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

Chapter 9 Movable Type Printing
Yang Keli had little interest in Yang Sizhi's so-called "loyalty and righteousness".

He glanced at the other person: "You say you're sharing the burdens of your sovereign and father, but does your sovereign and father know about this?"

Yang Sizhi stammered, his face drooping.

Yes, it was an opportunistic move on his part, an attempt to guess the emperor's intentions.
Unexpectedly, he kicked a metal plate.

"His Majesty..." Yang Sizhi looked dejected. "Sigh~"

Yang Sizhi was heartbroken because he was so devoted to sharing the emperor's burdens, but the emperor was so cold and heartless.

Yang Keli squinted and retorted, "You think His Majesty is trying to harm you again?"

Yang Sizhi was dumbfounded.

Is it not to harm me? Or is it to reward me?
Yang Keli said leisurely, "If His Majesty really wanted to punish you, he wouldn't have brought up the Great Proclamation."

The Great Proclamation!
Yang Si was slow to realize what was happening; he had been too emotional to think straight, and it was only after being reminded that he came to his senses.

The Great Proclamation was a penal code personally written by Zhu Yuanzhang and was implemented during the Hongwu era.

However, because the punishments were too severe and did not conform to "reality," later emperors were mostly unwilling to use the "Great Proclamation" to deal with officials.

Under normal circumstances, how could the emperor possibly mention the "Great Proclamation"?
"Advance is a strategic retreat!" Yang Keli advised. "His Majesty is benevolent. You rashly impeached Zhang Juzheng, but have you forgotten the matters concerning Fu Yingzhen and Yu Maoxue? His Majesty is protecting you, yet you think it's a punishment?"

Yu Maoxue and Fu Yingzhen were both censors in previous years who were dismissed from office and imprisoned for impeaching Zhang Juzheng.

"Is Your Majesty really so?" Yang Sizhi asked excitedly.

It's like being dumped by a jerk, only to suddenly hear that the other person has always loved you.

"That's for sure. Otherwise, why would His Majesty have mentioned the Great Proclamation? He anticipated that Zhang Juzheng and others would plead for leniency because the punishments were too severe."

Yang Keli displayed an air of superiority, as if he had the emperor's thoughts completely under his control.

“But His Majesty’s anger cannot be faked.” Yang Sizhi still had some doubts.

Yang Keli hesitated for a moment before saying, "It is unknown why His Majesty is so angry, but he must have the intention to protect you."

Yang Sizhi no longer doubted, and beat his chest in frustration, saying, "I never thought I would doubt the Holy Emperor! His Majesty... His Majesty truly still cares for us!"

Then, Yang Sizhi gritted his teeth.

"It's all because of that autocratic Zhang Juzheng. I, Yang Sizhi, will never be at odds with him!"

Yang Keli sneered: "How do you compare to Wang Xijue? How do you compare to Zhang Han? One of you was in the Ministry of Rites and the other in the Ministry of Personnel. Zhang Han was even the Minister of Personnel. Didn't you both end up retiring and returning to your hometown?"

"I," Yang Sizhi said with great distress, "is there really no one in the whole world who can bring Zhang Juzheng down?"

“Of course there is,” Yang Keli said in a low voice. “His Majesty has long since assumed personal rule, but with the new policies in full swing, His Majesty inevitably needs to rely on Zhang Juzheng. How can real power return to the hands of the Emperor and Father?”

"You mean starting with the new policies?" Yang Sizhi understood something, but then shook his head. "That's not appropriate. The new policies are actually a good thing for the country and the people."

"Nonsense! What does it matter if a few ordinary people are sacrificed if it benefits the country?" Yang Keli glared and banged on the table.

"The so-called new policies are nothing more than digging up the roots of the scholar-officials. Which of us in the countryside doesn't own some land? This is the kind of preferential treatment that the dynasty should provide! Zhang Juzheng himself is aloof, yet he wants to drag us down with him?"

Yang Keli sneered: "If you ask me, Zhang Juzheng is far inferior to Grand Secretary Yan of the Jiajing era. Although Grand Secretary Yan was greedy, he knew how to recognize people and handle affairs. How could he be as harsh as Zhang Jiangling of today?"

Do you know how many officials, from local to capital levels, have been tormented to the point of near death by that performance evaluation system?

He was still not satisfied and listed all of Zhang Juzheng's crimes.

"In the seventh year of the Wanli reign, Zhang Juzheng abolished all academies in the country, blocking the channels of communication, which had already caused widespread resentment among scholars."

His land surveys and persecution of regional princes have made him a thorn in the side of powerful officials at court.

Finally, Yang Keli concluded: "Don't be fooled by Zhang Juzheng's current power; he will fall one day!"

Yang Sizhi's eyes lit up: "From what you've said, Brother Ziyu, you have a brilliant plan?"

“Of course there are.” Yang Keli narrowed his eyes.

"There are only three reasons: first, to let the current emperor know that Zhang Juzheng is two-faced and hypocritical; second, to unite those who have been persecuted by Zhang Juzheng and gather their strength; and third, to hinder the implementation of the new policies, because if the new policies are riddled with flaws, Zhang Juzheng will surely be overthrown."

"Wonderful! Brother Ziyu, you are truly talented!" Yang Sizhi exclaimed, slapping the table in admiration, but still hesitated. "Would this violate benevolence and righteousness?"

Yang Keli raised the corner of his mouth and said, "Why can't we share the burden of our sovereign? As long as Zhang Juzheng falls, do you and I still have any hope for the future?"

He tapped the porcelain cup gently on the table.

"I think Zhang Juzheng is not an invincible fortress. His youngest son, Zhang Yunxiu, is extremely absurd, and he is the first step in our plan."

However, we must not be as reckless as last time; we must proceed cautiously and methodically.

"Absolutely! Absolutely!" Yang Sizhi said excitedly, bowing with his hands clasped. "A single instruction from Brother Ziyu is worth more than ten years of study!"

Santaiguan Bookstore.

In the past few days, a separate area has been set up in the bookstore.

The owner, Yu Xiangdou, also selected several loyal and skilled engravers, and established a new bookstore – “Xinming Bookstore”.

The workshop was bustling with activity today.

Yu Xiangdou frowned as he looked at the busy book engraver.

"This soot ink is too expensive; the idea of ​​publishing every three days is unrealistic."

He felt that Zhang Yunxiu was being too presumptuous; the field of "newspapers," which few people had ventured into, presented too many difficulties for him to explore.

Zhang Yunxiu, however, was full of confidence: "Oil-based ink is too expensive, so we'll use pine soot ink. The paper doesn't need to be too fancy; just use some scraps from your usual carvings of the Three Kingdoms and Water Margin, as long as the characters are legible. As for cinnabar ink, we must use cinnabar ink for the title, but a lower concentration is fine, as long as it makes a difference. We're mainly selling recreational items, so the lower the cost, the better."

"But..." Yu Xiangdou said with a bitter face, "When you calculate it, we're still not making a profit. Your price is too low, only five coins per serving. How many servings do we need to sell to break even?"

Five coins in the Ming Dynasty during the Wanli era was only enough for two steamed buns.

"If the initial cost hadn't been so high, I would have wanted to price it at three coins," Zhang Yunxiu said irritably.

In the Ming Dynasty, the daily wage for low-level day laborers in cities was about 35 wen, so 5 wen was a price they could afford without feeling too bad about.

"My lord, this..."

Yu Xiangdou's eyes widened, realizing he had been tricked.

This guy isn't here to do business, he's here to squander money!
Zhang Yunxiu laughed and said, "Don't be so superficial. Do you really think we make money by selling newspapers penny by penny?"

"If we don't make money by selling newspapers, what else can we do?" Yu Xiangdou was a little confused.

Zhang Yunxiu slapped him on the back of the head.

"Why are there so many problems? Go check on the lead melting furnace."

"Yes Yes Yes."

Yu Xiangdou covered his head and ran towards the smelting furnace behind the workshop.

A short while later, he returned with the foreman Wang Er, and the two of them carried a few still-warm lead type pieces in a winnowing basket.

The foreman, his face covered in ash, picked up a piece with iron tongs: "Master! Your formula of 7 parts lead and 2 parts tin is really good. It not only doesn't stick to the plate, but it's also hard enough. It's cheaper than copper plates and more durable and clearer than wooden plates. Where did you get this formula?"

"Is that something you should be asking?" Yu Xiangdou, who had just been slapped, immediately slapped the foreman on the head.

“It’s nothing,” Zhang Yunxiu said casually. “It’s not exactly a secret. I met quite a few Portuguese people the other day and learned about their technology from them.”

In the 15th century, Germans improved movable type printing and invented lead movable type, which triggered a printing revolution at the time.

Although it is more than a hundred years ago, lead type printing was still rare in the Ming Dynasty, as information was too limited at that time.

In reality, even if someone learned movable type printing, their first thought was to hide it away and pass it down as a family heirloom.

This is a limitation of the feudal era.

"Big man, little man, little man," the foreman was a bit tongue-tied and very awkward.

Zhang Yunxiu saw through his thoughts and nodded, saying, "You can use this skill in the future, but remember to find some poor children on the street, teach them the skill, and give them some food."

The technology of using lead plates has existed for a long time; anyone who is willing to look for it will find it soon enough.

Moreover, a ratio of 7 parts lead to 3 parts tin is not a perfect one.

At that time, the people of the Ming Dynasty had not yet discovered antimony ore. If antimony could be added, it would be the perfect ratio for movable lead type.

Once newspapers have developed and the costs have been offset, plus a little copper, the movable lead type will be able to reach the level of one or two hundred years later.

Upon hearing this, the foreman immediately knelt down and kowtowed to Zhang Yunxiu repeatedly.

"Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir!"

After spending these days in ancient times, Zhang Yunxiu eventually got used to the ancient people's habit of kneeling at the drop of a hat.

He continued, "Study these movable type pieces carefully, and the craft will naturally be yours. But if you don't do it well, don't blame me for being impolite."

Having received approval, the foreman had no further thoughts and immediately nodded in agreement.

"Rest assured, sir, I will serve you like a slave from now on."

In this era, having a skill is like having a secure job, which can benefit ordinary people and even their entire family.

After leaving the workshop, the two returned to the study. With the printing technology sorted out, the next issue was the layout.

"We'll divide this section into eight columns: local news, celestial phenomena, and anecdotes from scientific research. Of course, the most important is the novel and fiction column. We'll start by publishing my book, 'The Legend of Judge Dee of the Tang Dynasty,' and later we can collect manuscripts from folk writers. Only in this way can we continue to develop it."

Zhang Yunxiu spoke eloquently, while Yu Xiangdou stood to the side, frantically scribbling on the manuscript with a small charcoal pencil.

After listening, Yu Xiangdou couldn't help but offer a compliment.

"Your idea is ingenious, it has broadened my horizons!"

Zhang Yunxiu glanced at the other person: "Don't try to flatter me. Is there any problem with the newspaper? We'll deal with it all in the next few days."

After thinking for a moment, Yu Xiangdou said, "These days, the adults have arranged everything, except for the name of this newspaper, which has not yet been decided."

"I almost forgot." Zhang Yunxiu patted his forehead.

He spoke almost without hesitation.

"How is the Wanli Xinbao?"

"???" Yu Xiangdou was taken aback, and stammered, "Isn't this... a bit presumptuous?"

Zhang Yunxiu retorted, "Am I afraid of those who overstep their bounds?"

Yu Xiangdou: "."

　The phrase "30 cash per day for short-term laborers" comes from He Shijin's "Notices to the Ministry of Works for Factory and Warehouses" (p. 413) from the Ming Dynasty: "For newly built granaries, short-term laborers working as carpenters, stonemasons, tile setters, and timber builder will receive 3.5 fen per day."

　　
　
(End of this chapter)