Chapter 534: A More Meaningful Matter |
On the top floor of Plum Blossom Pavilion there were only three people. The wind outside the building blew passing through the hall, blowing the sheets of paper on the desk making hualala rattling sounds. If not for holding them down with paperweights, I'm afraid the paper would have flown out of the building like snowflakes.
Brother Pao sat carelessly on the desk, holding up his Tobacco Pipe. He said rather proudly: "Just with those two brushes of theirs (their meager skills) they also wish to compete in poetry with me. Giving them ten more lifetimes also wouldn't do. I don't even need to go to Wenyuan Bookstore to be able to imagine their expressions. They definitely were first dumbfounded and wide-eyed, then cried out in astonishment, and finally again looked at who the author was. As a result racking their brains also unable to remember when Capital City had a figure passing by the name of 'Chen Chong'."
Speaking to this point, Brother Pao suddenly sighed with emotion: "'Over the sea a bright moon is born, sharing this time from the ends of the earth'— This is I'm afraid a line of poetry many poets cannot hope to reach their entire lives. A sentence sufficient for one's name to be passed down through the ages. Right, what do you guys say. Relying on this piece of poetry, will it be able to make the Top Courtesan Yan of Hundred Compliances Alley's Eternal Joy Brothel recommend herself for the pillow and mat (offer herself to me)?"
Er Dao said in a muffled, jar-like voice: "Brother, a petty person achieving their ambition... speaks precisely of your current appearance."
Brother Pao used his little finger to scratch his scalp, turning his head to look at Zhang Xia not far away: "Second Miss Zhang, am I a petty person achieving ambition?"
Zhang Xia lowered her head looking at the documents: "It's alright. If it was me who could write out this kind of poetry, I would also be proud for a period of time."
Brother Pao laughed 'haha', jumping down from the table: "Still Second Miss Zhang speaks words nice to the ear—"
Zhang Xia interrupted without even raising her head: "But wishing to have Courtesan Yan recommend herself for the pillow and mat is a bit difficult. Lately her one door of mind (heart and soul) is set on having Yang Yuan redeem her body (buy her freedom). She is already not seeing guests. Brothel women reaching this age of hers, will naturally know that although poetry is good, it cannot enable her to smoothly pass her later twilight years after growing old and her beauty fading. Silver is the only thing that can."
Brother Pao took a drag of smoke, exhaling a mouthful of smoke mist. Quietly watching the grey smoke mist fly up to the dougong brackets: "Second Miss Zhang, true heart can also do so."
Brother Pao was also not discouraged: "Then I'll just go find a somewhat younger one to deceive— Right. The Propiretor this recent stretch... why hasn't he come to Plum Blossom Ferry? What is he busy with?"
Zhang Xia lifted her brush sketching and outlining on the essay before her: "Relying on Righteousness and thus able to gather people, broad and full of Benevolence and thus able to obtain people, strictly self-disciplined and thus able to convince people, physically leading the front and thus able to lead people. Brother Pao possesses the talent to Handle Matters Independently. Naturally he can relax his heart and not come."
Brother Pao gave a tsk sound: "Praising me until I'm somewhat Wild with Joy."
Precisely at this time, the sounds of footsteps rang out on the wooden stairs.
Zhang Xia finally raised her head, watching Chen Ji walk up the stairs: "Why did you come today?"
Chen Ji nodded his head: "Hearing people speak of the matters of Wenyuan Bookstore fighting an arena match with us, so I simply came to look."
Brother Pao smilingly said: "Proprietor need not worry. That group of book blockheads cannot outplay us— Did Proprietor see today's Evening News?"
Chen Ji raised a hand raising up the newspaper in his hands a bit: "Looked at it— I have always wanted to ask Brother Pao a matter."
Brother Pao smiled faintly: "Proprietor please speak."
Chen Ji pointed at that piece of poetry on the newspaper: "How did Brother Pao recite out this piece of poetry from memory? 'Over the sea a bright moon is born, sharing this time from the ends of the earth' - Reciting out this sentence isn't difficult by any means. But the ones behind it are not easy to memorize."
Over the sea a bright moon is born, sharing this time from the ends of the earth.
Lovers resent the distant night, thinking of each other throughout the evening.
Extinguishing the candle pitying the full light, draping on clothes feeling the dew moisten.
Unable to bear gifting a handful, returning to sleep to dream of a fine date.
Chen Ji also could recite out the first sentence. But the ones behind, even if he racked his brains breaking his head he couldn't connect them up. And Brother Pao was of those running The Jianghu; even more so he shouldn't have been able to recite it out.
He deeply inhaled a breath of air: "Are there other fellow townsmen?"
Brother Pao started laughing: "What Proprietor said isn't wrong. Judging according to logic I wouldn't have been able to recite it out. Ever since knowing Shen Ye writing poetry could deceive girls to sleep with him, I simply racked my brains day and night pondering bitterly and thinking deeply. The result was only remembering a dozen or so thoroughly familiar poems... and universally they weren't very fitting to the scenery (context)."
Chen Ji quietly listened.
Brother Pao turned the edge of his words (changed topics): "Until Second Miss Zhang thought out a method, letting me suddenly attain clear enlightenment."
Chen Ji turned his head looking at Zhang Xia: "What method?"
Zhang Xia calmly said: "The Little Monk. Letting him look from inside Brother Pao's eyes, then having him write it down. Those things that had once been forgotten, were all remembered." (Using to Mind-Reading Ability to retrieve forgotten memories from the subconscious.)
Chen Ji was dumbfounded. He turned his head to look at the Little Monk. Yet not thinking the Little Monk could actually even be used this way.
The Little Monk placed his palms together, lightly saying: "Benefactor Chen Ji was the first who dared to let me look directly into the bottom of his heart. Benefactor Chen Chong is the second."
Brother Pao said free and easily: "This lifetime of mine, although I have committed mistakes, but when mistaken I dare to admit it. There is nothing unable to be seen by people."
Chen Ji pondered for a moment, looking at Brother Pao again: "The matters of Wenyuan Bookstore, how does Brother Pao plan to deal with it?"
Brother Pao grinned and smiled widely: "Someone hit their way to our doors. Naturally we must grow some memory for him (teach him a lesson). We must make it so every time he thinks of us again, he will universally think of the pain of this time... only then will it do. Proprietor, this is precisely the rules of the marketplace."
Chen Ji shook his head: "Do not fight over air (fight petty grudges) with them anymore."
Brother Pao suddenly sighed with emotion: "It was actually truly guessed correctly by Second Miss Zhang."
"En?" Chen Ji was bewildered: "Guessed what correctly?"
Brother Pao knocked his Tobacco Pipe on the sole of his shoe: "Second Miss Zhang said you wouldn't scramble with Wenyuan Bookstore over this air (this petty grudge). I asked her, could it be Proprietor is unwilling to offend the Qi Family and the Xu Family? She said no. I further asked her, could it be Proprietor harbors guilt in his heart towards Third Miss Qi? She also said no. Second Miss Zhang said... you are not not scrambling over air. But instead you fundamentally wouldn't place this kind of matter onto your heart... because those people and matters, are not important at all."
Chen Ji remained silent for a long time, looking out of Plum Blossom Pavilion: "Brother Pao, even if you took the poetry you remembered and published them out entirely in a single breath, it is merely letting Capital City's commoners watch the spectacle and that's all. No matter how ferociously they make a fuss, it is also impossible to make us unable to sell bringing out even a single copy. Having the newspaper, and having the Little Monk's Mind-Reading Ability, simply do not entangle yourselves in these meaningless scrambles over air anymore. Perhaps we can do some more important and also more meaningful matters. There is no need to waste time on their bodies."
Brother Pao thought about it a bit: "I understand the reasoning. But on the day of the Mid-Autumn Festival I still wish to publish one more piece of lyric-poetry. If this piece of lyric-poetry isn't published out, I sleep not feeling it (cannot sleep)."
Chen Ji complied: "Then simply publish one more responding nicely to the scenery (the occasion)."
Brother Pao sat back down onto the desk anew: "Now Proprietor can speak a bit. What exactly is a more important, more meaningful matter."
The early morning of the following day.
Wenyuan Bookstore very early simply became bustling and lively. A green silk palanquin stopped before the door. The accompanying youngster servant used a bamboo strip to lift open the palanquin curtains. Cui Qinghe bent his waist walking out from within the palanquin. Before even walking into the bookstore's main hall, he simply heard Xu Bin loudly saying inside: "Have you investigated it clearly yet? Exactly from where did Plum Blossom Ferry poach their carving laborers? Why are they able to accomplish one day two newspapers, and can even have four more pages than us?"
Cui Qinghe walked inward. Seeing that in the backyard quite a few people had already arrived, and Qi Zhaoning had also come very early: "Various people, how come you arrived this early?"
The crowd of people remained silent and unspeaking.
At this time, outside the doors transmitted over the crying out selling voices of Plum Blossom Ferry's Stick Bearers: "Today's Capital Morning Post! The trifling foreign state of Siam refuses to pay tribute, killing our Ning Dynasty's envoys intending to rebel. Jiaozhi's Provincial Administration Commissioner Yang Xun led eight thousand elites of the Kingdom of Annam to suppress the rebellion, extinguishing twenty thousand Siam elite troops. Currently escorting the King of Siam entering the capital. The Kingdom of Annam's envoys have already arrived at Jinling, within the month they will arrive in Capital City!"
Xu Bin waved a hand to a shop assistant: "Go buy five copies returning back."
The shop assistant hastily exited the door. Again returning holding five stacks of newspapers. Yuan Wang stepped forward taking over a copy of the newspaper spreading it open. The very first matter was precisely flipping to look at the page publishing poetry and essays.
The other people learned from his appearance (imitated him). Those who hadn't gotten a newspaper simply gathered beside those having newspapers.
They hadn't answered Cui Qinghe why they came this early previously, yet it was completely because yesterday's sentence 'Over the sea a bright moon is born, sharing this time from the ends of the earth' pressed them down until they couldn't raise their heads. But they inquired for half a day, only to know this unknown 'Chen Chong', actually was that marketplace Stick Bearer they looked down upon.
Everyone universally held in a mouthful of stifled air. Wanting to see what poetry that Chen Chong of the Capital Morning Post would bring out today to fight the arena match.
"Yi," Yuan Wang asked bewilderedly: "How come the page for poetry is gone?"
Cui Qinghe was also bewildered: "What mess is all this being published? Why was the poetry page swapped?"
Qi Zhaoning let out a breath of air: "Perhaps that Chen Chong simply only had that single piece of poetry. Knowing himself he couldn't compare, so simply retreated dodging the spear's edge."
Cui Qinghe nodded his head chiming in: "First tossing out a fine piece of poetry then swapping the page. Even if bystanders asked rising up, they could also say they themselves actually possess poetic talent. It is merely that they were unwilling to harm the peaceful harmony among peers, establishing this swap of the page... It can also be considered finding a stepped terrace (an excuse to back down) for themselves, preserving a tiny bit of face."
Qi Zhaoning sneered coldly: "He thinks doing it like this simply settles it? Brother Xu, tomorrow—"
Up until this moment, everyone only then paid attention that Xu Bin was holding the newspaper staring blankly at his original spot. Not knowing what he was looking at being entranced.
Cui Qinghe said loudly: "Brother Xu?"
Xu Bin returned to his senses: "What's wrong?"
Cui Qinghe asked bewilderedly: "How come you let your spirit walk (spaced out)?"
Xu Bin pointed at the newly swapped page of the Capital Morning Post: "That Baron of Wuxiang County, actually published out that exclusive, secret craft of his Capital Morning Post."
Cui Qinghe stared blankly for a second, also looking at the newspaper in his hands. On this newly swapped page was actually written out completely and entirely: How to melt and cast copper movable type. How to mix oil ink. How to improve brushing-printing into pressing-printing.
This was precisely the things Xu Bin just now had still been dreaming of seeking.
The literati scholars in the courtyard Looking at One Another: "How come the Baron of Wuxiang County severed and broke even his own rearward path. Could it be he knows himself he lacks the means to deal with us. So he simply took this exclusive technique making it public to the masses, and from now on simply will not establish newspapers anymore?"
Qi Zhaoning was silent and unspeaking.
Merely the improvements to movable type printing also only occupied half a page and that's all. There was still another half page left. She continued to look downwards. On the newspaper it actually also detailed how to improve paper-making techniques.
Although today's Bamboo Paper can already be considered cheap, yet as before there are many poor scholars who cannot afford to use it.
What the Morning Newspaper spoke. The most difficult places of paper-making lie in two points. One is that the days taken for soaking and fermenting bamboo materials are too long, needing as long as a hundred days. Wanting to resolve this matter, from the steeped materials one can select out the fastest steeping mother-liquor. And furthermore adding lime water to culture it. Taking the steeping time and shortening it from a hundred days arriving to thirty days.
The second is that steaming and roasting to dry requires burning vast amounts of firewood, leading to costs remaining high without dropping. Wanting to resolve this matter, one can add a fixed amount of plant ashes when steaming. It can shorten the steaming time.
The Morning Newspaper voluminously sprinkling several thousands of words, simply only spoke of these two matters. And heavily wrote a final sentence on the page: Wishing for the poor families of the world, that upon their desks there are books, and before their windows there is light.
Within these voluminously sprinkling several thousands of words, never again was Mid-Autumn poetry mentioned.
(End of this chapter)