Ten years of dormancy: Starting as a martial arts master at the pinnacle

"The gentleman just said that the cost of paper and printing is the same. Just cutting the paper to size costs about two coins. Add the printing, and it's about two and a half coins. The newspaper's sales volume is large, so the cost is correspondingly lower. We cooperate with several paper mills, and now the paper is about one coin, and printing is about half a coin. Prices vary from county to county, so the cost is also different."

Li Changqing began to explain.

Upon hearing this, a clear concept immediately arose in the minds of all the civil and military officials.

It turned out to be the case.

Even the censor who had submitted the memorial earlier nodded in approval.

Without realizing it, he had already begun to think according to what Li Changqing had said.

"But you have overlooked a very important point. That is the cost of newspapers, and it's not just about that. First and foremost, there's the payment for writing."

A tip?

"Whether it's articles written by journalists, articles obtained from renowned scholars, or serialized stories, all these things that increase newspaper sales come at a price. Besides, the Kyoto Daily has trained many journalists, and that gentleman just now didn't seem to know about their salaries."

The censor who submitted the memorial froze on the spot.

When the court officials saw this, they all understood that the censor had miscalculated.

"That gentleman must have gone to the bookstore and inquired about the news there; most newspapers are sold on consignment for free."

The censor nodded helplessly once again.

"There are countless bookstores in the world; it's impossible for them all to belong to my Prince Qin's Mansion or the Regent's Mansion. In other places, bookstores share the profits from newspaper sales, ranging from half a coin to a coin. Even those little newsboys can earn some pocket money and living expenses by selling newspapers."

If you deduct these two parts, the so-called thirty million taels is nothing but a mirage.

After some deliberation, the officials of the court concluded that it would be quite good if the Kyoto Daily could earn a few million taels of silver a year.

What they didn't know was that all the paper mills and printing plants were also part of the Tianxiahui (天下会, a secret society). Therefore, the total cost of a newspaper was just over one cent.

In terms of purchasing power, it's about a dollar or so.

Productivity in this era was so backward that if it weren't for the low cost of workers, the cost of a single newspaper would probably be even higher.

Even after deducting the share from the bookstore and the beggars.

The cost price of a single newspaper would not exceed two coins.

In other words, there is a profit margin of three cents.

According to what Li Changqing and Murong Yao had calculated before, earning over 100 million yuan a year would be very easy.

If done well, 150 million to 200 million is possible.

Li Changqing wasn't unwilling to pay, but he absolutely couldn't be taken advantage of.

Li Changqing had never thought about this before.

After witnessing the character of the entire court of officials, Li Changqing's thoughts had changed.

The Regent's Palace could start by distributing these funds and gradually intervene in politics.

Wealthy, powerful, and influential...

If Li Changqing wanted, he could completely transform the Great Zhou Dynasty into whatever he desired.

When this thought popped into his head, it startled Li Changqing.

When did he start thinking about this question?

Unbeknownst to him, he had begun to adopt the perspective of the Great Zhou Emperor.

Imagine yourself as a time traveler, sitting on the throne of the Great Zhou Emperor.

Li Changqing will definitely implement reforms.

He believed that any time traveler who had fully grasped power would make the same decision.

Their country should naturally be the best.

However, this goal is clearly not on the same line as the goal that Li Changqing has been pursuing.

They can overlap, but they cannot run in complete parallel.

"Break through to a realm beyond the Supreme and become a legendary immortal."

This is Li Changqing's true pursuit.

With this thought, Li Changqing quickly calmed down.

The staff of the Regent's Palace will definitely need to be set up later.

But Li Changqing himself will not step into the limelight.

He acts as a protector and a backdrop, rather than a frontman.

As for who to choose as an agent?

Marrying so many capable wives is just to relieve the pressure on oneself, isn't it?

Li Changqing suddenly felt a sense of anticipation for his upcoming wedding.

Time flies.

In the second month after the Kyoto newspaper was published, Li Changqing and his team made a fortune.

According to the report sent by Murong Yao, the profits from their Kyoto newspaper were enough to repay the previous investment.

"It's only been two months, I never expected it."

Murong Yao's eyes were bright and sparkling, no longer showing the bitter and resentful look she had before.

Li Changqing nodded: "That's good. Let's sort out the previous accounts first, then we'll move forward lightly. After we make money, we'll set up a separate base in each county town. We'll move the printing plant and paper mill to the base."

"What do you want?"

"This will reduce traffic and allow you to get there in one step."

Besides this reason, there is actually another very important reason that Li Changqing did not say aloud.

That is to facilitate confidentiality.

It's important to understand that under today's social system, it would be very difficult for other countries to replicate the Kyoto newspaper.

The content is easy to learn.

But could those noble families just stand by and watch their respective emperors start publishing newspapers?

That's hard to say.

They didn't have such suspicions before the Kyoto newspaper appeared.

If an emperor were to defy public opinion, the probability of successfully launching a newspaper would be quite high.

But with the Kyoto newspaper, those people immediately became wary.

If we try to do it again, the difficulty will undoubtedly increase.

After all, the noble families of this world are different from those of traditional ancient times.

They truly possess high-level combat capabilities and dare to challenge the emperor.

July arrived before they knew it, and Li Changqing began preparing for his wedding.

The Regent's Palace was decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations.

Li Changqing was pulled out of bed early in the morning, as weddings in the Great Zhou Dynasty were held in the morning.

In the surrounding countries, there are also noon and evening.

Customs may differ, but the procedures are similar.

As a member of the Great Zhou Dynasty, Li Changqing quickly came to enjoy the pleasures of being a marionette.

This supreme regent was dragged out of bed early in the morning, and then a whole bunch of maids and servants changed his clothes and did his hair...

Dressed in flamboyant attire, wearing a red wedding gown, adorned with large red flowers, and riding a tall horse.

With music and fanfare playing all the way, they hurried toward the Luo residence.

The wedding was supposed to take place at the Minister's residence, but the residence was far from quiet.

Wang Guodong made a quick decision and changed the location of the wedding procession to the Luo residence.

It's time for the Luo family to step into the limelight.

It doesn't matter that their royal family has fallen on hard times, as long as they have Ralph's support and the Regent's wife.

They'll make a comeback sooner or later.

Especially at times like these, it's crucial to avoid giving others ammunition for criticism.

What reason would the daughter of the Luo family have to marry into the Minister's mansion?

……