a little beggar in Lin'an City who was about to starve to death. He was rescued by the owner of the "Lao Shunxiang" cloth shop and stayed in the shop as a shop assistant.

Chen Youcai had a knack for business, and "Lao Shunxiang" prospered because of him. The old shopkeeper had no sons, only a daughter, so he simply married his daughter to Chen Youcai after he came of age.

Now, the elderly couple has passed away, but Chen Youcai and his wife have continued to run "Lao Shun Xiang" with great success, making it one of the most well-known shops in "Xianrong Lane".

Of course, it's completely impossible for Chen Youcai to expand his business any further.

In the Song Dynasty, there was a tax checkpoint every thirty li, and layers of officials extorted money from each other.

Chen Youcai has no power or influence, so how can he compete with those who have official connections? The current scale of his business is the limit for "Lao Shunxiang".

Chen Youcai had another unfortunate thing: he was born a beggar and was illiterate.

However, he was also particularly concerned about the state of the world. Every day, he would take out thirty coins and have Yu Xiaojiu read the newspaper to him, which was a rare source of stable income for Yu Xiaojiu.

Yu Xiaojiu followed Chen Youcai into the inner room of "Lao Shunxiang" and sat down. Then, a waiter brought tea.

Yu Xiaojiu said, "Manager Chen, which newspaper would you like to hear about today? Do you want to know whether or not we should still accept paper money? Or what the market price of cotton cloth will be like? There's a new copy of the 'Lin'an Romantic Gazette' here, and the contents are really exciting. Would you like me to read it to you?"

"If you keep talking nonsense, you can forget about getting this money!"

Snapped!
Chen Youcai placed a small silver ingot on the table, weighing about half an ounce. Half an ounce of silver was worth seven or eight hundred copper coins!
"This... so much?"

Yu Xiaojiu swallowed hard and said, "Manager Chen, didn't you want to listen to the newspaper today? What exactly do you want me to do?"

“Take it if I give it to you. I’m happy that the Emperor is coming to Lin’an. Let’s not talk about the newspapers today, let’s just chat for a bit.”

"Very well! Thank you for the reward, Manager Chen!"

Yu Xiaojiu quickly put the small silver ingot into her sleeve pocket and said, "Manager Chen, what would you like to talk about?"

"I just want to know, if the officials come, will there really be fewer tax checkpoints? Will we merchants be able to do business anywhere in the world?"

"That's natural!"

Yu Xiaojiu said, "The Emperor has said countless times that he is willing to share the world with the Han Chinese and Mongols. In the North, a good only needs to be taxed twice. Once when it is produced in the workshop, and once when it is traded. No trade, no tax! This has been in place for many years. Can it be an exception in Jiangnan?"

"This is hardly news. I've read it to you countless times before. Why don't you believe me?"

"It's not that I don't believe it, it's just that I really can't believe such a good thing could fall into my lap, Chen Youcai's hands!"

Chen Youcai said, "If that's really the case, that would be wonderful! Not to brag, but when it comes to business, there are probably few in the entire Lin'an who can compare to me. Why can't my business grow bigger? It's all because of those various taxes and those greedy petty officials!"

“If the officials keep their word, even half of it, then my business, Chen Youcai's business, can reach Bianliang! It can reach the grasslands! It can reach…”

"Samarkand!"

"Yes, we can go to Samarkand, we can go to Damascus!"

"And in Cairo, which the Crown Prince has recently acquired, there's also Manager Chen's cloth shop. With your talent, you can expand Lao Shunxiang's cloth business all over the world!"

"Thank you for your kind words!"

Although Chen Youcai was illiterate, he had great strategic thinking. Otherwise, why would he spend thirty coins every day to listen to Yu Xiaojiu read the newspaper?

The thought of having his own cloth shop in every major city in the world made Chen Youcai's eyes practically light up.

He paused, then looked at Yu Xiaojiu and said, "Xiaojiu, we've known each other for so many years. I know very well what kind of person you are. You also know what kind of person I, Chen Youcai, am. You can't sell tabloids forever. How about it? Are you interested in becoming a shop assistant in my cloth shop? As long as you work hard, I guarantee that within three years, you'll be the manager of a shop."

"Uh... thank you for your kindness, Manager Chen, but I'd better not."

Yu Xiaojiu shook his head and said, "Actually, the manager of our newspaper shop also told me about this. The tabloids in Lin'an City are becoming more and more popular, and the three prime ministers are unsure what to do, so they consulted the Emperor. The Emperor has already issued an edict that there is no need to interfere. However, a 'Newspaper Industry Law' will be introduced in the future to regulate it properly."

"Our newspaper business plans to expand beyond Lin'an and sell our tabloids to all the major cities in the world. Our manager wants me to go with Mr. Sun to Bianliang and serve as his assistant. If I do well, I can go to other major cities and become a full-fledged manager. You see, it's better to stick with what you know than to do something new. I still think this tabloid business is more suitable for me."

"Alright, everyone has their own ambitions, I won't force you."

In Chen Youcai's opinion, Yu Xiaojiu's prospects of staying in the newspaper industry might not be worse than joining the textile industry.

He said, "I have another question for you. The Emperor is scheduled to arrive in Lin'an in three days. Should I close my shop and go with the people to welcome him, or should I continue to do business?"

Yu Xiaojiu replied without hesitation, “If you were an ordinary person, it would be best to welcome the officials. However, since you are in business, I suggest that you continue to open your shop and do business.”

"why?"

"This is a matter of principle: 'When the royal army arrives, farmers do not put down their plows and continue farming. Merchants are also unaffected and continue trading as usual. If you close your business to welcome the officials, it will not bring honor to the officials, but rather hinder them."

“I understand. In three days, I will open the shop and do business as usual, to give the officials face. Not only that…”

After a pause, Chen Youcai made up his mind and said, "I will sell fifty...one hundred bolts of cotton cloth at half price, not only to make the neighbors happy, but also to celebrate the emperor and the new dynasty!"

(End of this chapter)