The late spring breeze, like a gentle and playful messenger, gently ruffled the branches beside the prime minister's mansion's hanging flower gate, carrying a riot of fallen petals as it passed by dreamily. The wind carried the faint sounds of argument from the front courtyard's meeting room to the backyard like a thread. At that moment, Su Jinli lazily reclined on the soft couch in the warm room, casually flipping through a storybook, a candied fruit twirling between her fingers. She listened to the maids' chatter outside the window as they discussed the lively scene of Lin Wanyue being reviled by scholars in the street. The corners of her mouth unconsciously curled up, a smug smile quietly blossoming on her face.
"Miss, you didn't see it. Miss Lin went to Daci Temple to burn incense today. As soon as she got off the carriage, she was surrounded by a group of poor scholars!" Lingge, her personal maid, walked in with a brisk pace, carrying a cup of freshly brewed Rain-Predated Longjing tea. Her eyes and eyebrows were filled with an irrepressible smile, as if she was recounting an extremely happy and anecdote. "Those scholars said she plagiarized your 'Linjiangxian' poem and changed 'Clouds break, moon appears, flowers play with shadows' to 'Wind shakes bamboo, birds wake from dreams.' Oh, that line is so bittersweet that it almost makes my teeth fall out!" Lingge described the scene vividly, as if she were right before her eyes.
Su Jinli couldn't help but burst out laughing. She casually stuffed half a piece of peach blossom cake into her mouth and said vaguely, "With her limited knowledge, she was able to change 'playing with shadows' into 'startling dreams'. It's quite a lot of thought." As she spoke, she tapped her fingertips lightly on the carved wooden table. As if she suddenly remembered something important, she sat up abruptly. "By the way, Boss Wang should be here soon, right?"
As if he had heard her call, before she finished her words, the steward's loud and clear voice came from the front yard: "Boss Wang of Wenxin Bookstore wants to see you—"
Lingge immediately perked up, hurried forward, carefully helped Su Jinli to stand up, and carefully straightened her clothes. Su Jinli moved to the bronze mirror, where the face of a charming young girl was reflected. Her black and shiny hair, like crow feathers, was loosely tied into a hanging bun, adorned with a red gold and jade hairpin. With her every move, it swayed gently, sparkling with a charming luster. Su Jinli raised her eyebrows slightly at the mirror, and her thoughts could not help but drift back to this moment in her previous life. At that time, she was still hiding in the room and crying secretly because of her stepmother's words "A woman's virtue lies in her lack of talent", feeling aggrieved but helpless. But now, she can sit calmly in this flower hall and talk about business with the bookstore owner. The change of fate is so wonderful that she is filled with emotion.
Boss Wang, with his round belly, stepped over the threshold with slightly hurried steps. In his hand, he tightly grasped a shiny red sandalwood abacus, which seemed to be his treasure. With his movements, the abacus beads collided with each other, making a crisp sound. When he saw Su Jinli, his face was immediately covered with wrinkles, and he said with a smile: "My Miss Su! You are finally willing to see me!" Behind him, followed a servant, who was holding a brocade box respectfully. Boss Wang turned around and saw the servant standing there in a daze. He immediately slapped his hand and scolded him: "You have no manners! Why don't you pay your respects to Miss Su?"
Su Jinli looked indifferent. She raised her eyes slightly, gracefully pointed to the pearwood chair opposite, and said softly, "Boss Wang, please sit down. The tea has just been brewed. Would you like to try it?" Her voice was as soft and gentle as the spring breeze.
Boss Wang rubbed his hands hurriedly and sat down carefully. However, as soon as his butt touched the seat, he couldn't wait to move forward, looking anxious to get results. "Miss Su, let's be frank!" As he said this, he took out a handwritten copy of "Jianghu Xiao" from his arms. The edges of the pages were worn and hairy, which showed how much people who read it couldn't put it down. "Look, your book is being sold for ten taels of silver on the black market! Yesterday, I saw with my own eyes the young master of the Zhenguo Mansion, using a gold and jade snuff bottle to exchange for half a copy of the manuscript!" Boss Wang's eyes sparkled with excitement, as if he saw a mountain of gold before his eyes.
Lingge chuckled to herself, while Su Jinli remained composed. She slowly picked up the teacup, gently blowing away the foam, and said unhurriedly, "Boss Wang is well-informed. It's a pity—" She deliberately dragged out her words, her eyes quietly watching Boss Wang's suddenly tense face, "I've only written a third of the manuscript."
"One-third?!" Boss Wang was so shocked he nearly fell off his chair, the abacus beads clattering in shock. "My dear! You're trying to hang me!" He said as he hurriedly pulled a silver note from his sleeve pocket and respectfully pushed it towards Su Jinli. "This is a fifty-liang deposit! Take it! If you'll give me the full copy, I'll give you five percent profit on every copy you sell!" Boss Wang's eyes were filled with anticipation, as if he was waiting for a single word from Su Jinli to boost his business.
"Five cents?" Su Jinli raised an eyebrow slightly, her slender fingertips lightly tracing the banknote, as if she were lost in thought. "Boss Wang, do you know that the story in my book about the 'Flying Fox' exploring the palace at night alone is enough for a teahouse storyteller to tell for three days and three nights?" Her eyes shone with confidence and cunning, as if demonstrating to Boss Wang the book's infinite value.
Boss Wang's eyes rolled, and his plump hands began to tickle rapidly on the abacus, making a crackling sound as if he were calculating the profit. "Miss Su, if you're willing to add a bonus chapter, I'll... I'll give you 70% of the profit! And I'll paint the cover of the book like you requested, with a flying fox stepping on the roof of the Golden Palace!" Boss Wang gritted his teeth, as if he had made a firm decision.
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