Chapter 510
: You think you have a plan
Chapter 510: You think you have a plan
Mr. Gu Liu sighed.
Shen Changle glimpsed his expression and said, "If it weren't for the fact that Sixth Master had just lost his wife, I would think that Miss Dong would be a good match for Sixth Master."
Master Gu Liu was not annoyed and asked, "Why?"
Shen Changle said, "Sixth Master likes poetry and painting, and he will definitely become a famous scholar in the future. Miss Dong is also a talented woman. In the future, the couple will live in harmony, which will surely be a good story. Besides, Madam is so virtuous, and Miss Dong is a good friend of Madam. Obviously, they are also well-educated and have good character. When other people get engaged, they always ask around to prevent the matchmaker from deceiving them. Madam should know Miss Dong's affairs in detail, which will save a lot of trouble."
Gu Shiliu said nothing, but just watched the expression of Master Gu Liu.
Gu Liuye smiled and said, "I am not being modest. Miss Dong's poetry is far better than mine. The man suitable for her should be a scholar like Brother Siyuan."
Gu Shiliu said, "If Mr. Qin could marry Miss Dong, Madam would have probably already arranged it."
The implication is that this Miss Dong must have some shortcomings in her family background, and Sixth Master should not belittle himself.
Gu Liuye sighed, "If she didn't have such a talent for poetry, she would have just settled down and waited for marriage. But if she didn't have such a talent for poetry, I wouldn't feel sorry for her."
Shen Changle said nothing.
Gu Liuye added, "Besides, I have sworn to observe mourning for three years. How can I discuss marriage at this time? I'm afraid Miss Dong's marriage will be decided soon."
After all, there is no fate.
Gu Liuye sighed and said sincerely, "I hope this collection of poems will sell well and help Miss Dong gain fame."
Shen Changle smiled and said, "With the Sixth Master's careful arrangement of illustrations, I will also pay more to find a few excellent typesetters. This collection of poems will be even more refined than the previous one, and it will definitely sell well."
Gu Liuye became interested, "I will go out and look for a famous painter. You can call the typesetter and work on it together."
Mr. Gu Liu was traveling with Shen Changle, and Mr. Gu Shiliu also had to go out to find someone to gather information.
The three of them left the house together and passed by the entrance of Shuhai Pavilion.
Gu Shiliu was holding a whip on his horse, pointing at the plaque on the door of Shuhai Pavilion and saying with a smile, "At first, the people in Shuhai Pavilion didn't even look at me, and even said that we in the Gu family shouldn't think that we can be rude just because we have a few dollars. I didn't expect that they would also set up a poetry contest at the door, imitating us, but it's a pity that it looks far worse than the one in the Imperial College."
Shen Changle smiled and said, "Let me tell you something interesting. A while ago, the owner of Shuhai Pavilion asked someone to help us sell our poetry collection."
Mr. Gu Liu and Mr. Gu Shiliu both looked at him, waiting for his next words.
Shen Changle straightened his round chest and said with a smile: "I am not an easy person to talk to. I said that I am the companion of the wife of Dingbei Marquis Mansion, and I am printing poetry collections for the Sixth Master of the Mansion. This matter has come to me, and I have to ask my master whether he agrees or not."
The owner of Shuhai Pavilion ultimately failed to come to the Marquis' Mansion for help, obviously not wanting to bring humiliation upon himself.
Gu Shiliu laughed and said, "It's refreshing." "You feel relieved now?" Shen Changle disagreed. "I said that in the future, Shuhai Pavilion will beg us. This is just the beginning. After they were rejected, they simply opened their own poetry competition and clamored to print a collection of poems."
Gu Liuye lacked confidence. He looked at the door of Shuhai Pavilion from afar and said, "We have just started to publish poetry collections. After all, they have been doing it for so many years. What if..."
Maybe I need to work harder, Mr. Gu Liu thought to himself.
Shen Changle laughed loudly and said, "I am not bragging. The owner of Shuhai Pavilion is just a fellow Jinshi. He is good at writing essays, but he may not be as good as us in writing poetry collections. I have seen a lot in the Jijiu Mansion. Those who are good at writing essays may not be good at writing poems. I think writing poems and writing essays are two different studies and two different skills. Otherwise, the young master would not have been stuck in writing poems for so many years, and even the Jijiu Lord could not help him."
Gu Liuye felt a little relieved, but then he asked worriedly, "They are now also setting up poetry competitions to attract people to write poems. Will this squeeze out our business?"
Shen Changle said, "Don't worry, Sixth Master. We don't know who will squeeze whose business in the future. They want to steal our poetry business, and we also have our eyes on their essay business."
Gu Shiliu said with a smile: "When Qin Juren passes the imperial examination, will he also have a reputation for writing essays?"
After all, the owner of Shuhai Pavilion was a fellow Jinshi, and he invited two other Jinshi of the same period who were also talented and learned to write their essays for sale.
Qin Siyuan is bound to pass the imperial examination in the future. If he tries hard, he may be able to get second or third place.
There is a world of difference.
Master Gu Liu said happily: "With the reputation of Brother Siyuan, and the full support of the Lord Jijiu, this business can be done."
Shen Changle smiled and said, "I heard that both Young Master Nantang and Mr. Songshan have the potential to be good at writing. With this competition, their talents have been known to the world. If the Firefly Collection sells well in the future and becomes famous, I'm afraid that paper will be in great demand in the future and everyone will rush to buy it."
Gu Shiliu laughed heartily.
Master Gu Liu couldn't help but sighed, "Third sister-in-law is really capable. She always plans ahead. We may be able to take over half of Shuhai Pavilion's business in the future."
Shen Changle was full of confidence: "In the future, Shuhai Pavilion will definitely ask us for help. Then we will let them see who is the one who is disgracing the culture! Sixth Master, I am not being arrogant. Think about it, Shuhai Pavilion only produces essays. It may not be able to compete with us for poetry collections, but we will also compete with it for essays. Even if we win or lose, we still have the business that Mr. Songshan mentioned. How can it take that away?"
Gu Liuye no longer cared about his image. He slapped his thigh excitedly and said, "Let's quickly come up with a plan and arrange all these things. I originally wanted to paint slowly and make it more exquisite. Now it seems better to make a draft first and then find a famous painter in the city to help with the painting."
Shen Changle was also immediately inspired and said, "Okay, Sixth Master, if you can come up with a rough draft and have a group of painters work together to polish it, it will definitely be lifelike and can make everyone present that day come alive."
The owner of Shuhai Pavilion was standing on the upper floor. He saw them reining in their horses by the road, pointing at the door and talking about something. He was very upset and asked angrily, "Who is next to Shen Changle?"
The shopkeeper who was standing beside him and answering the question leaned over to the window and peeked in, saying, "The one wearing plain clothes and looking like a scholar is the Sixth Master of Dingbei Marquis's Mansion. The other one is the guard beside Marquis Gu, and he is in charge of many things in the capital."
"Is he the one who came here to print the poetry collection?"
"Yes."
The owner of the Book Sea Pavilion sneered, "He just clings to the thighs of Mr. Nantang and Mr. Songshan, and thinks he has a good plan. A fool is a fool. He thinks he is a talented scholar just because he publishes a collection of poems by taking advantage of others' influence. The emperor only praised him a few words for the sake of Lord Gu, and he forgot his own weight."