The news that Liuyuan was going to hold a book-worm gathering spread throughout the capital in an instant.
The bookstores, bookshops, bookshops and engraving workshops that received the invitations all used this as a gimmick and launched lists of books that were worth losing. Some large bookstores even held book-worthiness parties in advance, setting up tables in front of their doors to dry the books.
In order to attract guests, they also set up a stage to hold poetry and prose competitions. The winner would get a place to attend the Liuyuan Book Fair, which attracted many scholars and literati.
Xu Jiang couldn't join in the fun. Firstly, her bookshop was located in a remote area, making it inconvenient to go there. Secondly, she didn't have enough money to afford such a grand occasion.
Although she couldn't join in the fun, she was not idle either.
Last night she was awakened by a muffled thunder, and she realized that the rainy season had arrived. She asked Xu San to find someone to clear the sewers around the bookstore, and went to the East Market to buy stone powder and sulfur powder to sprinkle around the sewers and under the backyard wall.
First, it can absorb moisture and kill insects, and second, it can reduce odors.
After spreading stone powder and sulfur, she used thick wormwood to fumigate the ditch, the shop, the backyard, and even the donkey shed of the stubborn donkey, making it snort.
This is the method left by Xu Yuan.
To prevent bookworms, drying them in the sun is only one way. To prevent and control them from the root, we should start with houses and residences. This way, we can protect books from rotting and keep people healthy.
Seeing that she was busy, Manager Wang came to help and asked the ditch digger to dig his own ditch as well.
The grain he sells is also very precious. It cannot withstand moisture or insects. Besides, there are children at home. Fumigating the grain can also prevent snakes, insects, rats and ants, and prevent people and animals from contracting diseases.
The smoke from the two houses attracted the neighbors to come and see. After seeing what was happening, they went home and got busy.
The ditch digger originally wanted to do just one business, but he ended up wandering around Huailiu Lane for seven or eight days, until his hands and feet became weak from exhaustion, and he was finally allowed to leave.
Xu Jiang fumigated the front and back yards for three days in a row. After three days, she did a thorough cleaning and found a lot of dead woodworms, which gave her goose bumps.
After thoroughly cleaning up the bookshop, she slowly and leisurely cleared out the books, paintings, seals, and small collectibles one by one. She chose a good day according to the calendar, and together with Liang Mo, she set up chopping boards in front of the door and in the backyard, and slowly flipped through, dried, and repaired them.
Taking advantage of the trend of bookworms, some old customers also came to the store to buy some calligraphy and paintings. Ji Shan and Deng Yuechuan even helped her dry the books and repair the paintings, staying in the bookstore for the whole day.
Xu Jiang naturally had to treat her to tea and wine.
In addition, she moved out the free lending shelf, set up two empty desks, and placed stools on them, attracting many neighbors to come and spend time.
There were people coming and going like this, and there was never a shortage of people in the bookstore.
At the same time, the court was in an uproar because of an imperial edict.
On the pretext that the late emperor had given him a dream to recruit virtuous people, the sage restored the status of the outstanding scholar Lin Qinnian to the position of number one in the imperial examination, and appointed him as the director of the Imperial College and the left censor.
This imperial edict was like a stone that caused a thousand ripples, and memorials of opposition and impeachment fell on the emperor's desk like snowflakes.
At the same time, some voices of support gradually emerged, especially from the students taught by Lin Qinnian over the years and the ministers who passed the imperial examinations in the same year as him. They also submitted memorials, saying that this was a wise move by the sage.
The two sides immediately started arguing fiercely, and the quarrel started from the memorial to the court. The emperor was afraid of hurting his ears, so he secretly stuffed cotton in his ears when attending court these days.
The quarrel even affected the three-yearly sacrifice of the Heavenly Family. The sage offered sacrifices at the Taizu Temple and tearfully informed his ancestors that he had obeyed their entrustment, reunited with the wise men, and finalized the matter.
On the day the order was issued, golden scales suddenly appeared in the east, spreading layer by layer over the sky above the imperial city. The Historiography Bureau said: "Great luck."
The next day, Lin Qinnian entered the Golden Palace in court robes. Amid the expectant or resentful gazes of all the civil and military officials, new and old officials, he walked straight to the front of the sage and expressed his gratitude calmly and neither humbly nor arrogantly.
The sage could not help but straighten his back, politely asked him to stand up, and said many words of expectation before inviting him to join the group.
As soon as he entered the ranks, the ministers around him all stepped away silently.
Faced with this act of exclusion, Lin Qinnian turned a blind eye and just listened solemnly to the Hadith.
The court officials were speechless a few days ago when they had argued over him. After all, it was easy to criticize someone behind their back, but it was much harder to offend them in person. The veteran officials who had experienced that debate and had known Lin Qinnian's sharp tongue didn't want to be the first to speak out.
It is so rare to start the court meeting in peace and quiet.
The saint nodded with satisfaction, then quietly picked out the cotton from his ears, as they would hurt if they were stuffed in there for too long.
The eunuch shouted: "Adjourn the court——"
After the news that Lin Qinnian was chosen to serve as both the Director of the Imperial College and the Left Counselor became news in the capital, the threshold of the Nanshan Academy was almost broken down by people, disturbing the students and preventing them from attending classes properly.
Fortunately, the school started early and the students were well-behaved. Zeng Zhui would wait until all the students arrived every day, then lock the door and let them in. He would open the door again after school to let the students back.
Some people, after being turned away several times, knew not to come, while some people, who would not give up until they achieved their goal, waited from morning till night until Lin Qinnian arrived.
Lin Qinnian met with these people one by one and accepted the gifts they brought. However, not long after accepting the gifts, he was impeached by the Censorate in the court, saying that he took advantage of his official position to accept bribes.
The Ministry of Personnel and the Ministry of Revenue expressed the highest support.
The court, which had finally calmed down, fell into quarrel again, and the saint rubbed his forehead in pain.
Just as the argument was getting heated, the Dali Temple Minister stepped forward and presented a list, which listed the people who bribed, the bribes, the whereabouts of the bribes, etc.
The Dali Temple official said, "Your Majesty, this list was produced by Lord Lin, and all the valuables within it have been handed over to the Dali Temple for temporary safekeeping."
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