After staying by the Ba River for two hours, Ang Lee caught more than thirty fish. Moreover, they were all relatively large fish. A single fish weighed at least ten liang or more. It was a good raw material for cooking.
After returning to the courtyard, Ang Lee let the maidservants in the mansion stew all the fresh fish. Tonight, he wanted to eat a whole fish meal to change his appetite.
The servants were working hard to cook. Ang Lee was thinking about how to design the layout of the newspaper. How many pages would be suitable for a newspaper, how to set the price, and whether to use movable type printing or wax paper printing.
The technology of movable type printing was quite mature. The technology of wax paper printing was just starting. The only person who knew the specific operation was Ang Lee.
However, the cost of movable type printing was higher. A single word was relatively large. A large piece of paper could not print much content. On the other hand, wax paper printing could write very small. As long as it could be seen and recognized, it was fine. The size of a movable type printing could write at least four wax words.
To write on wax paper, one needed a special iron base and a stylus that was as sharp as a needle. Every scholar knew how to write with a brush, but not many knew how to write with a stylus. However, Li An was an expert in this field, so he could write much more smoothly with a stylus than with a brush.
After thinking about it, Ang Lee decided to use the latest technology, wax paper printing technology. He completely rejected the technology of movable type printing.
As for the newspaper industry, Ang Lee decided to establish it himself. It belonged to the imperial court. The name could be given by the emperor. It could also be suggested by him. As long as the emperor agreed, it would be fine.
The layout problem was also very easy to solve. The best layout should publish the most important political content, such as what the emperor wanted to say to the people. The next position could publish the content published by the princes and ministers. They could talk about their work experience, express their loyalty, and so on. The side pages could write some poems, strange stories, novels, and other interesting content.
Advertisements could be left in the middle of the folded newspaper. All merchants could advertise in the middle of the newspaper, introducing their products, the location of their shops, and even the price of their products. If their loved ones could not be found, they could also post a missing person notice.
In short, the newspaper industry that Ang Lee wanted to set up would be similar to the newspapers in his previous life. First, he would start with a few sheets of paper. When the business was good, he would gradually increase the weight of a single newspaper. The distribution points could also be gradually increased so that more people could read the contents of the newspaper.
In terms of poetry, Ang Lee could not write it. It was meaningless to plagiarize the achievements of his predecessors. However, there were many talented people who could write poems in the Tang dynasty. If they were asked to write poems and publish them, even if they did not take a penny, they would be very happy. After all, in the Tang dynasty, the reputation of a scholar was very important. What could increase one's reputation more than publishing poems?
Of course, Ang Lee would not really not pay them. As long as the poems were good enough, he would pay them a little bit. It could also be considered as a reward for their hard work.
For a poor scholar like Li Bai who had no money to spend, he had talent but could not support himself. It was really a kind of social pity. After the newspaper industry was set up, he could directly ask this great poet to write and pay him according to the quantity and quality of his poems. In this way, poor scholars like Li Bai would live a much better life. At least, they would never have to worry about three meals to fill their stomachs.
As for writing novels, only Ang Lee could do it himself. People in the Tang dynasty had not been enlightened yet. It was really unrealistic to expect them to write novels. Ang Lee had read so many novels in his previous life. It was a piece of cake for him to plagiarize a few.
The strange things that happened in the capital mainly happened in places like the market and brothels where there were many people. It was enough to send a few more people to collect information. The people who collected information must follow the principle of seeking truth from facts. Otherwise, it would be considered as spreading rumors and would be severely punished. These people would also be paid a sum of money, which was also a reward for their hard work.
As for the various manuscripts written by the Emperor and the ministers, they also had to be rewarded according to the quality and quantity of the manuscripts. Although for these important people, these insignificant royalties were negligible, they still had to be paid. The rules could not be broken.
In short, most of the content in the newspaper had to be paid to the writers. The only remaining part of the advertisement was in the middle of the newspaper. It did not have to pay the writers at all. Moreover, a high advertising fee would be charged to the writers to subsidize most of the part that had to be paid.
According to Li An's plan, as long as someone advertised, the advertising fees would definitely far exceed the royalties of the other pages. It was a guaranteed profit. Moreover, the newspaper was not given away for free. A certain fee would be charged according to the cost of paper and printing. However, the price would definitely not be expensive. Ordinary people would definitely be able to afford it. This way, it would be beneficial for the popularity of the newspaper.
"Husband, what are you thinking about? You are so engrossed in your thoughts. "
Yan Ruyu walked to Ang Lee's side and asked with concern.
"It's Ruyu! Your husband is thinking about the newspaper. "
Ang Lee was a little sad. His voice was a little soft.
"Newspaper? What is a newspaper? I have never heard of it. "
Yan Ruyu asked curiously.
Ang Lee did not want to explain too much in detail. He gave a general explanation. He did not care whether Yan Ruyu understood or not. Anyway, it was useless to explain too much. When the newspaper was published, Yan Ruyu would naturally understand.
In the evening, it was a fresh and tender fish feast. Steamed fish, boiled fish, braised fish, and so on were all served on the table. The fragrance filled the whole room.
These were all fish caught by Ang Lee himself. Therefore, they were very delicious. This was the result of his own labor. The taste was naturally different.
"Alang, someone from the palace came. He asked Alang to go to the palace immediately to meet the emperor."
Ang Lee was eating well. Suddenly, the news came from the palace.
Needless to say, it must be Gao Lishi who listened to his words and told the emperor at night. After Li Longji heard it, he felt that it was a good idea to run a newspaper. Therefore, he asked Ang Lee to go to the palace at night and explain the matter clearly.
"Husband, His Majesty asked you to go to the palace so late. What could it be?"
"Do you want to finish eating before going?"
Ang Lee got up and said, "You eat first! His Majesty must be here for the newspaper. Your husband will be back soon. "
He followed the little eunuch into the palace and went to the emperor's bedroom.
"Your Majesty."
"Come, give me a seat."
Ang Lee sat down gently and asked, "Your Majesty summoned me so late. Is it about the newspaper?"
"Yes, I have already heard a little about the newspaper, but I want to hear more details."
Li Longji asked.
Ang Lee quickly told him the detailed information about the newspaper. He told him almost all the details, including the royalties and advertisements.
"In this case, I can also get royalties. This is very interesting."
Li Longji thought it was very interesting that he could get money by writing something casually.
"Your Majesty, the newspaper must have a loud name. Your Majesty, give it a name!"
Ang Lee asked.
Li Longji thought for a moment and said, "This is the first newspaper of the Tang dynasty. Let's call it the Tang dynasty newspaper! This name is loud enough. "
"Yes, Your Majesty. This name is indeed very loud. Then it will be called the Tang dynasty newspaper. I am willing to be the chief editor of the Tang dynasty newspaper. I will do my best to run the newspaper well and share Your Majesty's worries."
Ang Lee recommended himself and asked to be the chief editor.
"Well, since Assistant Minister Li has this intention, I will let Assistant Minister Li be in charge. If you need anything, just tell me."
Li Longji generously agreed.
"Thank you, Your Majesty."
Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, the Tang dynasty newspaper has just started and is not mature enough. It is better to publish one issue every three days and see the market's reaction first. The first issue can be published in the morning the day after tomorrow. The newspaper has just appeared, so it is estimated that not many people will accept it. It can be free for a period of time and then be charged."
Li Longji nodded repeatedly and said, "Assistant Minister Li is right. Let's attract readers for free first and then charge them. The first issue will be published in the morning the day after tomorrow. Is it too late?"
"As long as Your Majesty can write a draft to clarify the rumors tomorrow, I can guarantee that the newspaper will be published in the morning the day after tomorrow."
Ang Lee said seriously.
"Well, I promise you. The draft to clarify the rumors will be sent to you tomorrow. It must be placed in the most conspicuous position in the newspaper. Also, don't forget my royalties."
Li Longji said with a smile.
"Rest assured, Your Majesty. I won't dare to keep your royalties, haha!"
"Well, I have wasted Assistant Minister Li's time. Let's go back!"
Ang Lee thought for a moment and said, "Your Majesty, I also want to see Prince Qing and ask them to write a draft. What do you think, Your Majesty?"
Li Longji agreed in his heart. He wanted to see what kind of draft his sons could write and what they thought of him as their father.
"Well, let's do that. Guards! Take Assistant Minister Li to see Prince Qing and the others. "
Li Longji gave the order.
A eunuch led the way in front while Ang Lee followed behind.
Prince Qing and the others lived not far from the Crown Prince's residence. However, in order to avoid unnecessary trouble, they didn't frequent each other. At most, they would exchange a few words when they met, making them seem very distant.
"Prince Qing, Assistant Minister Li is here."
The eunuch reminded him softly.
"Greetings, Your Highness Prince Qing."
Li Tan turned slightly to look at Ang Lee. The corners of his eyes seemed to have aged a lot and he didn't seem to have much spirit. Obviously, after being placed under house arrest in the palace, he felt uneasy and his sleep quality was naturally not good.
"Why has Assistant Minister Li come here?"
Li Tan was surprised. He didn't have any relationship with Ang Lee. He couldn't understand why Ang Lee would come to find him.
Li An hurriedly explained the purpose of his visit and asked Li Tan to write about his father. He wanted him to express his truest feelings and the problem of the assassin framing him.
After listening for a long time, Li Tan finally understood Ang Lee's intentions. He agreed with Ang Lee's idea and agreed to Ang Lee's request.
After that, Li An went to see the other princes and asked them to write articles one by one. However, there was a limit to the number of words they could write. Too many words would not do. Otherwise, the newspaper would be filled by them and the other content would be compressed.
After leaving the palace, Ang Lee wanted to visit the other princes again. However, after thinking about it, he decided to forget about it. The articles of the six princes would probably take up a lot of space. He couldn't take up any more space.
In addition, Ang Lee had to find a suitable candidate for the establishment of the newspaper. If he had to do everything by himself, wouldn't he be exhausted to death?
Using a stylus to write on wax paper, this technique must be handed over to others. Otherwise, with so much content written by himself, wouldn't he be exhausted to death?
Fortunately, it wasn't difficult to write on wax paper with a stylus. It was easy to learn. As long as one was a literate scholar, they could learn it in a short time. In the first few issues, Ang Lee could engrave by himself. Later, he would hand it over to others.
As for the design of the layout and the collection of content, it would require specialized talents to do it. Ang Lee's current role was the chief editor. He also needed a large number of deputy chief editors to help him. This was what he needed to recruit talents.
Li Bai was very skilled. Not only could he ask him for articles, but he could also recruit him to be the deputy chief editor responsible for the revision and changes of the newspaper. Anyway, this kid was very poor.
It was just that with Li Taibai's personality, he would probably quit after a short time. The only way to keep him was to give him a lot of vacation time. There were 365 days in a year, and he only needed to work for 20 days. He only had time to arrange for vacation and travel. Anyway, many places were connected by train now, so it was very convenient to go out and travel.
In addition to Li Bai, the poet immortal, Du Fu, the poet sage, was also a very good candidate. Du Fu's character was more reliable than Li Bai's. Although Du Fu also liked to travel, his endurance for boring work was much stronger than Li Bai's. It was very good to let Du Fu be the deputy chief editor and occasionally write some articles.
After returning to the courtyard, Ang Lee lay on the bed and thought about what talents he could recruit so that his newspaper of the Tang dynasty would be colorful and win the favor of the readers.
Early the next morning, Ang Lee did not even go to the R&D center. He directly put up a notice to recruit all kinds of talents needed by the newspaper, including coolies. He recruited a total of more than 100 people.
Under the condition of good treatment, the recruitment work progressed very quickly. The staff gradually arrived. The newspaper office was located at the edge of the R&D center. It was a temporary courtyard, covering an area of only five or six acres, but it was enough for the newspaper office.
The machines, paper, ink, and other materials needed for printing were quickly prepared. The only thing that needed was the content. The content could only be fully prepared at night. In other words, Ang Lee had to stay up all night to engrave the words. The newspaper had to be printed overnight so that it could enter the market of the capital early the next morning and let the people see the first freshly printed newspaper.
The manuscripts of the emperor and the princes had not yet arrived. Ang Lee sat at the table and began to engrave a famous novel he plagiarized, The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
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