In the backyard of the newspaper office, craftsmen began to get busy. The fonts were all ready-made, but this was movable type printing. Before printing, they had to be laid out, ink applied, and paper prepared.
Deng Wen had already begun proofreading the manuscript. He selected a dozen articles and stories and handed them over to the foreman, who began to type. This process was very time-consuming and could not be completed in less than three or four hours. Fortunately, all craftsmen were
The skilled man hired at a high price did things in an orderly manner. All Liu Chengfeng had to do was sit aside and drink tea.
After a while, Zhu Houzhao came. When Liu Chengfeng took Wang Shu's article and looked at it carefully for a moment, he couldn't help patting his thigh and said: "What an exciting article, I'm going to make a fortune."
His writing was passionate, but it had something to do with Liu Chengfeng's fortune. Everyone around Liu Chengfeng was confused. Liu Chengfeng dusted off the article on his hand, called Deng Wen, and handed it to Deng Wen and said: "Head
Just print this, don’t change a single word, and the signature is the Minister of the Ministry of Personnel, Prince Taibao Wang Shuwang.”
Deng Wen glanced at this article and his face was a little unhappy. He studied under Cheng Zhu and was very interested in Wang Shu's article. However, he was a businessman after all and knew the principles of business. He responded and went to give orders.
Proofread.
"Master, when will our newspaper be printed?" Zhu Houzhao asked energetically.
Liu Chengfeng said: "If the first edition can be published tomorrow, we will print two hundred copies to test the water first. Let's not rush it. If it sells well, we will print more."
Zhu Houzhao couldn't help but said worriedly: "Master, can you make money by printing such a few pieces of paper?"
Liu Chengfeng said: "I will definitely make money. Not only can I make money, but I can also make a lot of money. If Your Highness has no money in the future, he will just take the dividends from this newspaper office."
After listening to Liu Chengfeng's words, Zhu Houzhao beamed. Although he was the prince, his monthly money was fixed. It would be fine if he were another prince. The money allocated from the inner treasury was always enough for expenses, but Zhu Houzhao did not.
He is a man who spends money like water. When he has no money, he can only ask for it from his mother, once or twice. He always feels a little embarrassed if he goes too much. He has always considered himself to be a man.
, Where in the world can a man still ask for something from his mother?
If the newspaper office can really make money, it will be equivalent to giving Zhu Houzhao a steady stream of money, and he will no longer have to worry about these things in the future.
Liu Chengfeng was also laughing in his heart. He already knew a little about Zhu Houzhao. He had a weird and unstable temper. He, Zhan Shifu, could not succeed by relying solely on his so-called bastard boxing. Sooner or later, he would be found out.
One day, if you want to win over the prince, you must have common interests with him. If the newspaper office is opened, as long as the prince is still short of money, he will have to rely on Liu Chengfeng.
Moreover, newspapers are a taboo business after all. Without a strong backend to back them up, it will not be easy to continue this business.
After waiting for a while, the first Xueerdi newspaper was finally printed. Deng Wen personally showed it to Liu Chengfeng. When Liu Chengfeng saw the words printed with ink, he couldn't help but be a little excited. This business was very important to him.
The matter was so important that he read it word by word from the front page to the last page. Although the Dibao of this era was far different from the newspapers of later generations, and there were many unclear areas in the ink, this Dibao,
But it has reached a milestone, even in terms of printing and paper, it is much better than other books on the market.
Deng Wen glanced at Liu Chengfeng and said to Liu Chengfeng: "My boss, how much do you plan to price a newspaper?"
Liu Chengfeng has long thought about it. Now this newspaper is not supplied to ordinary people. Most of the people who really buy it are scholars. To put it harshly, it is a luxury product. Just like the books of this era, the price cannot be low. Liu Chengfeng
After thinking for a while, he said: "Fifty cents cannot be lowered!"
……………………………………………………
Early in the morning, Qingyun Tea House in the Confucian Temple was already full of guests. It was different from ordinary people. Although it was bright at this time, ordinary people got up earlier and started running for their livelihood; but for the regular guests here,
The Qingyun Tea House is adjacent to the Confucian Temple on one side and adjacent to various government offices not far away. The Imperial College is only two sticks of incense away from here. It is the most elegant place. Many scholars always come here when they have nothing to do.
You don’t have to deliberately invite friends to sit here. When you get here, there are usually a few familiar faces. Everyone gathers at the table to drink tea and talk about mysteries. Or when the thoughts are flowing, they blurt out a few poems to stimulate the tea.
.
The tea doctors here are all well-rounded people. They know that the people who can come here are noble scholars and Qingke. Although they are not spending a lot of money, their status is different and they are somewhat arrogant. The tea doctors are all
When a guest arrives, he will smile and carry the teapot. He just smiles slightly, not a philistine smile. He just asks what pastries he wants. After the guest orders the pastries, he leaves calmly.
Dr. Cha has his own way of dealing with scholars. The more he flatters, the more he will be looked down upon by them. He is not humble and silent. Although he is also ignored by them, it will not arouse people's resentment.
Compared with other busy markets, it is much quieter here. Even the tea drinkers sitting here try their best not to make any noise and talk in low voices. When the bells and drums from the Confucian Temple are heard, it is already past the hour.
Nowadays, there are more and more tea-goers, especially in the private seats on the second floor. One by one, tea-goers filed in silently. Then they glanced around and found a few familiar friends, and walked over boldly.
They bowed to each other and found a chair to sit on.
However, this tea shop is not always so quiet. After a while, when a thin old man wearing a Taoist uniform and waving a white fan came up from the stairwell, almost all the tea guests were caught by this man's gaze.
Attracted, immediately, one person stood up, bowed to this person one after another, and said noisily: "Mr. Matsuyama is very interested, will you come to drink tea today?"
"Sir, if you are not talking about mysteries at the Qing Palace in the Inner East City, how come you are so elegant and excited to come to a place like this today?"
"Hello sir, students are polite."
…
These people were all chattering and smiling. It was obvious that they admired the man named Mr. Matsuyama. Mr. Matsuyama just nodded towards them, pressed his hands to indicate that everyone was free, and then looked at the teahouse.
He scanned and found an empty seat to sit down. Several tea guests sitting next to him immediately looked flattered. One went to pour him tea, and the other greeted him in a low voice.
Mr. Matsuyama just closed his eyes and talked here and there. After a sip of tea, he became more interested and said: "This tea is good." He smacked his lips and began to talk about poetry with the guests around him.
.
He was full of witty words, which always impressed the tea patrons around him. His expression of being taught made the tea patrons in the distance look at him sideways and stopped talking to each other. Most of them listened to Mr. Matsuyama's words with their ears pricked up.
At this time, a child came up. In the past, at this time, there would be some begging, and singers came up to ask for a few coins. The most surprising thing is that the owner of the tea shop did not chase him away, and the tea guests have long been used to it.
, Take it calmly. In fact, this is also one of the methods used by the owner here to attract customers. Let some people who are not too dirty come up to beg, and also give these noble tea guests a chance to reward them with a few pennies, which makes people look at them with admiration.
When those who paid money took out the money to treat guests, they consciously became brighter and even became more enthusiastic about drinking tea.
This young man was only eleven or twelve years old, and his body was relatively clean. His dark eyes rolled around in the crowd, with a cleverness that was well versed in the world. However, this young man did not beg. He was covered with a large
After coughing, the young man opened his voice and said: "The freshly released Xue Er Di newspaper has articles personally written by Dr. Qin of the Imperial College. There are also articles by the students of the Imperial College. Each copy costs fifty cents. If you want to buy it, hurry up."
The young man's shout attracted everyone's attention, and many people couldn't help but frown. Even Mr. Matsuyama closed his mouth and glanced at the young man lightly.
Everyone knows about Di Bao, and many people have read it. It contains the latest imperial edicts, news about official rewards and punishments, and sometimes some admonitions from the Ministry of Rites. But what is Xue Er Di Bao? Everyone
But he was confused, let alone fifty cents a piece, which was a bit outrageous. After all, fifty cents was worth a lot, and even pork could cost seven or eight kilograms. Just such a small piece of paper, and
Can the same thing as Di Bao be sold at such a high price?
However, when the young man mentioned the Imperial College just now, some people were moved. The Imperial College was the highest institution of learning in the Ming Dynasty, and there were many great Confucians in it, such as Dr. Qin, who was also one of the great Confucians in the capital. This article has
Many people discard it as useless, but for these scholars, in this era of lack of information, it would be very beneficial to read some good articles by great Confucian scholars.
It's just that... fifty coins is still too expensive. Most people looked indifferent and expressed that they were not interested, but some people began to hesitate and were making a choice in their hearts.