This was the first time Wen Qingxiao had heard such thoughts from Gu Yanshu, and the first time he learned that pricing the daily paper so low carried such profound meaning.
As he carefully reflected on Gu Yanshu's words, Wen Qingxiao realized how shallow and narrow his earlier view had been—that it was wasteful for illiterate people to use the newspaper for patching walls.
He didn't need to speak; Gu Yanshu could tell what he was thinking just from the look of guilt on his face.
After all, the Sixth Young Master was always one for self-reflection.
Worried that Wen Qingxiao might again say something like "I've learned so much," Gu Yanshu quickly spoke first:
"This insight was actually taught to me by the ancient sage Mencius."
"The sage Mencius?"
As expected, Wen Qingxiao's attention was immediately diverted. He looked up at Gu Yanshu, eager to know what Mencius had said.
Since Gu Yanshu had always intended to promote Confucian and Mencian thought in Tianqi, he saw no reason to hold back:
"Mencius once said: 'In obscurity, maintain personal integrity; in prominence, benefit the whole world.' Although I am not the most accomplished man, I still hope to contribute within my capabilities."
As he spoke, Gu Yanshu felt a slight twinge of guilt.
After all, no one knew better than him what his original intentions had been in founding the newspaper.
But Wen Qingxiao was already completely captivated by the phrase "In obscurity, maintain personal integrity; in prominence, benefit the whole world," and didn't notice Gu Yanshu's slight unease.
Just like the previous quote—"When Heaven is about to place a great responsibility on a person…"—this sentence struck Wen Qingxiao with profound force.
Such simple words revealed the speaker's extremely high moral character and intellectual depth.
Recalling the earlier quote, Wen Qingxiao began to form a vague image in his mind—resolute, strong, unyielding, tolerant… The blurry figure seemed to grow slightly clearer.
But then he didn't dare ponder further.
Having encountered only two sayings from this great master, how could he presume to刻画 (depict) his image?
Remembering that Gu Yanshu had said Mencius was already deceased, he felt even greater regret—regret that he could never converse with this master or hear his teachings directly.
Following regret came a strong longing: to read more of Mencius's words and one day accurately envision the sage's appearance.
Gu Yanshu, who knew Wen Qingxiao well, could guess his thoughts from his expression:
"Mencius's notes are rather disordered. I've been organizing them since returning to the residence and have made some progress. I expect to send the first volume to your residence in a few days."
"I trouble Your Highness greatly. Qingxiao thanks you in advance."
Wen Qingxiao, rarely so direct, expressed his gratitude immediately—showing just how eager he was for Mencius's teachings.
Gu Yanshu, familiar with Wen Qingxiao's thirst for knowledge, didn't mind the informality.
Then, their focus returned to the newspaper office.
Wen Qingxiao had arrived shortly after it opened and was more aware of the day's issues than Gu Yanshu.
He had originally planned to visit the Prince Li's residence after closing to discuss the problems with Gu Yanshu.
Now that Gu Yanshu was here, he wouldn't miss the opportunity.
He took out his work notes and placed them before Gu Yanshu:
"Observing the paper's release today, I noticed several issues. Would Your Highness care to review them?"
Gu Yanshu opened the notes. True to Wen Qingxiao's style, they clearly listed several suggestions.
The first was about the newspaper's pricing—a topic they had already discussed and agreed on, so it could be skipped.
The second was whether to increase the print run.
Based on today's demand, it seemed the quantity needed to at least double to meet everyone's needs.
But after some discussion, they decided against increasing it for now.
After all, this was only the first day. With Grand Secretary Pei's article and it being New Year's Day, impulse buying was understandable.
Short supply on the first day didn't mean it would always be insufficient.
If needed in the coming days, they could always print more urgently, as they had today.
They agreed to observe for half a month. If demand still exceeded supply after that, they would consider increasing the print run.
The third issue was that the front shop seemed too small.
Wen Qingxiao had actually noticed this when they bought the property.
At the time, he thought that since the shop's main business was selling newspapers, a small storefront would suffice.
The three-courtyard rear was the real find, so he accepted the trade-off.
But after today's release, he saw the drawbacks of the small shop.
For example, around 9-11 AM, the paper had been out for over an hour, and many in the capital had heard about it, coming to buy copies.
So many people arrived that the shop couldn't hold them all, and buyers ended up crowding half the street.
Fortunately, it was New Year's Day—schools were closed, so students weren't around, and most shops on Yude Road were shut.
Otherwise, the situation would have surely inconvenienced neighboring shops and students.
So Wen Qingxiao was considering either expanding the shopfront or renting a separate, dedicated store.
But to Wen Qingxiao's surprise, this suggestion was also rejected by Gu Yanshu.
"Because I don't plan to keep selling the newspaper only at the shopfront."
This time, before Wen Qingxiao could ask, Gu Yanshu provided the answer.
Initially, selling the paper at the newspaper office's shop had been a decision made without knowing how the public would receive it.
Once the readership stabilized, Gu Yanshu intended to adopt the distribution model from his previous world:
The newspaper office would only handle printing and wholesale, while retail would be handed over to bookstores.
So what seemed like a too-small shop to Wen Qingxiao was actually just right in Gu Yanshu's eyes.
After all, in the future, only bookstore representatives would come to pick up stock, along with perhaps some newsboys buying in bulk to sell on the streets—no need for a large storefront.
After hearing this, Wen Qingxiao couldn't help but praise repeatedly:
"Your Highness is truly thoughtful! Leaving sales to bookstores will make it easier for the public to buy and lighten the load on the newspaper office. How did I not think of this?"
"Different trades require different expertise. The Sixth Young Master simply hasn't dealt with such matters before, so it didn't occur to you."
Gu Yanshu, standing on the shoulders of giants and borrowing others' wisdom, didn't dare take credit.
Wen Qingxiao smiled softly, then seemed to remember something:
"After distributing the paper to various bookstores, our workload will be much lighter. Then, the idea some scholars proposed today about subscribing in advance should also be feasible?"
"The Sixth Young Master is indeed clever."
Gu Yanshu hadn't expected Wen Qingxiao to grasp this so quickly.
As the daily paper's publication continued, its readership would stabilize, making subscriptions—akin to modern newspaper delivery—a natural development.
Hearing Gu Yanshu's description, Wen Qingxiao knew his idea was workable. Nodding, he picked up a brush to jot down key points from their discussion.
After addressing the major issues, only minor ones remained—things Wen Qingxiao could handle alone without further discussion.
However, because the first issue featured the Grand Secretary's analysis of the imperial exams, scholars took it very seriously.
Even after the extra print run sold out, those who hadn't gotten a copy lingered in the shop, unwilling to leave.
Finally, Gu Yanshu sent someone to inform them that all issues would eventually be archived on the third floor of Guiyuanju.
Those who hadn't bought a copy could go there to borrow or transcribe it.
Additionally, two rooms on the second floor would be dedicated to interpreting the daily paper.
Only then did the scholars reluctantly leave, though still full of regret.
If they couldn't buy the paper, being able to borrow and copy it was better than nothing.
Wen Qingxiao, however, was astonished by Gu Yanshu's move.
After the scholars left, he couldn't help but give Gu Yanshu a thumbs-up:
"Your Highness really… never misses a chance to make money, does he?"
"After all, there's a whole household at the Prince Li's residence waiting to be fed. Besides, didn't the Sixth Young Master just say the newspaper's pricing leads to too much loss?
If I don't recoup it elsewhere, I might soon be too poor to put food on the table."
Far from being ashamed, Gu Yanshu seemed proud, offering Wen Qingxiao a faint smile.
Wen Qingxiao, who happened to be drinking tea, nearly choked:
He had known Gu Yanshu could be somewhat unscrupulous at times, but never to this extent!
"A whole household waiting to be fed"? Wasn't it the Prince Consort who had recently said the keys to the Prince's treasury were in his hands?
"Too much loss from the newspaper's pricing"? Who was it that said other methods would make the paper profitable later?
And who had just solemnly spoken about "in obscurity, maintain personal integrity; in prominence, benefit the whole world"?
Even more outrageous was Gu Yanshu claiming he was "too poor to put food on the table."
Just look at Taoranju, Guiyuanju, Yaoyue Pavilion, and the Zhou family assets now fully under the Prince Consort's control—how could he say such things with a straight face?
Didn't he worry that managers of other shops in the capital might risk disrespect to beat him up for saying that?
Fortunately, Wen Qingxiao was no stranger to dramatic situations and quickly accepted that Gu Yanshu was simply this shameless.
When Gu Yanshu arrived at the newspaper office, he had mentioned that with Qin Lu away at the palace, he had nothing to do at home.
So after resolving the newspaper issues, he wasn't in a hurry to leave. Instead, he began chatting with Wen Qingxiao.
Wen Qingxiao, who had always enjoyed conversing with Gu Yanshu, didn't refuse.
When he learned that Gu Yanshu played Go, he even had a board brought out for a game.
Gu Yanshu had learned Go in his previous life.
Due to his poor health, he couldn't run and jump like others, so his parents hired a tutor to teach him Go to keep him company.
A game of Go could last half an hour, which suited him.
As he learned more, he grew to love the strategic battle on the board.
But since coming to Tianqi, he hadn't had much chance to play.
Wen Qingxiao, once known as the top young master of the capital, was highly skilled at Go.
For a while, they were evenly matched, becoming so absorbed that they lost track of time.
It was only when Xingren came to remind them that the Prince was outside the newspaper office and asked if he should be invited in that Gu Yanshu realized it was already dinner time.
Immediately, he set down his piece:
"Qingxiao, keep this game—we'll continue next time!"
"Your Highness!"
Wen Qingxiao, who hadn't enjoyed a game this much in a long time, wanted to persuade him to stay.
But Gu Yanshu gave him no chance, waving his hand:
"Really can't today—the Prince is waiting for me. Next time, definitely!"
Without waiting for a response, he turned and left.
Wen Qingxiao watched Gu Yanshu's retreating figure, glanced down at the unfinished game, then looked back up.
Though he hadn't eaten dinner, he felt strangely full:
Did he have to emphasize that the Prince was here to pick him up? Was this mocking him for not having a loved one?