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

"What have you been busy with these past few days?"

A few more days have passed since I last saw the sunrise.

Wen Zongji became busy again, leaving early and returning late every day. In addition, the two of them were now sleeping in separate rooms, so Pei Rujing could not see Wen Zongji all day.

That's outrageous!

If it weren't for the daily love letters, Pei Rujing would have thought that Wen Zongji had forgotten about pursuing her.

Pei Rujing got up early today to have breakfast with Wen Zongji.

Wen Zongji took a sip of porridge: "The Crown Prince has never agreed to open a people's newspaper because he is worried that it will be used by people with ulterior motives to manipulate public opinion. I propose that official newspapers similar to the capital newspaper be opened in each prefecture and county, so that the official newspapers can control public opinion in advance. In this way, the people's newspapers can be opened in a controlled manner to ensure that public opinion will not be arbitrarily controlled by the people's newspapers."

Of course, it's impossible to completely eliminate it.

Wen Zongji had witnessed firsthand how harmful unscrupulous tabloids could be in later generations.

However, the Crown Prince was worried about the negative impact of public opinion on the court, which was something that could be addressed, as there weren't many people who were bold enough to use public opinion against the court.

While newspapers have their drawbacks, their benefits are also obvious: they can enrich people's spiritual lives.

Don't underestimate this point; a richer spiritual life can reduce one's aggression.

"I've been busy these past few days finalizing the details of launching local official gazettes, so that we won't be caught off guard when it's time to do so."

Pei Rujing was overjoyed: "Then does that mean the Crown Prince has agreed to start a people's newspaper?"

Wen Zongji nodded: "It should be soon."

"That's good."

Pei Rujing then put away her smile and said, "But that's not the reason why you've been gone for several days."

Wen Zongji protested, "What are you saying? I return to the manor every day; where would I not see him?"

"It doesn't count if I don't see you."

"...That's because my wife went to bed too early."

Pei Rujing's eyes widened: "You're talking back? Don't you want to make up?"

Wen Zongji raised his hand in resignation: "Okay, okay, it was my fault."

Pei Rujing nodded in satisfaction: "That's more like it."

Wen Zongji checked the time, finished his porridge in a few gulps, and stood up, saying, "I'm going to my shift now. Enjoy your meal, my wife."

After saying that, Wen Zongji turned and left.

Pei Rujing: "All you ever do is keep busy."

Granny Feng smiled and said, "Who in the capital doesn't know about the son-in-law these days? Anyone with eyes can see how much the Crown Prince values ​​him. The son-in-law might very well become a Grand Secretary in the future, which is the dream of every scholar."

Pei Rujing looked in the direction where Wen Zongji had disappeared: "I think they all value power too much. My eldest brother is the same; when he gets busy, he doesn't care about anything else."

Granny Feng saw it clearly: "A true man cannot be without power even for a day!"

Pei Rujing pouted: "I didn't say they did anything wrong."

……

Beijing News

Wen Zongji summoned Yao Maofang: "You've been here since the establishment of the Beijing Gazette Bureau, and you're very familiar with the entire process of reviewing and editing the Beijing Gazette. In a moment, write down this process in detail in a memorial to me."

Yao Maofang replied, "Yes, sir."

This is the advantage of being in power; you certainly don't need to do the trivial things yourself, you only need to grasp the general direction.

After Yao Maofang left, Wen Zongji looked at Yuan Tianxi beside him and asked, "Mr. Yuan, what brings you to the Beijing Gazette Office today?"

Yuan Tianxi put down the article in his hand: "Of course I have something to discuss with you, sir."

"What is it?"

"It seems you've forgotten you still owe me a drink."

Wen Zongji's smile froze: "...Just because of this?"

Yuan Tianxi nodded: "This is very important."

Wen Zongji sighed, "Alright."

He underestimated the alcoholic's obsession with alcohol.

Yuan Tianxi emphasized, "The gentleman said it was good wine."

Wen Zongji said, "I haven't forgotten, Mr. Yuan, please rest assured."

Yuan Tianxi was satisfied: "I certainly trust you, sir."

"Regarding the matter I mentioned before, Mr. Yuan, has there been any progress?"

Yuan Tianxi said, "Although no one has given a clear answer yet, they are already wavering and I believe they won't be able to hold out for long."

Wen Zongji was overjoyed: "Thank you very much, Mr. Yuan."

Yuan Tianxi did not take credit: "It was you, sir, who developed the Beijing Daily into the most influential newspaper in the Beijing Daily. I regained the people's recognition because of the Beijing Daily and became famous. Everyone has seen this."

"Scholars care nothing more than about reputation. Given such an opportunity to make a name for themselves, who would want to miss it? The fact that they haven't agreed yet is just a pretense of arrogance."

Wen Zongji said, "No matter what, if it weren't for Mr. Yuan's intervention, I'm afraid it would have been very difficult for me to meet those great Confucian scholars."

Nowadays, the "Recommended by Great Confucian Scholars" section is becoming increasingly popular, and many ordinary people look for this section when buying the Beijing Daily.

The fact that the "Recommended by Great Confucian Scholars" section only features Yuan Tianxi is clearly inappropriate.

Wen Zongji hopes that more renowned scholars can join in, so that readers will have a fresh experience and the value of the section featuring recommendations from such scholars will be increased.

These great Confucian scholars who did not enter officialdom were generally aloof and proud. If Wen Zongji were to rashly go to see them, he would only run into a brick wall. So he asked Yuan Tianxi to do it for him.

This matter has actually been underway for a while, and now we've finally heard some good news.

"I'm off duty today, and I'd like to invite Mr. Yuan to Wangchunlou for the best wine."

These words piqued Yuan Tianxi's interest: "I'm just waiting."

……

For the sake of Wen Zongji's wine, Yuan Tianxi stayed at the Capital Gazette Office for a whole day, constantly watching the sky outside. As soon as he saw that it was time to go off duty, he immediately said, "Lord Wen, it's time to keep your promise."

Wen Zongji submitted a memorial, saying, "Mr. Yuan, you are truly anxious."

He stood up and stretched his stiff body before leaving the office with Yuan Tianxi.

"In this life, the only thing that should not be missed is fine wine."

Wen Zongji smiled and shook his head.

The two chatted casually as they left the Office of the Commissioner of the Court of State Affairs.

"Mr. Yuan, please ride in my carriage..."

Just as Wen Zongji invited Yuan Tianxi to ride in his carriage, he noticed another carriage next to the Marquis's carriage, which also bore the Marquis's insignia.

Upon seeing Qinghe and the others standing beside the carriage, Wen Zongji immediately guessed who was inside.

Upon seeing Wen Zongji, Qinghe approached and respectfully said, "Young Master, the County Princess is here to wait for you to finish your shift."

Wen Zongji recalled Pei Rujing's accusations against him during breakfast earlier that day and nodded knowingly: "I was just about to invite Mr. Yuan to Wangchun Tower for drinks. Why don't you go and ask the county magistrate if he wants to come along?"

Qinghe responded and left, then walked to the carriage and repeated Wen Zongji's words.

Pei Rujing lifted the car window curtain and frowned as she glanced at Yuan Tianxi.

Yuan Tianxi smiled at her, seemingly having no intention of taking his leave first.

Knowing Yuan Tianxi's obsession with alcohol, Pei Rujing gave up on Yuan Tianxi and said, "Go with them."

So the two carriages headed together toward Wangchun Tower.

Pei Rujing glared resentfully at Wen Zongji from inside the carriage.

Wen Zongji explained helplessly, "I promised Mr. Yuan, so I can't go back on my word."

"Let him go drink by himself."

Yuan Tianxi just wanted to drink; whether or not someone accompanied him was not important.

"That's not good. Just pretend he doesn't exist."

Pei Rujing was so angry that she didn't want to talk to him.

Wen Zongji quickly coaxed, "To express my apology, I'll serve you your meal later, okay?"

Pei Rujing's ears twitched slightly: "Really?"

Wen Zongji raised his hand and swore, "It's true!"

"it is good."

Pei Rujing agreed.