The day Wanjuan Tower opened coincided with the court's ten-day maintenance period, and many officials attended the ceremony and were treated as honored guests.
In addition, many wealthy nobles and major bookstores that were originally on good terms with Jisheng also went to show their support, and the scene was very lively.
In addition to inviting prominent figures to show off their talents, Wanjuanlou announced that within half a month, all customers who purchased books at Wanjuanlou would enjoy half-price discounts.
Not only that, Wanjuanlou booked the Taikang Restaurant across the street and hosted a banquet for scholars and literati for nine days and nine nights, accepting all who came, regardless of whether they were from wealthy or poor families.
There is no shortage of people in the world who curry favor with the powerful.
Wanjuanlou spent so much money and opened with great fanfare. Even though they knew that Zhao Xiu had been stripped of his title for cheating in the imperial examination, the people who flocked into Wanjuanlou were almost breaking down the newly replaced threshold, lured by the money and benefits.
Zhao Xiu instantly became a hot new celebrity in the capital, with many supporters around him.
These supporters did not care about his cheating, thinking that he was caught out of bad luck and were not ashamed of it.
Compared with the bustling Wanjuanlou, other bookstores and bookshops are doing poorly.
Firstly, their new books were sold out, so they lost many of their regular customers. Secondly, the price of paper and labor was too high, making it difficult for their book prices to compete with the lower prices of Wanjuanlou. Thirdly, Wanjuanlou was backed by the wealth, power, and connections of the aristocracy, making it unmatched by ordinary bookstores or bookshops.
So they could only watch it rise rapidly, take over Jisheng Bookstore, and firmly sit on the top spot in the capital's tomb book business.
The news of the Wanjuan Tower reached the palace, and the saint couldn't help but regret that the fines he had imposed on these families, billions of dollars, were still too light!
At the same time, the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate jointly submitted a memorial to launch a three-yearly investigation into unjust, false and wrong cases in all government offices.
However, the files in the government offices were piled high, making it difficult to check them. Officials were inevitably lazy. In order to improve the efficiency of work and encourage new officials, the Ministry of Personnel and the Censorate formulated a reward policy:
If three or more unjust, false and wrong cases can be uncovered, they will be included in the official performance evaluation for the next year and the official will be promoted one level.
This regulation was reviewed and signed by Kou Shizhong of the Menxia Province.
After reviewing it, the sage approved it and added a note to remind that this matter should not be taken too far, so as to prevent the court officials from taking the opportunity to attack each other and eliminate dissidents.
After the imperial edict was issued, Minister Kou erased the sage's comments when he reviewed it, and then distributed it to various government offices.
As soon as this decree was issued, a violent storm immediately arose in all government offices.
Xu Jiang happily came out of the government office with the transfer document in her hand. She happened to meet the imperial edict officer who came to deliver the order. She hurriedly bowed to avoid him and then rode her donkey to the Imperial College.
She also had to take the documents to the Imperial College to register.
Trading has been slow recently.
The main reason was the opening of Wanjuanlou, which had attracted more than half of the customers. Another reason was that the "field holiday" was approaching, and students from various academies had to return to their hometowns to work on the farm, so naturally there were fewer people buying or borrowing books.
However, Xu Jiang could take this opportunity to handle the paperwork between the bookstore and her own registration to avoid any further complications.
When registering, Song Xuelu told Xu Jiang that since she was a woman and the bookstore's title deed belonged to her personally, although her and the bookstore's register were transferred to the Imperial College, the Imperial College was only responsible for supervision and was not responsible for any losses or gains from the sale.
In addition, bookstores were allowed to unconditionally accept printing jobs assigned by the Imperial College.
Because the Imperial College did not have any special regulations to supervise Xu Jiang's situation, it incorporated the bookshop into the supervision regulations for hired craftsmen. Instead of paying salaries to the official engraving officials of the Imperial College, the wages were settled according to the number of books printed.
The price per copy of books hired by the Imperial College's external craftsmen to print them was much lower than the current market price.
Xu and Jiang had no objection.
Since she was granted the emperor's favor and became an official household and was supervised by the Imperial College, it was her job to publish books for the Imperial College and she naturally had to shoulder the due responsibilities.
Moreover, the market is bleak at the moment. Although the wages for the Imperial College jobs are low, they are a stable source of income for the bookstore. At least the idle people in the market are not idle and can support Liang Mo.
The most important thing is that after becoming an official household, there will be no more obstacles between her and Lou Yunchun.
After Song Xuelu handed Xu Jiang the paperwork, he invited her, saying, "The order for the publication of your master's 'Tracing the Origins of the Cultural Threads' was issued yesterday. Once the students have their field days off, we'll begin printing. You're the author's apprentice, and no one knows him and this book better than you. So, I'd like to invite you to assist with the proofreading. What do you think, Shopkeeper Xu?"
This was exactly what Xu Jiang wanted, so how could she refuse? She bowed to Song Xuelu and said, "I'm very happy to do it."
Song Xuelu said with satisfaction, "I sent someone to invite you before the printing started."
"Then there's the Lao Xue Lu."
Xu Jiang came out of the Imperial College with documents in her pocket, looking very happy, and rode her donkey back to the bookstore happily.
Just as he rode to the entrance of the alley, he saw Liang Mo standing in front of the door talking to someone. When he looked over, it turned out to be the manager Wu.
What are you doing here?
When Manager Wu saw Xu Jiang, he ignored Liang Mo and walked up to her, saying, "The helpers in your shop are just like you. Why don't you offer tea and food to guests and even refuse to let them in? What's the logic behind this?"
Liang Mo was young and hot-tempered. Upon hearing this, two knives almost flew out of his eyes and stabbed the headmaster Wu to death.
"How can the crude tea in this humble shop be worthy of the knowledgeable Manager Wu?" Xu Jiang landed and asked Liang Mo to lead the donkey to the backyard.
Liang Mo took the reins but did not move, for he was afraid that Xu Jiang would suffer.
Wu couldn't tell whether Xu Jiang's words were a compliment or criticism, so he just snorted, "You're quite self-aware."
Then he handed the invitation to Xu Jiang and said, "Our host invites all bookstore owners to meet at Taikang Restaurant tomorrow."
The banquet was not good, Xu Jiang did not accept it.
"Tell your boss to thank him for his kindness. The entrance fee to Taikang Restaurant is high, and we, who are so young and timid, don't have the courage to step in."
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