amaotonovel Chapter 100 A Brief Discussion of the Beijing Daily
Chapter 100 A Brief Discussion of the Beijing Daily
Wenyuan Pavilion
This is where the cabinet processes memorials. Since the Crown Prince was arranged by Emperor Shun'an to observe government affairs in the cabinet, he has spent most of his time in the Wenyuan Pavilion.
Inside a side hall
Wen Zongji was led inside by a eunuch and saw the Crown Prince dressed in plain clothes, sitting upright behind his desk.
The Crown Prince recently celebrated his fifteenth birthday and underwent a hair-binding ceremony, so he no longer needs to let his hair down.
At this time, he would tie his hair up and secure it with a cap. Before his coming-of-age ceremony, the crown prince would always dress like this.
His hair was tied up, his posture was straight, his face was calm and expressionless, and the majesty of the crown prince was even more intense.
Wen Zongji bowed and greeted the Crown Prince: "This humble official pays respects to Your Highness the Crown Prince."
The Crown Prince raised his hand: "No need for formalities, please sit."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Wen Zongji walked over and sat down at the lower end of the table.
"Serve tea!"
The eunuch walked in with small steps and served tea to Wen Zongji.
Wen Zongji thanked him again, picked up his teacup, took a sip, and then put it down.
The Crown Prince's gaze fell on Wen Zongji: "You and your cousin have been married for several months now. How are you getting along?"
Wen Zongji replied, "The county princess is bright and generous. She manages the household affairs so that I have no worries. I am very grateful."
"My cousin is my aunt's only daughter. She has been pampered since childhood. Although she can be spoiled at times, she is not unreasonable. Please be patient with her."
"Yes, Your Highness, I will follow your instructions."
The Crown Prince shook his head: "This is not instruction, but merely advice from a younger brother."
Wen Zongji changed his tune: "This humble official has noted down the Crown Prince's suggestion."
But in his heart, he gained a deeper understanding of the favor he received from his young wife.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, the Crown Prince said, "I have read your examination paper."
Now, let's get to the main point!
Wen Zongji sat up straight and said, "These are just some shallow opinions; I hope Your Highness will forgive my ignorance."
"Don't be modest," the Crown Prince said. "Both Father and I think this policy essay is extremely well written."
"To be honest, Father Emperor intends for me to oversee the publication of the Capital Gazette. It was you who proposed the idea, so I must already have a plan in mind. In your opinion, how should the court arrange for the publication of the Capital Gazette?"
Upon hearing this, Wen Zongji did not refuse and said frankly, "Since ancient times, public opinion has always been a powerful tool. The Beijing Gazette is a tool that the court has been given control of."
"But if the Beijing Gazette is to become a sharp weapon without harming anyone, two things must be done. First, the people must accept the Beijing Gazette. Only if they accept it will they believe its contents. Second, the Beijing Gazette must be completely controlled by the Emperor or the Crown Prince, and must never become a private tool of any one person."
"After all, words are a deadly weapon!"
The Crown Prince wholeheartedly agreed: "Father and I shared the same consideration, which is why we entrusted this matter to me. Do you think it would be better to establish a new office within the Court of State Affairs to handle the imperial gazettes, or to make it independent?"
Wen Zongji said, "In my humble opinion, the content to be published in the Beijing Gazette in the future will inevitably involve major events of the court or some government orders and appointments. These are all within the scope of the Office of Transmission. If the Beijing Gazette is handed over to the Office of Transmission, it will be able to be published more quickly."
"If the Beijing Gazette were to be separated from the imperial gazette, the officials in charge of it would need to be granted special privileges, such as the right to access imperial memorials and cabinet deliberation records. Such privileges would be too great, and the cabinet might not agree."
The Beijing Gazette was, after all, an official gazette, and it was bound to involve important matters of the court. Therefore, those responsible for selecting and compiling the Beijing Gazette needed to have certain privileges.
Although independence would bring more freedom and greater rights.
However, considering the practicalities, Wen Zongji did not recommend that the Beijing Daily become independent.
The Crown Prince understood Wen Zongji's meaning: "The independence of the Beijing Gazette means the establishment of a new government office. The establishment of any new government office is of great importance and must be reported to the Cabinet for review and discussion. This is too troublesome. It is indeed more convenient to place it under the Office of Transmission."
If it were an ordinary official, he probably wouldn't be able to resist the temptation of being in charge of a government office.
But the Crown Prince is different!
What he needed to do was to run the Beijing Gazette well so that Emperor Shun'an could see his abilities.
In the future, someone else will inevitably take charge of the Beijing Daily. If the Beijing Daily is allowed to have too much power, there is a risk that it will become too powerful to control.
The Crown Prince actually preferred to establish a separate office within the Ministry of Justice to be responsible for reporting the imperial edicts.
Wen Zongji continued, "Both the Capital Gazette and the Official Gazette are official gazettes, but there are some fundamental differences between them. The audience of the Official Gazette is the capital city and various local government offices, while the audience of the capital city is the people of the entire Great Chu."
"Compared to the Imperial Gazette, the Beijing Gazette certainly cannot publish as many court secrets, but it can publish some important court appointments, or how the court deals with disasters and disturbances in various places."
"Furthermore, if a major event occurs among the people and causes a great sensation, in order to prevent the people from making wild guesses and believing one-sided information, which could lead to negative consequences, the court can use the Beijing Gazette to report on the matter so that the people can have a correct understanding."
Wen Zongji then went on to talk about the future content direction of the Beijing Daily and the positive impact that running the Beijing Daily well could bring.
The Crown Prince listened attentively, occasionally asking Wen Zongji questions.
The two chatted happily, and when they finished, they realized it was lunchtime.
The Crown Prince said, "I'm getting hungry from talking. Don't leave yet, stay and have lunch with me."
Wen Zongji stood up: "This humble official is terrified."
The Crown Prince waved his hand: "You are my cousin's husband, what is there to be ashamed of about dining with me?"
Wen Zongji had no choice but to agree.
The palace servants quickly set out lunch in the side hall, and the two sat down to eat together.
"I heard that after the Qionglin Banquet, you accompanied your cousin on a trip out of the city, and only went to work at the Hanlin Academy yesterday?"
The Crown Prince had long planned to summon Wen Zongji, but he had been out playing with Pei Rujing until the last day of the month before he finally went on duty.
Thinking that summoning Wen Zongji alone would be too high-profile, they decided to summon Lu Nian'an and Wu Fengyuan before Wen Zongji reported for duty.
Judging from their age, these graduates will be the backbone of the nation after the crown prince ascends the throne.
The crown prince then met with the two men and learned about their political views.
Wen Zongji said, "Since we got married, I have been busy with my studies and have inevitably neglected the county princess. Before the imperial examination, I promised the county princess that I would accompany her out of the city for sightseeing."
The Crown Prince nodded: "That's good. My cousin has always loved having fun and excitement."
After lunch, the Crown Prince was going to Linhua Palace to help Emperor Shun'an process memorials, so Wen Zongji took his leave.
It was still the Crown Prince's carriage that took him back to the Hanlin Academy.
On the carriage
Wen Zongji recalled what the Crown Prince had said and was certain that the Crown Prince genuinely wanted to establish the Beijing Gazette and wanted to run it well.
This is actually an opportunity for Wen Zongji!
If he could participate in supervising the reporting of the imperial edicts to the capital, he would not have to work his way up in the Hanlin Academy, and this experience would be helpful for his future career.
But the prerequisite is that the Crown Prince is willing to borrow him from the Hanlin Academy!
As for whether the Crown Prince will do that?
Wen Zongji was 80% confident!
The Crown Prince wanted to run the Beijing Gazette well, and even though he had many capable people, no one understood the Beijing Gazette better than Wen Zongji.
If the Crown Prince wants to achieve perfection, he will inevitably have to employ Wen Zongji.
This is Wen Zongji's advantage!