Chapter 266
Chapter 266
Just as Bing'er was about to display her skills, Huang Feng suddenly burst into the room. And closed his eyes in agony.
‘Why is this the kind of master I serve? Before, I wanted to pierce my own ears to block out his vulgar words, but I wanted to keep my eyes. I don't want to go blind.’
Shen Lang asked in an angry voice.
“What is it?”
“A eunuch from Prince Wu's estate has requested an audience.”
Shen Lang was startled. For one of Ning Zheng's confidants to visit in the middle of the night, something must have happened. Soon after, Shen Lang dressed again and went to the reception hall to meet his guest.
“Young Master Shen, Young Master Jin Mucong has been taken to the Wannian County Magistrate's Office.”
The capital was divided into two counties: Ping'an and Wannian. While other cities were also divided into two regions, often separated by a main road, they were usually called districts. Only in the capital were these two administrative divisions called counties. This alone showed that the new policies targeted more than just the deep-rooted aristocracy; they aimed to separate civil and military powers, with future plans to change commanderies into prefectures and cities into counties.
Returning to the matter at hand, Shen Lang frowned the moment he heard the news.
‘Jin Mucong was arrested?’
“What on earth did he do to be arrested by the Wannian County Magistrate?”
The prince's eunuch replied.
“He is accused of forcing himself on a woman from a respectable family.”
Shen Lang couldn't believe it.
‘The fatty? Forcing himself on a respectable woman? Is that even possible? I'd sooner believe a rooster could lay an egg than believe the fatty would force himself on a woman. That kind, earnest, timid boy.’
Shen Lang's expression turned murderous in an instant as he asked the eunuch.
“Is someone framing him?”
“He was definitely caught in bed. Moreover... he was in the act at the time! He was completely naked when they arrested him.”
‘What?! Th-That's impossible!’
Shen Lang was utterly stunned.
* * *
Since coming to the capital, Jin Mucong had been on his best behavior. He followed all of Shen Lang's instructions.
“Don't go to brothels. They might harm you. Don't go out to eat with others. If someone collapses in front of you on the street—be it an old woman, an old man, or a beautiful lady—ignore them. Whether you're in the Imperial Academy or at Prince Wu Ning Zheng's estate, don't wander off on your own. Even if you make friends in the Imperial Academy, no matter who they are, don't go out alone with any one of them.”
Although Jin Mucong loved to have fun, he had treated his brother-in-law's warnings like law for the past few months. He was determined not to cause any trouble for his family or his brother-in-law. After *Battle Through the Heavens: A Tale of Wind and Moon* became a huge hit, Jin Mucong's popularity exploded. Nearly every day, people came to the Imperial Academy to press him for the next manuscript, and many of the less academically inclined students became his fans. Of course, the word 'fan' didn't exist in this world.
Jin Mucong had countless readers and followers, but only one true friend. That person was Yu Fangzhou, the owner of the Heavenly Wind Bookstore, the man who had published Jin Mucong's book. Yu Fangzhou owned five bookstores in the capital, but his business was not particularly large. Furthermore, the bookstore business in the capital was fiercely competitive, so Yu Fangzhou's financial situation was average, earning him only a small profit. Of course, even a small profit meant a net income of several hundred gold coins a year, so he lived quite comfortably. While not wealthy, he lived a life of reasonable contentment.
However, last year he had run into trouble and had to pay a large sum of money. It was because of *The Eastern Departure Chronicle*. That book was the most extraordinary work published in the Great Yan Dynasty, a tale of the world's strongest masters and a legendary biography of Lord Jiang Li of the Great Qian Kingdom. The book spanned ten volumes and contained over one and a half million characters. It achieved astronomical sales throughout the Great Yan Dynasty, and while no one knew the exact number, it had clearly set an unprecedented record. Even with the passage of time, no one would likely ever surpass its sales, not even a book written by Shen Lang.
However, a decade or so ago, the emperor of the Great Yan Empire issued an edict banning the public sale of *The Chronicle of the Eastern Departure* in any nation. From then on, the book became a nationally banned text. Zhang Chong once said, what kind of book is the most popular in the world? Naturally, it's a banned book. For the past ten years, every bookstore had been secretly selling *The Chronicle of the Eastern Departure*, and Yu Fangzhou's Heavenly Wind Bookstore was no exception. A long time had passed since it was banned, so the court had been turning a blind eye. Besides, this was the State of Yue, not the Great Yan Empire.
But last year, a prince of the Great Yan Empire visited the State of Yue to inspect the public sentiment. Seeing that many bookstores along the streets were still secretly selling *The Chronicle of the Eastern Departure*, he became furious. Only then did the State of Yue's court take action. Numerous government offices raided the bookstores, confiscating and burning all copies of *The Chronicle of the Eastern Departure*. Not only that, but any bookstore found hiding and selling the book was ordered to pay a hefty fine.
Of course, resourceful booksellers heard the news in advance and removed the book from their shops. But Yu Fangzhou of the Heavenly Wind Bookstore had no connections and didn't hear the news. As a result, the ten thousand copies of *The Chronicle of the Eastern Departure* he had in stock were all confiscated and burned. That wasn't the worst of it; the key issue was that he had to pay a fine of one thousand gold coins. Even that wasn't the biggest problem. The real decisive blow was when petty officials from the government offices came to extort money from him—all the low-ranking officials from the Wannian County Magistrate's Office came to his bookstore to squeeze him for cash.
He was extorted for a full eight thousand gold coins, which was his entire fortune. The petty officials were always like this. They would squeeze every last drop of a person's blood and sweat, only letting go after their victim had coughed up everything they owned. And so, Yu Fangzhou was driven to bankruptcy. On top of that, several books he had recently published had all failed, pushing him into a corner. It was at that moment that Jin Mucong appeared in the capital. He was carrying a manuscript, looking for a bookstore to publish *Battle Through the Heavens: A Tale of Wind and Moon*.
Since the previous book Jin Mucong and Shen Lang wrote, *The Golden Lotus: A Tale of Wind and Moon*, had been incredibly popular, the pen name 'The Scoffing Scholar of Langling' was practically a guarantee of sales. So, as soon as word spread that Jin Mucong was publishing a book, people flocked to his door, nearly wearing down his threshold. Nearly every bookseller came calling, waving gold coins, offering better and better terms, and even promising to pay the breach of contract fee if he had already signed with another bookstore.
Why would they go to such lengths? Because whoever published that book would see their bookstore's popularity soar, and with more customers coming in, the sales of their other books would also increase. Do you know how many copies of *The Golden Lotus: A Tale of Wind and Moon* had been sold in the State of Yue? A whopping two hundred thousand copies! These were astronomical sales.
Among the booksellers who came to see Jin Mucong, Yu Fangzhou of the Heavenly Wind Bookstore was the poorest and offered the worst terms. He had no real hope and had only come to try his luck. But unexpectedly, the loyal and kind-hearted Jin Mucong chose Yu Fangzhou. Because he seemed the most miserable. As a result, the book *Battle Through the Heavens: A Tale of Wind and Moon* also became a huge hit and sold exceptionally well.
Numerous high officials and nobles bought the book, took it home to read, and then cursed, screaming that they had been deceived. Some even burned the book immediately. Because the book severely damaged the image they held in their hearts of The Scoffing Scholar of Langling. However, another group absolutely loved *Battle Through the Heavens: A Tale of Wind and Moon*. Literate young men, martial artists, and even literate merchants and errand boys became completely engrossed in the book.
Within three months of its publication, the book sold over a hundred thousand copies, with thirty thousand sold in the capital alone. Yu Fangzhou had now struck it rich. Just by publishing this one book, he had earned over two thousand gold coins, an amount equal to his profits from the past several years. More importantly, it had greatly enhanced the reputation of the Heavenly Wind Bookstore and boosted the sales of other books it published.
Many wealthy merchants invested in his bookstore, helping him expand. In just three short months, his five bookstores in the capital had grown to fifteen. Furthermore, the expansion of bookstores into other commanderies was proceeding in an orderly fashion. So, while the direct profit from the book might not have been enormous, the indirect profits were immense, and it had elevated his bookstore from near the bottom to the forefront of the industry.
Jin Mucong had told him that *Battle Through the Heavens: A Tale of Wind and Moon* was over five million characters long in total, enough to publish more than thirty volumes. Publishing this series was therefore a massive windfall, and Yu Fangzhou was deeply grateful for the kindness Jin Mucong had shown him. How great a favor was it for Jin Mucong to have saved his business and his family? Moreover, being of noble birth, Jin Mucong wasn't particularly greedy for money and didn't take a large royalty from the book's sales. This made Yu Fangzhou even more grateful to him.
He often tried to invite Jin Mucong to his home for a meal. However, Jin Mucong remembered his brother-in-law's warning and never dined at anyone's home except for Prince Wu's. Yu Fangzhou invited him dozens of times, but Jin Mucong never went. Eventually, Yu Fangzhou started coming to the Imperial Academy every day to talk with Jin Mucong. They talked about everything under the sun, found they were kindred spirits, and became close friends. He was the first friend Jin Mucong had ever made.
Yesterday, Yu Fangzhou invited Jin Mucong to his home for dinner again, and Jin Mucong, remembering his brother-in-law's words, refused once more. Yu Fangzhou said he understood but looked extremely dejected. He then said with an expression of inferiority that he had been thoughtless, questioning how a dignified heir to a count's estate, soon to be the heir to a marquisate, could possibly associate with a mere merchant.
Jin Mucong learned that yesterday was the birthday of Yu Fangzhou's elderly mother. His family had been preparing since morning, setting a large table with delicious dishes, and had invited only Jin Mucong as their guest. If Jin Mucong didn't go, how heartbroken would Yu Fangzhou's family be? How could they possibly bring themselves to eat the feast they had prepared? At last, the soft-hearted Jin Mucong accepted his invitation. After all, Yu Fangzhou was a good friend with whom he could speak openly.
After arriving at Yu Fangzhou's house, his family treated Jin Mucong with the warmth and affection one would show a family member. Having been away from home for several months, Jin Mucong felt a sense of warmth from them. The food on the table was also delicious, so Jin Mucong ate with great enthusiasm and even had two cups of wine. Soon after, he began to feel dizzy, and his whole body grew hot, as if it were drying out. The wine had been drugged. At the time, he didn't know what it was, but he instinctively sensed danger and immediately stood up to say his goodbyes and leave. But Yu Fangzhou forcibly supported him, led him to a room, and laid him down on the bed.