I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 296 Paper is in high demand in Hangzhou! The masterpiece of the Shen family's Yaoshan Hall in Qiantang is released.

On the morning of March 25th, the imperial examination for the Gengchen year began.

Emperor Wanli (the young emperor) personally visited the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

More than three hundred candidates lined up on the steps outside the palace, first performing the ritual of five bows and three kowtows. Then, after the Court of State Ceremonies presented the rites and cracked the whip, Emperor Wanli departed. The officials of the Ministry of Rites distributed the examination papers, and the candidates began their examinations.

The palace examination lasted only one day and consisted solely of policy questions. After the examination, officials from the Ministry of Rites and the Hanlin Academy would seal and copy the examination papers.

The following day, the regular court sessions were cancelled, and the examiners read the exam papers in the Wenhua Hall, ranked them, and then handed them over to the young Wanli Emperor to determine the top three in the first rank.

Near dusk.

Shen Shixing, the head examiner, brought the examination papers to Xiao Wanli, followed by several examiners responsible for opening the papers and filling in the yellow list.

Wang Xijue and Shen Nian, being newly promoted cabinet ministers and burdened with numerous duties, were not among the officials responsible for reading examination papers.

To ensure the fairness of the imperial examinations, the top three candidates in the first rank were not to be separated from the examination papers; the selection was based on the essays written in the policy proposals.

But this did not stump Feng Bao.

Feng Bao had already made marks on the exam paper. Shen Shixing disdained to do such a despicable thing, but at the suggestion of the young Wanli Emperor, he chose to turn a blind eye.

Swish!Swish!Swish!
The young Wanli Emperor read the exam paper with a serious expression.

After finding the examination papers of Zhang Maoxiu and Zhang Jingxiu, he leisurely placed Zhang Maoxiu's examination paper at the front. After determining the top three in the first class, he placed Zhang Jingxiu, who was ranked lower in the second class, at the thirteenth position in the second class.

"I have already selected the top three candidates. As for the rest, let's open the papers and fill in the list according to the wishes of the examiners!" said the young Wanli Emperor.

Immediately, the examiners began to open the papers.

Beside him, Yu Youding, a Hanlin Academy scholar with excellent calligraphy skills, held a wolf-hair brush, preparing to fill in the list.

When Yu Youding saw the top name in the first class, he was taken aback, and then looked at Shen Shixing.

Shen Shixing walked over and took a look, then said, "Whoever it is, it is; there's no need to avoid suspicion!"

Immediately, Yu Youding wrote Zhang Maoxiu's name first on the yellow list, and then copied it down according to the ranking.

……

On March 27th, the young Wanli Emperor announced the results of the imperial examinations in the Hall of Supreme Harmony, bestowing a total of 302 titles upon the successful candidates.

"Written by Zhang Maoxiu, the top scholar of the first class; Xiao Liangyou, the second scholar of the first class; and Wang Ting, the third scholar of the first class."

"Dong Sicheng ranked first in the second class, Gu Xiancheng ranked second, Li Tongfang ranked third... Zhang Jingxiu ranked thirteenth in the second class..."

When the officials in the capital learned that the top scholar of this year's imperial examination was Zhang Maoxiu, the third son of Zhang Juzheng, they were quite surprised.

But despite the unexpected turn of events, no one wrote a letter to raise any questions.

The officials guessed that this was most likely the Empress Dowager and the Emperor's intention, to express their gratitude to Zhang Juzheng for his assistance in governing the country.

As for the students from the general public, when they saw the top scholar Zhang Maoxiu and the thirteenth-ranked Zhang Jingxiu, they inevitably had the idea that "there was something fishy going on."

But they only gossiped about it in private.

After all, such insider manipulations could come from the emperor, the Grand Secretary Zhang Juzheng, or the cabinet minister Shen Shixing, and none of them were people they could afford to offend.

……

Shen Nian is in the Cabinet Office.

Upon learning that Zhang Juzheng's third son was the top scholar and his eldest son ranked thirteenth in the second class, Shen Nian immediately guessed that it was the young Wanli Emperor's intention.

He knew Zhang Maoxiu and Zhang Jingxiu well; it was impossible for either of them to achieve such a high ranking.

"Whether His Majesty's move is a thunderbolt or a blessing is still uncertain!" Shen Nian murmured, as he knew the young Wanli Emperor very well.

At that moment, Yin Zhengmao and Wang Xijue, who were next door, shared the same idea as Shen Nian.

They knew that Zhang Juzheng couldn't manipulate the imperial examinations, and even if he could, he wouldn't be foolish enough to let his son, who wasn't particularly talented, become the top scholar.

at the same time.

Upon learning this news, Zhang Juzheng smiled helplessly, stroked his beard, and sighed, "Now the world has another reason to call me a powerful minister!"

Immediately, Zhang Juzheng took out a blank memorial book, preparing to write a memorial of gratitude for his two sons' passing the imperial examinations.

……

On the third day of April, there will always be a court meeting.

Emperor Wanli (the young emperor) bestowed upon the newly promoted Jinshi (successful candidate in the highest imperial examination) titles.

The top scholar, Zhang Maoxiu, was appointed as a compiler, while the second and third-ranked scholars were each appointed as editors.

The remaining Jinshi (successful candidates in the highest imperial examinations) all entered various government offices in the capital to observe government affairs. Those under the age of forty who were willing to participate in the Shujishi (probationary officials) examination were selected by the Hanlin Academy.

The court's plan for this batch of successful candidates was still to send them to local prefectures and counties for training, and those who achieved political success would be recalled to the capital to assume important positions.

……

On the fifth day of the fourth month, the imperial court continued to operate as usual.

After Wang Xijue and Shen Nian joined the cabinet, the cabinet's speed in handling official business increased significantly.

In the present Ming Dynasty, as long as the five cabinet ministers of the Inner Cabinet are steady and reliable, and the young Wanli Emperor is hardworking and ambitious, the entire two capitals and thirteen provinces will present a thriving scene.

Li Youzi, the Minister of Works, and Liu Sijie, the Vice Minister of Revenue, who were originally scheduled to retire at the beginning of this year, did not submit any more memorials to resign due to the influence of Zhang Juzheng's three more years of regency.

……

April 12th is an auspicious day for moving.

Emperor Wanli bestowed upon the Shen family a three-courtyard siheyuan (traditional courtyard house). After the renovations were completed, with the help of a group of imperial guards, Shen Nian's family moved into the new residence.

The courtyard house consisted of three sections: the front courtyard was for entertaining guests and servants, the inner courtyard was for living quarters, and the rear courtyard served as storage or guest rooms. (See picture)

Shen's mother, Shen Nian, and Gu Yue'er all love the Jiangnan style, so the interior decoration of the courtyard is mostly modeled after Jiangnan architecture, with potted plants, rocks, and flowing water.

In addition, almost all the tables, chairs, ornaments, and decorative paintings in the room were gifts from Empress Wang.

At present, Empress Wang and Gu Yue'er have a very good relationship.

In addition, the new Shen residence also added several guards, maids, coachmen, and servants, all of whom were selected by Shen's mother.

With Shen's mother in charge, Shen Nian and Gu Yue'er don't need to worry about managing the household at all.

……

April 20th, just as dawn was breaking.

In Qiantang County, Hangzhou Prefecture, north of the county seat, in front of a bookstore called Yaoshantang, there was a long queue of about three hundred people.

This Yaoshan Hall is the property of Shen Nian's family.

This bookstore primarily prints and sells books, with writing brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones as secondary offerings. Due to its high-quality and inexpensive products and frequent charitable activities, it is the most successful bookstore in the entire Qiantang County.

Today is the first day of the release of "Journey to the West".

Due to the preface written by the newly appointed Grand Secretary Shen Nian and the influence of the original Journey to the West story, many people came to buy it.

Before long, the doors in front of the bookstore were moved open one by one, and a middle-aged man in a gray long gown and slightly overweight figure came out.

"Uncle Fu! Uncle Fu! Uncle Fu!" many people in line shouted excitedly.

Uncle Fu was the manager of Yaoshan Hall. Because of his good temper, he enjoyed watching plays and playing chess in various teahouses, and almost all the scholars in Qiantang County knew him.

"Hey!" Uncle Fu exclaimed happily, then took out a long wooden plaque and hung it on the wall next to the bookstore.

The inscription above reads in large characters: "Newly Engraved Official Print of Journey to the West in Large Characters." (板, meaning standard edition)

The word "newly engraved" signifies that this is the latest version of Journey to the West, unlike other versions.

"Illustrations" refers to books that include illustrations.

"Official edition" used to refer to officially published editions, but now it refers to high-quality, beautifully bound editions.

"大字" means that the characters are relatively large.

Then, Uncle Fu took out a smaller, longer plaque, held it in his arms with the back facing out, and said, "This book has a total of one hundred chapters, about six hundred thousand words, and will be printed in six volumes. It includes eighty-one illustrations. How much do you think it should sell for?"

"Three taels of silver for one book, six hundred coins for one volume!" a scholar shouted.

"It can't be this cheap! For this size, a single copy should cost at least five taels of silver, and a single volume should start at at least one tael of silver!" another scholar exclaimed.

"Brother, don't forget, this is Yaoshan Hall. The books we sell are always below market price. I'd guess it's four taels of silver per book. We don't sell individual copies!"

"Not selling individual volumes? How could that be? Yaoshantang has always been able to sell books individually!"

"I know, I hope they don't sell individual copies, that way there will be fewer people competing with me for the book!"

……

A group of people queuing to buy books and a group of book lovers watching from the sidelines began to discuss excitedly.

Based on current cost calculations, a set of books with 600,000 words and nearly 100 illustrations requires hundreds of woodblocks, and the printing and mounting process is labor-intensive and time-consuming.

Although Yaoshantang printed 5,000 copies at once, the cost was definitely more than two taels of silver. Selling a book for four taels of silver was a normal phenomenon.

In addition, books of this type are generally not sold in separate volumes.

Because if the books were divided into volumes, they would be incomplete and difficult to sell. However, Yaoshan Hall knew that some poor scholars liked to exchange books but could not afford to spend several taels of silver to buy books at once, so it insisted on selling them in volumes without raising the price of each volume.

Whenever a new book is released, Uncle Fu likes to have buyers guess the price.

After everyone had discussed it, Uncle Fu lit up the wooden sign and announced loudly: "One copy costs 1.8 taels of silver, and one book costs 3 taels of silver! Each person is limited to one copy!"

This result left everyone in line dumbfounded.

This is clearly a loss-making price, unless the book can sell more than 20,000 copies.

This price was set by Shen Nian himself.

Shen Nian did not intend to make a fortune from Journey to the West, but rather to spread the story and enrich the cultural and entertainment life of ordinary people.

Furthermore, Shen Nian believed that this book would definitely sell more than 20,000 copies once it was released.

The market in Jiangnan is much larger than that in the north.

So, it's definitely profitable, just a little less.

In addition, Shen Nian told Uncle Fu that after selling two thousand copies in Qiantang, they should immediately switch to selling in Hangzhou Prefecture and then print more copies immediately.

With the printing plates available, Yaoshantang Bookstore is definitely the fastest at reprinting.

Shen Nian also confessed that after printing 10,000 more copies at Yaoshan Hall, he announced that he would agree to allow major bookstores to reproduce the Yaoshan Hall's printing plates.

As for some bookstores wanting to make the books more exquisite, enrich the illustrations, or add versions with commentary, Yaoshantang supports them all and will not sue them for infringing on printing rights.

Currently, the copyright of books belongs to the publisher, not the author.

Shen Nian decided to make this book a public domain book, so that people all over the world could have more joy after meals, and that the poor and illiterate people could also have more happiness.

……

Soon, Uncle Fu began selling books.

Those queuing to buy the book were very excited after seeing its binding and the printing of the inner pages. They felt that even if the content of the book was not good, the binding and printing quality alone could make it a presentable book for their collection.

On that day, Yaoshantang's newly engraved official edition of "Journey to the West in large characters" sold more than 800 copies.

This is limited by the fact that only a limited number of people in Qiantang County have the financial means to purchase the entire book.

It should be noted that one tael and eight mace of silver was enough to buy three shi of rice or eighty jin of pork in those days, which was equivalent to nearly two months' income for a commoner.

Three days later, nearly two thousand copies of the newly engraved official edition of Journey to the West in large characters were sold, and Uncle Fu shifted the sales focus to Hangzhou Prefecture.

at the same time.

Everyone who has read this book gives it rave reviews, especially the first volume, "Havoc in Heaven".

Some poor scholars even made money by copying the newly engraved official edition of "Journey to the West in large characters".

The remaining three thousand copies of "Newly Engraved Illustrated Official Edition of Journey to the West in Large Characters" sold out in Hangzhou in less than two days, with a limit of one copy per person. The price of secondhand copies then soared to ten taels of silver each, but there was no market for them.

In addition, the manuscript copies of this book sold very well in Hangzhou, which caused the price of paper in Hangzhou to rise for a time.

The reason this book sold so well is that most popular novels on the market at the time were of the erotic type.

Although there are violent and erotic scenes in Journey to the West, it is like a clear pool compared to other books on the market.

In addition, this book has positive values, featuring the Monkey King who pursues freedom, a tenacious pilgrimage team, and imaginative battles between gods and demons, effectively filling the spiritual void for many people, especially the poor who cannot afford to enjoy life in brothels and theaters.

After a day of physical labor, imagine yourself as the Monkey King, and all the fatigue of the day will disappear.

When Uncle Fu was selling the books in Hangzhou, some high-ranking officials and nobles asked him for copies of the printing plates, but Uncle Fu said that all of them had been sold and that the reprint would not be available for at least a month and a half.

The "retained edition" is actually a copy kept by the bookstore itself.

These kinds of books are printed and bound with more care, and are generally intended for personal preservation or as gifts.

In addition to the 5,000 copies sold on the market, Uncle Fu actually had 60 surviving printed copies.

Of these sixty printed copies, Uncle Fu kept twenty copies at the bookstore, sent ten copies to Shen Yaoshan and Gu Dongxing in the north, and twenty copies to Shen Nian in the capital, so that they could read them or give them away.

In addition, ten copies of the book were sent to Wu Cheng'en, the original author of the book.

The book was sent out three days ago.

……

April 28th, South Zhili, Huai'an Prefecture, Shanyang County, suburbs.

Inside a farmhouse.

An elderly man with white hair and beard, who needed a cane to walk, looked at the ten newly engraved official editions of "Journey to the West in large characters" before him, tears streaming down his face.

This person was Wu Cheng'en, who was seventy-seven years old.

He began writing this book after failing the imperial examination in the 21st year of the Jiajing reign, and it was not until the first year of the Wanli reign that he finally completed it.

He had hoped to have a fellow townsman bookseller try it out in the capital so that his last wish could be fulfilled.

Unexpectedly, he caught the eye of Shen Nian, a newly promoted cabinet minister, and not only received two hundred taels of silver, but also realized his dream of publishing a book.

A few days ago, Shen Nian, who wrote the preface for him, was promoted to cabinet minister. The magistrate of Shanyang County, along with a group of local dignitaries, came to visit Wu Cheng'en and made him the chief speaker.

This is something that Wu Cheng'en could never have imagined.

Wu Cheng'en held a copy of "The Newly Engraved Illustrated Journey to the West in Large Characters" in trembling hands, his whole body shaking as he smelled the ink emanating from the book.

When he opened the book and saw the inscription "Written by Wu Cheng'en, the Hermit of Sheyang Mountain" on the title page, and Shen Nian's preface describing the book as "a candied fruit by a child's pillow, a sweet spring in a commoner's dream," he couldn't help but burst into tears. Then, looking into the distance, he murmured, "My life has been worthwhile! Worthwhile!"

……

On the third day of the fifth lunar month, the winds of the Journey to the West reached the capital.

In the capital, in teahouses and taverns, everyone was talking about the Monkey King.

A respectable young man who doesn't know the plot of Journey to the West would be ashamed to go out.

at the same time.

Some brothels and teahouses quickly adapted this version of Journey to the West into various art forms such as storytelling, drama, and shadow puppetry.

In the capital, anyone who owned a copy of "Newly Engraved Illustrated Official Edition of Journey to the West in Large Characters" published by Yaoshantang was of exceptional status and position.

People who wanted to copy a page from his house lined up in long queues.

Officials in the capital and some old scholars in the city, on the surface, seemed very reserved, but in reality, they were also trying to find connections to get a handwritten copy of Journey to the West without illustrations, which was considered to be a sign of having a wide network of connections.

After receiving the twenty copies of "Newly Engraved Illustrated Official Edition of Journey to the West in Large Characters" sent by Uncle Fu, Shen Nian presented three copies to the young Wanli Emperor, two copies to Zhang Juzheng, one copy to the Prince of Lu, one copy each to Yin Zhengmao, Shen Shixing, and Wang Xijue, and one copy to the Duke of Ying, Zhang Rong.

With the current political situation so busy, they all need to read some leisure books to relax and adjust their mood.

After receiving the book, these people kept a low profile and hid it by their bedside.

This is a book from Shen Nian's own family, just like giving away local specialties. It can't be considered bribery, but rather a matter of social interaction.

Of the remaining ten books, Shen Nian kept three for herself.

If an old friend asks for a book, he will give it to them if he can, and after giving them seven copies, he will say that he has none left.

Shen Yiguan, who was then serving as a Hanlin Academician and Left Vice Minister of the Court of Imperial Sacrifices, and who had always been at odds with Shen Nian, shamelessly visited Shen Nian to ask for books.

He was very shameless and difficult to deal with. He stayed at Shen Nian's house and refused to leave, so Shen Nian gave him a copy.

But he asked for 1.8 taels of silver for the book, so that Shen Nian would not claim to others that he had a very good relationship with Shen Nian and that Shen Nian had specially given him the book.

……

In the courtyard of a large mansion in Nanjing.

Snapped!Snapped!Snapped!
The sound of slaps echoed through the air.

It was very loud.

Zhang Siwei, who had already retired from officialdom, held a copy of "Journey to the West" in one hand and slapped Zhang Taizheng, who was kneeling on the ground, more than ten times with the other hand.

The latter's face quickly turned red and swollen.

“How could I… how could I have given birth to such a fool! If you could buy the manuscript of this edition of Journey to the West, we would not only make a fortune, but I could also use this book to curry favor with others, alas… alas… alas…”

Zhang Siwei's face turned pale; he was furious.

His foolish son had a conflict with Shen Nian over the manuscript of Journey to the West, then mutilated himself to tarnish Shen Nian's name, and was eventually stripped of his degree as a Juren (a successful candidate in the imperial examinations), dismissed from public life, and barred from taking the imperial examinations for three years.

This effectively cut off his chances of entering officialdom.

Seeing that Journey to the West was selling like hotcakes, causing a paper shortage in Hangzhou and prompting officials and nobles in Nanjing to pay high prices for the newly printed official edition of Journey to the West published by Yaoshan Hall, Zhang Siwei couldn't help but vent his anger on his son.

"It's fate! It's destiny! I'm so miserable!" Zhang Siwei looked up into the distance, his face full of sorrow.

Zhang Taizheng looked aggrieved and couldn't help but say, "Father, if you could give me another five hundred taels when I go to the capital for the examination, I would definitely buy the manuscript of Journey to the West!"

"You're blaming your father?" Zhang Siwei raised his arm again.

"Five hundred taels! Five hundred taels! Five hundred taels..." The crisp, loud sound of slapping echoed again in the courtyard.

(End of this chapter)