Chapter 920 - 765: Advancing Side by Side

The passengers on the boat didn’t notice Chen Ji standing on the jetty with a darkened expression, as they continued discussing: "Hey, what do you think, how could Marquis Wu Xiang who killed so many people be afraid of his wife?"

Another person teased, "It’s normal, after all, Second Miss Zhang managed to snatch a marriage from the Qi family’s doorstep. Isn’t she quite a character? Wasn’t there a story about Second Miss Zhang in the teahouse recently? The infamous Yan Zhihu of the Imperial Capital, she even barged into the White Tiger Festival Hall of the Jing Dynasty’s Western Capital Road and got out unscathed, handling the little Marquis Wu Xiang would be a piece of cake."

Just as the two passengers were about to leave, Chen Ji blocked their path and said in a deep voice: "What this newspaper says is not true, how could Marquis Wu Xiang be afraid of his wife?"

"Look at what you’re saying," one of the passengers retorted, "If Marquis Wu Xiang isn’t afraid of his wife, then why does he sleep on the floor? Is the floor comfortable?"

Chen Ji was momentarily speechless: "There must be another explanation for this."

The other passenger sized him up: "We don’t know about other explanations... Why are you so concerned when we’re talking about Marquis Wu Xiang?"

Chen Ji raised an eyebrow: "Why am I anxious? I’m not anxious at all."

The two passengers shook their heads, brushed past him: "We’re in a hurry to get home for dinner, don’t block the way."

Chen Ji watched the two passengers walk away and then stopped a woman who had just disembarked: "Could I ask, was this Wuxiang Morning News just printed today?"

A woman carrying a basket thought for a moment: "It should be, I’ve never heard of it before."

Chen Ji asked again: "Has this Wuxiang Morning News sold a lot... I mean, approximately how many people have read it?"

The woman thought for a moment: "I saw a lot of people selling newspapers on the streets on my way to the ferry, at this time, probably the entire Jinling City has read it."

Chen Ji moved aside weakly: "Thank you."

He watched as passengers continued to pass by in front of him, each excitedly talking about the Marquis Wu Xiang, it seemed no one wasn’t talking about it.

Chen Ji hesitated for a moment, and simply spent eighty cents to buy a newspaper from a passenger, reading it as he walked towards the county town. Wu Yun lying on his head meowed: "Don’t just read it yourself, read it out loud, there are many characters I don’t recognize."

Chen Ji looked at the newspaper and read: "This person, Marquis Wu Xiang, is brave..."

Wu Yun: "Chen Ji, I recognize those few words at the beginning."

Chen Ji sighed: "Xiao Man and the little monk shouldn’t have taught you to read..."

He lowered his head to read the newspaper, the Anti-Japanese Army at the gate greeted him as he entered the city, but he turned a deaf ear.

Chen Ji climbed up the city wall and sat on the crenelation, carefully flipping through it. After reading the tale of the stolen marriage several times, he finally turned to the later pages.

The front page of Wuxiang Morning News no longer praised Emperor Ning, and the layout was much cleaner.

The second page still retained the appointment and transfer of officials, the third and fourth pages still focused on economy and livelihood, with content repeating technologies previously published by Meihua Crossing Morning News.

The fifth and sixth pages finally revealed the hidden daggers, with the fifth page discussing the court’s new policies, and the sixth page talking about the new policy changes in Shan Province, Lu State, Shan State, and Henan Province, detailing the benefits received by the common people.

In the past, tenant Old Li had just sown twenty acres of good land when a government document conscripted his labor, leaving the twenty acres of good land wasted, and no livelihood for the year. Trying to pay to avoid the duty, the clerks demanded exorbitant fees, leaving him no place to appeal.

Now, all labor duties are no longer forcibly conscripted, with clear prices set for exemption silver, so Old Li does not have to abandon farm work halfway to serve far away, allowing continuous farming of the land.

Previously, dozens of miscellaneous taxes were mixed together, more than a dozen of which were privately added by the clerks, causing unbearable suffering for the common people.

Now, the tax categories are combined, with all tax levies consolidated into a single amount of tax silver, leaving the clerks with no opportunity to exploit.

Among more than twenty detailed new policies, aside from the matter of surveying and measuring land, each and every one is beneficial to the people. This is what Wuxiang Morning News truly wants to convey.

If it were just about new policies, this Wuxiang Morning News might not make it out of Jinling, but now using the stolen marriage as a gimmick, it might travel the entire Southern Zhili along the waterways within half a month.

But Chen Ji wasn’t concerned about these things; what he cared about was the person behind the newspaper, as not many people knew he slept on the floor: "So Zhang Xia has come to Jinling."

Wu Yun perked up: "Have Xiao Man and the little monk come too?"

Chen Ji stood up on the crenelation, looking towards Jinling, standing under the gray sky with the river wind making his clothes flap loudly.

At this moment in Jinling City, Zhang Xia, sensing something, suddenly turned her head towards the east, with two small soldiers hidden under the turbulent undercurrents gazing at each other from afar.

Xiao Man, stuffing pastries into his mouth, curiously asked: "What is Sister Axia looking at?"

Zhang Xia smiled and shook her head: "It’s nothing, just felt like someone was watching me just now, but it must be an illusion... I wonder if Chen Ji saw the newspaper in Jingjiang County, I’d really like to see his expression in person."

Xiao Man gloated: "Serves him right."

...

...

On the crenelation, Wu Yun meowed on Chen Ji’s head: "Are we going to meet them in Jinling?"

Chen Ji was silent for a moment: "We will go, but not now. When the Wuxiang Morning News spreads to every corner of Southern Zhili, the people will realize the benefits of the court’s new policies, and the scholars will be on the opposing side of the common people. But things aren’t that simple, many people in this era don’t understand, for new policies to replace the old, it inevitably requires bloodshed."

Wu Yun seemed to understand somewhat.

Just then, Yuan Xing and Jiang Chai saw Chen Ji standing on the city wall from afar, and immediately approached: "What does godfather have in his hand?"

As he spoke, Yuan Xing reached out to take the Wuxiang Morning News from Chen Ji’s hand. Chen Ji’s face darkened and he withdrew his hand, tucking the Wuxiang Morning News into his chest: "What is it?"

Yuan Xing sheepishly withdrew his hand: "The document from the Ministry of War has arrived, Zheng Jiye got lucky and was promoted to Commander of a Thousand Households, he’s dancing with joy now, although I don’t see what’s there to be happy about for a mere Commander of a Thousand Households."

Jiang Chai interjected coldly: "And what are you? Aren’t you just an infantryman?"

Yuan Xing feigned ignorance and continued: "Godfather, the twenty-six Common Households purchased by the scholars have also been approved, this Ning Dynasty really makes money move mountains... However, those Common Households didn’t come to Jingjiang County, I heard they received their waist tags and vouchers and went home to recruit soldiers, not even bothering to pay their respects. If they were soldiers under me, I’d arrest their entire household tonight."

Jiang Chai sneered: "Still think you’re the Right Martial Guard Commander, don’t you?"

Yuan Xing flared up: "Are you purposely picking a fight with me today? Just jealous I became the Right Martial Guard Commander, haven’t you been holding this grudge for years?"

Jiang Chai gave him a glance, then turned to Chen Ji: "Godfather, what do we do next? If we’re to fight the pirates, the Matsubara Clan has seven to eight thousand troops, our hundred or so veterans aren’t enough."

Chen Ji turned and walked down the city wall steps: "Wait a bit longer, in a few days it won’t be just these few troops."

...

Sorry, I’m running a fever today, taking a day off.