Linxia

Chapter 121, Debate

"Sure enough, I expected it right. After the great abundance of material things, the next thing is spiritual needs. The boom of popular novels has arrived!"

Fang Lin was slightly excited, but he suppressed it immediately: "You can't eat hot tofu in a hurry. We must learn from the historical experience and lessons of the past life. Just like in the early days of a certain era, we crossed the river by feeling the stones. The situation rebounded repeatedly, and a considerable number of the first birds that emerged were affected by such repeated attacks."

"Don't worry, let the bullet fly for a while."

"Boss, since the Imperial Inspectorate and the Imperial College of Yingtian can sell them, can we also sell them in our store? I think that kind of books will definitely sell better than classics and make more money." Huang Di said.

"Once The Water Margin was sold in the capital and Yingtian, people rushed to buy and read it, and the market went crazy for it. However, it also attracted a lot of opposition. Conservative scholars criticized it, saying it was insulting... Whether our store sells it for the time being or not... well, let's wait and see."

Shopkeeper Liu hesitated for a moment, but decided to wait and see. He looked at Fang Lin, who nodded when he heard him, and said, "Fang Lin, what do you think about this?"

Although he was smart, he was also in a dilemma of being "confusing because of his own situation". He was subconsciously cautious, but when he saw Fang Lin, he had a clue in his mind and asked this military advisor for advice.

"I think the shopkeeper did the right thing. As mentioned before, the sale of "Water Margin" by the Beijing Supervisory Office and Yingtian Imperial College was opposed and criticized. They could ignore it, but we can't... Touching their interests will inevitably lead to backlash. There may be more troubles in this matter. It is not too late to enter the market after the situation becomes clear." Fang Lin said.

"Yes, these are mature and steady words. Fang Lin, you are insightful. Unlike me, I am old and my brain is not so good!" Manager Liu sighed.

"Where?" Fang Lin shook his head: "The shopkeeper must have thought of it, and he knows it in his heart. I just organized the words and said it. How can I have any credit? Just like I am still thinking, you have already made a decision, which is beyond my reach!"

After hearing this, Shopkeeper Liu smiled so hard that his eyebrows were not visible and his mouth could not close. He felt that Fang Lin's words were pleasant to the ears and it was comfortable to get along with him: "Haha, do I really think so? Yeah, really, we think alike, hahahaha!"

Huang Di and Chai Yiwei, who were standing nearby, rolled their eyes in amusement when they saw the whole thing.

……

As Fang Lin expected, a few days later, a bookstore in Huai'an City, Moxiangguan, could not help but start selling "Water Margin". Once it was put on sale, it became a hot seller. However, it did not last for two days before a group of conservative literati came and smashed the shop.

These conservative literati, to be more precise, were a group of down-and-out conservative literati who had neither achieved fame nor were even scholars. They were basically students who imitated "The Complete Record of the Five Relationships" to write dramas and novels to make a living.

——If there are down-and-out literati with higher achievements, even if they don't like it, they will not express their opinions in public. It is this group of down-and-out conservative literati who write such novels of foolish loyalty and filial piety. The publication of popular novels directly affects their interests, so they will fight against it bare-handed.

After this incident, the owner of Moxiangguan sued these literati; these literati also went to the government office to sue Moxiangguan, reporting and exposing that Moxiangguan had violated the court's laws and should be severely punished.

——It is true that the Beijing Supervisory Office and Yingtian Imperial College published and sold "The Water Margin", which represents official approval, but there is indeed no clear law for the time being.

Both parties wanted the government to judge the case, and the matter was difficult to judge, so Prefect Pu decided to hold a public trial ten days later and invite the people to listen, with the intention of making this incident a typical example.

At the same time, due to the current situation, the summer harvest in the northern region has decreased, and people in the city have a tendency to hoard food, and food prices have started to rise again. This is also a strategy that kills two birds with one stone and diverts people's attention.

With deliberate publicity, the matter quickly became a hot topic and attracted great attention in Huai'an City.

……

That evening, in Xixiang Hutong.

Fang Lin went home in the evening as it was his turn to have a day off the next day. The family ate together and chatted casually.

"Linzi, do you still remember Zhang Dagou? He's the one who went to Master Ou's house that night?" Fang's mother didn't say the word 'steal'.

"Of course I remember. What's wrong?" Fang Lin asked.

"That man has become a peddler now. He came to thank Master Ou the other day for the advice and capital he gave him. Now, every day he carries a bamboo basket filled with needles and thread, thimbles, flower clips, sugar grains, whistles and other things for women and children. He limps and hops through the streets, mostly going to the villages under the city, but sometimes he comes to our alley."

Fang's mother said, "His things are not expensive, they are also useful, and they have a good reputation. When he came over that day, Mr. Ou was teaching, and Mrs. Ou went to buy vegetables. I brought a chair for him to sit on, and made sesame bean tea..."

"Yes, then there was a time when I took two things I needed, but he refused to charge me." Tian Xuan also said.

"I heard that his family is doing better now, his wife is better, and he is raising chickens and ducks... He is a hard-working, hardworking, and honest man."

Fang's mother casually chatted about the neighborhood, and soon the topic turned to tomorrow's plans: "By the way, we're not going to the theater tomorrow, right? We're also going to watch the prefect try a case, the one about the bookstore being smashed and looted. There's also talk of a debate."

"Okay, I heard about it at the dock, so I'll go take a look, and it won't cost any money." Father Fang nodded. "If you want to talk about this, I'll be in the hall tomorrow, too." Fang Lin suddenly said.

The whole family looked over when they heard this.

"That's it..."

Prefect Pu wanted to make this case a model and decide whether popular novels would be sold in the city in the future. So he decided to invite booksellers and scholars to debate while solving the case. Shopkeeper Liu, the owner of Xuan Mo Zhai, was also invited. After discussion, he brought Fang Lin with him.

"Then we have to go and see it." Fang's mother clapped her hands.

Mr. Fang and Tian Xuan also felt proud, happy and proud, but they didn't think about anything else for the time being.

"Tomorrow, I'll judge the situation and maybe I'll have to show off a little bit," Fang Lin thought to himself.

He originally wanted to keep a low profile, but if he wants to sell novels in the future, he must be famous. Without fame, no matter how good the quality of his novels is, he will not be able to make a success at the beginning. By the time word of mouth spreads, pirated copies have already appeared and he will inevitably suffer huge losses.

"I have inquired about it. Those downtrodden and conservative scholars are at most students. If they are above the level of scholars, they care about their reputation and have some social status. At least they can copy books and sell them for money. They basically won't do such degrading things as writing novels and plays... So, these weak persimmons are actually the best stepping stones to fame. But it's not certain. Let's see tomorrow and follow the trend and act accordingly!"

That night, Fang lay in bed before going to sleep, secretly imagining what excuses the other party would come up with tomorrow and how he would refute them if faced with them.

……

The same night.

A group of down-and-out conservative literati, led by Zhong Zongdian, Dai Zongqi, Li Gongru, Zhuang Yuqing and Rong Cailin, gathered to plan for tomorrow.

"What are popular novels? They are nothing but vulgar stuff that cannot be read in high society. Yet they can be sold publicly now. It is absolutely ridiculous. The Inspector of the Capital and the Imperial College of Yingtian are really..." Zhuang Yuqing shook his head.

"Brother Zhuang, be careful with your words."

Li Gongru was a cautious person, and he quickly stopped them, saying, "The officials of the court may have been deceived by the traitors, but we cannot make rash comments... But, is it precisely because of this that we need to get to the bottom of the matter?"

"Yes, my Lord, you must have been deceived by a traitor."

Rong Cailin usually speaks well, but when he gets excited, he stutters. When he mentions "Your Excellency in the Court", he subconsciously bows and clasps his fists in the direction of the capital. But when he talks about the common people, he straightens his back and changes into a condescending and arrogant look: "The common people are stupid, what do they know about novels and dramas? They read whatever we write, and now they are following suit to make noises and rap. It's really outrageous!"

To translate this: What do ordinary people know about good novels? What are bad novels? We know you best. You should just read our foolishly loyal and filial novels and be fed shit by us. How can you have your own ideas and opinions? This is outrageous!
"Indeed, we are speaking for the people. If we win this time, this typical case will spread to Yingtian and the capital, and it may be able to reverse the decline and change the court's policies in one fell swoop..."

Dai Zongqi saw some people looking puzzled and not quite understanding, so he simply explained it more clearly: "Now, the voices of retro forces across the country opposing the sale of popular novels have been suppressed and are at a disadvantage. If we win the debate tomorrow and make this case a typical case, these forces will surely give their support and set off a trend, and maybe we can turn defeat into victory."

This is the truth of the matter. Whether popular novels are open or not is actually the same as "some open and some released". Either the east wind prevails over the west wind, or the west wind prevails over the east wind.

"Yes, if we can really achieve that, our reputation will spread far and wide, and the books we write will surely sell well. We may even be noticed by some big shots, and it will be just around the corner for us to rise to prominence! Therefore, this is not only a matter of personal jobs, but also a matter of our future. Please, everyone, make every effort to do this!"

Zhong Zongdian looked at the expressions of the crowd and said something encouraging at the end. When he saw Zhuang Yuqing's expression change slightly and he wanted to say something disharmonious and disunited, he immediately changed his words and said with a smile: "Of course, this is a more utilitarian statement. Is it true? The laws of our ancestors cannot be changed. We are also setting the record straight. To put it in a broader sense, it is to establish a mind for heaven and earth and a destiny for the people!"

After hearing the change of words, Zhuang Yuqing stroked his beard and nodded with satisfaction.

"Yes, yes, we are doing this for the sake of the world." After hearing this, the others looked at each other and laughed knowingly.

Literati are all concerned about their reputation. To put it more bluntly, they are like whores who want to maintain their chastity. Among these downtrodden and conservative literati, except for a few who disagree with popular novels themselves and believe that they are harmful to the country, most of the others are just for their own selfish interests. No matter how they frame it or how high-sounding it is, it cannot change the essence of "actually snakes and rats are in the same nest, colluding with each other, trying to manipulate public opinion and engage in opportunistic behavior."

……

On this side, the down-and-out conservative intellectuals whose jobs were ruined by popular novels realized the crisis, gathered together, saw the opportunity, and were eager to try; on the other side, the city's booksellers, although they preferred popular novels for the sake of profit, knew that popular novels could make money, but were not sure how much money could be made, and were not forced into a corner, so they had different ideas and acted independently, like a pile of loose sand.

It was in this situation that the next day's public trial and debate meeting arrived.

……

(End of this chapter)