Chapter 002 When three people are together, there must be my teacher
Youdao is a person who has achieved the Tao, chickens and dogs can ascend to heaven. Obviously, Chen Cao is not. He originally thought that his life would be prosperous after joining Jinyiwei, but later he found out that the Chiba Baihusuo where he was located was the least profitable place in Nanjing Jinyiwei. The Nanjing Imperial Palace was close to the bell The mountain is located in the east part of the city, and the most prosperous Jinling Xiaojin Treasury Qinhuai River is also located here. The west part of the city has always been a place where sewage and feces are carried. The people who live there are basically idle people from various religions and nine streams. Not to mention the important task of public security. Most of the filial piety money received went to the boss.
Since the death of Chen Cao's cheap father Chen Fei Zhan, the Chen family, which was originally relatively prosperous, has begun to plummet. The first is the pension. Due to the tradition of the Ming Dynasty, Chen Fei's general title and pension money have been restored. At the end of the exploitation, only ten taels of silver were left in the hands of the Chen family. This was all because Chen Fei was a general of the Duke of Wei. Otherwise, the responsibility for the defeat of Saarhu was Du Song's named general. Everyone will suffer. If they had not died in battle, the consequences would have been serious.
Ten taels of silver can support a family for a year in a small rural home, but in Nanjing city, ten taels of silver can support a family for at most half a month. For this reason, Chen Li also dismissed many servants and maids in the family, leaving only The old housekeeper and an old woman got off.
"I'm so poor..." Chen Cao walked back and forth in the dormitory several times. How to make money has become the most critical thing now.
After dying once but not succeeding, Chen Cao discovered that there are many benefits to traveling through time. Others can do it, "take it as it comes", so of course he can do it too.
Busking? No, Chen Cao shook his head. Although this 'Chen Cao' has a strong body and some martial arts skills, he is still a royal guard after all. He cannot be embarrassed, otherwise his job will be sold out.
His main profession is firearms. Although in this era, no one knows what automatic rifles and pistols are, everyone knows about firecrackers. Making firecrackers privately is tantamount to rebellion, and his head must be hung high on the rooftop of the sunny building.
Thinking of this, Chen Cao trembled. What can he do?
Chen Cao, who was confused, was already walking in Nanjing city unknowingly. The weather in August was a bit hot, and the flying fish suit he was wearing was also a bit hot and dazzling. Although it was not as good as Beizhen Fusi, those rogue little bastards Seeing Chen Cao, they all bowed their heads.
'Juxianju'...
Chen Cao looked up at the sign above his head and walked in by accident.
The waiter was young, and when he saw Feiyufu walking in, he was stunned for a moment, and then said with a smile: "Hey, I wonder what the boss's orders are when he comes to the shop?" When opening a shop, he has a sharp eye: "You will be waiting for me later, the young man will serve you tea."
Juxianju, a bookstore, sells the most popular storybooks at the moment. It is also the favorite place for ladies and many scholars in Jinling City. It is the shop with the best sales and the most prosperous business in the west of the city.
"It would be embarrassing if the General Banner came here to accept the filial piety. To tell you the truth, our Juxian Residence is the property of Lord Chaozhong." The shopkeeper walked out from behind the counter and said with a slight mockery.
"Shopkeeper, what is the most popular novel at the moment?" Chen Cao ignored the shopkeeper's cold words and looked over and over on the bookshelf.
I bet you are here to buy books...
The shopkeeper said with a smile on his face: "Master Haojiao Zongqi knows that the best-selling storybook nowadays is undoubtedly "The Shadow of the Wutong" written by Bai Mengsheng. Basically every young lady in Jinling City has a copy."
Poems in the Ming Dynasty were prolific, and so were the scripts of stories. All ladies stayed at home, and besides embroidering, only the instinct of words filled the hearts of these underage girls.
"Master General Banner, would you like to buy a copy and go back to read it?" the shopkeeper asked cautiously. As he said, everyone who opens a store in Jinling City has an official or noble background. What if this ignorant General Banner With the backing of a bullshit high-ranking official, you are just causing trouble for yourself.
"Shopkeeper, how much do you charge for collecting phonetic books here?"
ah?
The shopkeeper thought he had misjudged him, until Chen Cao repeated it once before he realized that feelings are not here to buy things, so his smile changed and he looked businesslike: "Five cents per thousand words, if the sales are good, every thousand words Add five more words."
One hundred thousand words to earn five taels of silver?
Chen Cao shook his head in his mind, then raised his head and said, "I have a good story here. I wonder if the shopkeeper is interested."
"Hey, Mr. General Banner has written a storybook?" The shopkeeper looked at Chen Cao with a mocking look on his face.
It's not that he looks down on people, but in this era where literature is valued over martial arts, scholars are a privileged class. Anyone who can read has to be called "boy" or "gongzi" in the fields.
...When I read thousands of volumes, I feel like I have a spirit when I write...
'But it is said that when the Nuwa family was refining stones to mend the sky, they made 36,501 stubborn stones on Wuji Cliff in Dahuang Mountain, which were twelve feet high and twenty-four feet square. Emperor Na Wa only spent 36,500 yuan, leaving only one piece unused, abandoned at the foot of Qinggeng Peak...'
It's not that Chen Cao can memorize the entire Dream of Red Mansions, but as a lover of history, he always reads the Four Great Classics or the novels of Ancient Heroes or Jin Daxia when he is fishing, and following him through time is a copy of Dream of Red Mansions and a copy of Dream of Red Mansions. The Legend of Heaven and Dragon Slaying and the Legend of the Condor Heroes.
Chen Cao is confident that if these three books are sold to him in the form of chapter novels, they will definitely fetch a good price.
"Brother," Chen Qing trotted into Chen Cao's dormitory. Chen Cao felt a big headache when he saw this cheap girl. Thinking of the last time he almost strangled himself, Chen Cao had the urge to destroy the flower with cruel hands.
"Brother, don't you have to go to the Yamen for duty?"
Chen Cao also wants to pretend to be a master in Jinyiwei. The most important thing is that the place is quiet and peaceful...
"The General Banner doesn't need to be on duty at all. Our Hundred Households, hey, all the Hundred Households have gone to run the tavern. Unless there is something important, my subordinates will definitely inform you..."
When Chen Cao thought about his subordinate Xiao Qi's words, his first feeling was that he was being ignored, but then he figured out that for a kind-hearted Jinyiwei like him, there were only eight thousand in the Ming Dynasty. It was an honorary position. He usually went to hundreds of households. Just click Mao, and then you won’t have anything to do with yourself.
Thinking about it, simply going to Baihu Station every day to go through the cutscenes, and then coming back to copy and write scripts is the real way to make a fortune. Even if time doesn't wait for us, you can survive by earning money and sailing overseas.
"Brother, did you write this?" Chen Qing looked at the transcript on the table with wide eyes, and then said in surprise: "Brother, what's next? What did the county magistrate say?"
"The county magistrate has ordered that Chen Qing be stripped naked and thrown into the street..."
"..."
...Money empire starts with making money...
Looking at the thirty cents on the table, Chen Cao's first pot of gold in this world, and then thinking of the flattering look of the shopkeeper before leaving, he smiled and shook his head...
'I don't know what the history books will say in the future. The author of Dream of Red Mansions is Nalan Rongruo, ha...'
Unknowingly, Dream of Red Mansions written by an author named Nalan Rongruo in Jinling City began to become popular in the city. Not only ladies, but also scholars began to pursue this kind of chapter novels.
"This guy is extremely hateful. Bai Mengsheng wouldn't dare to be so appetizing..."
"Zhanghui-style novels are the first of its kind in the Ming Dynasty. Nalan's writing style is indeed pure and pure, which is beyond our reach..."
"I read it at night by candlelight yesterday, but it was a pity that there were only eight chapters. It really made it difficult for me to fall asleep..."
Mr. Nalan Rongruo, the author of the Dream of Red Mansions, who had made the people of Jinling City sleepless, was bargaining with Zhou Decai, the shopkeeper of Juxianju, who came to the door in person.
"Lord General Banner, please be merciful. Fifty cents is already the highest price our store can offer. Think about it, my store also needs to eat, right?" Zhou Decai smiled bitterly, showing himself to be a Poor wage earner.
Chen Cao recently learned a new skill, which is to serve tea to guests, so in order to show his high literary attainments, he also imitated the literati's style of holding tea and drinking it slowly.
However...
Zhou Decai's culture is not very high. The main purpose of this trip is to urge Chen Cao to update his articles quickly. His Juxian Residence has been blocked several times by scholars and ordinary people who want to read the stories behind. A housekeeper of the Hou Mansion even personally Come and buy the following chapters for your lady.
Some bold ones even said harsh words, threatening to destroy their shop if Juxianju didn't release a new chapter.
As the saying goes, the law does not punish the public, let alone a group of scholars who came. How could Zhou Decai have the courage to fight with this group of people? Even if his backend was working in the Nanjing Ministry, he would not dare to conflict with a group of scholars.
Therefore, Chen Cao drank all the tea, but Zhou Decai still didn't move.
"Shopkeeper Zhou? Don't you understand what I mean?" Chen Cao thought that he was not clear enough, so he filled up the tea and drank again.
"Oh my Lord, please stop drinking. Making money is more important." Zhou Decai was so anxious that he even wanted to kneel down.
Mr. Chen didn't want to drink anymore, so he put down his tea cup and said seriously: "Let's do this, shopkeeper Zhang. Business is called business only when it is discussed and measured."
Before Chen Cao finished speaking, Zhou Decai interrupted: "Yes, yes, what Mr. Zongqi said makes sense. I am just a shopkeeper, and there is a boss behind me..."
Chen Cao didn't hear all the rest of the words, but the previous words were clear. This guy was just a messenger. The price must have changed, or he wanted to swallow up the difference. After all, Chen Cao was also a time-traveling household, and he would be a dark financial figure in later generations. It’s easy to learn that.
"Stop it," Chen Cao waved his hand: "Shopkeeper Zhou, I didn't raise the price intentionally, but compared the prices based on goods. I have also inquired about Bai Mengsheng's words. The highest price so far is one thousand words and one hundred and twenty yuan, so just take it. Let's talk about "Shadow of the Wutong". You gave him one thousand words and one hundred and twenty-five cents, plus 20% of the bonus after the book was published. I'm right."
After hearing what Chen Cao said, Zhou Decai blushed. The weather was cool today, but sweat broke out on his forehead.
"My request is very simple, one thousand words and one hundred and fifty cents, and the bonus will be divided into 50%, so I won't be accused of extortion."
"My chief bannerman..." Zhou Decai shouted. It was not that he was unwilling. Just as Chen Cao had guessed, the price offered by the boss before leaving was no more than 200 yuan, and the bottom line for the dividend share was also 50 yuan. 50% off, but once he agrees, the rebates he can get will be very few, not to mention that popular story books are not always available. Bai Mengsheng's story books only come out with a hit story every year or two: "General Flag Master, you can't do it. You are just raising the price on the ground."
"Don't refuse in a hurry, would you like to think about it?" Chen Cao looked at Zhou Decai with a smile, then picked up the teacup and drank tea.
Now the old boy seemed to be sensible. He stood up, cupped his hands towards Chen Cao and said, "Mr. Chen Qi, take your leave..."
Looking at Zhou Decai's leaving figure, Chen Cao shouted at the top of his voice: "Shopkeeper Zhou, please keep walking slowly. The next time you come to the door, it won't be 1,500 words per thousand words."
Zhou Decai left angrily. What he didn't expect was that the next day, their old rival, Chengxi Shuxiangfang, released five new chapters at once, and publicized that Nalan Rongruo, the author of "A Dream of Red Mansions", authorized them to sell the first three chapters. Rights to ten chapters.
For a time, the Shuxiangfang, which had originally had a light business, suddenly became crowded, while Juxianju not far away was deserted.
"Brother, the old housekeeper said that Shopkeeper Zhou from Juxian Residence came to visit." Chen Qing strode into Chen Cao's bedroom, then picked up the two latest chapters that Chen Cao had just copied and started reading: "Hello, brother. Literary talent, it's a pity that our family is a military household and we can't take the scientific examination, otherwise with my brother's literary talent, he would definitely be able to pass high school."
Hum, if your brother writes out the original version of Cai Gentan, he will definitely be the top scholar.
Of course, Chen Cao didn't dare to say this. Although his sister was underage, she was still sixteen at any rate. She should have gotten married and had children at this age, and this guy didn't keep his mouth shut. Every time Chen Cao thought about how he almost died in her hands, He immediately had the urge to strangle her to death in bed.
"Don't look at it yet. Go tell the old housekeeper to get out of here. If he dares to come again, he will be arrested and taken to sit in the yamen of Nanzhen Fusi." Although his title of general banner is an empty title, he has been awarded it at least. Under the general banner of the official, it is still feasible to catch you as an outsider who breaks into a private house.
Chen Qingyou, who had been running for a while, ran back quickly and gasped: "Brother, your old guy said it's not that he wants to see you, but that his boss wants to see you." As he said that, he put the tea cup back in his hand.
"I asked you to do things poorly and run around with an empty tea cup."
Chen Cao said a few words to Chen Qing, and then walked out the door, thinking that since his boss wanted to see him, they would naturally discuss the price. Although he couldn't stand the old man, he couldn't get along with the money.
Chen Cao was also shocked when he walked out of the gate. He saw Zhou Decai, his face flushed, lying on the courtyard wall outside his gate and scratching the wall vigorously. A lot of dust fell off the wall. The sound of fingernails scratching the wall kept coming. Chen Cao was shocked. I got goosebumps all over my body when I heard it.
"Uncle Chen, is this guy having an epileptic seizure?" Chen Cao turned to look at the old housekeeper at the door and asked.
The old housekeeper sneered and said, "Young master, you don't know. Just now, the young lady took a cup of hot tea and poured it directly out of the door. It happened to be poured in front of Shopkeeper Zhou. When she was leaving, she said it was you who asked me to do it."
hiss...
Chen Cao took a breath and made up his mind that he would take off the underage's clothes tonight as a punishment. Then he rubbed his hands and said with a smile: "Shopkeeper Zhou? Shopkeeper Zhou, are you comfortable? If you are, I will Take me to see your boss quickly, making money is the most important thing."
Poor Zhou Decai, blood was drawn from scratching his fingernails. When he turned around, his face was as red as Mr. Guan: "Mr. Chen Qi, why did a certain family order someone to hurt me just to offend you? This is how you treat your business partners. ?"
"Hey, look at it, Shopkeeper Zhou, my little sister is not sensible, are you going to get angry with a little girl? Okay, look at you now, your face is red, you are almost the same as a martial saint."
"Ah..." Zhou Decai exclaimed and stared at Chen Cao.
Chen Cao ignored it at all, and then said seriously: "Uncle Chen, you will go to Juxianju later. Shopkeeper Zhou scratched the dust off our courtyard wall. The money will be counted on their heads. You can get it then." .”
"Mr. Chen Qi..."
Chen Cao hurriedly walked to Zhou Decai with a smile, stretched out his hand to hold him and said: "Shopkeeper Zhou, don't be anxious, I mean you are just like Wu Shengren, your righteousness is as high as the sky..."
"..."
There is an arch in the inner courtyard of Juxian Ju, behind which is the residence of the owner. As soon as Chen Cao entered the arch, the entire inner courtyard was revealed, reflecting the extraordinaryness of the owner's house. There was a sense of elegance in the wealth, and a few touches. It has the flavor of Confucian culture.
There is a hollow carved gatehouse in front of the foyer. There is a partition screen inside the gatehouse. There are carved pillars in the corridors on both sides. There are myths, dramatic stories and unique flower covers carved between the pillars. It is luxurious and elegant. The circular corridor on the second floor is equipped with classic 'Damn beauty'.
The high-end atmosphere is probably described as this style. However, in Chen's eyes, no matter how elegant a house is, there is only one room where people can sleep.
However, judging from the objects placed in the lobby, the owner here should be a woman.
'I hope she is a beautiful woman, um...'
Chen Cao was thinking hard when footsteps sounded from behind the screen. A young woman wearing a light-colored Suzhou embroidered knitted sweater and a small coat walked into the lobby, and sat down on the main seat with the maid behind her.
Oops...
That face, cherry mouth, willow eyebrows, almond eyes...
'No, no, no... I'm wrong, I've read too many novels.' Chen Cao calmed down. The woman in front of him was extremely elegant, and her every frown gave people a relaxed and happy feeling.
"My boss, this is General Chen Cao and Chen Qi, whose pen name is Nalan Rongruo." Zhou Decai introduced with a smile.
"Hey, Shopkeeper Zhou, why is your face as red as Guan Gong..." the maid next to the woman asked with a smile.
Chen Cao spat out the tea in his mouth with a pop, then cupped his hands towards the woman and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry."
Zhou Decai hesitated, then he held his hands towards the woman and then retreated.
"You are so rude..." Another maid looked at Chen Cao with disgust.
"Xiaochun, don't be rude..." The woman scolded the maid next to her without asking, and then saluted Chen Cao with a smile: "My little girl, Li Xiang, has met Mr. Nalan."
Intellectuals or ladies in the Ming Dynasty, as long as they came into contact with intellectuals, they would call each other by their cousins or names. Now Li Xiang called Chen Cao Mr. Nalan, which first established the identity of both parties. I am the boss. , you are selling books, that’s all.
Mr. Chen still understood a thing or two about these things, and then he handed over his hands and said: "Mr. Chen is very lucky to meet Boss Li for the first time."
"My little girl sees that your husband is young. How old is your husband?" Li Xiang also held his hand and asked in return.
"I'm only seventeen this year. I don't dare to ask myself to be my husband here with Boss Li. If Boss Li doesn't mind, just call me Chen Cao." Chen Cao is also a self-aware person, but in this era, the more talented he is, the more talented he is. , the younger you are, the more women you can like, just imagine how popular the romantic and talented Tang Bohu is in Jiangnan.
"Sir is really young and promising, and he is really a great talent. However, I heard that his ancestor was a general in the Duke of Wei's palace. I wonder who his mentor is?"
Chen Cao was also shocked. It turned out that everything written in the novel was true. The backgrounds of these people were so powerful that they checked themselves out when they first met.
"After my father died in the war, my family fell into decline. Even before, my family didn't have any extra money. I only went to private school for a period of time and then became self-taught." Chen Cao's ability to pretend to be a master is completely acceptable in this era. : "If this were not the case, how could I have thought of selling novels as a livelihood?"
"Yes, Taizu stipulated that military households were not allowed to participate in the imperial examinations when he founded the country. Otherwise, with your literary talents, it would be natural for him to win the examination." Li Xiang said tepidly.
Chen Cao finally understood this sentence. This is a typical saying that with Chen's literary talent, at most he will only pass the imperial examination. Zhou Decai also said that he is qualified to pass the Jinshi.
'This woman is not simple...'
This is the first time that Chen Cao has suffered such a humiliation in front of a woman. In the society of later generations, no matter how powerful the woman is, if he goes in and takes out the money, isn't that just a submission?
Thinking of this, Chen Cao quickly changed the topic and said: "I think Boss Li asked Chen to come here today for more than just a simple chat."
"Well," Li Xiang nodded and said, "I'm really rude, so let's talk about this 'Dream of Red Mansions'. This episodic novel written by my husband is rich and exciting. Now in Jinling City, apart from My Juxianju, only Shuxiangfang is serializing it. , and Shopkeeper Zhou had not reached an agreement with Mr. Zhou before, so I wonder what price Mr. Zhou would charge for this ‘Dream of Red Mansions’?”
Finally getting to the point, Chen Cao smiled and nodded: "Well, in business, as the old saying goes, only business can lead to determination. Although Chen made his debut later than Bai Mengsheng, he thinks that his novel is better than Bai Mengsheng's. So the price is of course higher than before.”
As he spoke, he compared his hand to a slap: "One thousand words and five hundred coins, the dividend is still split 50-50."
"You are so ignorant. A young boy is so open-mouthed. Bai Mengsheng can only get up to 1,250 thousand words and 20% bonus. Who do you think you are?" The maid named Xiaochun suddenly said He opened his mouth and scolded.
Li Xiang did not interrupt immediately. It was obvious that what Xiaochun said was what she wanted to say, but due to her identity, she would not say it blatantly.
"Xiaochun, please stop being rude." Li Xiang waited for Xiaochun to finish speaking, then waved his hand to stop him: "Since you have offered this price, you must have extraordinary self-confidence. You might as well say it and let's hear whether it is reasonable."
