"Yes, this newspaper was produced by His Majesty and the Grand Minister of Agriculture together, so that more people could learn about the experiences of the Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonies!"
"Yes! The Vice Minister of the Court of State Ceremonial is loyal and upright, truly worthy of our emulation!"
After glancing at the contents of the newspaper, Mao Jie nodded solemnly.
"Indeed, if given the opportunity, I would also like to travel to other countries to demonstrate the might of the Han Dynasty!"
"Haha~, yes, there were Su Wu and Zhang Qian in the past, and now there is Chu Qian. How can these things not arouse people's longing?"
The other students nodded in agreement, clearly fascinated by Chu Qian's story.
"Alright, let's help this child get ready first!"
Seeing the newsboy still squatting on the ground tidying up the newspapers, Mao Jie chuckled and then squatted down as well.
"Yes, yes, let's help them first!"
The other students echoed and joined Mao Jie in helping the newsboy pick up the newspapers scattered on the ground.
"Gentle, polite, humble, and ambitious—what a fine group of young people!"
Looking at the students in front of him, the bookstore owner nodded with a smile.
Soon, with everyone's help, the newspapers scattered around were gathered up and handed to the newsboy.
Thank you!
Holding the newspaper in his hands, the newsboy looked at Mao Jie and the others with gratitude.
"Oh, no need to thank me, go on with your work!"
Mao Jie smiled and waved to the newsboy after speaking.
"Okay, then the kid will be going now!"
The newsboy bowed to Mao Jie, then turned and left.
After the newsboy left, Mao Jie turned to look at the bookstore owner.
"Shopkeeper, we've come to buy some ink and paper."
"Alright, everyone, please come in!"
The shopkeeper smiled and nodded, then politely invited Mao Jie and the others into the shop.
"How many pages of ink paper do you all need?"
Upon arriving at the counter, the shopkeeper looked at Mao Jie and the others and asked with a smile.
Mao Jie turned to look at his companions, and the others quickly took out their money bags and handed them to Mao Jie.
"Shopkeeper, we only need ten pages!"
As they were talking, Mao Jie placed the five hundred coins that everyone had pooled together on the counter and pushed it in front of the shopkeeper.
"Hey~, our shop has recently implemented a new rule: every student who is among the first to buy ink and paper each day will receive ten extra pages, free of charge!"
The shopkeeper smiled and, as he spoke, pushed the five hundred coins back to Mao Jie.
"Without spending any money...?"
Mao Jie and the other students were taken aback by the shopkeeper's words.
"Yes, it's free!"
The shopkeeper nodded, then took out a stack of ink paper and pushed it in front of Mao Jie.
"this......!"
Looking at the stack of snow-white ink paper in front of him, Mao Jie hesitated for a moment, glanced at the shopkeeper, and did not reach out to take it.
"This is our shop's rule. Of course... if you don't want it, you can go outside and wait a while until the others come in first, then you can buy it, how about that?"
After saying that, the shopkeeper looked at Mao Jie with a smile.
"Brother Xiaoxian, what do you think...?"
A student approached Mao Jie and looked at the stack of ink and paper with a look of interest.
"In that case, thank you for your kindness, shopkeeper!"
Seeing this, Mao Jie no longer hesitated and immediately bowed to the shopkeeper to express his gratitude, his words filled with sincerity and thanks.
Mao Jie and his companions weren't stupid; they naturally knew about this so-called rule. However, it was just that the shopkeeper was taking special care of them because he saw their predicament.
"Thank you for your generosity, shopkeeper. We will remember your kindness and repay you in the future!"
The other students also stepped forward and sincerely thanked the shopkeeper.
"Haha~, this is the result of your hard work getting up early, so there's no need to thank me!"
The shopkeeper couldn't help but laugh when he saw this, and he began to appreciate these young people even more.
After exchanging a few pleasantries, Mao Jie, remembering that he still had to rush to the academy to audit classes, bowed to the shopkeeper.
"Shopkeeper, we still have studies to attend to, so we'll take our leave now. We'll come back to visit you another day!"
The shopkeeper smiled and nodded, "Yes, alright, take care, everyone!"
Mao Jie and the others nodded, then turned and left together.
Shortly after Mao Jie and the others left, a eunuch in charge of overseeing the accounts also arrived at the shop.
"Your Majesty, I encountered two rather interesting matters today, and I believe Your Majesty would find them intriguing!"
"Oh? What is it?"
Sun Zhang, a young eunuch, looked at the bookstore owner with curiosity.
"Here's what happened..."
Immediately afterwards, the bookstore owner told Xiao Huangmen in detail about the Taoist priest and his encounter with Mao Jie and the others.
"Hmm, those two things you mentioned are indeed quite interesting. A group of Taoist priests suddenly want to teach people to read. Aren't they afraid of being targeted by the scholars?"
Upon hearing what the shopkeeper said, Sun Zhang couldn't help but chuckle.
The shopkeeper hurriedly said, "And there's Mao Jie. Judging from his actions and speech, he's far beyond what an ordinary scholar can do. I'm sure His Majesty will like him when he meets him!"
"Hmm, not bad. If you and I recommend this person, we will not only receive His Majesty's reward, but we will also make a good connection!"
Sun Zhang nodded, then looked at the shopkeeper and said in a deep voice:
"There's no time to lose. You stay here and keep watch. I'll go to the palace right away and report to His Majesty!"
"Alright, take care, eunuch!"
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