After leaving Linjiang Academy, Fu Xiaoguan went to Linjiang Prefecture, where his father would be waiting for him to go together to pay a visit to the prefect and finalize the mining permit.
Sitting in the carriage, Fu Xiaoguan recalled what Qin Bingzhong had just said. He did not want to see war. Everyone longed to live in a peaceful era, without suffering from the flames of war and the pain of displacement.
But based on past experience, wars are often not determined by individual will, and it is always a good idea to prepare for a rainy day. Although those barbarians will not invade the land north of the Yangtze River, they are afraid of refugees and bandits. Taking advantage of troubled waters is a normal thing in a society where the rule of law is not yet fully established.
Therefore, he increasingly hoped to have his own force, and he also increasingly hoped to complete the research and application of firearms and artillery more quickly.
In this era, gunpowder and fireworks already existed. Fu Xiaoguan had no idea what stage firearms had reached. However, based on his knowledge of iron smelting and gunpowder workshops, he estimated that they were still at the most primitive stage of firearms, the kind that required refilling each time a shot was fired.
Similar to the Song Dynasty, this type of musket was of little use in large-scale warfare. It had a short range, low accuracy, slow reload, and was expensive to manufacture. Overall, it offered few advantages and was even less lethal than a crossbow.
It would be great if the black box could follow us, Fu Xiaoguan sighed with regret.
As for the Imperial Concubine Shang and the Ninth Princess that Qin Bingzhong mentioned later, if they really wanted to see him, there was no way to avoid them. He would see what happened then. At worst, he could just copy another poem.
He wasn't surprised by the popularity of A Dream of the Red Chamber. It would have been surprising if the book hadn't been well-received. He didn't take the fame he gained from the book seriously. Instead, it was the price of the book that made him look at Dong Shulan with new eyes.
The price was set by chapter, with each chapter costing five hundred wen. With each update, she would print the previous chapters together. This was quite a rip-off. Many people had already spent five taels of silver to read the first ten chapters, but then needed to pay another five taels of silver plus five hundred wen for each new chapter... How much money would she earn if she waited until the book was finished? Fu Xiaoguan couldn't estimate.
It seems that I will have to persuade Dong Shulan next time I write to her. The whole book is probably about a hundred chapters long, and it will drive her bankrupt!
While he was lost in thought, the carriage stopped at the gate of the provincial government. When Fu Xiaoguan got off the carriage, he saw Fu Daguan already waiting for him.
"Son, this is Master Liu San, say hello to him."
Fu Xiaoguan smiled and bowed to the middle-aged fat man beside Fu Daguan, saying respectfully, "Hello, Third Master!"
"Don't be so distant. Master Fu is now the most talented scholar in Linjiang. Not to mention their telepathic connection, the story of the Dream of the Red Chamber alone is enough to make Master Fu famous. Come with me to the backyard to pay our respects to the prefect."
They went through the side door.
After passing through a garden, a corridor, and a moon gate, you will arrive at the backyard.
It was a quiet place with simple furnishings. The sun was blocked by thick shade, which reduced the heat a bit.
Liu Zhidong is about fifty years old, with a thin body and a sharp face, and his eyelids are a little loose. At this moment, he is sitting in the shade of a tree reading a book, and his eyes seem to be closed.
When the three people stood in front of him, he raised his head slightly, his eyes opened, and his gaze first fell on Fu Xiaoguan's face. It was quite sharp, but not intimidating. This was the pressure.
Fu Xiaoguan still had a smile on his face. He stepped forward and bowed, "I am Fu Xiaoguan, and I am honored to meet the prefect."
"Hmm..." Liu Zhidong put down the account book in his hand, still looking at Fu Xiaoguan, and asked, "How many chapters have you written of A Dream of Red Mansions?"
Fu Xiaoguan was taken aback and replied, "That was just a work I wrote in my spare time. I'm quite busy now, so I've written less, only up to the twenty-eighth chapter."
"This book is fine. You've brought great honor to the students of Linjiang. But I still want to say that you should write less about the many romantic matters. The poems and songs are excellent, and that's worthy of praise. Of course, the book is yours, and I'm only saying this because I'm afraid you might suffer from the consequences of your actions."
Fu Xiaoguan bowed again and said, "Your Excellency is absolutely right. I will pay attention to this later."
"You are a teachable young man." Liu Zhidong took a sip from his teacup and continued, "I've seen the mining permit you requested. This government cannot stamp it for the time being. I believe that with your talent and knowledge, writing books is the path you should pursue. Mining is, firstly, a government-run business, and secondly... isn't your dabbling in it a mistake?"
In this sentence, Liu Zhidong used the term "this government" to refer to himself, which is official language and means to get down to business.
Upon hearing this, Fu Xiaoguan's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained unchanged as he continued smiling, "Your Excellency is absolutely right. This is what I think. I will not give up writing books, but I also want to find other ways to make a living. I originally considered selling salt and even inquired about it, but the salt permits for Linjiang have long been allocated, so this business is impossible. After thinking about it, I think Linjiang still has a share in mining, so I hope to pursue this path. I hope Your Excellency can be flexible."
Liu Zhidong leaned back in his chair, picked up the account book, and without looking at the three people, he said calmly: "Leave these documents with me for now. I'll think about it. You guys go back and wait."
"This..." Senior Official Fu was a little anxious. Junior Official Fu gently pulled Senior Official Fu and said, "In this case, thank you for your concern."
The father and son retreated, and then Master Liu San also came out.
Official Fu asked, "Is there not enough silver?"
Mr. Liu San laughed bitterly, "It's not a matter of money."
"Why is that?"
Third Master Liu looked at Fu Xiaoguan and said, "Zhang Zhice's cousin is the prefect's concubine. Although she's just a concubine, Lord Liu's family respectfully calls her the Third Madam, which shows how much he dotes on her. Last night, Zhang Zhice's daughter, Zhang Pei'er, came to see the Third Madam, and today Lord Liu changed his mind... Have you ever offended Zhang Pei'er?"
What the hell is going on!
Official Fu slapped his forehead and didn't answer, but Third Master Liu saw through it and said, "Master Liu meant to keep the documents with him first. He's keeping a hand, and his meaning is very clear. I can't help you with the success or failure. It depends on how you handle it."
…
"How do you want to deal with this?" asked the official Fu in the backyard of the Fu Mansion.
"I didn't expect this little girl to be so mischievous. Let's leave it alone for now. I'll think of another way."
"Zhang Pei'er, it's fine. What are you thinking about?"
"I don't feel anything."
"You little brat, once you get into bed, turn off the lights, and roll under the covers, you'll naturally feel it, hey..."
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