Huangming

Chapter 120 Imperial Daily, Ink Array Spreads Like Wildfire

The printing industry in the Ming Dynasty was actually quite advanced.

In the first year of the Taichang reign, there were at least 30 private bookstores in Beijing and more than 100 in Nanjing.

The main reason for this is that the technology matured, movable type printing became widespread, and color printing emerged.

Of course, it was also related to the official attitude. During the Wanli era, the government was more lenient in its management of printing in the private sector and did not engage in the literary inquisition system of the Qing Dynasty.

In addition, there is a demand for printed books:
Anthologies of the eight-legged essay style used in the imperial examinations (such as "Cheng Mo Wenxuan") were bestsellers, and Beijing bookstores were printing them day and night, yet still could not keep up with demand.

The printing volume of operas (The Peony Pavilion) and novels (Journey to the West) increased fivefold compared to the Jiajing era.

Buddhist scriptures (such as the Jiaxing Tripitaka) and Catholic books (such as Matteo Ricci's Treatise on Friendship) were published simultaneously.

There's one more thing that I have to mention.

Banned books like "Jin Ping Mei" were privately printed in exquisite color engravings (with illustrations), and a single copy could sell for as much as ten taels of silver.

Regardless of the era, serpentine is always the primary productive force.

The printing industry in the capital was highly developed. Due to the emperor's needs, Wei Zhongxian, along with the Embroidered Uniform Guard, immediately requisitioned these printing workshops in the capital.

For example, the Wang family's "Shuyetang" located on Xiheyan outside Zhengyangmen was owned by Wang Tingne, a merchant from Huizhou. It mainly published "The Peony Pavilion" and printed "Cheng Mo Wenxuan", a book for preparing for the imperial examinations, which was sold throughout the country.

The Min family's "Ju Kui Lou" outside Xuanwu Gate at Caishikou was owned by Min Qiji, a native of Huzhou, Zhejiang. It specialized in publishing novels, such as an illustrated edition of "The Romance of the Western Chamber" and an abridged version of "Water Margin".

These printing workshops with relatively large production capacity naturally had to serve the emperor at this critical time.

of course
Zhu Youxiao didn't get their money for nothing; he did pay them.

The Embroidered Uniform Guard paid them a price slightly lower than the market price based on the number of copies printed, so that they wouldn't go broke.

And
Their requisition period will not be long.

Zhu Youxiao had already ordered Wei Zhongxian to find printing craftsmen, make more printing equipment, and even ordered people to reform printing equipment and printing processes to speed up printing as much as possible.

It is likely that in one or two months, the printing speed of the royal printing press will be able to meet the emperor's needs.

The seventh day of the twelfth month of the first year of the Taichang era.

Dong Nuan Pavilion.

After the emperor finished his lectures on the classics, he summoned the three men to answer his questions.

Gu Bingqian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently a Reader-in-Waiting, Huang Lijie, the Junior Chamberlain, and Feng Quan, a Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, all came to serve Zhu Youxiao early on after he ascended the throne.

Therefore, they were highly valued by Zhu Youxiao, who gave them the opportunity to participate in the compilation of "Tianjian Sugan".

In return for their favors, they became the emperor's most steadfast supporters.

They were concerned about what the emperor was concerned about and thought what the emperor thought.

They did whatever the emperor wanted to do, and submitted whatever memorials he wanted to submit.

Now, the Huangming Daily naturally needs to use them as well.

These people were well-read and had powerful writing skills. The articles published in the "Huangming Daily" were all written by them as "editors".

"How is the daily report coming along?" Zhu Youxiao asked as soon as he saw the person arrive.

"Your Majesty, they are all here."

Gu Bingqian immediately stepped forward, took out the articles they had written, and handed them to Wei Chao.

After receiving the booklet, Wei Chao immediately took it to the emperor.

Zhu Youxiao opened the booklet and took a closer look: it was a brief layout of the Huangming Daily.

The front page contained his imperial edicts, such as the first edition of the Huangming Daily which read: "I vow to punish the corrupt officials to appease the world!"
The accompanying image shows a blazing sun overhead.

This was clearly intended to deify imperial power.

The second edition is titled "A Thunderous Crackdown on Traitors," and it includes the reasons, objectives, and a summary of the events surrounding the reorganization of the Beijing Garrison.

The daily newspaper selected a few typical cases, wrote extensively about their crimes, and then changed its tone, writing: After the emperor learned of these people's crimes, he was heartbroken and furious. He ordered the Embroidered Uniform Guard to arrest them, either to skin them alive or to be beheaded and displayed to the public.

It's written like a wish-fulfillment novel.

The third version introduced new policies to appease the people. For example, when the country was in trouble, the emperor tightened his belt, sent people to provide disaster relief, and distributed grain from the official granaries, causing the price of rice in the capital to plummet.
In short, everything he did good should be written down so that the whole world can clearly understand it:
He was an emperor who did things, and everything he did was for the benefit of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

A sun gradually rose in the hearts of the people of the Ming Dynasty.

Let them have only one sun in their hearts.

That is the core of the Great Ming Empire, and the great leader, His Majesty the Emperor!

The fourth edition features books on models of loyalty and righteousness, intended to guide the values ​​of the times.

For example, after Zhu Youxiao posthumously honored Wu Wending and others, he could introduce one person every day, write extensively about their achievements, and explain why the great Ming emperor wanted to posthumously honor them.

Besides the examples of loyalty and righteousness, some content is also included, telling stories of filial sons and virtuous women to guide public opinion.

Such a thing as "universal harmony" might be acceptable if it happened in later generations, but it dares to appear in my Great Ming Dynasty.

They shall all be drowned in pig cages!

In addition, this version could also include descriptions of auspicious omens that occurred during the Ming Dynasty.

For example, auspicious omens such as the appearance of a Qilin (a mythical creature) and double ears of grain at the ground are evidence that a wise ruler is on the throne and the world is at peace.

These stories are all fabricated, but as long as someone believes them, that's enough.

In short, with the main body of the Ming Empire, the great leader His Majesty the Emperor, on the throne, the Ming Dynasty was like Qin Shi Huang touching a telephone pole—completely defeated.

Winning every single day!
The final supplement contains practical educational content.

For example, popularizing the "Great Ming Code" can help people understand the law and supervise officials. If any officials break the law, the matter can be immediately reported to the emperor.

This can be seen as a disguised way of weakening the power of some officials, allowing them to be subject to public supervision and monitoring.

For example, attaching a seasonal farming schedule shows that the court values ​​agriculture.

Zhu Youxiao was generally satisfied with these layouts.

Once this Huangming Daily is published, it will probably leave those civil officials dumbfounded.

This is a feat that will shake the world.

However, although Zhu Youxiao was satisfied with the layout of the Huangming Daily, he was very dissatisfied with its content.

When Gu Bingqian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently a Reader-in-Waiting, Huang Lijie, the Junior Chamberlain, and Feng Quan, a Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, saw the Emperor's brows furrowing more and more tightly, they became increasingly nervous and even tried to keep their breathing as quiet as possible so as not to offend the Holy Emperor.

Is it...

Is His Majesty dissatisfied with what they have written?
The three of them were extremely uneasy.

After a moment, Zhu Youxiao finally spoke.

"Your layout is exactly as I intended, but the content of this daily newspaper is still too obscure and difficult to understand."

Zhu Youxiao pointed to the content of the second edition of "Thunderbolt Against Traitors" and said, "The daily newspaper should be read by as many people as possible. Long and tedious articles may be read by scholars, and they may applaud your literary talent. However, ordinary literate people cannot understand many of the obscure characters. In addition, with densely packed small characters, how can they have the mind to read it?"

Newspapers need to be concise and easy to understand in order to be widely disseminated. If they are too obscure, they are merely showing off literary talent and do not contribute in any way to the spread of the Huangming Daily.

Upon hearing this, the three immediately understood the emperor's meaning.

But a hint of doubt appeared on their faces as they asked, "Your Majesty, how exactly should the contents of this daily report be revised?"

You should give me a little pointers on where to start, boss.

Zhu Youxiao, undeterred, immediately said, "For example, this sentence."

The Emperor pointed to the first line of the second edition: "Officials submitted a memorial impeaching Zhao Jiu and others, officers of the Central Army Camp, for embezzling military funds and misappropriating soldiers' provisions. The Emperor, enraged, slammed his hand on the table and roared: 'My elite guards are wasting away; you gluttons, your bellies overflowing with fat! How dare you!'"

"This sentence can be changed to 'The officials reported: Zhao Jiu and others, officers of the Central Army Camp, embezzled military pay and stole soldiers' rations. His Majesty, his face red, slammed the table and said: My tiger-like warriors are as thin as rakes; you vermin are fat and greasy, how can this be?' This is to make it understandable to the common people."

Upon hearing this, Gu Bingqian, the Left Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites and concurrently a Reader-in-Waiting, immediately understood the Emperor's meaning.

"Your subject understands."

Zhu Youxiao shook his head and said, "Understanding these things is not enough. Your writing is like the eight-legged essay, too official and formal. It's uninteresting to read and makes people lose interest in continuing. I will revise it for you."

Later, Zhu Youxiao read many newspapers and learned that because newspapers have limited space, they must condense information and make it easy to understand, so as to make the text more impactful.

He immediately revised the content of the "Thunderous Strike Against Traitors" campaign:
The officials reported: Zhao Jiu and others, officers of the Central Army Battalion, embezzled military pay and stole soldiers' rations. His Majesty, his face flushed, slammed his fist on the table and said: My elite guards are as thin as rakes; you vermin are fat and greasy, how dare you!
The Embroidered Uniform Guard was ordered to investigate:
Zhao Jiu embezzled 50,000 taels of silver, which could have saved 100,000 starving people!
They illegally sold firearms to Shanxi merchants, and border bandits used our guns and cannons to massacre our border people!

Soldiers were forced to build private houses, and those who froze to death filled the ditches!

The Emperor decreed: "Even peeling off the skin and stuffing it with grass is as light as peeling a bark!"
Today:

Zhao Jiu and two other criminals were executed by being cut in half at the waist in Xishi!
Confiscated property was used entirely to purchase grain for disaster relief!
Another thirty-seven people were exiled to the Nine Border Regions!
The imperial edict concluded in red ink: "Anyone who embezzles more than one hundred taels will be personally executed by me!"

After making the revisions, Zhu Youxiao handed the contents to the three of them.

After reading the emperor's revisions, Gu Bingqian, the Left Vice Minister of Rites and concurrently a Reader-in-Waiting, Huang Lijie, the Junior Chamberlain of the Imperial Academy, and Feng Quan, a Compiler of the Hanlin Academy, all nodded in unison and said:

"We will go and make the changes immediately."

Zhu Youxiao nodded and said, "Revise the content today and send it to the Imperial Archives for printing."

After the first issue of the Huangming Daily was printed, Zhu Youxiao wanted to see the results.

If it works well, then we can start arresting people.

The next day.

With printing presses operating at full capacity in printing plants throughout the capital, 100,000 copies of the newspaper were printed in just one night.

These 100,000 newspapers were quickly distributed through the intelligence network and underground network controlled by the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

The Huangming Daily is definitely not for making money.

It is used to spread influence.

Zhu Youxiao let his subordinates earn this money.

In this way, the people under your command will be motivated.

Several children, carrying thick stacks of the "Huangming Daily," nimbly weaved through the streets and alleys, their clear shouts rising and falling: "Huangming Daily! Freshly printed Huangming Daily! His Majesty has eradicated corruption and promulgated policies to bring peace to the people! One coin a copy, don't miss it if you're passing by!"

Their rosy cheeks were glistening with sweat, but their excitement was undeniable.

Last night, the printing press was brightly lit, and even boys were hired as newsboys, so that the whole capital would know about "the emperor's majesty".

Of course, the most important reason they were happy was that they could keep one-fifth of the money from selling newspapers.

Who wouldn't be eager to make money?

Outside Zhengyang Gate, a peddler carrying a load stopped at the sound of the voice, slapped a copper coin into the boy's palm: "Give me one! I heard yesterday that a corrupt official was beheaded in the West Market, is that true?"

The boy deftly handed over the newspaper, pointing to the second page and saying, "Look here! Xu Guotai, Zhao Jiu, and two other high-ranking officials embezzled military funds, causing the border troops to fight on empty stomachs. His Majesty sentenced them to be cut in half at the waist!"

The peddler's eyes widened as he saw the six large characters on the board, "Peeling off the skin and stuffing the grass is still as light as a feather," written in vibrant ink, with a simple sketch of an execution ground drawn below. He immediately gasped, "Good heavens! This is even more exciting than a storyteller in a teahouse!"

In front of the Min family's Ju Kui Tower at Caishikou, several scholars in long gowns were selecting copies of "The Romance of the Western Chamber" when they heard the hawking and gathered around.

One of them unfolded the daily newspaper and had just read out the front page: "I swear to punish the corrupt officials to appease the people."

An old man selling steamed buns nearby came over and said, "Young man, read this new policy for pacifying the people to everyone!"

The scholar cleared his throat and read aloud from the third edition: "His Majesty has reduced his own meals and allocated funds from the imperial treasury to purchase grain for sale at a lower price. The price of rice in the capital has already dropped by two coins per shi (a unit of dry measure)."

Before the words were finished, cheers erupted from the crowd, and a woman wiped away her tears and said, "No wonder the grain shops suddenly lowered their prices this morning; it turns out His Majesty is showing mercy!"

Suddenly, a clerk from the Xiheyan Bookstore pushed through the crowd, pointed at the supplement, and exclaimed, "Look here! The Great Ming Code clearly states that if officials solicit bribes, ordinary people can go directly to the Office of Transmission to file a complaint!"

Upon hearing this, the teahouse owner snatched the newspaper, his fingers trembling as he ran his fingers over the still-wet ink: "Heaven has eyes! The tax collector overcharged us by three coins last month, I'm going to file a complaint with the emperor right now!"

Upon hearing this, the porters, forgetting to put down their carrying poles, pulled out copper coins and stuffed them into the newspaper boy's arms: "Give us one too! This newspaper is more effective at warding off evil spirits than door gods!"

The busiest place was the notice board outside Xuanwu Gate.

As soon as the Imperial Guards finished posting the daily report, the literate old scholar began to explain it, nodding and gesturing.

When the passage read "Corrupt officials privately sold firearms to Shanxi merchants," a rotten egg suddenly flew out from the crowd: "He deserves to die! My nephew is a soldier in Datong, and he said the Tartars' firearms are exactly the same as the ones in the camp!"

Someone else pointed to the line "soldiers froze to death and filled the ditches" and burst into tears. That person was the orphan of a Beijing garrison soldier whose cotton-padded clothes had been withheld last year.

Suddenly, a merchant in a silk robe quietly retreated to a corner, the silver note he had just received as a bribe in his sleeve suddenly becoming hot to the touch...

As the sun began to set, the newsboys' empty cloth bags fluttered in the wind.

In teahouses and taverns, storytellers have already turned the contents of the daily newspaper into ballads; in the deep courtyards of mansions, stewards are nervously reporting to their masters that "the imperial court wants to audit the accounts."

Even the courtesans and courtesans of the Jiaofangsi and Zuixianlou started singing the newly composed "Your Majesty Eliminates Greed in All Four Seasons Tune".

The next day.

Inside the Forbidden City, Zhu Youxiao was listening to Wei Zhongxian's secret report.

"Is the influence of the Huangming Daily really so rapid?"

Wei Zhongxian immediately nodded and said, "How could this old servant dare to deceive Your Majesty? The 100,000 copies of the newspaper printed last night were sold out in just two hours. Now, printing houses everywhere are working overtime to print more."

Zhu Youxiao still harbored some doubts about Wei Zhongxian's words. He turned to Luo Sigong and asked, "Is it really as Wei Dadang said?"

Luo Sigong immediately nodded and said, "Your Majesty, what Eunuch Wei said is not an exaggeration. The whole capital is discussing the Huangming Daily."

Just then, a figure hurriedly entered the East Warm Pavilion.

"Your subject, Wang Sheng, Commander of the Fourth Guard Battalion, respectfully wishes Your Majesty good health!"

The emperor's brother-in-law, Wang Sheng, hurried into the palace, panting heavily.

"I am well, Your Majesty, please rise."

After Wang Sheng got up, he spoke while panting heavily.

"His Majesty sent me out to check on the situation of the Huangming Daily. Outside the capital, the Huangming Daily is selling like hotcakes. Nowadays, in the capital, anyone who doesn't have a copy of the Huangming Daily feels inferior. Even ordinary people are discussing the contents of the Huangming Daily. Anyone who can't say a few points will be looked down upon."

There is so little entertainment available in this era.

People have a lot of free time, and now that the Huangming Daily is published, it naturally gives them something to pass the time.

In addition, the Huangming Daily was so novel and its content so sensational that it caused a sensation in the capital and became extremely popular.

The Huangming Daily, which originally published a single article, was somehow sold for tens of copper coins.

The saying "paper is in high demand in the capital" is no joke.

Based on multiple sources, Zhu Youxiao finally believed that the Huangming Daily had completely opened up the public opinion situation.

"Good good!"

The emperor said "good" three times.

"It seems that this Huangming Daily is indeed effective. With this newspaper, not only can the whole world know my imperial will, but as long as the people inside and outside the capital, and even the people of Beizhili, understand my intentions, many things can be done."

His eyes flashed, a cold light appeared, and a murderous aura emanated from them.

For those civil servants, it's time to get started!

(End of this chapter)