The dog was unaware of what was happening. He ran over happily, followed by the bookstore clerk who helped him carry the gifts he had chosen.
Jiang Jiuniang was busy, so she said to him, "Go find a few more interesting books to buy together. I have some things to do here, so I'll help you choose later."
The dog nodded, not asking any further questions, but also not choosing any books. Instead, he sat down beside her, wanting to hear what was going on. If these people were bullying his mother, he could help them.
Jiang Jiuniang didn't care and just continued to look at the scholars and listen to what they had to say.
The scholars blushed with embarrassment. They had only intended to praise the two ladies, never expecting to cause them any trouble. In fact, they had recently felt that the ordinary background they could write was no longer worthy of Jiang Jiuniang, and were preparing to arrange an even more bizarre backstory for her.
It's fortunate that this wasn't written down, otherwise it would have harmed their benefactor.
"What you say is true, Madam. We didn't think it through. We will never write such stories again."
The group was very respectful, but Jiang Jiuniang still felt they might have misunderstood her, so she said again, "I'll say it again: I really like the story you wrote with me and Madam Qin as the main characters. This is a good way to let the people know what we've done, and I have to thank you for that. But you can't mythologize our identities, as that would cause a lot of unnecessary trouble. And today, I'm willing to buy all your manuscripts, is that alright?"
She repeated her words, and the scholars understood that she supported it. They were delighted, but did not answer immediately. Instead, they whispered among themselves and sent a representative to say, "We dare not trouble you, Madam. These are just drafts and are not worth much. Please do not worry about them."
This was the result of their unanimous agreement.
Jiang Jiuniang didn't charge them for treating their illnesses back then, and since this is their own problem, they shouldn't let her spend any more money.
Seeing their sincere attitude, Peng Yuan smiled and said, "You write very well, we like it very much, and we are willing to buy it, so please don't refuse."
They don't lack this money now, but it's different for these scholars who have studied hard for years. If their families were better off, who would be willing to squeeze out time from studying to write stories and earn a living?
Jiang Jiuniang nodded and said, "That makes sense, so please don't refuse. Besides, you can write not only about the two of us, but also about the soldiers in the military camp who sacrificed their lives and took the lead, the upright officials in the court who worked for the benefit of the people, and the current emperor and empress. Those two are also rare benevolent rulers. It is because of them that this border rescue operation was able to proceed so smoothly."
Jiang Jiuniang thought to herself, "Let's write it. This will make me famous in history. But it can't just be about me. We need to include other people so that I won't seem out of place. And those 'empty talkers' in the Censorate won't focus on criticizing me."
If we drag the emperor and empress into this mess, I don't believe those old men will still dare to curse us.
Just thinking about it made her happy, and she glanced at Peng Yuan.
Peng Yuan clearly thought of this as well, smiled knowingly, gave a thumbs up, and gestured with her eyes: Brilliant!
The bookstore owner next door also thought the idea was very good and hurriedly said, "What this lady said is right. There are many people who can write. Young masters can write more. As for these manuscripts, since the two ladies like them, then we can sell them to them. This can be regarded as the noble people's recognition of what you are doing."
With the shopkeeper's persuasion, the scholars were somewhat moved. Seeing that Jiang Jiuniang and Peng Yuan were both smiling, they finally nodded.
Jiang Jiuniang readily paid the money and didn't forget to offer some guidance: "The love between the Emperor and Empress is also very beautiful. You can start from their feelings, their attitudes towards life, and their paths of growth. There are many plots you can write about. In particular, it is not easy for our Emperor to get to where he is today. He has done so much for the people, and it is time for the people to know about it."
They were all scholars and had some knowledge of the emperor's affairs, so writing about it wasn't difficult for them.
They didn't write before because they were afraid, feeling that the current emperor was not to be offended. But now, after Jiang Jiuniang pointed it out, they instantly realized that as long as they wrote the good things and not the bad things, then everything would be fine.
Furthermore, since ascending the throne, the current emperor has indeed been working for the people and has done nothing wrong, so it is only right to praise him.
"Thank you for your guidance, Madam."
After expressing their sincere gratitude, the group left.
Gou'er breathed a sigh of relief. He had thought these scholars had something to trouble his mother with, but he hadn't expected it to be this kind of thing.
He's still young, so his little gestures are still quite noticeable. Jiang Jiuniang was amused by him and asked, "Are you relieved now?"
The little dog wasn't embarrassed at all; it nodded generously and asked, "Mother, can I look at those storybooks?"
Jiang Jiuniang recalled what she had just read. Apart from the somewhat bizarre background, the rest was all positive guidance and there were no scenes unsuitable for children. She nodded and said, "Sure, the journey back to the capital will be very boring. You can use this to pass the time."
The dog was instantly delighted and dragged Jiang Jiuniang to pick out gifts for her friends.
Jiang Jiuniang had come all this way for this very reason, so she got up and began to carefully select her items.
The items Gou'er chose included books, writing brushes, ink, paper, inkstones, bookmarks, folding fans, seals, and other items commonly used by scholars.
Jiang Jiuniang looked around and said, "Pen and paper are consumables. They need to be replaced after a period of time. If you're giving them as souvenirs, you should give them something that won't break easily and won't be used up."
The dog didn't react, waiting for Jiang Jiuniang to make the choice for him; he trusted his mother's judgment.
"The books aren't anything special, and the inkstone and bookmarks aren't quite right either—either too big or too small. As for the folding fan, it doesn't seem suitable for your age. How about we give you a seal instead? We can customize the seal and have it engraved with 'A gift from my friend Lu Ziyu.' I think that would be quite interesting. What do you think?"
"Uh-huh!"
The dog's eyes lit up, and it looked at the shopkeeper, asking, "Uncle Shopkeeper, can we customize something?"
The shopkeeper already knew their identities. Seeing how polite and sensible Gou'er was, he was quite impressed and said, "Of course, that's fine. May I ask what kind of material the young master would like for the seal?"
"What kinds of materials are used?"
"Our shop has many types of items, such as turquoise, bronze, brass, jade, and agate. Young master, you can come with me to see what kind you like."
The shopkeeper gestured for them to go, and Gou'er followed.
After looking around, he came back and said, "Mother, can I make something out of jade?"
"Of course you can. This is a gift you want to give to your friend. You don't need to ask me everything."
As she spoke, Jiang Jiuniang took out a silver note and gave it to him, letting him decide for himself.
She didn't want to raise her son to be a mama's boy who had to ask for her opinion on everything.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com