Zhang Hulan whispered, "Just think about it, by then our people will have to collect information from all over the country.

We can collect all kinds of gossip and interesting things, but we can also collect other intelligence from all over the place. Wouldn’t this be of great use to the court and the emperor?"

When Zhang Hulan said this, Ye Hongyun thought of it. This could indeed help collect intelligence for the court.

Zhang Hulan continued, "Let the Queen talk to the Emperor about this. Running a newspaper is not just about collecting information, there are also issues with typesetting and printing. The two of us definitely can't accomplish such a big thing."

"Okay, I'll go to the palace and talk to the queen."

Zhang Hulan then told Ye Hongyun how newspapers can make money.

If you want to become famous, you can publish your poems and articles in newspapers, and then you will get advertising income.

Zhang Hulan handed the matter over to Ye Hongyun and left it alone.

She only provides ideas and suggestions, and leaves the rest to others.

The next day, Ye Hongyun entered the palace and told the Queen about the matter. The Queen then went to find Emperor Yongxing.

Emperor Yongxing heard this and said, "This is a good idea. The officials of the Inspectorate are all in the open. Wherever they go, those guys will hide and nothing can be found out.

My spies are limited and it is impossible for them to monitor all officials in the world.

If this newspaper is established, it will be openly for the purpose of seeking entertainment in the market, and since it does not belong to the imperial court, those people will not be on guard, and the news transmitted back will be the most authentic. "

Emperor Yongxing then said: "However, it is not easy to run a newspaper, and it requires a lot of talents.

We cannot let an unreliable person be responsible for this matter. You, the Queen, should be responsible for this matter openly, and Qin Aiqing should be responsible for it secretly.

Call Zhang Hulan into the palace and ask her about the matter in more detail."

"Okay, Your Majesty. I will call her into the palace right away."

On the other side, Zhang Hulan arrived at the village, and just as she made the tea, Xie Bangwen came over.

"Good morning, Lord Xie, come and have some tea!" Zhang Hulan also made a cup of tea for Xie Bangwen.

Xie Bangwen smiled and said, "Master Zhang, when can I meet your nephew?"

"Of course." Zhang Hulan said with a smile: "How about this, let's have a meal together during our day off."

"Okay, okay, then let's make it a deal."

In the afternoon, someone from the palace came and called Zhang Hulan into the palace.

In the imperial study, Emperor Yongxing, the Empress and Qin Bingrong were all there.

"Your humble servant greets His Majesty, the Empress, and Lord Qin."

After Zhang Hulan saluted, Emperor Yongxing asked, "Zhang Hulan, please tell me more about the newspaper you mentioned."

Zhang Hulan knew that if the Queen told Emperor Yongxing about the idea of the newspaper, Emperor Yongxing would definitely take it seriously. She said, "Your Majesty, this newspaper is mainly to collect various events from all over the country and then disseminate them in the form of text.

The information collected is all-encompassing and anything can be collected.

Some gossip, such as whose house was on fire and burned down;

If someone marries a daughter-in-law, the daughter-in-law he marries weighs three hundred kilograms;

A sow gave birth to a litter of twenty piglets.

There are also questions about people's livelihood, such as which family had a good harvest this year, and harvested 500 kilograms of rice per acre;

Wherever there is flooding, rivers burst their banks;

Where the murder happened, etc.

There are also some things about local governments.

The officials in that place oppressed the people;

Which local officials accepted bribes?

Where the people suffered injustice;

In addition, whether the court has implemented the policies issued in various places, etc., these things can be reported.

Then there's the matter of how newspapers make money.

Some young talents want to become famous, so they can spend money to publish their poems and articles in newspapers.

Some businesses that run a store or have launched a new product can spend money to advertise in newspapers.

We have to charge money for selling newspapers, but the price can’t be too high…”

Zhang Hulan roughly told Emperor Yongxing and others about the role of newspapers and how to make money. Emperor Yongxing, the Empress and Qin Bingrong all nodded after listening.

Qin Bingrong said: "According to your idea, I'm afraid a large number of people will be needed.

It takes people to collect all kinds of information, it takes people to make newspapers, and it also takes people to sell them.”

Zhang Hulan nodded, "Yes, it requires a lot of people.

However, you don’t need to have your own people to sell the goods. You can just let the people or vendors do the selling.

For example, each prefecture would set up a newspaper office, and after the newspapers were printed, merchants in the city could go to the newspaper office to buy them, and then they would sell them.”

Zhang Hulan paused, then said: "Although under the emperor's governance, the people can basically live and work in peace.

However, there are still beggars who are displaced for various reasons. They can be asked to go to the newspaper office to get newspapers and sell them on the street. This way, they can have a job and support themselves, reducing the burden on the court or local governments. "

The Queen and Qin Bingrong's eyes lit up when they heard this. This was a great idea.

Emperor Yongxing also nodded frequently.

Qin Bingrong then asked: "How much does this newspaper cost? How big is this newspaper?"

Zhang Hulan gestured to the size of the newspaper and said, "The size of the newspaper can be determined according to the actual situation. The price of a newspaper sold by the newspaper office is no more than two cents, and the retail price is about one cent more. If it is too expensive, no one will buy it."

Qin Bingrong frowned and thought for a while, then said: "Isn't the price too low? It takes a lot of manpower and material resources. If the price is so low, I guess I will lose money, right?

Even if we add the advertising you mentioned, it would probably be difficult to make a profit.

Paper and ink are very expensive, and the content of the newspaper is definitely different. Each issue of the newspaper must be engraved with a template, which is very time-consuming and laborious. "

Zhang Hulan had no idea about paper and ink as she didn't know how to make paper, but she knew about woodblock printing.

"Sir Qin, I don't understand the ink used for paper. But I have thought of a way to print without carving new blocks for each issue."

"What do you mean?"

Zhang Hulan said: "We can make the woodblock alive, make all the fonts first, and then piece them together.

What words are needed for each issue of the newspaper, just put them together, and it is very convenient to print any article you want."

Qin Bingrong's eyes sparkled when he heard this, and he excitedly said to Emperor Yongxing, "Your Majesty, can I borrow some paper and pen?"

Emperor Yongxing pushed the paper and pen on the dragon table forward and said, "You can use it."

Qin Bingrong picked up the pen, dipped it in ink, quickly wrote a few words on the paper, and then cut the words one by one.

He shuffled the individual word pieces and then put them back together.

After the shuffled word pieces are put together again, they can form several different sentences.

Qin Bingrong's expression became even more excited, "Great, great, great!"

Emperor Yongxing and the Empress also understood what was going on, and they both looked at Zhang Hulan in surprise.

The Queen said, "Hu Lan, how come you are so smart?"