LRAB Page 9
Page 9
The ministers couldn't help but shake their heads.
They looked at the Crown Prince, who dared to look Emperor Qing directly in the eye and speak his mind.
I thought it was the crown prince rising to power.
But at this moment, they all scoffed at it.
"Truly, indulging in frivolous pursuits is a waste of time and utterly meaningless!"
"Newspapers! What's the difference between handling that stuff and handling toilet paper?"
"Buying a piece of toilet paper for a tael of silver? Are you crazy?!"
"This is really unreliable!"
"This Crown Prince is truly inferior to the Second Prince!"
"The future of Daqing, sigh!!!"
Although the ministers dared not speak,
But inside, he was actually complaining like crazy.
However, Emperor Qing suppressed his anger and calmed down.
He gazed at his son, who had seemed somewhat weak in the past.
A hint of appreciation gradually appeared in his eyes.
To be able to withstand the pressure and look him in the eye for so long,
This was indeed somewhat unexpected for him.
It seems,
I've actually grown a bit from this experience of getting sick.
As for newspapers
He had once heard Ye Qingmei briefly explain the role of newspapers.
That's why he personally expended the effort to review the content of the newspapers published by the inner court.
However, several years have passed,
He didn't see much benefit from the newspapers, but they were quite expensive.
Now almost no one cares about it.
He was already considering suspending the newspaper business.
Now that Li Chengqian has suddenly made this request, it can be considered as relieving his burden.
Moreover, this matter does not involve political or military affairs.
Regardless of success or failure, it's not a big deal.
Simultaneously,
He could also use this opportunity to assess the Crown Prince's competence.
It can be said that it is entirely beneficial and without any drawbacks.
The only thing that gave him some concern was,
The newspapers were entirely supervised by the inner court.
The inner court was his check and balance against the Censorate, and its position was extremely important.
He didn't even want the royal family to get involved in the Oversight Council.
Let alone the inner court?
After a moment's thought, he slowly said, "Does the Crown Prince intend to take over from the inner court?"
Upon hearing this, Li Chengqian's heart tightened.
They clearly sensed the deeper meaning in Emperor Qing's words.
Then he said loudly:
"Your Majesty, I had no such intention."
"Although the newspaper has only been around for a short time, I have found that it can educate people, broaden their horizons, and even benefit our Great Qing Dynasty."
"If only one newspaper in the inner court circulates, it will inevitably seem somewhat inadequate."
"Therefore, I dare to suggest that you start a new newspaper."
Newspaper?
Is it to be established separately, without interfering with the inner court?
Upon hearing what Li Chengqian said,
Emperor Qing was much relieved, and his expression softened.
“What the Crown Prince says makes sense. In that case, I will grant your request.”
"Is there anything else I can do for you regarding this new report?"
Li Chengqian thought for a moment, feigning hesitation, and then spoke:
"Your Majesty, since I am going to start a new newspaper, I will indeed need some information from various places and start-up funds."
"Therefore, I hope that the Control Yuan can provide some files on important news concerning people's livelihood in various regions."
"The additional initial funding may need to be supplied by the internal treasury."
Upon hearing this, Emperor Qing nodded.
After a brief moment of thought, he said in a deep voice:
"Since it involves the Censorate and the Imperial Treasury, you should talk to Chen Pingping and the Princess in person. Once you've reached an agreement, submit a memorial."
This statement seems to be an agreement.
However, he did not rule out the possibility of a definitive conclusion.
After all, the Censorate and the Imperial Treasury are both extremely important places in the Qing Kingdom.
Even though Li Chengqian was the crown prince, he was still very sensitive.
The internal treasury is fine.
It just requires some initial capital.
However, the Control Yuan,
In recent years, Emperor Lingqing has been frowning.
Because he had already vaguely sensed it.
The Control Yuan appears to be gradually losing control.
This is not a good sign.
Since his son wanted the Control Yuan's assistance,
Emperor Qing also wanted to see what choice Chen Pingping would make.
Li Chengqian bowed gratefully and said, "Thank you, Your Majesty."
Emperor Qing nodded slightly. "That's enough. Court adjourned!"
The words fell,
He stood up abruptly and left the hall.
The plump eunuch Yao immediately stepped forward and said, "Court is adjourned!"
All the ministers bowed and then left.
Li Chengqian only left the Taiji Hall after everyone had left.
All the fear and gratitude on his face had vanished, replaced by calm.
Next.
The key points of promoting the new newspaper,
The main issue is how to gain the support of the Control Yuan and the Imperial Treasury.
With the files from the Control Yuan and the money in the Imperial Treasury,
The matter of the new newspaper was thus largely settled.
The internal treasury goes without saying; all he needed was some start-up capital.
Given his relationship with Li Yunrui, it's easy!
At worst, I can just support them a few times.
The difficulty lies with the Control Yuan.
The Control Yuan has the power and responsibility to oversee the entire nation.
The files contain many secrets that have always been kept confidential.
Even if he only wants some unimportant files,
Even if the emperor approves,
Whether the Control Yuan will agree is also uncertain.
Emperor Qing did not immediately agree.
That's why he asked him to talk to Chen Pingping.
Of course, there might also be a hint of testing Chen Pingping in it.
At this moment, Li Chengqian had already left the Taiji Hall.
I just stepped out of the imperial city gate.
They happened to see Lin Ruofu waiting there.
His heart skipped a beat. "Is Your Excellency waiting for me?"