The literary giants of the late Ming Dynasty began by copying books

Sitting on the boat, Shen Jue asked Shen Yi Xiu Dao:

"Does my daughter like Ye Shaoyuan?"

Shen Yixiu shook his head.

"What about Wang Jianyang?"

Shen Yixiu pursed his lips, and Shen Jue laughed and said, "If you don't say this, it's because your uncle is too pushy."

Seeing Shen Yixiu's shy look, Shen Jue couldn't help but lament how fast time went. When he went out to be an official, Shen Yixiu was still a little girl with her arms in her arms, but now she has grown into a slim woman and has even begun to think about marriage.

Shen Jue was a little reluctant to leave before meeting her daughter this time, so she cherished the time spent with her daughter.

Their boat passed by a book boat. Both father and daughter were book lovers. Shen Jue was moved in her heart and said to the boatman, "Stop for a moment. I'll get on the book boat and have a look."

The boatman hurriedly rowed the boat over and watched with curiosity that the official asked his daughter to go to the boat to read together.

Most of the Zhejiang book boats came from Zhili Town, Huzhou, also called Zhili book boats. They arrived from Qiantang to Songjiang and north to Jingkou, taking the gate of scholar-bureaucrats.

This book boat was converted from a local farm boat. It has a large awning, bookshelves on both sides, and a variety of books. There are desks and wooden chairs in the middle for people to sit and read.

"Ship Master, are there any good books to read these days?" Shen Jue asked as he walked into the book boat.

The book boat owner took out the catalog from his sleeve and said with a smile: "I wonder what kind of books you want to read? There are also novels and ink scrolls."

"If you don't read the ink scroll," Shen Jue shook his head repeatedly. He had already passed the Jinshi examination. Who would read the Cheng Wen ink scroll?

"Are there any collections by famous writers? Those who talk about poetry and prose, or those who talk about principles."

The boss smiled and said: "I want to read some rare books. I wonder if I want a rare book from the Song and Yuan Dynasties?"

Shen Jue was very interested: "Do you have rare books at home?"

"There are collections by people from the Song Dynasty, but they are expensive, at one hundred and fifty cents per page."

The engravings of the Song and Yuan Dynasties in this era are already very precious. One hundred and fifty liters per page is just a common price. If you go to Dayi, a thoroughfare, you can easily sell one page for 180 liters.

Shen Jue looked at the engraved book and felt that it was not true. Shouli did not tell him otherwise. He handed the catalog to Shen Yixiu. He turned around and suddenly saw a set of "The Wealth of Nations" on the shelf, with Wang Wenlong's name on it.

"Is this book authentic?"

"You are an expert on Shuzhongtang's books. You can tell by looking at the carving. This book is very popular in Sanwu, and people with wealth are rushing to buy it."

Shen Jue asked curiously: "Is this book easy to sell?"

"I can't say it's easy to sell," the boss said with a smile. "Business people like to buy it, but many people buy it and say they don't understand it. I read it twice and still can't understand it. Some people who understand it say it's excellent. , it’s always sold tepidly like this.”

"That's interesting." Shen Jue looked at Shen Yixiu who was aside and saw that she was also interested in Wang Wenlong's works, so he smiled and said, "I want this set of books."

The father and daughter chose some more essays and novels, and then returned to the boat with satisfaction.

"The Wealth of Nations" became popular for a while after the first volume was published, but Yuan Wuya also knew that it was impossible for this kind of book to sell as well as a novel, so after following the trend and publishing the second volume, the follow-up "The Wealth of Nations" was published Just follow the original plan and take the high-quality route.

Shen Yixiu opened the letter sleeve of "The Wealth of Nations". Just by looking at the letter sleeve, one could tell that this set of "The Wealth of Nations" was a hardcover edition. It was made into a six-in-one set with the entire package. The opening of the letter was also carved into a wishful shape, and the letter sleeve was also included. The bone picks on it are all made of ivory. After the boat started rolling again, the father and daughter began to read the book together.

Shen Yixiu could understand the content of "The Wealth of Nations", but it still felt very difficult to read. He didn't dare to relax for a moment. If he couldn't keep up with his thinking, he would fall behind.

It was already dark when Shen Yixiu looked up again. He couldn't help but be stunned. There were too many things he didn't understand in the book. When he read "The Wealth of Nations", Shen Yixiu couldn't help but feel that his IQ was being crushed.

"This Wang Wenlong is actually so smart."

She is a talented woman, and she has always been the only one smarter than others. Shen Yixiu doesn't like this feeling.

At the same time, Shen Yixiu was also very surprised. She understood that this kind of book could not be written by talented people, but required a lot of solid desk work and in-depth thinking. People who could write such a book seemed to be the same kind of flashy prodigal. It doesn’t quite match my personality...

Shen Yixiu was watching while Shen Yixiu was reading. Shen Yixiu didn't want to praise Wang Wenlong, but Shen Jue had no such intention. During dinner, he said bluntly: "This Wang Jianyang is indeed a genius in the world!"

Not only Shen Jue, but many readers also sincerely admire Wang Wenlong's "The Wealth of Nations".

"The Wealth of Nations" was published for more than a year and finally spread to Sanwu. In fact, this is the normal speed of book dissemination in this era. Previously, Wang Wenlong's "History of Portugal" became famous all over the world because it relied on the entertainment of "History of Portugal" to tell the history and deduce it. Many people bought it and read it as a novel. "The Wealth of the Nation" "On" is obviously not that interesting.

"The Wealth of Nations" can rely on its own strength to slowly spread in less than a year, which is already a top-notch book.

Although more than 5,000 copies of the first edition of "The Wealth of Nations" were printed, the Ming Dynasty was so large that the printing volume could not reach Sanwu. As a result, many people did not know that Wang Wenlong had published the masterpiece "The Wealth of Nations".

It was not until the book settled for almost a year that "The Wealth of Nations" finally left the south of the Yangtze River and flowed into various provinces, attracting readers' attention again.

……

Beitongzhou.

Lotus Temple.

Ma Jinglun and his doctor pushed open the door of the monk's room, took a look at the situation inside, and quickly ran up: "Mr. Li, why did it become like this?"

Li Zhi had already rolled under the bed in pain, with cold sweat dripping from his forehead, but he still shook his head and said, "There is a slight pain in my abdomen, just let it go for a while."

Ma Jinglun was a Jinshi in the 17th year of Wanli and a native of Tongzhou. A few years ago, he was dismissed from the position of supervisory censor and went home to live idle because of border affairs at Shangshu.

Last year, Ma Jinglun knew that Li Zhi was living in Huangzhi Mountain and went to meet him in the mountain. At that time, the mountain was blocked by heavy snow. Li Zhi had nothing to do and talked about "Yi" with Ma Jinglun for more than 40 days, and he convinced Ma Jinglun directly.

It was not a problem for Li Zhi to stay in the Taoist temple on the mountain, so in February, Ma Jinglun invited Li Zhi to go to Tongzhou with him and settled him in the Lotus Temple built with his own money.

Li Zhi was finally able to settle down, and he couldn't wait to continue his writing. At this time, he was working hard to create "Xu Zang Shu" to explain his historical views and "Nine Positive Causes of Changes" to explain his understanding of "Yi".

Li Zhi is seventy-five years old this year. He is old and sick. In the past few years, he has often suffered from stomachaches. When the pain occurs, he will lie on the bed and groan, but he is not willing to put down his pen and ink.

Ma Jinglun said with concern: "You must be too tired from writing for days. Mr. Li should stop writing now. I'll call the doctor to give you a good diagnosis and treatment."

Li Zhi shook his head and said: "People are getting old and weak, and the reason why I am unwilling to accept my death is because of the Nine Zhengyi Causes. I must write this before I die. If I put down the pen, I am afraid I will never be able to pick it up again." (This chapter) over)