Chapter 58 Guilds (Part 1) Who...who is it?
Chen Shun, one of Zeng Zhengqing's subordinates, quietly approached Zeng Zhengqing's side and whispered a few words in his ear. Zeng Zhengqing frowned slightly upon hearing this, then nodded almost imperceptibly, and Chen Shun stepped aside.
Serinpoche also submitted a manuscript? He's learning quickly.
However, there's nothing to panic about. If you've only made this one preparation and the evidence isn't sufficient, you absolutely wouldn't dare to reveal his true colors in front of the entire industry.
A skilled strategist secures an invincible position while also preventing the enemy from suffering defeat.
Zeng Zhengqing looked up at Sailinfu diagonally opposite him. He saw Sailinfu slowly pick up his teacup, lift the lid, blow away the steam, and leisurely sip his tea.
At this moment, Lu Nong's earnest self-defense was actually an accusation against him for stealing books, but he didn't even lift his eyelids, appearing completely detached from the matter.
Lu Nong continued, "...What I just said is the overall outline of the story that I originally designed. From the perspective of the characters, I originally wanted to narrate the life of a woman with perseverance, but the third part published by Shouzhentang completely shifted the focus."
"The story focuses more on how the male protagonist, Xie Jingming, rises through the ranks and has a happy family, almost like his personal biography, which downplays the charm of the female protagonist, Shen Siyao."
"In terms of writing, I prefer to write about the emotional changes between characters, but her third book has very few characters' psychology and focuses more on the dialogue between characters."
"As for the details, such as etiquette and rules of conduct, and the style and patterns of women's clothing, they are not very well studied. This proves that the first two books and this one are definitely not from the same person."
"I have carefully sorted out these differences and compiled them into a book for you all to review. I believe you will all be able to judge the truth and the merits of each part at a glance. I earnestly request that you uphold fairness and restore the truth!" Lu Nong said earnestly.
She had just presented the booklet to Chairman Ge of the Booksellers' Guild, who was seated at the head of the table, and to the key figures of the guilds on either side, when she heard Sailinfu say:
"How can this be considered evidence? 'Huatangchun' is divided into three volumes. The first two volumes were printed together, and the third volume was completed after some time. It is reasonable that its style is different from the first two volumes. To conclude that they were not written by the same person based on this, and then to prove that the first two volumes are plagiarism, is far too far-fetched!"
"If even this is considered irrefutable evidence, then every time an author improves their skills or occasionally falls short of expectations, resulting in inconsistencies, they will be accused of 'plagiarism'? Ha, that's utter nonsense!" Serinfu sneered.
"Besides, whether a story is good or bad should be judged by the readers. Let me tell you! My third book is selling just as well as the first two. If it were poorly written, why would readers rush to buy it? Do you think they're fools? Haha!"
He seemed to have heard the biggest joke in the world, and turned to the bookseller next to him with a smile, "Old Li, don't you think so? Hahaha!"
"Why is Manager Sai beating around the bush?" Lu Nong said calmly. "What I just said did not involve the merits or demerits of this book, nor did I mention its sales volume. What I have been saying is always the same thing: the third book circulating on the market has a completely different writing style from the first two."
"The difference is not due to time, but because the two creators have different life experiences, which leads to their works with very different underlying themes."
“If you’re going to defend yourself, you should stick to what I said, not dodge accusations about irrelevant things!” She stared intently at Serinfu, her gaze sharp as a knife, as if it were pressed against his neck.
Serinpus scoffed: "Style? Ha, how can you measure such an intangible thing? But the sales of books are a tangible measure of money!"
“Little girl,” he called out affectionately, but his tone was cold, “business is business. Who talks about creation with a businessman?”
Zeng Zhengqing interjected, "Speaking of this, Boss Sai and I are both laymen. However, I have specially invited Mr. Jin today. He is well-read and has done a great deal of research on contemporary vernacular stories. He has also published related commentaries. Why don't we listen to his views?"
Before Serinfu could agree, he said to a kind-looking elder, "Mr. Jin, in your opinion, are the first two volumes of 'Huatangchun' and the last volume written by the same person? If they are indeed written by the same author, is it reasonable that their writing styles would differ so much in just two months?"
"Yuan Bai had already given me these books to look through, but due to time constraints, I didn't read them in great detail. Please forgive me if I said anything inappropriate." Mr. Jin cupped his hands in greeting.
“In the first two books, there was always a sense of tenacity between the lines. But when reading this sequel, I always felt—maybe I’m just not good at it—that it lacked a bit of tenacity and had a bit more… ambition and melancholy.” He emphasized the last two words very heavily.
Lu Nong frowned upon hearing this, exchanged a glance with Zeng Zhengqing, and the two seemed to be deep in thought.
"As for the change in writing style," Mr. Jin paused for a moment, then said meaningfully, "As the author, Miss Lu Nong must feel this more genuinely than others. Writing is always closely related to the author's personal experience, state of mind when writing, and what they see, hear, and feel in daily life. I have never met or know the other author, Zi Pian, so I dare not make any hasty judgments."
"Thank you for your guidance, Mr. Jin. I have learned a great deal." Zeng Zhengqing looked at Sai Linfu, "What else does Manager Sai have to say now?"
Sailinfu sneered, "I have long admired Mr. Jin's name, and I certainly respect his scholarship. But even a senior scholar like Mr. Jin said, 'One should not make hasty judgments.' What gives you, a mere greenhorn, the right to be so aggressive and interrogate me?"
Lu Nong stood up and said, "Since Manager Sai insists that 'Hua Tang Chun' was written by Zi Pian, but her writing style has changed, may I ask what caused this change?"
"As far as I know, that Miss Zi Pian is the daughter of Bao Yuan Printing Workshop. She's only seventeen or eighteen years old this year. She's always been Manager Tong's darling, living a life of luxury and ease since childhood," Zeng Zhengqing said.
"How can someone who has never experienced the world reveal ambition and vicissitudes between the lines? In my opinion, we should invite Miss Zipian over, set a topic, and ask her to write an article on the spot. Then the truth will be determined on the spot."
He casually mentioned, "She's currently writing inscriptions for readers at Shouzhentang; it shouldn't be hard to find her."
"Even if I bring her here, you'll have other excuses. Even if she recounts her experiences in detail, you'll say they weren't profound enough to cause this change!" Serin said coldly.
"Hmph! You've long believed she wasn't the author of 'Huatang Chun,' and you're determined to prove her wrong. No matter what I say, you'll use that standard to criticize our Shouzhen Hall. Now that things have come to this, what's the use of me saying anything more?"
Sailin took a few steps to Chairman Ge and said, "Chairman Ge, you are wise! Some despicable people secretly submitted the manuscript to the authorities before me, hoping to use it as evidence to put us in a difficult position. Fortunately, I submitted the manuscript in time, which saved the situation."
"Seeing their first plan fail, they devised another vicious scheme. Today, they're using the guild's reputation to pressure me into admitting these fabricated charges! I beg the guild leader to uphold justice for me!"
"How shameless! You're crying wolf!" Lu Nong's face flushed with anger. When faced with their questions, Sai Linfu often avoided answering, ignored their evidence, and even turned the tables, leaving everyone with a grievance that felt like punching cotton, utterly powerless.
Sailinfu pointed at Lu Nong, "Look everyone! After all, you are her elder, and she should have shown me some respect. But she spoke rudely and insulted me in public. I didn't take it to heart because she is a junior, and of course I won't hold it against her. But you all saw it. She was all righteous and indignant just now, but in the blink of an eye, she became completely rude!"
He said sarcastically, "Ha! You're allowed to be completely different before and after, but Zi Pian isn't allowed to improve his writing and become a completely different person?"
"You!" Lu Nong was speechless. If someone else had argued with her rationally, she would not have been at a disadvantage. But she felt a surge of anger burning through her mind, her face burning hot. How could she calm down and think?
Zeng Zhengqing said in a deep voice, "Manager Sai, everything we said just now was supported by evidence, but you kept avoiding the main points and refused to answer. Now you're fabricating charges to slander us out of thin air. Is this how an elder should behave?"
"Evidence? What kind of evidence are you talking about? Even the government hasn't reached a conclusion yet. You want to accuse my bookstore's author, Zi Pian, of plagiarism based on just a few words? It's outrageous to so easily accuse someone!"
"Who says the government hasn't reached a conclusion yet?" someone outside shouted.
The room fell silent instantly, and everyone looked toward the doorway in surprise.
The door creaked open, and a woman lightly stepped into the room. She was dressed in a pink embroidered coat and rushed towards the opposite window. Just as she was about to reach it, she suddenly made a clean and neat turn and circled around to the center.
She held a "horsewhip" in her hand, a common prop on the stage—a rattan cane adorned with three strands of red silk tassels. She swung the whip like a stick, drawing red suns in the air with a "swish, swish" sound.
The room was eerily quiet. Everyone present was a seasoned individual, yet they were utterly bewildered. Their eyes widened, their mouths agape.
As the performance neared its end, she abruptly stopped, frozen in place. The riding crop rested at her side, the silk tassel still swaying slightly. Looking at her, her other hand was raised high above her head, her eyebrows raised, her expression spirited and triumphant.
Although brief, it is clearly a hero's debut in a play.
The performance ended, but it didn't receive a standing ovation.
The room fell silent; everyone was stunned by her.
Rather than "intimidating," it would be more accurate to say "frightened."
Who is this?
If the Silver Horn King's purple-gold gourd has the power to attract people with its astonishment, then none of you present will escape its grasp.
Zeng Zhengqing felt a throbbing pain in his head. Just as he was about to speak, he heard Chairman Ge ask, "Who is this young lady...?"
"My surname is Tang."
Although no one asked her "What is your honorable name?", she still replied, "My name is Qingduo, and I am known in the martial arts world as the 'Ever-Winning Heroine'."
"The owner of 'Qingyuan Bookstore,' Xiao Zeng, is my husband!"
All eyes turned to Zeng Zhengqing with a snap. He gritted his teeth and forced an embarrassed smile.
-----------------------
Author's Note: Miracles in Full Bloom
[The synopsis for my next pre-order book has been slightly revised. If you're interested, please check it out and show your support! [shy]]
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com