February 15th, the first year of Daxia.
Daxia’s first newspaper was born in Guanyun City.
It was printed on both sides in quarto format, which was quite unsophisticated. Fu Xiaoguan curled his lips when he got the sample.
Wen Xiuzhong and Wen Xingzhao glanced at the emperor's face anxiously, and their hearts skipped a beat. This was something the emperor wanted to make. It was the emperor's envoy. They spent so much effort to make it, but it made the emperor unhappy.
"His Majesty,"
Wen Xiuzhong asked thoughtfully, "How about...we revise this newspaper?"
"Change it to Daxia Weekly. I'm afraid you guys won't be able to handle the daily version, so let's make it a weekly version first."
"Um... Your Majesty, what is a weekly newspaper?"
Fu Xiaoguan was stunned for a moment, then laughed. "It's just an issue every seven days, so the content doesn't have to be so serious. We can publish some poems and essays by students, or some romantic stories by literati."
"Anyway, remember, this newspaper is for the common people. We need it to be understandable to them, to provide them with useful information and broaden their horizons. That's the goal. As for the content, just don't make it unsightly."
"Take it and revise it. This first issue must capture the hearts of the people. Go ahead."
The two brothers left the Imperial Study and returned to the newspaper office. "Second brother, His Majesty said this must capture the hearts of the people and make them understand it... I've been thinking this whole time, the content of the Economic Forum Summit on the front page can't be changed, and the rest of the pages aren't appealing enough to the people."
Wen Xingzhao paused, stroking his chin, and continued, "The students didn't prepare poems and essays, but the scholars' romantic affairs..." He raised his eyes and looked at Wen Xiuzhong, "Second brother, you said that the Minister of Rites Xiao Yulou visited a brothel at night and, under the influence of alcohol, tried to take advantage of Miss Mengxi from Liuyun Tower. He was caught by the brothel owner Wei Sanniang, and the whole city knew about it. I heard that Lord Xiao was kicked out by his wife and slept in a concubine's room for a full two weeks. Does this count as a romantic affair?"
Wen Xiuzhong slapped his thigh with a loud "Pa!" upon hearing this. "That's right! Third brother, this is news. You're right. Don't ordinary people love to read stories like this? This matter needs to be written in a good way, vividly portrayed, so that the people will applaud!"
"But...will Minister Xiao come to cause trouble for us?"
Wen Xiuzhong laughed. "What are you afraid of? We're no longer their subordinates. We're the editors-in-chief of the Daxia Daily. We have nothing to do with them, so we can write about all the romantic affairs of the ministers in the court... This is also to make them famous. Otherwise, the people of the world would think that these ministers were like Bodhisattvas. Once these articles are published, the people will think that there is no difference between them and the high officials."
"We're all the same, with all the same emotions. Doesn't this bring officials and the people closer together? This is a good thing. Besides, we're the editors-in-chief appointed by His Majesty. Even if we make a mistake, His Majesty will back us up!"
Wen Xingzhao thought about it and felt that what his second brother said was right.
Hasn't Your Majesty always been advocating equality for all?
Hasn't Your Majesty always advocated that all officials come from the masses and go back to the masses?
Thinking of this, Wen Xingzhao had an idea in his mind. His brain turned and he had another idea:
"Brother, I think if the content of this newspaper is to attract the attention of the people, the title must first be loud and eye-catching."
"Third brother, what you said makes sense. All the titles should be made bigger."
"That's one point. I also have another point. For example, if the news about Minister Xiao visiting a brothel at night had a headline like this—[Shocking! Minister Xiao visits a brothel at night and attempts to commit inappropriate acts. The chaste woman resists fiercely but ultimately refuses! Is this an abuse of power or an indulgence of lust?] Do you think this headline is eye-catching?"
Wen Xiuzhong was shocked. He looked at Wen Xingzhao and gave him a thumbs-up. "Great! Truly great! Third brother, this title won't just attract attention; it might even draw a punch from Minister Xiao... But it doesn't matter, this is exactly the effect we want!"
"So, let's change it this way?"
“Just change it like this!”
Thus, the first edition of Daxia Weekly was born in a shocking style. When it was published in Guanyun City, those bookstores were originally resistant, but they never expected that the first edition of 30,000 copies would be sold out in a very short time.
In the streets and alleys of Guanyun City, there are newsboys shouting:
"Read the newspaper, read the newspaper. The latest news is the Daxia Weekly. It's three cents a copy. It tells you everything about national affairs, family affairs, and the world!"
"Daxia Weekly exclusively reports on the results of the First Economic Forum Summit, along with other shocking events: Minister Xiao visits a brothel at night, intending to have sex, Minister Yan hooks up with Minister You's youngest daughter, and the past and present lives of Minister Peng Fang and pigs..."
Daxia Weekly?
What is this?
Three cents? That's pretty pricey, but it sounds pretty good, so I'll buy one and check it out!
The two brothers of the Wen family hired a lot of newsboys to promote the Daxia Weekly, and the effect was very good.
The shopkeepers of the major bookstores took a look at this thing and thought that although the profit margin was low, it seemed to be very popular, so they printed another 100,000 copies!
Guanyun City now has a permanent population of over two million, and they all have strong purchasing power, so these 100,000 newspapers were quickly sold out.
Then keep printing!
Yun Xiyan was busy organizing the economic strategies of the Economic Forum Summit in the Ministry of Commerce office. Zhong Fangyuan walked upstairs and into his office with a copy of the Daxia Weekly.
"I say, look at this."
"What's that?" Yun Xiyan took it and took a look. "Daxia Weekly... A series of results from the first economic forum - the economic strategy of Qin Mowen, the governor of the Northwest Circuit of Beijing."
"This is pretty good. What is this thing called?"
"The newspaper is called a weekly, which means it's published once a week and distributed throughout Daxia. It's just been published, and now it's only sold in Guanyun City."
Yun Xiyan became interested. "This is a great idea. Official documents may not necessarily reach the people, but this newspaper can reach the masses. In this way, as long as the newspaper reports the truth, it can allow the people to monitor the government's policies... Who is running this?"
"I heard that His Majesty asked the Minister of the Chancellery, Lord Meng, to take the lead, and that Elder Wen Xingzhou's two sons, Wen Ruoxing and Wen Xiuzhong, were the chief editors."
Yun Xiyan suddenly understood. "No wonder, you said such a good thing, why haven't we thought of it? In my opinion, this newspaper will be popular all over the country. Although other places may be delayed, it will have the same effect. After all, the government's policies are continuous. When the people read this news, they will naturally compare it with others."
"...No, turn it over and take a look."
Yun Xiyan turned the newspaper over and his eyes widened.
"Fuck!"
A line of large characters appeared before his eyes: [Shock! Minister Yun Xiyan of the Ministry of Commerce is about 25 years old and unmarried. It turns out he is waiting for the You family's daughter to grow up!]
Can they achieve success? This article explains it in detail!
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