Chapter 28 Literary and Art Circles

The establishment of such an organization similar to the later Federation of Literary and Art Circles is still a big deal in Kaifeng. Although the proportion of people who can complete systematic private school education in this super city with a population of nearly 2 million is still very low, due to the special status of literati, especially the members of the jury, they are important officials of the court, which makes this incident particularly dazzling in Kaifeng in the New Year.

On the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Wang Jinghui held a banquet in the "Jinxiang Pavilion" to entertain these thirteen jury members, and finally met the four famous "Eight Great Masters of Tang and Song Dynasties" Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Su Che, and Zeng Gong, who were famous in the future. Of course, the other nine people are not small, such as the famous Sima Guang, who was famous in history. "He is still the Censorate. After the Puyi struggle, he will at least be the Chief Censor of the Censorate, right? Well, the boss of the Censorate in the future, you have to curry favor with him to save him from causing trouble for his Commercial Press!" Wang Jinghui thought silently in his heart.

These people are the most famous people Wang Jinghui wanted to see after coming to this time and space. Not to mention anything else, the name of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties" was well-known in later generations. When my grandfather taught him ancient Chinese, he read their works a lot, and of course he ate the most bamboo whips on it. Among these eight great masters, Su Shi, Su Che, and Zeng Gong can be said to be from Ouyang Xiu's disciples, and Su idol's father Su Xun's reputation was also closely related to this old man. However, Su Xun seems to be in the hospital bed and has no energy to do this, otherwise there would be another member of the "Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties" in this jury. Wang Jinghui doesn't know what kind of official Su Xun is now, but he knows that this late-achieving celebrity is now writing "Taichang Yin Ge" with others, and will die after finishing the book next year.

"Su Xun is Su's father, and he can't help him. Although he doesn't know what disease he has, he can't stand by and watch it. It's okay if he's done it. If he accidentally gets cured by me, and after he gets Wang Anshi, the jury will be really famous in history: Six of the Eight Great Masters of the Tang and Song Dynasties have worked in the jury, and it's hard not to be famous! Unfortunately, Han Yu and Liu Zongyuan were born in the Tang Dynasty. Even if I have the will, I don't have the power! But this old guy Su Xun is said to be a warlike and passionate old man!" Wang Jinghui couldn't help but fantasize about this super luxurious lineup of jury.

Among the fourteen people in a room, Wang Jinghui is the youngest, but he still saw three young men who were slightly older than him standing among a group of old men in their fifties and sixties. "Idol Su!" A light slid across Wang Jinghui's mind. Su Shi was the great writer he wanted to meet most after coming to this time and space. Although he is only twenty-seven or eight years old now, his articles are already famous all over the world. "These two young people must be Su Shi, Su Che brothers, but which one is Su Shi?" Wang Jinghui was a little stunned. After all, he had never seen what Su Shi looked like. Although the two young people in front of him looked like twin brothers, Wang Jinghui could not tell which one was his elder brother Su Shi and which one was his younger brother Su Che.

Just when Wang Jinghui was still hesitating, one of the three young men walked up to him and bowed, "You are Wang Jinghui, the owner of Commercial Press, Wang Gaizhi, right? Is Su Shi and Su Zizhan!"

After hearing this, Wang Jinghui hurriedly bowed and said, "Brother Su, I am Wang Gaizhi!" Then he saluted to the other people in the hall and said, "I am just a little bitch. I have been looking forward to all the literary seniors for a long time. Today I can be regarded as a comfort in my life!"

Because Wang Jinghui was very brave at the poetry banquet at the Dongyang County Prince's Mansion, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Sima Guang and others had read all his poetry works long ago, and they were inevitably a little young and energetic when they became famous at a young age. They were also mentally prepared for this. But after seeing Wang Jinghui, they realized how ridiculous this was: the young man in front of him did not look like the arrogance that was revealed from his bones of the literati of this era. He was ordinary and humble. If it weren't for his clothes and a more handsome face, they would have encountered a kind shopkeeper. "It's indeed a businessman!" This idea suddenly appeared in the minds of several jury members.

Since Su Shi and Su Zhe brothers are not a few years older than Wang Jinghui, they are also famous at a young age, and Wang Jinghui's poems are particularly well written, so they are particularly enthusiastic about him and take Wang Jinghui's hand to introduce him to the jury members in the hall. Except for Sima Guang, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, Su Zhe, and Zeng Gong, five of the thirteen people who knew about Sima Guang, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi, and Zeng Gong, the most surprised him among the other eight people was a middle-aged man in green. Through Su Shi's introduction, he was Wang Anshi's younger brother Wang Anguo!

Wang Jinghui didn't know much about Wang Anguo, but when Wang Anshi was presiding over the reform, his two younger brothers stood on Ouyang Xiu's side, which was really unexpected. However, Wang Anguo was the most mediocre among these people. Others had some official positions, but he was still a commoner like Wang Jinghui. However, his poems received extremely high praise in the circle of literati in Kaifeng, Biandu. Since there were very few descriptions of Wang Anguo in history books, Wang Jinghui did not know his background. He only knew that he was recommended by his friends Han Jiang and others to be a Jinshi after the ascension of Shenzong. Later, he didn't have much official position. After Lu Huiqing came to power, he found trouble to dismiss him from his office and went home. It can be said that he had no major storms in his life, and he was very dull, but his personality was very respectable.

But what puzzled Wang Jinghui was: Wang Anguo's poems were not many in later generations! He knew a poem "Qingpingle" but didn't know when it was written by Wang Anguo, so he didn't dare to plagiarize. According to the meaning of Su idol, Wang Anguo's poems were not very popular in Biandu. He also came back from Jinling for a few months, but they were praised by everyone, so he entered the jury. "It is said that he also wrote "Wang Xiaoli Collection" during his lifetime, but it was lost later. He was also a talented person buried by history! Not only is Wang Anguo's poetry good and has better character, he can be listed as a list of interactions, but this guy is a little cold to everyone and is not easy to contact with."

"The old guy Wang Anshi was in Jinling to reject the court's numerous summons on the grounds of being Ding You, which won him the praise of Qingliu. He even surpassed many older generations in terms of reputation. He was praised by the people of the time. By the way, he also taught Lu Huiqing, Cai Bian, Li Ding, Gong Yuan and other backbone of the new party, which laid a solid foundation for him to come out a few years later. When Emperor Yingzong died, Emperor Shenzong had just ascended the throne, King Anshi of Jinling was about to come out. This is the plan that he would move! This old guy seems to be all good. It seems that he will definitely be valued after Emperor Shenzong ascended the throne..." This was the first time he heard about Wang Anshi after he came to this era, and he was moved in his heart.

Su Shi introduced others to him, but except for Yan Jidao whom he knew, the other seven people had never heard of them. However, their names were all very awesome in the literati circle of Biandu, and Wang Jinghui also saluted them respectfully.

At the banquet, Wang Jinghui sat with Su Shi and Yan Jidao, who were of similar age, which made him feel like he was dreaming. Since he copied the poems of Su Shi and Yan Jidao many times, he always felt a little guilty, especially Su idol. Wang Jinghui was even more guilty: he had almost copied Su Shi's later works, and he really didn't know what kind of eternal masterpieces he could write when Su Shi failed in his later political situation...

As the master, Wang Jinghui asked Ouyang Xiu to sit in the main seat out of respect for these literary masters, but he was the first to raise his glass to say to them: "I am just a little bitch. I hope you all have more guidance! I believe that all seniors already know the purpose of inviting everyone here today. All seniors were launched by the scholars of Biandu. I believe that you are the most fair to evaluate the works presented by you as the jury. I hope that I will give you a cup here first. Here I will give you a cup!"

Everyone in the table happily raised their wine glasses and drank fine wine together. Out of the literati's psychology, they were still very proud in their hearts. After all, they were represented by everyone's public and their talents were fair to everyone. Although these literary masters here have been famous for a long time, they are still very excited.

At the banquet, everyone just toasted each other and did not mention any substantial issues. Wang Jinghui was happy. Of course, it was indispensable to recite poems and lyrics. What disappointed everyone was that although everyone was trying their best to instigate, Wang Jinghui was not as enthusiastic as at the banquet at the Prince's Mansion of Dongyang County. He just wrote two more appropriate poems.

It was not until the lights were held that the banquet ended and everyone returned with satisfaction, but Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang and Su Shi did not leave with everyone. They left Wang Jinghui to have a pot of tea in the side hall to have an in-depth conversation with him. Wang Jinghui was immediately confused when he saw this situation: he thought the banquet would pass smoothly, and he never thought that the three of them would keep him after the banquet. But there was no way. These three people, Ouyang Xiu was the leader of the literary world, Su Shi was a person he admired very much, and Sima Guang was the Zhijianyuan, which was an important goal for him to make good friends in the future. What's more, this old guy was writing "Zizhi Tongjian". This book was a book that had a great influence on the rule of emperors in later generations. Wang Jinghui even had the idea of ​​affecting him in the past. Of course, even he himself felt that this idea was a bit unrealistic. After all, he did not have the qualifications, so he chose to give up.

Of course, Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang, Su Idol, and Wang Anshi, who was far away in Jinling, can be regarded as his disciples after all calculations. This is the benefit of the head of the imperial examination. Ouyang Xiu has not been a teacher for a day, but by presiding on four imperial examinations, he has made all the disciples all over the world. It is no wonder that he can promote the ancient Chinese movement through administrative means and achieve success.

Wang Jinghui has never observed Ouyang Xiu so closely. After seeing Su Shi and Sima Guang also entered the side hall, he asked: "I would like to thank you here for your efforts to publish the works of all literati in the Commercial Press. I will need to worry more in the future! I wonder what advice do the three seniors stay here?"

After hearing this, Su Shi smiled and said, "Change it, you don't have to be so restrained. I am only a few years older than you. I dare not accept the title of 'senior'. However, the two gentlemen Ouyang and Sima can be called. If you do not abandon them, you will just call me Zizhan or Brother Su in the future!" "It's still a generous idol in Su!" Wang Jinghui exclaimed in his heart.

Ouyang Xiu also smiled and said, "It's better for Zizhan to say that, Mr. Wang doesn't have to be so polite to us! Thanks to your generous donation this time, the excellent works of many literati can be published and published in the world. Those who benefited from our three representatives are here to thank you!" After that, the three of them stood up and bowed to Wang Jinghui.

Wang Jinghui immediately stood up and stopped them and said, "This is just my duty, so why don't you have any credit? Sir, you are so disgusting!" After that, the four of them sat back on their original seats.

Wang Jinghui said: "I have experienced a hundred years of peace in the Song Dynasty, and there are endless literati and wise men. Their poetry works can be comparable to the prosperous Tang Dynasty. But in ancient books, the works of the Tang Dynasty's poets have only been 100 or 100 of them, and most of them have been lost. I don't want my works of the Song Dynasty to be lost thousands of years later, just like those of the Tang Dynasty literati, so I thought of using this method to publish the excellent essences of the works of famous masters. In this way, on the one hand, these precious works can be preserved, and on the other hand, they can also make the late-study like me who are thinking of me to read them to improve my level."

Sima Guang said: "Mr. Wang, doing this is a good thing that will benefit the present and the future, but as far as I know, the cost of printing books is huge. Although Wang is rich, can you bear this kind of expense for a long time? If Wang and Prince feel embarrassed, we have already discussed it and can take out a part of it, and we can also write to the court. If nothing unexpected happens, the court will share some of it. Although it is not much, it will also reduce your burden."

Wang Jinghui said: "Sir, just call me just to change it. As for publishing these works, please rest assured that this matter will definitely be a long-term process. I have made the Commercial Press make long-term preparations and made the most sufficient and meticulous preparations in terms of financial, material and manpower. As I said before, after entering your review, the works of the Commercial Press review agency after passing the Commercial Press review agency will not only be completely free, but we will also give the authors generous pens and encourage these literati to continue to write better works."

Seeing their faces a little confused, Wang Jinghui took a sip of tea and continued, "Although I am not carrying fame and fortune, I can be regarded as a literati, but I am still a businessman. You may be puzzled why I, a businessman, do this business that is obviously a loss-making business. In addition to being a literati, I hope that excellent works can be passed down to the world and let future generations learn from them, I also hope that those scholars from poor families can also rely on writing articles to support themselves in addition to the imperial examination. Of course, these all depend on how much money the Commercial Press has to support this matter. You are all scholars, and buying books is considered a common thing. Students would like to ask all teachers a question: How much does a book cost?"

Su Shi said: "Change it, what you said makes us a little confused. However, no matter what you say, it will be a big deal. The price difference of a book is very big. However, just looking at a very common book like "The Analects of Confucius", it costs 300 to 400 ci. Recently, the price of books has dropped, and it also costs about two or three hundred ci."

Wang Jinghui said: "Brother Zizhan, don't worry, listen to me to explain it carefully. You just said that the price of books has dropped recently, which is caused by the opening of our Commercial Press. Although the cost of printing books is extremely high for engraving, paper and hiring workers, buying and selling books is very profitable. With the money in Jiangsu and Zhejiang, the scale and strength of the two major booksellers in Yan, books have become the best tool for them to make huge profits. Let me tell you the truth, Commercial Press uses completely different techniques in the past to print books, and its speed, efficiency and cost are unmatched by those woodblock printing. If you were not afraid of bankruptcy and bankruptcy in a large number of workshops using old-fashioned woodblock printing, the current price of books is at most 80-literature! Bulk books like "The Analects of Confucius" are only thirty or forty cents. If the price of paper is reduced, the cost will be further reduced!"

After hearing Wang Jinghui's words, Ouyang Xiu, Su Shi and Sima Guang were all shocked. The tricks in printing books were unknown to them, such as the talented writers, but even fools can see the difference between the price of books of three to four hundred and four hundred and eighty cents.

Wang Jinghui said: "Many people may question that I instructed the Commercial Press to do a business that Jingwei reclaimed the sea and published excellent works of literati for free. In addition to gaining certain benefits from the court, this kind of thing is a completely prodigal matter from head to toe. Some people even think that if I do this, I will interrupt this matter in addition to pleasing the court."

After hearing this, Ouyang Xiu and the others smiled and thought to themselves: Can you get other benefits? Ouyang Xiu, Sima Guang and others did not understand Wang Jinghui's character, because they were afraid that he would leave after pleading with the court. But they had no other good solutions, so they stayed to have a more open conversation with Wang Jinghui. They thought that Wang Jinghui's doing this was undoubtedly a great thing for the scholars of the Song Dynasty, but it cost a lot. Even the richest people in the Song Dynasty dared not try it easily. So in order to continue this, they would pay for themselves and even write to the court to allocate special funds to support it. But they also knew that the court's finances are now in a tight situation, and even allocating special funds is a drop in the bucket. They also wanted to know Wang Jinghui's true thoughts and make plans in the future.
Chapter completed!