Literary Master 1983

Chapter 438 The King of Historical Tickets
"Why are you standing up?" Zhu Shengchang said.

“I didn’t vote for myself,” Yu Qie explained. “Because I was a judge, it would be unfair for me to vote for myself, so my solution is to never vote for myself.”

Zhu Shengchang's face suddenly stung. He said, "You clearly know that everyone else will vote for you, and it doesn't matter if you're not there; it can even preserve your 'innocent' reputation! You're being so hypocritical by doing this!"

"The pure remain pure, and the impure remain impure," Yu Qie said.

Zhu Shengchang was still not satisfied. He looked around at the judges and found that they were all looking at him like he was crazy. Zhu Shengchang broke down: "You didn't not vote for yourself in the first round of voting, you didn't not vote for yourself in the second round, but in the third round you suddenly became particular!"

"Haha!" He laughed a few times. "To put it bluntly, isn't it because you're so sure of yourself? You're afraid people will say you're manipulating the voting, so you're not voting now."

Holy crap! Zhu Shengchang has a brain. Yu Qie did consider this angle.

The third Mao Dun Literature Prize received relatively low ratings in recent years because the selection criteria for this year's prizes were questionable. Works like *The Young Emperor* and *The Funeral of a Muslim* were merely shock tales; their literary value was arguably not high.

It is neither serious literature nor quite like popular literature.

"There is a type of novel that receives lower ratings the longer it has been published," which refers to the novels mentioned above.

Among them, "The Funeral of a Muslim" is considered a marker of "fake intellectual youth," while "The Young Emperor" is considered the origin of Qing Dynasty dramas. To some extent, the "Qing Dynasty dramas" that were popular in the decade around the turn of the millennium were started by this novel.

With "Lurking" winning unanimously and "Ordinary World" almost losing out, this year's competition was full of surprises. So Yu Qie kept a low profile, but unexpectedly, Zhu Shengchang changed his mind.

"Zhu Shengchang! What do you mean? Don't you have any basic professional ethics as a critic?" Cheng Huangmei was furious. Of course, he didn't know what Yu Qie was thinking, but Zhu Shengchang had voted recklessly because of his personal feelings, which was simply disregarding him.

"That's exactly what I mean. Since you guys don't have any rules anyway, I don't need any rules either. I'm not casting this vote!" Zhu Shengchang put on a tough act.

Cheng Huangmei earnestly explained, "Literary criticism, though seemingly baseless, actually does have some basis. Does it have originality? Does it capture the spirit of the times? Does it play a positive guiding role in society? Does it provoke deep reflection among the public?"

"We also need to look at its influence, its sales in the market, and whether its techniques, expressions, plots, etc., have been borrowed or imitated by others..."

—Cheng Huangmei said a long string of words.

Finally, he said, "We're not just making random evaluations! The good thing about 'Lurking' is that it almost meets all the criteria! Even the cover is a story, something no one has ever done before! It has contributed to technological innovation in the printing industry! We can say it's not the best, but by not voting, you're essentially denying it a place in the top ten. How can you find ten books that are better than it? Bullshit! I think you've failed your duty as a judge!"

Seeing that he was not being approved, Zhu Shengchang angrily said, "I can't hear you! I can't hear you! Anyway, I've already cast my vote and expressed my opinion! If you want to oppose me, then expel me! I'm not afraid of anything!"

This round of voting ended in discord.

However, it didn't affect the outcome. Even if "Lurking" didn't get a unanimous vote, it was still the undisputed king of novels.

That evening, Cheng Huangmei came to apologize to Yu Qie: "I should not have invited Zhu Shengchang... 'Lurking' was very likely to be the first novel to receive a perfect vote. I can understand if you don't vote for yourself, and the general public will understand in the future."

Yu Qie, however, took it in stride: "Westerners have the saying 'Venus with missing arms,' which means that while it may be imperfect, it is eternal."

Cheng Huangmei grasped Yu Qie's hand and said, "To be honest, I initially had some issues with you. You probably wouldn't believe it, but it was because of your partner's production of 'Dream of the Red Chamber'! I thought CCTV was making a mess of things! But you endorsed the TV version of 'Dream of the Red Chamber' and even brought in investment. I was very unhappy at first..."

How could Yu Qie not know?

Because of the enormous influence that writers had on the film and television industry during this period, Cheng Huangmei almost ruined the "Dream of the Red Chamber" project!

“Those things are all in the past now!” Yu said. “Now that I’ve been invited to the judging panel, let’s work together to make this year’s awards a success as soon as possible.”

"You're right, we should speed up the process!"

Because of Zhu Shengchang's outburst, Cheng Huangmei was determined to resolve the matter quickly. He called Ba Jin, the "chairman of the judging committee" in Shanghai, to ask: "Would it be alright if we announce the award results as soon as possible, and postpone the award ceremony by two to three months, setting it for early 1989?"

Old Ba replied, "Okay!"

The judging panel quickly narrowed down the list to about ten books, and now only the final round of voting remains. A book that receives more than two-thirds of the votes will be selected for the Mao Dun Literature Prize.

That day came quickly.

On October 5th of that year, the day before the 1988 Nobel Prize in Literature was awarded, the results of the third Mao Dun Literature Prize in China were announced at the Dengzhou Military Dependents Sanatorium!

Novels such as "Lurking", "The Second Sun", "Ordinary World", and "Muslim Funeral" were selected. Among them, "Lurking" was missing two votes, but it is still the king of novels!
In addition, there are a few other things that deserve to be disclosed by the newspapers.

One is that "Ordinary World" received mostly positive reviews from the judges in the second half of the competition, and Lu Yao, the poor writer, ushered in his day of redemption, and from then on he was listed among China's first-class writers.

Standing on the opposite side of Lu Yao is Zhu Shengchang of Contemporary.

He never voted for "Ordinary World" from beginning to end; he deeply hated both "Lurking" and "Ordinary World".

Although the selection process was kept strictly confidential, Zhu Shengchang made such a big fuss that some of the writers present would surely write memoirs to record this event.

"I've become the target of everyone's criticism," Zhu Shengchang said absentmindedly after seeing the result.

Another loss was to "The Young Emperor". Due to Yu Qie's personal preference, or Zhu Shengchang's insistence on vouching for the novel, his behavior aroused the resentment of the other judges, and "The Young Emperor" was ultimately rejected in the final vote.

"This can be considered a good deed of mine!" Yu Qie thought to himself.

From a popular fiction perspective, *The Young Emperor* isn't particularly flawed; however, it's more like a historical novel, portraying Emperor Shunzhi (Fulin) as exceptionally wise and powerful—something almost unimaginable a decade or so ago. From a purely literary standpoint, *Li Zicheng* would have been an award contender in any era, while *The Young Emperor*'s selection was purely accidental. Its narrative focus on emperors, generals, scholars, and beauties would have been completely unacceptable in the past.

In the original timeline, this novel was strangely selected, and initially even surpassed "Ordinary World." Due to the enormous influence of the literary world on the film and television industry at that time, its selection was interpreted as official affirmation, which can be considered the root of all evil.

Its niche has now been forever taken over by "Lurking" and "Ordinary World".

Will there be many more "Qing Dynasty dramas" in the future? Will young women still be vying to become princesses or wives of princes?
Only time will tell.
-
On October 6th, Yu Qie returned to the capital from Dengzhou. On the train, he received news from Sweden that he had not been selected for this year's Nobel Prize in Literature.

The winner is Najib Mahfouz, who is older than Yu Qie's teacher, Ma Shitu. Najib's award should be the first in the Arab world. He is a writer who insists on writing in Arabic. Now the whole Arab world is in a frenzy.

Yu Qie was understandably upset: he won the Mao Dun Literature Prize, but lost the Nobel Prize in Literature.

Although he had expected this result, not receiving it inevitably left him feeling down. Immediately, everyone who knew Yu Qie expressed their regret to him.

The selection process for the Nobel Prize in Literature is actually quite chaotic, even more so than the recent Mao Dun Literature Prize. Thirteen judges can decide the final result, and betting companies are deeply involved, constantly adjusting odds. Do they really lack funds for public relations?

This is impossible.

McGraw-Hill and Harper's firms did try to lobby for Yuche, but the Arabs of the 1980s were simply too wealthy. The West, amidst the oil crisis, also needed to appease the Arabs. To win an award against such circumstances would incur unimaginable public relations costs.

In fact, by mid-September, Yu Qie had already learned through word of mouth that his chances were slim. Several of his partner publishers had abandoned public relations efforts and were using their funds to campaign for awards the following year.

Unfortunately, people all over the world recognize this award!
Yu Qie also needs this award; his window of opportunity to win it is getting smaller and smaller.

At home, Yu Qie received comprehensive care. As soon as Zhang Li saw him, she hugged him and soon burst into tears. Yu Qie said, "Why are you crying? I'm not as sad as you."

Zhang Li became even more heartbroken, pointing into the room and saying, "Chen Xiaoxu is even more upset; she's afraid to see you."

Ok!

Now I'm truly as worried as Lin Daiyu!
Yu Qie peered into the room and saw Chen Xiaoxu pouting. She had intended to smile at him, but before she could finish her sentence, she burst into tears. She couldn't say anything more and just hugged Yu Qie and sobbed.

Two women were lying on Yu Qie's left and right shoulders, respectively. The two women were crying so loudly that Yu Houqi, Yu's son, also started crying when he heard it, and the Yu family was deeply saddened.

Chen Xiaoxu was actually just beginning to blossom when she starred in "Dream of the Red Chamber." She became even more beautiful, and because she still wanted to continue acting, she paid close attention to her figure, making her look better than Zhang Li now.

Her crying actually made Yu Qie feel a pang of heartache. My dear Lin Daiyu!
Oh well, if you didn't win an award, you didn't win! Why are you crying?

Yu Qie changed the subject: "Xiao Xu, what were you going to say?"

"what? What?"

"Tell me, what are you going to do today? But you only said half of it and then stopped."

"Oh!" Chen Xiaoxu suddenly remembered, "Someone from the foundation came to apply for the job, saying he was the former president of Jiangcheng University! I checked his credentials and the photo in the newspaper, it's true!"

She struggled free from Yu Qie's shoulder and said seriously, "This person's previous position was too high. He will definitely be assigned to an official position in the foundation. I don't dare to make the decision myself. I can only ask you."

Former president of Jiangcheng University?
In Yu Qie's mind came the image of a gaunt old man: Liu Daoyu.

Liu Daoyu held a very high position in the academic world, and was hailed as "Jiangxi University's Cai Yuanpei." However, Cai Yuanpei himself was a controversial figure, and his reputation varied across different eras—Liu Daoyu was no exception.

He tried to implement Western-style university practices at Jiangcheng University: credit system, major-minor system, transfer system, mentor system, etc., which was quite unsuccessful and shook the original core supporters at Jiangcheng University who had supported his advancement.

In short, he elitized the university, turning undergraduates into "pre-graduate" and "pre-doctoral" students, using the four years of university to lay a foundation for research, and then focusing on research during the master's and doctoral stages...

This system was so ahead of its time; even Yu Qie had never seen it in his previous life. How could it have been possible in the 1980s?
University graduates were guaranteed job placement; they could immediately monetize their years of hard-earned education. As for scientific research, frankly, where would you find so much funding for research in the 1980s?
But Liu Daoyu was indeed remarkable. During the years he was dismissed, many universities in the south extended olive branches to him because Jiangcheng University's scientific research strength soared during his tenure and produced a number of achievements.

This person is useful and beneficial to my foundation.

Yu Qie put his arm around Chen Xiaoxu's waist and Zhang Li's shoulder, and said with a smile, "I was a little unhappy at first, but you all brought good news. I also have some news to share with you: I won the top prize of the Mao Dun Literature Prize!"

"Really?" Chen Xiaoxu said. "How come I didn't see it in the newspaper?"

"I didn't see it either!" Zhang Li shook her head. She had more time to wait anxiously for good news. If the Mao Dun Literature Prize were announced, she would definitely call Yu Qie immediately.

Yu Qie explained, "The awards have been decided, but the results will be announced later. The list has already been submitted to Professor Ba, and it's finalized. I've received some honors over the past few years, but most importantly, I've had you all, and Yu Houqi too..."

He became somewhat emotional as he spoke.

Over the next week, friends kept coming to check on Yu Qie. Ma Shitu, Ba Lao, and others called one after another. Lin Yifu from the Agricultural Development Institute came to visit with his child. Nie Weiping called from Thailand to check on him. Yu Qie said, "Be careful not to get diarrhea, and don't miss your flight! You will definitely crush the Koreans, don't be afraid, I'm telling you!"

Nie Weiping was actually moved: "My wife forces me to practice chess all day long, but she doesn't care about my mental health! We men really understand men best!"

Even those not very familiar with Yu Qie wrote letters. The *Military Literature* magazine, representing the soldiers on the front lines, wrote a letter titled "In the Valley of Laoshan." In the letter, artillery fire was compared to fireworks, and the winding passages of the foxholes to the hardships of life…

Many people felt it was a pity, and the higher education community also expressed their regret.

(End of this chapter)