章 73: Chapter 73: Using the Newspaper as a Sword
Chapter 73: Using the Newspaper as a Sword
The newspapers were selling like hotcakes all over Paris. The newspaper boys, who had taken a chance on working for the Paris Gazette, were shocked by the unexpectedly high sales.
As agreed, for every 10 newspapers they sold, they earned 6 deniers. By midday, the more fortunate newspaper boys had already sold 50 copies, earning several times more than they would have made working in a workshop!
The story of Hunter Shaw being jilted and Clare surviving a gunshot became widely known in just one morning.
Many people overheard others passionately discussing these fascinating stories and felt a burning curiosity. When they hesitated about whether to spend money on a newspaper subscription, they learned that newspapers were being sold on the streets, and they promptly bought a copy.
The trend-savvy noblewomen were already organizing salons, where the topics of discussion were "The Undying Clare" or "The Alchemist's Family." They sensed that these stories were going to be the next big thing, and they wanted to be ahead of the curve.
By evening, even the common greeting among Parisians had changed to, "Did you read that novel?"
It was understandable. Entertainment in the 18th century was quite limited. There were only so many novels and plays, most of which people had already grown tired of. They often passed the time gossiping about noble scandals.
However, the tried-and-true tropes of thrillers, perfected by countless authors over the centuries, were new and electrifying to the readers of this era. Once they got a taste, they were hooked!
For the Parisians, whose lives were often dull, these novels were a breath of fresh air—filled with suspense, cliffhangers, and exciting plot twists that left them craving more.
The next day, just as people were still buzzing about the previous day's story, they were surprised to find that a new chapter was already out in the day's newspaper!
The latest installment answered some of the mysteries from the day before while leaving even more questions, keeping the excitement alive. Who could resist?
Meals could be skipped, but the newspaper was a must-buy!
Some even got into fights over the last copy being sold by a newspaper boy…
By 3 p.m., the entire stock of the Paris Gazette and the News and Images Gazette had been sold out.
Denico, staring at the dozens of anxious newspaper boys waiting to pick up more copies, felt as if he were dreaming.
He had known that the exciting novels sent by the Prince would boost newspaper sales, but he had never imagined the demand would be this overwhelming.
God above! Each newspaper had printed 7,000 copies, and they were all gone!
Considering that Paris had a population of just over 500,000, even the most popular paper, The Paris News, had a circulation of less than 3,000. And now, their two papers combined had outsold The Paris News five times over!
His hands were trembling as he rushed into the printing workshop, pointing at the printing presses and shouting to the workers, "Print more! Immediately print 1,000 more copies! As fast as you can!"
Just then, one of the managers rushed over, excitedly gesturing toward the office, "Mr. Denico, you need to come! Shops like Elegant Source Perfume and Anetol Iron Tools have come in—they want to discuss advertising!"
With a wave of his hand, Denico declared with newfound authority, "Let them wait; I need to handle the reprints first."
He had every reason to be confident—when your newspapers sell over 14,000 copies, there's no shortage of businesses wanting to advertise.
As the Paris Gazette and News and Images Gazette flew off the shelves, many readers, after enjoying the novels, also took the time to read the articles about the new tax law.
On the streets and in the markets, people started discussing the law:
"I think it's about time those noble lords paid more taxes!"
"Exactly! I saw it—it's only the nobles who have to pay more. Why should we poor folks be paying more taxes than the rich?"
"The City Hall always says they don't have enough funds. Why don't they ask the nobles for more money?"
"Hmph! The high courts keep rejecting the tax law, but that's because the judges are nobles themselves!"
"No wonder they're always talking about defending the court's power—it's the power not to pay taxes."
"Exactly..."
Suddenly, the narrative that Duke Orleans had carefully crafted, with the help of nearly all of Paris's newspapers, began to shift.
In truth, Joseph hadn't even fully unleashed his arsenal in this media battle. He had two more novels ready, reserved for pamphlets.
Yes, he wasn't planning to rely solely on newspapers for the fight; that would be too limiting.
If they were going to war, there was no need to play by the rules of gentlemanly conduct. Pamphlets, though lowbrow, full of rumors, and relying on "the three S's" (sex, scandal, and sensationalism) to attract attention, were frowned upon by society's elite but had a vast audience.
With France's literacy rate exceeding 60%, many who couldn't afford newspapers turned to pamphlets for entertainment. In essence, pamphlets dominated the low-end market.
Joseph certainly wasn't going to miss out on this powerful tool for spreading his message.
The only challenge was that pamphlet readers weren't likely to make regular purchases, which could affect the appeal of serialized novels. So, he planned to release a weekly pamphlet, containing a full week's worth of novel chapters.
When tens of thousands of pamphlets flooded the streets of Paris, that would be his real offensive.
...
At a routine Versailles palace ball, the noble young ladies cast wistful glances at Princess Thérèse, silently grumbling about how she kept monopolizing the Prince's attention.
Meanwhile, the young men could only watch Joseph with resigned expressions, silently hoping that some kind-hearted lady would "distract" the Prince so they could get a chance to talk to the Princess.
Of course, this was Joseph's way of using his sister as a "shield"—he had some lingering anxieties about dancing…
Thérèse, having come to terms with the rumors over the past few days, was now casually chatting with Joseph:
"I heard your invention, the 'Prince's Blessing,' is quite miraculous. I've been taking it lately, but I haven't noticed any effect yet..."
Joseph immediately expressed concern, "Is something wrong? Are you feeling feverish?"
Thérèse shook her head. "No, I'm not feverish. I just often feel dizzy, weak, and short of breath. A few months ago, I even fainted. The doctors can't figure out what's wrong. Dr. Baptiste suggested I go to Meudon Castle to recover."
Joseph felt a wave of frustration—these weren't symptoms that could be treated with salicylic acid. Why was she taking that medicine?
"You shouldn't just take any medicine you hear about. You need to follow the doctor's instructions."
Thérèse nodded earnestly. "It was Dr. Baptiste who told me to take it."
"…"
Joseph rubbed his forehead and asked, "Are you taking any other medicines?"
Thérèse listed a few herbal remedies.
Joseph looked at her pale face and thought to himself: Her symptoms sound like severe anemia. Girls her age are prone to anemia, but I wonder if it's iron deficiency or something more serious.
Thérèse added, "Besides the medicine, I also undergo bloodletting therapy every two weeks."
Joseph's face darkened completely. "You might want to consider getting a new doctor."
(End of Chapter)
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Johanssen10
Johanssen10 Hello friends, I try to upload the chapters early, since I have to go out and I will return late, so that you do not miss today's chapters.
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