That evening, Zhang Shi finished his duties as usual and returned home in a sedan chair.

Several sedan chairs were already waiting at his doorstep. As he alighted, the steward came out to greet him.

“Master, you’re back? The guests are all waiting for you in the main hall,” the steward said eagerly.

Zhang Shi grunted in acknowledgment and walked directly to the main hall.

The chairs on both sides of the hall were already full of people.

There were eight in total, two or three with white hair and beards. These were all considered elder statesmen of the court.

They all greeted Zhang Shi as he entered.

Zhang Shi smiled, “I’ve kept you all waiting. Official business was busy today, so I’m back a bit late.”

“No matter! No matter!” everyone quickly responded.

“May I ask why Minister Zhang has called us here?”

Zhang Shi sat down, looking worried.

“Gentlemen, what else could it be?”

“Fang Zheng?”

“Exactly! This fellow has wicked intentions and is confusing the people. Are you all just going to watch him continue to be so arrogant?” Zhang Shi said with a pained expression. “Usually, the court is clear and peaceful. We all coexist harmoniously, and even if there are problems, we can sit down and discuss them.”

“But now Fang Zheng is increasingly favored by His Majesty and doesn’t follow the rules. If this continues, the court will be in chaos, which is not good for the people!”

“Moreover, he’s now spreading rumors about us among the common people. At our age, personal honor doesn’t matter much, but the honor of our families cannot be tarnished!”

“If this goes on, how will we and our families behind us manage? We were all originally respected families, but now we’ve become like rats in the street!”

Those present didn’t rush to respond, just kept stroking their beards.

Suddenly, someone spoke up, “But His Majesty’s attitude clearly supports Fang Zheng, and the Crown Prince is also on Fang Zheng’s side. What can we do?”

Zhang Shi said seriously, “Gentlemen, we’ve all seen the power of the newspaper.”

“Once it’s out, the public opinion in the capital is almost in Fang Zheng’s hands alone. The newspaper represents the voice of the world. How can such power be in Fang Zheng’s hands?”

“If we let him continue to act recklessly, won’t the world fall into chaos? Moreover, the Crown Prince trusts this man greatly, and I fear he’s already on the wrong path.”

“Therefore, no matter how difficult, we must make an effort!”

“I’ve called you all here mainly to deal with this matter. His Majesty clearly doesn’t agree to hand over the management of the newspaper to the Hanlin Academy.”

“But why can’t each department of the court start its own newspaper? The affairs of the world are diverse, and newspapers should have their focus.”

“Now the Crown Prince Daily is a jumble. It should be split up.”

“For example, the Ministry of War could have its own daily, specializing in interpreting world situations, border movements, and even influencing war public opinion.”

“Similarly, the Ministry of Revenue could influence matters of national finance and grain with its daily.”

“The same should apply to other departments.”

“Although Fang Zheng and the Crown Prince came up with this, the more I think about it, the more I feel it’s an extraordinary thing.”

“This incident might be a war, and I’d like to call it a public opinion war!”

The others looked at each other, communicating with their eyes, then nodded simultaneously.

One person said, “This makes sense! However, Fang Zheng is deeply trusted by His Majesty and the Crown Prince. The Crown Prince Daily may not be easily split up.”

Zhang Shi smiled slightly, “Splitting up is just my way of putting it conveniently.”

“We don’t need to ask His Majesty to split it directly. Each department can just apply to His Majesty to establish new newspaper offices.”

“Although the Crown Prince Daily is at its peak, it’s not professional enough. Most of its content is what common people like to read.”

“If the court departments run newspapers, they’ll surely attract ambitious scholars from all over the world! Perhaps they could even influence the imperial examinations.”

Everyone started whispering to each other.

Zhang Shi smiled as he watched them.

This was the trend of the times. Although his family’s relationships were usually just superficially good, now they had a common enemy.

Fang Zheng, that fool who doesn’t know life from death, had offended everyone.

Now, His Majesty might protect you for a while, but everyone makes mistakes. There will come a day when you fall!

After some discussion, someone said, “Even so, His Majesty might not agree immediately.”

“This grain donation, although each family didn’t lose much, the most important thing is that reputations were damaged, and the court’s prestige was harmed. Starting new newspapers now might not be able to salvage the situation.”

“In our opinion, it’s better to advise His Majesty to ban the Crown Prince Daily first.”

Zhang Shi said seriously, “Gentlemen, banning the daily newspaper is not feasible.”

“Temporary losses don’t matter much. After all, those who believe in the Crown Prince Daily are mostly common people.”

“How can they represent the world? The affairs of the world are in the hands of scholars and the wise! Once the new department newspapers are established, it won’t take long to turn public opinion around.”

“This is a plan for the next hundred years! Please consider it carefully.”

Everyone whispered to each other again.

Then they all replied, “Alright! We’re willing to join Minister Zhang in advising His Majesty to start new newspapers!”

Zhang Shi smiled and stood up to bow, “You are all pillars of the state, discerning right from wrong. This is excellent!”

“Today, His Majesty ordered Fang Zheng to verify the grain reserves of each family, but that fellow ran away. Tomorrow, we’ll start from this point. I will impeach…”

“Father! Father!! Something terrible has happened!”

Zhang Shi was cut off mid-sentence as Zhang Chang ran in from outside in a hurry.

He was holding a newspaper.

Everyone turned to look at Zhang Chang. Zhang Shi felt embarrassed and raised his hand to give Zhang Chang a slap.

He shouted angrily, “You fool! Where are your manners, being so reckless! Can’t you see we have guests?”

Zhang Chang, holding his swollen face, stammered, “I… I… have big news!”

Then he weakly pulled out a newspaper from behind his back.

“Father, this is the second newspaper published today! That Fang Zheng, he…”

“Stand aside!”

Zhang Shi snatched the newspaper and shooed Zhang Chang to the side.

The sight of this useless son made him angry! After being dealt with by Fang Zheng, he was like a mouse seeing a cat, even trembling at the mention of Fang Zheng’s name.

How did he raise such a useless son!

Zhang Shi picked up the newspaper and started reading carefully. The others were all craning their necks to look.

After reading for a while, Zhang Shi’s expression changed.

He put down the newspaper and said, “Fang Zheng has sent reporters to secretly investigate the grain reserves in the homes of the ministers, and he even said those reporters might not return to the newspaper office alive…”

Everyone was stunned. Suddenly, someone slapped their thigh!

“Oh my! This Fang Zheng, he’s really…!”

“Gentlemen, I’m sorry, but I need to go home first…”

“Minister Zhang, I also have matters to attend to, I’ll leave first…”

Soon, only Zhang Shi and Zhang Chang were left in the hall. Zhang Shi was both anxious and angry. He shouted, “Xu Bo! Notify everyone immediately! If any strangers come to our fields or home, they must be strictly guarded. If they lose even a hair, I’ll punish severely!”

Zhang Shi held the newspaper, muttering, “Fang Zheng, you son of a…”

Zhang Chang said with a tearful face, “Father, why don’t we just give up? Fang Zheng is not human…”

“………..”

“Father! Don’t hit me! Don’t hit… Ah!!!”