The Rise of the Writers of the Republic of China

"Ta Kung Pao" newspaper office.

Hu Zhengzhi walked into Zhou Hexuan's office with a wry smile, threw out an official letter and said, "I was fined again, 500 oceans, next time I should be fined 1,000."

"Because of what?" Zhou Hexuan asked.

Hu Zhengzhi said: "It's not about reporting that the southern government took back the British concessions in Hankou and Jiujiang. Not only fined them, but also asked us to correct mistakes in the newspaper."

The Northern Expedition caused the British to suffer heavy losses in the middle and lower reaches of the Yangtze River, so the British began to act recklessly, which aroused great public grievances. At the beginning of last month, anti-British anger broke out in Hankou. The southern revolutionary government took advantage of the trend to take back the British concessions in Hankou and Jiujiang. This was undoubtedly a major diplomatic victory since the late Qing Dynasty.

"Ta Kung Pao" naturally wanted to report this matter, but it aroused Zhang Zuolin's dissatisfaction.

The news regulations in the early years of the Republic of China were mainly based on the "Regulations on Newspapers" (that is, the "Publication Law") promulgated by Yuan Shikai. Among them, Article 10 stipulates the prohibited items. The first three items are: first, those who confuse the political system;

These three prohibited contents are too broad and general. As long as those in power have the heart, they can label them casually, ranging from fines to seizures.

Take Ta Kung Pao's report on the withdrawal of the British Concession as an example. Because it was afraid of offending Zhang Zuolin, it deliberately added the word "false" in front of the Southern Nationalist Government. As a result, because he affirmed the measures of the revolutionary government and had problems with the position of public opinion, he was still identified as "suspected of disrupting the political system."

If you want to add a crime, why do you have no excuses?

Fortunately, with the support of Zhang Xueliang, the news censorship department did not pursue it severely, but only fined him.

In fact, when Li Yuanhong was president, news censorship became very loose for a time, citing the "punishment system" of Western countries. It's a pity that the "Punishment System" existed for a short time. As soon as Duan Qirui came to power, he restored Yuan Shikai's "Publication Law" and promulgated a more stringent "Newspaper Law".

After Zhang Zuolin came to power, he implemented a series of supplementary regulations to impose various restrictions on the press and publishing industry. Today, running a newspaper in the south is very comfortable, but in the north it is difficult, as if dancing in shackles.

"Just fine it, as long as it doesn't get seized." Zhou Hexuan was quite open.

Hu Zhengzhi sighed and said, "I'm afraid that one day the young commander's face won't matter. Look at the newspapers in the north now, except for our "Ta Kung Pao", who else dares to report positive news about the southern government?"

Zhou Hexuan emphasized: "The words can be tactful, but the report still needs to be reported. No party, no selfishness, no selling, and no blindness, these eight words must not be lost."

"Hahaha, that's what I want." Hu Zhengzhi laughed.

The eight-character policy of "Ta Kung Pao" has indeed won the respect of northern intellectuals. Especially now that all horses are silent, it is difficult for other newspapers in the north to see the real news in the south, which makes "Ta Kung Pao" particularly valuable.

Just last month, "Ta Kung Pao" sold nearly 40,000 copies a day, surpassing Peiping's "Morning Post", second only to Tianjin's "New Tianjin News", becoming the second largest newspaper in the northern provinces.

With sales and fame, more troubles follow. I heard that the first thing the news censors of the Beiyang government do when they go to work is to review the "Ta Kung Pao". If something is wrong, they will immediately intervene.

As soon as Hu Zhengzhi left the office, someone knocked on the door again, and this time it was a girl who came in.

"Mr. Zhou, hello, my name is Cui Huimei, a court lady next to Empress Wanrong." The girl announced her family name.

Zhou Hexuan smiled and said, "Hi, Miss Cui."

Cui Huimei seemed to be very interested in Zhou Hexuan, she looked at him curiously for a while, and then said: "The queen has a letter for you, saying that she wants to hear your reply in person."

"Please wait."

Zhou Hexuan opened the letter and read it. Wanrong said in the letter that she wanted to learn Wenxiu's divorce, but she dared not tell her family. She has no other friends in Tianjin, only Zhou Hexuan can be trusted, and she hopes that Zhou Hexuan can help her arrange a place to live and hire a lawyer.

Zhou Hexuan put down the letter paper, and said to Cui Huimei: "Please tell Ms. Wanrong, I will help her get it done."

"Well, I'll take my leave first." Cui Huimei left after finishing speaking.

Zhou Hexuan looked at the letter paper, shook his head and smiled, struck a match, lit it and threw it into the ashtray.

Not bothering the two masters with one thing, the lawyer hired last time was the foreigner who helped Wenxiu write the divorce indictment.

A few days later, Zhou Hexuan was editing a manuscript for a newspaper when Wanrong in disguise broke in suddenly and said urgently, "Mr. Zhou, I'm here!"

"Have you considered it clearly?" Zhou Hexuan asked.

Wan Rong nodded solemnly: "I really don't have a good time in Zhang Yuan, I just want to get rid of it soon."

Zhou Hexuan took out the divorce indictment that he had already prepared and said, "Then you sign it."

After all, Wanrong still lacked courage, she hesitated to write, and thought over and over again: "Mr. Zhou, can we just live apart and not get divorced?"

"Why?" Zhou Hexuan asked.

Wanrong explained: "The divorce is too much trouble, he doesn't look good, and the reputation of my family and I will be ruined."

Zhou Hexuan smiled wryly and said, "Then I'll help you write a separation agreement, and you can copy it yourself."

Zhou Hexuan finished writing the agreement, and after Wanrong read it, he revised and added some clauses. The general content is: Puyi and Wanrong voluntarily separated peacefully, and the two still retained their nominal marriage. After the separation, Wanrong promised not to marry again, and Puyi would not interfere in her life. In addition, Puyi needs to pay Wanrong 50,000 yuan in alimony at one time, and the two will no longer have financial ties in the future.

When this agreement was sent to Puyi, our emperor was completely stupefied, and I heard that he refused to speak for several days in a row.

Puyi now has two choices: one is to abolish the empress and turn passive into active; the other is to accept and agree to Wanrong's request.

The procedure after the abolition is too complicated, it is not as simple as commoners divorce their wives.

Puyi set up a council hall in Zhangyuan, and every day "ministers" came to the court to discuss state affairs, and it operated completely according to the model of the former Qing court. The same is true after the abolition, all kinds of procedures have to go through.

Also, now that there are fewer and fewer heartfelt survivors, Wanrong's natal family is more reliable. If the queen is abolished, Puyi will lose another group of "loyal ministers", and the gain outweighs the loss politically.

After thinking about it, Puyi sighed dejectedly.

He called Luo Zhenyu, who gave fake antiques as a birthday present, and said without hesitation: "Luo Aiqing, I have two authentic works by Mi Fu and Song Gaozong, and one Su Dongpo's inkstone. You can ask the Japanese for a price." Bar."

"The minister leads the decree!" Luo Zhenyu left happily.

What does Pu Yi live on?

Of course, it was selling antiques. Before he was kicked out of the palace, officials from the Ministry of Internal Affairs smuggled out more than 1,200 fine paintings and calligraphy. These include the "Cao E Tablet" and "Er Xie Tie" by Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi's father and son, as well as the authentic works of Zhong Yao, Huai Su, Ouyang Xun, etc., and even the original manuscript of Sima Guang's "Zi Zhi Tong Jian".

Most of these cultural relics were later lost in the Northeast and were acquired by the Japanese.

Four years ago, there were more than 80 pieces of precious antiques that were sold to HSBC for valuation alone.

Since Puyi's reselling of cultural relics caused a lot of trouble, he no longer dares to be blatant, so he needs a middleman. Luo Zhenyu, an antique dealer, often traded with the Japanese, so he naturally became Puyi's "financial management" helper.

Wanrong soon received a breakup fee of 50,000 yuan, and now she temporarily lives next door to Zhou Hexuan. One person lives in six houses, the monthly rent is 100 yuan, and two maids are specially hired to take care of him, and the other two maids are responsible for cooking and laundry respectively.

As for the queen, of course she has to live a good life, she is not like Wenxiu who can live a hard life.

Freedom is freedom, but Wanrong found that she couldn't be happy. Because I'm lonely all day long and have nothing to do. Pu Yi took her to the banquets and parties before, and no one invited her to move out.

It seems that Wanrong is too idle to count money for fun.