Chapter 61: Huh?! How is that not one?

Zhu Biao's expression shifted abruptly as he asked in astonishment, "The Embroidered Uniform Guard? Father, when did you establish this?"

Old Zhu handed a memorial to Zhu Biao and said calmly, "Qin Feng merely gave Us a hint back then, so We went ahead and set up the Embroidered Uniform Guard."

Reading the contents of the memorial, Zhu Biao felt a wave of profound shock.

The details recorded within those pages documented the various movements of the officials with terrifying precision!

Right now, Old Zhu essentially possessed clairvoyance and clairaudience, having the whereabouts of those officials completely at his fingertips.

A sudden surge of dread washed over Zhu Biao. He closed the memorial with a trembling hand and exclaimed, "Father! An organization like this will only make every official in the imperial court feel that their lives are in peril!"

Old Zhu snorted. "We believe this is the best method to deter corrupt officials. We established the Embroidered Uniform Guard in absolute secrecy; up until now, the court officials still have no idea."

"However, once the matter concerning Qin Feng is concluded, We shall begin tightening the net."

"By then, they will all realize the existence of the Embroidered Uniform Guard!"

Seeing Old Zhu completely consumed by the lust for power, Zhu Biao felt a deep, overwhelming terror grip his heart.

"Father, this son believes that the Embroidered Uniform Guard should be employed with moderation and must never be wantonly abused."

Old Zhu frowned.

How long had the Embroidered Uniform Guard even been around?

He hadn't had enough fun with it yet, and the crown prince was already telling him to exercise moderation?

Once the offensive against corrupt officials began, there was simply no stopping it!

The Embroidered Uniform Guard had yet to display its true utility; expecting him to halt it now was entirely out of the question.

"Eldest son, you may withdraw for now. We are weary."

"Father, then this son takes his leave."

...

Qin Feng remained oblivious to the dramatic events unfolding within the imperial court, as he had been thoroughly occupied with matters regarding the industrial workshops lately.

Through his relentless efforts, the plastic greenhouses had finally seen some progress, and producing a finished product was now merely a matter of time.

Meanwhile, he was also pressing forward at full speed with the task Old Zhu had assigned him in the secret memorial.

In truth, this wasn't terribly difficult for Qin Feng. Given a limited budget to craft a set of lavish formal attire, the flying-fish garments of the Embroidered Uniform Guard were naturally the top choice.

He hired the finest tailors and expert female embroiderers, bringing them into the workshop to work through the night crafting the flying-fish robes.

Simultaneously, he opened two additional workshops dedicated exclusively to manufacturing the Embroidered Uniform Guard's signature weapon—the Embroidered Spring Blade.

He assembled the premier blacksmiths of Yingtian Prefecture, offering exceptionally generous wages to commission ten thousand of these blades.

The blacksmiths promised to complete them within a month, while the flying-fish garments required twenty days of hurried production.

All things considered, it would take a full month to fulfill his obligation to Old Zhu.

Yet, the cost of all these items requested by Old Zhu amounted to less than one million taels.

Old Zhu had undoubtedly assumed that these items, priced at the highest estimates, would easily trap Qin Feng.

He figured the monthly treasury income of the newspaper office barely reached one million taels, which would just about offset the cost of the equipment needed for the Embroidered Uniform Guard.

At best, it would only leave Qin Feng with a meager wage for his hard labor!

However, Qin Feng had other plans; he was already scheming about the newspaper's next move.

After all, a sovereign never goes back on his word—how could he possibly let Old Zhu down?

He was currently pondering how to further boost the newspaper's treasury revenue over the coming month so that he could fully capitalize on Old Zhu's promise and rake in a massive fortune.

This was an opportunity laid out right before his eyes; he had no reason not to grasp it tightly!

What's more, those old foxes among the Huaixi nobility and Old Zhu himself were all keeping a close eye on the newspaper's monthly earnings.

He had to work even harder to create greater value, proving to both Old Zhu and the Huaixi nobility that the newspaper's potential was not to be underestimated.

Returning to the newspaper office, Qin Feng drove himself even harder, sequestering himself in his private quarters to edit the content for the upcoming edition of the newspaper!

By now, Qin Feng had already captured the demographic traffic of Great Ming, touching nearly every aspect of the common people's daily lives.

His next step was to leverage this widespread reach to provide the populace with even greater conveniences.

Only when the common people enjoyed such convenience would production efficiency naturally rise.

Previously, lacking access to streamlined conveniences, the populace's productivity had naturally remained stagnant.

Qin Feng intended to use the information in the newspaper to bring greater convenience to the common people!

A single sheet of paper was densely packed with commodities—goods he had collected in the capital that were most indispensable to daily life.

These items were compiled onto the page in the form of illustrations and text, complete with clearly marked prices.

Moreover, they were priced slightly cheaper than local markets, utilizing the principle of small profits and quick returns to provide the populace with the most efficient purchasing channels.

However, utilizing the newspaper for product marketing required an additional channel: logistics!

Without delivery services, the common people would still be unable to enjoy any true convenience.

Consequently, Qin Feng rented another storefront directly across from the newspaper office, specifically designated for recruiting personnel to form a scaled logistics delivery operation.

Qin Feng planned to run a trial operation in Yingtian Prefecture first, gradually expanding it to regional levels over time.

In truth, Qin Feng wasn't aiming merely for the modest profit from selling goods; the real money he sought to make was from advertising fees charged to manufacturers.

If product marketing truly took off in Yingtian Prefecture and the common people began purchasing goods through the newspaper rather than physical shops, the merchants selling those goods would eagerly swarm to cooperate with the newspaper office.

In just five days, Qin Feng successfully established the crucial link of logistics delivery.

He then ran trial advertisements for some daily necessities for three issues, initiating a trial run in Yingtian Prefecture. After gauging the public response, he would consider his next strategic move.

Just as Qin Feng was contemplating how to further boost the newspaper's profits, Huaiying's official sedan chair halted right outside the entrance.

When the accountant hurried into the private quarters, Qin Feng was already feeling annoyed. Frowning, he demanded, "Who is it this time?"

"It... it's Prime Minister Hu..."

Qin Feng rolled his eyes dramatically.

Did Huaiying even have the nerve to show his face?

Had the humiliation of last time not been enough?

Did the man have some sort of self-abasing tendency? Was he back asking to be humiliated again?

"Not seeing him! From now on, whoever interrupts my money-making, I'll finish them off!"

Stuttering nervously, the accountant said, "Director Qin, Prime Minister Hu... he came bearing an imperial edict from His Majesty."

"Why didn't you say so earlier!"

Hearing it was an edict from Old Zhu, Qin Feng hurriedly stepped out of his private quarters and entered the main hall, where he was greeted by a beaming Huaiying.

At this moment, Huaiying wore a ingratiating expression, his attitude toward Qin Feng entirely devoid of the previous insults labeling him a brat or a scoundrel.

Qin Feng smiled and said, "So it's Prime Minister Hu! With all your myriad responsibilities, what brings you to grace my humble newspaper office?"

"Director Qin! Oh, Director Qin! I have come here under His Majesty's strict orders specifically to pay my respects to you!"

"Director Qin, you have truly suffered the greatest injustice!"

"With talents like yours, how can you lower yourself to working in a place like a newspaper office?"

Blinking his wide eyes, Qin Feng asked, "And according to Prime Minister Hu, where should I lower myself instead?"

"This humble official believes that with Director Qin's talents, you ought to be entrusted with great and vital responsibilities!"

"Then I would like to ask Prime Minister Hu, are we considered 'our own people' now?"

Huaiying flashed a wide, toothy grin and replied, "Well?! How could we not be?"