Chapter 53: The Way of the Channels Is the Way of the King!
Some craftsmen would naturally be necessary for the job. Due to the fact that this world did not have advanced metallurgy technology, the words had to be carved entirely by wood craftsmen on wooden blocks. While the Living Printing Technique sounded easy, the downside was that it required a large amount of manpower for it to be able to start.
“Hm, that’s great. I’ll leave the decision to you, uncle. I have some other matters to attend to, so I’ll have to leave the palace for a bit,” said Hong Xiaobao. He didn’t have to dip his hands too deep into that matter because Fang Xinghan would definitely not tamper with his plan and make sure it goes without a hitch.
“Ah? You’re going out from the palace?” Upon hearing that, Fang Xinghan quickly said, “Since this one isn’t busy at the moment, why don’t I accompany you on your trip?” To him, Hong Xiaobao absolutely couldn’t be harmed by anyone as he was Fang Xinghan’s ticket to fame. It would appear that this was the first time a head teacher like him voluntarily offered to be someone’s bodyguard.
“Oh, uncle’s going out as well?” Hong Xiaobao gave it some thought before saying, “Oh, alright. I was just about to go around to have some fun. Let’s depart then.”
“Great.” Thus, Fang Xinghan had officially become a ‘follower’ of Hong Xiaobao. Bringing the head of one of the Six Great Orthodoxies along was totally unheard of and unprecedented.
After exiting the main gates of the imperial palace, Hong Xiaobao walked alongside Fang Xinghan with eight other guards behind them and went towards the Great Healthcare.
Just as Hong Xiaobao entered the building, the head hostess quickly received them and hugged Hong Xiaobao’s arm before saying, “Oh my, for me to be so late in receiving the ninth prince, please forgive my rudeness. Ninth prince, how may we serve you today?”
The success of the Warm Fragrant Building was definitely attributed to Hong Xiaobao’s contributions, so Madam Lan the hostess naturally would treat him as a treasured guest.
“Ah, thank for asking,” said Hong Xiaobao as he pa.s.sed 20 silvers to her before saying, “Today, I’ve come to request something of you, Madam Lan.”
“Oh? The ninth prince actually needs this old bone for something? Then come inside quickly and tell me about it!” Madam Lan led Hong Xiaobao into a meeting room indoors. While there wasn’t any issue with having fun and relaxing on the outside, it was better to go indoors for the discussion of private matters such as these.
After they entered the room, a woman who looked in her early thirties walked inside. Upon seeing Hong Xiaobao, she said, “So, you’re the ninth prince that Madam Lan has always kept praising nonstop? Nice to meet you, I, Chen Qihe, head of the Chijing branch of the Lotus Sect, greets your majesty.” Chen Qihe’s looks were above average and she wore a long blue gown with flower-patterned embroidery near the end of her long sleeves.
All of the major figures of the Six Great Orthodoxies were 6-star martial artists or above and were easily recognizable.
“Nice to meet you, Sister Chen,” said Hong Xiaobao with a face full of smiles. “This time, I’ve come here with a business proposition. I believe that you’re allowed to make the decision for this?”
It was truly convenient for a major figure to be here. She’ll have no problems handling the business proposal.
As expected, Chen Qihe smiled and nodded. “Of course, please come over here, ninth prince.” After saying that, she gave Fang Xinghan a glance with a hint of suspicion. “Who may this one be?”
That was natural as not everyone got to know the head teacher of the Saint Academy personally. After all, Chen Qihe was only a branch head and was miles apart from being near the rank of a head teacher and didn’t have the opportunity to interact with people of Fang Xinghan’s standing. And this world didn’t have convenient tools like televisions, so it’s understandable that she didn’t know how Fang Xinghan looked like.
Fang Xinghan also kept a low profile and didn’t flaunt his fame. With a mere smile, he said, “Nice to meet you, I’m a friend of the ninth prince and I’m here to just accompany him as I run some errands of my own. hehe.”
Chen Qihe didn’t think much about what Fang Xinghan had said because he came over with the ninth prince after all and was considered one of them.
Of course, had the head teacher of the Lotus Sect been here instead of Chen Qihe, she would have a totally different opinion — for the head teacher of the Saint Academy to say that he’s a friend of Hong Xiaobao the ninth prince… It would instantly cause Hong Xiaobao’s reputation to shoot through the roof!
“Well met. Please, this way.” After returning his greetings, Chen Qihe brought the other two into a small meeting room with guards at all of the entrances. It was a relatively safe place to discuss business matters without worries.
After the few of them sat down. Chen Qihe looked at Hong Xiaobao with a sweet smile and asked, “Your majesty, I wonder how our side can cooperate with your business offer?” The few ideas Hong Xiaobao had given them before had earned them lots of money. That was especially the case with the introduction of the performers at Great Healthcare which received critical reception. That’s why Chen Qihe was extremely pleased to hear that Hong Xiaobao had another business proposition for them.
“Hm, it’s nothing complicated actually…” said Hong Xiaobao as he fidgeted in his chair until he found a comfortable posture. “To summarize, I want to start publishing a newspaper that will report the latest happenings in the Jiang Hu that will also contain a novel serialization within it. I have determined that your establishment would be the ideal place for us to do the initial distribution, hehe.”
“Huh? A newspaper?” It was the first time that Chen Qihe had heard of something like a newspaper, but she surmised that it probably meant something like a collection of notices. Quickly, she snapped out of her daze and asked, “Hmm, our Lotus Sect has quite a number of establishments such as these across the land, so helping you distribute your newspaper wouldn’t be a problem. However, your majesty, I wonder if you can have a secure supply once the newspaper starts getting popular?”
The Lotus Sect was slightly different from the other sects within the Six Great Orthodoxies.
The other five sects had their influence covering certain territories where they would aid the military and government of the respective rulers to protect their lands. Given the Lotus Sect predominantly consisted of women, they stood at a slight disadvantage when it came to fighting over territorial ownership and political disputes. That’s why they changed their strategy to set up entertainment establishments across the lands.
It is not an overstatement to say that the Lotus Sect owned a frightening number of more than 40% of the entertainment establishments in the known world. Consequently, that also meant that the Lotus Sect had the most extensive information network among all the other sects.
That’s why Hong Xiaobao went to them this time. So, how does one profit in this world? The answer is channels! Whoever controls the channels will definitely profit!
“Yes, I can a.s.sure you that there will be no problem with the supply,” said Hong Xiaobao with a smile. Fang Xinghan’s face reddened with excitement as he was awed at the ninth prince’s ingenious ideas. It seemed like forming good relations with him was a correct choice!