Transmigrated into a female county magistrate during a famine, leading her country to prosperity

So many people.

Everyone outside the building stared blankly at those inside - Lord Shen, Earl Yongning, and several well-dressed young ladies and gentlemen. One of them seemed to be the young lady of Earl Yongning's family!

In addition, there were dozens of guys in cloth clothes, looking at them with smiles.

Principal Deng really didn't lie to them. Now the reading building is truly under the management of Lord Shen and his men!

With Lord Shen here, how could the Imperial College bully them? Who would dare to say that "common people" are not allowed to enter?

Under the gaze of everyone, Shen Zheng and Yu Shizhang walked out of the door together.

The servants came out of the side door and stood neatly on both sides of the main door. Most of them were the original servants of the Yage, who stayed in the building to continue working after the building was converted into a reading building.

In Yu Shizhang's words, "They haven't done anything wrong. We can use them if we can. We're not afraid of them causing trouble."

After everyone stood still, they all quieted down at the same time, and Yu Shizhang stepped forward.

"It's almost time." His voice was low, but it reached everyone clearly. "The Reading Building was established by the imperial court, and the court has assigned me and Lord Shen to jointly manage it. The rules of the building are visible upon entering. Among them, I will briefly mention the most important ones."

Everyone stood up straight upon hearing this.

Although both Earl Yongning and Lord Shen are upright officials, rules are rules and cannot be broken. They must listen carefully, otherwise they will make mistakes and be thrown out of the reading building.

Yu Shizhang glanced at Yan Fengci in the crowd and said aloud, "The first rule is about borrowing. The books in the building were all collected by me personally from the homes of officials in Beijing. Therefore, they are not available for loan. Regardless of age, status, or social status, each person may borrow two books from the bookshelf at a time. After registering, they may move to the reading area to read. Before leaving the building, books must be returned to the designated bookshelf and checked by the staff on duty before leaving. Anyone who smuggles books out of the building will be charged with theft."

Everyone nodded when they heard this, and someone responded, "Don't worry, Uncle, we will be obedient and abide by the rules and supervise each other!"

In their view, reading books is free, so they naturally focus on the principle of "borrowing and returning, and it is not difficult to borrow again."

If we don't follow the rules when borrowing and returning books, what if we encounter a ruthless book thief? Then everyone will have nothing to read.

Next, Yu Shizhang talked about several other important rules.

"Second, the responsibility of protecting the books. Anyone entering the building to borrow books must wash their hands and only read; do not write, fold, or tear pages. If you absolutely need to write, you can rent pens, ink, and paper from the building at a fair price. Anyone who intentionally violates this rule and damages the books will be compensated accordingly. A friendly reminder: these books are not cheap."

Everyone was very nervous when they heard it, but they were amused by the "warm reminder" and shouted "I will be obedient".

Yu Shizhang turned around and looked at Shen Zheng and blinked.

He learned the words "warm reminder" from Shen Zheng.

"Okay, next is the third rule." He turned around and lowered his voice. "This third rule is about the rules of speech and behavior. You must maintain silence in the building and no loud noises are allowed. Except for water, no food is allowed inside. Oh, and drinking water in the building costs money, so you'd better bring your own."

Everyone was amused by him again, and someone boldly asked, "Master, is drinking water expensive in this building?"

Yu Shizhang turned and looked at Shen Zheng.

Shen Zheng smiled and said, "Boiled water is one cent a bowl, and tea is five to twenty cents a bowl. After all, boiling water requires people and firewood, so I hope you will understand. As Master Bo said, if you don't want to buy water, you can bring your own, but the kettle must be placed in the drinking area to avoid spilling on the books."

Considerate?

Everyone felt embarrassed after hearing this.

A bowl of boiled water for one cent doesn't mean they care about the people in the building, but that the people in the building care about them.

Just as Lord Shen said, pots, pans, firewood, and charcoal all cost money. A penny of boiled water is really not expensive.

Some people shouted "Raise the price!", while others asked, "Master Shen, is the best tea only twenty cents? Is there anything more expensive?"

In an ordinary teahouse, it is just a cup of coarse tea.

Shen Zheng nodded. "There's no more expensive tea. For now, the tea is purchased on the market, but in the future, we might buy it from the Ring Society. It's grown by the people at the relief center. If you can, please support us."

In the crowd, Yan Fengci almost gritted his teeth when he heard this.

These two, not only do they have the nerve to sell tea for twenty cents a bowl, but they also use their personal connections to buy tea from the Xianhuan Society...

What good is tea grown by a bunch of beggars? If this building is handed over to them, it will be ruined sooner or later.

On the steps, Yu Shizhang glanced at him indifferently and talked about the last two rules.

"Rule 4: Time-sharing system. The building will open at Chenshi every day and close at Youshi. On the first and fifteenth day of each month, the building will close after noon. The books in the building must be counted and organized, and no one should leave empty-handed."

"The fifth and most important rule is the covenant of mutual assistance. There's a 'Study Desk' in the building, and students from the Western Suburbs Official School have been invited to take turns manning it. If you encounter anything obscure, you can approach and ask for help or discuss it. But I hope everyone will remember that discussions are the only option in the building, and malicious arguments are not allowed. Regardless of status or achievements, you are also not allowed to mock or insult others. Anyone who violates this rule will be banned from entering the Reading Tower for life."

For vulnerable people, Article 5 can be called a "protection treaty."

They all cheered, and the students of the Western Suburbs Official School couldn't help but grin.

Only Yan Fengci gritted his teeth and clenched his fists.

Yu Shizhang pretended not to notice and waved his hand, "Anyone else still has doubts? Tell us."

Everyone discussed in low voices, and then a man dressed as a businessman slowly raised his hand.

"Master, I'm asking for the children. The books in the building are not available for loan. If there is a book that you particularly like or want, can you offer it for a high price? Any amount is fine, as long as the building asks."

Everyone exclaimed, "Wow!" and said that he was rich and powerful and would not leave any way for others to survive.

But Yu Shizhang shook his head.

The merchant withdrew his hand awkwardly and was about to say "Excuse me" when he heard Yu Shizhang say, "Many of the books in this building are rare copies and cannot be sold. But if you really want them, there is a way..."

Yan Fengci smiled when he heard this.

Ultimately, it all comes down to "money" and "power".

The businessman's eyes lit up slightly, waiting for Yu Shizhang to continue.

Yu Shizhang said, "The Shangjingfang branch of the Tongan Printing House is about to begin printing books. If you have any favorite books, you can register at the entrance. After the building has counted the books that are most popular, they will be sent to the printing house for printing. The printed books... ahem, are rubbings of Ben Bo's handwriting. They are sold in the building and at the Tongan Bookstore. You can buy them yourself."

In one sentence, it brought two big surprises to everyone.

"Is there a Tongan Seal Shop in Shangjing?"

"Is there going to be a Tongan bookstore in the capital?"

I hadn't heard anything about it before!

The books in Tongan Bookstore are famous for being cheap, and the handwriting on the books is said to be "written by Earl Yongning himself", so whoever buys them will make a profit!

The atmosphere on the field was pushed to a climax. Yu Shizhang smiled with his hands behind his back and raised his hand and said, "Light the firecrackers and open the door!"