In Weng Hongnong's opinion, Cai Guoxi and Cai Bingxian still have a good impression of his Weng family. He didn't know how much disgust was hidden under this "good feeling".

In Cai Guoxi's opinion, if it weren't for Gao Ge Lao Zhen's strength to protect him, where would he be able to sit in the position of Su Song's army? And his originally flat career was affected because of the Weng family. Fortunately, it didn't cause a big disaster, and the Weng family is still a vault, and you can go to fight the autumn breeze from time to time, which is the main reason why Cai Guoxi didn't tear his face with the Weng family.

The salary of the Ming officials is too low, and if you want to do something, you can't have no one under you. If you want people to do things, you can't go without paying, this is a common rule in any civilized world, so Cai Guoxi has a lot of places to use the Weng family, and with the increase in the number of exchanges, the previous state of indifference has warmed up.

Weng Hongji returned to Suzhou from Songjiang and discussed with Weng Hongnong about running a newspaper to gain the right to speak. After they flipped through all the "Quyuan Miscellaneous Stories" that they could collect, the whole person was full of energy, and their eyebrows fluttered when they spoke, and they were very happy.

Weng Hongnong said: "Xu Yuanzuo can think of this business, he is really a genius, but unfortunately he is the son of a Zhuli peddler after all, and he has too little knowledge." If you look at the newspaper he runs, there are obviously many people who read it, but it can only be classified into three contents: the first is the sound - well, I don't know if he really likes it, or if he wants to vote for others, anyway, using this newspaper to talk about this is enough to kill chickens with a knife. ”

Weng Hongji thought so. He didn't think there was anything remarkable about the Qing people, nor did he find those yin and yang tunes attractive. On the contrary, I feel that it is noisy, it is better to concentrate on drinking flower wine, and I can also get up and down his hands, and it is directly refreshing.

Weng Hongnong continued: "The second is all kinds of scripts, which are really boring. It's just a matter of listening to people rap. Falling on the text, it looks tired and dry. He paused and said, "The most important thing is the article in this supplement. Not to mention those business travel news, it is nothing more than a water card. I don't talk about the judgment of the arbitration committee. The most important thing is the article that the gentry posted on it. These articles include poems by You Ye and exercises on pen practice. It's good, but it's not as good as their comments on local chores. ”

"It's said to be called 'editorial,' the theory of society." Weng Hongji Road.

"This is what can really influence public opinion, and even change customs." Weng Hongnong said, knocking heavily on the table so that his words sounded more imposing. He studied it for a few days, and finally found this trick, as if he had dug a piece of gold out of the sand, and his pride was palpable.

"Shall we do the same?" Weng Hongji said tentatively.

Weng Hongnong became a bamboo in his chest: "Let's take its essence and remove its dross." Just do the editorial part. ”

The Weng family is a wealthy family with a head and a face in Gusu, and there should be everything in the family, and naturally there is also a book-carving workshop. Weng Hongji found a few old craftsmen from Nanjing to prepare ink and engraving. After finding two more talented writers, such a "Gusu Times" aimed at pinpointing the disadvantages of the times was easily concocted.

"It's a bit thin from the layout." Weng Hongnong took the sample and felt that it was not as thick as "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tan". Now this "Gusu Times", which only has editorials, is more like a post, especially like the kind of unveiling that quietly enters people's homes in the middle of the night when no one is there.

This kind of unveiling is like a big-character poster for later generations. The righteousness is awe-inspiring and selfish, and the reputation is very bad.

"It seems that the dross is also useful." Weng Hongji said cautiously.

Weng Hongnong looked at it again and again. Refusing to admit that they made the wrong decision. He said: "In any case, the main reason is that the people who wrote this article are not good enough. In addition to being full of empty words, there is no real material, and the clear soup is not happy. ”

Weng Hongji said secretly: It's good that someone is willing to write this kind of article for you, do you still want someone to write flowers? Besides, the pen we gave was not more than half of what "Quyuan Miscellaneous" gave. Where can I find a good writer to write?

Although he inquired about the pen fee for "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tales" - this is not a secret, it has long been an open standard in the small circle, but he did not know that the really inducing editorials on "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tales" are all found by special writers. From Wang Shizhen, down to the county office, and a lawyer who is proficient in litigation. Even Li Wenming, the master of Huating County, often contributes.

These people are experienced and thoughtful professionals in their own fields, and what they write is certainly not a layman's general talk. Especially after the manuscript was handed over to the newspaper, there was such a master as Wu Chengen to check it. He did an average job in the imperial examination, but he played with a lot of things such as overt ridicule and sarcasm, extraneous sounds, and doping with private goods - "Journey to the West" was labeled as a "satirical novel" by many people, and it was not for nothing. With him as a gatekeeper, the guidance of public opinion does not need Xu Yuanzuo to bother at all.

"We still need to spend a little more money on the article." Weng Hongnong said: "No matter what, we have to win a great victory and defeat Xu Yuanzuo's momentum." The above masters are not stupid, and when they find out that we can shout in the air, they will naturally organize the Qingke writer to help write the manuscript. ”

"Xu Yuanzuo's little prestige, I'm afraid it won't cause the old man to care, right?" Weng Hongji hesitated.

Weng Hongnong said: "If you want to fight, you will beat his backer, Xu Jie, Xu Huating!" ”

Weng Hongji's legs were a little weak, as if he was on the edge of an abyss, and he was dizzy when he lowered his head slightly, as if he was about to fall.

Xu Huating...... Some, right? "Although Weng Hongji does not respect the old pavilion elder who returned to his hometown, but he slanders his belly, and at most he has scolded and scolded in private. Anyway, he is still one of the leaders of Jiangnan Shilin.

"Don't name names." Weng Hongnong said: "Let's only talk about the affairs of Shixing. What is the reputation of the Xu family in Huating? ”

"Uh...... Very good. Weng Hongji said: "His family has opened a academy, and all the scholars in it are entertained with refreshments every day. Xu Huating also invited Jiangnan Confucianism to give lectures for them, coaxing those poor sour children to regard him as a reborn parent. His family also donated a lot of land to help the poor, build bridges and pave roads, and accept displaced people, and his reputation in Songjiang Mansion is really unspeakable. ”

Weng Hongnong squinted at Weng Hongji, and thought about it for a while. Said: "Where did his family get so much silver? Not the proceeds of cloth trafficking? This is clearly competing with the people for profit! ”

"He is not an official, he is a citizen." Weng Hongji said secretly: If this also becomes a crime, what should our family do?

Weng Hongnong thought about it for a while, and said forcefully: "But he is the leader of Shilin!" As a scholar, he sacrificed his roots and did not produce. Isn't speculation all day long corrupt for profit? ”

Weng Hongji was stunned: "It makes sense!" Isn't he a scholar? If you don't study well, why do you want to do business! ”

Weng Hongnong grinned: "Just write according to this theme." ”

"Who are you going to write it for?" Weng Hongji asked.

Weng Hongnong touched the beard on his chin: "I think this kind of article should be handed over to those litigants and bootbreakers." They can turn black and white upside down, and say that the dead are alive, and they are the best at writing this kind of thing. Since he got such an unsatisfactory sample, he was very dissatisfied with those two sour talents.

Weng Hongji was also greatly impressed and sincerely felt that this was a good idea.

The so-called Broken Boots Party was originally a scholar with a broken family background and bad conduct. They have a reputation and can move around the yamen. Therefore, they colluded with the officials, took over the lawsuit, and ate the plaintiff and the defendant. Sometimes, when the conditions are ripe, they will do some evil things such as seeking other people's property, taking their wives and daughters, and so on. As long as these people have money, they can write whatever they want, and many of them can get by.

Suzhou is a big county in the sea, and there will naturally be no fewer such people. Weng Hongji found one very simply, Cao Guangjiu. This person is a well-known lawyer in Wu County. He had dealings with many bookstores in the yamen. What he is best at is reversing black and white, just ask him to take a bite. If you don't tear off a piece of meat, you will never let go.

Cao Guangjiu listened to the request of the Weng brothers, and knew in his heart that this was an article that offended people, but he would not pay for it anyway. You can even ask the apprentice to copy it again and then give it to him, no matter what you say, it won't implicate him. And the pen is quite high, and it is not an article about obscenity and theft, but a righteous and awe-inspiring moral article. Why turn it away?

Cao Guangjiu agreed, and vaguely smelled that the Weng brothers were going to cause trouble. He is the least afraid of things, and it is best for the world to be chaotic in order to fish in troubled waters. So a sharp-tongued, high-minded editorial was published. also attached some insinuations, pointing the finger at Songjiang Xu Huating, so that the Weng brothers watched it heartily and felt that it was worth the money - this is the one that Jiang Baili got.

"Mr. Cao is so talented, it is really a waste to live in Luzuo. If Mr. Cao doesn't dislike it, my family still has a yard in the city, and I am willing to give it to Mr. to live in. Weng Hongnong said generously.

Cao Guangjiu sat on the official hat chair, his eyes did not squint, and he said slowly after a long time: "No merit is not rewarded, I don't know if Weng Gong has anything to serve the students." ”

Weng Hongnong said: "It is to support this "Gusu Times". Songjiang has "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tan", if my Gusu doesn't have a newspaper, wouldn't it be a little weaker? Besides, this newspaper is quite meaningful, can invite people's hearts, and can be the style of the world. If we only let his family talk nonsense, we can't see it straight, wouldn't it be very inappropriate! ”

――It turned out that I was going to fight with the "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tan".

Cao Guangjiu smiled secretly in his heart: Let you splash and roll or scold Huai, grandpa has never lost this matter!

"Gong Weng, this is for the people of Jiangnan! How can students not obey? However, a house is too expensive for students to bear. Cao Guangjiu took retreat as advance: "There is some polishing every month, which is enough to make a living, and the students will be content." ”

Weng Hongnong regards this broken boot party as a general's talent, and he is interested in soliciting, where does he care about silver? Since he had already said that he would send it to the house, he would definitely not take it back, so he gave Cao Guangjiu an additional salary of eight taels of silver a month, and also agreed to polish the pen and make up for it according to the length of the article.

Cao Guangjiu agreed, and soon moved into the house sent by the Weng family with his family, and officially presided over the "Gusu Times".

He is also well-known in this industry, and he has contacted some rogue readers who are also members of the Broken Boots Party, and it is still very simple to put together a manuscript. Among these manuscripts, he picked out some of the content that was unhindered and the text was lengthy, changed it slightly, signed his name, and then he could ask Weng Hongnong to get additional polishing pens. This joint has become his biggest source of wealth, even higher than his salary of eight taels a month. As for the original authors of those manuscripts, think about it anyway, there are also moisteners to take, if they offend Cao Guangjiu, even the polishing pen is gone, but they don't care whose name they sign, and they are willing to be a gunman.

After a while, many poor people knew that they still had money to write articles, and they asked the door to hand over the manuscript to Cao Guangjiu, and the pen became lower and lower, and finally even reached the level of 100 words and 5 yuan -- this is the same price as writing letters for people in the City God Temple, which is really not low. Even so, there is a steady stream of manuscripts, and there are all kinds of content that is acupuncture and disadvantages, and it seems that "Gusu Times" can be like "Quyuan Miscellaneous", from a five-day magazine to a daily magazine.

After Weng Hongnong held on for a while, he felt that spending money was really like running water, and he didn't know how the Xu family could afford such a loss-making transaction. He was reluctant to stop there, and even gave out the big head, so why bother with some paper and ink money? Every time a new issue came out, he had to send it to various yamen in Suzhou. Those masters and bookstores who have received benefits will put the "Gusu Times" on the desks of the masters, which can be regarded as a way to observe the people's feelings. Some people have active brains, and they will extract and extract some words from the article so that the old man can read it more easily.

After staying up like this for a while, the "Gusu Times" turned out to be famous, and the prefecture and county and the governor's yamen began to take care of the newspaper: but if there is a new issue, it must be submitted.

Cai Guoxi also specially invited Weng Hongnong to speak, vaguely revealing that he was willing to submit this newspaper to Beijing, so that the nobles in Beijing could hear Wu Feng and ask him to do it "with his heart".

Weng Hongnong was greatly encouraged, and no matter how much money he spent, he didn't feel distressed.

The fourth year of Longqing is the year of the township examination, and Nanzhi Shizi will go to Nanjing to take the examination before August. At this time, it was seen that "Su Song One" was coming. But all the scholars from Su and Song have the habit of reading newspapers. It's just that Suzhou Shizi reads "Gusu Times", and Songjiang Shizi reads "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tan".

Speaking of officials, Suzhou scholars care about current affairs and are quite helpful. However, in the Goolan Academy, the girls in the song prefer to read the Songjiang scholars who read "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tan". From "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tan", they can see a lot of familiar content, even the tone of the text seems to be written by the same kind of person, and even some girls can't hold it anymore and begin to inquire about how to submit.

Nanjing's officialdom was originally a nursing home closely integrated with Goolan, and "Quyuan Miscellaneous Stories" entered the field of vision of the officials of Nanjing's Sixth Department earlier than "Gusu Times". Many people only know that there is a "Gusu Times" through "Quyuan Miscellaneous Tan", and this "Gusu Times" also sneers at peers all day long, pointing at Sang and scolding Huai.

This alone is very villainous and unlikable.

What's more, the "Gusu Times" also made political mistakes.

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Ask for a recommended ticket, ask for a monthly pass~!

*(To be continued.) )