Chapter 18

Fang Yun never expected his uncle to be so bold. A Marquis was equivalent to a Grand Scholar, capable of breaking through a city's defenses alone, and was extremely powerful.

"Thank you, Uncle, for rescuing me. I was worried I couldn't go to the Prefecture Academy. With your words, I can go to Dayuan Prefecture with peace of mind." Fang Yun immediately stood up to express his gratitude.

Fang Shouye laughed and said, "It's rare for our Dayuan Fang family to produce a Scholar-Child before the Sage. How could I let you die in vain? However, although Liu Zicheng doesn't dare to kill you, he will certainly undermine your literary reputation. He ranked in the top ten in the Prefecture Examination and has been to the Book Mountain. His literary reputation and talent are commendable. Moreover, he is also at the Prefecture Academy, so you need to be careful. As long as he doesn't use extreme measures, I can't take action against him again."

"I understand. But could you tell me more about the Book Mountain?" Fang Yun asked curiously.

Fang Shouye's face showed a mix of nostalgia and regret. "It is a holy place. Not only does it train your 'Literary Gall,' but it also grants you a 'Literary Heart.' The Book Mountain has nine mountains, with three pavilions on each of the first three mountains. It is said that for every three mountains you climb, you can obtain one Literary Heart."

"I've been there twice. The first time was when I became a Scholar, but I only reached the third pavilion of the first mountain. I didn't come away empty-handed; my talent was enhanced. The second time was after I became a Tribute, but I only made it to the second pavilion of the second mountain. However, after becoming a Tribute, I cultivated my Literary Gall, and the second time I climbed the Book Mountain, it tempered my Literary Gall, which was also a gain."

"What exactly is inside the Book Mountain?" Fang Yun asked curiously.

Fang Shouye shook his head. "I don't remember. Those who have been there only remember the position they reached and what they obtained. Everything else is forgotten. The Book Mountain has been continuously blessed by the Sages throughout the ages and is a place to test Scholars and Tributes. It is said that there is a very small chance of obtaining a 'Holy Book' after entering the Book Mountain, which is a literary treasure created by the Sages using their own talent."

"That's a pity." Fang Yun had hoped to learn more about the Book Mountain from Fang Shouye.

Fang Shouye said, "Remember, when you climb the Book Mountain in the future, you must do your best to climb as high as possible! We are not a Sage family, so we can only enter the Book Mountain twice in our lifetime. However, members of Sage families can enter a third time after becoming a Jinshi, which will lead to greater achievements. Oh, and the 'National Chief' also has a third chance to enter the Book Mountain."

"National Chief?" Fang Yun vaguely knew about it but didn't understand much.

"Above the状元 (Zhuangyuan) is the National Chief, the foremost literary figure among the ten countries. There is a Zhuangyuan every year, but not necessarily a National Chief. Back then..." Fang Shouye's face suddenly darkened, and he gave a self-deprecating smile, "The title of National Chief is too hard to obtain, so it's useless to talk about it. What you need to do this year is to study hard, and next year, take the Scholar Examination again."

Fang Yun said, "I plan to take the Scholar Examination this year."

"Oh? Your Holy Words and poetry might be commendable, but you haven't studied the classics yet, right? The Prefecture Examination is less than three months away. Do you have confidence?"

"I can't say I have confidence, but I'll give it a try."

"Fair enough. You'll soon realize that becoming a Scholar isn't easy." Fang Shouye's words carried a deeper meaning. He continued, "You don't have any means of livelihood. Before you become a Scholar, you can teach at the Dayuan Fang family's clan school, teaching the basics to the Fang clan's children. How about twenty taels of silver a month?"

"Isn't that too much, Uncle?" Fang Yun asked.

Fang Yusheng, who was standing nearby, remained silent. He was a Scholar and taught at the county academy, earning only five taels of silver a month. Fang Yun, being just a Scholar-Child, teaching children and earning twenty taels, was truly a case of unfair comparison.

"Breaking the double-first in Jingguo's history is worth that much." Fang Shouye said.

"Thank you, Uncle. I'll try to finish my affairs here within ten days and then go to the prefecture city." Fang Yun knew this was Fang Shouye's good intention. As long as he taught at the Fang clan's school, the Liu family or others would have to consider the consequences before taking action against him, providing him with indirect protection.

"Good. Do you need more time to think about it?" Fang Shouye stood up and glanced at the two boxes of treasure he couldn't give away.

Fang Yun smiled and said, "As far as I know, there are few Scholar-Children, and not all of them achieve such high accomplishments. Moreover, it takes twenty to thirty years for a Scholar-Child to grow into a Jinshi and make significant contributions. Why do you value me so much, Uncle?"

Fang Shouye stroked his stubbly chin and said, "First, your poem 'End of the Year' was well-written, and it made me feel very satisfied to see Liu Shan criticized. Second, if you can create a 'timeless' battle poem or battle verse, it would be worth more than just twenty thousand taels of silver; it would be worth two hundred thousand taels."

Fang Yun finally understood.

In poetry and literature, only a small portion has talent. Among those with talent, only a small portion can invoke the elemental energy of heaven and earth. Among those that can invoke elemental energy, only a small portion are battle poems or battle verses with the ability to kill enemies. And among those battle poems and battle verses, only a very small portion can be taught to others and become 'timeless' battle poems or battle verses.

Chen Guanhai, a half-Sage in Jingguo, has been a Sage for over a hundred years. He has written countless poems and articles, but only two of them are timeless battle poems or battle verses.

A half-Sage can stand against a million troops, but they cannot teach everyone to stand against a million troops.

"Indeed." Fang Yun said.

Fang Shouye said, "Unfortunately, the development of poetry has been too slow. Due to the thousand-year peace treaty, the human race, though engaged in internal strife, faced no external threats. The Sages focused on the 'Sage Path,' prioritizing the classics, even considering state governance as a minor path, let alone poetry and prose. The half-Sages all wanted to advance further to become Sub-Sages or Sages, becoming the second Confucius. It wasn't until the thousand-year treaty expired, and the demons and barbarians repeatedly invaded the ten countries of the human race, that the Sages realized the problem. Half-Sages are not afraid of demon Sages, but those below half-Sages, especially those below Tributes, lack sufficient combat power."

Fang Yun knew this history and continued, "So they discovered that battle poems and battle verses are key to defending against enemies, and thus adjusted the imperial examinations, leading to a significant change in the literary style of the ten countries?"

"Exactly. You, at such a young age, can write excellent poetry and have a righteous heart, which is exactly what our military needs. As a soldier, I hope you join our military, but as your uncle, I hope you follow the literary path and become a Grand Scholar for our Fang family." Fang Shouye patted Fang Yun's shoulder and turned to leave.

Fang Yun immediately said, "Uncle, wait. I have something to discuss with you. I plan to open a bookshop to sell my poetry and some novels. Would you be interested in investing?"

"Oh? How much for a share?" Fang Shouye asked.

"Since you've helped me a lot, I'll only charge one-tenth of the price, one thousand taels per share." Fang Yun said.

"Do I look like a fool? Renting a shop and other expenses won't cost more than five hundred taels a year, and you dare to ask for one thousand taels per share?" Fang Shouye glared.

The people nearby also looked at Fang Yun in surprise, even Yang Yuhuan found the price too high.

"How about you lend me one thousand taels, and I'll pay you back two thousand taels by the New Year, but you must tell others that the Fang family has invested in my bookshop." Fang Yun said.

"You're a crafty one." Fang Shouye laughed, finally understanding that Fang Yun was afraid of interference and wanted to use the Dayuan Fang family's name to protect his bookshop. The prestige of a noble family could shield him from many hidden dangers.

Fang Yun didn't argue. Although he wanted to leverage the Dayuan Fang family's power, he mainly wanted to thank Fang Shouye for his support. With the world of strange books, he believed his bookshop would be very profitable, and his literary reputation would spread quickly, which was the most important thing.

"Will you lend me the money, Uncle?" Fang Yun asked.

"No! I'll give you five thousand taels for five shares! I want half!" Fang Shouye said.

"Sorry, I'll only sell one share, no more." Fang Yun thought, "No wonder he's a sly old fox."

"Three shares?"

"No."

"Two shares?"

"No." Fang Yun was not the least bit accommodating.

"Then one share. I want to see what you can do!" Fang Shouye immediately took out a thousand-tael silver note and placed it on the table, then turned to leave, with the other two taking the boxes.

Fang Yun saw Fang Shouye off, returned to his room, and picked up the silver note, thinking he now had the startup capital.

Yang Yuhuan asked curiously, "Xiao Yun, are you really going to open a bookshop? There are many bookshops in the city, mostly old brands, and new bookshops find it hard to survive. Besides, you need to study; where will you find the time to manage it?"

"I have you. You'll be the owner of the bookshop. Once I teach you to read and do arithmetic, you can help me manage it."

Yang Yuhuan's fair face turned slightly red, her eyes sparkling with shyness. "Don't talk nonsense! Let's get to the point."

Fang Yun said, "I don't have the time, but Liang Yuan does. He didn't pass the Scholar-Child examination this time and can only manage the rice shop, but he doesn't like it. If I hire him to help me manage the bookshop, he'll be happy, as it will give him a chance to study and take the imperial examinations."

"Liang Yuan and his wife are both good people." Yang Yuhuan nodded.

Fang Yun continued, "In the next few days, go around and find a reliable woman to help with household chores in Dayuan Prefecture. I'll find a reliable young man from the clan to bring along as a servant."

"Okay, I understand. We're going to the Holy Temple soon, so you should go now." Yang Yuhuan said.

"Alright."

Fang Yun handed the thousand-tael silver note to Yang Yuhuan and said, "Keep the money safe. We'll use it to open the bookshop in Dayuan Prefecture."

Yang Yuhuan suddenly felt excited. In the past, she had supported Fang Yun financially, but now that he had a large sum of money and gave it to her, she felt that he truly considered her his wife.

Fang Yun had just stepped out of the door when he saw four classmates walking towards him. Ge Xiaomao excitedly waved and said, "We were just looking for you."

Fang Yun walked over and went to the academy with the four of them.

They had met at a tavern the previous day, but the noise prevented them from talking much. Now, it was the first time they were formally conversing after the results were announced, so everyone was very excited.

"Fang Yun, I never expected you to be so talented, truly a role model for us all!" Lu Lin praised loudly. Although his ranking as a Scholar-Child was lower than Fang Yun's, he felt no jealousy, genuinely happy for his classmate.

"Lu Lin, you're also a Scholar-Child. Congratulations." Fang Yun smiled.

"You two stop flattering each other. What about our feelings?" Ge Xiaomao said half-jokingly.

Lu Zhan, however, said, "I feel great! Fang Yun, you did well, completely undermining Fang Zhongyong's arrogance. What kind of prodigy is he? You're the real prodigy! Double-first, even the Sage Chen couldn't achieve that. I don't believe Fang Zhongyong can match you."

Liang Yuan was happy for Fang Yun but felt a bit down.

At this moment, a passerby congratulated Fang Yun, who immediately politely thanked him.

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