northernbook Chapter 64, 2nd Edition
Chapter 64, 2nd Edition
Chapter Sixty-Four, Second Edition
"You actually did it?"
Inside the Hall of Four Mirrors and Three Brightnesses, Chen Sijun stared wide-eyed at the manuscript and the printed copy in Ye Ru's hand, her face filled with shock.
The other scholars also looked incredulous. They had originally heard Chen Sijun say that Ye Ru's idea of creating printing technology was just youthful ambition.
But today, Ye Ru proved to them with his actions that he really can do it!
Before them, the boy slightly raised his head, sunlight shining on his face, revealing a well-defined face.
This young man was undoubtedly Ye Ru. After he finished making the printed material, he came to the Four Mirrors and Three Brightnesses Hall to have Chen Sijun take a look and see if it was consistent with the publishing style in the Holy Academy.
"Old Chen, let me take a look!"
Pang Jun was the first to speak up.
"Exactly! Good things should be shared with everyone!"
Song Feng couldn't help but say something too.
"Old Chen, you don't mean to follow in the footsteps of the great scholar Chen and try to keep this manuscript for yourself, do you?"
Li Wenfeng snorted coldly, staring at Chen Sijun, seemingly also preparing to snatch it.
"Don't judge me by my own petty standards. I just wanted to be the first reader of Ye Ru's novel. How could I possibly steal the manuscript!"
Chen Sijun gripped the manuscript tightly, speaking with a fierce but weak tone.
"Tch, who doesn't know you? You have an extremely eccentric personality. And you're Chen Daru's disciple, so you must have inherited Chen Daru's personality!"
Li Wenfeng pursed his lips and whispered.
"Old Li, do you believe I'll report you to Master Chen?"
Chen Sijun was furious and immediately retorted sharply.
Ye Ru smiled wryly, not daring to say more. These scholars each had their own unique temperaments, and he might offend someone if he spoke.
These words immediately silenced Li Wenfeng's anger. Chen Sijun said:
"Let me see first."
"Look quickly!"
Song Feng, who had a bad temper, urged him on.
"Really, you're so slow at reading. I really don't know if you're a scholar or a child."
In their eagerness to see Ye Ru's manuscript, the scholars almost came to blows, which made Ye Ru somewhat embarrassed.
After reading the manuscript, Chen Sijun gave it to Pang Jun, who then passed it on to the next person. However, after reading it, they all seemed to want more and looked as if they wanted to read it again.
Chen Sijun, meanwhile, stroked his beard and savored the flavor.
"This novel is mainly set against the backdrop of Jiang Ziya assisting the Zhou Dynasty in overthrowing the Shang Dynasty. It focuses on the story of the human race, represented by Yuanshi Tianzun of the Jade Void Palace, and the demon race, represented by the Demon Emperor of the Yama Palace, fighting wits and courage, breaking through formations, slaying generals, and becoming saints."
"This novel uses King Wu's conquest of King Zhou as its timeline. The content is vast and fantastical, starting with Nuwa's offering of incense and ending with King Wu of Zhou enfeoffing the feudal lords. The storylines such as Nezha's battle with the sea, Jiang Ziya's descent from the mountain, King Wen's visit to the wise, the three attempts to seize the Investiture of the Gods, and the battles between the four races of humans, demons, monsters, and dragons are particularly intriguing and make me eager to read it."
Pang Jun looked at Ye Ru with a face full of surprise.
"I never expected Ye Ru to be so well-read and have such a rich and unique imagination. Using the Western Zhou Dynasty and the struggle between King Zhou of Shang for control of the world as a backdrop, with a blend of fiction and reality, this novel is likely to further ignite the people's passion for demons and joining the army. This novel is not only a popular read for the common people, but also a book that educates all people. It would be a great pity if it were not published. It is just a pity that we are too insignificant to get you the right to publish the book."
A look of shame and indignation appeared on Li Wenfeng's face. Clearly, he also harbored considerable resentment towards those who were up to no good in the Holy Academy.
“We will petition the Holy Court again in the future to request you to grant us publishing rights. If you do not comply, we will sit at the gates of the Holy Court for good.”
Chen Sijun clenched her fists, slammed them on the table, and said.
“Ye Tongsheng, a gentleman does not take what others cherish. We don’t need the manuscript anymore. Could you publish a copy for us? I would also like to see how long it takes to publish five books with your new printing technology.”
Liu Yan clasped his hands in a fist salute to Ye Ru.
These words undoubtedly drew eye rolls from everyone. If they wanted the book, they should have just said so; why beat around the bush like that?
"When the Holy Academy used that printing technology to produce the first book, it took a full two hours and consumed a lot of resources."
Pang Jun thought for a moment and said.
"I don't know how long your printing technique can be used, especially without any help."
"If it takes too little time, and the Holy Academy finds out, it might cause another upheaval. The Holy Journal is about to go on pre-sale, so I need to hurry and buy a copy tomorrow."
Chen Sijun knew that Ye Ru's poems and articles published in this issue of "Sacred Journal" were probably on the front page, so she could keep them.
"Thank you for your kind invitation, gentlemen. I will print five copies as a gift for you."
Ye Ru thought for a moment and then said:
"Please have a chat for a while, I will go to the inner room to get the seal."
"Master Ye, please wait a moment. We've been thinking about it and we have a favor to ask."
"Please speak."
Ye Ru raised an eyebrow, stopped in his tracks, and asked in confusion.
"Could you..."
Chen Sijun gritted her teeth and then said:
"Professor Ye, could you allow the five of us to jointly write a preface? This book is of extremely high value, the finest example of popular fiction. Many of its stories are brilliantly structured and captivating. If it were to be circulated in the market, I fear it would be in high demand and short supply, so..."
Chen Sijun found it hard to say.
It was already against etiquette and social status for five successful candidates in the imperial examinations to write a preface for a book written by a mere student.
However, the other party's works did not make them feel ashamed at all; on the contrary, they felt extremely honored.
“A gentleman helps others achieve their goals, and you have been kind to me. A small act of kindness should be repaid with a great one. Sir, please write it down first, and I will go to print it. Once you have finished writing it, please give it to me so that it can be added to the next print.”
Seeing the five people's nervous expressions, Ye Ru naturally knew what they wanted to do. They had already seen the value of this book, and if there was a chance to publish it, it would definitely be extremely sought after, greatly increasing their literary fame. Writing their prefaces would not only enhance their literary reputation, but might also allow them to take a further step on the path of sainthood.
Upon hearing this, Chen Sijun and the other four bowed gratefully to Ye Ru, savoring the meaning of "a drop of kindness should be repaid with a spring of gratitude."
A little later, they took out calligraphy brushes that could write small characters and began to write.
Ye Ru then went into the inner room, took out the materials and products needed for printing, and finally began to continue printing "Investiture of the Gods".
In this adaptation of "Investiture of the Gods," Ye Ru added Chen Zhonglin and Lu Xixing to the storyline, making them the final deities bestowed upon the great Confucian scholars as a tribute and expression of gratitude.
Finally, he decided to print this version as the second edition.
The first edition and the manuscript were of great significance to him, so he decided to keep them for himself.
Thanks to the convenience of movable type printing, Ye Ru printed all five copies in just half an hour. Moreover, with printing experience, this edition was even more exquisite than the previous one.
After the ink dried completely, Ye Ru walked towards the hall.
At this moment, Chen Sijun and the others were racking their brains to write the preface. Afterwards, they wanted to have a sip of tea, but when they turned around and saw the five books in Ye Ru's hands, their bodies froze instantly, and an incredulous voice slowly spread out:
"Five books published so quickly?"