The literary era since 1979

"Shhhhh."

The editorial office was quiet, save for the occasional sound of pages turning.

Everyone eagerly passed the books around, their eyes glued to "Those Years of the Ming Dynasty" and "The Great Ming Dynasty," their gazes burning with excitement, as if they had found a priceless treasure.

"This manuscript is quite long, and you won't be able to finish reading it in a short time. You can read it later."

He looked around in dialect and asked for his thoughts after reading.

"It's been so long since I've seen such a great work!"

Chen Xiaoman smiled with joy.

"Yes, Professor Fang's novel 'The Ming Dynasty' maintains or even surpasses the level of 'The Great Qin Dynasty'."

"I can guarantee with 100% certainty that once it is published, it will be even more sensational than 'Li Zicheng' and 'Kangxi Dynasty'!"

"That's right! It might even spark a 'Ming Dynasty craze' in literary and historical circles!"

"If People's Literature magazine had serialized novels of this quality, it wouldn't be in this state now."

Seeing the crowd discussing it, Zhu Wei sighed softly.

Upon hearing this, everyone present nodded in agreement, their faces showing sadness, helplessness, or bitter smiles.

After all, while they may be top-notch editors in the literary world, they may not be top-notch writers. Even the most skilled cook cannot make a meal without rice. Without a stable and high-quality source of manuscripts, even the best editor can only pan for gold in the latrine, and in the end, they may be like holding a lantern in a latrine—looking for excrement.

"Clap clap clap."

Seeing the low morale, Fang Yan quickly clapped his hands, drawing everyone's attention to himself.

He then cleared his throat and said passionately that although literature is declining and serious and pure literature is in decline, and literary magazines, including People's Literature, are facing an unprecedented crisis, there is no need to carry any burdens or pressures in his heart, because he has returned!
Even if the sky falls, there's always someone taller to hold it up!

Zhu Wei, Chen Xiaoman, and Wang Fu immediately perked up, as if they had found their backbone.

As the saying goes, "A bad soldier is just one bad soldier, but a bad general makes a bad army." The reason why People's Literature was not doing well in the past was entirely because the person in charge was incompetent.

Professor Fang is now the editor-in-chief of People's Literature!

Teacher Fang is here! People's Literature is saved!
Teacher Fang is here! There is hope for Chinese literature!

There are quite a few people who share this idea, and their eyes gleam as they look at Fang Yan.

"Since everyone agrees, these two articles will be published in the next issue of *People's Literature*," Fang Yan said with a smile. "Furthermore, our editorial department will be focusing on historical literature for the foreseeable future. Does anyone have any questions?"

"No no."

Amidst the shaking of the head, Zhu Wei's voice suddenly rang out.

"Teacher Fang, how about this?"

What are your plans?

Fang Yan looked at his old partner who used to be his assistant but is now capable of handling things on his own.

"Both 'Those Things of the Ming Dynasty' and 'The Great Ming Dynasty' are hard-won masterpieces. I think we shouldn't publish them together?"

Zhu Wei suggested publishing "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty" first, and then publishing "The Great Ming Dynasty" after that work is completed.

Fang Yan said, "Your suggestion is to extend the serialization period of the novel in order to boost the popularity and sales of 'People's Literature' magazine, right?"

Zhu Wei nodded. It was such a waste to publish "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty" and "The Great Ming Dynasty" in the same issue of the magazine!

"While your suggestion is good, I cannot agree with it from the perspective of maximizing its value."

Fang Yan said that "Those Things About the Ming Dynasty" and "The Great Ming Dynasty" complement each other. Without the former to popularize history, readers would not be able to gain a general understanding of the history of the Ming Dynasty, while without the latter, readers would not be able to feel the operating logic of the feudal system and the treacherous nature of society in the Ming Dynasty. Chen Xiaoman summarized: "One book represents the breadth of knowledge, and the other represents the depth of knowledge."

Zhu Wei pondered for a moment, "Teacher Fang, I was wrong in my thinking."

"That's right. Of course, Zhu Wei's suggestion isn't without merit. Perhaps we could stagger the serialization times of the two books."

According to Fang Yan, there was a one-issue gap between the publication of "Those Things of the Ming Dynasty" and "The Great Ming Dynasty".

"That's a great idea! Let's do it!"

Everyone applauded, and even Zhu Wei had no further objections.

"But don't get too excited yet. We can't be lax in the review process. After all, I'm not an expert on Ming history yet," Fang Yan reminded. "So the editorial department should find some experts and professors in Ming history to be consultants. We don't expect 'Those Things About the Ming Dynasty' and 'The Great Ming Dynasty' to strictly follow historical materials, but at least they should be basically in line with historical logic and not have obvious common-sense historical errors."

"okay!"

They were immediately filled with energy, sweeping away the lifeless and gloomy atmosphere that had prevailed when People's Literature was in decline.

On the first day of the new year, the entire editorial department was infused with vitality by the newly appointed Fang Yan!

........................

After a busy morning, Fang Yan, the backbone of the team, treated everyone in the editorial department to a meal at Fengzeyuan Restaurant out of his own pocket.

Immediately afterwards, I took a break from my busy schedule and went to Yonghegong Street to attend the company's opening ceremony.

At this time, a sign reading "Mingtianxia Culture and Entertainment Media Co., Ltd." was hanging on one side of the vermilion gate with the bronze lion head handle.

Shi Tiesheng, Yu Hua, Zheng Yuanjie, Liu Zhenyun and others stood at the door, looking around.

"That's Teacher Fang's car, right?" Wang Shuo shouted as soon as he saw the familiar license plate on the front of the car.

Everyone recognized Fang Yan's car. They saw him get out of the car, carrying a heavy briefcase under his arm.

Chen Ximi smiled and pushed Shi Tiesheng forward, while Wang Shuo had someone quickly order the "Thousand Whip" (a type of whip).

Once the thousand-shot firecracker was lit, it immediately emitted a deafening "crackling" sound.

Unable to contain their excitement, Yu Hua and the others grinned and said "Happy New Year" to those around them.

In addition to verbally wishing everyone a "Happy New Year," the locals also put it into action by taking out a stack of red envelopes from their briefcases.

"Opening bonus, everyone gets one!"

"Thank you, Teacher Fang (General Manager Fang)!"

The smiles on the faces of those who received the red envelopes grew even brighter, especially as they felt the thickness of the envelopes.

"Tiesheng, this is for you and Ximi."

While handing over the red envelope, Fang Yan jokingly asked, "How are you doing? Are you happy on your wedding night?"

Shi Tiesheng shook his head and chuckled: "Don't make fun of us!"

“How can it be just for fun?” Fang Yan laughed. “It has to be genuine fun!”

Yu Hua, Zhong Acheng, Zheng Yuanjie and others surrounded him as he strode toward the reception room.

Wang Shuo watched Fang Yan's retreating figure and chuckled. The backbone of their Beijing circle had finally returned to his loyal Beijing!

Fang Yan had just stepped inside when he suddenly seemed to remember something, “When is the filming of ‘The Poetic Age’ scheduled to begin?”

Wang Shuo answered directly, "Professor Fang, it's next Friday. The Beijing Film Studio has already provided the venue." (End of Chapter)