Da Ming: Father, step aside, I'll be the prime minister!

Chapter 16 The Young Gentlemen of Donglin
Everyone turned their attention to him and found that this Mr. Zhao was overweight and had a simple, honest face. If it weren't for the title of "Mr. Zhao," people would probably doubt his intelligence.

The departing merchants glanced back at Zhao Dongjia, their faces filled with mockery.

"Fool!"

Yu Xiangdou was already extremely anxious, and upon hearing someone make a bid, he immediately exclaimed excitedly.

"Mr. Zhao has a keen eye! Everyone, take a look! Our newspaper is bound to be a hit. Those interested should hurry and make their offers, or you'll miss this opportunity."

But it was obviously useless. Many big players in the market were unwilling to pay a price, while some small merchants were willing to pay to buy some cheap "full-length" or "block-shaped" pieces.

Zhang Yunxiu glanced at Zhao Dongjia, who was speaking, and beckoned him up, saying, "Come up here and talk."

Zhao Dongjia had some difficulty getting up and needed help from others to step forward and bow respectfully.

"This humble subject, Zhao Rui, greets Your Excellency."

Zhang Yunxiu narrowed his eyes: "You think the price is fair?"

Zhao Rui seemed a little nervous, and he even stuttered when he spoke.

"I have read the newspapers published by the adults and I think they are good for the country and the people. In the past, only officials could read the official gazettes, but now even ordinary people on the street can understand the government's orders and know the prices. It will surely be prosperous in the future, and the prices will naturally be reasonable."

If the other party hadn't paid for it, Zhang Yunxiu really wouldn't have noticed this person. He was not good-looking, and in the Ming Dynasty, where appearance mattered a lot, it was really hard for him to be taken seriously.

However, they paid for it.

Zhang Yunxiu nodded and said, "Zhao Rui, I will remember you."

"Thank you, sir."

Next, a few merchants were still willing to pay money to buy, but the amounts were not large.

Some were thinking of giving money to curry favor with the Zhang family, but then they thought again, were these two people in front of them really capable of making decisions for the Zhang family?
I'm afraid that after giving Zhang Yunxiu money, not only will I not get the Prime Minister's protection, but I will also incur his jealousy.

Fortunately, with Zhao Rui providing the financial backing, this "advertising and sponsorship" effort isn't too bad.

Once the merchants had all left, Zhang Jianxiu couldn't hold back any longer and hurriedly came up to speak.

"Brother! Why were you so impulsive! You can't do business like that! You have to use both threats and inducements; you can't subdue these people by being straightforward!"

Zhang Yunxiu countered with, "Do you know anything about doing business?"

"I don't understand," Zhang Jianxiu replied truthfully.

Zhang Yunxiu said confidently, "Then I'll listen to you."

A surge of energy suddenly tightened in Zhang Jianxiu's chest, unable to escape or rise.

He sighed, ultimately deciding not to argue, and said helplessly.

"Then about the money."

At this moment, Yu Xiangdou had already sent over the tallied figures.

"My lords, the calculations show that our total revenue from attracting merchants this time is about three thousand taels of silver. This is mainly due to the generous donation from Master Zhao, and the rest came from small merchants who contributed a couple hundred taels each, which is quite a sum."

Despite his apparent anxiety, Yu Xiangdou was actually quite satisfied with the income; three thousand taels was almost equivalent to half a year's income in Jianyangfang.

This newspaper is making a lot of money!

The only pity is that some of the big spenders were lost, otherwise we could have earned even more money.

"Three thousand taels! Wouldn't that make up for our shortfall?" Fourth Brother Zhang Jianxiu felt confident again.

But Zhang Yunxiu poured cold water on the idea, saying, "Fourth Brother, have you forgotten that it's a share-based arrangement? It's not just the two of us who have to count; Master Yu also has to get a share. You invested a thousand taels, so you can get a share. One-sixth of the income will be about five hundred taels."

"You still dare to take a share of the money?" Zhang Jianxiu grabbed Yu Xiangdou by the collar.

"No, no, I wouldn't dare." Yu Xiangdou was on the verge of tears.

Zhang Jianxiu was clearly still clinging to the old feudal official ways; given the circumstances, it's no wonder these merchants were so shrewd.

But Zhang Yunxiu understood the principle of not draining the pond to catch all the fish, so he pulled Zhang Jianxiu aside and said.

"One thing at a time. They put in money and effort, so why shouldn't they get a share?"

"But..." Zhang Jianxiu said with a mournful face, "How are we going to make up for this money?"

“No,” Zhang Yunxiu corrected. “It’s your money that will make up for it; I have enough.”

Seeing his older brother, Zhang Yunxiu was almost in tears, so he quickly tried to make amends.

"However, I can lend you 1,500 taels first, and you can pay me back later when you receive dividends from your shares."

Zhang Jianxiu sighed: "That's all we can do."

There's no other way; this is the best solution he could have come up with himself.

The establishment of this newspaper can be considered a remarkable achievement.

Zhang Jianxiu received the money to cover the losses, Yu Xiangdou earned several months' worth of revenue, and Zhang Yunxiu had the start-up capital for his future plans.

I returned to my room.

Zhang Jianxiu immediately packed his luggage.

"Fourth Brother, are you planning to go back already?" Zhang Yunxiu asked with a smile.

"Not going back? The sooner we go back, the sooner we can have peace of mind. I haven't been sleeping well these past few days, afraid that my father will come looking for us."

Zhang Jianxiu's fear of Zhang Juzheng was ingrained in his very bones.

Zhang Yunxiu shook his head and said, "I think we shouldn't go back."

"Why?" Zhang Jianxiu asked, puzzled.

"Wait a little longer," Zhang Yunxiu said meaningfully. "Once our newspaper comes out, I don't know how many people will be restless. And the next issue is coming out soon, so I need to prepare a few articles."

"Let's let the bullets fly for a while!" "Let the bullets fly for a while? What are bullets? Firearm projectiles? What do you mean?"

Zhang Jianxiu looked puzzled.

The Ministry of Revenue's duty room.

This morning, Gu Xiancheng, the chief clerk of the Ministry of Revenue, arrived the earliest. He was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the eighth year of the Wanli reign and had just been appointed to the Ministry of Revenue a few months ago.

Like a new broom sweeping clean, Gu Xiancheng, undeterred by the tedium of statistics, insisted on working every morning to recalculate yesterday's accounts of money and grain.

A rare bit of sunlight was shining outside, casting its rays onto the windowsill.

Gu Xiancheng got up and hung the calligraphy scroll he had written the night before neatly on the wall next to his desk.

The inscription reads: "The sound of wind, rain, and reading fills my ears; I care about family affairs, national affairs, and world affairs!"

Just as Gu Xiancheng was admiring his masterpiece, a familiar voice suddenly called out from outside.

"Brother Shushi! Brother Shushi! Come and see!"

Gu Xiancheng panicked for a moment, then hurriedly pretended to get up and stretch, stiffly looking around.

Seeing that the visitor was his good friend Zhao Nanxing, he breathed a sigh of relief and said with a smile.

"So it's Brother Mengbai! I was worried you weren't in your duty room. What brings you here?"

Zhao Nanxing was a Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) in the second year of the Wanli reign. The two shared the same ideals and were of similar age, so they naturally became good friends.

These two men now appear to be ordinary officials in the Ministry of Personnel, but no one could have imagined that thirty years later they would become the leaders of the Donglin Party, which would ignite fierce factional struggles in the imperial court!
However, at this point in time, the two were still "working diligently" and "full of enthusiasm" newcomers to the imperial court.

Seeing that there was no one else in the duty room, Zhao Nanxing strode in, took out a newspaper from his pocket, spread it on the table, and said.

"Master Gu may not know this yet, but the Wanli News is all the rage these days. I bought a copy to take a look."

"The Wanli Newspaper?" Gu Xiancheng frowned. "Is that the newspaper that Zhang Shiyuan, the youngest son of the Grand Secretary, wants to publish?"

“Exactly.” Zhao Nanxing said while flipping through the newspaper. “At first I thought it was just the nonsense of spoiled brats, but now it seems quite serious.”

"Let me see."

Gu Xiancheng frowned and immediately sat down to look through the pages.

At first, it was alright; things like the almanac, life tips, and medical knowledge were considered beneficial to the country and its people.

Just as Gu Xiancheng was trying to overcome his prejudice against Zhang Juzheng and praise Zhang Yunxiu,

He then saw anecdotes about Yang Guifei and Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, as well as many unsubstantiated folk tales, especially some bawdy ones, which made him frown.

Gu Xiancheng shook his head and said, "This is a heretical and unorthodox work. It contains various texts mixed together, neither vulgar nor elegant. Moreover, it even contains court policies such as the 'Land Survey Law.' It is truly absurd!"

Zhao Nanxing, however, was not so sensitive. He shook his head and said, "Brother Shushi thinks this is useless. Now the Wanli Xinbao is all over the place, and the whole capital is talking about it."

The common people, especially, were very fond of this newspaper. For five copper coins a copy—the price of two steamed buns—this newspaper was sure to become famous throughout the land.

Gu Xiancheng was a "radical youth" in the Ming Dynasty, and he was particularly disgusted by this kind of thing, he said.

"The dynasty is too lenient towards popular opinions. Even someone like Li Zhi, who advocated the so-called 'childlike innocence' and was unorthodox, dared to criticize the Sage Confucius, yet he was only banned from writing books."

"So what?" Zhao Nanxing said helplessly. "I've heard that Li Zhi's books have reappeared in the market, it's like spring breezes blowing and new life springing up again."

"You shouldn't be so stubborn," Zhao Nanxing advised Gu Xiancheng. "You used to say that the Grand Secretary was tyrannical, and you almost got your words exposed to him. Now you're talking about Zhang Shiyuan. You should know the saying that trouble comes from the mouth."

Gu Xiancheng shook his head: "I acknowledge some of Zhang Jiangling's reforms, such as the performance evaluation system and the land survey system, which are good policies. However, we should not rush into them. If we rush, good policies will turn into oppressive policies that exploit the people."

I acknowledge Zhang Jiangling's abilities, but he shouldn't have wielded such power and practiced nepotism.

"Alright, alright." Zhao Nanxing was immediately covered in sweat. "You should say less. Your Uncle Gu is full of enthusiasm, and I still want to make a living in this court."

Having ended that topic, the two turned their attention back to the contents of the newspaper.

Upon seeing the headline "Wanli Xinbao," Zhao Nanxing couldn't help but remark, "I wonder what His Majesty thinks when he sees this newspaper."

Gu Xiancheng said helplessly, "His Majesty and Grand Secretary Zhang Jiangling still have some friendship. Although they have some disagreements, their relationship has not reached the point of being irreconcilable. However, it is hard to say what will happen in the future."

Zhao Nanxing chuckled: "Brother Shushi, you see things very clearly."

In the course of their question-and-answer session, the two quickly read through the newspaper, jokingly complaining, but in reality, they were quite interested in new things.

Gu Xiancheng, in particular, looked at the almanacs and said, "Zhang Shiyuan is not as absurd as the rumors suggest. This newspaper has some problems, but it is still beneficial to the country and the people."

"Brother Shushi no longer objects?"

Gu Xiancheng said, "It's just one thing at a time."

Then he turned to the novel section of the newspaper and said...

"This statement is not entirely in line with historical facts, but it is much better than what is available on the market, and it is quite appealing."

The two chatted for a while longer, and seeing that it was getting late, Zhao Nanxing wanted to hurry back, so he decided to take the newspaper back.

"Brother Shushi, I should go back first. If it gets any later, Doctor Gao will accuse me of deserting my post."

Zhao Nanxing tried to pull the newspaper back, but found that she couldn't pull it back no matter what she did. She looked down and saw that Gu Xiancheng was holding it down.

Zhao Nanxing looked puzzled: "Brother Shushi?"

Gu Xiancheng was a little embarrassed: "Well, Brother Mengbai, I think Zhang Shiyuan is a bit absurd. Leave the newspaper with me first, I'll study it carefully, and then I can also write a book about Zhang Shiyuan, especially this storybook."

Zhao Nanxing looked shocked, but he was unwilling to back down and grabbed the newspaper.

“Utterly shameless! Brother Shushi, if you ask me, you absolutely must not impeach Zhang Shiyuan. Just return the newspaper to me.”

"Leave it to me."

"No way! Go buy it yourself!"

(End of this chapter)