bestfiction Chapter 235 Guangyang Prefecture
Chapter 235 Guangyang Prefecture
On the third day after leaving the capital, Wen Zongji and his party arrived in Guangyang Prefecture.
Not long after they entered the city, the Guangyang Prefecture government learned of the matter. Wen Zongji had come to inspect the branch of the Capital Gazette Office, which was essentially unrelated to their other government offices.
But Wen Zongji was no ordinary man. He was not only a rising star in the court, but also Anhe's husband, with intricate connections to the royal family, and was highly regarded by the Crown Prince.
These local officials rarely had the opportunity to meet officials from the capital, and it was even rarer to meet a high-ranking official like Wen Zongji with such a powerful background.
Therefore, even though the prefect of Guangyang Prefecture knew that Wen Zongji's trip had nothing to do with them, he still sent someone to deliver an invitation, inviting Wen Zongji to a banquet that evening.
Upon entering the city, Wen Zongji immediately went to the branch office of the Beijing Gazette Bureau.
The location of the Guangyang Prefecture branch office is good, not far from the Guangyang Prefecture government office. The surrounding area is full of government offices and wealthy families, so its safety goes without saying.
The chief editor of the Guangyang Prefecture branch office was Shan Zengnian. He was added to the Beijing News Office later, and his initial role was to be assigned to various prefecture branches to oversee operations.
Each person sent out underwent a dual assessment by Wen Zongji and Yao Maofang, so their abilities speak for themselves.
As soon as Wen Zongji arrived at the entrance of the branch office, he saw Shan Zengnian and his entourage waiting at the door.
Upon seeing Wen Zongji alight from the carriage, Shan Zengnian respectfully said, "This humble official greets Your Excellency."
Wen Zongji walked over and patted him on the shoulder: "No need for formalities... Did you know I was coming?"
As Shan Zengnian greeted Wen Zongji as he entered the yamen, he said, "The news that Your Excellency has been appointed by the Crown Prince as an imperial envoy to inspect various local offices has already reached Guangyang Prefecture. Your Excellency instructed us to first cooperate with the bookstores to obtain the initial funding after arriving at our offices, and then find the printing house to discuss the publication of the Beijing Gazette."
"Finally, we need to understand the local people's livelihood. To understand the people's livelihood, we must deal with the local people. In order to better understand Guangyang Prefecture, I found many people in the countryside to act as spies. As soon as you entered the city, your spies informed me."
Wen Zongji nodded in agreement: "You did a good job. How's the circulation of the Beijing Daily?"
"It's very popular. The people of Guangyang Prefecture have long been interested in the Beijing Daily, and even bought it from vendors at high prices. After I came here, the Beijing Daily was snapped up as soon as it was published. Not only the people of the prefectural city, but also the people of the surrounding counties came to the prefectural city bookstores to buy the Beijing Daily."
Wen Zongji said, "The county towns below can also allocate some quotas for selling the Beijing Daily to them. As for how to allocate the quotas, you can decide for yourself."
"Yes."
"What is your relationship with the government office?"
"Prefect Huang of Guangyang Prefecture is very kind. I am new here and Prefect Huang has helped me a lot. He also said that if I need any help from the prefectural government in the future, I should just ask."
Wen Zongji narrowed his eyes: "It seems the Guangyang Prefecture government doesn't oppose our Jingbao Division?"
"It's probably because the Imperial Gazette Bureau and the Prefectural Government are not subordinate to each other and have no vested interests that this is the case."
"In any case, maintaining good relations with the prefectural government is only beneficial. Since Prefect Huang has taken the initiative to show goodwill, you should respond accordingly. Don't let people think that our Beijing Gazette Office is aloof, arrogant, and unsociable."
"I have already sent a gift of thanks to Prefect Huang to express my gratitude for his help a few days ago."
Wen Zongji was even more pleased to hear this.
This is the advantage of having someone on your side, because they were trained by Wen Zongji and their way of dealing with people always makes him feel comfortable.
It was around this time that the invitation from the government office arrived.
Wen Zongji originally did not intend to have much contact with the local government, but after hearing what Shan Zengnian had just said, he felt that he should at least give this Prefect Huang some face.
Tell the person who sent the invitation that I will attend the banquet on time.
"Yes."
The servant of the branch office responded and turned to go and report back.
"Your Highness's accommodations have been arranged by your humble servant."
Single-year increase.
Wen Zongji raised an eyebrow at him: "I can stay at the post station."
Dan Zengnian hurriedly said, "Since you have come to Guangyang Prefecture, it is only right that I, as your humble servant, should extend the hospitality of a host. Moreover, the inn has already been booked; it would be a waste if you didn't stay there."
"It seems the Guangyang Prefecture branch has made quite a bit of money."
Shan Zengnian explained, "This humble official did not use the portion that should have been handed over to the Crown Prince and the Capital Gazette Office."
"I have no suspicion of you... Fine, I will accept your kindness."
"This humble official will guide you, sir."
Dan Zengnian personally led Wen Zongji to the inn, and instructed the innkeeper to take good care of Wen Zongji and his companions before taking his leave.
Wen Zongji said, "You will come with me to the banquet tonight."
Dan Zengnian replied, "Yes, sir."
After Shan Zengnian left, Yu Yu immediately sent people to take over the guards of the courtyard. They inspected the entire courtyard and, after confirming that there was no danger, went in to greet Wen Zongji.
Chang Dong said, "Young Master, I never realized that Lord Shan was such a shrewd and capable person when we were in the capital."
Having arrived in Guangyang Prefecture in such a short time, Shan Zengnian has managed to establish such a strong position and was able to learn of Wen Zongji's arrival in the city so quickly. He has truly exceeded Wen Zongji's expectations.
Wen Zongji said, "In the capital's news bureau, he was just one of many minor officials. Here, he is the chief editor of the branch office, in charge of everything in the branch office. The positions are different, so naturally the way of doing things is different. What the branch office needs is someone with ability and flexibility. I can't always teach them how to do things step by step."
Chang Dong chuckled and said, "Congratulations on having the discerning eye to recognize talent and choosing Lord Shan."
"If that's the case, then the one with the discerning eye to recognize talent should be the Crown Prince. All these people in the Capital Gazette Bureau were sent by the Crown Prince."
After saying that, Wen Zongji was slightly taken aback.
In truth, among the people sent by the Crown Prince, only a few were corrupt; most were excellent and easy to use.
The crown prince was certainly not chosen randomly.
In this light, the Crown Prince's judgment is indeed excellent.
……
After having lunch at the inn, Wen Zongji rested for a while, then took a few guards to sit at the Guangyang Prefecture teahouse for a while.
I discovered that there were storytellers here, and they were telling stories about the capital.
It was probably modeled after the storytelling venues in Beijing's teahouses and restaurants, designed to attract customers.
Seeing that this place is almost full of customers, you can tell how effective this method is.
The next moment, someone called out, "Hey, do you have the latest episode of 'Floating Life'? We want to listen to 'Floating Life'."
"Yes, we want to listen to 'Floating Life'. The Beijing Daily is boring; 'Floating Life' is much more interesting."
The storyteller on stage immediately replied, "Yes, yes, yes, let's begin."
Hearing this, the somewhat agitated guests calmed down.
Wen Zongji was not surprised to find "Floating Life Records" here. After all, it was a people's newspaper and there were no restrictions on its sale in bookstores, so it was not surprising that it had spread to Guangyang Prefecture.
Hearing this, I inexplicably felt that "Floating Life" and the Beijing Daily were competing for business.
However, this also shows that as the variety of newspapers increases, readers begin to have preferences.