A month had passed since his last visit, and the city had undergone some changes.

Perhaps it was because Fu Wenyu was wearing a new scholar’s robe made by Mrs. Zhou, making him look every bit the part of a scholar, but as soon as he stepped off the ox cart, he encountered a book peddler.

The man, carrying a bookcase on his back, greeted Fu Wenyu with a beaming smile.

“Young master, you must be a scholar, right?”

“I have high-quality brushes, ink, paper, and inkstones here. Buy more, and I’ll throw in some extras. Would you like to take a look?” Seeing that Fu Wenyu wasn’t interested, he added, “If you don’t need brushes and ink, how about books?”

“I have…”

He listed a few common book titles, but when Fu Wenyu still showed no interest and even seemed ready to leave, the peddler quickly reached out to stop him. “Hey, hey, don’t go!”

“I’ve got something special!”

“How about the Liuzhou Tabloid? This thing is truly a rarity these days…”

“The Liuzhou Tabloid?” Fu Wenyu stopped in his tracks. This Tabloid was indeed one of the reasons he had come to the city, so he responded with interest, “Let me take a look.”

Since Fujia Village was quite far from Liuzhou City, requiring over an hour to travel back and forth, Zhang Er had stopped delivering the tabloid after the first issue. Fu Wenyu was curious about its current state.

Seeing his interest, the peddler immediately pulled out several copies.

“Young master, judging by your appearance, you must have heard of this new thing, right? Let me tell you, I have the complete set here, from the very first issue that started serializing stories to yesterday’s edition. I’ve got them all.”

“How many copies would you like, young master?”

“Just give me the latest one,” Fu Wenyu replied. He only wanted to see how far the tabloid had progressed after more than a month, so he wasn’t interested in the older issues.

The tabloid cost ten coins, just like before. Fu Wenyu exchanged the money for a copy and began flipping through it.

Overall, the latest issue wasn’t much different from the first one.

The names of the shops advertising in it had changed, and now there were businesses from counties outside the prefecture. However, what surprised Fu Wenyu the most was that the latest issue only featured his story and The Woodcutter by Mr. Sanliu. Scholar Sun’s The East Chamber was nowhere to be seen, replaced by another story Fu Wenyu hadn’t read. In his memory, The East Chamber was even longer than The Woodcutter.

With this question in mind, Fu Wenyu headed to Kaiyuan Bookstore.

Shopkeeper Zhang sighed with a bitter smile, “Ah, Scholar Sun refused to have his story printed in tabloid.”

He then briefly explained. Sun Xiucai was a genuine scholar with an official title, though he had repeatedly failed the provincial exams. He believed he would eventually pass and had always been somewhat arrogant. After the Liuzhou Tabloid was revamped, its low price and novelty sparked widespread discussion.

With the support of Master Tang, many people, whether interested or not, were willing to buy a copy or simply discuss the initial free issue with their friends.

As a result, the Liuzhou Tabloid spread far and wide, and even street vendors and laborers could talk about its contents.

Among the topics, the three serialized stories generated the most discussion.

Mr. Sanliu’s The Woodcutter, being well-written and already on sale, had many admirers, but its discussion wasn’t as widespread.

The most talked-about story was Fu Wenyu’s Jiu Occupying the Magpie’s Nest: The True and False Young Masters. Despite its strange title and pen name, it was genuinely popular.

One reason was that his story didn’t rely on overly ornate language or obscure references. Anyone who could read could understand it, regardless of age, gender, or social status.

Another important reason was that the story was still being serialized, and readers had no idea what would happen next. This uncertainty fueled discussions, debates, and speculation, keeping the story in the spotlight. Ever since the chapter where Zhang Gousheng and his father entered the city was published, almost every teahouse had someone talking about it.

The most criticized story, however, was Scholar Sun’s The East Chamber.

“Scholar Sun’s stories have always been polarizing,” Shopkeeper Zhang shook his head. “This time is no different.”

“Those who like it truly love it, and those who hate it truly despise it.”

“Some time ago, someone at a teahouse criticized The East Chamber, saying that Scholar Sun must be just like the characters in his story—a hypocrite who only cares about fame and lets his wife earn money for him. These words must have reached Scholar Sun’s ears, because he soon came to us.”

Shopkeeper Zhang explained that Scholar Sun felt having his story published in the Liuzhou Tabloid lowered its prestige. He forbade the tabloid from printing The East Chamber anymore, claiming that the lower classes weren’t worthy of reading it.

So, the Publishing House had to replace it with another story.

Fu Wenyu: “…”

He hadn’t expected someone to reject exposure like this. Didn’t Scholar Sun realize that this method could quickly boost his fame and bring more benefits to the author?

The more people who knew about it, the more would buy it.

As for criticism, what author doesn’t face criticism? Even if you avoid all conflict in your writing, someone will still call it bland.

When the later chapters of The True and False Young Masters were published, Fu Wenyu couldn’t guarantee he wouldn’t face criticism either. Still, it was probably for the best that The East Chamber was removed. Its plot wasn’t something normal people should read. Now, when he brought the tabloid home, he wouldn’t have to specifically warn his sister not to read Scholar Sun’s work or believe its contents.

Fu Wenyu pondered this for a while, then set the matter aside.

He took out his manuscript.

“Uncle Zhang, here’s the rest of my story. Take a look.” This time, he had brought all his remaining drafts, totaling over 90,000 words. The stack of papers on the table was impressively thick.

“Nephew, have you finished the entire story?”

Shopkeeper Zhang eagerly began flipping through the pages. As the shopkeeper of a bookstore, his reading speed was naturally fast. After a quick glance, he noticed that the quality of this section was even better than the previous 40,000 words. The characters, plotlines, and dialogues were all rich with meaning.

Moreover, the ending was well-handled, with no loose ends.

“Good, very good!”

Reluctantly, he set the manuscript down and said to Fu Wenyu, “With this, your story is now complete. I’ll arrange for it to be printed starting tomorrow.”

“As for the number of copies, we’ll stick to our original plan and print a thousand. It’ll take about two months to finish printing.” Shopkeeper Zhang looked at Fu Wenyu with delight. “Wenyu, your idea was brilliant. Ever since the Liuzhou Tabloid started serializing stories, people have been coming to ask about them.”

“Not only have they bought all copies of Mr. Sanliu’s The Woodcutter, but some have also asked when your story will be available for purchase. Hahaha, Wenyu, you’re a true hero.”

“I have a feeling the final result won’t disappoint you.”

Fu Wenyu also smiled.

He cupped his hands respectfully. “Thank you for your kind words.”

Next, Fu Wenyu discussed the printing details with Shopkeeper Zhang.

Although he had already sold the story to Kaiyuan bookstore, he could still offer some suggestions on how it should be printed. For example, Fu Wenyu recommended using average-quality paper but insisted on adding punctuation marks.

Punctuation marks, known as judou in ancient times, had many variations over the years. Although Fu Wenyu’s version was slightly different, shopkeeper Zhang agreed after some consideration.

Fu Wenyu also suggested adding illustrations.

First, they would commission the illustrations, then print them on blank pages, and finally bind them together with the text. As for what to illustrate, Fu Wenyu had already thought of several key scenes: the switching of the babies in the dark, the iconic scene of Father Zhang kowtowing to Wang Fugui, Zhang Gousheng’s difficult childhood, and the first meeting between Master Wang and Zhang Gousheng.

In total, Fu Wenyu came up with nearly ten pivotal scenes from the story. Since other stories had also included illustrations, and Scholar Sun’s works often featured beautiful women, shopkeeper Zhang readily agreed to this request.

“Nephew, don’t worry. The printing house is experienced with this.”

“They’ve hired a skilled artist who can draw the scenes you’ve described.”

Fu Wenyu immediately asked, “Is it the same artist who illustrated The Woodcutter?”

The Woodcutter by Mr. Sanliu was the first story Fu Wenyu had read after arriving in this ancient world, and he considered it the best. The plot was tight, the content engaging, and the vivid illustrations had left a deep impression on him. So, when Shopkeeper Zhang mentioned a skilled artist, Fu Wenyu immediately thought of that person.

However, shopkeeper Zhang shook his head.

“The illustrations in The Woodcutter were done by Mr. Murong Bai.”

“Everyone knows Mr. Murong’s art is exceptional, but he doesn’t care for fame or fortune. He only paints for those he deems worthy. For example, when it comes to illustrating stories, he must first read the story and like it before he’ll agree to work on it. Otherwise, even if you offered him a mountain of gold, he wouldn’t budge.”

“Since you admire Mr. Murong’s work, I can take your story to him and ask, but whether he agrees is another matter. It depends on whether he likes it.”

Fu Wenyu was impressed. This artist had quite the personality. Perhaps this was the hallmark of a true artist.

After a pause, Shopkeeper Zhang added, “But don’t worry, nephew. The artist at the printing house is also quite skilled. If you’re not satisfied, we can always have him make changes.”

Fu Wenyu nodded regretfully.

There was no helping it. He had never been good at drawing, neither in his past life nor in this one. In ancient times, learning to paint was difficult, and pigments were expensive, so the Fu family couldn’t provide the original Fu Wenyu with the conditions to pursue art.

With that in mind, Fu Wenyu set aside his thoughts and suggested to Shopkeeper Zhang that the typeset plates not be dismantled after printing, as they could be used to produce a deluxe edition.

What was a ‘deluxe edition’?

It would use high-quality paper and ink, with hand-colored illustrations. It would also include additional illustrations, character designs, key scene depictions, and even the author’s autograph—everything of the finest quality.

There was no need to worry about sales, as they could adopt a pre-order model.

Print only as many as were ordered.

“Uncle Zhang, there will always be people who don’t mind spending money,” Fu Wenyu said.

He believed that human nature was consistent across time and place. Whether it was collecting stamps, showing off, or envying others, for those who loved The True and False Young Masters and had money to spare, a deluxe edition would satisfy their desire to collect and allow them to flaunt it to others, earning envy.

A few taels of silver would mean nothing to them.

Fu Wenyu held up a finger. “We can price these deluxe editions at ten taels per set,” he said, quickly calculating the cost of the standard edition in his mind. “One tael should cover the cost of printing one deluxe edition, right?”

“My story will be published in three volumes, so that’s three taels per set. Selling it for ten taels means a profit of seven taels. If just ten people buy it, that’s a profit of seventy taels!”

“A hundred people, and it’s seven hundred taels!”

“Liuzhou has one prefectural city, twelve county towns, and countless villages. And that’s not even counting other regions beyond Liuzhou. Once the Liuzhou Tabloid spreads, there will definitely be more than ten people interested.”

“Moreover, buying three sets could come with a rare, colored poster!” Fu Wenyu was determined to personally guide the artist to create illustrations that would captivate anyone who saw them.

Shopkeeper Zhang looked at Fu Wenyu with newfound admiration.

“Your idea is… quite something.”

He said sincerely, “Nephew, if I didn’t know your father, I’d think your family used to run a bookstore. This is excellent. There are indeed people in the city who don’t mind spending money.”

Shopkeeper Zhang immediately thought of a few wealthy patrons in the city, such as Young Master Liu and Young Master Sun, who loved stories and enjoyed gathering with friends.

“I’ll report this to the owner and give it a try.”

If this method worked, they could apply it to other stories in the store. In no time, they could double or even triple their profits. With this in mind, Shopkeeper Zhang looked at Fu Wenyu with increasing warmth.

He truly was a lucky star.