Chapter 27: Do I Look Like I’m Afraid of Offending People?

Hu Yan was a man of great capability; editing the official gazette was truly a waste of his talents. This was, after all, the same man who would go on to compile the "Yongle Encyclopedia." With his participation, the efficiency of the Office of Transmission improved dramatically.

How many memorials arrived each day, how many were submitted to the Emperor, how many were passed to the Six Ministries, and the progress of each ministry—none of these required Xu Jingchang to worry anymore. He could essentially sit back, fold his arms, and govern by doing nothing.

However, whenever Xu Jingchang looked at the gazettes Hu Yan produced, he would always frown.

"Chief of Transmission, was it not done to your satisfaction?" Hu Yan asked, bowing his head.

Xu Jingchang replied, "It's not that it's bad... it's just that I'm a bit worried. I'm afraid they won't sell."

Hu Yan was greatly surprised. Confused, he said, "Chief, if we are to sell the gazette, we should naturally strive to make it as good as possible. Don't the common people often say that if you call out to someone a thousand times, they might not answer, but if you display good wares, people will come seeking them? A good wine doesn't fear a deep alley; there will surely be those who recognize quality."

Xu Jingchang smiled, gestured for Hu Yan to sit, and called over Wu Shan.

"Scholar Hu, look here. You've placed the autumn harvest and the collection of taxes on the front page, noting that the treasury is full... Who would want to read news like that?"

Hu Yan frowned. "The livelihood of the people and the taxes of the state have always been the most important matters under heaven. What is wrong with placing them at the very front?"

Xu Jingchang laughed. "It's not wrong; it just won't sell. Scholar Hu, you must understand that we need to sell more copies and earn more money. The Office of Transmission has never had any real authority, but now that we finally have a hold on something, we must expand it. To expand it, we need money to recruit more hands... In the end, this version is aimed at the common folk. For them, it shouldn't be so formal and grand. It needs 'explosive' content—it needs to catch their eye and make them willing to pay."

Hu Yan’s expression grew increasingly pained. "Chief, please forgive my dullness; I find it difficult to grasp your meaning."

At this moment, Wu Shan chimed in with a smile, "My Lord, you asked me to find talent and gather news. I must say, I discovered something—I wonder if it might work?"

"Speak," Xu Jingchang said with a grin.

Wu Shan replied, "It’s like this: back then, the Imperial Son-in-law Wang Ning provided military intelligence to the Emperor, but was thrown into prison by the Jianwen Emperor, and all his land and property were confiscated."

This Wang Ning shared the same crime as Xu Zengshou, but while Xu Zengshou was unlucky enough to be executed by Zhu Yunwen first, Wang Ning had survived. Not only that, he had supported Zhu Gaoxu, hoping to secure the merit of having backed the winning side.

"My Lord, a few days ago, Imperial Son-in-law Wang petitioned the Emperor for the return of his family's property and the confiscated estates, and the Emperor agreed. But Wang Ning, insatiably greedy, also seized quite a bit of property belonging to the Imperial Son-in-law Mei Yin—reportedly as much as two thousand acres."

Xu Jingchang was taken aback. Mei Yin and Wang Ning were both sons-in-law of the Taizu Emperor. Mei Yin had stood with Zhu Yunwen, while Wang Ning had stood with Zhu Di. History is written by the victors; now that Wang Ning had won his gamble, it was time to reap the spoils.

"Two of the Taizu Emperor's sons-in-law, both with such lofty status, turned against each other over land. I wonder if this would interest the public?" Wu Shan whispered.

Xu Jingchang calculated silently. It actually seemed quite good; it was definitely a sensational story. Especially since Wang Ning had previously come to him with Zhu Gaoxu, trying to set him up. Zhu Gaoxu’s account was settled, but Wang Ning was still unscathed—that just didn't fit Xu Jingchang’s style.

"Very good. Investigate it more thoroughly. This will be our front-page headline."

Hearing this, Hu Yan hurriedly said, "Chief, Imperial Son-in-law Wang Ning holds a high and powerful position; he is no ordinary man. To make this known to everyone, isn't that inappropriate? What if we offend him?"

Hearing this, Xu Jingchang laughed heartily. "Am I afraid of offending people? I only fear that I haven't offended enough. A mere imperial son-in-law is nothing to worry about."

***

A mere imperial son-in-law—perhaps only Xu Jingchang would dare say such a thing.

After targeting the nobility and the court officials, Xu Jingchang had now set his sights on the imperial relatives.

True to his word, three days later, the "civilian edition" of the gazette quietly appeared on the streets of Yingtian. The initial release was modest, only one thousand copies, priced at five strings of paper currency each.

Paper money in the Ming Dynasty was a mess. Although Zhu Taizu decreed that gold and silver could not be used in private transactions, only paper currency, by the 30th year of Hongwu, one string of paper money was worth only 160 copper coins—the devaluation was severe. Major government projects had to be settled in silver; otherwise, the funds allocated for a project would lose half their value before the work was even finished. As for corrupt officials, they hoarded gold and silver; nobody liked the rapidly depreciating paper money. But the common people had no choice; they had to use it.

By the 30th year of Hongwu, one string of paper money could still be exchanged for 160 copper coins, but after the chaos of the four years of Jianwen, one string was only worth twenty or thirty coins. Xu Jingchang pricing the gazette at five strings was actually quite reasonable.

Yet, the unexpected happened: the gazettes were released, and there was not a ripple of interest. Across several bookstores, fewer than 150 copies were sold. There was absolutely no discussion in the marketplace.

This made no sense! It was a newspaper! Why wasn't anyone buying it? Where had all the political pundits of the Ming Dynasty gone? Was this money-making scheme he had racked his brains to create finished before it even began? Did he truly have no talent for making money?

Xu Jingchang was thoroughly depressed. He pondered whether to offer some free samples or half-price discounts to attract readers... but doing so would incur costs. Would he have to pay out of his own pocket to fill the hole?

While Xu Jingchang was fretting, he did not expect that one of the few copies sold had ended up in the residence of Imperial Son-in-law Wang Ning. It turned out that Wang Ning had asked a servant to buy some popular fiction to pass the time; the servant, not being very literate, bought a random stack, and a copy of the gazette was mixed in.

Wang Ning opened it with glee, only to be stunned upon seeing it. Good heavens, it was an article criticizing him!

He was furious, grinding his teeth. "Find out who did this! If I find out who is behind this, I will tear their heart and guts out!"

The Imperial Son-in-law had spoken; the servants dared not be slow. They hurried to investigate and soon returned.

"It was produced by the Office of Transmission. They say it's a civilian edition of the gazette, intended to let the merchants and commoners understand the situation at court."

"The Office of Transmission?"

Hearing this name, Wang Ning couldn't help but feel a flicker of hesitation. Xu Jingchang was currently riding the crest of a wave, gaining both promotions and power; he was not a man to be trifled with.

He picked up the gazette again, reading through it with a sneer. As he read, a thought occurred to him: Xu Jingchang was speaking up for Mei Yin—clearly, he was shielding remnants of the Jianwen faction. Even if the Emperor favored the boy, there had to be a limit.

"I will go to the Emperor right now and lodge a severe complaint against Xu Jingchang. I want to see what the brat has to say for himself!"

The more Wang Ning thought about it, the more reasonable it seemed. He actually took the gazette and, fuming with rage, stormed off to see Zhu Di.

"Your Majesty, I truly do not know what the Chief of Transmission, Xu Jingchang, is thinking. Mei Yin is stubborn and pigheaded, often speaking ill of Your Majesty. Such a man should be punished severely; that he is still alive is only due to Your Majesty's extraordinary grace. Yet, Xu Jingchang speaks up for him! I ask Your Majesty to discern whether he is simply young and ignorant of the gravity of the situation, or if he has ulterior motives."

Zhu Di frowned, looked at the gazette, and pondered for a moment. "Zheng He, go and summon Xu Jingchang."

Before long, Xu Jingchang arrived. He had been fretting over the dismal sales of the gazette—forget about making money, he was going to lose his shirt at this rate. What was he to do?

"Chief Xu, how dare you slander me?" Wang Ning demanded immediately.

Xu Jingchang froze for a second, then his eyes lit up. He was excited! Wang Ning, oh Wang Ning, you are actually impeaching me?

*Let me say, thank you...* Xu Jingchang almost sang it out loud. If you don't cooperate, how can I stir up the buzz?

"Imperial Son-in-law Wang, what crime have I committed?"

"You are shielding Mei Yin, attacking me, and slandering a court official! Is that not a crime?"

Xu Jingchang smiled. "How have I slandered you? The Emperor issued a decree to return your confiscated land, yet you seized the opportunity to occupy thousands of acres of civilian farmland in the surrounding area. And as if that weren't enough, you snatched the property of your fellow Imperial Son-in-law, Mei Yin."

"You lie! That was all taken away by Jianwen; it rightfully belongs to me!"

Xu Jingchang chuckled. "So, you are saying that turning civilian farmland into your own property—forcing over a hundred households of citizens to be removed from the official registers and turned into your personal tenant farmers—is also 'rightful'?"

Wang Ning’s complexion changed drastically. "I... I don't know what you are talking about!"

Xu Jingchang smiled faintly. "Don't worry. The coming issues of the gazette will reveal this mystery and explain clearly how the state's tax revenue is being siphoned away. I believe the Ministry of Revenue will be very interested in this."