allendalepharm Chapter 229 The Establishment of the Branch Office
Chapter 229 The Establishment of the Branch Office
Wenyuan Pavilion
On his first day on duty, Wen Zongji had barely sat down in his office chair when he learned that the Crown Prince had summoned him, so he had no choice but to go to the palace immediately.
"Did you have a good time traveling with your cousin?"
Wen Zongji cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you for your concern, Your Highness. Everything is fine."
After a few pleasantries, the Crown Prince quickly got to the point: "Regarding the branch offices of the Capital Gazetteer, news has been arriving from various prefectures one after another; all preparations are complete, and they are ready to be put into operation immediately once the court sends someone to oversee them. How are your people's preparations going?"
Wen Zongji said, "It's all ready. They've been in the Beijing Gazette Office for a few months and are familiar with the entire process of the Beijing Gazette, from reviewing manuscripts to distribution. In the early stages, the branch office will only be responsible for printing the Beijing Gazette, which is not difficult for them at all. On the contrary, the more important thing is to monitor local public opinion. I plan to have them go there so that, in addition to distributing the Beijing Gazette, they can collect local information, understand the local people's livelihood and customs, so that in the future they can publish an official gazette that is more recognized by the local people."
The Crown Prince nodded: "You can arrange this matter. However, since the branch offices are newly established, they will inevitably encounter some difficulties. I plan to send you to inspect various places after a while to see how the branch offices are doing."
Wen Zongji was slightly taken aback; he truly hadn't expected the Crown Prince to have this plan: "I wonder where Your Highness intends for me to inspect?"
The Great Chu was vast, and it was impossible for Wen Zongji to visit every prefecture.
The Crown Prince said, "We'll see when the time comes. I'm telling you in advance so you can prepare... and reassure your cousin beforehand."
This is the Crown Prince's true purpose.
Wen Zongji felt a headache coming on when he thought of Pei Rujing's clinginess, and tentatively asked, "Your Highness, I wonder..."
"impossible."
The crown prince glanced at him: "No official has ever taken his family with him when he went out on official business."
Wen Zongji: "...Could the Crown Prince speak to the County Princess?"
The crown prince opened a memorial and began to read it.
Wen Zongji's lips twitched.
When faced with a difficult question, you fall silent again!
Wen Zongji sighed: "Then approximately when will we leave the capital?"
"Considering that it will take time for the people sent from the capital to arrive there, we tentatively set the date for two months later."
"Your Highness understands. You have matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."
After Wen Zongji left, a eunuch serving nearby said, "The Crown Prince is truly considerate of Lord Wen, informing him of his departure from the capital so far in advance."
The Crown Prince glanced at him upon hearing this: "If I don't tell him beforehand, what will happen when my cousin comes to the palace to settle scores? Are you going to keep an eye on things for me?"
The eunuch's face stiffened, and he chuckled awkwardly, "How could a servant like me be qualified?"
The Crown Prince spoke two months in advance to give Wen Zongji enough time to appease Pei Rujing.
He believed that Wen Zongji could do it.
If Wen Zongji knew what the Crown Prince was thinking, he would definitely reply with a forced smile, "Thank you for thinking so highly of me."
……
Fortunately, there are still two months left, and Wen Zongji doesn't plan to tell Pei Rujing for the time being. It's not good to make things difficult for himself too early.
At this moment, Wen Zongji began to feel glad that he had advised Pei Rujing to take charge of the newspaper. With something to do, Pei Rujing would not be too bored, and it would be easier for her to accept that he would be leaving the capital for a period of time.
The main reason is that after they got married, they only separated for a few days after their initial argument, but Wen Zongji quickly went to the Princess's residence to bring Pei Rujing back. Apart from that, they never separated.
Even when Wen Zongji was busy and could be nowhere to be seen, they still lived under the same roof.
It's understandable that Pei Rujing might find it hard to accept the sudden separation.
Wen Zongji sighed, temporarily putting the matter out of his mind, and had someone summon Yao Maofang. The two of them checked the list of personnel to be dispatched to the branch office once again.
After confirming that everything was correct, Wen Zongji said, "Go and inform them that they must leave the capital to take up their posts within seven days of receiving the transfer order. They are, after all, people of the Capital Gazette Bureau, and they represent the face of the Capital Gazette Bureau in the outside world. I will not allow them to abuse their power, bully others, or commit crimes. However, if anyone dares to disobey the Capital Gazette Bureau's duties or disregard the Capital Gazette Bureau, I will stand up for them."
Yao Maofang cupped his hands in greeting: "This humble official understands... My lord, sending out over a hundred people at once has reduced our forces in the capital by more than half. Shouldn't we recruit some more?"
Because the Beijing Daily now publishes three issues of the newspaper per month, the pressure of reviewing manuscripts has increased, and the number of staff needed has naturally also increased.
Wen Zongji said, "Let's first see if we have enough people left."
The previous staff were clearly too wealthy; the Beijing Gazette Bureau wouldn't have recruited so many people if it weren't for training staff for its branch offices.
The exact number of people needed needs to be recalculated.
In the following days, everyone in the Beijing News Bureau was busy with their own tasks. Wen Zongji and Yao Maofang were busy finalizing the list and urging the heads of each branch to leave Beijing and take up their posts as soon as possible.
The others continued reviewing the manuscript and preparing for the publication of the new issue of the Beijing News.
Wen Zongji only had a chance to catch his breath after all the staff in the branch offices were settled, and by then it was almost the Lantern Festival.
Pei Rujing felt sorry for Wen Zongji, who had been too busy these days, and said, "Let's not go out for the Lantern Festival. It's the same old thing every year anyway, so it's not very interesting. We might as well stay at home and play mahjong or chess."
The game of chess she was referring to was, of course, Gomoku (Five in a Row).
Wen Zongji said, "I'll listen to my wife."
……
In the blink of an eye, it was February of the sixteenth year of Shun'an.
Wen Zongji began receiving letters from the heads of the prefectural capital's branch offices of the Beijing Gazette, stating that they had taken over the local offices and recruited local people to maintain their operation. They were also looking for reliable printing presses to prepare for the upcoming publication of the Beijing Gazette.
After receiving the letter, Wen Zongji began to arrange for people to send the draft of the next issue of the Beijing Gazette, which had not yet been published, to the branch offices that had already arrived, so as to help them make a name for their branch offices in their localities as soon as possible through the Beijing Gazette.
After all, the reputation of the Beijing Daily had already spread throughout the Great Chu. As long as the Beijing Daily was available for sale, most people would buy a copy out of curiosity.
Besides, only those who could publish the Beijing Gazette and whose editors were in charge of writing could use the Beijing Gazette sales license to quickly collect money from those large bookstores. With money, many things could be done.
At the very least, it gives you confidence when settling accounts with the printing workshop.
Once all the branch offices in various regions were operational, it was time for Wen Zongji to leave Beijing on a business trip.
Returning to Yunguangyuan after finishing my shift in the evening
Wen Zongji knew that some things could not be delayed any longer. After dinner, he and Pei Rujing took a walk in the courtyard, and he said, "My lady, the Crown Prince intends for me to leave the capital in a while."
Pei Rujing was slightly taken aback and asked, "What are you going to do?"
"The branch offices in various places have already started operating one after another. The Crown Prince asked me to go to a few places to see if they have encountered any difficulties or if they are outwardly compliant but inwardly defiant."
"Oh," Pei Rujing asked again, "How long will it take?"
Wen Zongji shook his head: "It's not certain yet."
Pei Rujing's expression darkened: "You're not going to be gone for a month or two, are you?"