After hearing Chu Fan's instructions, Cao Mengde replied respectfully, "This old minister will fulfill his mission and immediately begin preparations. I will ensure that the people of Kaifeng can see this newspaper tomorrow. However, Your Majesty, how should we determine the name and price of the newspaper?"
Chu Fan replied without hesitation, "Let's name the newspaper 'Da Wei Royal Daily' and sell it at one penny a copy. This way, even ordinary people can easily afford it, and it will also ensure the newspaper's popularity."
Cao Mengde was shocked upon hearing this. He knew that before Wei's Xuan paper was invented, a sheet of it was quite expensive, not to mention books printed with text and pictures. While newspapers couldn't compare to books, they still contained a wealth of valuable knowledge. And the fact that such a newspaper could be sold for only one penny truly surprised and shocked Cao Mengde.
But since this was His Majesty's decision, Cao Mengde would not raise any questions. Since he had assumed the position of Prime Minister, he must devote all his energy to helping His Majesty solve problems. As His Majesty had said, he was Liu Xueyu's relative, and since His Majesty had married Liu Xueyu, he and His Majesty were now family. His Majesty's consideration of him while pursuing his own financial goals was already a sign of great benevolence and righteousness, and Cao Mengde could not let His Majesty down.
Cao Mengde continued, "Your Majesty, if there is nothing else to arrange, I will start preparing for the printing of the newspaper."
Chu Fan thought for a moment and felt that there was nothing else he needed to tell him, so he nodded in agreement: "Go ahead, thank you for all the hard work, Lord Cao."
Chu Fan simply hoped that through newspapers, the people would be better informed about the court's decisions and trends, thereby strengthening their trust and support for the court. He also hoped that the court's decrees would be more transparent at the local level, reducing the tendency of local officials to deliberately misinterpret them.
However, what Chu Fan did not expect was that letting a person who had just obtained the position of prime minister publish a newspaper about the change of prime minister, does this mean that this decision itself contains far-reaching significance, implying that His Majesty has great trust in Cao Mengde, and that Cao Mengde will become a sharp knife in His Majesty's hands in the court.
Cao Mengde also thought about this before leaving the palace, but he didn't care. For him, as long as His Majesty didn't want to kill him or deal with the Cao family, he was confident that he could handle anything else. Even if it meant becoming a knife in His Majesty's hand, he would be willing to do so.
If His Majesty can truly unify the Shengwu Continent, then this sword of his will become a peerless blade second only to one man and superior to millions of others.
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