Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
After leaving Eunuch Liu’s place, Yan Liqiang returned to his own residence. He had a sumptuous dinner before he started cultivating Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing repeatedly while waiting for news from Eunuch Liu.
The Great Han Times was something that he had come up with. Based on his original plan, Yan Liqiang was thinking of using the newspaper to do whatever he could to save some lives four years later. However, the Imperial Capital was a dangerous place and Yan Liqiang discovered that his earlier thoughts had been too naive.
The Grand Chancellor had already seen the value of the newspaper and was making all sorts of preparations to snatch it. Not only did he want to get the newspaper, but he also prepared vicious means to take Yan Liqiang’s life through the newspaper office. Under such a situation, Yan Liqiang could only make a bold decision and hand both the newspaper and the newspaper office to the Emperor as quickly as he possibly could.
Once the newspaper office became the royal family’s property, then Lin Qingtian’s and Gu Chunyi’s methods of using the newspaper office to lay a trap for Yan Liqiang would no longer work. He had silently negated a fatal move. With one less weak spot and lethal threat, he had also earned himself a higher rating in the Emperor’s eyes, setting the stage for his departure from the Imperial Capital to head back to Gan Province. In the end, as long as The Great Han Times was still in the Emperor’s hands, he would still have the possibility and chance of making use of and controlling the newspaper a few years time. This was his goal and initial objective when he founded The Great Han Times.
Since it was destined that he was unable to keep the newspaper, then he had to make full use of its value.
Yan Liqiang knew that his fast and decisive reaction would definitely be out of Lin Qingtian’s and Gu Chunyi’s expectations. They had initially given him three days to consider, but they would not expect him to pick the Emperor’s side in less than a day after returning to Deer Villa. In a life and death situation like this, there was no need for him to consider the possibility of joining Lin Qingtian’s side. His response would definitely infuriate them and spoil their plans. And this was what Yan Liqiang needed. If everything went according to their plan, he would have died a long time ago. Even if he ended up surviving, he would be leading a life that was no different from that of a dog’s.
The sky gradually turned dark and then pitch-black as the late night arrived. All of Deer Villa was silent and there were only the cries of the crickets in the grass and the frogs and toads croaking in the pond. The temperature had turned a little chilly and Yan Liqiang was starting to cultivate the Muscle Tendon Changing and Marrow Cleansing for the fourth time. When he reached the Half Body Diagrams, he heard rushed footsteps coming from outside the courtyard…
Goldie ran to the courtyard’s entrance and barked.
The sound of the footsteps belonged to Little Li.
The moment Yan Liqiang heard these things, he knew that Eunuch Liu was back. He stopped his cultivation, tidied up his clothes, and then heard the knocks on the door. He walked over and opened it. Little Li was standing there, holding a lantern with a layer of sweat on his forehead, “Deputy Manager Yan, Eunuch Liu is back and has requested for you to head over. He said that he has something important to discuss!
“Alright, let’s leave right now!” Yan Liqiang walked out and closed the door behind him.
Little Li held the lantern and led the way quickly, with Yan Liqiang following behind. Not long later, they arrived in Eunuch Liu’s residence. The eunuch was drinking tea in the hall, and when he saw Yan Liqiang arrive, he stood up and waved his hand. Little Li took his leave docilely, shutting the door after him.
“Eunuch Liu, what did the Emperor say?” Yan Liqiang asked directly.
“His Majesty was receiving some Provincial Governors in the royal study tonight and that’s why I had to wait in the palace for a very long time before I got to see him. After hearing the reason for my visit, His Majesty knew what you encountered today and felt both infuriated and overjoyed. I’m sure you can guess what His Majesty was infuriated over without me saying, and the joy he felt was really great joy. I’ve never seen His Majesty so happy before despite having stayed by his side for so many years. His Majesty said that he hadn’t expected for you to be very loyal and a person of integrity. Although you are young, you’re a person who can understand the bigger situation. In terms of just these alone, many ministers aren’t comparable to you. His Majesty has agreed to accept the newspaper office and newspaper that you’ve offered!” Eunuch Liu beamed at Yan Liqiang. He probably received quite a lot of praises in his trip to the palace this time around as well.
“How is His Majesty going to manage the newspaper office and The Great Han Times?” This was what Yan Liqiang was the most concerned about.
“His Majesty is going to hand the newspaper office and The Great Han Times to the Imperial Household Department’s Directorate for Credentials to manage!”
Imperial Household Department’s Directorate for Credentials? Yan Liqiang was stunned for a moment. The Imperial Household Department was an organization in the palace that existed to serve the Emperor. That department handled everything required in the palace and by the royal family, even the female chamberlain who served His Majesty’s side. And the Directorate for Credentials was a department in the Imperial Household Department that managed all of the Emperor’s matters concerning old and new documents as well as exemption plates, edicts, document corrections, official seals, books, matching seals, collections, and passes.
Yan Liqiang originally thought the Emperor would hand the newspaper over to his eunuchs to handle. However, after some thought, Yan Liqiang understood the Emperor’s intentions. It was an excellent move for the newspaper to be managed by the Imperial Household Department and the Directorate for Credentials. This would completely cut off the possibility of interference from Lin Qingtian and the other organizations and departments in the imperial court. The eunuchs in the palace were the most loyal group of people in the Great Han Empire toward the Emperor, and there was no need to worry about mistakes and slip-ups if the matter was handed to them.
“That’s good. It’s thoughtful to have the eunuchs in the Imperial Household Department and Directorate for Credentials handle the newspaper and the newspaper office!” Yan Liqiang nodded. This arrangement was the best outcome at the current moment.
“In the future, the Directorate for Credentials is going to have one more job to handle. His Majesty told me to put up a fake title in the Directorate for Credentials and told me to arrange a manor in Deer Villa to set up a Newspaper Pavilion. In the future, this newspaper will be managed by me and there won’t be a need to trouble other people…” Saying this, a hint of pride appeared on Eunuch Liu’s face. “I only know a little about literacy and hadn’t expected that His Majesty would assign me with this work where I have to manage a group of experts in writing articles. It’s quite interesting…”
“There are many capable people in the Directorate for Credentials. As long as Eunuch Liu obtains two helpers from there, manages the group of experts in the publishing company who write articles, and gives proper rewards and punishments accordingly, you don’t have to strain yourself too much!”
Since Lin Qingtian had also seen the value of newspapers and now that The Great Han Times had fallen into the Emperor’s hands, based on Lin Qingtian’s character, Yan Liqiang was extremely certain that the second set of newspapers was going to appear in the Imperial Capital within a few days’ time. When that happened, with the competition between the two sets of newspapers, and with how the Directorate for Credentials and Eunuch Liu would not dare to destroy the Emperor’s good cards and make themselves a joke, they would do their best in this matter. Therefore, there was no need to worry about the future quality of The Great Han Times. At the very least, it would not be worse than its current state.
“That’s true, that’s true. Regardless of the type of trade, the hardest thing to establish is the regulations. Since you’ve established the regulations and everything is working smoothly, we’ll just have to follow the regulations that you’ve set. If the people working at the bottom dare to spoil things, I’ll skin them!” Eunuch Liu took a sip of tea and smacked his lips. “It’s too late today and inconvenient to arrange for helpers. For now, only His Majesty, myself, and you know about this piece of information. I’ll arrange for a group of people to take over the publishing company early tomorrow morning. As long as we take over the place, we won’t need to worry about other people coming up with tricks!”
“Mmm, I’ll write a letter tonight. If Eunuch Liu would, please send someone capable to bring this letter to Mount Longqi’s manor and hand it to Manager Fang. We’ll inform Manager Fang to make the necessary preparations. Manager Fang is a reliable person and I’ll remind him to pay more attention in the manor tonight in case other people slip in…”
“Not bad, not bad. Liqiang, you’ve really thought things thoroughly!” Eunuch Liu nodded and smiled as he looked at Yan Liqiang. He then opened up a rustic-looking wooden box on the table next to him, and then brought out a jade box to hand to Yan Liqiang. “This is something His Majesty told me to pass to you!”
At a glance, it was clear that the item inside was extremely valuable. Otherwise, it would not have been kept so carefully.
“Huh? Eunuch Liu has even brought me something from His Majesty?” Yan Liqiang appeared a little overwhelmed by the favor shown to him as he carefully received the jade box and held it in his hands.
“How could His Majesty not know of your loyalty to him? This is considered a reward from His Majesty to you!”
“What’s in this jade box?”
“There’s the Supreme Golden Pill in the jade box. It is a sacred medicine and eating one would allow a Supreme Martial Warrior to advance as a Martial Master within a day. This thing is extremely valuable and priceless. It’s considered to be extremely precious, even in the royal family. Every single Supreme Golden Pill is carefully stored and registered, only awarded to members of the royal family who have gained merit. His Majesty said that after you’ve taken this Supreme Golden Pill and advanced to a Martial Master, you’ll increase your chances of winning the blindfolded contest in a few days…”
“Liqiang will definitely not disappoint His Majesty…” Yan Liqiang appeared to be extremely grateful, but in actuality, that gratefulness he showed was mixed with pretense. He did feel a little touched, but he also knew that His Majesty was just returning a favor…
After receiving the Supreme Golden Pill, Yan Liqiang then got his writing tools and wrote Fang Beidou a letter right before Eunuch Liu. He wrote down his decision in the letter and told Fang Beidou to make necessary preparations…
After writing the letter and handing it to Eunuch Liu, Yan Liqiang took the Supreme Golden Pill and returned to his courtyard…
Yan Liqiang continued to work hard for a few hours in the sixth floor of the Sword Cavern, but was still unable to find a method to clear the stage. He then decided to return for now.
The next day, before the sun rose, Eunuch Liu selected a group of capable people from Deer Villa and then headed straight for Mount Longqi together with Yan Liqiang…
