A powerful minister of the Song Dynasty

Chapter 128 His Frankness Is Hard for Me to Accept (Part )
“I can earn some money, but only a little.”

"Ah?" Yan Shu was a little confused.

Song Xuan also fiddled with the lottery ticket in his hand:
"Because we have to lose money in the early stages of promotion, we can save a lot of money when someone imitates us later."

"Of course."

Yan Shu understood that if Song Xuan's little piece of paper could really make money.

There will inevitably be a lot of imitators, and that is when the real battle will be fought in a sea of ​​blood.

But Yan Shu didn't know whether Song Xuan would be the last one to laugh.

After all, everyone wants to get rich overnight.

Not to mention the scholars, especially many ordinary people at the bottom of society simply cannot see any hope of getting rich.

But many people are willing to spend a few cents to buy an illusory dream to make themselves happy.

Yan Shu knew very well that the Khitan and other countries all said that the Song Dynasty was rich, but only a few people were truly rich.

Many people in the Song Dynasty were still struggling to make ends meet, and when disaster struck, they were all recruited into the army to survive.

Even the wealth accumulated by the ancestors of the Song Dynasty royal family is running out.

In addition, there has been nearly twenty years of peace, and the people are at peace and the military is at peace. It is not in vain that the powerful and officials are competing for wealth.

In addition, even the Liao Dynasty, which was always good at fighting, was defeated when it led a large army to teach the Western Xia a lesson. Yan Shu still had a certain understanding of the Song Dynasty's army.

They dare to fight and die, but they have no fighting power.

Even Yan Shu himself often wrote poems about wealth and luxury, and was no exception.

Song Xuan fiddled with the lottery ticket in his hand:
"To put it bluntly, this thing is exploiting a loophole in the laws of the Song Dynasty. So, if I sell more in the future, I plan to give some of the profits to the academy in addition to the already allocated profit share. I will also give some to the Beitianyuan in Song City to take care of the widows, orphans, and the lonely. It can also be considered a good deed."

Beitianyuan was built in the Tang Dynasty.

Funded by the state and presided over by monks.

As monks and nuns amassed excessive wealth, Emperor Wuzong of Tang issued an edict to destroy Buddhism.

However, this organization was retained, and Emperor Wuzong of Tang even issued a special order to use the confiscated temple land as expenses.

"Mencius said: 'If you are poor, you should take care of yourself; if you are rich, you should help the world.'"

Yan Shu glanced at Song Xuan and smiled:

"Song Xuan, the timely rain of Lema Town, is truly worthy of his nickname."

Song Xuan chuckled and waved his hand:
"Mr. Yan thinks highly of me. The main reason is that I made this money in a rather dishonest way. I will spend some money to do some good things and earn some psychological comfort."

Yan Shu: ???
Jiao Ming and others laughed out loud.

It is easy to foresee how crazy the people of the Song Dynasty, who are so fond of gambling, would be when they encounter such a buying spree.

Yan Shu didn't want to hit Song Xuan, but what he said was not reasonable at all. He stood there in a daze for a while.

He has been an official for many years and has never met anyone like Song Xuan, who has a scoundrel character like him.

"Mr. Yan, there's no need to flatter me. Lest you discover the truth in the future and your perception of me be shattered, it's better to tell you from the beginning."

Yan Shu silently put down the lottery ticket in his hand.

Although it sounds like Song Xuan is very frank, he is too frank and many of his words are unacceptable.

However, Yan Shu quickly adjusted his mentality. In fact, this is sometimes the case in the court, and he would not hide his purpose.

Having been away from the imperial court for so long, he almost forgot the days of intrigue and scheming in the court.

He believed that people like Song Xuan were talented players who would hang around in the imperial court.

Yan Shu smiled. Wang Qinruo and Lu Yijian would probably appreciate such subordinates.

I just don’t know if people like them can accept that Song Xuan will not be on the same page with them.

"So that's why you want resources to help the academy solve its financial problems?"

"Mr. Yan, this is also my intention."

Song Xuan asked Yan Shu to leave and not stay in the room:

“It’s risky, but it’s a profitable business.”

Yan Shu did not deny Song Xuan's talent for business, and he understood the ins and outs of it.

Once Song Xuan publicly announces the person who will redeem the prize, it will inevitably stimulate more people to wait and see, and attract more people to apply.

There's no need to ask for favors in advance for this kind of thing.

After Yan Shu arrived at the study, he looked at a box that Song Xuan had made at a high price.

Both sides are made of transparent glass, and I don’t know where he found it at a high price.

This kind of thing can be sold for hundreds of coins.

Yan Shu once again sighed that Shi Erlang's family was really wealthy.

There are ten small balls with numbers on them, and it works like a double-action bellows to blow out the small balloons.

Yan Shu pulled the bellows, and the wind blew the ball into another small grid.

“Fantastic idea.”

Yan Shu experienced it for a while, then patted the bellows:

"This thing is different from anything I've seen before. It has a stronger wind force. Did you come up with this as well?"

"Rumor has it that the double-action bellows was invented by Yuan Tiangang."

Song Xuan didn't take credit for it.

However, this thing has not yet been published in the Song Dynasty.

It was not until the fall of the Southern Song Dynasty at Yashan that books describing the double-action bellows were officially published.

However, Yan Shu understood the humility in Song Xuan's words.

Once this kind of invention is attributed to someone who lived hundreds of years ago, it was probably created by Song Xuan himself.

This kid is very smart.

The production method of the small ball is the same as that of Cuju, except that it is slightly smaller. In order to ensure fairness, it must be replaced with a new one after a period of time.

"If others want to imitate this technique, it will probably take some time."

"The first mover always has to have some advantages, otherwise I'll just be making things easier for others."

After listening to Song Xuan's explanation, Yan Shu finally felt relieved.

He came to see Song Xuan secretly today, actually just to test the waters.

The bet between him and Song Shou was a small matter, and he didn't want Song Xuan, a bookworm, to waste too much time on meaningless things.

After all, the officialdom is still quite broad for Song Shier.

Song Xuan invited Yan Shu to stay for dinner, but he waved his hand, indicating that he was busy with official duties and did not want to stay any longer.

Yan Shu left on his own. He planned to go back and write a letter to Wang Zeng to report the matter.

Although Song Xuan was too blunt in what he said to him, it was also for the sake of raising funds for the academy.

At least in terms of official statements, it still has to be high-sounding.

Since Song Xuan decided to share some of the profits with the academy.

The academy would naturally take advantage of this goodwill gesture to share some of the "pressure" for Song Xuan's business.

The story of selling dog meat under the guise of selling mutton has not come out.

But Yan Shu understood that this was how Song Xuan operated.

No matter what, raising funds for Yingtian Academy should be the job of the prefect Yan Shu.

Now Song Xuan has taken the initiative to offer advice and take action. If Yan Shu just stands by and watches, he himself will not be able to bear it.

Not long after Yan Shu left, Fan Zhongyan arrived.

He actually came here to urge Song Xuan to focus on his studies.

Fan Zhongyan studied in the academy for a full five years before he successfully passed the imperial examination and became a Jinshi.

There are so many scholars in the Song Dynasty, and too many people want to take the imperial examination.

This track is also very reeling.

If the candidates are distracted by the rest of the period, there will be countless people behind them who will surpass them.

Those who could pass the imperial examination were all top examinees from all over the country.

In addition, except for some specific untouchables who were unable to take the imperial examinations in the Song Dynasty, everyone else could study as long as conditions allowed.

This is a road with a bright future in the Song Dynasty!

But it is also the most winding road!

Among all the top students from all over the country, only more than 100 were admitted in two or three years.

"Mr. Fan, why are you here today?"

Fan Zhongyan saw the bellows and the small balls with numbers painted on them, and also saw Song Xuan holding the Spring and Autumn Annals in his hand, and he felt secretly satisfied.

It’s good that he didn’t lose sight of the main goal.

"I'm here to comfort you."

Fan Zhongyan watched Song Xuan pour himself some cold water:

"I know you mean well, but what Prefect Yan asked of you that day was just a joke. Don't take it to heart. Besides, raising funds is what Prefect Yan and I need to take care of. How can we let you, a new student, take on such a tiring and laborious task?"

"Thank you, Mr. Fan, but it won't delay me."

Song Xuan put down the porcelain pot in his hand, and then said with a smile:

"To be honest, I was thinking of doing this business, and by chance I learned that the academy was short of money, and I had the means to do so. So I decided to give some of the profits to the academy for teaching. When I make money in the future, I'll donate some to Beitian Academy and other institutions."

"Besides, I'm known as the timely rain in Lema Town. Now that I'm in Songcheng, it doesn't hurt. With money in hand, I can be more relaxed and have enough confidence to study full-time."

"After all, my family has provided for the education of many young children. How much profit can I get?"

Fan Zhongyan was also confused by Song Xuan's words, but he was very sure that Song Xuan was telling the truth.

He wanted to do this business because the college happened to be in trouble and he also had needs, so he did this.

Even if the academy has no difficulties, he still has to do it!

Sounds like a win-win.

Fan Zhongyan thought for a moment and then spoke again:

"If you need publicity, you can hire some classmates from the academy to run errands for you. They might be able to provide you with assistance."

"Don't worry, Mr. Fan. I've already found professionals for publicity. After all, there will be someone to train them."

"Okay, I'll definitely come and support you on the day you open your business."

"Good good."

Fan Zhongyan also talked to Song Xuan about the academic requirements for a while, asking him to read the Four Books and Five Classics first, and not to mention that he should memorize them by heart, even if he couldn't recite them by heart.

For example, the meaning of the classics explained to him by his teacher when he was studying in the Song family private school was not that accurate.

"Since you have chosen to take the path of the imperial examination, it is the most difficult path to take and the path to success."

Fan Zhongyan advised Song Xuan based on his experience:

"At the opening ceremony in seven days, you must set an example and inspire your classmates to catch up."

"Because your opponents are not just the people from the academy, you need to take a long-term view."

"The academies in various places and the students trained by the big families are all your competitors on the road to the imperial examination."

Song Xuan quickly thanked him and said he would keep his teachings in mind.

I will also think about how to speak at the opening ceremony.

Fan Zhongyan knew that Song Xuan was a smart man and that there was no need to explain some things in detail.

……

Tao Hong took He San and others to distribute some flyers for the bookstore and gave some explanations.

Grand opening promotion:

It only costs ten cents to buy a chapter of the storybook and get a three-star lottery ticket as a gift.

If you win the Samsung lottery, the prize money is enough to be one thousand coins.

The stimulating shouts of "losing money to gain publicity" echoed on the streets.

Anyway, the excuse is to increase fame and sell the novel Journey to the West, so they promote it at such a loss.

It did attract quite a few people to stop by.

Mr. Lei entered the Silk Guild holding a flyer.

He recognizes this guild.

Although some membership fees must be paid, the guild will prohibit malicious competition and strive for tax reductions and exemptions with the government.

"Interesting, really interesting."

Lei handed the flyer in his hand to the president beside him:

"I just came from the street and saw something interesting. It was made by my fellow villager. President, please take a look at the tricks here. I can't figure it out."

The Silk Association President took the flyer from Mr. Lei and looked at it carefully:
"It sounds like he's a ruthless person who sacrificed money for fame for his own works, but considering he was able to kill the Imperial Academy without any injuries, I'm afraid he has other plans."

President Silk put down the flyer in his hand:
"Boss Lei, since Song Twelve is your fellow villager, didn't you go and find out a thing or two?"

"Hey, can he easily tell me how to make money?"

"That's right." President Zhao of Silk glanced at Mr. Lei.
"Why don't you go buy some and take a look? It's like spending a little money to support your fellow countryman."

Mr. Lei shook his head and sighed:
"Of course I have to go and take a look. If this business can make money, I haven't gotten involved yet. I'm afraid I won't be able to make any money even if I want to."

"I saw on this flyer that they're also going to give a share of the profits to Yingtian Academy. Just based on this point, I'm a little confused about Song Twelve's motives."

Hearing the Guild Master's words, Mr. Lei secretly laughed in his heart, but his face showed a helpless expression:
"His methods are truly unpredictable, which is why I asked the president to open his eyes."

It was the guild's regular meeting, and someone came over to ask why the two were sighing to each other, and then they picked up the brochure and started reading it.

Everyone was a little confused. Was Song Xuan trying to make a loss to gain publicity? Did his money come from the wind?
If you can’t sell much, you will lose all your family assets.

Not everyone has the adventurous spirit in business, but some people see it.

What Song Shier did was like a gamble. He spent ten cents to win a string of coins. Isn't this going against the law?
"Boss Lei, you have to persuade your fellow villager. We are all from the same village. Song Twelve has a bright future. There is no need for him to become addicted to jail."

Hearing someone say this, Mr. Lei clapped his hands helplessly:
"That's true, but I know Song Twelve. Once he wants to do something, he'll be so determined that no one can stop him. Otherwise, many people would have advised him to bow to Dou Chou, but he refused to do so."

What Mr. Lei said made sense. Song Xuan was not his own son. If he wanted to go astray, as a fellow villager, he could just remind him.

If you try to stop him from doing something by force, everyone has been in the business world for a long time and will not easily say anything even if they have the necessary connections.

If someone imitates him and makes money, he will complain and you will be in a difficult position.

Seeing that everyone was pessimistic about Song Xuan's business, Mr. Lei felt much more secure, but he did not relax. These people said that the risk was great.

But everyone was looking through the flyer, and no one knew what they were thinking.

President Zhao clapped his hands and motioned everyone to look at him:
"Don't worry about him. We still need to discuss our business."

(End of this chapter)