Linxia

Chapter 123, Collision

Let’s go back to the end of the debate.

As soon as Prefect Pu announced the adjournment of the court, Fang Lin was surrounded enthusiastically by the people outside the venue. The ladies and girls said he was "so handsome" and they almost wanted to kiss him. Some asked if he was married or not, and some of their own daughters wanted to introduce him to someone else; some maids even held handkerchiefs... The situation was just like "catching a son-in-law from the list".

Mr. Fang, Mrs. Fang, and Tian Xuan couldn't squeeze in.

Dong Zugao originally wanted to come over and say hello, but he failed to do so. He smiled and nodded outside the crowd and left. As they were gentlemen friends, there was no need for any formalities.

Even someone as strong as Xu Kuo Lao also avoided him and didn't come over. He just waved and said, "Come over for dinner when you have time. Xu Xianwen is talking about him."

Fang Lin had no time to respond. Before the crowd completely surrounded him, he found a gap and went to the back door of the government office, where he finally escaped.

“How does it feel to be famous?”

Prefect Pu smiled and patted Fang Lin on the shoulder, saying, "I'll tell the concierge when I get back. Come over anytime you're free and have dinner with me."

'Compared to the possible marriage just now, this is the biggest gain today! 'Even Fang Lin was slightly moved at this moment, these words were not light.

Just like what Song Guangcheng said when he visited Song Kai in prison, 'If you don't have some connections, you don't know which Buddha to worship when you burn incense'. Even if you don't ask for anything, being able to visit at any time and pass on the news to Prefect Pu is of great value.

'This time, I defeated the downtrodden and conservative scholar. Not only did I gain great fame, but I also got Prefect Pu to accept my favor. With this favor, it will be much easier for us to interact with each other in the future. It was worth it.'

Fang Lin said this in his heart, then thought of Dong Zugao and Xu Kuolao, and smiled.

Needless to say, Dong Zugao and Xu Kuolao have always maintained a good relationship with each other, because they owe each other a favor due to the matter of Sister Guihua, and the exchanges between them are also a way to bring them closer.

In short, every relationship you make needs to be maintained and deepened, and if it is useful, it will definitely be used.

"It will be a year since I arrived in the city in two or three months. Compared to when I first came here, I had no foundation at all. Now I have built up a network of relationships and I am no longer vulnerable to manipulation. Apart from anything else, if I can get Dong Zugao, Xu Kuo Lao, or even Prefect Pu to invest in the bookstore in the future, it will definitely be able to run smoothly." Fang Lin thought with a sigh.

At this time, Manager Liu also came over and sighed, "Good boy, I'm afraid I can't keep you in Xuan Mo Zhai anymore."

"How could that be possible? Boss, I plan to stay for a few more days!" Fang Lin said this sincerely.

As I said before, let the bullets fly for a while.

Today, Prefect Pu announced the result of the verdict. The situation is clear. Popular novels will be liberalized and "Water Margin" will surely set off a wave. Any popular novel that comes across a classic like "Water Margin" will be terrible - not even "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" will be good. It's not that "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is not as good as "Water Margin", but Fang Lin is not as famous as "Water Margin", the first officially published popular novel.

"The fame accumulated from today's incident is far from enough to compete with "Water Margin". If the greed really blinds one's mind, it will definitely be a bloody collision. Popular novels are like this. If they cannot completely explode at the beginning, the subsequent pirated copies will inevitably cause huge losses."

'When the Water Margin craze is over and readers are still not satisfied after reading it, and the market is hungry, then it will be the best time for Romance of the Three Kingdoms to be released. It is estimated that this time will be two or three months later. Moreover, today's events still need to ferment, so that my fame can rise to a higher level. Finally, these two or three months are just the right time to quickly finish writing and polishing the draft of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, and save a little money by the way. '

The feces business was indeed profitable, but it did not last long. In the meantime, there was also the matter of Mr. Zhuo San, which delayed some time. Therefore, Fang Lin calculated that it would take another two months to accumulate money.

"If you want to open a bookstore, it's best to buy the shop directly to avoid any trouble from the landlord, such as raising the price when the business is good... By this calculation, it is estimated that it will cost 500 taels of silver to open a bookstore. By then, I will bring Dong Zugao and Xu Kuo Lao, and if possible, Pu Zhifu to join in. I need to prepare at least 300 taels, which will take another two or three months to accumulate."

While Fang Lin was thinking about the bookstore, Fang's father, mother and Tian Xuan finally showed up, and the family went back to Xixiang Hutong.

At this time, Sister Guihua, Su Xiaoqing, Mr. Ou and others had already returned. What happened in the government office spread among the neighbors, especially Fang Lin's words "I have never seen such a shameless person" which made people faint, and his words "Your body and name will be destroyed, but the rivers and mountains will flow forever" made the group of scholars feel ashamed and was the most talked about.

In particular, there were rumors that Fang Lin had caught the eye of the prefect because of this, so Fang Lin, who was originally someone else's child, suddenly became even more popular.

Fang's father, Fang's mother, and Tian Xuan all benefited from this and were more respected in the alley. Other families treated the Fang family better, and more people came to chat with Fang's mother and Tian Xuan, most of whom said flattering words in an attempt to build good relationships. By doing the same thing, the Fang family's advantages would be particularly magnified, and getting along with others would become extremely easy.

This is the same principle as 'watch a son respect his father', which is the invisible power of reputation. To put it more simply, when you are strong and surrounded by good people, no matter what you do or manage your interpersonal relationships, you will get twice the result with half the effort and it will be extremely easy, especially when it comes to downward compatibility.

……

That night, representatives of the down-and-out conservative literati gathered again, and Rong Cailin, who had been scolded unconscious during the day, also came.

——During the day, although Rong Cailin fainted due to being scolded, half of it was humiliating and he was so angry that he really felt dizzy. The other half was that he cooperated with it and was so embarrassed that he left the scene under the pretext of fainting.

"Alas, today's matter was ruined by that little brat... otherwise, who knows, it might have been accomplished." Dai Zongqi sighed.

"Yeah, what a pity! Heroes emerge young!"

Zhong Zongdian sighed and asked, "This matter has passed and has become a foregone conclusion. There is no need to mention it again. What are you going to do in the future?"

"Maybe we can write popular novels. We have experience and we are not necessarily worse than others." Rong Cailin seemed a little reluctant when talking about writing popular novels, as if it was something to degrade himself.

"Yes, we still have advantages compared to others, but it will be harder to make money in the future than before," said Li Gongru.

In the past, they imitated "The Complete Record of the Five Relationships" with the theme of foolish loyalty and foolish filial piety. Even if they wrote a piece of shit, people would still read it. After all, readers only had this choice, and they really made money without doing anything. Now, under the impact of popular novels, readers have more choices, which forces them to step out of their comfort zone, accept market scrutiny, and be forced to roll up.

Of course, compared to others, they used to write novels and dramas, so they still have the advantages of experience and reputation. "I used to be able to comfort myself by writing novels and dramas about loyalty and filial piety, but now writing popular novels is really a disgrace to the civilized world. I would rather starve to death than write." Zhuang Yuqing snorted coldly and walked away.

Dai Zongqi smiled bitterly and said, "I know I am not cut out for writing popular novels. I will probably continue to take the imperial examinations."

Everyone talked about their plans, and after a short gathering, they said goodbye one after another. The small group thus fell apart, like monkeys scattering when the tree falls.

As the saying goes, people come together because of benefits and will disperse because of benefits.

In fact, these people have been mentally prepared for a long time. They also know that the idea of ​​turning the tide is beautiful, but it is extremely difficult to do. They just want to stop popular novels temporarily, but they didn't expect that delaying will not work. Now that things have come to this, they can only accept the reality.

After Zhuang Yuqing, Rong Cailin, Li Gongru and Dai Zongqi left, Zhong Zongdian returned to his room and sat down, taking out his writing brush, ink, paper and inkstone, determined to change his style and write a popular novel that was different from his previous style, in line with the situation and to please the readers.

He is a smart man, so he can naturally see the situation clearly. If he can't beat them, he will join. This kind of change shows that he has a very positive mentality.

Boom boom boom!
While he was thinking about it, there was a knock on the door and someone came in. It turned out to be Hong Yingheng from Shuxiang Pavilion, the bad friend of Liu Hongwen, the eldest son of Manager Liu - Hong Yingheng.

"Manager Hong, we are a rare guest. Please take a seat!" Zhong Zongdian saw this person coming and had some guesses in his mind, so he poured tea.

Hong Yingheng walked in, drank a cup of tea, and said, "Brother Zhong, from today on, popular novels will be completely liberalized, and Outlaws of the Marsh will surely set off a craze in the city. I estimate that this craze may be between February and March, but there will be new problems after that. One is that booksellers are printing frantically, and the market is full of fierce competition for Outlaws of the Marsh, making it difficult to really make money. The other is that readers are obsessed with reading Outlaws of the Marsh and there are no better works to read... As time goes by, this problem will become more and more prominent."

"Manager Hong is worthy of being able to run his business to this extent. He is indeed taking one step and looking three steps ahead. My opinion is similar to Manager Hong's." Zhong Zongdian was more certain of the other party's intention, but he did not take the initiative to mention it. He said in a cautious manner.

Hong Yingheng could only continue to speak: "I came to your house today to ask for a favor. After two or three months, drama novels will surely be eagerly sought after by the Chinese people. However, there are very few similar books in the book market. Brother Zhong, have you ever thought about what to do?"

At this point, his purpose was obvious.

Zhong Zongdian knew that it was not a good deal to rush in, but he still tried to hold back, pretending to be confused and said, "The so-called booksellers are nothing more than making profits from books. But even if popular novels are liberalized, today's literati enjoy writing orthodox poetry and prose, and few of them create popular novels that are not worthy of being published in the upper class... This is very difficult!"

Obviously, this is self-aggrandizement.

"Haha, since no one is writing, I'm here to invite Brother Zhong to take charge of writing a popular novel. By then, it will surely fill the lack of manuscript sources and quench people's thirst for reading." Hong Yingheng looked at the other party with burning eyes.

Zhong Zongdian was no longer a hot-blooded young man who would be fooled. He drank his tea slowly, neither agreeing nor disagreeing, and continued to talk: "I am not well-educated and have never written a popular novel. I am afraid I can't take on such an important task. Manager Hong, didn't you ask Zhuang Yuqing, Rong Cailin, Li Gongru, Dai Zongqi and others?"

"Brother Zhong, why are you being so modest? I came to you because I believe you are the best. As long as you are willing to write, the price is negotiable."

Shopkeeper Hong gritted his teeth and held up five fingers: "I am willing to pay this amount. If the book sales are good, I will give you a certain share."

Zhong Zongdian's eyes lit up. This sincerity was already sufficient, but he still acted reluctantly: "In that case, then I will give it a try?"

Of course, with such generous conditions, he had to show some ability: "Actually, Manager Hong is right. What do you think of Zhuang Yuqing, Rong Cailin, Li Gongru, and Dai Zongqi?"

"how?"

"Zhuang Yuqing is truly against popular novels. He cannot keep up with the times and is doomed to be eliminated. Rong Cailin is flattering and arrogant. Now he wants to write popular novels, but he can't let go of his pride, as if writing popular novels is a gift to readers. I am sure he will not succeed. Li Gongru is cautious, but a little petty. It is easy for him to make a living, but it is unlikely for him to become famous. Dai Zongqi has vision and a clear mind, but his writing skills are not good enough. In the past, he used the template of loyalty and filial piety to write those loyal and filial piety novels and dramas, but now popular novels are not good enough. He plans to take the imperial examination again.

And Zhong is not talented, but his writing skills are good enough, and he is willing to humble himself..."

Zhong Zongdian straightened his chest and said, "I have already thought of the subject matter. I will use "Loyal Records" as a blueprint to create a novel that narrates Yue Wumu's achievements. I will imitate the style of "Water Margin" and use history as the outline. In addition to supplementing history, I will popularize the orthodox history and add my personal imagination and insights to make it a novel."

"Good, good, good!" Hong Yingheng was reassured when he heard this: "Zhong Zongdian is sober and rational. He did not play around this time. He brought out the loyalty and filial piety parts that he was best at in the past, and was willing to lower his status and turn to the style of romance. I have great confidence in this book."

He was very confident, and before leaving, he gave a gift: "Brother Zhong, do you still remember the boy in the daytime? That man's name is Fang Lin, and he works for Xuan Mo Zhai. Brother Zhong, don't worry about it. Maybe soon, Xuan Mo Zhai will collapse, and it will be considered revenge for you."

After seeing Hong Yingheng off, Zhong Zongdian sat down again, thinking about what happened during the day, and shook his head slightly: "That kid ruined my good fortune today, but a blessing in disguise, maybe it's my chance."

"Popular novels are becoming popular. If I can write a second historical novel, I will make a lot of money. Maybe I can even go down in history with it."

He murmured, his heart pounding, and with this impulse he wrote down the title of the book "Popular Romance of the Restoration of the Song Dynasty" on the paper.

The writing style of this book imitates "Water Margin", which is very different from the previous styles. It is dedicated to pleasing readers, quoting historians' statements, commenting and annotating the novel as a third party, abandoning the old routine and clearly embodying the creative style of fantasy novels.

Then, he thought about it, and found out Yue Fei's twenty-one memorials, three inscriptions, a manifesto, as well as letters and poems in "The Story of Loyalty", and prepared to include them in his work.

Under such circumstances, Zhong Zongdian wrote quickly and with great passion.

……

Fang Lin is not the only smart person. Hong Yingheng and Zhong Zongdian of Shuxiang Pavilion have also set their sights on the trend of popular novels. It is foreseeable that in the near future, the two popular novels "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and "Popular Romance of the Song Dynasty Restoration" will collide with each other, and who knows what kind of sparks will be produced.

……

(End of this chapter)