The Red Mansions

Chapter 11 Han Mozhai

next day
Early in the morning, Jia Heng got up from the bed, first practiced a set of fists and kicks in the courtyard, until his muscles and bones were active, and he was covered in a thin sweat, before returning to the house, he picked up a towel and wiped the hair between his temples. Sweat, and then after breakfast, first quietly wrote a scripture in the study, and then planned to go to Hanmozhai to buy some time-made essays, and at the same time ask, how much is the price of the manuscript in this world.

In the past few days, he has been thinking about financial resources.

There were more than ten mu of Susukida in the previous family, which was planted by the Cai family. Before the death of the previous mother, there was a dowry silver tael, but this money could not be moved easily.

And whether he practiced martial arts on weekdays or prepared for the imperial examination, he needed silver taels.

Perhaps, he could write some novels and earn some money for his living expenses.

Generally speaking, supporting a full-time scholar requires the support of the entire family, which is the so-called gentry of small and medium landlords.

And if a scholar from a poor family has no income, he just writes and sells calligraphy and paintings to subsidize his family. Success, it's an elegant thing to talk about.

"The Romance of the Three Kingdoms can also be copied. The history of this world is different from that of the previous life. There are many people from the previous dynasty. The stories of the Three Kingdoms are scattered in operas. As for Jin Yong's martial arts novels, they are also suitable. But before that, we still have to Check out the market." Jia Heng thought.

The popularity of novels in the Ming and Qing Dynasties lies in the germination of early capitalism in the southeastern provinces, and at the same time gave birth to the rudiments of civil society, which led to the prosperity of the publishing industry. However, today’s Dahan Shenjing, after all, after Cheng Ming, in terms of social structure Quite similar.

"The best place in Kyoto, there are still a lot of scholars in Shenjing, and there are also storytellers from teahouses and restaurants. They are also potential buyers." Thinking like this, Jia Heng planned to look in some bookstores.

This move is not for making a lot of money, it is nothing more than multiple income.

Otherwise, it is not a long-term solution to sit and eat.

As for Jia Zhen, there was absolutely no reason for him to wait for her to call at home.

Jia Heng and Mrs. Cai told where they were going, and said they would come back for dinner at noon, and then they left Ningrong Street with an expression of Shi Shiran. In the morning, Shenjing City was bustling with people, people were coming and going on the street, and vendors were hawking along the street. As for the shops on both sides, they had already opened their doors to welcome them. guest.

Jia Heng is dressed in a scholar's green shirt, with a sword hanging from his waist. He is less than twenty-eight years old, but he is tall and tall, with a handsome face. The golden sun of autumn falls on his young face.

Go to the gate of Hanmozhai.

"Guest officer, good morning." The clerk at the door was wiping the door frame with a towel. When he saw Jia Heng, he stopped and said with a smile on his face, "My lord, what do you want?"

Jia Heng said: "Just take a look."

With that said, he stepped into the calligraphy studio.

Behind the counter, the old shopkeeper, who was writing at his desk while dialing the abacus, raised his head, glanced at Jia Heng, and continued to copy and write, ignoring it.

It was the morning, and there was silence in the calligraphy and ink studio, only a faint fragrance of calligraphy and ink floating in the air.

This Hanmo Studio is not only a bookstore, but also sells some pens, inks, papers and inkstones. The shop is not small. .

The dozen or so servants who were cleaning the bookcases and arranging the books were doing their own thing, and there was an orderliness in the silence.

Only the guy who was outside followed a few steps behind.

Jia Heng walked in, stood in front of an antique red lacquer bookcase, looked at Shiwen neatly stacked in categories, gently picked up a volume, and started to read.

This is a collection of contemporary essays by scholars from Sandingjia since Chongping. After Jia Heng read it intently, he felt that the structure was neat, the grammar was refined, he broke the topic, inherited the topic, started to speak, and compared... speaking on behalf of a saint, it can be said that it is not at all true. chaos.

Thanks to his two lives, his soul is strong, and his memory is far superior to ordinary people. After reading four or five "model essays", he felt that the whole volume was still clear in his heart. Combined with the comparison, he couldn't help secretly praising the scholars of this era. underestimate.

Even though he has a background in reading Taoism in his previous life and is no stranger to ancient prose, but when it comes to his foundation in the Four Books, he is still far behind.

"I haven't entered school yet, and I'm not even a student member. If I want to get fame, the first step is to pass the government examination, and I will be admitted to the government school in Jingzhao Prefecture."

"Therefore, it is necessary to find a senior in the career. Otherwise, I am afraid that I will not be able to learn anything famous just by reading the time and literature. Let alone the time, there will be no benefit. Moreover, there are many ways of the imperial examination. If there is no one to point out... When Jia Heng thought about it, he suddenly thought of a person, "The mother of my predecessor found a teacher for my predecessor. He is a failed scholar, surnamed Zhou, who lives in the city...I haven't left my predecessor for more than half a year."

The predecessor didn't like reading very much, but liked to dance with knives and guns, and practice martial arts. The mother of the predecessor was able to encourage him to study, but when the mother of the predecessor passed away, the predecessor's homework fell behind.

"The country has been in peace for a long time, and the power of civil servants has expanded. If you don't have the status of a scholar, even if you join the army, you will be squeezed out by the civil servants." Jia Heng looked at the time anthology in his palm, and his heart was like a mirror.

He didn't say that he won the number one scholar, Tanhua, and the troubled times are approaching, and it's useless. Now that the situation in Chen Han looks like the late Ming Dynasty, he can still go to the Imperial Academy as a poet, can't he survive for decades?
The imperial examination is nothing more than seeking the Jinshi status of a scholar.

Jia Heng chose a collection of current essays, and another "Selected Works of Cichen in the Hanyuan of the Guochao". As for Zhu Ziji's annotations and the Four Books and Five Classics, they are all available at home, so there is no need to buy them separately.

Jia Heng said to the waiter at the side: "Put these here first, and I will pick them up when I leave. May I ask where is your novel picture book?"

The guy just couldn't help laughing, and said: "Guest officer, follow me."

Obviously, I am also familiar with the preferences of readers. Serious books are the most important, and recreational books such as story books are also favorites.

As he spoke, he led Jia Heng to a nearby room, where he saw several rows of bookcases, on which were various picture books such as "The Romance of the West Chamber", "The Peony Pavilion" and "Legend of the Tang Dynasty".

There is a section of this in Dream of the Red Chamber. Baoyu's servant Mingyan sees that Baoyu is bored and bored, so he finds these books for Baoyu to read.

Jia Heng approached, looking back and forth between the bookcases, there were only a few books on some bookshelves, obviously these miscellaneous books were very popular.

These picture books in Hanmozhai are considered healthy on the whole, and there are no Liu Bei Huangwen that are not suitable for children, and they appear on the bookshelf majestically.

"Did you print these books yourself, or did you buy them?" Jia Heng asked casually.

The guy said with a smile: "Of course I print it myself. The paper and materials we use here are of the highest quality. Just buy it with peace of mind, my lord. It won't break after three to five years."

Jia Heng smiled, and suddenly asked: "Can you accept novel manuscripts?"

"What...you mean, sir?" Hearing this, the clerk just froze in place, with doubts on his face.

Jia Heng pondered for a while, and said: "If I write a picture book and sell it to your account, I don't know how much your account will pay for it?"

The waiter sneered and said: "I'm afraid I have to ask the shopkeeper, no, maybe I have to ask the owner, but our owner seems to like these picture books very much. Last time..."

I thought I was just buying books, but I didn't expect to be a book seller.

And at this moment, "cough..." an old man coughed, and when the guy looked back, he shrank his neck in fright. It was the shopkeeper behind the counter who was copying.

(End of this chapter)