Jingzhou Life Tabloid was founded by Zhu Xiu half a year ago.

After that, the war in Qizhou and Huazhou intensified. Zhu Xiu led his army south to support Jiao Jixun's request and entrusted the Jingzhou Newspaper Office to Wen Zhongping.

When establishing the newspaper, Zhu Xiu found Wen Zhongping and discussed it in detail.

The Wen family was the largest local noble family in Jingzhou and was quite influential. It was also one of the first forces to support Zhu Xiu.

Wen Tai now takes a back seat, taking care of family affairs and running the hemp twisting business. In his free time, he and his concubines study Su Nv Jing, Dong Xuan Zi and other classics, and live a comfortable life.

As the eldest son of Wen Tai, Wen Zhongping was an important official under Zhu Xiu and the next head of the Wen family whom he strongly supported.

Whether Wen Zhongping can become the representative of the Jingzhou scholars and smoothly take over as the head of the Wen family is related to Zhu Xiu's control over the Jingzhou nobles.

Letting Wen Zhongping come forward to found a newspaper was a way to enhance his reputation and status.

Although Wen Zhongping is said to have mediocre abilities and knowledge, he is distinguished by being down-to-earth and serious in his work and having a gentle temperament.

What's even more rare is that Wen Zhongping is very interested in the concepts of official media and public opinion mouthpieces proposed by Zhu Xiu, and his understanding is very good.

Zhu Xiu only discussed with him the basic structural framework, development direction, distribution methods and other details of the newspaper. After that, he led his army to Qizhou and basically gave up on the preparation of the newspaper.

Unexpectedly, when I returned to Jingzhou after half a year, I discovered that the newspaper business was running smoothly. The reputation of Jingzhou Life Tabloid had been completely established, and it had become one of the most popular products in Anding County.

The low price of five cents per issue allowed many ordinary people who knew a few words to have spare money to buy one.

Teahouses and taverns also have people dedicated to reading newspapers. Merchants have discovered that many people are very interested in local current affairs news and all kinds of gossip. They are also happy to hire people to read newspapers, and even launch promotions to drink tea, eat wine and deliver newspapers.

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The Jingzhou Daily Life tabloid uses large jute paper engraving blocks for printing. The engraving blocks used are also specially made according to the size of the paper. A group of young and middle-aged scribes are selected to collect information for the newspaper and write articles as the content printed in each issue.

Among these literati, there are many like Wen Tai in his youth, who studied hard for more than ten years in Hanchuang, eager to participate in the imperial examinations. In the end, due to the turmoil of the current situation, he had no way to get an official position and had to live in poverty.

The opening of the Jingzhou newspaper gave them a new way of living. Although the copywriting work was arduous, the remuneration was really high. With a little more diligence, their wife and children could live a good life.

The profession of newspaper editor was sought after by Jingzhou scribes for a while, and the competition was as intense as being a clerk in Jiedu Mansion.

The Chang Yi Army values ​​military service, rewards military merit and treats soldiers favorably. There are clear standards for promotion based on military merit.

There is also a clear priority for the way out for scholars, from Jiedu government to local state and county officials.

The best way out is of course to enter Jiedu Mansion and become a clerk, followed by state and county governments.

Zhu Xiu and Shi Kuangwei discussed that the foundation of the gentry in Jingzhou was too weak, and it was unrealistic to hold a large-scale formal selection examination similar to the imperial examination, and it would also easily attract criticism.

After the Xue family was eliminated, a number of positions were vacated from the Jiedu government to the prefectural and county governments. After promotions were successively promoted based on factors such as political performance, seniority, and years of experience, there were a number of vacancies.

Zhu Xiu then selected a group of people to fill the vacancies from the officials at the three levels of government in Fuzhou and County through examinations. The officials were transferred to official positions, which was considered to be transferred to full-time positions.

As a result, many low-level officials serving the government saw the hope of promotion, re-energized their vitality and motivation, and promoted the healthy development of the Changyi Army's bureaucracy.

If you don't want to be a civil servant, and you can't be an official for the time being, newspaper editor becomes the most cost-effective position.

But generally speaking, the literary culture in Jingzhou was not enough, the literary foundation was too weak, short men chose generals, and Zhu Xiu did not like the editorial articles written in newspapers.

Wen Zhongping also knew that this was a flaw of the newspaper, so he mostly just asked his editors to copy some notices issued by Jiedu government, interpret new policies, publish some recruitment information, as well as interesting news from the surrounding areas and Kaifeng.

Newspapers are a new thing. For most people who have little information and cannot move outside the county town, any interesting news can arouse their interest.

Wen Zhongping also invited Song Shen, Pei Jin and others to take the time to write a few insightful political articles from time to time. Old man Wen Taiwen would also write poems and poems that saddened the spring and autumn when he was interested, and moaned for no reason.

A few days ago, Zhu Xiu also wrote an article under the pseudonym of Mr. Siyou, praising Jiedushi Shi Kuangwei and promoting the Changyi Army's policy of loving the people, which attracted a lot of praise.

Lao Shi happily held the newspaper and read loudly in the house all day long. His mellow drake voice made people get goosebumps all over their bodies.

Although Pei Jin was a hired scribe, his foundation was much stronger than that of most scribes. He published several political articles under the pen name of Hedong Qingsou, and the response was pretty good.

Song Shen was a serious Jinshi, and his level was naturally not bad. However, now he was the chief agricultural assistant appointed by Zhu Xiu. He was busy in the fields all day long, busy studying farming, and could not spare much time to do anything.

article.

With these pens, the style of Jingzhou's daily life tabloids has instantly improved a lot. It enjoys both elegant anecdotes and popular vernacular, and has become an important source of conversation topics for young and old men, as well as women and aunts.

Xu Xuan has been studying Jingzhou lifestyle tabloids in recent days. He spent money to buy all the issues and read them all while staying in the guest room of his residence.

Soon, Xu Xuan, whose eyes were filled with bloodshot eyes, came to the conclusion that most of the articles published in Jingzhou daily tabloids were unsightly.

It is said to be an article, but in fact it is just an interpretation of some policies and notices issued by the Jiedu government, and explained them in easy-to-understand vernacular.

In Xu Xuan's view, these cannot even be called articles.

As for some recruitment information published in plain vernacular, Xu Xuan found it simply hard to read.

As a famous scholar in the south of the Yangtze River and a literary leader as famous as Han Xizai, Xu Xuan attached great importance to writing articles and regarded writing articles as a sacred act to educate the world.

In his opinion, the superficial writing in Jingzhou daily life tabloids was extremely inferior and demeaning to a scholar.

"The language is simple, straightforward, and crude. To dare to publish such words in newspapers and show it to people is simply the most ridiculous thing in the world!"

Xu Xuan drank a sip of cold tea, not hiding his disdain.

"There are rumors in the market about how high the salary of this newspaper's editor is, and it is highly sought after by local scholars. You can earn a high salary even with such simple writing. If I were to write it, wouldn't it be easy?"

Xu Xuan's tired look was swept away, and his eyes sparkled with light.

The copywriting skills of the Jingzhou newspaper were so poor that it gave him the idea that he could do better than me!

But then I thought about it, if they applied publicly, it would be too eye-catching for them to hide their identity.

Xu Xuan picked up a newspaper and looked at a small box in the lower left corner of the page. There was a fixed section with the submission address and approximate remuneration standard in each issue.

Xu Xuan pondered for a moment. If he submits an article to a newspaper under a pseudonym, once selected, he will be paid a minimum of one hundred cents. The price will be increased depending on the quality of the article and market response. Long-term collaborators will also receive higher benefits.

Xu Xuan was a little excited. If he could make money by writing articles, wouldn't it be a good use of his strengths?

"Bang~" Xu Xuan slapped the case, stood up and made a decision.

Li Congjia, who was lying on the bed sleeping soundly, woke up with a start. He sat up and rubbed his eyes, and said in a daze: "Sir, are you taking me out for dinner?"

Xu Xuan smiled happily and said: "Little prince, I have found a way to make money!"

Li Congjia wiped the corners of his mouth and yawned: "Oh~ What do you want to do, sir?"

Xu Xuan pointed to a pile of newspapers: "I decided to be a writer and submit articles to newspapers!"

Li Congjia blinked and said: "Sir, didn't you say that the writing of Jingzhou Life tabloid is nonsense, most of the articles are stinky, and serious scholars will never commit themselves to the newspaper?"

Xu Xuan's face turned red, he coughed dryly, and explained: "The little prince misunderstood. Xu's original meaning was that Jingzhou had a weak culture and strong martial arts. Although the newspaper was novel, the skills of the people who wrote it were limited.

We, the scholars, should encourage people all over the world to practice martial arts and cultivate literature, strengthen their cultural heritage, and make a small contribution to the rise of Jingzhou's literary world."

Li Congjia thought for a while and said: "In other words, are you sure that you, sir, can make money by writing articles and selling them to newspapers?"

Xu Xuan hurriedly said: "Not only Xu, but also the pen and ink in the mind of a small county prince is enough to surpass these newspaper editors. You might as well write with a certain one."

Li Congjia shrank his neck, a look of fear appeared on his little face, and hesitantly said: "Sir, you know that I have never been good at writing, and I have no profound insights into current affairs. I can write poems and arrange new songs..."

Seeing his evasive eyes and shy expression, Xu Xuan smiled helplessly.

It's not that this little prince can't write a poem, it's just that he's too lazy to think and write.

Less than ten days after leaving the reconstruction site, Li Congjia ate at Taihe Restaurant. His face, which had lost some weight, actually became rounder at a speed visible to the naked eye.

The skin, darkened and rough by the scorching sun, gradually regained its tenderness, like shedding skin.

Xu Xuan thought about his increasingly depleted wallet. If he didn't think of ways to make money, the living expenses he had earned by working as pants would soon be at the bottom.

Xu Xuan said solemnly: "Being good at work is better than hard work, and being idle is better than playing. Even if you are in a foreign country, the little prince must not waste his time. He must read the books he should read and write the articles and poems he needs to rewrite.

Every time Xu submitted an article, the young prince also had to include a poem. Although the remuneration for poems and songs was not much, it was enough for us to have a breakfast at Taihe Building."

Li Congjia's eyes lit up: "You can also submit poems? Are there any rewards?"

Xu Xuan informed him of the call for papers.

Li Congjia immediately pointed out the window and smiled at the drizzly sky that had just fallen: "Xiao Wang has a quatrain, sir, please give me some advice."

Xu Xuan didn't know whether to laugh or cry: "Little Prince, please tell me."

Li Congjia only wore socks, took two steps with his hands behind his hands, pondered for a moment, and said leisurely: "The empty mountains have been raining for a long time and the clouds are bright, and the cars and horses are long and full of smoke. The wind on the road is heavy with red powder, and the nine-year desolation brings the sound of the tide."

Xu Xuan twisted his beard to look at the works and praised: "The little prince is indeed very clever. The artistic conception of this poem is a bit inferior, but it is still suitable for the occasion. It is much better than those guys in the newspapers who claim to be literary writers."

"Hey, Mr. Wang is laughing. I wonder if this song "New Rain" may be selected? How much remuneration can I get? Can it be enough for me to eat two drawers of steamed buns?" Li Congjia smiled shyly with his round face, his eyes full of expectation.

The corner of Xu Xuan's mouth twitched slightly. Is this the sixth prince who was famous for his talent in Jiang Ning, praised and sought after by the courtiers of the Tang Dynasty, and who was the star of Wenqu?

Is this amazing talent just for eating xiaolongbao?

Xu Xuan suddenly regretted bringing Li Congjia to Jingzhou.

I'm afraid that when he returns to Jiangning in the future, all his talents will be wiped out by lust.

Xu Xuan sighed, but Li Congjia was overjoyed. He pinched his fingers and calculated how many poems he would have to write to earn money for a meal at Taihe Tower.

Xu Xuan silently spread out the paper, placed the pen and paper, picked up the ink stick and grinded the ink.

Li Congjia hurriedly asked: "Sir, have you decided what to write?"

Xu Xuan pointed to the latest issue of the tabloid. There was an article in the middle of the front page titled "Shocked! Will the Jiedu government cancel the preferential subsidies for mulberry and hemp growers?"

The author is signed as Mr. Siyou.

"Has the young prince read this article?"
To be continued...