Chapter 36: The Publishing Bureau, Initiate! (Second Round Ranking Battle)

June 9th, the second year of the Xining era.

Ouyang Xiu submitted a petition requesting the prefecture of Kaifeng. At the same time, Sima Guang submitted a proposal, with the Censorate requesting the establishment of a public-run, privately-operated official gazette, subject to Censorate review, to open the channels for public discourse and gather the opinions of the people. Lu Huiqing requested the approval and implementation of his completed plan for the division of national debt. Former Academician Su Shi submitted a memorial during his mourning period, presenting his work "Eight Essays on Farming in Shu" to the Emperor, requesting its reference and implementation. Meanwhile, Chancellor Wang An Shi and Privy Councilor Wen Yanbo jointly submitted a memorial regarding "Adjustments to the Garrison Deployment of the Imperial Army," seeking to reform current military affairs.

The Empress Dowager had only received a prior notice regarding Lu Huiqing’s national debt proposal; the sudden deluge of applications completely overwhelmed the old lady. Since every item concerned the vital secrets of the state, she had no choice but to convene an imperial conference.

With the arrest warrants rescinded, Li Chang’an left Su Shi’s official residence. If one were to talk about comfort, the secondary residence of the Duke of Cao was certainly superior. On the day of his departure, young Su Mai cried his heart out, clinging to Guangxiao’s legs and refusing to let go. Had Li Chang’an not promised to help him finish illustrating "The Great Sage’s Journey to the West," the boy would have threatened to jump into a well—though it was unclear if he would even fit through the wellhead.

Upon returning to the estate, Li Chang’an immediately summoned Qian Weiming and his group. Sima Guang’s end was settled, and now they could finally roll up their sleeves and get to work.

"Well? It’s been half a month; did you manage to recruit people this time?"

Qian Weiming tilted his chin, looking immensely proud. He was now well-supplied with talent and at the peak of his popularity. A single lecture had elevated him to a prominent figure. It wasn’t just the students of the Imperial Academy; even the teachers greeted him from afar, and they requested his commentary on every policy essay. Simply put, he had traded a donkey cart for a carriage.

Qian Weiming handed over a list containing over fifty names. "Even Master Hengqu sent five of his disciples. As for the other schools of thought, each sent at least two. We can say we’ve gathered the heroes of the world."

Li Chang’an scanned the list and spotted two familiar names: Cai Jing and Shen Kuo. These two legendary figures had come to Bianjing too?

"Start the training today. First, establish a society on your end. Once Minister Sima’s approval comes down, our 'Song Dynasty Financial Weekly' will officially launch!"

Creating a financial magazine was Li Chang’an’s dream, as well as a bit of historical mischief. First, it would allow him to export economic viewpoints, gather a group of followers, and push forward reform experiments in state governance. Second, he wanted to use this to anchor his status as a founding father of economics and steal the thunder from Adam Smith. Centuries later, everyone studying political economy would have to bow to him as their patriarch.

"What about you? Won’t you be the one conducting the training?"

Li Chang’an had no desire to be a teacher; he had found other tasks for himself. "You are the editor-in-chief; I can’t take that job from you. Besides, planning topics, organizing research, publishing, printing, and market sales—there’s plenty of work ahead. Let’s discuss it together and divide the labor."

Qian Weiming had never edited a publication before, but it sounded reliable, so he didn’t argue. Back in the city, they cleared out a few rooms, had a plaque carved, and the "Song Dynasty Economic Research Bureau" was established.

The Research Bureau was divided into several groups:
The most important, led personally by Qian Weiming, was the Song Dynasty Commercial News Group. They were to report on major industrial shifts in commercial hubs like Quanzhou, Yangzhou, Chengdu, Jiangning, Chang’an, Jining, and Bianliang. Each of the ten members in the group was responsible for a different industry and tasked with building their own information channels.

The second group was the Commodity and Certificate Exchange Group. In reality, this was the Song Dynasty’s financial information board. The Commodity Office was essentially a futures exchange, and the Certificate Office was effectively a futures bond exchange. With transactions reaching tens of millions annually, it required a dedicated section.

The third group was the New Policy Investigation Group, focused on verifying the implementation of the New Policies, commenting on policy execution, and guiding public opinion.

The fourth group, Folk Commercial News, handled various commercial snippets in Bianjing. It was highly time-sensitive and served as the channel where Li Chang’an intended to make his fortune.

The society was divided into editor-in-chief, deputy editors, head writers, researchers, and general clerks. The students from the Imperial Academy were all obsessed with officialdom; upon hearing that they might eventually be absorbed by the Censorate, they competed to prove themselves, treating money like dirt. They were here for the sake of governing the world and saving the people—how could they talk about money? How vulgar!

Li Chang’an was not idle either. Although the weekly might start as a monthly, the technical work remained the same. Paper had to be selected, ink decided upon, printing technology verified, distribution channels expanded, and business partners negotiated with. With so much to do, he decided to take the lead and attend the "Financial Gathering."

"The 'Song Dynasty Financial Weekly' will be the first and only gazette to speak for us merchants!"
"Building consensus and mutual support—this is the sole purpose of the weekly!"
"Commerce is the only path to national prosperity; we must make everyone redefine commerce and grant us the respect we deserve!"
"The Censorate will become the strong shield that protects us!"

Before he had even finished his slogans, the fifty business owners in attendance were already stirred to a frenzy. What was this? Merchants could finally stand on the stage, and with the backing of the Censorate? Would they no longer need to bow their heads when entering government offices or constantly offer bribes to various officials? Were they still considered to be of "low status"? Could their children take the imperial examinations and become officials in the future?

"The 'Song Dynasty Financial Weekly' will be dedicated to promoting the prosperity of Song commerce, ensuring wealth is protected by law, and elevating the status of merchants..."

When Li Chang’an spoke these words, the bosses were completely electrified.

"Do it! Damn it, let’s do it!"

Merchants should unite. They couldn’t let people like Wang An Shi sit on their necks and defecate, or reach into their pockets whenever they pleased. There was also Lu Huiqing, Han Qi, Fu Bi, Zeng Gong—all those bastards. The merchants needed autonomy.

Before even more radical slogans could be shouted, Li Chang’an hurried to move the process forward, announcing the various sections of the weekly and the details of shared information channels.

"Since this is a collective publication, everyone must contribute strength or money. One goal is to help the press obtain authentic, timely commercial information..."
"Agreed!"
"Also, subscriptions are the core of expanding our influence. I hope everyone will subscribe enthusiastically and promote it actively..."
"I’ll buy ten copies!"
"Of course, we also need to guide public opinion. In daily life, actively cite the data and insights from the weekly..."
"We shall follow the President’s lead!"

Seeing the high spirits of the bosses, Li Chang’an proposed that everyone who contributed would have their names listed in the inaugural issue as honorary editors-in-chief.

"Victory!"
"Victory!"
"Victory!"

*Hmm, the public heart is useful!* Li Chang’an felt very gratified. It would be even better if they could all shout "Loyalty."

He broke down the preparatory tasks for publication and subcontracted them one by one to the various merchants. Soon, Li Chang’an was free from the daily grind and could fully transition into his role as the overseeing President.

*As a graduate student, I’m actually managing to command so many bigwigs. No wonder everyone loves time travel.*

Now, all that was left was to choose a blockbuster topic for the inaugural issue to give the gentlemen of the imperial court a little shock.