"Your Majesty! Liang Xiao's actions are aimed at promoting education, bewitching the ignorant masses, and undermining the very foundations of the nation!"
In the imperial study, the Minister of Revenue, Ouyang Ji, and his subordinate, Ouyang Ping, lamented with great sorrow, incessantly impeaching Xiao Qing.
"What do you mean, 'bewitching the ignorant masses'?" Xiao Qing couldn't help but let out a cold laugh. "The truth is, you're not worried about broadening people's intellects at all. You're worried that if more commoners can read, it will be harder for you to deceive them, and they might even replace your official positions. Is that right?"
This was Xiao Qing's greatest pain. Public opinion was often controlled by these powerful aristocratic families, who had been manipulating things for generations. The Emperor could not ensure that every single imperial decree was transmitted across the entire nation exactly as intended, leaving them ample opportunity for backroom dealings!
The Ouyang father and son's expressions changed drastically.
Ouyang Ji said gravely, "Your Majesty, do not forget that this realm belongs to Your Majesty and us aristocratic families. Without us so-called 'aristocratic families,' the court would have no one to staff it! Does Your Majesty insist on secretly funding Liang Xiao and chilling our hearts? If that is the case, how will Your Majesty account for this to the great aristocratic families!"
Xiao Qing forced a smile and asked, "Then, what does Lord Ouyang suggest?"
Ouyang Ji said righteously, "I will refrain from saying anything too harsh. I only hope Your Majesty will dismiss Liang Xiao, favor the virtuous and shun the wicked, abolish all of Liang Xiao's national policies, and with us ministers, restore this hard-won era of peace. Everything can return to its original state!"
Xiao Qing finally burst into laughter. Ning Xuejun and Ding Wuyi stared at Ouyang Ji, killing intent radiating from them!
Xiao Qing stared at Ouyang Ji for a long moment before saying, "I have not provided any funding to support Lord Liang. After all, my little treasury is probably not even a fraction of your Ouyang family's wealth, is it?"
Xiao Qing spoke a lie without batting an eye, as it was indeed true before she obtained the treasure!
Ouyang Ji was speechless.
It seemed to be the case. Otherwise, the royal family of the Great Gan Kingdom would not have had to bite the bullet and seek help from the Marquis of Dingguo occasionally.
After realizing this, Ouyang Ji also chuckled, "Then it's fine. We will compete fairly with Liang Xiao later!"
Xiao Qing's face immediately fell, "Lord Ouyang, you dared to threaten me just now."
"No..." Ouyang Ji quickly retorted. The two imperial shadow guards behind Xiao Qing had already drawn their swords.
As soon as Xiao Qing gave the order, Ouyang Ji's head would roll!
Xiao Qing said coldly, "Remember, what I give you is power. What I do not give you, you cannot overstep! Do you truly believe I am a lamb to be manipulated? Have the ancients not told you that when the Son of Heaven is angered, a million corpses lie scattered, and blood flows like a churning river?"
In that instant, a rare hint of anger and killing intent flashed in Xiao Qing's eyes.
One day, she would have no more patience, but not now!
For Liang Xiao, for the common people of the realm, she had to suppress her temper now and slowly weaken these aristocratic families, minimizing the harm they brought to the nation!
Ouyang Ji's heart sank, and sweat poured down his face. He repeatedly claimed he dared not.
Ding Wuyi, in his rare menacing tone, said, "Minister Ouyang, you should be grateful for the Sovereign's magnanimity. Otherwise, this eunuch would surely have your father and son's heads rolling!"
Although Ding Wuyi was robust in build, he had been castrated since childhood, and his voice was slightly effeminate. His cold voice, coupled with his ruthless disposition, was enough to intimidate petty criminals!
The Ouyang father and son felt as if they had fallen into an ice cellar and kowtowed, begging for mercy.
Xiao Qing looked down at the two of them and her tone returned to calm, "If there is a next time, the Shadow Guard Commander will handle it officially. You may withdraw."
The father and son obediently and immediately fled the imperial study, feeling an immense sense of relief.
Ouyang Ji regretted his actions even more.
He had been so emotionally agitated that he had nearly defied imperial authority and lost his head!
"I cannot let this young Liang Xiao disrupt my mind. Since the foolish ruler cannot support him, I will continue to buy them up. Anyway, this price is far below the cost of printing books on a normal basis!"
Having made up his mind, Ouyang Ji regained his composure and returned home to issue orders.
"Continue to buy them up! I don't believe how long Liang Xiao can hold out! As long as the populace cannot buy books from Liang Xiao, his bookshop will be worthless, and in the future, he will be powerless to print other books!"
In the imperial study, Xiao Qing looked at the chapter content of "Journey to the West" sent by Liang Xiao, and tears of grievance welled up in her eyes. "One day, my elder brother and I will make them pay dearly!"
"With Young Master Liang Xiao around, these people are nothing more than dried bones in a tomb. They will be dealt with sooner or later. Your Majesty, please set your mind at ease," Ning Xuejun quickly comforted her.
The two shadow guard commanders' incessant praise of Liang Xiao finally made Xiao Qing stop crying, and she once again beamed with joy.
In the bookshop, Liang Xiao picked up a sheet of paper covered in ink and glanced at the assembled movable type on the table, smiling, "Let's give it a try!"
This was the layout he had planned for a newspaper, including various sections such as "Entertainment," "Strange People and Peculiar Events," and "Storytelling Corner." Under normal circumstances, a newspaper would consist of two sheets.
Currently, the "Storytelling Corner" section was heavily featuring "Chapter One" of "Journey to the West"!
To adapt to the reading habits of the populace in this world, the chapter Liang Xiao had prepared was quite long, ending at the point where Sun Wukong went to find Patriarch Bodhi in the middle of the night, leaving ample suspense.
The remaining sections were filled with various rumors and gossip from within and outside the capital, as well as strange and unusual occurrences collected from different regions, satisfying the public's curiosity.
The newspaper was Liang Xiao's arrangement, and future newspapers would follow this layout.
The carved plates would be rushed into production after the newspaper was released, so Liang Xiao had prepared ten newspaper layouts in advance for easy updates.
In the Great Gan Kingdom, a daily newspaper was not feasible, but Liang Xiao had still decisively named it: The Great Gan Daily.
A "Great Gan Newspaper Office" was also established within the bookshop, specifically for printing newspapers.
"Let's print a hundred thousand copies first!" Liang Xiao said.
Newspapers had far fewer pages than books, and as long as there were suitable layouts, printing them was not difficult.
Copper movable type was used for printing newspapers, allowing for long-term replacement of layouts. Clay and wooden movable type would wear out too quickly.
The workers immediately got to work, and Liang Xiao returned home to tell stories to the girls.
"Isn't Brother Xiao going to tell 'Journey to the West' anymore?" Zhen Mi looked at Liang Xiao with pleading eyes.
Liang Xiao pretended to be mysterious, "I've told you so much. Let's try something different for a change! Do you want to hear ghost stories from 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'? These stories can also be printed in the newspaper in the future."
Everyone nodded.
Yue Lian asked, "Should we let Diao'er and the others listen too?"
Jian Qinwan snorted, "It's better not to. They're already timid. What if that flower-picking thief scares them..."
"Then let's start with 'The Painted Skin' today," Liang Xiao said with a wicked grin, thus beginning his wicked and terrifying narration for the girls.
...
A quarter of an hour later, the girls present huddled closely together, their pearly teeth biting down on their lower lips, trembling with fear.
Liang Xiao's vivid narration of "The Painted Skin," coupled with the quiet night, created a rather eerie atmosphere. Yue Lian and Zhen Mi were already beginning to feel scared.
Liang Xiao, while speaking, walked up to the trembling Yue Lian and said, "Peeking outside the woman's window, that scholar discovered that in the room, a hideous and ferocious monster was painting a human skin, and the portrait on the skin was of that very woman... Roar!"
At the end, Liang Xiao also made a gesture of peeling off the painted skin from his face, his movements wild and menacing!
"Ah!"
Jian Qinwan, Luo Qingxue, Yue Lian, and Zhen Mi screamed in unison. Jian Qinwan instinctively grabbed Liang Xiao's arm, her face full of tension.
Yue Lian was so frightened that she hid in Liang Xiao's embrace, her eyes welling up with tears.
"It's, it's too scary, Young Master..."