I

Page 490

Shi Weixian replied: "Your Majesty, more than [-] pieces of copper characters have been cast, more than [-] pieces of copper punctuation marks have been cast, and more than [-] pieces of copper coins without words have been cast. A total of more than [-] taels of silver has been consumed."

The white board without words is not used for engraving missing characters, but for blank content printing.If any character is temporarily missing, wooden movable type can be used instead.

It is really expensive. In addition to the cost of casting, the subsequent polishing of the craftsman is also troublesome, and the wages for each character are quite a lot.

In the Kangxi Dynasty, "Ancient and Modern Book Collection" was compiled, and millions of copper movable type (some say hundreds of thousands) were cast.Emperor Qianlong was very interesting. He melted all the copper movable types of his grandfather, some of them were cast into copper coins, and some were recast into Buddha statues in Lama Temple.

If Kangxi really knew about it, I don't know if he wanted to beat this grandson to death.

Zhao Han flipped through the "Yongle Grand Canon Playbook" in his hand: "50 copper movable type is still too little. We can only print this kind of booklet, at least [-]."

Shi Weixian said: "50 copper movable types should be cast within ten years."

Zhao Han ordered: "This book will be printed in [-] copies first, and distributed to booksellers in the capital. If it sells well, it will be reprinted."

Shi Weixian took the order but did not leave, but asked: "Has His Majesty's writings been compiled into a collection? All people want to see the holy scriptures."

"Print it." Zhao Han didn't care.

Zhao Han's articles are not many, there are a few in "Datong Collection", and the rest are all copied poems.It must be very thin when it is printed, and I have to ask someone to write a preface, and someone to comment and comment, so that it can be printed and distributed.

Zhao Han suddenly said: "The Ministry of Rites and the Printing Office ordered that the monthly Chaotingtang Daily be changed to "Datong Monthly". In addition to the original content, the topics of the court meeting will also be added. Add a version of 'Integrity Records', which can Ministers and honest officials will promote and praise them, while corrupt officials will make the world spit on them!"

Newspapers did not need to be invented by Zhao Han. Official mansion newspapers had existed for hundreds of years, and primitive folk newspapers were born in the Ming Dynasty.

The newspapers of the Ming Dynasty mainly copied official newspapers, with other news attached, and even commercial information—most of them were manuscripts, which were sold to regular customer groups such as officials, gentry, and merchants.

……

Wu Bing paced along the stationery street with his hands behind his hands. Not only scholars greeted him along the way, but even shop assistants came out to say hello.

This guy has many titles, dramatist, critic, writer, poet, painter, non-staff Ph. He is unusual.

Today's Datong (revolutionary) literature, Wu Bing belongs to Taishan Beidou, and often writes for the court.

He didn't bother to be an official, anyway, he had enough money, and at the age of 53, he still wandered around the Qinhuai River.

The poems he writes are so-so, and the paintings he draws are so-so, but the prices of his calligraphy and painting works are among the top.This made many literati not used to it, and ridiculed him for being a follower, and dedicated to singing praises to the court.

Walking to the "Shooting Bookstore", Wu Bing strode in, and the shopkeeper personally greeted him: "Mr. Shi Qu is well!"

"Okay," Wu Bing nodded with a smile, "Is Xiao Lu not here?"

The shopkeeper said: "My boss has gone to another place."

The owner of Shooting Condor Bookstore is Lu Yu, who bought out the copyright of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes" more than ten years ago.Relying on this film, I made a lot of money for the family, but that was all at the time.

It wasn't until Zhao Tianwang dominated Jiangxi that Lu Yu opened the magazines of the year and saw articles related to lattice theory, and he didn't know that he had dealt with rebels.He was so frightened that he didn't dare to speak out, and tried his best to clear up his relationship with the rebels, but after Zhao Han occupied Nanjing, Lu Yu suddenly trembled.

Lu Yu actively responded to the family separation policy, and said that he and the emperor were old acquaintances. When they separated, they grabbed the bookstore business and officially changed the name of the bookstore to "Shooting Condor Bookstore".

In the past few years, it has even received orders from the government one after another, and Shee Condor Bookstore has ranked among the top three in Nanjing.

"Mr. Shi Qu!"

Wu Bing was looking for a recent book, when he heard someone greeting him, he turned around and saw Wu Weiye.

Both of them are surnamed Wu, and their hometowns are not far away, so they can be regarded as relatives in real terms.

Wu Bing smiled and said, "It's a coincidence."

Mao Pijiang was also there, and he didn't say hello when he saw Wu Bing, but instead let out a cold snort.He thought himself highly talented, but the price of calligraphy and painting works was far lower than that of Wu Bing, and the retouching fee was much cheaper than that of Wu Bing.

While the three were exchanging greetings, suddenly a group of young masters broke in.

Some sons, even wearing costumes, asked when they entered the door: "Do you have "Yongle Dadian Opera Book" in your store?"

The shopkeeper said: "Yes, the goods just arrived this morning."

"Get it, get it!"

These guys didn't even ask the price, and bought one copy per person on the spot.

They are all leisurely and noble people, real opera enthusiasts. There are many lost operas in "Yongle Dadian Opera Book", which are invaluable treasures to them.

A group of fanciers came and went quickly, disappearing every minute.

Wu Weiye said with a smile: "I heard that "Yongle Dadian" has been edited and corrected. This time the imperial court published operas, and the next time it will be a subset of classics and histories of previous dynasties. If it is published one by one, it will be considered a great event in the literary world. It is more valuable to be able to read it than to stay in the palace."

Wu Bing bowed his hands toward the Forbidden City: "Your Majesty is a wise man, this is a lucky place for China."

This is Wu Bing's catchphrase, the three words are inseparable from "Holy Son of Heaven", and he can remain invincible in every debate.

Mao Pijiang couldn't help sneering, and despised this person even more, becoming so popular that it made people sick.This bastard was blunt, and sarcastically said: "Mr. Shi Qu has written countless articles praising Datong over the years, why hasn't he gotten into an official position yet?"

Wu Bing flipped through the new book in the store, and said casually: "Petty officials, if you don't want to do it, it's better to travel around the rivers and lakes."

Wu Bing only went to high-end places, and all of them were prostitutes. Brothels also liked him to patronize.

"Ha ha."

Mao Pijiang laughed strangely, he was nothing more than ridiculing Wu Bing, who has flattered the emperor for ten years, but he is still a commoner.

Suddenly, a few officials came to the street, and they went in every shop and asked, "Is Mr. Shi Qu here?"

Asked all the way to Shed Condor Bookstore, Wu Bing turned around and said, "Why are you looking for me?"

The official was so tired that he was out of breath, and complained: "Mr. Shi Qu, you are always easy to find. Two days ago, we went to your house, and we have not seen anyone. Yesterday, we went to Qinhuai River again, asking door to door, and someone said that you Always go boating on Xuanwu Lake. Go to Xuanwu Lake again, and say that you have left. I asked many people in the city, and finally someone saw you coming here."

"Why are you looking for me in such a hurry?" Wu Bing asked.

The official said: "Your Majesty wants to set up a Datong newspaper office, and I invite you to be the president of the newspaper. The rank is the third rank!"

Zheng Sanpin?

Mao Pijiang turned around abruptly, and looked at Wu Bing in surprise. The third rank is at the level of a servant.Although it must be the same as the Hanlin Academy, it cannot manage actual government affairs, but this level is scary to say.

"Hahahahahaha!"

Wu Bing laughed loudly, and licked the emperor for ten years, and now he is finally in his early years.He strode towards the street and chanted, "Look up to the sky and go out laughing, I'm from Penghao!"

Chapter 616 [Post Office and Newspapers]

Zhenjiang.

The catering and entertainment business of Daming Zhenjiang Water Station, which is making a lot of money every day, has been sold to private merchants—in fact, it was originally contracted by private parties, and the restaurant and passenger ships were all purchased by the owner. After the Datong court forcibly took over, the original Investors redeem at half price.

However, the horses and clippers in Zhenjiang Water Station are still preserved, and the government provides funds to support them.

This situation is very common, including some post stations abolished by Chongzhen, which were also restored by the Datong New Dynasty.A lot of low-level meticulous work was converted into a post office on the spot, saving the trouble of having no place to settle.

The postmen belonged to the officials, and the postmen were only contract workers.

This treatment is not bad. The ordinary postmen of Ming Dynasty are often in the nature of corvee.The more remote the place, the more this is the case, because there is no oil and water, and there is food and drink for the officials who come and go, the local finances cannot afford it, and they need to rely on the postmen to pay for it.

So no one is willing to be a postman, so they can only be used as a kind of corvee, forcing the people to work in the post.After a few years of being a postman, his family is often ruined.

Now, the various post stations, catering, accommodation and postal services of the Datong Dynasty have been divested.

All the catering in the post station is left to private management, and officials who come and go have to pay for their own food and accommodation. The days of eating and drinking for free are gone forever.

Early in the morning, Zhenjiang Water Station became lively.

The postmaster congratulated Yipeng and ordered the postmen to replace the plaque, and the sign of "Zhenjiang Water Station" became "Zhenjiang Post Station".

The shopkeeper of the restaurant next door came to watch the excitement and said, "Master He, why did you change the brand for no reason?"

He Yipeng said with a smile: "Your Majesty has an order. From now on, the post station will also serve as an errand for the letter bureau, and the common people can also deliver letters to the post station. The general rule is that it will be handled by the private letter bureau, except that the post station must post stamps when delivering letters."

"That's rare, show me the stamps." The shopkeeper was quite curious.

At the end of the Ming Dynasty, both the official and the private sector had express delivery services.

The official express delivery business is the most developed in Liaodong, and it is divided into express delivery offices and express delivery shops.The courier office is responsible for the delivery of official materials, and the courier shop is responsible for the delivery of letters and official documents.

The private express business is most developed in Jiangnan and Shanxi, and its name is "Xinju".The main customers are gentry merchants, who not only help deliver letters, but also occasionally deliver goods, which can be regarded as SF Express and Debang in the Ming Dynasty.

There are three payment methods for private express delivery: payment by sending, payment by cash on delivery, half of each payment for receiving and sending.

Unknown customers must pay when sending.

Familiar old customers can not only pay in cash on delivery, but also keep accounts and make quarterly or annual settlement payments.

The beacon fire lasted for three months, and the family letter was worth ten thousand gold.The war caused most of the national credit bureaus to close down, and even if they didn't close down, they continued to shrink their business. In the past few years, they have finally begun to recover.

Now, the government actually entered the express delivery industry and introduced some damn stamps.

"Here, this is it." He Yipeng took out a page of stamps.

The shopkeeper asked, "How much is it?"

He Yipeng said: "It depends on the weight of the letter and the length of the journey. For a letter in the province that does not exceed six taels, a five-cent stamp is sufficient. The heavier the letter and the farther it is mailed, the more expensive the stamp is, and the letter is not allowed to arrive." Payment. Moreover, no more than one catty will be accepted, if you want to send something, go to the private letter bureau.”

This is also to generate income for the station system, otherwise the expenses will be too high, after all, there are so many postmen to support.Unlike Daming, postmen had to pay back money, but now they are paid.

An official ship came, and the postman stood on the ship and shouted: "Come and help me get things!"

"Come on!" He Yipeng responded.

The Zhenjiang postmen ran quickly, carrying a sack, while the postmen disembarked with official documents.

He Yipeng asked: "What's in this sack?"

"Newspaper," said the postman, "there will be no more mansion newspapers in the future. It will be renamed "Datong Monthly Newspaper", and more copies will be printed than before. Local government offices will distribute one copy for free. Notice boards everywhere will also post one copy." All the rest will be sold on consignment at the post station, and every time a newspaper is sold, the post station will get two cents. If it can’t be sold, it will be taken back to Nanjing after two months.”

He Yipeng nodded: "Understood."

The postman said: "The ones left in Zhenjiang Prefecture will be sent all the way to Shanghai."

The level of the Zhenjiang post station is also very high, and the post station official ships from Nanjing will go north along the canal after arriving here.The things in the lower reaches of the Yangtze River need to be forwarded by Zhenjiang Station.

The postman then took out more than a dozen official documents and said: "Send these two copies to the Zhenjiang government office, this one to the Zhenjiang government court, and this one to the post stations in various places. The rest are not from the Zhenjiang government office, so send them out together." .You sign for it, and sign for it after the newspapers are counted."

He Yipeng verified the official documents and newspapers, and quickly stamped and signed them.

The postman got the signature form, returned to the ship immediately, and went to eat in the shop after storing it.

The Datong Navy has finally been dismantled, and now only half of it remains.The cut-off ships were not sold, but their weapons were dismantled and thrown directly into the station system, and some sailors were also turned into postmen.

He Yipeng opened the newspaper curiously, and the shopkeeper also came to take a look, completely ignoring the business of his own restaurant.

The emperor himself wrote a message for the founding of the publication: Di Bao started in Tang Dynasty, flourished in Song Dynasty, and flourished in Ming Dynasty.In the old days, the residence newspaper circulated copies of edicts, official documents, and important events to inform the feudal vassals and local officials.In the Ming Dynasty, gentry and merchants could also see it, so there was a mansion newspaper printed with movable type.I am in harmony with China, and I am born to respond to the people, and the people are the most important things in the world, and I should know the important affairs of the country with my head hanging down.Because of the "Datong Monthly", the government orders can reach the people directly.With this heart and this intention, you know it well and admire it.

The shopkeeper said: "Master He, give me a copy."

He Yipeng glanced at the official document about the newspaper, which gave the selling price, and immediately said, "One copy for thirty cents."

Thirty Wen, according to the price of the Datong New Dynasty, can buy six catties of rice in a good harvest year, and two catties of rice in a disaster season.

But not expensive!

Because if you want to get the manuscript of the former imperial palace newspaper, you need several taels of silver.Obtained that month, a Dibao is about one or two.After two or three months, the movable type printing plate will be released, and at that time it will sell for tens of hundreds of dollars.

The shopkeeper bought a newspaper and went back to the store, only to find that it was divided into several sections.

One section is current political news, and the first news is related to the emperor.The newspaper summary published the content of the court meeting, where the emperor and his officials discussed the post-disaster reconstruction issue, and also discussed the disaster relief gains and losses of the past dynasties.

The emperor emphasized again that in the event of natural disasters, one should not rely on offering sacrifices to the gods, and both the government and the people must contribute.God help those who help themselves.If people do not help themselves, the sky will not help them.

The main content of the report on the court meeting is presented in the form of dialogue, and a comment from the editor-in-chief is added at the end.

The shopkeeper found it very novel. After reading this newspaper, it was like hearing the emperor speak with his own ears. For the first time, he felt so close to the emperor.Some time ago, the emperor visited the north and never disembarked. The shopkeeper felt that the emperor was far away.

"Your Majesty is so wise!" The shopkeeper sighed while holding the newspaper.

A businessman happened to pass by the counter. Hearing this, he couldn't help asking: "What's the matter? Is there any new decree issued?"

The shopkeeper took the newspaper and said, "Please read it, distinguished guest."

The merchant took the newspaper, glanced at it casually, and said happily, "Which newspaper printed this mansion newspaper? It's really novel, and even the details of the court meeting can be obtained."

The shopkeeper was a little speechless: "Please read the first message, it was written by His Majesty himself."

The merchants read it quickly, and then flipped through the pages at the back, and found that there was government auction information, and there was also a military material bidding information.

"Good stuff!"

The merchant was overjoyed and asked, "Where can I buy it?"

The shopkeeper pointed to the inn next door: "I heard that it is sold in all the inns."

The merchant immediately ordered the servant: "Hurry up and buy a copy!"

After ordering food and wine and sitting down, the merchants read carefully, and the more they read, the more pleasantly surprised they were.In the newspaper, he also saw information on the transfer of officials three months ago, all of which were promotions and transfers of officials above rank five—the release was deliberately delayed so that the public would not be informed of the transfer of officials in advance.

The business of Zhenjiang Shuiyi Restaurant is extremely hot, and most of the customers are merchants from other places.