Chapter 84 was a huge hit—it sold out! (…)
Several young ladies were still hesitating about whether to buy the book, but as soon as Jiang Yunlin appeared, they rushed to the front of the line with lightning speed and generously slapped out a silver ingot.
"Give me ten copies first!"
The next second, she blushed and looked at Jiang Yunlin shyly, saying, "My lord, may I have your autographed bookmark?"
Jiang Yunlin: "...No problem."
These three words acted like a switch, instantly igniting the enthusiasm of the ladies and wives present.
Even Sang Wenyuan couldn't stop her enthusiastic girlfriends. Instead, she was pushed aside like a little spinning top, spinning around several times before finally stopping in Shen Ming'an's arms.
She looked up at her fiancé and sighed, "How did A-Yue come up with the idea of inviting Jiang Tanhua to endorse us? The effect is simply terrifying..."
Shen Ming'an recalled the last time he took Shen Lingyue to Jiang Yunlin's house, and he was also puzzled.
Didn't we agree that we would only invite him to write the preface for the new book? How come he's not only here in person, but also promoting it with writing and drawing?
"Maybe...it's because his younger sister complimented his hands?"
Otherwise, Shen Ming'an wouldn't have been able to understand how these two suddenly became "friends at first sight".
Seeing the crowd, he helped Sang Wenyuan to rest aside and smiled at her, saying, "Thank you so much for bringing people to support us today."
Sang Wenyuan waved her hand with a smile, "It's rare for A-Yue to ask me for a favor, so of course I have to do my best to repay her. Besides, this book, 'Jade Hall Hairpin,' is really good."
As the granddaughter of the Grand Master of the Imperial Academy, she spent her childhood in her grandfather's study, often stealing the storybooks hidden at the back of the bookshelf and reading them secretly under the covers.
“I’ve had enough of those boring stories about talented men and beautiful women.” Sang Wenyuan wrinkled her nose unhappily. “It’s as if a woman’s only role is to be a good wife and mother, to be tolerant and generous, and to ask to leave a noblewoman of higher status than herself in order to be written into a book and called a ‘virtuous wife’. Why is that?”
She wished there were more stories like "The Story of Qi Lan" and "The Jade Hairpin" on the market!
On the other side, a long line had formed in front of Jiang Yunlin. He drew until his pen was practically on fire, but he still couldn't keep up with the speed at which the line was getting longer.
Someone asked, "Jiang Tanhua, where is the author of this book? Could we please meet him?"
Jiang Yunlin carefully replied, "She is a friend of mine. She is currently in seclusion working on the next part of the story and cannot afford to be distracted."
So the young lady sent her maid to tell her friend: "...Come quickly to Fengle Tower, Jiang Tanhua is helping a friend sell books!"
As the story spread, it became distorted, turning into "Jiang Tanhua has written a new book and is signing and selling it in front of Fenglelou under the guise of a friend!"
Jiang Yunlin initially tried to explain, but not only was his pen on fire, his throat was also burning.
The young lady who had finally gotten to the front of the line quickly advised, "Jiang Tanhua, stop talking and take a break. We all understand!"
It must be that Jiang Tanhua was embarrassed to let people know that he liked to write stories in his spare time, so he made up a fictitious friend.
Jiang Yunlin: ...I can't explain anymore.
I didn't write this book!
...
"This book was certainly not written by the third-ranked scholar."
Xiao Lang finished reading the book with a sullen face, then slammed his hand heavily on the table in anger, "This is clearly, clearly..."
It's clearly Dong Lanyi, the cousin of that Marquis's family!
Xiao Lang suddenly realized why the gatekeepers had been making excuses and insisting that his cousin was not home whenever he went to the Marquis's residence to look for her.
It turns out they were all lying to him, just playing a trick on him!
Xiao Lang clenched his fists, his teeth grinding together. "Fine, very well. You deliberately lulled me into a false sense of security, and then caught me off guard with your new book?"
No wonder all the theaters in the capital started staging a new play they'd never heard of before a few days ago, and he was even thinking about whether he could learn a thing or two from it... It turns out it was all the work of the Marquis's mansion.
The owner of Xuelangzhai specially had someone buy a copy of "Yutangchai" and send it over. His forehead was covered in sweat. "Young Master Xiao, you have to think of a way. They've booked the entire Fenglelou bookstore and even hired a top scholar to promote it. Aren't they deliberately trying to steal your thunder?"
Xiao Lang gave a cold laugh, making his already unattractive appearance appear even more ferocious and distorted.
"What can I do? Can I afford to book the entire Fenglelou restaurant, or can I hire the top scholar in the imperial examination?"
He glared at his boss, annoyed. "I'm just a writer. You've been making a fortune off me these days. Shouldn't you be the one to come up with solutions?"
The owner of Xuelangzhai, not expecting him to be so apathetic, also became angry. He grabbed the book on the table, stuffed it into his sleeve, and turned to leave. If even the Young Master Xiaoxiang wasn't in a hurry, why was he?
The most urgent task now is to find out the background of this Langhuan Pavilion, and whether we can poach the author of this book...
Thinking of this, the boss's steps became more hurried, even showing a hint of fervor.
Seeing that he was walking faster and faster, Xiao Lang guessed what his boss was thinking and couldn't help but spit out: "No businessman is without guile!"
He paced around the courtyard a few times, growing angrier with each passing thought, before turning and striding toward a locked room in the northwest corner.
With a "whoosh," the chains were unlocked, and he forcefully pulled open the door, letting in bright sunlight that instantly transformed the previously dim room into a dazzling light.
The woman, who was engrossed in her work at her desk, was suddenly blinded by the bright light and instinctively raised her hand to shield her eyes.
"Sister, how's the new book coming along?"
Xiao Lang patiently softened his voice and walked into the house step by step.
The woman abruptly stood up, retreating in a tense and frightened manner until her back pressed against the bookshelf, as if she had nowhere to escape. Only then did she explain in a trembling voice, "I haven't had any inspiration these past few days..."
Xiao Lang picked up several pages of manuscripts on the table that had been repeatedly revised, and found that the plot was still stuck on the page from the last time he came. Finally, he became furious and threw them hard on the ground.
"Three days!" He pointed at her forcefully and demanded, "You haven't written a single word in three whole days. Are you just here to eat for free?"
The woman shook her head repeatedly, tears welling in her eyes. "No, it's just that I haven't figured out how to break this deadlock yet..."
Xiao Lang cursed and flicked his sleeve, "What's so difficult about that? Let Qi Lan seduce that manor lord, drug his wine, kill him while he's under the influence, and then escape."
The woman frowned in disapproval and shook her head, saying, "No, Qi Lan isn't like that, and the readers don't want to see her use such a simple and crude method..."
"Then you'd better come up with something that isn't so simple and crude!" Xiao Lang glared at her fiercely. "Don't forget who rescued you from your husband's family, who gave you and your child a place to stay, and who let you live in such a big and spacious house?"
The next second, his expression changed again. He knelt on the ground, hugging the woman's leg and pleading, "Sister, I'm sorry, I shouldn't have yelled at you, but the owner of Xuelangzhai came to urge me again. He said if we can't produce the next volume of 'The Story of Qilan', he'll have someone break my hand..."
Xiao Suzhen trembled violently, her face pale, and she asked incredulously, "How could he dare to do this to you?"
Xiao Lang wiped away non-existent tears and said emotionally, "It's all because of those competitors who are jealous of me. They see me making money and they're envious of me. They even copy my stories to sell... If we can't release a new book in time, we'll be forgotten sooner or later."
Xiao Suzhen helped him up with difficulty. "Don't rush, give me a little more time, I'm sure I can come up with a new plot."
Xiao Lang watched as she bent down to pick up the manuscripts scattered on the floor, sat back down at her desk, picked up her pen, and began to write. A satisfied smile appeared on his lips.
"Sister, take your time writing. I'm going to play with the little girl in the backyard. I'll buy her roast chicken tonight, so don't worry."
Xiao Lang left the room, locked the door again with the iron chain, his smile vanished, and he let out a cold snort.
"I really don't understand what's so interesting about this story. Running away from an arranged marriage is not something a respectable woman would do. Such a disrespectful woman is still swaggering around in the martial arts world, calling men brothers... She's utterly shameless!"
Xiao Lang muttered curses under his breath while shaking his head and lamenting the decline of morality.
...
The area in front of Fengle Tower was still bustling with activity.
Shen Lingyue really underestimated Jiang Yunlin's ability to "sell goods". This place has become a star-chasing scene, leaving Jiang Tanhua so tired that his mouth is dry and his hand holding the pen is trembling slightly.
Seeing this, she quickly squeezed to the front of the crowd, grabbed Jiang Yunlin without saying a word, and shouted to the ladies and wives in the back of the line, "Everyone, Jiang Yunlin is already very tired. Would it be alright if he went to the back to rest for a while?"
Those who didn't get a turn were dissatisfied, asking, "What about our autographed bookmarks?"
Shen Lingyue looked around and accurately locked onto Qi Xiuyuan, who was standing on the side watching the commotion. She pointed at him and said, "Him! He is the tenth in the second class, a probationary official in the Hanlin Academy, and he is also very talented. How about letting him fill in for me?"
Before Qi Xiuyuan could react, he was pushed in front of the long table and a pen was shoved into his hand.
The young ladies standing in the front row began to whisper among themselves.
"Isn't he the editor-in-chief Qi who caught the eye of the Princess of Rongcheng and declared that he would marry no one but him?"
"Shh, keep your voice down, the Princess of Rongcheng is getting married to Scholar Jiang soon, hehe..."
"Ahem, can I say this? Actually, I prefer Editor Qi's type to Scholar Jiang..."
"Me too, me too! I'll trade you my bookmark from Jiang Tanhua!"
Qi Xiuyuan was in a daze, forced into the task, and only after drawing more than a dozen bookmarks of plum blossoms, orchids, bamboo and chrysanthemums based entirely on muscle memory did he realize—what was he here for today?
"Phew...I'm exhausted!"
Shen Lingyue rushed up to the second-floor private room. Yan Yi and Dong Lanyi looked over at the same time upon hearing the commotion and asked her in unison, "How are the sales?"
"That's really something—" Shen Lingyue spread her arms and made a fireworks gesture, her smile radiant, "It sold out like hotcakes!"
The phenomenon of consuming male beauty is truly undeniable.
She downed a large cup of tea and snorted, "That so-called Young Master Xiaoxiang only dares to hide behind a mask, unlike us, who have invited only carefully selected real handsome men!"
Dong Lanyi was initially very happy, but then hesitated and asked, "Second cousin-in-law, did they buy my book because of the exciting story, or because of Jiang Tanhua and Qi Bianxiu?"
Shen Lingyue paused for a moment, then said seriously, "Cousin, don't overthink it. Even the best wine needs advertising. As long as these readers buy the book and take it home, they will definitely be attracted by your story—but all of this depends on us selling the book, no matter what method we use, right?"
Dong Lanyi didn't dwell on it and nodded in agreement, "You're right, I was just thinking off-topic."
The three were resting and talking in the private room when He Rong suddenly ran upstairs, looking somewhat anxious.
"Miss, I just heard some people downstairs deliberately stirring up trouble, saying that the author of 'Jade Hall Hairpin' is clearly a woman, but because she is too afraid to show herself, she deliberately sought out..."
He hesitated, glanced at Dong Lanyi, unsure whether he should continue.
Shen Lingyue frowned.
Yan Yi grasped Dong Lanyi's hand and calmly looked at He Rong: "Go on."
He Rong forced a smile and said, "That person said that both Jiang Tanhua and Qi Bianxiu are the mistresses of the author 'Lan Jun'..."
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Author's Note: Bonus chapter is here!
Who knew Shrimp Head Prince would have a role? [doge][doge]
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