MLMD -Chapter 319 Newspaper Publication

A middle-aged man, wearing an earth-colored long robe, with a corpulent build and a round, chubby face, was sitting at a table, slowly sipping his tea. When he heard footsteps at the door, he looked up and saw a young man entering accompanied by someone who looked like a guard. Immediately, he stood up and respectfully said,

“Your servant, Deputy Jia Laobi of Team 18, Squad C of the Mountain Division, pays respects to Your Lordship. May you enjoy health and prosperity!”

Yue Yang looked at this rotund middle-aged man with the kind of face that could easily say “congratulations and prosperity” at any moment. He couldn’t imagine that someone who looked like a shopkeeper could actually be a secret agent. After a moment, he nodded and pointed to the nearby chair.

“Sit.”

“Thank you, Your Lordship!”

After they both sat down, Yan Laobi straightened his posture on the bench, eyes fixed on Yue Yang, quietly waiting for instructions. Yue Yang didn’t waste words and asked directly,

“Jia Laobi, what brings you here this time?”

Hearing Yue Yang’s words, Jia Laobi was about to stand to reply, but Yue Yang waved him off.

“Sit, reply while sitting.”

“Yes!” Jia Laobi lowered himself halfway onto the bench before respectfully saying,

“Your Lordship, I’ve come to report something. The person you ordered me to investigate—the one behind spreading those rumors—has been identified. It turns out to be the Wang family, who were expelled from Yingzhou Prefecture by you years ago.”

“The Wang family?” Yue Yang’s eyes widened slightly. “The Wang family among Yingzhou Prefecture’s Four Great Families?”

“Yes, Your Lordship,” Jia Laobi replied with a bitter smile. “Ever since they offended you in Yingzhou, they vanished without a trace. Unexpectedly, they relocated their entire family to Jinling. The rumor that you were going to massively sell fine salt in Jinling was instigated by the second son of the Wang family, Wang Chenglin.”

“Wang Chenglin?” Yue Yang’s eyes narrowed. This Wang Chenglin had nearly killed the previous owner of his current body, later fought him at the Sanggan River over water rights, and after losing, had withdrawn with his family from Yingzhou, vanishing without a trace. He hadn’t expected him to resurface in Jinling.

“Heh… the Wang family really doesn’t know when to quit. If they had come to Jinling to live quietly, fine—but they continue to set traps for me. Do they want to die?” Yue Yang’s lips curved into a trace of anger. These rumors had disrupted his original cooperation plan with Duke Wei. This hidden viper was far more dangerous than an overt wolf. Thinking this, a cold gleam appeared in Yue Yang’s eyes.

“Jia Laobi, immediately inform the recorders of Team C: from now on, I do not wish to hear about a single member of the Wang family. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Lordship!”

“Also, have you gathered any news about the official named Wang Qian?”

“Reporting to Your Lordship, there is news.” Jia Laobi spoke respectfully. “After Wang Qian offended the garrison eunuch Qian Neng, Qian found a pretext to dismiss him and throw him into the prison at the northern garrison office. However, because Wang Qian’s rank was low, Qian Neng left him there unattended. So now he is neither dead nor alive. But as you know, a prison is no place for a human. If he isn’t released soon, that Wang family body won’t last much longer.”

“I see.” Yue Yang rubbed his chin thoughtfully. “Alright, you may return. I’ll call for you if needed.”

“Yes!”

Jia Laobi stood, respectfully saluted Yue Yang, and left. He was personally escorted out by Chen Dazhi, just as when he arrived. As before, very few people in the courtyard noticed his visit.

After Jia Laobi left, Yue Yang sat in his chair, closing his eyes in thought. After a while, a faint fragrance floated through the air, followed by a pair of soft hands gently massaging his temples. The pressure was just right, neither too heavy nor too light. Yue Yang let out a comfortable moan, leaning back into the warm scent.

After a while, he genuinely praised,

“Xiaowan, your massage skills are really excellent, far better than Yue’er and the others.”

Dong Xiaowan’s gentle voice replied,

“My husband flatters me. Yue’er and Xiangjun are both cultured and sensible. Lately, they have been helping you review manuscripts. Your humble servant can’t help with that, so I can only ease your fatigue with a massage.”

“That’s already quite good.” Yue Yang smiled, turning to pull Dong Xiaowan close, embracing her and pressing a kiss on her small face. He reassured her,

“Each has their own expertise. Xiangjun and Yue’er excel in scholarship and refined knowledge, while you are skilled in women’s handicrafts. How could I say you are useless…”

Flattery seemed a natural instinct for men, and Yue Yang was no exception. A string of compliments soon made Dong Xiaowan smile and laugh. Finally, he went to another courtyard.

This courtyard was different from the one he had been in earlier. Craftsmen were busy walking about—experts Yue Yang had hired through Mao Xiang and Chen Zhenhui to operate the printing machines. They were preparing frantically for the first publication of the Daming Times.

Yue Yang entered a room and approached a busy craftsman, patting him on the shoulder.

“Master Zheng, have you figured out how to use these printing machines?”

“Yes!” Zheng, the craftsman, turned excitedly to Yue Yang. “Young Master, this machine is incredible! With proper typesetting, we can lay out articles easily. Once set, printing several thousand copies a day is no problem.”

“Good. Then we can start work tomorrow.” Yue Yang nodded with a smile. Although Bi Sheng had invented movable clay type during the Song dynasty, printing in Ming remained primarily woodblock-based due to cost and complexity. To launch the Daming Times, Yue Yang had imported a lead-type printing press from the modern era to Jinling. After days of training, the craftsmen had mastered it.

The room housing the press was filled with materials and the smell of ink. After a short stay, Yue Yang moved to another room, where Wang Yue and Li Xiangjun were meticulously reviewing manuscripts. Their delicate brows furrowed and relaxed with concentration, unaware of Yue Yang’s arrival.

Seeing this, Yue Yang mischievously crept over and shouted suddenly.

“Hey!”

“Ah!”

The two women, startled, almost jumped out of their skins. Realizing it was Yue Yang, they threw the manuscripts aside and pounced on him, their small fists pounding him.

“You’re bad! You’re bad! We’ll beat you to death!”

“Alright, alright! I was wrong!” Yue Yang let them vent for a while, then pulled them close, kissing them gently and saying,

“I was only joking. Now, have you finished reviewing the manuscripts? Any outstanding ones?”

Wang Yue pouted.

“Husband, we’ve read them, but honestly, they’re not very good. Look, these are full of classical phrases only scholars understand. And this one criticizes the court—if published, the officials would probably come knocking tomorrow.”

Yue Yang skimmed the manuscripts and shook his head. “Indeed. These are either showing off or full of empty, flowery words. For example, this one criticizes the court, which is fine—but the reasoning is weak. You must point out the mistakes and suggest corrections. Most just criticize and stop there, ending with ‘Keep the virtuous away from the unworthy and all will be well.’ Such people are nothing but incompetents!”

Li Xiangjun interjected gently, “Husband, don’t be too anxious. Given our short time, Master Mao and Master Chen couldn’t gather many contributors. Since our newspaper is new and unknown, few true scholars would submit. Low quality is inevitable at first.”

Wang Yue frowned. “But Xiangjun, our husband has high expectations for this newspaper. If we publish it like this, it may damage his reputation.”

Yue Yang laughed, lightly ruffling her nose. “Relax. If there really aren’t good manuscripts, I have a few myself. If needed, you can publish them.”

“What? Husband has written manuscripts too?”

Both women stared in surprise. Yue Yang had never shown them his literary skill before. Now, claiming he had work ready for publication intrigued them greatly. Li Xiangjun, known for her skills in qin, chess, calligraphy, and painting, was especially eager.

“Actually, they’re just casual writings, nothing special—a novel I wrote in my spare time. You can start by reviewing these. If suitable, we’ll serialize them in the Daming Times.” Yue Yang handed a book to Li Xiangjun.

She glanced and murmured, “Oh? This is The Scholars?”

Flipping it open, she saw the first chapter and immediately became engrossed.

Seeing this, Wang Yue tugged at Yue Yang’s arm, pouting, “Husband, just one book?”

Yue Yang reluctantly handed her another, saying, “Here’s another. See if it works for you.”

“Really another one?” Wang Yue whispered, excitedly flipping through it, “The Travels of Lao Can… what a strange name.”

After some time, Yue Yang gently tapped their shoulders.

“Well? Are these two books suitable for the Daming Times?”

Li Xiangjun looked up, eyes sparkling. “Husband, these are excellent! They uphold public spirit, expose evils, and are witty and sharp. I’ve never seen such clever and humorous writing!”

“Indeed! And this one!” Wang Yue waved the other book. “It critiques corrupt officials brilliantly, piercing the flaws of current governance. Far superior to the dull manuscripts on the table. Husband, how did you write these?”

Seeing their admiration, Yue Yang wanted to tell them the truth: he hadn’t actually written them. But denying it would invite more questions about the real authors, and he certainly couldn’t summon the yet-unborn Wu Jingzi and Liu E. So he took the credit. After all, a little borrowing from classics was expected in these times.

Both women, now in awe, looked at him with reverence. They had thought their husband only a capable general, but he was also a scholar—truly impressive.

Seeing their eyes sparkling like dew, Yue Yang, feeling a bit flustered, asked,

“So, wives, should we serialize these two novels in the Daming Times? Will they attract readers?”

“Of course!” Wang Yue replied eagerly. “Husband, people love serialized novels, especially young ladies and neighbors along the Qinhuai River. I guarantee, once published, the readership will be immense.”

Yue Yang turned to the more composed Li Xiangjun. “Xiangjun, what do you think?”

“I think it’s feasible,” she nodded. “Our newspaper doesn’t charge at first. Even if the other submissions are poor, these two novels provide solid content as a foundation.”

Seeing their approval, Yue Yang patted his thigh. “Good. Let’s start typesetting. Print through the night and distribute tomorrow. I refuse to believe no one will read it!”

“Oh… and Yue’er, I’ve learned about your father. He’s safe. I’ve had someone take my credentials to Duke Wei’s residence, asking Elder Xu to help release him. Within a few days, he should be free. Don’t worry!”

“Husband…” Wang Yue’s eyes filled with tears.

Early morning, 8th day of the 2nd month, Chongzhen Year 10

As dawn broke, a group of young boys appeared on the streets of Jinling. Each carried a thick cloth bag, stuffed with stacks of freshly printed newspapers. Passing tea houses, taverns, and inns, they would hand a copy to the proprietors or staff, grinning, explaining that they were free to take. When seeing well-dressed merchants or scholars, they offered copies as well.

People, no matter age or gender, have never resisted free things—this was true then as now.

Some arrogant recipients scoffed, tossing the papers aside unread. But most, curious, opened them—and many became immediately engrossed.

“Well done! Very well written!”

In a teahouse, a storyteller held a copy of the Daming Times, slapping his thigh in applause.

A curious patron asked, “Old Liao, why are you shouting? Read some to us!”

“You wouldn’t understand,” the storyteller glared. “This Daming Times is excellent. Two novels inside are brilliant. Wait till I finish reading, and I’ll tell you all about it!”

“Oh… really? Then read quickly!”

Thus, on its first day, the Daming Times slowly began to capture the public’s attention.