America 1869: A Doppelganger Every Day

"Your Highness, I've come to see you because when I came from America, a Chinese American asked me for help."

"We met an imperial citizen named Li Changsheng in America."

"After he went to America, he learned the American language and writing system from us, and now he is basically fluent in it."

"After learning the language of America, Mr. Li Changsheng wanted to improve the status of the people of our Great Qing Empire in America."

"He even wrote a book in the language of the American Empire."

"We are currently in the stage of negotiating publication and distribution."

"He specifically asked our people to bring back the Chinese version of the book he had written."

"Also brought back was $200, which I wanted to give to his family."

"I had someone inquire about his family during this period, and it turns out that none of his family members are in his hometown anymore. The villagers there said that they probably went to the Northeast region."

"I would like to request Your Highness to have the officials along the way help find this family."

"If possible, I hope to bring his family to the American Concession. With just this one book by Mr. Li Changsheng, his family can live a worry-free life."

"I hope that while he is contributing to our Great Qing Empire in America, he can also ensure the basic livelihood of his family."

Prince Gong never expected that his Qing Empire would have such a talent.

It's amazing that they were able to publish a book in America.

Such talent enabled the Qing Empire to gain international renown.

We must take good care of such talents.

"Don't worry, I'll arrange for someone to find all of Mr. Li Changsheng's family members right away."

Prince Gong can be described as decisive and efficient.

He had barely finished speaking when he summoned his servants.

After giving the order, he smiled and said...

"As long as Mr. Li Changsheng's family is still alive, and as long as they are safe, they will find him as quickly as possible and send him to the US Concession in Tianjin."

"Please rest assured, Mr. Alexander, regarding this matter!"

"Now I'm curious, what book did this Mr. Li Changsheng write? And why was it able to be published in America?"

"Mr. Alexander, didn't you say the book was brought back? May I take a look?"

Alexander was prepared; he simply took the book out of his pocket and handed it to Prince Gong.

Prince Gong eagerly flipped through the pages.

When Prince Gong saw that the opening title was "The Little Dwarfs," he frowned.

However, after seeing the contents, his brows quickly relaxed.

Even though Li Changsheng deliberately simplified the Chinese version, it still amounted to nearly 10 words.

Prince Gong read the book quickly, taking two hours to finish it.

After putting the book down, he said with emotion.

"A brilliant idea, truly a brilliant idea."

"The story revolves around the adventures of a group of dwarfs from a miniature world, incorporating elements of mythological figures such as the witches, demons, and flower fairies, somewhat reminiscent of the Investiture of the Gods and Journey to the West."

"At the same time, the evil dragon at the end of the story is actually a descendant of Yinglong from my Chinese mythology."

"A perfect combination of Chinese mythology and Western stories."

"The popularity of this book in the West is also beneficial to our Great Qing Empire."

"Such a good book should not only be published in the West, but should also be promoted with all our might within our Great Qing Empire."

"Mr. Alexander, please speak to Mr. Li Changsheng and ask him to allow me to publish his book within the territory of the Qing Empire."

"To thank him for his contributions to the empire, we will give him a substantial reward, and he will also receive a share of every book he sells in the future."

Li Changsheng himself was amazed, realizing that he had made the right move.

Books that couldn't be published in Western countries were surprisingly published with the personal help of Prince Gong in the Qing Empire.

It is foreseeable that this book will become a sensation throughout the Qing Dynasty in a short period of time.

At that time, all we need to do is print some foreign language versions in the Qing Empire and sell them in the concessions, and we can quickly open up the international market.

By then, many countries abroad will be willing to publish books on the subject, right?

Even if no one is willing to publish it by then, Li Changsheng, now wealthy, can publish it himself.

After resolving these matters, Li Changsheng returned.

After handing over the affairs of the academy, Alexander boarded a ship bound for America.

Accompanying him were two vice-consuls and a team of guards specially requested by Alexander.

The only thing that surprised Alexander was the issue of funding.

Prince Gong only gave Yali Shanda one thousand taels of silver.

However, Alexander took 2000 catties of opium with him on the ship.

"Our Great Qing Empire now produces the most opium in the world."

"I heard that people in San Francisco still need this kind of thing, and you can sell it for a high price there."

"Here, 2000 catties of opium can only be sold for a little over 1 taels of silver."

"But if you go to San Francisco, it might become 20,000 or 30,000 taels."

"Of that, 1 taels will be used as the consulate's expenses."

"If Mr. Alexander can sell more, then the extra money is yours for the taking."

Impressed.

Alexander said he was convinced.

The Qing Empire was truly a magical place.

First, they used Americans as envoys to travel the world.

Then, he arranged for himself, an American, to become a consul in the United States.

What's even more bizarre now is that the funds are being used directly for opium.

But this is for the best.

This solved the immediate problem for the main body.

The 30 farmers in California have taken out a lot of loans.

I'll use the money I earn this time to pay off the loan.

Alexander is gone.

However, the Alexandria Foreign Language Institute is still under construction.

Li Changsheng had to shuttle between America and the Qing Dynasty.

I come here whenever I have a spare moment to summon a clone.

As for the remaining clones, he arranged for them to go to different countries after summoning them.

Under these circumstances, the subject finally completed its first invention in America.

His original plan was to directly steal Edison's invention.

But when he was about to study the light bulb, a small problem arose.

He discovered he had no money.

Yes, there are quite a few things you need to study light bulbs.

Given his current situation, he simply doesn't have the money to conduct research.

Every penny Lester spends is being watched, so he has no way of giving Li Changsheng money.

Therefore, Li Changsheng's travels during this period were simply to have his other clones help with the research.

Until recently, Alexander's alter ego became the Qing Dynasty's Consul General in the United States and traveled from San Francisco on the West Coast to Washington.

Only then did someone deliver the royalties from the Qing Empire to Li Changsheng.

Even though Li Changsheng had money, he didn't immediately start researching light bulbs. Based on the results he had obtained from his other clones, he was certain that if he actually succeeded in researching light bulbs, it might not necessarily be a good thing.