Ming Dynasty: I, Yan Maoqing, am truly radiating auspicious energy!

Chapter 6 Eagle's Gaze and Wolf's Eyes
"Let us drink to this cup together, wishing all of you rising stars a bright future and boundless success!"

After Manager Liu went into the back room, Yan Shifan personally went down to offer drinks, and the hall quickly returned to its lively state, even more so than before, as if nothing had happened.

Zhang Yusheng and others stood up to toast Yan Shifan to express their gratitude, and there was an inevitable exchange of mutual flattery.

However, everyone knows that what just happened is not over.

Zhang Yusheng and the others had no idea what had happened, let alone what would happen after Manager Liu went inside. They couldn't help but feel curious.

Yan Shifan eagerly awaited the scene of Manager Liu failing to collect the debt and emerging in a disheveled state alongside Yan Maoqing.

As long as these scholars see Yan Maoqing's pathetic, defeated state, the matter will be completely resolved...

at last.

Footsteps echoed in the corridor leading to the back room.

The hall fell silent. Those who had been talking shut their mouths, those who had been toasting put down their glasses, and those who had stood up quietly sat back down.

Everyone's eyes turned toward the corridor exit, the only difference being that some stared intently while others peeked furtively like thieves.

As the lobby quieted down, the conversations coming from the corridor became clearer:
"Scholar Yan, we really owe you a lot this time. The Deer Pavilion has only just begun to improve under my rule."

"Not at all, it's mainly because Manager Liu has a discerning eye. Others might not have recognized its value. Even a skilled cook like me can't make a meal without ingredients, can I?"

"I'm not afraid of being laughed at by Scholar Yan, but if he hadn't brought up his status as a scholar, I would have been the one who didn't know his worth."

"There's no joke about it; it's just human nature."

"However, on the other hand, I urge you, Mr. Yan, to do your best for the next issue of the storybook. Everyone at the bookstore is eagerly awaiting its opening."

"Easy to say, easy to say..."

"..."

"Ok?"

The harmonious sounds mixed with laughter sounded inexplicably discordant to Yan Shifan.

This was not only completely unrelated to his expectations, but also completely irrelevant.

How did you manage to spot such a gem?

What kind of story manuscript could make everyone at Luming Pavilion eagerly await its opening?
"What's going on now...?"

Zhang Yusheng and the others looked at each other in bewilderment, feeling that they had witnessed too many strange things today and their minds were at a loss for words.

Judging from this conversation... Yan Maoqing really did have a connection with Luming Pavilion, and it wasn't just a casual relationship. Before the official announcement ceremony even started, Luming Pavilion had already come to him asking to publish his stories.
A storybook is what later generations often referred to as a novel.

In fact, the term "novel" appeared as early as the pre-Qin period.

Among the various schools of thought during the Hundred Schools of Thought period, there was a school of fiction writers, which was described as follows: "The school of fiction writers originated from unofficial historians. They were created from street gossip and hearsay."

However, the novel as a literary genre has different names in different dynasties. For example, during the Wei and Jin Dynasties, it was called "zhiren" or "zhiguai", during the Tang Dynasty it was called "chuanqi", and during the Ming Dynasty, the Song and Yuan Dynasty's terminology was generally adopted, and it was called "huaben".

Since Emperor Taizu of Ming relaxed the restrictions on printing and publishing, and the literacy rate of the people in the Ming Dynasty gradually reached 40%, the printing and publishing industry ushered in the most prosperous period of development in its history.

Based on this, the market demand for popular literary and artistic works is also growing rapidly, which led to the phenomenon of a large number of famous novels such as "Water Margin" and "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" being published.

At the same time, creators of popular literary works naturally gained a certain social status. At least for the literati of the Ming Dynasty, being able to have their articles published by publishing houses and sell them for profit was enough to give them the capital to boast about to the world, even if the published works were popular literary works.

As a result, many people have even self-published their own articles in order to enhance their own reputation.

Those who passed the imperial examinations studied the classics and wrote the eight-legged essay, and naturally considered themselves literary figures, so they were no exception.

However, these are not the main points. The main point is that, although they were all Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations), their articles were probably only glanced at by the examiners and no one else.

Yan Maoqing, like them, had only been in the capital for a short time, yet the manager of Luming Pavilion had already come to him in a polite and courteous manner, requesting a manuscript.

Comparing people with others will lead to death, and comparing goods with goods will lead to throwing away!
This is even more painful than killing them; where can they go to seek justice?
at the same time.

A person walked out of the corridor first, carrying only a small bag on his back, his hands empty, chatting and laughing, looking very relaxed and carefree.

This person was none other than Yan Maoqing, who had just been expelled from the Yuzhang Guild Hall by Yan Shifan.

He showed no sign of dishevelment whatsoever, let alone the pathetic state of a stray dog.

Manager Liu followed closely behind, struggling to carry a wooden box. His face was flushed slightly, but he still smiled and talked to Yan Maoqing, with a somewhat ingratiating attitude.

It wasn't that Yan Maoqing didn't want to lend a hand; it was just that Manager Liu was being too overzealous and wouldn't let him help at all.

"Young Master Yan, my fellow elders, may our friendship endure as long as the mountains remain and our rivers flow on. Farewell."

Seeing that Yan Shifan, Zhang Yusheng, and the others were looking at him with complicated expressions, Yan Maoqing smiled calmly, bowed to everyone, and then turned and walked away gracefully.

"Young Master Yan, I have other matters to attend to, so I will take my leave now."

Manager Liu also bowed slightly to Yan Shifan, then turned and quickly followed.

"Wait a minute!"

At this moment, Yan Shifan's doubts were no less than those of Zhang Yusheng and the others. He really couldn't figure out what kind of ability Yan Maoqing had that could make Manager Liu act so humbly. Finally, he couldn't help but stand up and shout.

"?"

Yan Maoqing stopped in his tracks upon hearing the sound, but did not move his body at all. He turned his head to look at Yan Shifan.

Yan Shifan noticed a fleeting, almost imperceptible sharpness in Yan Maoqing's eyes as he turned to look at him. His heart skipped a beat, and his pupils contracted slightly.

Is this the legendary...?
—The gaze of an eagle and the look of a wolf?!

Throughout history, only one person has had such a sinister appearance: the treacherous minister Sima Yi.

However, Yan Shifan was not a physiognomist and could not immediately determine whether the "eagle-eyed wolf-like gaze" was indeed like this. But when he opened his eyes wider and observed carefully, he saw that the sharpness in Yan Maoqing's eyes had already disappeared without a trace.

"Does Young Master Yan have any further instructions?"

Manager Liu's voice rang out at just the right moment.

Yan Shifan finally came to his senses, then looked away and probed meaningfully:
"Manager Liu, did you come to the Yuzhang Guild Hall today to see Yan Maoqing, or was it the Duke of Yi's idea?"

Duke Yi?
Upon hearing this title, Yan Maoqing was slightly taken aback.

There was only one Duke of Yi during the Jiajing reign, and only one Duke of Yi in the entire Ming Dynasty. He was the fifth-generation descendant of Guo Ying, the Marquis of Wuding, a founding meritorious official of the Ming Dynasty.
—Guo Xun!
Judging from Yan Shifan's words, could Manager Liu actually be one of Guo Xun's men?
(End of this chapter)