On the first day of May in the third year of Wanli's reign, Li Zhi, a member of the Nanjing Criminal Department, sorted out a few manuscripts on his desk, took off his already lumpy cocoon silk official robe, put on more fluffy cotton casual clothes, and said hello to his colleagues. , left the Yamen.
Just a few steps out of the gate, I heard someone behind me shouting: "Li Zhuowu!"
When Li Zhi turned around to look, a smile appeared on his thin face and he said, "Who called me? It turned out to be Brother Feng. How did you get to the Criminal Department? But is there something wrong?"
Feng Bangning came forward and pretended to say: "I'm going to pay homage to Mr. Li." He said so, but the speed of bending his knees was extremely slow.
When Li Zhi saw this, he smiled and said nothing and did not stop him. Feng Bangning chuckled and said, "You guys, be careful that I don't distribute your book."
Li Zhi laughed loudly after hearing this, lightly punched Feng Bangning on the shoulder, and asked with a serious look: "What are you doing here at this hour?"
Feng Bangning shook his head and said: "I'm not doing anything, I'm just here to see you. If you have free time, come and sit in the Huihui Building."
When Li Zhi heard the words "Hui Cui Lou", his mouth became wet. He smiled bitterly and said, "Not today. Mr. Long Xi has arrived in Nanjing and I have to pay him a visit today."
Feng Bangning listened and smiled: "I also know that Mr. Long Xi has arrived in Nanjing - do you still know him? Can you take me to meet him?"
After hearing this, Li Zhi said in a condescending manner: "You are full of copper odor, you are just getting stuck with me, but don't let Mr. Longxi get so bad that I don't take you there."
Li Zhi had become a good friend with Feng Bangning a long time ago, and they often joked with him. Feng Bangning listened to this without any dissatisfaction.
Grabbing Li Zhi's sleeve, Feng Bangning asked, "Have you made an appointment with Mr. Long Xi?"
Seeing Li Zhi shaking his head, Feng Bangning breathed a sigh of relief and said: "It's still early at this time. You and I will go to the Huihui Building first. I'll discuss something with you. After dinner, I'll hire a carriage for you and arrange some gifts before you go - —Otherwise, are you going to eat for nothing at this hour with nothing?"
This arrangement left Li Zhi speechless and had no reason to refuse. Feng Bangning first dismissed the boy next to him and asked him to hire a carriage and buy gifts, and then took Li Zhi away.
Hui Hui Lou is a newly opened halal restaurant in Nanjing in the past two years. Because the owner is willing to spend money, Rishenglong's secret "MSG" is put in every dish, and the business is booming.
Feng Bangning often came here. When the shopkeeper saw him coming, he quickly took out a spare small private room and asked Feng Bangning and Li Zhi to go upstairs.
The two of them ordered some wine and food, and Li Zhi asked: "Come to think of it, what do you want from me? But it's rare that you still have one day to ask for my help."
Feng Bangning first smiled and said: "Brother Li, what's the point of what you are doing as an official? Look at your robe, it's all lint-free. Wait until my foolish brother buys you another one later, otherwise you can go to the meeting wearing this." Mr. Long Xi?"
Li Zhi was rich in literary talent, but he never used words when talking to Feng Bangning. After hearing this, he sighed: "I will be poor all my life. Before I can save the money to write a book, my old lady will have to rent a house. I am a poor official." My son can live in a house with two rooms? Ridiculous!"
After hearing this, Feng Bangning said with a smile: "Your original house was too cramped. A family of six lived in four houses, and there was no room to put everything. My sister-in-law did the right thing, or you should just scatter all the money." ”
Li Zhi was speechless after hearing this. At this time, the food was served. Li Zhi munched on the meal and asked, "Tell me about your business quickly. I'm in a hurry to leave."
Feng Bangning took out a piece of paper from his arms, unfolded it flatly, handed it to Li Zhi and said: "Brother Zhuowu has the insight, do you think Yu brother can do this business?" It was the first issue that had already reported to the capital to ask for the imperial edict. The first issue of "Huangming Nanjing Daily".
Li Zhi had just taken a sip of fresh soup and was eating the Buddha Jumping Wall in his mouth. As soon as I took the newspaper, I saw the eye-catching headline. I was about to spit it out, but I was afraid of being rude and spoiling the food on the table, so I shut my mouth tightly.
Feng Bangning heard a puff behind the newspaper, followed by a violent cough. Li Zhi threw the newspaper aside, and Feng Bangning saw some shark fin threads coming out of both his nostrils and hanging on his lips, bending over and coughing violently.
After finally blowing the contents of his nose clean, Li Zhi drank tea and rinsed his mouth before he could breathe again. Seeing that Feng Bangning was overjoyed, he scolded: "You are so dirty-minded. I look at you as an old man who is fifty years old. How can you withstand such a joke?"
Feng Bangning first apologized with a smile, and said: "I didn't expect that Brother Zhuo Wu, who is known as a 'heretic', can't stand this thing. It seems that this deal was a mistake of my foolish brother and I can't do it."
Li Zhi rolled his eyes and said, "I haven't read it yet. I'll tell you after I've read it." After saying that, he picked up the newspaper on the ground and read it carefully from beginning to end, without mentioning that he was in a hurry to see Long. It’s about Mr. Xi.
After he finished reading, he folded the newspaper and held it in his hand. He looked at Feng Bangning up and down, and his expression became serious. He said: "Feng Dong's family is so powerful, why are you thinking about this thing? What are you talking about, a private newspaper?"
After Feng Bangning heard this, he was afraid that he would break up with him. He quickly said: "Brother Zhuo Wu, didn't I ask you first?"
After hearing this, Li Zhi closed his eyes and meditated for a while. Then he said in a cold voice: "Speaking of which, who is behind you?"
After listening to his words, Feng Bangning became more and more angry. He wiped the sweat from his forehead and said with an apologetic smile: "Brother Zhuo Wu, you don't know this about me? You just got into the relationship with Eunuch Li when you first came to Nanjing. How can you do that?" When I open Qingliu Bookshop, who else will I know?"
After hearing this, Li Zhi clapped the newspaper in his hand and said, "Have you shown this to Li Xiushan?"
Feng Bangning still smiled and said: "Well, I'll tell you the truth, brother. I have already appointed Eunuch Li as my godfather. He was the first to read this thing when my brother Yu made it. The godfather said that the court did not stipulate that private newspapers cannot be run. Just like the stories in Qingliu Bookstore, who could have thought of it before? Whoever does it first will make a lot of money - then you can support me and let me do it."
Li Zhi felt a little confident after hearing what he relayed from Eunuch Li. The straight face that he had always kept loosened, and he pointed at Feng Bangning with a smile: "When I met you before, I felt that I had a bad temper with you. If you have the courage to hide your body, there is nothing you dare not do! Open a bookstore You want to worship a eunuch as your godfather, you are going to seclude yourself from the Jiangnan Shilin!"
Feng Bangning laughed after hearing this and said: "Haha, the scholars in my family don't come to buy books anyway, they are just peddlers and foot soldiers. Why should I care about those fake Taoism?"
Li Zhi laughed heartily after hearing this. He said: "What a fake Taoist! But what you said is wrong. There are the most fake Taoists in your family's books. They all sent servants to buy them. These fake Taoists just don't show up."
Then he added: "If you ask me, of course I say this thing is good! However, it is still a matter of two and one whether the court can let you work for a long time. Eunuch Li can protect you when he is here, but the court wants to seal it , he may not be able to stop it!"
After hearing this, Feng Bangning thought that he was finally in the alley. He smiled and said: "You don't know what kind of person my godfather is? Before I came to see you today, I just came out of the governor's mansion. My godfather has asked the emperor to allow me to do this business."
After hearing this, Li Zhi was surprised and said: "Li Xiushan actually disturbed Tianting with this matter. This holy family is too hot."
Feng Bangning smiled bitterly and said, "I asked him the same question. My godfather said, 'You don't understand the power of this newspaper, but you are so brave that you dare to speculate blindly. How can I be as unstable as you?' Brother Zhuo Wu, what do you mean by this?" I didn’t dare to ask at the time, what’s so great about this newspaper? Why don’t I think so? If it’s not just some conversation material, what else can it do?”
After hearing this, Li Zhi sighed to Feng Bangning: "Brother Xian, you are really big-hearted. Duke Xiushan is right. Once this thing comes out, it will be a hundred times more powerful than your scripts - it is a sharp weapon of public opinion and a pole to stir people's hearts!"
After hearing this, Feng Bangning pretended to be scared and said: "If you say it like the eldest brother, isn't this a beheading business? Otherwise, I won't do it."
After hearing this, Li Zhi's eyes flashed and said: "Don't, don't. You have the emperor's backing, what are you afraid of?! As long as you don't talk nonsense and bury the court and the government, what's going to get in your way - I see this first page of yours Two articles are good, who wrote them?”
After hearing this, Feng Bangning said proudly: "It was Yudi's handwriting. I saw the copy of the imperial newspaper and Lord Hai's memorial in the governor's mansion. I copied some of them and made some comments - Brother, let's see how I did that poem." Sample?"
After hearing this, Li Zhi unfolded the newspaper and read again the hymn praising the emperor's overhaul of water conservancy. He asked: "Master Hai is an imperial envoy, how can Eunuch Li have a memorial?"
Feng Bangning shook his head and said, "I don't know about this. Anyway, I saw it on my godfather's desk."
Li Zhi listened and stopped asking about this matter. Pointing at the newspaper, he shook his head and said, "Your novel idea of running a newspaper is in vain. How can you still call it a poem? These few words are the worst of the poem. You might as well not print it. Mom's, like It looks like a big mung bean fly is lying on the white flour steamed buns, it smells too bad for you."
As soon as he finished speaking, he saw that Feng Bangning was so angry that the hat on his head was two inches higher. Li Zhi quickly changed the subject and said: "This sentence about reading symbols is very novel. Was it also figured out by my dear brother?"
Feng Bangning said angrily: "Exactly, people always say that my family can't tell the sentences before and after it, so I came up with this trick. Haven't you read your own book? It's already been used for two issues!"
Li Zhi smiled bitterly and said: "I never read the sample books you sent me. They are used to make money. Every time I write, I plug my nostrils with cotton to write."
When Feng Bangning heard this, he became even more angry. He slapped the table and said, "Well, Li Zhuowu, you are holding a bowl to eat meat and putting down chopsticks to curse your mother. Starting tomorrow, the manuscript fee will be halved!"
After Li Zhi heard this, the grass growing in the temple panicked and said: "My dear brother, don't be upset. I won't be angry with you anymore. You have already exposed the thing you did to me just now. You came here today just to ask me if you can do this?" "
Feng Bangning breathed a sigh of relief and asked himself: Do this guy and I have a true friendship? It's all a mess now. He said: "Brother, I am doing such a big business, how can I run such a mess? I am looking for you today - I want you to resign and become the editor-in-chief of this newspaper!"
Li Zhi was overjoyed when he heard this and shouted: "Really? Dear brother, please don't lie to me, I really dare to do it!"
When Feng Bangning heard what he said, he was also very happy and admired his uncle Feng Bao. I thought to myself, how could the uncle conclude that Li Zhuowu had the intention to resign? This is really amazing.
He said: "Why am I deceiving you? But we can agree on three rules. First, the articles you edit cannot attack the imperial court; second, you can only start writing deviant things after three years; third, I have the final review authority!"
After hearing this, Li Zhi's eyes turned red, and he suddenly choked up and said: "Brother Xian said that after three years, you want me to express my feelings? In the newspaper? I promise you, it doesn't matter if you don't pay me, my help is free!"
Seeing him like this, Feng Bangning felt a little sad. Said: "What are you talking about, brother? The editor-in-chief of the newspaper earns sixty taels per month, and my foolish brother will give you eight times the official salary!"
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