Shen Changle slapped him on the shoulder and laughed, "Didn't you tell me about this? I really have to thank you, Sixteenth Brother. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't have thought of this business. No matter what happens in the future, I've helped Sixth Master out of his troubles and made some money for Madam's shop. I guess I'm a contributor, big or small?"

Gu Shiliu was puzzled and asked, "What did I tell you?"

Shen Changle said, "Didn't you say that the Vice Minister of Rites and the Education Commissioner all said these poems were good? How could they be bad? Do you know what kind of person the Vice Minister of Rites is? The examiners for the imperial examinations have always been the Vice Minister of Rites. Not to mention the Education Commissioner of the capital, who is in charge of the local imperial examinations. Although his rank is not high, he has many disciples and extensive connections. The owner of Shuhai Pavilion doesn't believe you because he's a fool."

Half of the frustration in Gu Shiliu's heart dissipated.

Shen Changle continued, "I once heard that the Chancellor privately praised Madam's exceptional talent, though he doesn't like to show it off. Young Master Tang entered the Imperial Academy from his hometown and has a solid academic foundation, but he is lacking in poetry, even the Chancellor couldn't do anything about it. However, after Madam's guidance, Young Master Tang's poems were praised by both of them. I thought that if we were to do this business, Madam would definitely have a way."

Gu Shiliu's mouth gaped open, big enough to fit an egg, and it took him a long time to say, "I admire you, I admire you. Brother Shen is truly astute, able to see such an opportunity from just a few words. But, are you really going to run a bookstore business from now on?"

Shen Changle nodded with a smile, "It's easy, it's easy. Isn't this all thanks to the help of the eighteen brothers? As for how to be a junior, you can listen to Madam. But for the first business deal, you must be determined to show Eighth Master and Madam your abilities. Anyway, you're just idling around. He said yes, yes, yes."

Gu Shiba sorted out the whole matter and felt more and more that Gu Liuye was a rare talent. He was extremely tactful and considerate in his work. In his eyes, that matter was as difficult as the sky, but in Gu Liuye's eyes, it could be big or small, and he could retreat or advance as needed.

Even if it's just one transaction, it's a sure thing whether you make a profit or a loss. Anyway, it's a big general store, so who's worried about offending Shuhaige?

Gu Shiba and Lu Naqian went to find Shen Changle. The servant guarding inside looked Gu Liuye up and down and said, "Your Eighth Master said he wants to study hard and see everyone."

Sixth Master Gu smiled and said, "You've come to discuss the trivial matter of printing a poetry collection with Eighth Master. It's understandable that you've been delayed. Let him go and report to him later."

Lu Naqian immediately felt much more at ease and nodded emphatically, saying, "You regard Siyuan as a close friend, and Siyuan has never held anything back from you. Your two families are also related by marriage, which is fate between you."

Shen Changle was sometimes overjoyed and sometimes ecstatic. Especially when she learned that Lu Naqian had received the approval of her eighth sister-in-law and was taking it seriously, Lu Naqian's heart was pounding like a drum. She gritted her teeth and said, "Yes, we should print fewer copies. Even if we're just steaming buns, we should still have some pride and let the owner of Shuhaige think we're superior."

Before we finalized the agreement, Master Gu asked Lu Naqian to write down a list, which I then used to collect the money from the accounting office.

Gu Shiba nodded and said, "When the Marquis heard that the Eighth Master said those poems were bad, he said he wanted to find someone to print and sell them, and put some outside the mansion so that the Eighth Master could give them away."

Shen Changle thought for a moment, wrote down the amount of seven hundred books, and asked Master Gu to fill in the number.

Sixth Master Gu laughed and said, "We're all family, how could we possibly have more than you? Let's get that matter settled first, it's more important to embarrass Shuhai Pavilion."

Shen Changle said, "Let's pay 1,700 taels of silver first. If it's enough, we'll talk about it later. If it's less, we can just bring it back. He and his sister-in-law can always do this for free, and we have to consider the profit from it."

A counterattack must be both slow and ruthless.

Shen Changle's face turned from red to white, then back to red, and after a long while she finally said, "Please don't worry, sister-in-law. You've been learning poetry from Siyuan, and things will definitely get worse."

Gu Shiba quickly steered the conversation back on track, saying, "How many copies does Eighth Master want to print? How should the layout be arranged? If it's not done right, Sixth Master Gu won't be able to print it, which will delay it for several months. By then, Shuhaige will probably have forgotten all the wicked things we did."

Although my poems are mediocre, my brother Siyuan's poems have been praised. The owner of Shuhaige is sarcastic and self-righteous, so I'm going to mischievously slap Shuhaige in the face.

Sixth Master Gu nodded and wrote everything down.

Shen Changle immediately stopped talking and asked in surprise, "Brother Ba, do I really think so?"

"Are they saying they want to print and sell a collection of poems?"

Shen Changle's expression turned serious. He sniffed, clenched his fists, and said, "Damn it, let's print it now. He said he received some difficulties? Tell me the details."

Those words resonated deeply with Shen Changle, who smiled and nodded.

Shen Changle was taken aback. I had originally planned to have Lord Gu arrange for someone to copy and bind them. It wasn't a small matter, only a few dozen volumes. I never expected such a small fuss to be made.

Gu Shiba's words immediately revealed what the owner of Shuhaige had said, how he swallowed his anger, how he only learned the truth before hitting a wall at seven different places, and how he met Gu Liuye again when he was at his wit's end... It was a truly tortuous and moving story.

After thinking for a moment, Master Gu said, "You haven't done that since, so it's better to take less so that you don't have to ask for more when you have enough."

Gu Shiba immediately said, "The Marquis did that out of love for his brother and to clear the name of the Eighth Prince. But who knew how much trouble the eldest prince would face when he went out to find a bookstore to print his book?"

Accountant Sun glanced at Sixth Master Gu, twirling the bill between two fingers as if shaking off something dirty, his face full of suspicion. He said, "Does Madam's shop really need to pay Eighth Master so little money for printing books?"

Shen Changle looked at Gu Shiba strangely.

Lu Na flattered, "I heard that Eighth Master loves reading, but he was too sick when he was young, which delayed his studies. Before my uncle came to the capital from his hometown, he buried himself in his studies and traveled a lot. I am able to befriend Eighth Master, which shows that I think Eighth Master is of bad character and that he is working hard to achieve something great."

Master Gu laughed and said, "Madam thinks so too. Since the poems of the poetry society are so good, they must be printed out to prove their worth. As for the business of Shuhaige, I'm afraid Madam has wanted to get involved in it before."

Shen Changle stood up, found a few poetry collections under the bookshelf, and handed them to Master Gu, saying, "If he follows that style, it will be a disaster. As for the order? Just arrange them by title. Put Brother Siyuan's poems first, then the others', and put Lin Ziqi's in the middle..."

The servant dared to act arrogantly again; he left for a while and then came out again, smiling, and asked us to leave.

"That...that...yes, yes, yes..."

Shen Changle had no idea what to say and suggested forgetting it.

Sixth Master Gu and Eighteenth Master Gu went to Accountant Sun's office to collect the silver.

Gu Shiba said, "Of course, the Marquis repeatedly instructed that it must be settled today, and the mansion should be sealed off tomorrow. Otherwise, it will be too late for anyone to move around inside."

Gu Shiba glared at the servant, "You'd better wait a bit. The mansion will be sealed off tomorrow. Brother Shen can stay outside the mansion for a long time."

Inside the room, Shen Changle sat at the table with her hair down, holding a collection of poems by Zhang Siling in her hand. Scattered under the table were papers covered with writing, and pens were carelessly tossed under the papers, leaving long lines of ink.