Chapter 99 Fame, Fortune
At noon, in the study room of the front yard of the King of Xiyang Mansion, Xiyang Wang Yuwen Wen was sobering up. The mansion held a banquet and banqueting guests, including Liu Zhuo and Liu Xuan, who were known as the "Two Lius". They drank unknowingly when they were in a happy mood.
If the prince's chief Li Gang hadn't made a quick decision to persuade Yuwen Wen to change clothes, he would probably have been drunk for a few more drinks. By then, he would lose his composure after drinking, which would have turned a good thing into a bad thing.
Liu Zhuo and Liu Xuan are famous scholars of the times. Now that the two Lius gather in Xiyang, it can be regarded as a grand event in Shannan literary world, attracting the attention of many scholars. If Yu Wen Wen makes a fool of himself at a banquet, it would be like running naked in public, instantly becoming famous all over the world.
"Ah, ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh..." Yuwen Wen lay on the couch and hummed. I don't know if he was singing or talking, Xiao Jiuniang smiled helplessly and took out a hot towel from the copper basin to apply her face to her husband.
"Erlang, will you still attend later?"
"Go, of course you have to go. The banquet has not ended yet. I have not recited three hundred poems for my husband. How can I not go?"
In the mansion, Yuwen Wenke had never recited poems, and Xiao Jiuniang didn't remember that his husband had recited poems when he was away. He just thought it was just talking nonsense after drinking. He was wiping his face, but his hand was caught by the other party.
"ah…"
It's afternoon now, and after Xiao Jiuniang was worried that Yuwen Wen would be "reformed on the spot", Li Gang, the chief of the royal family, would like to advise Yuwen Wen not to ask for anything in the daytime.
As a result, she thought too much. Yuwen Wen held her hand and rubbed it happily:
"Oh, with this master, those little guys will have good teachers in the future. At that time, they will teach them archery and horses for their husbands, and two Lius will teach them knowledge. They are really both civil and military, and they will all be good in the future!"
Who doesn’t want their children to become talented? Xiao Jiuniang knows the name of Er Liu. When she heard Yuwen Wen say this, she also became a little imaginative. The third child who was born to Yuwen Wen is still young this year and has to wait for a few years to study, and the eldest child is not yet that age.
"Erlang, will the two Dr. Liu live in Xiyang for a long time?"
"Who knows? After all, if they want to leave, I can't force them to stay. But Jiu Niang doesn't worry, since the person has come, he won't leave easily."
Yuwen Wen hummed, and was in a good mood. Liu Xuan came to Xiyang to "take a look" at the invitation of Liu Zhuo, a friend and classmate, but he was confident that he would stay.
Liu Zhuo gave him a brief introduction in advance. Liu Xuan came to Xiyang and would never stay for a few days and leave. Although Yuwen Wen did not use the bait for the officialdom and asked Liu Zhuo to "fish" Liu Xuan, the other bait was very powerful.
The publishing industry in Xiyang is becoming more and more prosperous. In order to open up the market, book merchants are now looking for various books everywhere. Even if they cannot buy them, they have to borrow money. They spend money to borrow books from bookkeepers from various places to copy them, and then print and publish them.
This involves a problem of teaching and errata. After all, most of the books passed down these days have been through hundreds of years and are hand-written books. It is inevitable that there will be mistakes and omissions, so there must be an "expert" to help booksellers check it out.
Since it is a check-up, there must be always a gift. It is too vulgar to say that "wage" is too difficult, and the difficulty of proofreading books is high and low. When it comes to various classics, there will be no less gifts.
For merchants, after the book is proofread correctly, as long as the plate is completed, it will be a lot of money. Therefore, the thank-you gifts to the proofreader are very generous. If Liu Zhuo's proofreading performance, dozens of traffic per month are not a problem.
This is the result of Liu Zhuo taking time to proofread the book. If he is "full-time", his income will at least double. So the reason why Liu Zhuo invited Liu Xuan to Xiyang is "Oh, I'm really too busy proofreading the book in Xiyang, so you can do something for me!"
The income from proofreading books is very high, but the premise is that the proofreader has good knowledge, and there are many mistakes in the contents of various classics, and even a book has several different versions. Therefore, you have to figure out the twists and turns in it so that you will not be questioned by knowledgeable people after publication, and then make it ridiculous.
If Liu Xuan, who is well-known all over the world, is willing to come to Xiyang to help proofread books, then the book merchants will be reluctant to seek it because this is a golden word.
In recent years, Liu Zhuo has been in Xiyang. Not only did he study for Yuwen Wen's school club, but the booksellers in Xiyang City can ask this famous scholar of classics to "help"; similarly, if Liu Xuan came to Xiyang, as long as he was willing, not only to go to the school club, but other bookstores would come to ask him for "help" and the "money route" was bright.
Hearing this, Xiao Jiuniang asked, "Erlang, Dr. Liu... the new Dr. Liu really wants to go to Xiyang to craft books or give lectures?"
"Of course, both proofreading and lectures will have a lot of income. As long as Liu Guangbo is willing to teach, scholars from Shannan will definitely flock to them."
Xiao Jiuniang didn't quite understand what it means to be like "fog", but she heard the implication from Yuwen Wen's words: "Is it because Liu Guangbo's family is in a difficult situation and he wants to travel thousands of miles to Huangzhou to proofread books to support his family?"
"What else? Tao Yuanming could not bow down for five dou of rice because he had a guaranteed family property. His grandfather became a Grand Sima, and the family's wealth left behind was somewhat different, which was not something ordinary people could compare to."
Yuwen Wen's alcohol dissipated a little, and his thinking logic returned to normal: "In fact, the two Dr. Liu's family background is average, no matter how much knowledge is, they can't be eaten, right?"
"Does it cost money to interact with relatives and friends? Do you need to spend money when traveling with others? Not to mention that the career path of Dr. Liu is not smooth, relying on the little bit of money to support the family can only live a tight life."
"That's it... I thought that the two Dr. Liu were so knowledgeable that they must be valued by the court..."
In Xiao Jiuniang's imagination, people who can afford to study and concentrate on studying must have a good family background. A famous scholar like Er Liu, who thinks he will be attracted by the court, will definitely have a lot of salary.
As a result, Liu Xuan was invited to Xiyang, which seemed to be a factor of money. She was a little surprised for a moment and thought that the other party was coming for Yuwen Wen's name.
Yuwen Wen sighed: "Studying and being good at being an official is the wish of all scholars, but how easy is it? If you have a bad background, no matter how good your knowledge is, you can't talk about it."
"If you want to become an official, you either rely on the recommendation of a knowledgeable person or the recruitment of local officials. Of course, if the emperor personally recruits, it will be able to be in one step, but how easy is this?"
"I won't talk about the emperor's level for now. If you want to recruit local officials, you have to let others know that you are talented and knowledgeable. The two Dr. Liu are famous, but they are only studying in the state to be a doctorate. Are they willing to do it?"
"Who doesn't want to exchange your knowledge for fame and fortune for decades? Of course, the other way is to join the army, but do you think the two Dr. Liu have the ability?"
"Without being a great family, without the help of relatives, and without the appreciation of high-ranking officials, what's the use of having knowledge and fame? What can they do except teach in their hometown and rely on support for their families?"
Hearing this, Xiao Jiuniang was silent. This was the case in Liang State. The civil and military officials were divided into 18 classes. Even if people with poor family backgrounds work hard, it would be difficult for them to become high-ranking officials.
"When Liu Shiyuan came to Xiyang, I did not make a wish to be appointed as an official, but I could let him do his best to study, make him have a rich income through his knowledge, and make him continue to become famous all over the world by proofreading books or publishing books."
"So, Liu Guangbo came to Xiyang because he had learned from the past. I also did not make a wish to be appointed as an official, but he also had the opportunity to have what Liu Zhuo could have. That's enough."
As a human being, you have to see how much you weigh. When it comes to being an official and making a wish, Yuwen Wen’s capital is not as good as his father Yuwen Liang. The title of King Xiyang is not easy to use, so he has to use his expertise to attract scholars who are hopeless but unwilling to be lonely in the career.
Fame and fortune, at least it can guarantee the "profit" of scholars and also give scholars the opportunity to become more famous.
When a great scholar teaches in Huangzhou, he will attract more students, so Yuwen Wen can take the opportunity to engage in the "student economy"; with the gimmick of "famous teachers' school books", Huangzhou's bookstores will be more competitive.
Everyone is rich and mutually beneficial. As for official positions, Yuwen Wen is not strong enough and has no confidence to recommend it; secondly...
Chapter completed!