She knew Shen Ci's talent and had a high chance of passing the exam. Even if she passed, she wouldn't be able to attend the provincial academy. The Second Young Master Sun was a fool, a proud, conceited fool who loved to be flattered. He was impulsive, like a firecracker. This kind of person was the easiest to instigate. Yang Han hired the man in front of her, which led to the scene in front of the government office today. She hadn't expected Ye Qingyue to defend Shen Ci with such a strong attitude.

Mr. Sun Er looked arrogant, but he was actually timid. He was intimidated by Ye Qingyue with just a few words and left in fear. Yang Han's plan failed. She had originally wanted to pull Shen Ci back to write a storybook for her if he failed the assessment.

After a scolding, Yang Han dismissed the person. Not long after, the waiter from Liangyuan Bookstore arrived in person, respectfully inquiring about her storybook. Tomorrow was the day of the Magic Brush Cup Storybook Competition, and Yang Han was representing Liangyuan Bookstore. While the other bookstores had already handed their stories to the organizers, Yang Han hadn't produced hers yet. The owner of Liangyuan Bookstore, after several urgings, had no choice but to send the waiter. Yang Han was the treasure of their Liangyuan Bookstore, and they were counting on her for a good ranking.

Yang Han was irritated. She pulled out the drawer, took out the storybook and handed it to the waiter. She had been waiting like this because she wanted to wait for Shen Ci's storybook, but in the end, nothing happened. The waiter took the storybook and left the Yang family without further delay.

Elsewhere, Taohua Bookstore also handed over Zhang Xiuyuan and Shen Ci's storybooks. The next day, the Tangzhou Prefecture Divine Pen Cup Storybook Competition officially began.

The competition venue was spacious, with the contents of each participating storybook (the first third) hung around the perimeter. Visitors who liked a particular storybook could write their name on the side, effectively voting. Each person only had one chance. Of course, to accommodate the illiterate, three storytellers were stationed before each storybook, specifically to recite the content. Illiterate people also had someone to write for them.

The Great Sheng Dynasty valued literature over military affairs, and storytelling was an integral part of that culture. It was beloved by the people of the Great Sheng Dynasty. Early in the morning, residents of Tangzhou Prefecture arrived at the competition venue to watch the storytelling. The scene was truly thronged.

"Who do you think will come first this time?"

"Of course, it must be Feng Shuang from Angyuan Bookstore. He's a disciple of Master Lu Ming and took first place last year and the year before."

"Just because I won first place before doesn't mean I can do it again this year. There are so many outstanding vernacular novelists emerging this year. The success of Liangyuan Bookstore alone cannot be underestimated."

"That's right, I love the storybooks of Gao Shan Liu Shui. Every time I read them, I'm moved to tears. I don't care. I'm going to vote for her this time."

"I like the authors Zhen Huai and Pin Xian from Xiangyue Bookstore. Xiangyue Bookstore has won awards before."

"Do you think Taohua Bookstore has a chance of taking first place this year?"

"How is that possible? Taohua Bookstore is the largest bookstore in Tangzhou Prefecture, but the authors they sign aren't very good. Their best performance over the years has only been third place. I'm not sure if they can maintain that position this year."

"You haven't forgotten the new book "Yizhi Haitang" published by Taohua Bookstore a while ago, right? That storybook was absolutely amazing, it sold like crazy. This time Yizhi Haitang is also participating, so I think there's hope."

There was heated discussion about who would win the award this year, and some people even started a gambling game, welcoming people to place their bets. The odds of Taohua Bookstore winning first place were very high, at 50 to 1. The ones with higher odds were all from lesser-known bookstores and storytelling authors.