The head of the Red Mansion

Chapter 233 Feng Ziying (Second Update)

Feng Ziying?
They're here now?
Jia Zhen and You Shi exchanged a glance and laughed together.

Following them, others have fallen into the trap.

Jia Zhen was initially quite anxious, but now...

He slowly dressed and washed up, then leisurely went out to see him.

"Isn't it the Lunar New Year? Aren't you going back to your wife's family home with your younger brother and sister-in-law?"

Jia Zhen, adopting the air of an elder brother lecturing his younger brother, asked, "Why are you blaming me?"

"Brother, you are my own brother."

What could Feng Ziying do?

"Isn't it only right that I wish my older brother a Happy New Year early?"

When you're under someone's roof, you have to bow your head. He could only force a smile and say, "Brother, take me to Auntie's for breakfast later. Hehe, business is no problem..."

Jia Zhen was satisfied. "Have you finished reading 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes'?"

"Ok!"

Feng Ziying nodded vigorously, "Good brother, don't hold me back, just give it all to me!"

How can brothers act like this?

hum~
If he hadn't already fallen into the pit, if it weren't for the New Year, and if it weren't for the fact that he had been injured before and was still weak even after recovering, Feng Ziying would have already started a fight with him.

"...I won't give it to you unless it's from your brother."

Jia Zhen was also helpless, "I was also scammed!"

He was betrayed by his own wife and mother.

"I haven't been able to see the rest either."

Feng Ziying: "..."

He clenched his fist repeatedly, mentally assessing whether a hit-and-run strategy would work.

"Brother, I had no choice."

When Jia Zhen saw his expression, he quickly presented him with the tea that the maid had brought over, saying, "This 'Legend of the Condor Heroes' was printed by my mother at the request of Jin Yong. After it was printed, my mother had it put directly in your sister-in-law's bookstore for sale."

Because it was a new book, the shopkeeper brought over a set.

At this point, Jia Zhen felt that the shopkeeper was no good either.

Perhaps he looked at it first, couldn't find the follow-up, and then sent it up for the couple to look for together.

"I just took a look that day because I couldn't resist, and you know what happened next."

Jia Zhen sighed, "At that time, I went to find the shopkeeper and my mother overnight."

What did your aunt say?

Feng Ziying only cared about this.

"...Brother, just tell me, is this book any good or not?"

"it is good!"

"Yes!"

Jia Zhen slapped his thigh and said, "I thought it was a good idea at the time, so I told my mother to introduce me to Jin Yong, and that I would have a storyteller come to your teahouse to tell the story and give him a share of the profits."

Huh?
That's a good idea.

Feng Ziying's expression softened. "Does Auntie have conditions? Or does Master Jin have conditions? Hurry up, as long as it's not too outrageous, I can agree to anything."

It's rare for a brother to have something good happen to him and still think of him.

Feng Ziying was very grateful, saying, "Actually, we brothers are almost like blood relatives. You can agree to any conditions I have."

If you had agreed sooner, wouldn't he have been able to see what would happen sooner?
"I'd like to agree on your behalf."

Jia Zhen was heartbroken; he had no money!
If he has money, what's three hundred taels?
Just throw it out.

But he had no money.

“My mother said that your teahouse should give you five hundred taels of silver a year from the profits from Jin Yong’s book.”

Ask for a high price and pay it back on the spot.

Jia Zhen was afraid that if he directly asked for three hundred taels, the guy would jump up and down and demand the money back.

He asked for 500 taels, but he only paid back 300 taels, which is equivalent to paying back half. So he probably won't feel so bad about it.

Jia Zhen looked like he was being bullied by his mother, "Look, you're asking for such a high price, how dare I agree to anything on your behalf? I can only show it to you and then we can discuss it."

Feng Ziying: "..."

He stood there, speechless.

Five hundred taels!

Teahouses are not places to make money.

It was where the Feng family gathered information from all sides.

Five hundred taels...

Even with such a large teahouse, his family couldn't earn five hundred taels a year!
This book costs five hundred taels a year...

If he actually agrees, his parents will team up to break his legs.

"Can't you make it cheaper?"

Feng Ziying pleaded pitifully, "Do you believe that if I really agreed, my father would come over with a big stick, break my legs first, and then... and have a huge fight with you?"

"Believe!"

Jia Zhen knew that General Feng had a fiery temper.

But he has a powerful grandfather and father.

Although they are all gone, he has always been under their protection.

“I also think it’s too expensive. How about we go and bargain with my mom together?”

"Brothers!"

Feng Ziying was deeply moved.

He knew how afraid Jia Zhen was of his parents.

Aunt Shen... she's no ordinary person.

"But~"

He rubbed his face a little embarrassedly, "Why do I feel a little scared?"

Jia Zhen: "..."

"How have you been feeling these past few days, Auntie?"

For ordinary people, the Lunar New Year usually brings a better mood.

The Ningguo Mansion also enjoys the favor of the Emperor and Empress.

Whether it's a reward before the New Year or a reward during the Lunar New Year, it's the first of its kind.

Normally, Aunt Shen should be in a good mood.

Unfortunately, this year's Lunar New Year will be missing Uncle Jing.

She was once the most notorious shrew in the world, but also the most affectionate person in the world.

Even his parents couldn't help but sigh when they talked about Uncle Jing and Aunt Shen.

"Maybe... I should go home and show this book to my dad!"

Jia Zhen: "..."

He felt it wasn't entirely impossible.

"I've got several more sets here. You can distribute them to your brothers as you see fit." General Feng's agreement alone is probably not enough.

What if his brothers say the general is biased?

Let's watch it together and fall into the pit together.

Feng Ziying understood Jia Zhen's meaning, and after looking at him for a long time, he finally nodded.

Of course, since she was already there, she couldn't leave right away. On the second day of the Lunar New Year, Shen Ning saw Feng Ziying at breakfast.

Feng Ziying doesn't appear very often in Dream of the Red Chamber.

The first time was when Qin Keqing fell ill, he recommended the famous doctor Zhang Youshi. The second time was when Xue Pan celebrated his birthday. When Feng Ziying came, he had bruises on his face and said that he had been injured by Qiu Duwei's son. He also said that he had narrowly won and that there was great fortune in this great misfortune.

He seemed hesitant to speak at the time, and came and went in a hurry.

Many later scholars of *Dream of the Red Chamber* have said that his situation at the time indicated that a violent conflict had broken out among the interest groups behind the scenes. Under the deliberate provocation and ambush by the hostile forces, Feng Ziying may have been caught off guard the first time and "endured" it, and the second time he "narrowly won" under his father's instructions.

Unfortunately, the Jia family members had completely withdrawn from martial arts.

They might not even understand his hints.

But Shen Ning had a very good impression of him.

Later generations said he was one of the Four Heroes of the Dream of the Red Chamber.

He was a figure who was as famous as Liu Xianglian.

Shen Ning liked Liu Xianglian, so naturally she liked him too. "How are your parents?"

"it is good!"

Feng Ziying was a little embarrassed, as his arrival was not in accordance with the rules. He tried his best to find an excuse for himself, "I am here today on my father's orders to ask Brother Zhen if he needs some more gunpowder."

"need."

Shen Ning glanced at Jia Zhen.

Although modern firearms are cumbersome, they can truly save lives in critical moments.

This trip back home may bring unexpected troubles, so it's always better to be prepared.

Therefore, she had instructed Jia Zhen a few days earlier to provide more women with the same clothes.

"Okay, I'll have someone bring it to me when I get home."

Feng Ziying breathed a sigh of relief.

"Thank you very much."

Seeing him exchanging glances with Jia Zhen, Shen Ning seemed to understand something and simply said, "Zhen'er said she would give you 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' the day before yesterday. I wonder if you have read it?"

"I've seen it, I've seen it."

Feng Ziying nodded hurriedly.

"Mother, the teahouse's business is just so-so."

Jia Zhen quickly seized the opportunity, "Do you think it's possible to lower Jin Yong's share of the profits? How about we calculate it as four, no, three hundred taels?"

Three hundred taels?
Shen Ning raised an eyebrow and said while Feng Ziying was anxiously waiting for news, "Three hundred taels? It's not impossible. Master Jin intends to use this money for charity. Ziying, when you go home, tell General Feng Tang that this money can be used for the orphanage in the north. As for which city to put it in... he can designate it."

what?
Ah?

Feng Ziying and Jia Zhen were both somewhat stunned.

However, Feng Ziying reacted quickly, rising to his feet and bowing. "Since it's a good deed, then..." He glanced at Jia Zhen, then gritted his teeth and said, "Then let's make it four hundred taels!"

He had seen what the orphanage in the northern border town was like.

His father was also heartbroken.

Many of the widows and orphans there are those who lost their families in the war.

Whenever his father was on duty in the north, he would ask the family for money to help as many people as possible.

now……

I imagine my father wouldn't object if he knew.

"Three hundred taels."

Shen Ning smiled and said, "Teahouses don't really make much money. It just so happens that Jin Yong signed an authorization contract with me. You can take it to Shuntian Prefecture to register it. If anyone tries to imitate 'The Legend of the Condor Heroes' without his authorization, you can take people to stop them."

Can you do this?

With his father's name and this authorization contract, he can indeed shut up some of the bandwagon storytellers.

Feng Ziying was overjoyed. "In that case, I will thank Master Jin on behalf of my father."

As expected of a great hero!
When he returned home in the afternoon, he was beaming with joy. He not only brought back the authorization contract, but also two complete sets of "The Legend of the Condor Heroes".

Feng Tang was initially quite angry.

My son went out for a stroll, and good heavens, he ended up with a debt of three hundred taels of silver.

But this book...

He had indeed heard his wife mention that their son and daughter-in-law were so engrossed in reading that they forgot to eat and sleep.

Feng Tang picked up the book and started reading.

Although I'm a roughneck and don't like Zhihu (a Chinese Q&A website), I've still read a few novels.

He read it out of curiosity, and in less than three days, thanks to the Feng family, many people in the army knew about the book.

The fifth day of the Lunar New Year is the day to welcome the God of Wealth, and many businesses in Beijing have reopened for normal business operations.

People began to frequent Yu's bookstore.

In the afternoon, before the bookstore could close at dusk, the bookstore owner rushed over to ask for supplies.

Shen Ning was mentally prepared for this.

In Ms. You's bookstore, she displayed one hundred sets, but in fact she had five hundred sets.

"Raise the price!"

Shen Ning planned to set aside the money from selling books and use it to buy clothes and food in Jin Yong's name, sending it all to the orphanage in the border town.

"From now on, sales will be limited to twenty sets per day."

There are many people coming and going from the north and south in this capital.

Twenty sets, a drop in the ocean.

It's not that Shen Ning didn't want to include more, but rather that the printing speed was limited in this era.

She can't go fast even if she wants to.

Madam You was aware of this as well. "Mother, how much do you think would be a suitable price increase?"

"...How much do you want to sell it for?"

Paper, ink, labor, and so on all cost money. A complete set of books cost the equivalent of one or two taels of silver per book.

Although printing more copies will lower the price slightly, it won't be much cheaper.

Therefore, Shen Ning paid the bookstore four taels of silver for the whole set.

"Six taels!"

Doing business is about making money.

Madam You said, "How about you mention six taels and I mention eight taels?"

Those who can afford to buy books are not short of money.

Shen Ning thought for a moment and nodded slightly, saying, "Alright, I'll try my best to urge them to print more."

After the Lantern Festival on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, they will return to the south.

She has to hand this over.

After thinking for a moment, Shen Ning summoned Daiyu and Minmei.

I need your votes! I'm saying it three times because it's important.