Now I really have to marry the princess.

Chapter 110 A Trivial Skill, Worth a Try

Two quarters of an hour later, the light stopped flickering.

Yang Zhengdao and Su Hongyi got up and went to the desk.

Only then did Nazha dare to remove the brocade handkerchief covering her eyes, and immediately revealed a look of astonishment.

"Sister in red, when did you arrive?"

Su Hongyi's cheeks, which were just beginning to flush, immediately became burning hot again.

She tried to keep a straight face and said in a low voice, "Just now!"

"I understand! I understand! It was all a dream—"

Naza giggled foolishly, making Su Hongyi too embarrassed to look up.

Yang Zhengdao was also quite helpless; in this situation, whoever had the thicker skin would win.

The melting ice queen was no match for the energetic girl.

"Nazha, has your old ailment been cured?"

"Yes, it's healed!" Naza nodded with satisfaction.

"Then go back to sleep!"

"Okay—alright!"

After Naza left, the study returned to silence.

Su Hongyi prepared the brush and ink. Yang Zhengdao composed himself, picked up the brush, and prepared to finish writing the last volume of "The Story of the Stone" tonight.

However, Xiao Daiyu fell deeply in love with Wang Baoyu, but fate played a cruel trick on her.

On that day, a man from the Lu family of Wu County came to urge Xiao Daiyu to get married. Xiao Daiyu then went to find Wang Baoyu, who was also being urged to get married by the Xie family. So the two of them hugged each other and wept bitterly.

Unable to control their emotions, the two consummated their relationship in the Grand View Garden, engaging in a forbidden act. Unexpectedly, this one encounter resulted in Xiao Daiyu becoming pregnant.

When Lady Rong learned of this, she hid Xiao Daiyu and tricked her into giving birth to the child, saying that by virtue of the child's status, she could be allowed to marry Wang Baoyu.

Xiao Daiyu believed this, and she longed for the birth of her child, for marriage with Baoyu, and for a lifetime of being one with him.

Who would have thought that after ten months of pregnancy and childbirth, the child would be stillborn?

Xiao Daiyu was heartbroken and became bedridden, weeping day and night, gradually becoming haggard.

Unfortunately, a maidservant let slip that Wang Baoyu was going to marry Xie Baochai.

On the night of Wang Baoyu's wedding, the Rongguo Duke's mansion was brightly decorated with lanterns and colorful decorations, and the sound of drums and music filled the air.

Xiao Daiyu lay in that secluded little house in the backyard, listening to the faint sounds of joy in the distance. Utterly devastated, she died of grief.

As for Wang Baoyu, he was kept in the dark and thought that Xiao Daiyu had already married the Lu family of Wu County.

Heartbroken, he had no choice but to obey the arrangement of Lady Rongguo and marry Xie Baochai. It wasn't until Xiao Daiyu's seven-day fast that he learned the truth from Xikou.

Overwhelmed with grief, Wang Baoyu went half-mad, laughing and crying intermittently, before finally fainting.

Finally, Wang Baoyu, who had been rescued, was disheartened. One morning, when everyone was not paying attention, he went to the temple alone to be ordained as a monk.

It is also said that Xie Baochai got her wish and married Wang Baoyu.

When Wang Baoyu became a monk, she was already pregnant, and eventually gave birth to a son for him.

Who knew that the child was born weak, falling ill every three days and suffering from a calamity every five. The Wang and Xie families consulted countless famous doctors and prayed to countless gods and Buddhas, but all to no avail.

The child died before he was even ten years old.

Originally, Xiren also gave birth to a child for Wang Baoyu, a healthy and chubby baby.

However, when Lady Rongguo was alive, she did not release Xiren from her family, so the child could only be considered a child born to a maid, and could not be included in the family genealogy or enter the ancestral hall.

The once grand and prestigious Rongguo Duke's Mansion unexpectedly ended without an heir.

At midnight, Yang Zhengdao finally put down his pen.

He had only skimmed through the masterpiece "Dream of the Red Chamber," but he was deeply impressed by the dramatic conflict of "red events clashing with white events."

One person spends their wedding night alone, while the other weeps until their soul departs.

The conflict between joy and sorrow, though not written by Cao Xueqin, is the most ironic chapter in the entire masterpiece, Dream of the Red Chamber.

At this moment, Su Hongyi, who was copying the manuscript, was already crying her eyes out.

Yang Zhengdao smiled bitterly, realizing that he didn't need to write such a cruel ending, but this adaptation of "The Story of the Stone" required him to clarify the theme of prohibiting marriage between close relatives.

This destined that neither Baoyu and Daiyu, who were cousins, nor Baoyu and Baochai, who were cousins, would have a good outcome.

He reached out to wipe away Su Hongyi's tears and said gently, "Your period will start tomorrow. Finish copying as soon as possible and then go back to rest."

Su Hongyi was taken aback, then her cheeks flushed red, and she softly hummed in agreement.

Seeing that Su Hongyi had stopped crying and started copying again, he composed himself and began writing once more.

To distinguish it from another pseudonym, the entire "Story of the Stone" uses only proper Tang poems.

Poetry:

Red makeup, red candles, red wedding feast; white flowers, white paper money.

Do not say that deep affection breeds anger and infatuation, for it only leaves behind lingering regrets and a tragic picture of joy and sorrow.

Another poem says:

Flowers bloom and fade, a lament for fallen petals; life is fleeting, a sigh for life's ups and downs.

Fate brings us together, fate brings us apart, fate turns us to ashes; dreams come to an end, dreams fade without a trace.

Excellent! Excellent! Wealth and prosperity are but a dream, grudges and affections are all empty. Amidst the strong sense of fatalism, a subtle nihilism shines through.

It can elicit tears, project an air of sophistication, and subtly convey a cautionary message.

Thus, the four volumes of "The Story of the Stone," totaling over 50,000 words, were completed.

After Su Hongyi finished copying the manuscript, her eyes reddened again.

Ah! Women are made of water!

If you don't want her to cry, then you can only make her cry elsewhere.

A good man is always the one who knows best how to comfort a woman.

Yang Zhengdao reached out and lifted Su Hongyi's chin, looking into her teary eyes, and kissed her.

Two quarters of an hour later, the study returned to its idyllic state.

"My dear girl in red, are you happy now?"

The little pink fists came softly pounding.

The next day, Yang Zhengdao looked refreshed, and Su Hongyi's face was radiant with happiness.

After handing the last volume of the manuscript to the servant sent by Cui Shaoye, Yang Zhengdao headed towards the imperial city.

In three days, the martial arts training at the Wude Hall will officially end, and the day for bestowing official titles will also arrive.

Yang Zhengdao entered the palace and had just reached the Wude Gate when he saw a figure in purple robes waiting outside the gate.

That person was Zhang Anan.

After exchanging greetings and pleasantries, Zhang Anan said with a wry smile, "Young Master Yang, you've really given me a difficult problem."

"Why does Eunuch Zhang say this?"

Yang Zhengdao looked surprised, but he had a vague idea that Zhang Anan had probably come for "The Story of the Stone".

Zhang Anan paused slightly, then said directly, "Young Master Yang, there's no need to worry about 'The Story of the Stone.' So, once you wrote a volume, the Cui family hired hundreds of scribes to copy it, and then scholars distributed it around. If this continues, it will probably surpass 'The Spring Screen'."

Although the main themes of "The Story of the Stone" and "The Spring of the Curtain Screen" are the same, both are paving the way for the enactment of the law prohibiting marriage between close relatives.

But these are two separate projects.

Zhang Anan is only responsible for "Lianpingchun".

If "The Story of the Stone" truly surpasses "The Spring of the Curtain Screen," then Ananda's face would probably not look good.

Therefore, the most likely reason Zhang Anan came here to find him was to ask him to write more slowly, to delay it for as long as possible.

Thinking of this, Yang Zhengdao immediately smiled apologetically and said, "Eunuch Zhang, it's really unfortunate. This morning, a servant from the Cui family came to the door and took away the last volume of 'The Story of the Stone'."

"Ah!" Zhang Anan's face stiffened instantly, then he chuckled awkwardly, "It's alright, it's alright."

It's said that eunuchs are vengeful.

Yang Zhengdao dared not risk offending a eunuch who could wear a purple robe.

He smiled and cupped his hands, saying, "I have a minor skill in politics that I might give a try."

"Oh? Please speak, Young Master Yang."

Yang Zhengdao smiled mysteriously and said three words: "Erotic paintings."

This idea did not come from Yang Zhengdao, but from a scholar-official in the Ming Dynasty.

During the Wanli era, not long after the appearance of the extraordinary book, there were already painters who made a living by illustrating it.

At that time, a complete set of 200 illustrations would often require a fee of tens of taels of silver.

Due to the special nature of its subject matter, the illustrated version of "Spring Behind the Curtain" can clearly outperform the censored version of "The Story of the Stone".

I believe that the illustrated version of "Spring with a Curtain Screen" could have sold for an astonishingly high price in the Tang Dynasty.

Using this as a topic is enough to maintain the popularity of "Springtime in the Curtain".

Upon hearing this, Zhang Anan was taken aback at first, then clapped his hands and exclaimed in praise: "Wonderful, wonderful!"

He then clasped his hands in a respectful bow to Yang Zhengdao, saying, "Young Master Yang is about to take up his post. If you need anything from now on, please feel free to come to me."

Yang Zhengdao immediately returned the greeting with a cupped hand: "I am grateful for your kindness. I will certainly trouble you if I need anything in the future."

After seeing Zhang Anan off, Yang Zhengdao was also looking forward to the illustrated version of "Spring Behind the Curtain".

In fact, Yang Zhengdao had an even better method, which was the movable type printing technology he obtained from the system.

But this technology is too broad and too complex; he's too small and weak to handle it now.

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