"Mr. Zhong plans to send this book to Jiangnan and other places for sale."
"To be honest, before Master Zhong ca, quite a few traders had already approached about this matter. If Master Zhong is sincere, we can sell you the book, but there’s one condition." The shopkeeper’s attitude was quite pleasant, but thinking of the lady’s instructions, he pondered all night and finally figured out what should be done.
"Oh? What condition? Please go ahead, shopkeeper." Zhong Shan had a sharp eye and felt certain this would be a big hit. The only consideration was whether the stores were willing to collaborate with him.
The shopkeeper tapped his fingers on the table: "Master Zhong, you likely know that this book is quite controversial, but because the official newspaper endorsed it, it seemingly looks like a storybook, while in fact, it’s a legitimate reading material."
"If you sell in the remote Prefectural City, no one would dare question the book thanks to the influence of the official newspaper. My master has said he doesn’t mind the silver earned this ti; he only wants to build up the pen na for this type of storybook. So, if Master Zhong is sincerely getting into this business, we hope you will help promote the book while also highlighting the existence of the pen na."
"Of course, since there’s only one book under this pen na now, Master Zhong could find promoting it challenging. For this first ti, just aim to push the book on the official newspaper along with the true identity of the writer. We also hope Master Zhong will help manage the reputation while selling the book, as it’s written by the lady herself. However, in this era, Master Zhong also knows people think won shouldn’t show their faces publicly. To prevent anyone from tarnishing the lady’s reputation behind her back, we also hope Master Zhong will highlight that this book is endorsed by the imperial court when promoting."
The shopkeeper talked on and maintained attention to the changes in Zhong Shan’s expression.
At first, Zhong Shan was sowhat confused.
By the ti he finished speaking, Zhong Shan had co to a realization, glanced at the shopkeeper, hesitating a little.
"Master Zhong, if you have anything to say, feel free to speak. Since we are going to collaborate, honesty is key. Let’s discuss openly and sincerely." The shopkeeper took a sip from the teacup and spoke with a smile.
However, the scrutiny in his eyes never faded.
Zhong Shan lowered his voice and asked: "Shopkeeper, are you saying that your lady wishes to move in the direction of Famous Clans and wants fa?"
"Yes." The shopkeeper smiled, masking his keen intelligence: "But you don’t need to worry. The lady doesn’t aim to beco an Eminent Scholar; she wants to be a renowned writer."
"But... what’s the difference?" Zhong Shan had only a basic understanding of writing, believing only scholars write articles. Of course, storybooks were trivial and not worthy of the lilight. If not for this book being pushed by the imperial court’s official newspaper, the business wouldn’t be booming.
"Naturally, there is a distinction. Eminent Scholars encompass a wide range of literary achievents, whereas writers focus mainly on novels and such literary works. Incidentally, ’The Imperial Examination Path’ has already been labeled as a ’novel’ by the official newspaper and is no longer referred to as a storybook. Therefore, this novel is now also suitable for scholars, not just considered a trivial pursuit."
Zhong Shan still felt sowhat unclear, primarily because he was a businessman and hadn’t really read much.
He recognized so characters, and that was about it.
The shopkeeper noticed the confusion in his eyes, cleared his throat, and explained with an example: "Master Zhong, simply put, is there any difference between poets and Eminent Scholars?"
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