"My lords, please don't be anxious! I just suddenly figured out the next part of the plot. I'll report back to the publishing house immediately after court and have someone write it down. Then we'll work overtime to print it out, and it should be available for you to see as early as tomorrow!"

"real?"

"Of course it's true. If it can't be released, then you gentlemen will—"

"how?"

"Let's wait one more day!"

"..."

After Jing Zhe's explanation, no one had any further objections.

However, the King of Xiang still wanted to object: "Even so, I still feel it's inappropriate, after all—"

"Your Highness!"

Bai Qingyuan suddenly interrupted, "President Jing is so young, yet he wants to go to Jinxi to contribute to Anguo. I think we should encourage him, so Your Highness should not stop him!"

As she spoke, she secretly gave Su Mowu a wink.

Although Su Mowu had doubts, he ultimately said nothing more.

In fact, the letter that Emperor An had Su Mochen deliver to Jing Zhe yesterday was about this very matter, mainly to assist Crown Prince Su Moyan.

If it were simply a matter of sending Jing Zhe to Jinxi on his own, there would be no need for such trouble; Emperor An could have simply assigned him the task.

However, if he were to accompany the Crown Prince directly, others might have reservations, such as the Prince of Xiang and his subordinates.

So Emperor An and Jing Zhe put on a show, seemingly sending Jing Zhe there unintentionally, leaving others with no room to say anything.

However, Bai Qingyuan's intervention was something neither Emperor An nor Jing Zhe had anticipated.

Seeing that everyone had fallen silent, Emperor An then said, "Is there any other minister who would like to offer advice? If not, then let's end the morning court session here!"

"Your Majesty, I would like to ask when we shall depart?"

Emperor An thought for a moment, "There are less than half a month left until the martial arts competition of the four major sects. It takes about seven or eight days to travel by carriage from Jingzhou to Jinxi. The second issue of the newspaper can be published within three days, right?"

"Your Majesty, it is certainly possible!"

"Alright, let's set off in three days! You and the Crown Prince should pack your things properly after you get back! Oh, by the way, come to court these next few days; it'll be convenient if there are any things you need to tell me!"

"Yes, Your Majesty!"

Su Moyan and Jing Zhe answered together.

...

After the court session, Bai Qingyuan and Song Baiyun secretly went to the Prince of Xiang's residence. In the main hall, Su Mowu said with some self-reproach, "This Jing Zhe is really too difficult to deal with. I originally wanted to make things difficult for him, but I didn't expect him to have made preparations in advance! Moreover, I was unable to stop him from going to Jinxi, and I still feel a little uneasy!"

"Your Highness, there is no need to blame yourself!"

Bai Qingyuan said, "I've discovered that today's events were most likely pre-arranged between His Majesty and him!"

"oh?"

"While in court, I was observing Jing Zhe and noticed that when the topic of going to Jinxi came up, His Majesty and Jing Zhe exchanged glances."

After hearing his explanation, Su Mowu frowned even more deeply: "Grand Tutor Bai, are you saying that His Majesty wants Jing Zhe to assist the Crown Prince and let him make meritorious contributions, right?"

Bai Qingyuan nodded, but then gave a cold laugh.

"However, this merit is not so easy to achieve, which is why I told Your Highness not to stop him!"

Bai Qingyuan then analyzed the situation, mainly pointing out that Jinxi was the territory of the Prince of Jin, and that the fact that the martial arts competition was held in Jinxi indicated the presence of the Prince of Jin.

Therefore, it was extremely difficult to accomplish anything on the territory of the Prince of Jin.

Jing Zhe's relationship with the Prince of Jin is so tense, especially since Su Xinping can't even return to Jinxi because of Jing Zhe. How can Jing Zhe be comfortable in the Prince of Jin's territory?

Most importantly, the Prince of Jin and the Jing family already have a feud. If Jing Zhe goes to Jinxi, he might not only fail to help the Crown Prince, but also cause trouble!

After listening, Su Mowu exclaimed in approval, "Grand Tutor Bai is truly brilliant! I was thinking of stopping Jing Zhe, but now it seems that sending him to Jinxi is better! Who knows, he might not come back!"

Upon hearing this, the three of them burst into laughter.

The Prince of Xiang's residence was enveloped in an atmosphere of joy and peace...

...

After leaving the palace, Jing Zhe returned to the newspaper office first.

The first issue of the newspaper sold out another thousand copies today, but compared to yesterday, the popularity has decreased considerably.

Since Wenxiangju has already started storytelling, the newspaper volume has almost reached saturation, so launching the second issue at this time is just right!

As for now, the content for the entertainment, literature, and military sections was written yesterday and has begun printing. Under Jing Zhe's direction, the lifestyle section is preparing to write about outstanding debts and add the list of those who have not paid their debts on time. It should be printed by this afternoon.

So only the current affairs section remains.

Jing Zhe said to the current affairs department, "Everyone, please work hard today and try to finish the article before dark. Then hand it over to the printing department and print 500 copies. We'll release the second issue of the newspaper first thing tomorrow morning!"

"Yes, President Jing!"

All members were highly enthusiastic.

Jing Zhe then instructed Chen Jiannan, "Editor-in-Chief Chen, have you distributed the bonuses I asked you to issue last time?"

"It's paid out, President Jing! Five taels of silver each!"

Jing Zhe used a portion of the money he swindled from Zhang Xuehou as bonuses for the newspaper, which Chen Jiannan distributed regularly.

"Okay, we'll distribute them to everyone when the second issue of the newspaper comes out!"

"Thank you, President Jing!"

The team was already incredibly enthusiastic about their work, and with Jing Zhe being so generous, everyone's motivation was even higher.

...

After finishing his business at the newspaper office, Jing Zhe came out immediately.

Because there are people at home waiting for him.

When he pushed open the door, he saw Zhu Xinning squatting in the yard with her back to him, washing clothes.

She was dressed in a plain-colored house dress, her long hair tied up with a pink ribbon and neatly coiled on her head, exuding gentleness and virtue.

"Xin'er!"

Jing Zhe closed the door and called out softly.

Upon hearing his voice, Zhu Xinning immediately turned around, her face beaming with joy. She then stood up and used the back of her still-dripping hand to brush her disheveled hair upwards.

Then he smiled and said, "Zhe'er, why are you back so early? Did you finish court? Didn't you go to the newspaper office?"

Since Jing Zhe currently holds an official position, it would have a negative impact if he frequently visited home.

Zhu Xinning is no longer just Jing Zhe's second sister; she has fully embraced this new identity and is enjoying it immensely. Of course, she also has to keep an eye on him.

"I went to the newspaper office, but then I remembered that my Xin'er was at home, so I didn't want to stay outside for even a moment longer and rushed back."

Jing Zhe has always been very sweet-talking, and after the two of them crossed the line into a more physical relationship, he became even more unrestrained in praising Zhu Xinning.

Zhu Xinning, on the other hand, found it very helpful.

"You're so sweet-talking!"

"Really? I don't think it's sweet. Xin'er must be mistaken. Why don't you try it again and see if it's sweet?"

As she spoke, she walked over here, her lips slightly pouting.

Zhu Xinning's pretty face immediately turned red. She shook her head with a smile, half shy and half reproachful, and said, "You, even in broad daylight, you can't be proper!"

————