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.
To be continued...