Linxia

Chapter 136, Reputation

After the wages were paid, Huang Di, Chai Yiwei, Geng Shi and Liu Hongwen felt that they would be guilty if they worked less, and so refused to let Fang Lin do anything. Moreover, although there were still many customers in the store, it was no longer so crowded that people had to squeeze outside. Fang Lin was freed up, and planned to go see Prefect Pu, Dong Zugao, Xu Kuolao and Manager Liu to ask them to look over this month's accounts. Oh, and he also planned to go to Qinghuan Residence to express his gratitude for the support of the 100 copies of Romance of the Three Kingdoms sold on the first day.

When I went out and walked on the street, I met a group of children holding sticks. You shouted "I am Zhang Yide from Yan", and I shouted "You are a traitor", and we exchanged blows. I also met several gangsters kneeling in the street, imitating the three sworn brothers Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei in Taoyuan, lighting incense and swearing brotherhood to the sky. There were also people telling stories about "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and the crowds of people watching were three layers deep, cheering and cheering, and it was very lively...

'The emergence of pirated copies did dilute some of the profits, but the influence it brought was real, allowing the influence of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to further ferment in the city, and it really reached the point where everyone knew it.'

As the nominal author of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Fang Lin also became famous. He would be recognized and greeted from time to time on the street. Everyone was polite. Most of them asked for updates and inquired about the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms.

If the fame gained from the debate conference that day was only temporary, coming and going quickly, then the reputation brought by "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was extremely strong and lasting, and the effect was even more terrifying. When strangers met him and heard that he was the author of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", their innate favorability would be increased by 20. If book fans met him, their favorability would be directly increased by 50.

……

Fang Lin arrived at the government office and asked the doorman to pass on a message. Prefect Pu actually came out to greet him in person.

"Your Excellency is really embarrassing me."

"Well deserved, well deserved." Prefect Pu laughed heartily, "Fang Lin, you don't know, as Romance of the Three Kingdoms became popular, my colleagues in the prefecture wrote to me, expressing their envy of me for writing the preface to Romance of the Three Kingdoms...Haha, he got second place in the palace examination, so what if he ranked higher than me? A hundred years later, most people in the world will know me but not him."

It was obvious that he was in a very good mood.

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms has become so popular today, and most of the credit goes to you. You wrote the preface for the book, and used your reputation to guarantee and spread its fame. A few days ago, you even provided escort..."

As Fang Lin spoke, he took out the account book and asked Prefect Pu to take a look.

"After more than a month, after deducting various factors, the net profit is more than 1,800 taels of silver. So much? If I remember correctly, the initial investment was only 500 taels of silver, right?" Prefect Pu was surprised after seeing it.

This number is not a small amount for him.

"It's just that the Romance of the Three Kingdoms has just been launched. With your help, sales are booming. By next month, the price will drop a lot," said Fang Lin.

"That's right." Prefect Pu nodded to show that he understood, and then said, "Speaking of which, how are those booksellers who pirated the Romance of the Three Kingdoms different from thieves? In Huai'an, I can still give them a few warnings and make them restrain themselves, but in other prefectures, it's out of reach."

"Your Excellency has done enough, and I am grateful to you."

Fang Lin changed the subject and said, "To be honest, those pirated copies are not without benefits. This time, we can make Romance of the Three Kingdoms famous. Next time, when the second part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is released, each prefecture can choose a bookseller as a distributor. They can share the profits or buy out the books. If we do this two or three times, we can establish a distribution channel."

"That's a good idea." Prefect Pu nodded upon hearing this. Although some words like 'distributor' and 'distribution channel' were quite new, they were not difficult to understand.

"Sir, in terms of popular novels, our Huai'an Prefecture has already taken the lead. Once the Romance of the Three Kingdoms opens up distribution channels, a good book can not only be sold in this city, but also sold to other places through booksellers in other prefectures, maximizing development... This process can also be accelerated artificially, such as the official holding of a popular novel competition, until popular novels become a cultural name card of Huai'an... By then, readers will gather here, and booksellers will come and go to select books, which will surely prosper the local economy, make the people proud, merchants' business will be booming, and government tax revenue will increase sharply. Your Excellency will naturally be supported by the people and your reputation will spread to the court."

Fang Lin expressed his ideas and drew a blueprint.

"Okay, okay! Your idea is wild and original. If you think about it carefully, it is possible."

As Prefect Pu spoke, he looked at Fang Lin with a complicated look in his eyes: "What a pity, I wanted to recruit you as an aide, but then I thought, the government doesn't need another aide Fang Lin, but the people can't do without an author Fang Lin. You can write "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", and you will definitely be able to write more excellent popular novels."

"Don't underestimate it. Tang poetry, Song lyrics, and Yuan opera are all representatives of an era. Daxia must be the representative of popular novels. How about Li Bai, the representative of Tang poetry? How about Su Dongpo, the representative of Song lyrics? How about Ma Zhiyuan, the representative of Yuan opera? How can you, Fang Lin, not become the representative of popular novels and lead the trend for hundreds of years?"

It has to be said that Magistrate Pu was far-sighted. Although he lived in the times, he could see through the mist of history and determined that popular novels would become the cultural symbol of the Great Xia Dynasty in the future.

"I appreciate your kindness, sir. I do feel more at ease among the common people."

Fang Lin had a plan long ago. His ultimate goal was to take control of the guns and flee far away to the sea with his family. He either had to pass the imperial examination and become a provincial governor or a big capitalist so that he would have the ability to mobilize such huge resources. Being a staff member was not an option.

"There are 360 ​​professions, and every profession has its top talents. Fang Lin, you must know that if you become the best in one profession, you can also break the secular barriers. Reputation, reputation, and fame, when they reach a certain level, are also powerful."

Prefect Pu gave an example: "Look at Li Bai. He offended the emperor, but he was only given money and released. Even though he later became a traitor, he was not sentenced to death, was he?"

Fang Linshen agreed with this. He had also thought about these things. Reputation is indeed powerful.

When your reputation reaches a certain level, no one will mess with you easily. It is like getting a different kind of golden ticket to avoid death. After all, if you kill a person who has left his name in history, you will be infamous in the history books for thousands of years, and your descendants will be despised and looked down upon. For example, Qin Hui, is there anyone in the history books who is more heinous than him? Of course there is, but how is his reputation in later generations because of Yue Fei? For a period of time, people were even ashamed to have the surname "Qin".

In this era, people value clans and reputation. No one would kill him unless it was absolutely necessary and the fight was life and death. Not even the emperor!
Not only that, the huge reputation is also a stepping stone to contact higher circles. The various benefits are self-evident. It can be said that as "Three Kingdoms" spreads across the country, Fang Lin will become the uncrowned king and will be looked up to wherever he goes. To a certain extent, he will obtain a social status that is not inferior to that of Juren and Jinshi.

……

After meeting Prefect Pu, Fang Lin went to look for Dong Zugao. Needless to say, he was surprised at the profits. The two sat down and drank tea and talked.

"Brother Fang's copy of Romance of the Three Kingdoms has caused quite a stir. I heard that everyone in the city, from the elderly to the young, knows Romance of the Three Kingdoms. In teahouses and taverns, some drunkards imitated the Three Heroes of Peach Garden and went out to grab people and swear brotherhood on the spot. I even heard that Romance of the Three Kingdoms was passed to the palace, and His Majesty was very pleased to read it. They are all fans of Brother Fang's book!"

Dong Zugao lowered his voice when he uttered the last sentence.

Prefect Pu might have heard something about this matter, but after all, they were all officials and it involved the imperial palace, so it was not easy for him to comment on it. However, Dong Zugao did not have such concerns. In addition, their feelings were more important than their interests, and their relationship was relatively close, so they were unrestrained and spoke freely.

The two chatted for a while, and Fang Lin talked about the subsequent store management plan.

"This year is a leap August, otherwise the Autumn Examination would have passed. Now the Autumn Examination is about to begin. I am going to take the provincial examination. Brother Fang needs your support. I support any move." "Then I wish Brother Dong success in the exam in advance."

……

After bidding farewell to Dong Zugao, Fang Lin went to look for Xu Kuolao again. On the way, he met Xu Xianwen who was returning from the school for lunch at noon, and the two went together.

"Brother Fang, you don't know that our teacher has read your version of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Today, our teacher also talked about your Linjiangxian in class...Brother Fang, you are so amazing!" Xu Xianwen said, his little face full of admiration.

"You are trying to flatter me, but it must be up to no good. Tell me, what do you want from me this time?" Fang Lin had figured out his pulse.

"Hey, I promised my classmate that I would ask you to sign my book..."

"How many?"

"Thirty copies."

"It's not bad, thanks to the fact that your school doesn't have 300 or 3,000 students."

……

When they arrived at Xu's house, Mr. Xu Kuo welcomed them warmly. Fang Lin left the kid behind and the two of them drank together.

"Brother Fang, you don't know that people in the underworld are saying that because of your role as Guan Erye in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, everyone will have to be polite to you when they see you from now on." Xu Kuo Lao laughed.

Fang Lin also found it funny and thought to himself: "When the third part kills Guan Erye, I will be beaten, right?"

He showed the account book to Xu Kuolao and paid back the three hundred taels of silver that he had previously loaned to the store without interest.

"Okay!"

Xu Kuo Lao was also shocked when he saw it: "I thought that you, Brother Fang, opened a bookstore to make money, but I didn't expect it to be so profitable. You can get back all your investment in one month."

"It will drop next month, and the estimated net profit is only three or four hundred taels. This is when Xuan Mo Zhai's concept of authentic products is deeply rooted in people's hearts, and they deeply develop illustrations, commentaries and other versions." Fang Lin poured cold water on him.

"That's not bad. I got a great deal on this deal." Xu Kuolao said with a smile.

This is the truth. Fang Linkai's bookshop makes huge profits. In the beginning, recruiting him was like giving him money.

"Brother Xu, this is what I think. We won't distribute the profits from the store as dividends for now. Instead, we'll invest in development and open more stores... That way, we'll be able to make more profit when the next volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is released," Fang Lin said.

"That's right. This is a good thing. I support it. If you need my help, just tell me."

Xu Kuo Lao asked Fang Lin to stay for dinner and discussion, and left in the afternoon.

After Fang left, Xu Kuo was still humming a little tune.

"I said before that Brother Fang is not an ordinary person. Now you see that it is so profitable to open a bookstore."

"No matter how much money you make, you only have 15,000% of the shares. You haven't seen a single cent in dividends so far." Xu's wife deliberately discouraged him.

"what do you know?"

Xu Kuo snorted, "Use the dividends to open branches, and you will make more money in the future. Of course, the most valuable thing is not the store, but Brother Fang himself. Just the subsequent parts of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" can make a lot of money, not to mention that Brother Fang will write more books in the future... The 15% dry stock is an underestimation of the hen that lays golden eggs. It is a mountain of gold and silver!"

……

When he saw Manager Liu, he was very curious about the other party: "I'm not in Xuan Mo Zhai, and I don't have you to accompany me for my morning walks. I'm not used to it."

"Manager Liu, your place is not too far from Xuan Mo Zhai. I will come to see you tomorrow." Fang Lin said with a smile.

Shopkeeper Liu took the account book and looked at it, then he sighed, "Fang Lin, the best thing I have ever done in my life was investing in you!"

That's indeed the case. If it weren't for the friendship they had established earlier, it would have been impossible for someone else to get shares from Fang Lin even at a premium.

"By the way, there is a problem with this account. Fang Lin, as the shopkeeper, how can you work for the store for free without taking a penny?" Shopkeeper Liu complained.

"Prefect Pu, Brother Dong, and Brother Xu have also mentioned this matter. If not this month, starting from next month, I will take a 5% share of the store's profits every month as my wages," Fang Lin said.

It is estimated that in the next few months, the store's net profit will be three to four hundred taels per month, and 5% is only about ten or twenty taels. Compared with controlling the general direction of the bookstore's development, he does not feel guilty about taking it.

"I agree with this. Fang Lin, I also support your idea of ​​not distributing dividends and continuing to run the store." Shopkeeper Liu waved his hand and said, "I'm old now and my energy is not enough. I should act like an old man and stop making trouble. I'll let you lead me to make money."

……

(End of this chapter)