The first issue of the "Beijing Gazette" was officially published in early April of the 21st year of the Kangxi Emperor's reign.
With the "Political Gazette" and "Morning Light" leading the way, the first issue of the "Beijing Daily" was subscribed to by many people.
The Beijing Daily contained some literary news, such as what books were suitable for what kind of people to read, and interpretations of literary works by some great scholars. Of course, there was also a section on novels. This section was ultimately designated as novels, as vernacular stories sounded too low-class and were not suitable for reading in a newspaper.
Shu Muluqi Huan asked his mentor to polish the first novel published in the Beijing Daily. At first, his mentor was unwilling to get involved, but Shu Muluqi Huan revealed that it was the emperor's will.
Shumulu Qi Huan's insightful nature was partly due to his mentor. He learned about the emperor's plans from Qi Huan, deduced the emperor's ultimate goal, and felt that it was not impossible to put pen to paper. In addition, Qi Huan was his prized disciple, so he was happy to lend a hand.
So I tried writing two short stories and gave them to Saki, asking him to handle them.
Qi Huan himself was valued by Yinzhen because he had some talent, not to mention his mentor, whose writing skills were naturally excellent. In addition, as long as the logic was sound and the story was not cliché, there was no shortage of readers in ancient times when entertainment was scarce.
The first issue of the Beijing Daily received much praise after its publication; it was enjoyed by both men and women.
Qi Huan's mentor wrote a novel about a poor scholar taking the imperial examination. It doesn't focus much on romance, but rather on the process of taking the imperial examination and some personal reflections. Because the content is so relatable, many scholars who have taken the imperial examination can relate to it.
The readers didn't connect the novel with the storybook, and this revision made Qi Huan's mentor, who was previously unknown, famous overnight.
Scholars were most concerned about the imperial examinations, so it was quite clever of Qi Huan's mentor to position his first novel on the subject.
It is said that studying hard for years is a difficult task. If it weren't for the fact that studying could lead to changing one's social status through the imperial examinations, I doubt many people would be willing to study day and night. Studying is not easy either. There are so many scholars in the world, and only one or two hundred are selected every three years to become Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations).
It is evident that the competition among scholars was extremely fierce. This novel, written by Qi Huan's mentor, resonated deeply with these scholars. In ancient times, even literate families had the money to buy a newspaper.
The name of Master Qi Huan naturally spread among the scholars in the capital.
Qi Huan's mentor was a Han Chinese named Qi Yu, whose son was Qian Yun. He was the kind of person who was good at studying but had bad luck. He encountered various unexpected events in the imperial examination and became a Jinshi with great difficulty. His ranking was also quite good, fifth in the palace selection. His family background could not be described as poor, but it was not a noble family either.
He originally had the opportunity to become a junior compiler, but he was injured at the last minute before the exam. After recovering, he was only good enough to be admitted to the Hanlin Academy, which was no longer relevant to him.
He originally planned to take up a post outside the region and become a local official, but things didn't go as planned. After years of bad luck, he became somewhat disheartened and eventually resigned to become a teacher.
Surprisingly, since he lost his connection with his official career, his luck has actually improved, and he's no longer so unlucky. He wondered if Heaven was not going to let him become an official. With that thought, the last bit of hope in his heart disappeared, but he still felt a little regretful.
Men, after studying for decades, always want to use what they've learned to make a difference, so they can only put their energy into their students.
Qi Huan was his prized student, and given his connection with Qi Huan's father, the bond between the two was incredibly close.
Qi Yu agreed to Qi Huan's request because the relationship between the master and disciple was indeed extraordinary.
Qi Yu became famous overnight, and Qi Huan had a clear understanding of the situation. He understood the Emperor's intentions. Now that his mentor had such a reputation, regardless of anything else, he had fulfilled the Emperor's initial goal. Since he had made a good start, he had a general plan and knew how to proceed.
Qi Yu had some thoughts on this matter. He was not lacking in talent, but he wanted to realize his ambitions. Unfortunately, the path to officialdom was different. Now that he had a reputation, he thought about starting an academy to teach and educate people, to pass on his ideas, and to let capable students do the things he had not been able to accomplish. This way, he could make up for some of the regrets in his heart.
After having this idea, Qi Yu couldn't sit still. However, setting up an academy in the capital was easier said than done.
The capital city has no shortage of academies, and those well-established academies are headed by renowned scholars and masters, none of whom he could possibly reach on his own.
Setting up an academy only requires a venue and teachers. The venue is fine, but while teachers can be found, their qualifications are inferior, which is not what he expected.
Qi Huan was busy with the Jingbao newspaper. Because the first issue was well done, Yinzhen felt that Qi Huan had great potential and was willing to promote him. His subordinates were also perceptive. Qi Huan had a good family background and ability, and no one wanted to make an enemy of him for no reason.
Although Qi Huan was not a member of the government system, he had a good relationship with the propaganda department through the "Beijing Daily" and had become quite well-connected in that circle.
The Beijing Daily was doing well. Although the novel manuscript Qi Yu gave him was not long, it would only take a few issues to be serialized in the newspaper. So Qi Huan went to see his mentor again.
He's currently clueless and looking for someone else.
Qi Huan was quite perceptive. When he chatted with his mentor, he could tell that his mentor had something on his mind. He didn't want to pry into anything, but he was thinking that his mentor might be facing some difficult problems, and he was willing to lend a hand if he could.
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