With today's technical foundation and personnel proficiency, this "Ming Pao" can only print one issue every half a month.
The capital was naturally the first to see the first official report, which would be officially released on the first day of November in the fourth year of Jiajing.
Tomorrow there will be a New Year's Day meeting as usual, but the Forbidden City has been busy since the afternoon.
Mainly around Donghuamen.
Here, three civil servants of the fifth rank gathered for a while: Huang Zongming, a doctor in the Qingli Department of the Ministry of War, Cui Tong, a doctor in the Qingli Department of the Ministry of Etiquette, and Xue Hui, a doctor in the Qingli Department of the Ministry of Civil Affairs.
But there is another person here who originally held a higher official position than them: Zou Shouyi, the former right minister of the Ministry of Rites, who was recommended by Wang Shouren and promoted by Wang Qiong and others.
His current identity is the president of Ming Pao Bank.
The grade is still there, up to the third grade. This is also the grade range of many "state-owned enterprise" CEOs today: up to the third grade or from the third grade.
But the sincere uncle in front of him, Liu Yu, also holds the title of Super Grade, and he also has another new identity: President of Tongyi Bureau.
Now the six of them were standing at the entrance of a courtyard in the southeast outside Donghua Gate, with carriages lined up in front of them.
The small courtyard in the southeast corner outside Donghua Gate now has a new sign: Ming Pao Bank.
At this moment, a Yuanwailang who used to work under Cui Tong became the manager of the circulation department of Ming Pao Bank. He was working with his colleague who used to be the chief of the Vehicle, Driver and Cleaning Department of the Ministry of War and now went to the Interpretation and Interpretation Bureau as the manager of the civil department.
Under the watchful eyes of the guards of the Forbidden City, many strong eunuchs were walking out of Donghua Gate in groups of two, carrying many book boxes.
There was one driver on the carriage and one escort, also in pairs. When the people from the newspaper office received a box from the eunuch and affixed a note on it, they took it and carried it to their own carriage. Once the carriage was full, they left.
Zou Shouyi saluted Liu Yu and said, "Mr. Liu Yi, this first period is of great importance. Thank you for your work."
Liu Yu received the emperor's special favor and was renewed as a sincere uncle several generations later.
How prestigious his ancestors Liu Ji and Liu Bowen were, but Liu Yu was a bit empty now. He said sincerely to Zou Shouyi: "I still need to ask Mr. Zou Bao for more advice. Huang Langzhong, the post is still being renovated, so I also need to ask Huang Langzhong for advice."
The Ministry of War drives the chariots and cleans up the official division, which is mainly responsible for matters such as bookkeeping, ceremonial guards, imperial guards, post offices, stable herding, etc.
Among these responsibilities, since the emperor himself is involved in the bookkeeping, ceremonial guard, and imperial guards, how can he get the chariot driver to clean up the official department to speak?
But now it is fair to say that the National Post Station will be in charge of the Tongyi Bureau, and the stable husbandry related to military horses will be purchased from the Qunhu Supervisor.
However, Huang Zongming, who is only a fifth-rank official, cannot object to the decision of His Majesty and the central court.
After hearing that the emperor gave personal lessons to the presidents and managers of the Interpretation Bureau at Jinshen Palace, Huang Zongming actually regretted not going directly to the Interpretation Bureau.
Those who can be closer to the emperor are better places. The original promotion paths for officials in the Ming Dynasty have become more and more numerous.
Looking at the busy scene in front of him, he looked at Cui Tong: "Mr. Cui, this official report was all written by your colleague Colin Xiyuan, right?"
Cui Tong was the top pick in the twelfth year of Zhengde, but Lin Xiyuan was only the top three pick that year.
But now, as the chief editor, Lin Xiyuan has the opportunity to meet with the emperor at least once every half month, and his office is directly in the Forbidden City.
In comparison, he, the editor-in-chief, is actually more important than Zou Shouyi, the president who is in charge of all the chores of Ming Pao Bank.
Cui Tong heard another meaning conveyed in Huang Zongming's tone. He just said lightly: "Maozhen was originally a great talent, but now he is walking on thin ice. This "Ming Pao" is written in simplified Chinese characters. Cui is still busy.
I have finished my official business. Since this place is in order, Cui will go back and get busy first. Mr. Liu Yi, as for the "Jiajing Dictionary", I have to take the trouble to deliver it to each office. This matter is also related to Dr. Xue's own examination.
Woolen cloth."
Xue Hui smiled bitterly upon hearing this.
That's right, as a doctor in the Ministry of Civil Service's official examination, starting from next year, there will be one more item in the examination of officials by the Ministry of Civil Affairs: whether official documents are presented in simplified Chinese characters.
How well this matter is implemented is not only related to Cui Tong, a doctor in charge of the Ming Dynasty's cultural and educational affairs, but also to Xue Hui himself.
"...I dare not slack off."
The two major orders at the beginning of the establishment of the Interpretation and Interpretation Bureau were one from the Ming Pao Bank and the other from the annual official document delivery to various government offices.
In the original inn, it was really difficult to calculate accounts clearly between departments.
Liu Yu feels very dizzy now.
The inns are a huge system and are scattered across the country.
The cost of operating the station includes both the original allocation from the Ministry of War and local taxes.
When a post passenger passes by a post station, in addition to providing a place to live and being responsible for food, the post station also has two major expenditures: rations for laborers and rations for materials such as stage horses, post boats, and post trains.
Although each has its own standards, when it comes to local conditions, it will naturally exceed them by a lot.
Those who can enjoy the services of the inn are all qualified by Fuqian. However, the management of Fuqianqian is also in chaos.
Liu Yu knew how heavy the burden was on his shoulders. The entire post system was a huge interest group. It involved every government and post, and was also responsible for the services between welcoming people and sending people to and from many places.
But now, His Majesty wants to clarify the processes between the government offices at the same level in the Ming Dynasty and between the superior and subordinate government offices in terms of money expenditure and income.
The Interpretation Bureau consists of the Assets Department, the Civil Affairs Department, the Military Department, the Public Affairs Department, the Internal Affairs Department, and the Financial Accounts Department. Liu Yu not only still has to bear the important task of transmitting military information and official documents of the Ming Dynasty, but also has to realize what His Majesty called "the use of the post system."
"Serving the people, promoting the exchange of information and materials, reducing the pressure on local postmen and dispatching personnel, and reducing the financial pressure on the post system" and other goals.
For Liu Yu, it was too new.
Fortunately, as a sincere man who had been granted special favor, and as the president of the Interpretation Bureau, he had many opportunities to seek advice from the emperor. He was also allowed to hire experts within the Interpretation Bureau, and had the qualifications to petition for titles and honors.
In addition, the "start-up capital" given by the emperor to the Interpretation Bureau included the assets and personnel system of the already established national post station system, as well as a full five hundred thousand taels of silver.
Now Liu Yu is also looking forward to the delivery of this newspaper to the whole country, because in this issue, various companies have spent fifty taels of silver to publish advertisements and recruit talents from all over the country, as His Majesty said.
There are many new words. The word enterprise was said by the emperor, and advertising was also said by the emperor.
Everyone is indeed short of people, and most people in the restructured yamen still prefer to retain their status as civil servants.
Liu Yu didn't know if anyone would come to apply.
…
High-end talents are difficult to recruit, but as long as they are paid, delivery employees are easy to recruit.
There are already many people in the capital, and there are also some people in the inn.
The Interpretation Bureau Beijing Station is located in the original Huitong North Building.
The original site of Huitong Hall was Yantai Station of Shuntian Prefecture. After several expansions, it now has two halls, the north and the south, covering a total area of more than 40 acres and nearly 500 large and small houses.
This Huitong Pavilion was originally used as a residence for the four vassals to pay tribute, but now the northern and southern pavilions have been given to the Interpretation Bureau.
Among them, the south hall is larger, and the headquarters of the Interpretation Bureau is here.
It is adjacent to Shanglin Garden to the west, Imperial Hospital, Qintian Prison, Imperial Medicine Storehouse and Honglu Temple to the west. Across Shanglin Garden to the northwest are the Ministry of War and the Ministry of Industry, and directly to the north is the Hanlin Academy.
The main entrance to the south of Huitong Hall is located on Dongjiangmi Lane. This street later changed its name several times and became Dongjiaomin Lane.
The Huitong North Hall was closer to Donghua Gate, which was to the east of what would become Wangfujing Street.
Now the Beijing Station of the Interpretation Bureau, together with Beiguan, is extremely busy.
"Line up the team and get the signatures and orders one by one."
In the delivery office on the west side, which was converted from the original library building, many people of different heights are queuing up.
Each of them originally wore different clothes, but now everyone is wearing an undyed cloth gown. The fabric of the gown is very cheap, but the style is the same. There is an embroidered patch sewn on the front chest, which looks like it has no tassels.
Double linkage, with the word "驿" embroidered below.
The most expensive part of the entire dress is probably the embroidery piece, although the embroidery piece is not very refined.
But that is the most delicate part of the whole dress after all.
And each of them also has a hat, which is much better.
How do ordinary people wear hats? Confucian scholars and high-ranking officials often wear hats. Hats are a sign of status, cultivation, and etiquette.
This hat is actually very similar to the fluttering scarf and Xiaoyao scarf that many Confucian scholars like to wear, except that the front slope of the top of the hat is like an eave, and the back slope is wider, which can block light rain.
There is also the embroidery patch on the front slope of the hat.
In addition to the officials and government servants of the Ming Dynasty, the employees of the Interpretation Bureau now also have their own "uniforms", although they are very rudimentary.
But they are excited.
What's exciting is that their status is called employees, which means they are members of the Interpretation and Interpretation Bureau, and they are not temporarily recruited laborers. From now on, they will have stable wages.
Now, Fang Sanhu, the employee at the front of the team, nervously received three things.
A large, bulging cloth bag, a wooden sign with the words Beijing Interpretation Bureau Beijing Seventy-Three engraved on it, and a piece of paper with the number written on it.
Then, he stretched out his finger nervously: "Guanshi Ji, click here?"
"Click here!" The steward in front of him nodded, "Fifty copies. If I miss or send the wrong one, or there is an error in signing on the delivery form, I have already told you about the regulations."
"The little one knows, the little one knows."
Fang Sanhu pressed his fingerprints where he pointed, then wiped his fingers on the pants he was wearing, then shouldered the heavy cloth bag and rushed out with the wooden pick in one hand and the dispatch form in the other.
The area he was responsible for delivering was the Imperial College.
According to what the scholar at the station who was responsible for checking with the other side said before, twenty copies will be sent to the Imperial College, and there are several small yamen nearby, and all the five official households will have them delivered.
Fang Sanhu has already visited the door, he knows who should sign for it.
Today, he received his own signature: Beijing Seventy-Three.
What needs to be delivered now is just this newspaper, and then the "Jiajing Dictionary" will be delivered, but in the future there may be letters from home and new homes.
The more things Signature No. 73 records in the station's account books as gifts, the more money he will earn.
Fang Sanhu didn't want to know the people and the calligraphy on the new places he wanted to send later, so he would always need to ask the calligraphy talents at the station for help.
We still need to know more about this word.
Running all the way to the place he was responsible for, Fang Sanhu went straight to the Imperial College.
The person responsible for signing for the receipt is naturally the concierge, but even though the concierge has been treated with sacrificial wine and met Fang Sanhu himself, he is now in trouble: "You still need to sign for the receipt? I can't write, and I can't bear the responsibility.
You wait first while I check to see if the book is here."
Fang Sanhu had no choice but to wait here.
The prison guards who were coming in and out saw him and were attracted by his strange dress.
"Post?" Someone said interestingly, "Now the post soldiers have changed their clothes?"
"A mere postman is actually wearing a Xiaoyao scarf? It's just that this Xiaoyao scarf is as heavy as a mountain, so he can't be free." Another person laughed quite interestingly.
Tang Shunzhi in the crowd was quite surprised and looked at it seriously.
"Ying De, why don't you leave?"
Tang Shunzhi heard this and looked at his companions: "I forgot something. You go first and I will come back later."
After they left talking and laughing, Tang Shunzhi walked up to Fang Sanhu and asked with a smile: "Brother, is this guy from the Interpretation Bureau here to deliver newspapers?"
Fang Sanhu, who was as far away from him as he was, was a little nervous when he asked: "The grassroots are here to deliver newspapers."
"But I can't find the book?"
How much did Tang Shunzhi pay attention to these new things? As a leader in supervising students, he often interacted with students and professors at Huangming University. He knew that there was a translation bureau, knew the "Jiajing Dictionary" and simplified Chinese characters, and knew newspapers.
These things are actually not hidden from anyone.
Something as wide-ranging as the inn is about to change. Many things have actually been rumored for a long time, but they have not yet been officially changed.
The Hanlin Academy participated in the compilation of the Jiajing Dictionary in simplified Chinese characters, and some gentry in the capital also discussed it for a long time.
Tang Shunzhi, a popular candidate for the examination next year and a potential candidate, had already gotten to know one of the Hanlin bachelors by virtue of the convenience of being a supervisor.
Furthermore, Zhang Zilin from the Ministry of Rites now admires him quite a lot. Tang Shunzhi has already become famous in the capital even before he became an official in high school.
As for the "Jiajing Dictionary", he actually has a handwritten manuscript and is already familiar with the new writing methods of many words.
Now, he really wanted to read this new newspaper as soon as possible.
Knowing that Fang Sanhu was waiting for someone to sign for the receipt, Tang Shunzhi said: "Xu Dianbo went to the inner library of the palace to study. He has to go to five o'clock every night... Oh no, I will come back at Yinshi. I'm afraid you have to
Wait a long time."
Sure enough, the concierge came back at this time: "Xu Dianbu is not here, please bring it before tomorrow at nine o'clock."
Fang Sanhu suddenly became anxious. Wouldn't he be punished when he went back?
"I'll sign it on behalf of Xu Dianbo. It's just that they sent it to the Imperial Academy, signed it to show receipt, and then sent it to Xu Dianbo's office."
When Tang Shunzhi opened his mouth, the concierge naturally recognized him as a proctor in the Imperial College who had a high reputation for high school next year.
He thought that as long as someone was responsible, why offend him?
"With Mr. Tang signing for it, of course it's OK."
After all the troubles, Fang Sanhu finally delivered the ten copies of "Ming Pao" that were to be sent to the Imperial College. After thanking Tang Shunzhi profusely, he happily collected the signed dispatch form and rushed to the next place.
.
In the gatehouse of the Imperial College, Tang Shunzhi said again: "Xu Dianbo hasn't come back yet, so I'll take a look here first. It's a lot of money, so it doesn't matter to you, okay?"
"Of course, of course! You are always a literary star. I wish I could get closer to you more and bring some talents back to my useless little son." The concierge said with a smile on his face, "Mr. Tang, I'll give it to you.
Make a pot of tea?"
"Don't take it seriously." Tang Shunzhi just smiled, knowing that he would still make a pot of tea, and it would be good.
After taking a copy of "Ming Pao", Tang Shunzhi first opened his mouth slightly.
...Why are the articles in this newspaper read from left to right first, and then from top to bottom?
It is very conspicuous. After all, the two characters "Ming Pao" are the largest, and they are located not in the upper right corner, but in the upper left corner.
The same goes for other titles, which are not arranged vertically, but horizontally from left to right.
Tang Shunzhi thought about it for a while, and felt that there might be some deep meaning in it... He couldn't figure it out for the moment, so he continued to force himself to read.
Then his mouth opened wider and wider.
The ten newspapers "ordered" by the Imperial College will not only be read by the officials in charge, but they will also be allowed to be circulated and copied by the imperial students.
Tang Shunzhi's first reaction was simple: Ming Dynasty was really going to change completely.
At this time, Yang Yiqing, who had stayed in the northwest town for four years, had just returned to the capital. He was now arranged to temporarily live in the south hall of the Huitong Hall.
Liu Yu accompanied him personally: "According to the official treatment law, all the traveling and lodging officials who are ordered to travel abroad have already signed an agreement with the Interpretation Bureau. All the producer needs to do is sign his name here."
Yang Yiqing looked at him blankly.
Liu Yu was also a little embarrassed: "The Interpretation Bureau can only strictly implement the hospitality standards. Of course, I will personally arrange the excess. I have admired Taiwan for a long time, and today I am asking Taiwan to honor you, and I will be your host."
"...In this case, I will naturally pay for it myself." Yang Yiqing also smiled awkwardly, "I have been away from Beijing for a long time, what kind of honor can I talk about sincerely? I also intend to ask Mr. Liu Yi more about the current situation in Beijing. That's how it is called.
Bar?"
"This is indeed what everyone calls them now." Liu Yu stretched out his hand, "Please, if you want to talk about the current situation in Beijing, I will first use this "Ming Pao" as a guide and talk to the editor first?"
"It's time to work."
Yang Yiqing naturally has been receiving news from Beijing about the general direction. After all, he still has the status of a consultant.
But as for the details... He was also surprised: "Why is this "Ming Pao" written in this way?"
At night, interested people in the capital and those who learned the news later were all discussing this issue.
Why is this first official newspaper, not only the text is already like this, but why is the layout also a new style?
However, this issue is not worth mentioning in the face of the amount of information conveyed in newspapers. It is often the first topic of discussion only by those who have seen it with their own eyes.
Tang Shunzhi, who had a photographic memory, had already arrived at the restaurant where he and his friends were having a drink, and recounted what he had read one by one.