Two days later, the reply letter that Wu Qingchuang asked Liang Mo to bring confirmed Xu Jiang's guess - Jisheng Bookstore was indeed going to publish a collection of paper.
Recalling what Lou Yunchun had told her that day about the relationship between the Mu Mansion and the Ministry of Revenue and the Ministry of Personnel, Xu Jiang guessed how the paper collection had fallen into the hands of Jisheng Bookstore.
Mulan Jing and Mulan He both bought paper from her on the Lantern Festival.
Thinking of the two sisters, Xu Jiang couldn't help but sigh. The younger daughter had no bad intentions, but it was a pity that she was used by someone with ulterior motives, and her pure and sincere heart was tarnished.
The matter was already settled, Xu Jiang suppressed the injustice in his heart and thought about how to deal with it.
Since this set of paper has no future, I might as well give it to the gentlemen and guests I met after coming to Beijing, as a gift for the Beginning of Spring Festival.
In this way, we can not only consolidate public sentiment, but also expose the true face of the Jisheng Book Bureau and refute its paradoxical words when it whitewashes its imitation as originality.
Xu Jiang clapped her hands and said, "Let's do it!"
Having made up her mind, Xu Jiang didn't waste any time. She sorted the list, wrote the invitations, and spent another day making some exquisite plum blossom cakes, which she packaged and placed with the paper. Then she called in a few runners to deliver them to the guests' homes, instructing them not to publicize the gift. If anyone asked, they should just say it was a gift to make up for the Spring Festival.
It was a coincidence that just as she finished handing over the matter, Madam Mu came with Mulan Jing and Mulan He.
Lou Yunchun went to the Mu Mansion yesterday, and today the Mu family came to her house. I don’t know if it was a coincidence or intentional.
Xu Jiang was secretly cautious, but still maintained a friendly look as he welcomed the guest into the bookstore.
Mrs. Mu first asked Mulan Jing and Xu Jiang to bow and express her gratitude, and then presented a generous thank-you gift. Xu Jiang did not refuse. Once the gift and thank-you gift were accepted, the matter was settled and no one owed the other anything.
Some say that everyone who comes is a guest, and some say that you shouldn't hit someone who smiles at you. Now that you're here, you shouldn't give them a cold shoulder or even give them the cold shoulder.
As a courtesy to the host, Xu Jiang invited the three of them to sit down and chat, and served them tea and snacks. The tea was her own steamed mulberry tea, which had been available for the past two days and tasted very good. The snack was plum blossom cake left over from the gift-giving, which she had brought specially to test Mrs. Mu's reaction.
Mrs. Mu looked calm when she saw the plum blossom cake. However, Mulan Jing and Mulan He were very fond of it. Mulan He praised it, saying, "This cake is so exquisite."
Mulan Jing also nodded, her face full of joy.
Xu Jiang glanced at Madam Mu and said with a smile, "If you like it, you can take two more back later. They are suitable for drinking with tea or wine."
Madam Mu said hurriedly, "How can this be good? I came here to express my gratitude, but you're eating and taking things. How rude!"
"It doesn't matter. I made it myself to satisfy my craving. It's not something expensive. If the girls like it, it's worth the effort."
Seeing the two girls' happy expressions, Madam Mu did not refuse. "Then thank you, Madam Xu."
"You're welcome, ma'am."
Mulan Jing arranged the plum blossoms on the plate into the shape of branches and tugged at Mulan He's sleeve. Mulan He took one look and said happily, "This cake looks just like a real plum blossom. Coincidentally, Yanyan sent me a jar of plum blossom wine a few days ago, and we have Sister Xu's plum blossom paper. We can have a plum blossom poetry gathering."
Xu Jiang smiled and said, "I think this idea was inherited from that little girl Yanyan."
Mulan He held up two fingers and said, "Since the Lantern Festival, we've gotten together twice, and both times it was Yanyan who organized the gathering."
Xu Jiang sighed, "Now she has found a companion."
Madam Mu praised, "That plum blossom paper is truly elegant and exquisite. Not only do these little girls love it, but I can't let it go. Even my master praised it repeatedly, saying it's a beautiful thought and great craftsmanship."
Xu Jiang thought to herself, "Madam Mu seemed so calm when she mentioned the paper pattern, as if she didn't know about the Jisheng Bookstore's imitation paper pattern." However, from her words, it seemed that Lord Mu did know about the paper pattern, but she wondered if it was him who came up with the idea for Jisheng Bookstore.
"Thank you for the compliment." Xu Jiang secretly observed Madam Mu's expression and said, "This shop only produced one hundred sets of this paper, and the plum blossom paper used was the first batch, so it's a stroke of luck that you bought it. It's lucky that you ladies bought it early. If you see it somewhere else and come to me for it later, it will be gone."
Madam Mu was surprised, "How could it be so exquisite?" Then she hurriedly asked, "Does any of this paper sheet remain? If so, I'd like to buy two copies from Madam Xu, one for myself and one for a friend."
"Yes." Xu Jiang stood up, took out the paper and handed it to Madam Mu.
As soon as Madam Mu took it, Mulan Jing immediately took a copy and the two sisters flipped through it with great interest. Madam Mu also picked up the paper and flipped through it, her love for it overflowing with words. Xu Jiang carefully observed her expression, which did not seem fake.
"I want these two books. How much are they?"
"One thousand coins a copy."
Mrs. Mu paid the money and chatted with Xu Jiang for a while before taking Mulan Jing and Mulan He to say goodbye and leave.
Xu Jiang toyed with the two pieces of silver in her hand for a while, somewhat unsure of Madam Mu's intentions. Was she a master of theatrics, or was she truly clueless about the paper-stamping scheme?
She looked at the long street, wondering whether Lou Yunchun would come today, nor did she know what happened when he went to the Mu Mansion for the banquet yesterday.
After Mrs. Mu returned home, she went to the study to look for her husband. When she arrived outside the door, she heard him talking to Zhao Xiu, so she waited there.
Zhao Xiu said, "Teacher shouldn't have invited Lou Yunchun here yesterday. He's a very alert person. If he had found any clues, it would have ruined everything." Then he paused and asked suspiciously, "Could it be that Teacher invited him here on purpose to do something?"
Lord Mu said calmly, "You worry too much. I invited him here simply to thank him for helping Lan Jing."
Zhao Xiu breathed a sigh of relief and nodded, "I really should thank him for this." Then he reminded, "Just don't have any more contact with him from now on, or the Minister might become suspicious."
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