The situation at the newspaper office was indeed beyond Gu Yanshu's expectations.
Seeing the front shop packed with people, he didn't hesitate before turning and heading toward the side gate leading to the rear courtyard.
Although the clerks at the front were overwhelmed, the rear courtyard remained orderly.
After Xingren knocked on the side gate, someone soon came out to greet them:
"Greetings, Your Highness. Are you here to see the Sixth Young Master?"
"Is Qingxiao here as well?"
A flicker of surprise crossed Gu Yanshu's face, and he paused mid-step.
"Replying to Your Highness: the Sixth Young Master said that although everything had been arranged in advance, today is the first day of the daily paper's release. He couldn't rest without seeing it for himself, so he arrived just after 7-9 AM."
The person bowed slightly and answered respectfully.
It had to be said that Wen Qingxiao was indeed foresighted.
When the newspaper office first opened today, issues had arisen one after another.
If not for the Sixth Young Master taking charge, they would have been thrown into chaos, unsure how to proceed.
As they spoke, Gu Yanshu arrived outside Wen Qingxiao's office.
Before even entering, he heard Wen Qingxiao's calm, cool voice:
"Then have the craftsmen work a little harder and print another batch of today's paper."
Next came a slightly hesitant reply:
"But Young Master, given the situation outside, one batch might not be enough."
Wen Qingxiao responded without hesitation:
"Even if it's not enough, that's all we can do. Tell them that printing extra today is already an exception. If they don't want this to happen again, they should come earlier next time!"
"Yes, I'll go inform them right away."
Then, a man in workman's short robes—clearly an employee of the newspaper—exited the room.
The employee was surprised to see Gu Yanshu and froze for a moment before recollecting himself:
"This humble servant pays respects to His Highness the Prince Consort of Li."
This greeting caught Wen Qingxiao's attention inside:
"Your Highness, what brings you here?"
"There's no need for formalities. The Prince has gone to the palace, and I had nothing to do at the residence, so I thought I'd come take a look today."
Gu Yanshu waved dismissively at the employee and stepped inside.
Hearing this, Wen Qingxiao chuckled softly—he wasn't surprised at all by Gu Yanshu's answer.
Gu Yanshu first glanced around the office before his eyes settled on Wen Qingxiao, or more precisely, on the wheelchair beneath him:
"How is it? Is it comfortable to use?"
It was clear that the wheelchair Wen Qingxiao was using now was not the same as before.
This one was a New Year's gift from Gu Yanshu.
Wen Qingxiao's previous wheelchair had been custom-made by skilled artisans at great expense.
Though well-crafted, it still had limitations: moving the wheelchair required significant effort, which was difficult for the user without leverage.
Even though Wen Qingxiao wasn't a frail scholar, he couldn't propel the chair continuously and often needed a servant's help—which, in another way, increased the difficulty of his mobility.
Gu Yanshu had noticed this during their first meeting and had wanted to improve the wheelchair—not necessarily to make it sophisticated, but at least to allow the user to operate it easily, like wheelchairs in his previous world.
A while back, while working on small projects at the residence, Gu Yanshu had recruited several skilled craftsmen.
After some research and modifications, they had indeed created a wheelchair that met his requirements.
Since it was completed around the time for exchanging New Year's gifts, Gu Yanshu sent it directly to Wen Qingxiao's courtyard as part of his gift.
He hadn't expected Wen Qingxiao to start using it so soon.
"It works very well. Much lighter and more convenient than the one I used before," Wen Qingxiao replied, looking down at the wheelchair with a slight smile.
Although using a wheelchair was never as convenient as walking on one's own, at least now he didn't need a servant following him everywhere.
Gu Yanshu could see the fleeting loneliness in Wen Qingxiao's eyes and fell silent for a moment.
Of course, he knew that no external aid could compare to actual recovery.
Before improving the wheelchair, he had asked his elder brother Gu Yanli about Wen Qingxiao's specific condition, wondering if surgery might be possible.
But the conclusion was far from encouraging.
It had to be said that Wen Qingxiao had been terribly unlucky: the horse's hoof had struck directly on the ankle bone of his left foot.
Hearing this, Gu Yanshu had felt a sense of foreboding.
The ankle is a very sensitive area…
A horse's hoof striking it would likely cause at least a comminuted fracture.
Even in the modern era, no hospital could guarantee no aftereffects from a comminuted ankle fracture, let alone in Tianqi with its backward medical technology.
Later, through Gu Yanli's description, Gu Yanshu's fears were confirmed.
Wen Qingxiao's ankle was indeed in very poor condition.
Though it looked normal externally, the bones inside his left ankle were completely necrotic.
If not for the Emperor's compassion in sending over half the Imperial Medical Institute to treat him, Wen Qingxiao might not even have retained the appearance of intactness.
At this point, Gu Yanli couldn't continue.
Gu Yanshu didn't need to hear more to understand:
In the post-apocalyptic era, if a healing-type ability user had been willing to help, Wen Qingxiao's condition might not have been hopeless.
But in Tianqi, where such abilities didn't exist, even someone as resourceful as Gu Yanshu couldn't find the right words to offer comfort.
Fortunately, Wen Qingxiao had long since come to terms with his injury. The loneliness on his face vanished quickly, and he changed the subject:
"Did Your Highness see the scene in the front courtyard when you arrived? The newspaper's release has gone much more smoothly than we predicted. The first issue was sold out nearly half an hour ago."
Since Wen Qingxiao changed the subject, Gu Yanshu didn't bring up the previous matter. He nodded slightly and asked the question on his mind:
"I actually wanted to discuss that with you. Why was the first print run so insufficient?"
"Because we underestimated my teacher's influence."
Wen Qingxiao had already considered this question before Gu Yanshu's arrival and had found the answer.
Gu Yanshu instinctively asked:
"Grand Secretary Pei?"
"When we decided on the print run for the first issue, we only considered scholars in the capital and those who are literate. We completely overlooked my teacher's standing among the common people."
Wen Qingxiao nodded slightly and explained what he had observed:
"After word spread that today's issue contained an article by my teacher related to the imperial exams, even many illiterate people bought a copy out of curiosity."
Gu Yanshu understood immediately and added his own perspective:
"Besides that, the pricing of the newspaper is probably also a factor, right?"
"Your Highness is truly perceptive. That is indeed the case."
At five copper coins per copy, the price of the paper alone would cost more than five coins if bought from another shop.
When illiterate commoners heard that today's issue contained an article by the Grand Secretary and learned that a copy cost only five coins, they bought it without a second thought.
Wen Qingxiao had even overheard people openly admit they were illiterate but bought the paper simply because it was cheap.
Some even said that for five coins, such a large stack of paper was a good deal—even if they couldn't read it, it could be used to patch walls.
Although Wen Qingxiao knew that once the newspaper was sold, buyers could use it for any purpose—whether for patching walls or as toilet paper—it wasn't his place to comment.
But hearing such remarks and seeing the disappointed scholars who arrived too late to buy a copy left him with an indescribable feeling.
Selling these papers to people who couldn't read felt somewhat like casting pearls before swine.
This led him to bring up an old matter again:
"Should we raise the price of the newspaper?"
When he first heard the price, Wen Qingxiao had suggested that five coins was too low.
Even if the Emperor valued the daily paper, Tianqi's depleted treasury couldn't support it for long.
He believed the price should be increased—not necessarily to make a profit, but at least to avoid losses.
At the time, Gu Yanshu had rejected the idea, saying that once the newspaper matured, other revenue streams would naturally emerge.
This time, just like before, Gu Yanshu did not agree with Wen Qingxiao's suggestion:
"The price of the newspaper cannot be raised."
"But…" Wen Qingxiao frowned slightly, a rare look of disagreement on his face.
"I know what you're thinking. You're worried that in the future, like today, scholars won't be able to buy the newspaper, while illiterate commoners will purchase it because it's cheap and use it for other purposes—like patching walls, for example?"
After speaking, Gu Yanshu saw Wen Qingxiao's reaction and knew he had guessed correctly.
He smiled slightly and, without giving Wen Qingxiao a chance to argue back, continued:
"There's no need for such concern. Even if such situations occur, they will only be a very small portion."
Wen Qingxiao collected his thoughts and pondered Gu Yanshu's words.
After a moment without clarity, he finally looked up at Gu Yanshu:
"Why is Your Highness so certain?"
"Five coins for one newspaper is indeed very inexpensive. But Sixth Young Master, don't forget—our daily paper is published every day.
Five coins a day means fifty coins in ten days, and one hundred fifty coins in a month.
Do you know what one hundred fifty coins means?"
Without hesitation, Gu Yanshu laid out the calculation and then posed the question.
Unexpectedly, Wen Qingxiao looked even more puzzled:
"What does it mean?"
Gu Yanshu was surprised that Wen Qingxiao still hadn't grasped it, despite such a clear explanation.
But soon, he understood the reason.
Hadn't he been the same? In his previous life, from birth, he had been the "young master born with a silver spoon" in others' mouths.
He always had attendants, attended elite schools, and interacted only with those of similar status.
So before the apocalypse, Gu Yanshu had never known that some people would split a single coin in half to make ends meet—that one coin could buy five steamed buns, and with free pickles, it could last three days.
Wen Qingxiao came from the Wen family, a lineage of nobility and privilege. It was completely normal for him to have no concept of the value of money.
Realizing this, Gu Yanshu decided to spell it out more clearly:
"For an ordinary family, one hundred fifty coins is enough for ten days of daily expenses."
Sure enough, upon hearing this, Wen Qingxiao looked utterly astonished, clearly finding it hard to believe.
But seeing Gu Yanshu's expression, he knew it must be true.
"So, Sixth Young Master, how many families do you think would spend five extra coins every day on a newspaper they can't even read?"
Wen Qingxiao had always been intelligent. Although he found it incredible that 150 coins could cover ten days of expenses for an ordinary family, he understood what that sum meant to them.
At this moment, he had to admit that Gu Yanshu was right.
Noticing Wen Qingxiao's expression softening, Gu Yanshu added:
"And if someone really insists on buying the newspaper without being able to read it, it might not be a bad thing."
"Hmm?" Wen Qingxiao looked up at him.
"Since you understand the significance of 150 coins to an ordinary family, if they still buy the newspaper daily under such circumstances, they probably won't use it just for patching walls.
Even if only to avoid wasting that money, they would likely glance at it a few times before using it."
"A few glances today, a few tomorrow, every day a few glances—over time, even if they learn just one character, that's still learning."
"His Majesty has always been troubled by the low literacy among Tianqi's common people. If the newspaper can subtly increase public knowledge—even if it's just one more character recognized—that would still be a success for the daily paper."
These were all considerations Gu Yanshu had weighed when setting the price.
If Qin Lu couldn't eventually inherit the throne, given the current state of the Prince Li's household, neither Qin Lu nor Gu Yanshu himself would have any way out.
Gu Yanshu had felt he hadn't lived enough even in his previous life; now, with a loved one by his side, how could he possibly be ready to go?
Gu Yanshu had always been someone who planned ten steps ahead.
Since Tianqi's empire would eventually be in Qin Lu's hands, why not start now and secure a peaceful and prosperous era for his beloved stag?