Naturally, no one objected.
Qin Jijiu said, "Since we are going to print and sell them, we should naturally choose the best ones. If we get any good lines, we can revise them before printing."
Qin Siyuan expressed his approval.
Qin Heng was indifferent, simply propping his head up and listening.
Master Gu said happily, "That's exactly right. I thought about it all night and came up with an even better one."
Qin Yuan said, "Why don't we all have breakfast first, and then ask Shen Changle in detail when he arrives? I vaguely heard him mention before that the poetry collection is selling well. He's not losing money, even with some sales and some giveaways. Since it includes poems by two officials, Shen Changle is planning to sell it to other provinces."
Qin Siyuan's cheeks flushed slightly with excitement.
The wider his sales spread, the more widely his talent became known.
Master Gu was overjoyed, but he knew he was just a bystander, so he suppressed his joy.
After everyone had a pleasant breakfast and sat for a while, they heard Gu Shiliu say from outside, "My lord, my lady, Shen Changle has arrived."
Gu Jinghui said, "Let him in to talk."
Shen Changle tiptoed in, bowed and greeted the master, then stood to the side with her hands at her sides, waiting for the master to ask questions.
Qin Yuan asked, "How are the poetry collections selling these days?"
Looking at the people in the room, Shen Changle had a hunch in his mind and said, "The poetry collection is selling well. The first 500 copies have all been sold out, and a second batch of 1,500 copies were printed. All of them have been used to cover the costs, and the books are empty now."
Mr. Matsuyama said, "That's right."
If the poetry collection about visiting Yuyuantan Park sells well, this should be even better.
Sixth Master Gu said happily, "So many have been printed! Shen Changle, are you very optimistic about it?"
Shen Changle smiled broadly and immediately replied, "Sixth Master, that's for sure. At first, the Marquis said he would print five hundred copies, and the owner of Shuhai Pavilion ridiculed the sixteen brothers quite a bit. When I took over, I was also very apprehensive, after all, it was my first time, and I was afraid of messing things up. Fortunately, the poems were good, so we didn't lose money. When students from other places heard that the poems of the Provincial Education Commissioner and the Minister were included, they said they wanted to take them back to their classmates and fellow villagers to read. So I quickly printed more copies and also collected a lot of deposits."
Sixth Master Gu was even more delighted, "They even accepted a deposit?"
“That’s natural,” Shen Changle said solemnly, “You have to be careful and cautious when doing business.”
Sixth Master Gu said happily, "Good, good, good, you Shen Changle, I trust you the most. Third Sister-in-law has no weak soldiers under her command. With you taking charge, this matter will surely be accomplished. We plan to print another book of poems. What do you think?"
Shen Changle glanced at everyone's expressions out of the corner of his eye and said with a simple smile, "I am the lady's personal attendant. I was originally a servant in the Imperial Academy. Having been there for a long time, I naturally know more than other servants. Speaking of which, the sixteen brothers here have been of great help. I have a secret wish: if we can do something so good that the owner of the Book Sea Pavilion comes begging to us, that would be truly commendable."
Immediately, Gu Shiliu, who was standing outside, and Lord Gu and Qin Jijiu, who were sitting inside, all had a radiant expression on their faces.
Upon hearing this, the usually carefree and frivolous Master Gu slammed his folding fan heavily on the table and said with boundless pride, "You're right. A person fights for their pride. We must do it well, do it big, and let the owner of the Book Sea Pavilion see for himself. He'll be begging us for our lives."
Mr. Songshan hurriedly asked for the reason, and Shen Changle embellished the story, making everyone present indignant on behalf of Master Gu and Gu Sixteen.
Shen Changle sighed in the end, "Now that I run this small shop under Madam's name, I was thinking that if I could print more good books and spread the word, I could invite more talented people to write poems and essays, and make the owner of Shuhaige regret his arrogance."
Sixth Master Gu hurriedly said, "Speaking of which, what do you think we came here for? It's precisely to ask you to print a new collection of poems, which is even better than the last one. The poets include the Grand Master of Ceremonies, Scholar Qin, the highly talented Mr. Songshan, and another extraordinary person named Young Master Nantang, who is also a poet of excellent talent."
Shen Changle was delighted and said, "That's great, I'll just take care of the arrangements."
Mr. Songshan frowned and said, “I suddenly thought of something. Fireflies are poetic insects, with a unique artistic conception of desolation, loneliness, dampness, coolness and beauty. Throughout history, many people have written poems to praise them, and there are many excellent works. Although we have done well, we cannot be considered unique. We must think of a way to entice people to buy them.”
Qin Jijiu nodded: "Mr. Songshan's concerns are very valid."
Qin Siyuan pondered for a moment and said, "If we compile all the poems about fireflies from ancient times to the present into a book, and compile our own poems into another book, calling it a new compilation, how about that?"
Qin Jijiu said, "If we divide it into two volumes, one thick and one thin, with excellent works already available, who would be willing to buy our works? Moreover, since ancient times, scholars have been jealous of each other and have valued the past over the present, which would easily make us a laughing stock. If we combine them into one volume, people will say that we are raising our own prices."
The crowd was at a loss.
Qin Yuan suddenly smiled and said, "I have a plan."
Everyone said, "Don't keep us in suspense, just tell us."
Qin Yuan had mentioned Ying'er to Shen Changle before, and now, after hearing what everyone was saying, a flash of inspiration struck her and she came up with a solution.
"I've always had this idea: to invite talented people from all over the world to write poems and essays. That way, the poetry collections and manuscripts printed by my shop will be more famous. At that time, my humble Shuhai Pavilion will be nothing to mention."
Gu Jinghui slapped the table and exclaimed, "Excellent! That's exactly how it should be!"
Master Gu nodded in agreement.
Mr. Matsuyama frowned and asked, "How exactly should we do it?"
Qin Yuan smiled and said, "A journey of a thousand miles begins with a single step, and we'll start with this poem about fireflies today. My father is the Chancellor of the Imperial Academy, so collecting excellent poems about fireflies from ancient times to the present should not be difficult for him. If the doctors and others at the Imperial Academy are willing to help, Shen Chang Le can provide them with a fee as soon as possible."
Qin Jijiu thought for a moment and said, "That's not difficult. There are quite a few books in the prison, and I also have many in my study."
Qin Yuan continued, "We will set up poetry contests at the Imperial Academy and shops, and display our poems there. Anyone who wants to participate can leave their name, identity, and poem for everyone to judge. The best works will be included in the poetry collection."
With a broad smile on his round face, like Maitreya Buddha, Shen Changle exclaimed, "Master, this is truly a brilliant plan! In this way, the poetry collection will be famous even before it's released, and people will flock to it."
He could already see the piles of silver everywhere.
Qin Siyuan nodded in approval, saying, "Indeed, it's excellent. This way, Uncle won't have to worry about others saying we're overestimating ourselves or laughing at us. The masterpieces that so many people have put together can be considered a culmination of their efforts. If we publish them together with the ancient poetry collections, students can compare the two. It's a great idea, a great idea indeed."
As he spoke, he bowed to Qin Yuan and said, "My cousin is truly my master."
Qin Jijiu hurriedly said, "What are you doing? If others see this, they will surely say that your sister is frivolous."
Qin Siyuan said, "I am sworn to Young Master Nantang. What's wrong with that? Young Master Nantang will inevitably be going out to compete in the arena frequently in the future."
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