Chapter 147: Yang Zirong, Mountain Eagle

On May 10th, Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang’s memorial day.

Following the ritual established by the Ministry of Rites, Zhu Yunwen, along with various royal family members, first went to the Fengtian Hall for the sacrificial ceremony. Subsequently, leading civil and military officials, he personally went to the Xiaoling to conduct a grand sacrificial ceremony.

After the ritual, Zhu Yunwen descended from Bell mountain^[1]Purple Mountain and ordered the courtiers to return to their respective offices. He then changed into casual attire, bringing only Xie jin and Zhu Zhi with him, strolling through the streets of the capital.

“A while ago, the court lifted the ban on printing. Have there been any activities in the private bookstores?”

Zhu Yunwen looked at Zhu Zhi and inquired.

Zhu Zhi shook his head and smiled, saying, “Your Majesty, the lifting of the ban has indeed had an impact, but it has brought some difficulties to the China bookstore. Nowadays, scholars from all over the country are coming to the capital; it’s a lively time. China Bookstore has not yet started operations, and the profits are going to those private bookstores. What should we do about it?”

Zhu Yunwen was not concerned and asked, “How is the preparation China Bookstore?”

Zhu Zhi confidently nodded, saying, “Everything is prepared according to your instructions, sorted and categorized. We are ready, waiting only for the books to arrive. Once they are on the shelves, we can start selling.”

“It’s almost done. The printing and drying are in progress at the printing office. A large batch of books should be ready for delivery tomorrow. How about this? On the 15th, the China Bookstore will open.” Zhu Yunwen settled on the date.

Xie Jin pointed ahead and said, “This Tang’s Bookstore is much livelier than the last time we came.”

Zhu Yunwen looked over, feeling a sense of satisfaction in his eyes.

Compared to the solitude of the bookstore during their last visit, it was now bustling with activity.

Of course, this was also related to the “gaokao” in June. Scholars from all over the country coming to capital naturally brought extraordinary popularity.

When scholars come to take exams in capital, they often do not come alone.

Unlike in later times when people could simply ride a bicycle to take the college entrance examination, in these days, scholars had to overcome various challenges, traveling for months to reach the capital. They needed someone to take care of them during the journey, and servants or attendants were often indispensable.

If the family was well-off, they might have carriages and several attendants, and even a few maids could accompany them.

All these people coming to the capital meant increased consumption. Taxes were levied on every coin and silver, and as a result, the imperial treasury would benefit. It was a pity that due to underdeveloped transportation and the lack of conditions for a nationwide exam, the potential for annual exams to stimulate consumption was not fully realized.

Xie Jin and Zhu Zhi watched as Zhu Yunwen, almost drooling, took a step outside.

Zhu Yunwen wiped the corner of his mouth and said, “Let’s go take a look.”

The three entered the Tang’s Bookstore. Inside, there was a complete range of categories, including classics, history, philosophy, literary collections, miscellaneous books, rhyme books, and various other genres.

Zhu Yunwen stopped in his tracks, reached for a copy of “Shui Jing Zhu” (Commentary on the Water Classics), flipped through it, nodded slightly, and said, “This book is not bad; I can buy it and have a look.”

“This one? We already have it at home.”

Zhu Zhi subtly reminded him.

Zhu Yunwen seemed to have not heard, engrossed in flipping through “Shui Jing Zhu.”

“What kind of nonsense book is this? Burn it, burn it!”

A roar echoed through the entire bookstore, catching everyone’s attention.

Zhu Yunwen frowned, looked up, and saw a well-built middle-aged man holding a book. He tore it angrily, threw it on the ground, and kicked it twice. He then shouted at the bookstore staff, “Get your bookstore owner out and apologize to me!”

Huang Erjin hurriedly approached, respectfully saying, “Sir, I’m not sure what has upset you. Please let us know. If the bookstore is at fault, we will certainly apologize.”

“You, a servant, dare to speak to me. Go and find your master, or I will not only burn down this store but also arrest your boss!”

“Alright, please wait.”

Helpless, Huang Erjin went to find Tang Run, the owner of the Tangshi Bookstore.

Xie Jin squinted and whispered to Zhu Yunwen, “This person seems to be Wei Chao, an official from the Ministry of Rites. Should I drive him away?”

“Quietly watch.”

Zhu Yunwen stood aside, lower his head to continue reading “Shui Jing Zhu,” his eyes filled with a familiar feeling.

Within the seven hundred miles of the Three Gorges, the continuous mountains on both sides leave no gaps. With heavy rocks and stacked peaks, it hides the sky and covers the sun… Every clear and frosty morning, the woods are cold, and the streams are solemn. Often, there is the high cries of the apes, creating a haunting and melancholic sound that echoes in the empty valley, fading away after a long time. Therefore, the fishermen sing, ‘In the Three Gorges of Badong, Wu gorge is long, and the cries of the apes make tears stain their clothes.’

He could recite some of these sentences perfectly.

Tang Run hurried over, and Wei Chao, without any courtesy, picked up a book and smashed it directly on Tang Run’s face, saying, “You dare to print and sell such a nonsensical book? Aren’t you afraid of losing your head?”

Suppressing his anger, Tang Run picked up the books from the ground and asked Wei Chao, “Sir, how did ‘Cui Yingying’s Waiting for the Moon in the West Chamber’ become a nonsensical book?”

Wei Chao sternly said, “The content of this book can be described as promoting obscenity and theft, violating etiquette, not conforming to proper behavior. It instigates men and women to go against the ritual system. Do you still dare to say this is not a nonsensical book?”

Tang Run sighed, “This book is a work from the previous dynasty. The people of the previous dynasty can still read it. Our dynasty has no clear prohibition. Even if it’s nonsensical, does mister need to be so angry?”

“Heh, not only am I angry, I will thoroughly ban this book!”

Could Wei Chao not be furious?

His daughter, who was usually demure and never dared to contradict him even half a bit, had read this book and unexpectedly promised herself to a scholar rushing to the capital for the imperial examination. She even said she had met her ‘Zhangsheng’ and wanted to become that Cui Yingying!

How could Wei Chao swallow this anger? He locked his daughter at home, took a look at “Cui Yingying’s Waiting for the Moon in the West Chamber,” and was instantly furious. Seeing Tang’s Bookstore’s mark on it, he rushed over in a fit of anger.

If he didn’t burn this book, wouldn’t he leave it to harm more people?

“Could the two of you allow me to say something?”

While Tang Run and Wei Chao were arguing, a man in his thirties in a green shirt spoke up, interrupting them.

“Who are you?” Wei Chao asked coldly.

The man in the green shirt smiled warmly and said, “I am Yang Zirong, a scholar from Jianning Prefecture.”

Upon hearing this name, Zhu Yunwen couldn’t help but raise his head abruptly, his starry eyes showing a glint of excitement!

Yang Zirong!

This guy had finally arrived!

Great, someone to help deal with Mountain Eagle^[2]This is a main antagonist name from the Chinese novel ‘Lin hai Xue Yuan’. Yang Zirong is the one who captured him, but the Yang Zirong in Lin Hai Xue Yan only has the same name as Yang Zirong in … Continue reading

However, the Mountain Eagles in later years numbered only a hundred or so, but his Mountain Eagles, easily tens of thousands, it remained to be seen if he had the courage and wisdom for this.

“A Scholar?” Wei Chao’s attitude softened a bit after hearing this.

All of these people had come to participate in this year’s imperial examination. If any of them became officials, it wouldn’t be good to offend them.

“”You, speak up. Should such an evil book be banned or not?”

Wei Chao asked with a stern face.

Yang Zirong also held a copy of “Cui Yingying Awaits the Moon in the West Chamber,” looked at Wei Chao, gave a slight bow, and said, “May I ask if you are from the Three Law Offices?”

Wei Chao shook his head, saying, “No.”

Yang Zirong bowed again and asked, “Then, is the gentleman one of the three secretaries of the Grand Secretariat?”

“This… of course not.”

Wei Chao was sweating a bit.

Yang Zirong bowed again and said, “Then, is the gentleman the sovereign of the Great Ming?”

Wei Chao shuddered instantly, his face turned pale, and he stared, quickly waving his hand, saying, “Brother, brother, this can’t be said casually. Of course, I’m not.”

“If the court has no restrictions, this book can be freely sold,” Yang Zirong said respectfully to Tang Run, then turned to Wei Chao, “To ban a book, sir, you need permission from the Three Law Offices, the Grand Secretariat, or an imperial decree.”

“Without these, you cannot ban this book.”

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