Can't a princess ascend the throne?

Chapter 446 The Eve of War

The Xie family head was furious with those incredibly stupid servants. He slammed his fist on the table, ready to drag the steward who had dared to say such things over and beat him to death. However, Xie Mingli, who came to report, looked extremely grim.

“Father, Yu Ming, who said those words, has disappeared, along with his parents, wife, and children. The whole family has vanished.”

"!"

Xie Kun's face immediately turned even uglier. At such a critical moment, his subordinate had suddenly made such a stupid mistake, and then the entire family of that subordinate disappeared. If he couldn't see through this little trick, he would have lived in vain.

"It must be a trick by Prince Chen and Wang Heng!"

"What do we do now?"

"What else can we do? Quickly bring out all the books in the clan's coffers to shut up those scholars and students outside. Once we get through this period, we can decide how much those books sell for. Right now, those poor students are being misled, but they will naturally understand in time. Are the classics so easy to read? Wanting to get everything they didn't have before without paying the corresponding price is too greedy, and they will eventually suffer the consequences."

"So we're just going to do nothing? Prince Chen's actions are going too far, are we just going to sit here and watch?"

"What else can we do? She's a prince, the only prince in the current court. Can we compete with her in terms of power? Right now, all we have left is the legitimacy. If we can't even support ourselves, why should we keep this bookstore open? Why not just hand it over to her?"

"Can……"

Xie Mingli felt that they had misunderstood the point. Wasn't their initial goal to force Wang Heng to bring her back and bury the scandal between the Wang and Xie families? How did it inexplicably turn into a war between bookstores?
Doesn't Xie Kun understand this? But this is no longer just a personal grudge between him and Wang Heng; it's a battle between powerful families and imperial power. In the past, Emperor Jingtai couldn't spare the time to regulate the test drive, but now a Prince Chen, who has surpassed his father, is willing to openly and secretly fight them for his family's power. If they remain silent, they will lose all their say in the future.

"If we can't even handle this small matter, let's not talk about big things. What we need to do is suppress Prince Chen's arrogance from the very beginning. Didn't she want to open a bookstore? Now her Minshuo Bookstore has gone bankrupt. It seems that the printing equipment couldn't keep up. Young people are still too impetuous. Trying to get fat in one bite is not so simple. Be careful not to hurt yourself."

It's been three days since Prince Chen made any move, so he must have suffered a huge loss in this price war. It's understandable; Prince Chen was eager to make a big splash, which is why he initially set the book's price so low, hoping to build his reputation. But he never expected to lose so badly.

The only pity was that they wanted to know how Prince Chen was doing now, whether he had given up, but they couldn't find any way to inquire. The only person who had any connection with this prince was Xie Mingchen, who had already betrayed him with his mother. Now, let alone getting any information from him, it was difficult to even meet him.

Whenever he thought of this, Xie Kun felt a pain in his chest. What sins had he committed? His wife wanted a divorce, his son was disobedient, and now he had gotten himself into a mess. Recalling the scene at the previous gathering where the heads of the five families and seven clans openly mocked and ridiculed him, Xie Kun felt not only a pain in his chest, but also a headache.

However, he now has no way out and can only go down this path to the bitter end.

"The only thing we can be thankful for now is that His Majesty hasn't intervened yet, so he won't take sides for his daughter. Therefore, we must seize this opportunity to completely destroy Prince Chen's bookstore. By the way, is the morning report ready?"

Indeed, since they were determined to win this war of public opinion, they naturally wouldn't let the Xunbao (a type of news publication) go to waste after discovering it was a useful tool. From the very first day the Xunbao appeared, the five families and seven clans had been studying it, and now it was time to produce results. However, unexpectedly, Xie Mingli looked troubled. Seeing this, Xie Kun immediately sensed something was wrong.

"What's wrong? What's the problem now?"

Xie Mingli also felt it was bad luck.

"Those craftsmen insisted that they didn't have enough time to develop the mold for the ten-day newspaper. Although they managed to produce one, the price was extremely high, making it impossible for it to be cheap. If we sell it at a high price, why would ordinary people be willing to spend money on a piece of paper that is of little use? And why would scholars and literati be willing to lower themselves and discuss matters concerning Wang Heng with ordinary people?"

Therefore, it seems unlikely that the affordable prices that Jiuque previously offered will be available.

Xie Kun remained silent for a while, but he had been prepared for this. He sighed and did not insist.

"Alright, alright, it's more expensive if it's more expensive. Anyway, Minshuo is closed, and our Morning Post is the only one left. But remember, you must make sure to explain the whole story clearly in that Morning Post! Especially the relationship between Wang Heng and Prince Chen. Don't hide anything. Aren't they helping each other? Since they have such a good relationship, the whole world should know."

Xie Mingli pondered those words, finding them quite reasonable, and nodded solemnly in agreement.

In short, no matter how much it costs to print this morning newspaper, the Xie family will fight to the bitter end, determined to ensure Prince Chen's defeat in this war of public opinion. And this morning newspaper is truly remarkable in its ability to control public opinion; it might even become one of the new businesses of the five families and seven clans in the future.

This is something to look forward to!

Xie Mingli felt furious whenever he thought about how Prince Chen's gaze never even landed on him when he looked at him. But if they could win this battle of public opinion, wouldn't the other side finally take him seriously?
With such complex and subtle feelings, Xie Mingli rushed out quickly to make final preparations for tomorrow's morning paper.

Night fell in a secluded courtyard in the capital. Jiu Que watched the bustling activity around him, a unique light shining in his eyes. Workers hurried to and fro, the distinctive scent of fresh ink lingering in the air.

Chunyu Shuang took a long time to compile the results, and now she rushed back, unable to hide her excitement.

"Your Highness! Movable type printing is incredibly useful! And this ink printing—just one brush on the roller and you have a newspaper, with crystal-clear text! How did you come up with such a method? It's so incredibly useful! I can already imagine the livid faces of the owners of the major bookstores in the capital tomorrow morning."

"Stay calm. We must also be prepared for the powerful families to go all out and fight a desperate battle. Their wealth has been accumulated over many years, and no one knows exactly how much power they have. We cannot be careless."

However, once she sells off her stockpiled ten-day reports and newly printed books, the other party will likely go bankrupt immediately. This isn't the fault of the five families and seven clans; after all, the other party doesn't know exactly how many books for the imperial examinations she's printed.