By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

They arrived at the lobby together with Yuan Tianxi.

Wen Zongji asked, "After so many years, how could Mr. Yuan recognize the county princess?"

His gaze fell on Yuan Tianxi.

Yuan Tianxi was dressed in a dark blue long robe, his hair was tied up with a hairpin, his face was angular, and he had a neat beard under his nose. There was a smile on his lips, which made him look very refined.

However, the faint smell of alcohol on him somewhat marred his refined demeanor.

Yuan Tianxi said, "The county princess and the eldest princess look alike, and there are some resemblances to their childhood appearances. My memory is still quite good."

Pei Rujing nodded: "Many people say that my mother and I look alike... It's been several years since I last saw you, and you've become even more mature and composed."

Yuan Tianxi laughed and said, "After all, ten years have passed, how could there be no changes at all? But not as much as the county princess, who is already married."

His gaze fell on Wen Zongji, and he flattered him, "Even if I don't care about outside affairs, I have heard of the great reputation of the Beijing Daily these days. Lord Wen is young and capable, and will surely have a bright future."

Wen Zongji humbly replied, "Mr. Yuan, you flatter me. The Beijing Gazette has only been published once, yet it has already gained such fame. This is due to two reasons: first, the backing of the imperial court, and second, the curiosity of the people. The key is whether we can maintain this level of fame."

Yuan Tianxi exclaimed, "Lord Wen is so mature and composed at such a young age. The county princess has excellent judgment."

Yuan Tianxi had no idea how Wen Zongji and Pei Rujing got married.

Pei Rujing now loves Wen Zongji and has no more resentment about what happened back then. Instead, she feels that their relationship was brought together by fate.

Upon hearing Yuan Tianxi praise her for her good taste, Pei Rujing readily admitted, "I've always had excellent taste. But after all these years, why haven't you gotten married, sir?"

Wen Zongji's lips twitched; his little wife really did speak her mind.

Yuan Tianxi didn't feel offended and said frankly, "Given my situation, I shouldn't be harming innocent women."

Wen Zongji immediately changed the subject, saying, "Mr. Yuan's poetry collection is widely circulated among the people. I admire your literary talent. It is said that good writing is a gift from heaven, and a masterpiece is a matter of chance. How come it seems that you are always inspired?"

"Lord Wen thinks too highly of me," Yuan Tianxi smiled. "I'm just trying to earn some money. The bookstore has set hours, and it's all out of necessity to make a living."

Wen Zongji said, "Mr. Yuan is indeed a man of high moral character, valuing contracts so highly."

Yuan Tianxi knows that many people don't have a good opinion of him, but he is very frank: "I only strive to do things with a clear conscience."

Wen Zongji looked at him and felt that this man was a rather divided person.

A person who is so open and gentlemanly now becomes irritable and rude when drunk.

Yuan Tianxi couldn't possibly be unaware of his drunken state, yet he still allowed the alcohol to ruin him.

It's absolutely bizarre.

However, Wen Zongji had no intention of prying into other people's privacy; he only needed to determine whether Yuan Tianxi, in his sober state, was worth cooperating with.

Pei Rujing watched the two exchanging pleasantries and pouted, "Didn't my husband say he needed to see the teacher?"

We've been rambling on and on; when are we going to get to the point?

Yuan Tianxi asked, "Did Lord Wen need to see me?"

He had already guessed it.

Pei Rujing was not the type to visit her mentor; she would only come for other reasons.

Wen Zongji no longer concealed anything and asked, "Since Mr. Yuan knows about the Beijing Gazette, are you aware that it has a literary section?"

"I know," Yuan Tianxi nodded. "I read that article. It was very well written. No wonder it was written by Jiang Zhengming."

The fact that Jiang Zhengming was able to recommend Yuan Tianxi already shows that the two have a good relationship.

Wen Zongji continued, "My maternal grandfather's articles are indeed excellent, but there are too few such good articles. However, my maternal grandfather set the starting point for publishing articles too high. For the sake of the reputation of the Beijing Daily, if no good articles could be found later, even if the literary section was empty, he could not just find an article to fool people."

"That's true, but the Beijing Gazette can't really leave such a large blank space. Therefore, I've decided that when there aren't any good articles to publish, the literature section will be temporarily changed to the 'Recommended by Great Confucian Scholars' section. This means that the Beijing Gazette will accept submissions from people of all genders, ages, and social statuses from all prefectures and counties of the Great Chu."

"The staff of the Beijing Daily would first screen all the submissions and select the best ones. Then, they would find a highly learned scholar to evaluate them and select the best one. The scholar would also write a commentary, pointing out the article's strengths and weaknesses."

"At that time, the Beijing Daily will not only publish that article, but also write the great scholar's comments, hence the name of this section: Great Scholar's Recommendation."

After hearing Wen Zongji's words, Yuan Tianxi couldn't help but clap his hands and cheer: "No wonder the Beijing Daily was able to become famous in the capital. With Lord Wen here, the Beijing Daily will never be just another ordinary person."

"Mr. Yuan, you flatter me," Wen Zongji said frankly. "For the Beijing Gazette Bureau, finding a great Confucian scholar to cooperate with is the most urgent task at present."

Yuan Tianxi immediately understood: "Lord Wen wants me to judge the articles?"

"Exactly."

Pei Rujing said from the side, "Sir, your literary talent is so outstanding that everyone in the Great Chu knows it. If you were to judge the articles, absolutely no one would dare to say a single bad word about them."

Yuan Tianxi remained silent.

Wen Zongji said, "Although the Capital Gazette Bureau is backed by the imperial court, it does not coerce others. If Mr. Yuan is willing to cooperate with the Capital Gazette Bureau, the bureau will provide a reward for each article selected."

Yuan Tianxi smiled: "Lord Wen has made very thorough preparations. Does he know that I'm currently short of funds?"

Wen Zongji frankly stated, "I just feel that Mr. Yuan is an open and honest gentleman, and it would be more beneficial for our future cooperation to speak frankly about some things."

Yuan Tianxi nodded: "Indeed. I need money and I don't mind cooperating with the Beijing Gazette Bureau, as long as Lord Wen's remuneration satisfies me."

He was used to discussing interests with people like a businessman, and when it came to his own interests, he could never be too careful or calculating.

Wen Zongji said, "As long as Mr. Yuan is willing to come to the Beijing Newspaper Office to select articles, he will receive twenty taels of silver for each selection."

Yuan Tianxi raised an eyebrow: "The Beijing Daily sells tens of thousands of copies every day. Lord Wen shouldn't be so stingy. Could it be that you lack sincerity?"

"I want to invite Mr. Yuan to cooperate with the Beijing Daily. I am sincere in doing so. I will set the fee at twenty taels each time because the Beijing Daily will be published daily in the future. Mr. Yuan may as well calculate how much he can earn from it."

Yuan Tianxi's eyes lit up immediately.