Chapter 92: Heavy Rituals

Bai Mucheng knew that Tian Mi wasn’t really looking for any young man now, and understood that those were things of the past. However, he still felt uncomfortable, especially when he found out that she was planning to open a bookstore. It made him feel that she might eventually abandon him.

Looking back on the more than a year they had known each other, she truly was different from other women in the world.

She was smart and brave, not at all like the delicate and pretentious girls of the time. She was thoughtful, capable, and independent, not relying on anyone, and thus not controlled by anyone. Even the way she sang and wrote poetry was unique and distinct, unlike others.

She was not bound by the constraints of traditional manners and rituals, living freely as she pleased!

If he was her husband, then what was his role in her life?

A handsome young man, the father of her children, or perhaps her creditor?

Bai Mucheng didn’t want to dwell too deeply on this question.

The answer probably wouldn’t be ideal.

Damn fatso, one day I’ll make you understand what being a husband really means!

He returned to his residence, sorting out the list of valuables from the Wu family that he planned to report to the Emperor the next day, along with the list of books he would deliver to Tian Mi. He was curious to see what she intended to do with them.

Yu Qiu reported that the people who were supposed to perform the “top scholar’s divorce” were nearly ready. Bai Mucheng told them to practice for one more day and then go out to perform the next day. He also ordered Yu Qiu to organize the books from both his residence and the Wu family, and send them to the princess’s residence.

Yu Qiu left to carry out the orders.

By the time everything was arranged, it was already very late. Bai Mucheng still climbed over the wall to go to the princess’s residence. Tian Mi had already fallen asleep, but when she heard his voice, she knew it was him, so she continued to sleep peacefully.

Bai Mucheng looked at Tian Mi, who was sound asleep, calm and quiet. He leaned against her and gently pulled her into his arms, falling asleep peacefully.

The next morning, when Tian Mi woke up, Bai Mucheng was already gone. Today was the opening day of the bookstore, and Xu Feiyan was very excited. Qiu Yi and Xu Feiyan, along with a few assistants, carried the already bound first issue of Strange Tales to Chessboard Street.

Qiu Yi had also arranged for drums to be beaten, copper coins and silver pieces to be scattered in a lively display. As people gathered excitedly to pick up the coins, Qiu Yi revealed the nameplate of the store, Shizi Xin, and enthusiastically introduced that the shop would only sell writing materials and books.

The prices of the books were mostly similar to market prices, so the bookstore probably wouldn’t make much profit. It didn’t seem to have anything particularly special about it, and it seemed to be on the verge of closing down.

Additionally, they had posted an announcement seeking scholars from humble backgrounds to come and copy books, but that would take some time, as the copying room was still being renovated.

Other bookstores on the street sneered and shook their heads as they left. Heh, they were losing money right from the start.

Qiu Yi displayed the Strange Tales for people to read for free. In this era, when books were sold, if people didn’t buy them, they wouldn’t be allowed to read for long.

But Tian Mi had told them they could read freely.

As a result, after reading for most of the day, people finished a volume and were eagerly asking Qiu Yi, “Shopkeeper, when will the next issue be released?”

Qiu Yi smiled politely and replied, “This is a periodical. We’ll have to wait until the author finishes writing it. We don’t know when the second issue will be out.”

The readers said, “Then you should hurry him up!”

Qiu Yi responded with a smile, and finally added, “Our shop just opened, and all items are sold at 80% of the regular price.” The readers picked up a lot of items, and many bought books, though some only looked without buying.

This was just the beginning. They were waiting for the Strange Tales to spread more.

Sure enough, in the afternoon, a competitor came to the store to check out the books. Qiu Yi invited him to the back room to talk.

He told him that if he bought more than a hundred volumes at once, it would only cost a couple of silver coins.

This was a great deal. They could buy the books and then find people to copy them, but the quality would vary, and it would take time. The total cost would be around 800 copper coins.

Here, the books were already ready to go, with the same typeface throughout, and the quality was consistent. Of course, it made sense to buy them here directly. Upon hearing this, the competitor immediately decided to purchase a hundred volumes.

Xu Feiyan was overjoyed when they sold a hundred volumes immediately, and she quickly went to get the goods for the customer.

They had only brought a few hundred copies today, but the rest were already printed, just waiting for Chun Jiu to arrange the binding. Selling a hundred volumes so quickly—it was a great start!

Qiu Yi, however, remained composed. Tian Mi had told him not to push the bookstore too aggressively on any single scholar but rather to make sure the owners of all the other shops knew about it. Whenever new books arrived, simply inform them of the prices.

Additionally, she planned to open the copying room as soon as possible. As long as there were scholars who came to copy books with good handwriting and diligence, they could be employed in the copying room. These books would be freely available to them.

In this way, Shizi Xin’s customers would mainly be the bookstore owners on this street, and it was essential not to underestimate them since they owned bookstores in many other places.

People who lived by copying books could continue to work in Tian Mi’s store. She would provide them with more books, allowing them a broader future. If they could pass the imperial exams, they should aim for that. If not, they could write short stories for her Strange Tales, especially folk stories or interesting anecdotes from this era!

Her Lotus Association and all the bookstores needed literate people, and these individuals could be put to good use in her hands.

A scholar’s heart should not be taken lightly, especially in this era!

For scholars from humble backgrounds, it was truly not easy.

In the morning, Tian Mi received a large number of books brought by Qiu Yi and his men. She was thrilled and immediately began sorting them with Chun Yi, separating them into categories. Once the book on the “Top Scholar’s Divorce” was printed, they would prioritize printing the books useful for the imperial exams, and Chun Yi would arrange for the printing materials and tools to be ready.

In the afternoon, there was a lively sound of drums and gongs outside the princess’s residence. It was a ceremonial gift delivery from the palace, where King Ding and the officials from the Ministry of Rites were bringing the official betrothal gifts as well as the two precious children’s full-month gifts.

Her maternal grandmother and second aunt had also arrived, both of them beaming with happiness.

As they looked at the long procession of gift-bearers, they weren’t focused on the value of the items but rather the fact that her in-laws highly valued Mi’er and would not let her suffer any injustice.

Tian Mi was slightly stunned. How did this happen?

As a transmigrator, she had come to this era not to make money through business or modern products but rather through robbery and accepting gifts.

Robbery was thrilling, but accepting gifts put pressure on her, especially when it came to such heavy rituals.

Facing the smiling King Ding, with Xiao Mama handling things with grace, Tian Mi also smiled and expressed her gratitude.

King Ding said, “These betrothal and full-month gifts arrived late, and we ask that Princess Ding not mind. The Ministry of Rites has selected three auspicious days to welcome Princess Ding and the two little masters back to the residence. The Empress suggests that the 23rd of this month is the best day, to settle back early. What do you think, Princess Ding?”

What else could Tian Mi say?

She smiled and replied, “I will follow the Empress’s arrangement.”

King Ding handed over the list of gifts to Xiao Mama for inspection, smiling as he said, “In addition to what the Ministry of Rites has prepared, His Majesty and the Empress have added a few gifts as well. King Ding has made great contributions in battle these past two years, and this is well-deserved.”

Tian Mi smiled and replied, “Thank you to Father Emperor and Empress for their kindness.”

Inside, however, she felt a little uneasy, almost like a case of pre-marriage jitters.

To be honest, Tian Mi was somewhat afraid of marriage. From her past experiences, many of her classmates and friends had seen their lives drastically change after marriage. Even her parents used to have small fights every few days when she was in middle school. Though they didn’t fight as much later on, the family atmosphere was no longer as warm as it once was.

So, she had never considered marriage before.

Now, she was truly about to get married, or perhaps she had already married, though she hadn’t fully realized it before. Everything was happening so suddenly, and Tian Mi was a bit caught off guard.

She was willing to live with Bai Mucheng, but the thought of the constraints of marriage, especially the unequal marital rules of this time, filled her with apprehension.