Sixth Master Gu sighed.
Shen Changle observed his expression and said, "If it weren't for the fact that Sixth Master has recently lost his wife, I think this Miss Dong would be a perfect match for Sixth Master."
Sixth Master Gu wasn't annoyed and asked, "Why?"
Shen Changle said, "Sixth Master loves poetry and painting, and will surely become a renowned scholar in the future. Miss Dong is also a talented woman. In the future, the couple will be a harmonious couple, and their story will surely be a beautiful tale. Furthermore, Madam is so virtuous, and Miss Dong is a good friend of Madam, so their learning and character are obviously compatible. When others get engaged, they always have to inquire everywhere to prevent the matchmaker from deceiving them. Madam should know a lot about Miss Dong's affairs, which will save a lot of trouble."
Gu Shiliu remained silent, only observing Gu Liuye's expression from the side.
Master Gu laughed and said, "I'm not being modest, but this Miss Dong's poetry is far superior to mine. The man who is suitable for her is a scholar like Brother Siyuan."
Gu Shiliu said, "If Scholar Qin were to marry Miss Dong, Madam would probably have already made the match."
The implication was that this Miss Dong must have some shortcomings in her family background, and Sixth Master should not belittle himself.
Master Gu sighed, "If she didn't have such poetic talent, she might have just settled down and waited to get married. But if she didn't have such poetic talent, I wouldn't feel sorry for her."
Shen Changle remained silent.
Master Gu added, "Furthermore, I have made a vow to observe three years of mourning. How can I discuss marriage at this time? I'm afraid Miss Dong's marriage will be settled soon."
In the end, we weren't meant to be.
Sixth Master Gu sighed and said sincerely, "I hope this collection of poems will sell very well and make Miss Dong famous."
Shen Changle laughed and said, "With Sixth Master's meticulous arrangement of illustrations, and with me paying extra to find a few more top-notch typewriters, this collection of poems will be even more exquisite than the previous one, and it will definitely be a bestseller."
Master Gu became interested and said, "I'll go out and find a famous painter. You can call the layout master and we can work together to figure it out."
Sixth Master Gu and Shen Changle traveled together, while Sixteenth Master Gu also went out to search for people and gather information.
The three of them left the mansion together and passed by the entrance of Shuhai Pavilion.
Gu Shiliu, holding a riding whip on his horse, pointed at the plaque of Shuhai Pavilion with a smile and said, "Back then, the people at Shuhai Pavilion didn't even give me a second glance. They even said that our Gu family shouldn't think that just because we have some money, we can disgrace our culture. I didn't expect them to set up a poetry contest at their gate and imitate us. Unfortunately, it looks far inferior to the Imperial Academy's setup."
Shen Changle laughed and said, "Let me tell you something interesting. A while ago, the owner of Shuhaige asked someone to mediate, saying he wanted to help sell our poetry collection."
Both Master Gu and Gu Shiliu were looking at him, waiting for him to continue.
Shen Changle puffed out his broad chest and laughed, "I'm not someone who's easy to talk to. I said I'm a maidservant to the wife of the Marquis of Dingbei, and I'm printing poetry collections for the Sixth Master of the manor. If you come to me for this, you still have to ask my master if he'll agree."
The owner of Shuhaige ultimately did not come to the Marquis's mansion for help, clearly unwilling to humiliate himself.
Gu Shiliu laughed heartily, "That feels good."
"Is that enough to vent your anger?" Shen Changle said dismissively. "I said that in the future, we'll make Shuhaige beg us for help. This is nothing. After being rejected, they simply started their own poetry contest and are now clamoring to print their own poetry collection."
Sixth Master Gu, lacking confidence, gazed at the entrance of the Book Sea Pavilion and said, "We've only just started compiling poetry collections, while they've been doing it for so many years. What if..."
"I might have to work even harder," Gu Liuye thought to himself.
Shen Changle laughed heartily, "It's not that I'm boasting, but the owner of Shuhai Pavilion is just a Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations). He can do business in writing essays, but he might not be as good as us at writing poetry collections. I've seen a lot of people in the Chancellor's mansion who are good at writing essays but not necessarily good at writing poetry. I think writing poetry and writing essays are two different kinds of knowledge and two different skills. Otherwise, the young master wouldn't have been stuck on writing poetry for so many years, and even the Chancellor couldn't help him."
Sixth Master Gu was slightly relieved, but then asked with concern, "Now that they've started holding poetry contests to attract people to write poems, won't that crowd out our business?"
Shen Changle said, "Don't worry, Sixth Master. Who knows who will squeeze whose business in the future? They want to take away our poetry collection business, and we have our eyes on their essay business."
Gu Shiliu laughed and said, "If Qin becomes a successful candidate in the imperial examinations in the future, won't his essays have a reputation to speak of?"
After all, the owner of Shuhaige was a fellow Jinshi (a successful candidate in the highest imperial examinations), and he invited two other Jinshi from the same cohort, who were both highly talented and learned, to write essays for sale.
Qin Siyuan is destined to pass the imperial examination in the future; with a little effort, he might even become the second or third-ranked scholar.
That's a world of difference.
Sixth Master Gu said happily, "With Brother Siyuan's name on the list, and with the Chief Minister's full support, this business can be done."
Shen Changle laughed and said, "I've heard that both Young Master Nantang and Mr. Songshan are capable of writing. With this competition, their talents have already become known to the world. If 'Liu Ying Ji' sells well and their fame rises, I'm afraid that in the future, paper will be in high demand in Luoyang, and everyone will be scrambling to buy it."
Gu Shiliu burst into laughter.
Master Gu was overjoyed and exclaimed, "Third Sister-in-law is truly capable, planning ahead in everything. Perhaps we can take half of Shuhaige's business in the future."
Shen Changle was full of confidence: "In the future, Shuhaige will definitely have a time when they need our help. At that time, we will let them see who has disgraced the culture! Sixth Master, it is not that I am arrogant. Think about it, Shuhaige only publishes policy essays. They may not be able to beat us in poetry collections, but we will also compete with them for policy essays. Even if we win or lose, we still have the business that Mr. Songshan mentioned. How can they take that away from us?"
Master Gu, no longer caring about his image, slapped his thigh excitedly and said, "Let's quickly finalize the plan and arrange all these things. Originally, I was thinking of taking my time to paint and making it more exquisite. Now it seems better to first produce a draft and then find a famous painter in the city to help refine it."
Shen Changle was quick to respond and immediately said, "Sixth Master, if you can produce a first draft, and the painters can work together to refine it, it will definitely be lifelike and bring everyone present that day to life."
The owner of Shuhai Pavilion, standing upstairs, saw them rein in their horses by the roadside, pointing towards the shop entrance and talking about something. Feeling extremely annoyed, he asked irritably, "Who is that with Shen Chang Le?"
The shopkeeper standing beside him leaned out of the window and peered in, saying, "The one dressed in plain clothes who looks like a scholar is the sixth master of the Marquis of Dingbei's mansion. The other one is a guard by the Marquis of Gu's side; he handles many things in the capital."
"Was he the one who came here to print his poetry collection before?"
"yes."
The owner of Shuhaige sneered, "He just latched onto the coattails of some young master from Nantang and Mr. Songshan, and thinks he's got it all figured out. A good-for-nothing is a good-for-nothing. He published a collection of poems by borrowing the influence of others and thinks he's a genius. The Emperor only praised him a few times because of Lord Gu, and he's already forgotten his own worth."
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