Yuan Yanyan thought for a moment and said, "Sangcha."
He asked the maid again, and she also asked for mulberry tea.
After making tea and picking up two plates of cakes, the maid knew that the two had something to say, so she took the teacup and sat down at the narrow table in front of the shelf.
Yuan Yanyan took a few sips of tea before pushing the stack of books she had brought in front of Xu Jiang. "Sister, take a look."
Xu Jiang spread out the stack of books and saw that it was exactly the set of paper patterns published by Jisheng Bookstore.
"Did you buy it at Jisheng Bookstore?"
"I don't want to be taken advantage of. I borrowed this from Sister Song Yi." Yuan Yanyan asked again, "Sister Xu, do you know this set of paper?"
Xu Jiang laughed and said, "You know everything, how could I not know?"
"Sister, aren't you angry? This set of paper albums is not only similar in content and layout to the plum blossom paper album you published, but even the name and binding style are similar to your plum blossom paper album. This is clearly an imitation, but it is still claimed to be an exclusive creation. It's simply shameless." Yuan Yanyan's indignant look was exactly the same as her father's.
"I knew about this long before they copied it, and I'd have gotten over it long ago." Xu Jiang soothed him, "Don't be angry either. It's not worth it to ruin your health."
"I'm worried about my sister. What will happen to your calligraphy?"
"I have already sent out my calligraphy."
"Give it away?" Yuan Yanyan clutched her chest, her eyes widening. "That book sells for one or two taels of silver. You gave it all away?"
Xu Jiang sneered and pinched her puffy cheeks, "Don't be sad, there are reasons for giving it away."
Yuan Yanyan tilted her head and thought for a moment, then suddenly realized, "Once we send it out, they'll know that we were the first to make this paper, right?"
Xu Jiang nodded and praised, "How clever."
Yuan Yanyan still looked indignant, muttering, "But I still feel sorry for my sister. She took the trouble to make this paper, not only did she not make any money, but it was even copied. In the end, she ended up spending so much money just to prove herself. It's such a loss."
"Stop, stop." Xu Jiang said with a bitter face, "If you keep saying that, I'm going to vomit blood."
Yuan Yanyan touched Xu Jiang's face and cursed for her: "These people are really too evil."
Xu Jiang chuckled, "Alright, alright, let's just let it go. The more angry we get, the more we lose." Then he snorted, "Besides, it's still uncertain whether he can succeed the Sheng Shuju in the end. Let's just wait patiently. Maybe there will be something interesting to watch."
Seeing her calm expression, Yuan Yanyan's indignation gradually subsided. She then asked, "Just now, Sister Xu said that you knew they were going to copy the calligraphy before they published it. How did you know that?"
Xu Jiang didn't want her to have any rift with the two sisters of the Mu family, so she just brushed it off, saying, "We bumped into each other by chance."
Then he changed the subject and asked, "How has Mr. Yuan been these days? Assisting in the scientific examinations is not an easy job, and I imagine he's been very busy. Is he in good health?"
"The attendant reported back that he's eating and sleeping well and is in good health. He's been busy marking papers these days and will be able to go home after the results are announced."
Yuan Yanyan hasn't seen her father for almost a month.
Candidates can leave the Imperial Examination Hall after the examination is over, but the ministers who are in charge of or assisting in the examination must wait until the test papers are initially screened and submitted to the emperor for review. They can only return home after the emperor personally writes down the names and the results are posted.
The chief examiner of this imperial examination was the Minister of Rites. In addition to him, there were other ministers of the Ministry of Rites including Lou Jing, Yuan Zuzhi, the chief academician of the Imperial College, and Du Hui, the director of the Imperial Academy, to assist in the examination.
Xu Jiang hadn't seen the gentlemen for almost a month. She was thinking that after the announcement of the results, she would hold a book appreciation banquet and invite all the gentlemen to get together so that they could relax.
Yuan Yanyan asked, "Sister Xu, is Hongchu doing well lately?"
Xu Jiang came back to his senses and shook his head. Seeing Yuan Yanyan's worried expression, he added, "But he will get better slowly."
Yuan Yanyan said sadly, "I wanted to visit, but I was afraid of being disruptive and abrupt."
Yuan Yanyan hadn't even reached marriage age yet, and her family had strict rules, so it wasn't appropriate to visit without her parents' permission. Furthermore, the school was crowded with people, and Lin Hongchu was in mourning, rarely even leaving the funeral hall. It was difficult to see or entertain guests, so it wasn't the right time to visit.
"Don't worry, there will always be a chance to meet."
"Yes." Yuan Yanyan took out a letter from her sleeve and handed it to Xu Jiang. "Please pass this letter on to her, sister, and also tell her for me to express my condolences and take care of herself."
"Okay." Xu Jiang took the letter and put it away carefully.
After the two chatted for a while, a guest came to the door. Yuan Yanyan didn't want to stay any longer, so she stood up and said goodbye to Xu Jiang.
Liang Mo was sitting in the rice shop chatting with Manager Wang. He only went to the bookstore after seeing Yuan Yanyan get on the carriage.
Shopkeeper Wang poked his head out and called out, "Won't you sit down for a while?"
Liang Mo shook his head, "No, I still have work to do in the store."
Shopkeeper Wang praised, "You're so hardworking. The five thousand dollars wasn't wasted." A while ago, Xu Jiangshu Si was very busy. He went to visit him and saw that although the boy was young, he worked efficiently and skillfully. He immediately looked at him with admiration.
After these days of getting to know him, I admire him more and more, but he is a little dull. I just sat here with him for a long time, and he kept talking until his mouth was dry, but this guy just mumbled a few words and fooled me.
Alas, it’s another saw-mouthed gourd.
Two days later, the clouds cleared and the rain stopped, spring came and the scenery was bright. The hemp clothes were as white as snow, filling the streets.
The drums in the Imperial Examination Hall of the Ministry of Rites were beating like thunder. The east wall of the hall was crowded with candidates, and countless pairs of eyes were searching for their names on the golden list.
Not only candidates came to see the list, but also nobles, princes, ministers, famous scholars and wealthy merchants, all to see the grand occasion of the announcement of the results and the true appearance of the candidates on the list.
Hu Xu and Zeng Zhui arrived late and it took them a long time to squeeze to the front. Before they reached the list, they heard someone calling Hu Xu's name.
This chapter is not finished yet, please click on the next page to continue reading the exciting content!
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
