Chapter 26

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Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of the promise written there.

In the midst of this, under Zhou Chong's hint, Manager Xu pretended to slip up and inadvertently revealed that "Journey to the West" was written by his young master, Zhou Chong. Additionally, through the hands of Zheng Jing, Zhang Kuang, and Li Zheng, the first few chapters of "Journey to the West" began to circulate among the literati. Although some stubborn old scholars believed that Zhou Chong's writing was a distraction from his studies, the vast majority of the literati praised "Journey to the West," and even the stubborn old scholars had to admit that it was a book worthy of being passed down to future generations.

Previously, the Zhou family's bankruptcy and the forced annulment of their engagement by the Song family had twice pushed Zhou Chong to the forefront of public opinion in Songjiang Prefecture. However, no one expected that just a few days later, Zhou Chong would once again become the focus of everyone's discussion, and the "prodigy" halo around him would shine even brighter.

Originally, Zhou Chong and Manager Xu planned to tell the story up to the sixth chapter of "Journey to the West," where Sun Wukong wreaks havoc in Heaven, is betrayed by Laozi, and is finally captured by Erlang Shen and taken to the execution platform. They intended to stop there and wait for the book publishers to come to them to buy the manuscript.

However, they underestimated the enormous influence of "Journey to the West." The number of guests at Fengyou Teahouse kept increasing, and the teahouse owner, Mr. Liu, had to change the layout of the teahouse and add more tables. Moreover, the identity of the guests who came to listen to the story became increasingly high, with many wealthy merchants and literati becoming regulars at the teahouse. Even some officials used their free time to come and listen to the story, and eventually, even the current Prefect of Songjiang, Mr. Xu, was attracted, causing quite a stir.

As the fame of "Journey to the West" spread, many storytellers came to hear the story and then spread it further. In this era, there was no concept of intellectual property protection, and everyone considered this normal, even thinking it helped the author gain fame. In fact, in this era of underdeveloped information, these storytellers did indeed help "Journey to the West" spread more widely, and the story had already reached Suzhou and Hangzhou, spreading rapidly throughout the Ming Dynasty.

Considering the large number of people willing to listen to "Journey to the West" and the significant impact it had, Zhou Chong and Manager Xu decided that telling only the first six chapters was not enough. Additionally, Zhou Chong realized that the content of the storytelling and the manuscript had significant differences. Therefore, after discussing it, they decided to no longer hide the subsequent content but to tell it openly, to avoid offending people. Moreover, the real manuscript was in their hands, and the book publishers would have to come to them if they wanted to publish it.

Indeed, as "Journey to the West" spread widely through the storytellers, more and more people became interested in the manuscript. The local literati of Songjiang Prefecture were fortunate because they could visit Zhou Chong at the Zhou residence and request a copy of the manuscript. At first, Zhou Chong was very happy and personally received each visitor. However, as the number of visitors increased, Zhou Chong was forced to come up with a solution. He spread the first ten chapters of "Journey to the West" through Zheng Jing, Li Zheng, and Zhang Kuang, and claimed that the remaining manuscript was not yet complete. He said he would be writing in seclusion and hoped not to be disturbed, which finally deterred the visitors. Only when Zheng Jing and the others came did Zhou Chong personally receive them.

In a warm pavilion next to the main hall of the Zhou residence, Zhou Chong and Zheng Jing sat opposite each other, with a few dishes of food and wine on the table. A young man with a long face sat between them, smiling and toasting Zhou Chong.

"Wen Da, I have been studying in Suzhou, and only a few days ago did I hear your name from my father. Later, I had the honor of seeing your handwritten "Journey to the West" from Ming Lun, which I admire greatly. I have been pestering Ming Lun to bring me to visit you, and today my wish has finally come true!" The young man with the long face, who called himself Mr. Xu, said with a smile, clearly eager to befriend Zhou Chong.

The young man with the long face who came with Zheng Jing was named Xu Shenzhong, and he had an extraordinary background. His father was the Prefect of Songjiang, making him a typical "second-generation official" in modern terms. However, this "second-generation official" was far more capable than his modern counterparts. The Xu family was originally from Suzhou, and Xu Shenzhong was born in Suzhou. He had lived in Songjiang for a while with his father and returned to Suzhou in his teens. He studied calligraphy under one of the Four Talents of Wu, Zhu Zhishan, and at the age of twenty-four, he passed the provincial examination, becoming a well-known figure in Suzhou.

"Mr. Xu is a great talent, especially in cursive script, which he has mastered from Master Zhu Zhishan. Even Tang Jieyuan praised Mr. Xu's calligraphy as having captured seventy percent of Master Zhu's essence." Zheng Jing brought Xu Shenzhong to introduce Zhou Chong to more friends, which would be beneficial for his future endeavors.

Zhou Chong naturally understood Zheng Jing's good intentions, and since Xu Shenzhong was the son of Prefect Xu and a provincial scholar, it was important to befriend him. Therefore, Zhou Chong smiled and said, "Mr. Xu is too kind. Suzhou has always been a place of talented people, and it is home to great talents like Prefect Xu and Mr. Xu. I have long admired you and hope to visit Suzhou and Hangzhou one day. I will need your help to introduce me to the local scene!"

Hearing that Zhou Chong intended to visit Suzhou and Hangzhou, Xu Shenzhong was even more delighted. He laughed and said, "If Wen Da visits Suzhou, I will treat you to some of the best places and introduce you to some of our local scholars, such as my teacher, Master Zhu Zhishan, and Tang Jieyuan, Nanfeng Jushi, and others..."

When it came to the culture and people of Suzhou, Xu Shenzhong became quite animated, talking endlessly. Although it seemed a bit impolite, his eagerness to visit and his frankness indicated that he was a straightforward person, making him a good friend to have.

Since Zhou Chong had been busy with family matters after his穿越, he had not interacted much with the outside world and was not very familiar with the situation in various parts of the Ming Dynasty. Therefore, he was very interested in the information Xu Shenzhong provided, often asking follow-up questions, which made Xu Shenzhong even more enthusiastic. As a result, the two had a very pleasant conversation, and Zhou Chong gained a lot of useful information, while Xu Shenzhong was also very happy.

From Xu Shenzhong, Zhou Chong learned a lot about the situation in Suzhou during the Ming Dynasty. He knew that Suzhou was already a famous land of fish and rice, rich in resources, and an important agricultural and economic center in the south. It was also the residence of the governor of Yingtian Prefecture, with a rich cultural atmosphere that had produced many scholars from Wu, such as the famous Tang Bohu and Zhu Zhishan, who were living in Suzhou at the time, though their circumstances were not ideal.

The two talked from morning until afternoon, and finally, Xu Shenzhong revealed his main purpose for the visit: "Wen Da, next month is my teacher, Master Zhu Zhishan's birthday. I haven't decided what to give him as a birthday gift, but after seeing 'Journey to the West,' I really like it. I want to personally copy a manuscript of 'Journey to the West' and give it to him. However, only the first few chapters have been circulated, so I am here to ask for your help, Wen Da!"

Hearing Xu Shenzhong's request, Zhou Chong looked hesitant. Zheng Jing, seeing this, thought Zhou Chong was unwilling to lend the manuscript and quickly said, "Wen Da, Master Zhu Zhishan has a humorous personality and enjoys strange tales. Xu Shenzhong believes that Master Zhu will definitely love your 'Journey to the West,' so he asked me to come and request a copy."

However, Zhou Chong smiled bitterly and said, "Ming Lun, you misunderstand. I feel a deep connection with Xu Shenzhong, and I wouldn't hesitate to share a novel. However, I have only written up to the thirtieth chapter of 'Journey to the West,' with an estimated seventy more chapters to go, totaling over 600,000 words. Even the first thirty chapters, which are about 100,000 words, would be difficult for one person to copy in the month before Master Zhu's birthday."

Hearing Zhou Chong agree to his request, Xu Shenzhong was delighted, but when he heard the subsequent explanation, he frowned. 100,000 words was a significant amount, and he could only stay in Songjiang for ten days before returning to Suzhou. Copying the first thirty chapters in ten days was almost impossible.

Zheng Jing, a longtime friend of Xu Shenzhong, was also worried for him. However, Zhou Chong soon smiled and said, "Xu Shenzhong, how about this: I have just finished the first thirty chapters, and we have three people here. Why don't we each take ten chapters to copy, and we'll try to finish as quickly as possible. Then, you can present the manuscript as a birthday gift to Master Zhu, as a token of our respect."

"Brilliant!" Zheng Jing exclaimed, closing his fan with a snap. Master Zhu Zhishan, though not successful in his career, was a well-respected scholar in Wu, and Zheng Jing had always admired him. He had visited Suzhou before and had prepared a birthday gift to give through Xu Shenzhong, but now Zhou Chong's idea seemed even better.

Xu Shenzhong was also overjoyed. He was confident that his teacher would love "Journey to the West," and the content was the key. Who copied it probably wouldn't matter to his teacher.

Thinking this, Xu Shenzhong nodded in agreement. Zhou Chong then brought out the first thirty chapters of the manuscript, and each of the three took ten chapters. However, Zheng Jing and Xu Shenzhong seemed to have agreed beforehand, competing to take the last twenty chapters and eagerly reading them at the table. They had already read the first ten chapters and were eager to know what happened next.

However, it was already late, and the sun was setting. Zheng Jing, the more composed of the two, was the first to realize this and pulled Xu Shenzhong, who was still engrossed in the book, to say goodbye to Zhou Chong. Zhou Chong personally saw them to the door.

Just as Zheng Jing and Xu Shenzhong were about to leave, a carriage slowly approached from the distance, heading for the Zhou residence's gate.

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(End of the page)