Chapter 192 The Opening of Bluebird Bookstore
Meng Qing and Yin Caiwei looked over at the same time. In the birdcage, one parrot was pecking its feathers, while the other tilted its head and looked at Yin Caiwei.
"Du Min..." Meng Qing called out to confirm her suspicions.
"Du Min, Xu Ang, be careful." The parrot tilted its head and looked at Meng Qing.
"This is why Madam Wang came here." Yin Caiwei sighed, pulled out her hairpin and tapped another birdcage to interrupt the parrot's pecking at its feathers. She also called out to Du Min.
"Du Min, Xu Ang, be careful." The parrot, tilting its head, looked at Yin Caiwei again.
The parrot, which was pecking its feathers, did not react.
Yin Caiwei smiled bitterly. This parrot that could only peck at its feathers was the one that Madam Wang specifically requested to be given to her. Everyone could see that the strategist who advised Du Min was Meng Qing.
“I’m a little worried that Prefect Cui won’t lend the parrot out,” Meng Qing said. “Prefect Cui knows how to use a parrot to convey messages, so why wouldn’t he be wary of the parrot revealing his secrets? If he’s willing to lend it out, it would prove that Prefect Cui is certain that the parrot doesn’t know his secrets.”
"Prefect Cui truly loves parrots; he even uses a parrot's beak to show off his skills when delivering a message," Meng Qing added. She speculated that if Prefect Cui really intended to send all the parrots away, there must be a crucial plan behind the scenes... He wanted to escape, and the key to his escape lay with Du Min; otherwise, he wouldn't have reminded Du Min to achieve his goal of currying favor.
Yin Caiwei nodded but did not reply.
*
"Husband, should we give the parrots away?" Madam Wang asked. "Keep a few, and give the rest away. If you miss this opportunity, it will be difficult to get rid of them again, unless you let all the birds in the house get sick and die."
"If they say something they shouldn't, it would be better if they all died." Cui Biejia pondered, worried that Meng Qing might hear that the parrots he sent would speak and try to get information from them.
"What did you say in front of them?" Madam Wang asked.
Prefect Cui shook his head. Only he and his wife knew about what happened back then. Neither of them had mentioned it since then. In the past five years, he had only mentioned it once to Prime Minister Zheng.
"Then what are you still worried about?" Madam Wang asked. "You need to make a decision quickly: whether to send all the birds out or let them all die."
After a moment of silence, Prefect Cui said, "They've been with me for five years. Let them live."
Upon hearing this, Madam Wang immediately went next door to reply to Meng Qing.
After receiving the letter, Meng Qing knew that she probably wouldn't be able to find out Cui Biejia's secret from the parrot. She could only pin her hopes on the other way: to find out Cui Biejia's secret from other people.
The bookstore was originally planned to be located at the end of the bookstore alley, near the antique shop. However, with the plan to build a birdhouse, Meng Qing changed her mind. She decided to rent a teahouse, convert the backyard into a birdhouse, and convert the second floor of the teahouse into a bookstore, while setting up a few tables on the first floor for scholars to drink tea and chat.
After renting the tea house, Meng Qing called Cui Biejia to go see the place and sign the contract.
"How do you plan to build the aviary?" Cui Biejia looked at the simple backyard, a hint of regret in his heart.
"The walls on both sides are raised by half a zhang (approximately 1.3 meters), with roofs built on top. The walls on the left and right are made of bamboo woven fences, with gates at the bottom," Meng Qing described. "The east and west walls are made of bamboo, with gaps in them, so the lighting is good whether it's cloudy or sunny, and the ventilation is also good. It won't be too hot in the summer, and in the winter, reed catkins are hung on the walls to block the cold wind. Bird nests are built on the walls, so the parrots no longer need to be kept in cages. The treatment here is certainly not as good as Cui Biejia's birdhouse, but I won't mistreat them. If any guests take a liking to them in the future, they can buy them back and take them home."
Prefect Cui nodded, "Not bad."
“If Prefect Cui has no objections, let’s sign the contract to avoid you going back on your word later,” Meng Qing said. “I originally planned to buy land and hire people to build a library myself. I rented this teahouse only to take in your parrot.”
"Why is that?" asked Prefect Cui. "I don't think Lord Meng is a bird lover."
"To keep the library afloat, the books are available for free borrowing. It doesn't make money; it's entirely supported by the free school. I'm worried that in a few years, paper-mache shops will spring up everywhere, and the free school's business will plummet, making it unable to support the library. So I need to find a helper," Meng Qing said. "Prefect Cui, from now on, you can come and feed the birds, and I won't charge you. You're free to come and go as you please. Wouldn't that count as your external aviary?"
Prefect Cui did not answer. "Once you start speaking at length, you must have an ulterior motive. Tell me, what do you want? Donating money is out of the question."
"Are you short of money?" Meng Qing asked. "I don't want money. You can donate a box of books to my library. I don't want the kind that can be bought on the market. If you're reluctant to donate your collection, you can lend it to me and return it within three months."
“Alright,” Prefect Cui readily agreed. “You also have to answer one question for me: how did Governor Xu know about Prime Minister Zheng’s whereabouts? Did you inform on him?”
"It was my fault. I misunderstood Prefect Cui. I didn't know you had good intentions towards us." Meng Qing accepted his overture and responded, "I will never do it again."
Chief Cui was satisfied.
"Lord Cui, what are you telling us to be careful about?" Meng Qing asked tentatively in a low voice.
Prefect Cui pretended not to hear, "Where's the contract?"
Meng Qing looked at him for a while, and seeing that he refused to reveal anything more, she turned and walked away.
The contract was on the counter. The contents of the paper were written by her, and it also bore her seal. She took the contract and handed it over, saying, "Please take a look, Prefect Cui."
Cui Biejia reached out and took it, and at a glance, he saw that the entire sheet of paper was filled with dense writing.
"The main point of these rules is that once the birds are in my hands, you are not allowed to interfere except for issues related to food and shelter. How I profit from the birds, and who I lend them to or sell them to, is all up to me," Meng Qing explained from the side.
Cui Biejia had also finished reading it, and he had no questions. "It's fine."
Meng Qing took out a box of inkpad from his purse. "Lord Cui, shall we use a fingerprint or a personal seal?"
Cui Biejia took out his personal seal, pressed it with ink, and stamped it on the contract paper.
Meng Qing watched his movements, a smile spreading across her lips.
After the two parted ways outside the teahouse, Meng Qing immediately took the contract to the government office to register it. As soon as she left the government office, the news spread from there as well.
Meng Qing busily hired people to build a birdhouse. Once the birdhouse was completed, she took the seventy-eight parrots kept in the governor's mansion out. Under the pretext of organizing books, Meng Qing, Du Li, and Yin Caiwei stayed in the library for five days. The three of them talked to the parrots in the birdhouse every day, trying to get the parrots to reveal things related to Xu Ang and Cui Jin, but they only got a few words from Cui Jin cursing Xu Ang.
When one plan failed, Meng Qing began to send the parrot away.
*
The library opened on August 12th.
Meng Qing sent her servants out to spread the news, while she remained at the library to oversee things.
"Lord Meng, is this your library?" A group of six scholars in white robes arrived outside the library. The one in the lead, a scholar with a long face, had once applied to be a tutor for Wang Zhou and also knew Meng Qing.
“Scholar Shen, please come in.” Meng Qing stood up and walked over. She pointed upwards and said, “Look at the plaque, Qingniao Academy. This is not my academy, but the academy of the imperial court. It is of the same lineage as Qingniao Paper Craft Academy and belongs to the imperial court. The books in the academy are handwritten copies transcribed and bound by the newly appointed scholars, donated by various noble families at the call of the female sage.”
All six people showed delight at the same time, and one of them asked, "I heard that the books here can be read for free?"
“Yes, there are long desks upstairs, you can go up and look at them,” Meng Qing said. “The seventy-three books we have so far are all single copies, you can only look at them in the library, you can’t borrow them. In order for more people to borrow books to take home in the future, you can copy them by hand, and the library will provide paper and ink.”
"You'll also provide the paper and ink?" the student asked in shock. "Without charging?"
"We don't charge fees, but there are no writing fees either. You could say that the founding of the Bluebird Academy was initiated by the female sage, the framework was built by me, and the flesh and blood were added by you." Meng Qing said with a smile, "In the future, every prefecture and county will have such a academy, but its scale, the types and quantities of books it contains will be determined by the literati of each prefecture and county."
Four more scholars arrived outside the door. Upon hearing these words, they were so excited that their faces turned red.
"We are grateful to the female sage for her gift to all scholars in the world." One person faced northwest, bowing with hands clasped in the direction of Chang'an.
Others followed suit.
Passersby nearby saw this and gathered around to ask what was going on.
Meng Qing explained again, saying to those present, "Please go back and tell your classmates, friends, relatives, and neighbors that anyone who can read is welcome to come to Qingniao Bookstore to read. We will accept any book that you wish to donate. Even those who cannot read can come to the bookstore. In the backyard of the bookstore, there are more than seventy parrots donated by Prefect Cui. You can buy food from us to feed the parrots, and all the proceeds will be used to purchase writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones."
Everyone present readily agreed.
Before the day was even over, the reputation of the Bluebird Bookstore had spread throughout Hanoi County. On the second and third days, the bookstore was packed with visitors. Weary scholars came to verify the news, middle-aged literati went upstairs to check the types of books in the collection, students from the county school called their friends to come and copy books, local gentry came to donate books, there were women and children watching parrots, and merchants brought their wealth to donate money.
The Bluebird Bookstore became an instant hit in Hanoi County, which pleased Meng Qing greatly. With a good reputation, she took action, proclaiming that anyone who donated five or more books could take away one to three parrots, which would be returned within a month.
*
"My lord, Lady Meng requests an audience," a servant reported.
Governor Xu, who was unusually free today, said upon hearing this, "Bring her over."
"She's talking to the officials in the front office, and she's brought several cages of parrots with her. She wants to exchange the parrots for their books," the attendant said. "You should go and take a look."
Governor Xu got up and headed towards the front office. Before he even saw anyone, he heard Meng Qing's voice.
"...Gentlemen, Prefect Cui not only donated thirty books to Qingniao Library, but also lent his pet parrot to the library to make money. Aren't you going to do anything in return?" Meng Qing asked. "My library has been open for ten days, and I've been waiting for you to come every day, but I haven't seen a single person. Haven't you heard the news? I'm shameless and don't care about being embarrassed. Seeing that you're all working at the Prefect's Office today, I'll personally come to ask for the books. I've brought everything I need in exchange. Each of you here must lend me at least five books today. A month later, you can return the books and pick up your bird. If the books are damaged, I'll compensate you with the bird you pawned."
In the blink of an eye, Meng Qing saw Governor Xu, and she immediately changed her tune: "Governor, I won't be kicked out today, will I?"
Considering that she had informed him earlier, Governor Xu said, "Wait, I'll send someone to fetch the book."
“Prefect Cui donated thirty copies,” Meng Qing hinted.
“Hmm, the Cui family of Boling has a rich collection of books, which my Xu family of Gaoyang cannot match.” Governor Xu was not falling for the trap. “I will donate ten books, and I don’t need to return them.”
Meng Qing carried over two birdcages, saying, "These are Prefect Cui's beloved birds. I'm borrowing them for the lady and young mistress of your household to enjoy for a month."
"How did you become so close to him?" Governor Xu had wanted to ask this for a long time, but he didn't want to see Meng Qing, so he gave up.
"Madam Wang said that Prime Minister Zheng had come and scolded Prefect Cui, and Prefect Cui wanted to sell the birds, but he couldn't find a suitable owner for a while, so he gave us two. I thought the parrots were quite beautiful, so I decided to use them to attract business for me, and it really worked." Meng Qing smiled, "In the ten days since the bookstore opened, it has received fifty donated books because of the parrots."
Governor Xu glanced at the parrot in the cage, then at the birdcages scattered on the ground, and said to his attendant, "Take these and give them to Consort Liu and Consort Li."
Since Governor Xu accepted the parrots, the other officials naturally had no objections. Over the years, they had also wanted to see the parrots, but Prefect Cui always ignored them with a deadpan expression, so they never mentioned it. Now, their wish had come true, and these parrots were clearly valuable.
Meng Qing successfully sent out eleven bird scouts.
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