400: On "Newspaper"

Lin Yue, with a nervous heart, followed Zhao Gao step by step into the palace to meet The First Emperor.

“Your subject Lin Yue…”

“Dispensed with…” The First Emperor waved his hand, and a Eunuch handed a memorial to Lin Yue.

Lin Yue immediately took the memorial to examine it, and with a glance, he realized it was about the “newspaper” that Widow Qing had mentioned!

He quickly finished reading it, but his mind was constantly pondering: what should he say?

Should he say what Ji San and the others had instructed, or should he speak his own thoughts?

One must know that although The First Emperor encouraged free speech in his early reign, after the unification of the six states, to prevent the nobles of the former six states from favoring the past over the present and harboring resentment, he ordered a ban on private possession of books from the six states and forbade them from discussing court affairs without authorization. The emergence of this newspaper would inevitably tear open a gap, potentially displeasing The First Emperor. But at the same time, if Great Qin had an authoritative report, it would also have a significant impact on Great Qin's cohesion!

Lin Yue pondered for a moment, then handed the memorial back to the Eunuch in front of him.

“What is your opinion on this matter?” The First Emperor asked.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, your subject believes this matter has both advantages and disadvantages, but overall, the advantages far outweigh the disadvantages!” Lin Yue replied with a bow.

“How so?” The First Emperor asked in a deep voice.

“Your subject believes that this item called ‘newspaper’ is unprecedented in ancient times and is something that could only appear in Great Qin on the foundation of unifying the world! Your subject is dull and can only see a few rough points:

Firstly, the ‘newspaper’ is different from the proclamations issued by the Government. The spread of proclamations is too limited, but a newspaper can publish the policies of the Great Qin court, the laws enacted, and even the deeds of filial sons, chaste women, and other exemplary figures from all over Great Qin, including the military and the court, serving as a role model and better guiding the thoughts of Great Qin's people!

It can also make Your Majesty's voice travel from Zhangtai Palace to every corner of Great Qin!

Secondly, after Great Qin unified the six states, its territory is unprecedentedly vast!

If not for Your Majesty gathering spatial stones from all over the world to construct thirty-six Heavenly Tier Teleportation Arrays, your subject cannot imagine how long it would take for an event in Liaodong Commandery to reach Your Majesty's ears. But with this newspaper, it can serve as a supervisory and deterrent role! Supervising and deterring those with improper conduct, those who abuse their power for personal gain, or those with malicious intentions!

Thirdly, the emergence of newspapers can effectively help the people better understand Great Qin!

Currently, Great Qin relies on Your Majesty's sagacity; Great Qin's national fortune is prosperous, with favorable weather and abundant harvests year after year!

The people of Great Qin no longer have to worry about food, which was unheard of before! But after the people of Great Qin have eaten their fill, they will seek more… spiritual needs!

Currently, countless new industries are springing up like mushrooms all over Great Qin, such as storytellers in teahouses and taverns. They have already become the main channels for people's leisure entertainment and information gathering. However, due to the scattered and mixed nature of storytellers in various places, they can inevitably be exploited by others to spread rumors, cause trouble, and smear Great Qin.

Therefore, Great Qin must have a loud and distinct voice of its own!

And this ‘newspaper,’ in your subject's humble opinion, can very well serve as this medium!

But with advantages come disadvantages, and the drawbacks of newspapers cannot be ignored.

That is, we must guard against those with ulterior motives using newspapers to criticize, attack others, or arbitrarily alter the original intentions of court decrees.

But in your subject's humble opinion, it only requires that each edition of the newspaper be reviewed by the court before publication, and then issued once the court deems it correct!” Lin Yue spoke eloquently, during which The First Emperor never interrupted but quietly looked at Lin Yue, lost in thought.

As for entrusting the review of newspapers to the court, it was unavoidable. Even in his own era, reviews were necessary, let alone in this feudal dynastic era. Free expression was a pipe dream!

But at the same time, this move also prevented others from competing with him for business. After all, the entertainment value of this type of newspaper would not be high. If others published newspapers, they would be left with nothing. Lin Yue was not a saint; he would not pave the way for others.

“These are some of your subject's humble opinions,” Lin Yue said with a bow. His objective had been achieved.

If The First Emperor did not agree, his eloquent words would be useless; if The First Emperor agreed, then many high-ranking officials in the court would naturally supplement and perfect it.

He was merely the brick that drew out jade. Those people were all contemporary elites, dragons among men, and cunning old foxes. Apart from his modern perspective, compared to them, he was far inferior in every aspect. After all, when it came to schemes, the ancestors were the grandmasters. A single “Thirty-Six Stratagems” was revered by countless foreigners; his own little bit was simply not enough to compare.

“Since it is to be regulated, why not have the court directly publish and produce it?” The First Emperor asked.

“Reporting to Your Majesty, merchants pursue profit; they calculate gains and losses, thereby making choices that, while not optimal, are the most suitable! But the court will not; the court focuses on commands. This might lead to resource waste or a situation where the ‘newspaper’ has a price but no market, unable to meet the people's needs to the greatest extent,” Lin Yue replied.

He couldn't help but inwardly complain: he had said so much, and if it ended up being directly published and produced by the court, wouldn't he have spoken in vain?

If he were to ask the court for a ten percent stake, The First Emperor would demand his head!

“But no matter what, your subject suggests that the ‘Printing Technique’ written in this memorial must be nationalized! If this method is truly effective, it will undoubtedly be a technology of great benefit to both the country and the people! At that time, Great Qin's books will be widely disseminated!” Lin Yue said.

The Printing Technique in the hands of the court and in the hands of a certain merchant are completely different in nature!

Limited by the cultural development of Great Qin, after the destruction of the old six states' books, Great Qin's collection of books was already not extensive, which is why Xiang Yu's single fire burned them all to ashes. If paper in this world of Great Qin were combined with the Printing Technique, then the court would undoubtedly extensively print various books, which would undoubtedly promote the great development of Great Qin's culture!

Most importantly… this Printing Technique wasn't his; he only needed to speak. Moreover, since Widow Qing had already written about the Printing Technique in the memorial, she had no intention of keeping it private. It was very likely an “exchange,” and he was merely going with the flow.

“Hmm.” The First Emperor nodded, then said to Zhao Gao, “This matter is temporarily put aside. We will discuss it again at tomorrow's court assembly.”

“Understood.” Zhao Gao responded.

Then The First Emperor suddenly stood up and said to Lin Yue, “Lin Yue, come with Us for a walk.”