By a twist of fate, the illegitimate son of the Marquis's family marries the county princess.

Chapter 123 Meeting the Crown Prince

After his holiday ended, Wen Zongji went to work at the Office of Transmission as usual the next day.

Yao Maofang, who had been traveling for several days, finally made it to Wen Zongji's office today.

"My lord, I have investigated many rumors circulating among the people these past few days, but they are either baseless or just nonsense, so I'm afraid they are not suitable for publication in the capital's gazette."

Yao Maofang was somewhat disappointed.

He went to investigate with great enthusiasm, but after the investigation, he found that those rumors were either ridiculously absurd and not suitable for the Beijing Daily at all, or they were completely fabricated without any evidence, but they were still being spread like wildfire.

Wen Zongji was not disappointed and said, "It's alright. The Capital Gazette Office is newly established and needs to learn through trial and error. If you can't figure out this idea, then just think of the next one."

Yao Maofang asked, "The magistrate previously mentioned publishing criminal cases in the Beijing Gazette. Should we negotiate with the Ministry of Justice about this?"

Wen Zongji shook his head: "Afterwards, I thought about it carefully. The cases handled by the Ministry of Justice are all major cases, and some details may involve confidentiality requirements. I'm afraid the Ministry of Justice wouldn't be willing to let us see the case files."

"The initial idea of ​​setting up a criminal case section was just to use it as a gimmick to attract the public."

"But now I've changed my mind and plan to change the criminal cases section into a legal education section. I'll publish some frequently occurring cases from the Shuntian Prefecture files to let the people know which laws they cannot violate."

"At the same time, Shuntian Prefecture deals with everyday matters concerning ordinary people. These matters happen in the capital region, right next to the people, so they will be more interested in reading about them."

Yao Maofang's eyes lit up: "Popularizing the law among the people? That's a great idea, very meaningful. You truly are a great man."

Wen Zongji smiled faintly and said, "I have already met with Prefect Chai of Shuntian Prefecture. He agrees with my idea, but we need to discuss it with other officials in Shuntian Prefecture, and we also need the Emperor's permission. After all, it involves the files of Shuntian Prefecture, and it is not enough for just the two of us to agree privately."

Yao Maofang was surprised by Wen Zongji's efficiency, which made him, as the deputy, seem useless.

He shuddered and quickly said, "Please hurry, sir. I will go back and review the memorials to find suitable content for publication in the capital's gazette. I will certainly not hold you back."

Wen Zongji didn't know why he suddenly seemed so energetic, but it was a good thing that his subordinates were enthusiastic. Wen Zongji said, "Go ahead."

After Yao Maofang left, Wen Zongji began to think about the other sections of the Beijing Daily.

Undoubtedly, the Beijing Gazette was still an official gazette, and its focus remained on imperial memorials and major events inside and outside the capital.

Wen Zongji planned to make the Beijing Gazette look like a newspaper in later times, a large sheet of paper with content published on both sides.

There isn't that much paper available on the market right now, but that's not a problem. We can just have a paper mill make paper specifically for the Beijing Daily.

The most important thing now is still the content of the Beijing Daily.

If legal education occupies one section, then there are three sections left. At least two sections should be reserved for imperial memorials, some of Emperor Shun'an's decrees, and other important matters.

The purpose of establishing and existing the Beijing Gazette was to actively cultivate a positive image for the imperial court.

We need to think carefully about how to use the remaining space.

Wen Zongji had been thinking about this for a long time. He planned to turn this section into a literary section, allowing submissions from everyone inside and outside the capital. As long as the content was positive, eye-catching, and well-written, it could be published in the Beijing Daily.

In this way, the Beijing Daily would become a way for some people to gain fame.

Based on the principle that everyone prospers or suffers together, those who gain fame through the Beijing Daily will inevitably support its status.

The Beijing Daily naturally gains the support of a group of learned people.

Wen Zongji didn't tell anyone about these thoughts. He was waiting for news from Shuntian Prefecture. Once Chai Dingchong gave him accurate information, he would go to the palace to see the Crown Prince and tell him his ideas. Only if the Crown Prince agreed would he take action.

……

Chai Dingchong did not keep Wen Zongji waiting for long. The next day, he sent someone to tell him that the officials of Shuntian Prefecture had agreed.

Whether it was because the officials cared about the people or because Chai Dingchong held authority in Shuntian Prefecture and suppressed dissenting voices, the final outcome was good.

Wen Zongji did not hesitate and immediately went to the palace to meet the Crown Prince.

It was still a side hall of the Wenyuan Pavilion.

When the Crown Prince saw Wen Zongji arrive, he waved his hand to stop him from greeting him: "No need for formalities, sit down."

"Yes."

Wen Zongji walked over and sat down below the Crown Prince.

"I thought you would come to see me the day after you were transferred to the Beijing Gazette Office to be in charge of manuscripts, but I did not expect you to be so calm."

Wen Zongji said, "Your Highness has entrusted me with the responsibility of the Capital Gazette Office. How can I ask Your Highness for help without doing anything?"

The crown prince raised an eyebrow: "Then tell me, what exactly did you do?"

Wen Zongji recounted in detail everything he had done and thought during this period.

"Lord Chai is very optimistic about this and is willing to open up some of the Shuntian Prefecture's files to the Capital Gazette Office. However, this matter still requires the Crown Prince's formal order."

"Furthermore, regarding the literature section, these are merely some of my humble opinions, and I humbly request Your Highness's corrections."

The Crown Prince was surprised by Wen Zongji's efficiency; in just a few days, he had finalized the basic framework of the Beijing Gazette.

This can already be described as rapid.

"Since Chai Dingchong has agreed, I will ask the Emperor to issue the order. As for the literary section, it's a good idea. Our Great Chu has many writers and poets. If the capital newspaper publishes their articles, the people can see how rich the literary culture of our Great Chu is."

"How often do you plan to publish this Beijing Daily?"

Wen Zongji said, "In the early stages, we are not yet proficient in some aspects and need to improve based on the feedback from the people. We will tentatively issue one issue every half month. Once everything is on track, we will fix it to one issue per day."

The Crown Prince frowned: "One issue per day? Can the literature section really find that many excellent articles?"

Wen Zongji had already thought of this: "The layout of the Beijing Daily is not static. We can publish a literary section every half month and replace it with other content at other times."

The crown prince laughed: "You really are quick-witted; you actually came up with this idea."

"Your humble servant dares not accept such praise, but I fear I may betray the Crown Prince's trust."

The Crown Prince said, "You've done an excellent job. I'm very satisfied. Go ahead and do it; I'll back you up."

"Your humble servant obeys."