Linxia

Chapter 184, Response

Xu family.

Early in the morning, Fang Lin brought fifty copies of the third and fourth parts of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

This guy Xu Kuo specially invited a storyteller this time because the old butler read the first and second parts of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" as blandly as boiled water.

Therefore, when his friends from the martial arts world came to get books and heard the storytelling, many of them asked to listen together.

Mr. Xu Kuo would not refuse, so he asked them to sit down and took out various dried fruits as a treat.

The third part starts with: 'Zhao Yun intercepts the river to capture A Dou, Sun Quan leaves a letter to retreat Lao Man', Liu Bei's side advances rapidly and there are constant moments of excitement.

Xu Kuo Lao and his group of friends naturally applauded and were extremely happy after listening to the performance.

……

Government office.

Master Tang brought the third and fourth volumes of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms and said to Prefect Pu, "Sir, with the third and fourth volumes of the Romance of the Three Kingdoms going on sale today, the news of creating panic and driving up grain prices has been completely covered up. There is no more news and the city has stabilized. Because of your clever plan of "donating the monument", you have cheated the big families and merchants in the city, and there is enough money and grain to provide relief to the victims."

"It's just that the place outside the city to settle the disaster victims is a little small. The disaster victims from many villages are crowded together, and conflicts are inevitable. Recently, there have been frequent fights and disturbances... I'm worried that if this continues for a long time, there will be some big chaos."

"Oh?"

Prefect Pu was thinking about this matter. When he saw the new book of the Three Kingdoms on the table, he suddenly had an idea: "How about this? You go and invite a few storytellers to tell the disaster victims about the Romance of the Three Kingdoms, starting from the first part..."

Master Tang was stunned for a moment, but soon reacted and showed a happy expression on his face: "This is a great plan, sir! Send people to tell stories and guide the victims to focus on "Romance of the Three Kingdoms", so they won't have the time to cause trouble. This method of distracting attention is similar to the previous strategy of guiding public opinion!"

The wonderfulness of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" can definitely attract disaster victims. This method is also extremely low-cost. Just a few literate people and some books can solve this potential hidden danger. It can be said to be a small effort with a great result.

"It's just copying. Go ahead and do it!" Prefect Pu waved his hand.

After Master Tang left, he opened the third volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms. Apart from disaster relief, there were no other major events in the city at the moment, so he had time to read the book.

The sunlight came through the window and fell on the green basket. My tense nerves relaxed and I felt warm and peaceful. I gradually sank into the magnificent world of war and iron cavalry in the book.

……

It was this morning that Fang Lin took Tian Xuan out for a walk.

Now that he is worth more than 100,000 taels, he naturally won't sell books himself or do those trivial things anymore. He can just hire two more assistants at the main store of Xuan Mo Zhai.

Today, the sun is warm and the breeze is gentle. As I pass by the teahouses and taverns in the city, almost everyone is reading books or discussing the Three Kingdoms. Some, like the owner of the teahouse that Hong Yingheng and Zhong Zongdian went to, invite storytellers to come, and from time to time, there can be heard a burst of applause.

From east to west and from south to north, wherever people gathered, they all talked about the Three Kingdoms, which was no less than the legend that "wherever there was a well, people would sing Liu's poems."

It can be said that on the first morning when the third and fourth parts of Romance of the Three Kingdoms went on sale, the atmosphere of post-disaster decadence and confusion in Huai'an City was swept away, presenting a scene of prosperity against the trend.

"Brother Lin, you are amazing! When I hear people talking about the Three Kingdoms and praising you, I feel like they are praising me. I am so happy!"

Tian Xuan said proudly, looking at Fang Lin, who seemed to be glittering in the sun. At this moment, a thought came to her mind: "How lucky I am in this life to have met Brother Lin. Maybe I have used up all my luck in my previous life."

"Sister Xuan, we are husband and wife, and you have a share of my honor."

Fang Lin paused as he spoke, "However, this morning is just the beginning. The first half of the third part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms is the climax of the book. Liu, Guan, Zhang, and Zhuge are all there, dividing the world into three parts. Later on, when Liu, Guan, and Zhang leave the stage...if it's afternoon soon, or tomorrow or the day after tomorrow, when they see this, my reputation will probably be overturned, and I'm afraid I'll be scolded. So I'm thinking, I'll hide for the next two days and not come out again."

This is actually one of the reasons why he wanted to publish the third and fourth parts of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" together. Many people said that after Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei left the stage, half of the excitement of the Three Kingdoms was gone. When Zhuge Kongming died of illness in Wuzhangyuan in the autumn wind, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" no longer had any "meaning" and most people could not read it anymore.

It can be said that the sales of the third and fourth parts of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" may not necessarily perform better or bring greater profits than selling the two parts together.

……

In fact, Fang Lin's guess was correct. Some people who were quick to read saw Guan, Zhang and Liu leave the stage in the afternoon of the first day, and they kept cursing him, the author of "The Knife Man".

……

A small and happy home.

A good book can really immerse people in it and stir up the readers' emotions.

"Oh, Master Guan is dead!" Gu Yuyan was so angry that she put down the book.

In the third part of Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Liu Bei's side started off with great momentum. Although the death of Pang Tong was a minor flaw, it was not a big deal. Until Zhuge Liang captured Hanzhong with his wisdom, Xuande was promoted to the King of Hanzhong, and the world was divided into three parts. Then, Guan Yu showed his might in Xiangyang, flooded seven armies, scraped bones to treat poison, and Cao Wei was about to be destroyed. The emotions were pushed to the extreme, and then it took a sharp turn for the worse. Erye died? !

This is no longer just a matter of 'inches', but it's simply inhumane to cut you at the climax!

Shi Wenjun also saw this and nodded slightly. Even though she was usually calm and peaceful, she felt a little upset at this moment and thought that Lu Meng was simply sick: "Second Master is Liu Bei's sworn brother. After capturing him, he could be used as a bargaining chip or used to threaten the First Lord to cede land. How valuable is he? Why was he killed like this?"

It was already afternoon at this time. When the two girls saw this, they felt as if something was blocking their hearts, so they went to eat and planned to take a break and wait until the afternoon to watch it again.

Then, I watched it again in the afternoon, and the following plot was even more cruel. After Guan Yu died, Zhang Fei also left the stage, and then it was Liu Bei...

They were so tortured that they couldn't bear to watch it.

"Mr. Fang, Mr. Fang is really..." Gu Yuyan had such a good impression of Fang Lin that she almost couldn't help but say bad things about him.

"Sister Yuyan, you have also read Romance of the Three Kingdoms, so you should have expected this."

Shi Wenjun comforted him and said softly, "Besides, after Second Master died, Zhang Fei and Liu Bei were both determined to avenge him. Although... they also explained the word "righteousness" in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" to the fullest. Literature carries the truth, and books express the heart. From this, it can be seen that both of us have the right vision. Master Fang is indeed a person who can be trusted."

……

School.

As soon as school was over, Xu Xianwen said goodbye to his classmates and ran home.

Mr. Yu was a slow reader, and when he came to an interesting part, he would often stop and explain to them. So today, he was stuck at the climax when he read 'Guan Yu went to the meeting alone, and Empress Fu sacrificed her life for the country'.

"What's the next plot? Urgent!" Xu Xianwen felt like he was about to die of anxiety.

He ran all the way home and saw his father, mother, and a group of his father's friends listening to a storyteller. He heard it and found out it was 'Ma Chao's battle at Jiameng Pass, Liu Bei took over as governor of Yizhou'. Just hearing the title made him feel it was exciting and made him eager to read. However, that was obviously a later plot.

He didn't follow the audience. When he saw there were extra books at home, he immediately picked up one and read it himself.

Then, in the school, Master Yu read the chapter 'Guan Yu went to the meeting alone, and Empress Fu sacrificed her life for the country', followed by the following plots 'Cao Cao pacified Hanzhong, and Zhang Liao's mighty power in Xiaoyaojin', etc. It must be said that there were many climaxes and it was really wonderful!
Xu Xianwen clenched his fists as he read, his face flushed with excitement, and he imagined himself becoming one of the characters in the book, galloping across the battlefield and conquering all directions.

At night, when he ate, he would finish his meal in two quick mouthfuls.

Then, after dinner, I stayed up late and lit a candle to continue watching. I kept watching the scene where Guan Yu flooded seven armies and scraped his bones to treat poison. I just wanted to say that Erye is awesome!
And then, what, the second master died?

"My second master!" Xu Xianwen slammed the table, and the candle fell down.

"My book... is fine! It's fine!" He subconsciously pulled the book away first, then turned his head and looked at the burning homework book that had fallen into the book basket. He shouted and hurried to put out the fire.

After a while, the boy looked at the half-burned homework book, and felt like crying but couldn't cry. He was also full of complaints towards Fang Lin in his heart: "Brother Fang, you said you were fine, why did you write Er Ye to death? Otherwise, this wouldn't have happened..."

……

The main store of Xuan Mo Zhai.

At the end of the day, Chai Yiwei, Huang Di, Liu Hongwen, Geng Shi and others, although tired, were all happy because they knew that with today's great sales, their wages for this month would not be reduced.

Nowadays, the food in the restaurant is good, with plenty of oil and water, and there is also a big plate of meat for dinner.

After dinner, I went back to the house.

Liu Hongwen opened the third volume of Romance of the Three Kingdoms and planned to read it.

Chai Yiwei and Huang Di, who were playing chess, stopped immediately. Geng Shi also looked over and said, "Brother Liu, please read it to us!"

The last time the second part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was released, Liu Hongwen read it once, and the three of them were captured and became fans of the Three Kingdoms book as well. Now Liu Hongwen has read both the first and second parts of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

"Okay, wait a minute, let me take a look at the catalog first, just to satisfy my eyes... Okay?"

Liu Hongwen stared with wide eyes at the two chapters, "Guan Gong appears in Yuquan Mountain, Cao Cao is moved by the gods in Luoyang City" and "Anxious for brother's revenge for Zhang Fei's murder, to avenge brother's hatred for the former lord", what do these two titles mean?
……

Guangfu Street Branch.

Liu Hongru also opened the third part of "Romance of the Three Kingdoms". Now, Fang Chuanhui has gone out to sea, and there is no one to watch it with him, which is a bit of a pity.

He didn't even have dinner and stayed up all night reading. He read very quickly and soon saw the story about the death of the Second Master. He was so shocked that he slammed the table.

"It really pisses me off!"

Liu Hongru just felt lonely and angry after reading. He was already feeling uncomfortable. At this time, the hunger from not having eaten dinner came again. The two discomforts were superimposed on each other and he felt extremely uncomfortable.

He patted his stomach, feeling resentful towards Fang Lin in his heart: "Brother Fang, look at what you are doing, is this human?"

……

The next day, when more people saw and heard about Guan Yu's death, there was a lot of cursing. If people would die if they were scolded, then Fang Lin really didn't know how many times he had died.

……

The teahouse that Hong Yingheng and Zhong Zongdian visited yesterday.

Today, when the storyteller talked about how Guan Yu was defeated in Maicheng and captured and beheaded by Lu Meng, the audience became very emotional and started cursing.

"Hey, what are you talking about? Open your eyes and see if you read it wrong."

"That's right, how could the Second Master die? I'm so pissed off!"

"Find a fight!"

……

Some of them had bad tempers and just threw all kinds of things at the storyteller, causing him to run away in panic.

"Dear guests, please calm down! Calm down!" The shopkeeper came out from the counter and persuaded.

"Hey, are you in the same group with Lu Meng?" An agitated man grabbed his collar and asked fiercely.

The shopkeeper felt that as long as he answered "yes", the other party's fist as big as a sandbag would hit him immediately. Looking at the unreasonable other party, he felt very bitter: "I just asked someone to read this new book about the Three Kingdoms, why did it turn out like this?"

"Master Fang, you are also committing a sin. Why did you write Guan Erye to death for no reason?"

……

Xu family.

When the storyteller talked about Guan Erye's death, facing a group of people staring at him angrily, he immediately comforted them from the bottom of his heart: "Don't worry, my good men. Your third brother Zhang Fei is an unparalleled warrior in the world. Your eldest brother has been promoted to the King of Hanzhong and will surely avenge you soon."

Xu Kuo Lao also spoke to comfort him.

These gang friends, out of respect for Xu Kuo's reputation, believed it for the time being and refrained from cursing.

But soon, Zhang Fei also died.

The storyteller was sweating as he read: "Fan Jiang and Zhang Da, those two villains, will not last long. The First Lord will definitely raise an army to attack the Eastern Wu and chop them into pieces. Everyone, please listen patiently."

Then, I read about Liu Bei's attack on Wu, but was burned down by Lu Xun, and his elite troops and family assets were all lost. He entrusted his son to the care of others in Baidi City...

The gangsters all got teary-eyed when they heard this. "Okay, you said the Second Master was dead, fine. We'll just put up with it and hope for revenge. Is that so difficult?" It's fine if you can't get revenge, but you even wrote Zhang Fei and Liu Bei to death one after another. How can you be a human being?

They couldn't bear it any longer and started cursing.

"What kind of a crap book is this?"

"You bastard, that's painful to hear!"

"Only my military advisor Kong Ming is still alive..." As soon as this person said this, he was looked at by the people around him, who asked uncertainly, "Is it my turn to be the next military advisor?"

……

As Xu Kuo listened, his face darkened and he felt the urge to find Fang Lin to revise the book.

……

Government office.

"Youyou Cang Tian, ​​why do you treat me less favorably?"

As Pu Zhifu read it, he could feel the desolation contained in it. He could not bear to close his eyes. The scene of Zhuge Kongming dying of illness in Wuzhangyuan in the autumn wind seemed to appear before his eyes. He could not help but sigh: "To die before achieving success always makes heroes shed tears. Knowing that it is impossible, but forcing himself to do it, his lingering hatred is entrusted to the sad wind."

"Today's Great Xia is plagued by natural disasters and man-made disasters, and is in trouble both internally and externally. We know that in the future... it will not be like the Great Han of the past, where fate has run out and there is nothing we can do to save the situation."

He murmured, stood up and stared into the distance, unable to come back to his senses for a long time.

……

(End of this chapter)