Ningzhou, Governor's Mansion.
Wan Yan, the governor of Ningzhou, stared at his second son Wan Yan for a long time before snorting coldly: "You have been following the Imperial Envoy Master Zhao for so long, and this is what you have learned?"
Wan Yan quickly said respectfully: "Please teach me, father."
"Hmph, I asked you to follow Mr. Zhao because I wanted you to learn his saintly articles, but you have learned these novels. I am really disappointed as a father. If you have time, you might as well read more saintly articles, and then you will be a father.
test you."
After a pause, Wan Cishi opened a book at random, read it for a moment and said coldly: "A gentleman who is virtuous will kiss his relatives."
Wan Yan immediately replied: "This is from "The Great Learning". A gentleman appreciates his virtuous people and loves his relatives, while a villain takes pleasure in them and benefits them. This will never be forgotten until the end of the world."
Wan Cishi said calmly: "What you said is good, but have you figured out how to solve the problem?"
Wan Yan was stunned for a moment, and then he cursed that it was impossible to solve the problem so quickly.
"Don't think I'm trying to make things difficult for you. Do you know that questions like this are easy in scientific examinations? Have you ever experienced cross-cutting questions? That really makes people cry. If you write this kind of article
If you don’t pass, you don’t need to take any imperial examinations.”
Wan Cishi's words were extremely harsh, but Wan Yan was not angry.
"Please ask father for advice."
Wan Cishi nodded slightly and said: "The former king is called civil and military. A gentleman is called a virtuous queen and a king. A villain is called a descendant of the people. You have to break the problem from this aspect."
Wan Yanruo has some enlightenment.
"You have to remember that all articles come from the books of saints, so you must not go beyond this scope. You can't just write whatever you want, but you should think about the problem from the perspective of a saint and think about what they would do if they were a saint.
Explain the problem. Only in this way can you produce an article that satisfies the examiner and the court."
As soon as Wan Jishi started talking, he couldn't hold it back, like the endless flow of a river.
He didn't talk too many little tricks, but only very practical principles. Wan Yan felt like he was enlightened after listening to it.
But Wan Yan was still unwilling to give in, and said quickly: "Father, in fact, the book that I want to publish is not written by Haier, but by the imperial envoy Master Zhao. I just want to get the authorization from Master Zhao to publish and print the manuscript in Jiangnan Road.
.”
Wan Cishi frowned and said, "Why didn't you tell me earlier?"
Wan Yan thought to himself that you didn’t even ask.
"Tell me more about it."
Wan Yan took a deep breath and said: "The book that my child is about to publish is called a pocket book. There are many illustrations in it, which complement the text. The name of the book is called Liaozhai."
Wan Yan talked for a long time before instilling the concept of comic strips into Wan Cishi.
In fact, the prototype of comic strips already existed in the previous dynasty.
It’s just that the proportion of the paintings at that time was not large compared to the text.
It was during the Great Zhou Dynasty that a large number of line drawing illustrations appeared in books, but the concept of comic strips and pocket books was not yet deeply rooted in the hearts of the people.
As for the popularity of Liaozhai, Wan Cishi naturally knows it.
But he didn't expect that this book was written by Zhao Xun, and he suddenly became interested.
Wan Yan gave a long speech, but Wan Cishi still felt a little awkward.
Although scholars are particular about writing books to formulate their theories, it still depends on what kind of book they are reading and what they are writing about, right?
It's okay to publish an elegant collection of poems, but if you want to write a popular novel with illustrations, it's really a price drop.
"Mr. Zhao is different from you. Mr. Zhao has already achieved fame and success, so it's not a big deal to write casual books. But you haven't achieved fame yet. At this time, if you are busy printing novels, I am worried that it will affect your future. You need to know that everything is possible. The only thing that is inferior is good reading. As long as you study well, everything else will come. Why should you ruin your great future for three or five dollars?"
Well? Three or five thousand dollars?
Wan Yan quickly took over the conversation like a man grabbing a life-saving straw in the flood.
"Daddy, what you said is wrong!"
Now it was Wan Jishi's turn to be stunned.
This kid actually dared to refute him, he wanted to hear what he had to say!
Wan Yan was not polite and said categorically: "The pocket book mentioned by the boy is not a trivial matter. It can make the timid brave, the lustful chaste, the weak honest, and the stubborn. It can also make the tactile and sexual, and guide emotions. In other words, pocket books can also be written with positive energy to warn the world."
Upon hearing this, Wan Cishi quickly waved his hands and said, "That's all what you said before, but what does this positive energy mean?"
"Ahem"
Wan Yan coughed twice to cover up his embarrassment: "This is a word that Mr. Zhao often talks about. Dad can understand it as promoting the great road."
"Just keep talking."
Wan Jishi seemed to be aroused and smiled slightly.
"Secondly, this pocket book is really profitable."
Wan Yan glanced at his father, saw that his face was as usual, swallowed his saliva and continued: "I can guarantee that if you print this Liaozhai in Ningzhou, you can earn at least one hundred taels a month."
At this time, even Wan Cishi, who was extremely well-educated, couldn't help laughing.
"My son, please don't say it's a joke. Do you know what a hundred taels means?"
According to the prices in Ningzhou during the Xianlong period, one hundred taels of silver could buy a top-notch house.
Of course, Wan Yan is not just talking nonsense, he is confident for a reason.
Liaozhai is a bestseller, and this was proved in Chang'an.
How could a book that was popular in Chang'an City not be popular when printed and distributed in Jiangnan Road?
What's more, Ningzhou's printing industry is also extremely developed, which can fully support Wan Yan's huge ambitions.
Last but not least, selling books during the Great Week is tax-free.
Customized by Taizu: In addition to the tax on books, fields and utensils, civil servants are exempt from tax. However, farm tools, books and other items that are not sold in the market will not be counted.
Therefore, selling books in the Zhou Dynasty could make a lot of money.
"Dad, please don't laugh so quickly. Can you make a bet with your child? If your child earns more than one hundred taels of silver in the first month, we will print Liao Zhai on a large scale."
After hearing this, Wan Cishi found it interesting. He was sure to make a profit on this bet and there was no risk. So why did he refuse?
But he still has a little worry, and that is the issue of reputation.
Writing pocket books like this is a no-no these days. He was the governor of the dynasty, so it would be bad if his reputation was ruined by publishing a book.
Wan Yan seemed to see what he was thinking, and said quickly: "Dad, don't worry, we are just the producer, the real author is Mr. Zhao. Even Mr. Zhao is not worried, so what are we worried about?"
"All right."
Wan Yan was overjoyed when he heard this.
"Thank you daddy."
Wan Cishi pushed his hand and said: "Don't be too busy to be happy. My father has spoken up front, and my father will not interfere with the publishing of the book. Contacting the booksellers is all up to you."
Wan Yan patted his chest and said, "Don't worry, dad, this matter will be taken care of by the child."
I have to say that money is really attractive.
Although Wan Yan is the son of a governor and does not need to worry about his livelihood, it would be good to make more money.
The so-called preparedness means you never know when you will need the money.
After leaving the Governor's Mansion, Wan Yan went shopping on the street.
Naturally, he was not just hanging out, but looking for booksellers to cooperate with.
The book printing industry in Ningzhou is very developed, and it is basically a shop-in-front-factory model.
The front store sells books and the back factory prints books.
What is Sanduozhai, what is Zongwenshe, or even Santaiguan and Qinghuitang?
Those who saw it were dazzled.
However, Wan Yan did not stay in front of these big bookstores for too long.
The reason is very simple. These bookstores are very famous and have their own regular partners, so it is unlikely that they will fall in love with a new person.
If Wan Yan wants to publish a book, he can only choose small bookstores that are not very famous or popular.
Finally, his eyes fell on a bookstore called Shuangfengtang.
This bookstore has a small storefront, and when you get closer, you can see that there aren't many bookstores.
Wan Yan walked in without hesitation with his hands behind his back.
When the store saw the customer coming, he quickly greeted him warmly.
"What books would you like to read, little official? Our store has a complete set of chapters and verses from the four books, as well as an anthology of current affairs that we just compiled. Do you want to take a look, little official?"
There are countless people visiting this store. Seeing that Wan Yan looks like a scholar, he naturally recommended the imperial examination reference book.
Wan Yan shook his head: "I'm not here to buy books."
The shopkeeper was stunned for a moment.
"You are joking, little official. If you are not here to buy books, how can you be here to sell them?"
Wan Yan smiled and said, "Yes, I'm really here to sell books."
The store owner didn't look very good now.
"Young official, our store is too small to make such a joke. Do you know how much it costs to print a set of books? No one will buy poems written at your age, even if they are compiled into a collection."
Wan Yan was not angry, but said harmoniously: "What I want to sell is not a collection of poems, but a novel. If you are willing to cooperate for a while, I will give you the manuscript, and you will receive the profit from the sale of the book." I will divide it according to the proportion."
The store owner was not very happy.
"Xiao Guanren, Xiao Ke just said that a set of books is expensive."
"Let's do this. I'll pay for the money needed for the first batch of printed books, and I'll just sell them on consignment with you. If the sales are good in the future, we can discuss cooperation. What do you think?"
Wan Yan took a step back and said.
The shopkeeper curled his lips and said very reluctantly: "Consignment, that's fine. But there is one ugly thing that I have to say beforehand. If this book fails to sell, Shuangfengtang will not bear any responsibility."
Wan Yan quickly raised his hands and said, "Of course that's right. What's your surname?"
"My surname is Chen, and the single character is An."
The store owner said coldly.
Wan Yan nodded softly and said in a harmonious voice: "I will inevitably bother shopkeeper Chen if I need to in the future, so please bear with me."
"It's easy to talk about."
As the saying goes, don't hit someone with a smiling face. Seeing Wan Yan's good attitude, Chen An couldn't help but be so cold-faced.
"Farewell."
Wan Yan hugged Chen An again, turned around and left the store.
Early the next morning, Wan Yan went straight to Shuangfeng Hall.
As soon as he entered the bookstore, Wan Yan saw shopkeeper Chen sitting there with a sad face, as if someone owed him a hundred taels of silver.
Wan Yan had bad intentions, but now the arrow was on the string and he had to shoot it. Even if he had to bite the bullet, he had to shoot it.
He took a deep breath, took a few steps forward and smiled at Shopkeeper Chen, cupping his hands and saying, "Shopkeeper Chen, I'm sorry to bother you."
Chen An was already unhappy, but when he saw Wan Yan's playful smile, he became extremely angry.
"I'm telling you, young official, if you have this free time, you might as well study a few more times. Wouldn't it be a good idea to make a special trip to see my jokes?"
Wan Yan secretly thought of bad luck, but forced a smile on his face and said: "What did Shopkeeper Chen say? How can Xiaosheng have that free time? You are afraid that noble people forget things. Xiaosheng told you a few days ago It’s settled, I have a book manuscript that I want to consign with you.”
Chen An then remembered, but he shook his head and sighed: "It's too late, it's too late."
Wan Yan was annoyed in his heart and thought, can you say everything at once? It's so suffocating to say every word like this.
But he had something to ask for, so he could only continue to say with a smile: "Shopkeeper Chen, is there any difficulty? You might as well tell me, and the young man can help you with the details."
Chen An didn't have any hope for Wan Yan, a young man like him, but he sighed and said: "That's all, since the matter is at this point, I'm not afraid of one more person watching the joke."
"Young officials should know that Ningzhou City is extremely prosperous inside and outside, and every inch of it is worth every penny. I rent this shop, and the owner of this shop came to ask for a rent increase the day before yesterday. This is a small business, and it is profitable. Bo, now there’s nothing more I can do. Hey, I’m thinking that I’ll pack up and go back to my hometown after the manuscripts in stock are sold out.”
Wan Yan thought to himself, what was going on? Wasn't it just that he couldn't pay the rent?
Fortunately, you met me, and I asked you to watch a "comeback from desperate situation" show.
"May I ask Shopkeeper Chen, when will your lease expire?"
"The end of this month."
Chen An said weakly.
"That's good."
Wan Yan was overjoyed and said, "There's still more than half a month left, and there's still enough time. The manuscript that Xiaosheng mentioned last time has to be troubled by shopkeeper Chen to help sell it on consignment for a while."
Chen An suddenly felt a surge of anger in his chest and said sarcastically: "Didn't the little official listen to what I said? I can't continue my business. Where can I find time to help the little official sell books? The little official should look elsewhere.
Bar."
Wan Yan thought to himself that you have really met a noble person. I, the young master, will not remember the faults of small people and will not care about them like you.
His father is the governor of Ningzhou. No one in Ningzhou City dares to deny his father's face. Raise the rent and drive people away? This is not a problem.
"Shopkeeper Chen, wait a minute. As long as you are willing to help Xiaosheng sell manuscripts on consignment, Xiaosheng can guarantee that you will make a lot of money within half a month. Not to mention paying the rent, it is not impossible to buy this shop."
Chen An wanted to laugh when he heard this young man boasting about Haikou, and asked instinctively: "How can a small official be a guarantee?"
Wan Yan said leisurely: "Whether you believe it or not depends on Shopkeeper Chen. But if Xiaosheng is Shopkeeper Chen, he will always give it a try. If it is worse, can it be worse than now?"
"this"
I have to say that what Wan Yan said was on point. Chen An thought for a moment, then gritted his teeth and said, "Okay, then I will trust this little official for once. Where is the manuscript? Please give it to me for printing."
Movable type printing has become very popular in the Zhou Dynasty. Except for those fixed formats of the Four Books and Five Classics, engraving printing is rarely used in bookshops. Even so, printing takes time. Shopkeeper Chen means to hurry up and get Wan Yan out sooner rather than later.
The manuscript of the book has been printed
This chapter has been completed!