The people of Chaoge had developed the good habit of reading newspapers. They were cheap, after all, and once you had read them, you could go out and brag.
The nobles, in particular, were happy to pour large sums into newspapers to spread their fame. If the Cao family's newspaper reported that they had sacrificed ten oxen that day, the Yao family's would report twelve. Before, this competition and flaunting had still been somewhat veiled, but after the Ancestral Temple appeared, the papers were filled almost entirely with the nobles' lavish lives, all ringing bells and sumptuous feasts. They had only one purpose: to build up their ancestors' reputations.
Sometimes, these gossip sheets sold even better than the court's serious newspapers on current affairs and government policy. At times, even a single copy was hard to come by.
But a few days earlier, reports of Li Jing's imprisonment had swept all those demons and monsters aside. Everyone was watching to see whether this driving force behind the Reforms, this high official of the Ministry of Punishments, would be punished like anyone else-and whether the New Law truly disregarded rank and status, treating everyone equally for the same crime.
At Bo Yi's residence.
Shu Qi had hurried out early to place a horse-racing bet. Without even waiting for the results, he ran back to the residence. "Brother! Brother!"
A new year, a new day off. Bo Yi was lying facedown on his couch. He had to admit that Cupping and Gua Sha worked quite well. Combined with a day of rest, they had left him feeling like a new man.
"What happened? Why are you in such a hurry? Did you bet on Number Eight Horse like I told you?"
"Minister Li... wasn't Minister Li imprisoned? His Majesty went there this