I was compiling the daily records during the Wanli reign

Chapter 32: Pie in the sky, new bribery methods

Early morning on August 15th, Mid-Autumn Festival.

It's slightly cooler.

Shen Nian and Gu Yue'er sat in the carriage, talking and laughing, while the servant Aji and the maid Xiaotao sat outside, driving the carriage towards the western suburbs.

The capital city in autumn is all green, gradually turning to yellow. Everywhere you look, you can see beautiful scenery.

Before rest yesterday.

Shen Nian had already discussed the travel plan with Gu Yue'er.

First, go to the Niangniang Temple near Gaoliang Bridge in the western suburbs to pray for a child, then go to the popular Biyun Temple to eat vegetarian food, and then find a busy street or alley, visit some shops, and eat at some stalls.

When night falls, we return under the moonlight.

……

More than half an hour later.

Shen Nian and the other three came to the Niangniang Temple.

The deity enshrined in the Niangniang Temple is Bixia Yuanjun, the Holy Mother of Mount Tai, also known as the Niangniang of Mount Tai.

There are also the Goddess of Childbirth, the Goddess of Birth, the Goddess of Vision, the Goddess of Smallpox, etc.

Most of the people who come here to worship are couples, and most of them are praying for children.

Gu Yue'er is very pious.

He took Shen Nian to worship the Goddess of Childbirth for a long time and threw in more than ten strings of incense money.

Both Shen Nian and she had physical examinations.

Both of them are in good health, but they still haven't had a child after nearly a year of marriage, which can only mean bad luck.

After worshiping.

The four of them ran towards Biyun Temple slowly.

……

I have to say that the vegetarian food in Biyun Temple is delicious. Shen Nian ate three bowls of rice with the vegetarian dishes.

In the afternoon, have a vegetarian meal.

Shen Nian and the other three were strolling in the backyard of the temple.

Because accommodation in the temple is cheap, many scholars, students, and hermits live here.

There were also some people setting up stalls in the backyard, selling books, calligraphy and paintings, study items, clothes, hats and the like.

It's like a small market.

Sudden.

Shen Nian stopped at a bookstall under a big apricot tree.

He was surprised to find that there were several Song Dynasty books on the bookstall.

There is a saying: Books published in the Song Dynasty are worth every inch of their gold.

Song Dynasty books are close to ancient editions. They are made with exquisite ink and paper, and rarely contain errors. Therefore, they have become works of art in the hearts of countless readers.

Its value is almost equal to that of Song Dynasty calligraphy, painting and porcelain, and its artistic value is far greater than its practical value.

During the Jiajing period, there was a scholar named Zhu Jishi who was particularly fond of Song Dynasty engravings. He once exchanged a beautiful maid for books, which became a famous story at the time.

In addition, what Shen Nian knew.

Before he passed the imperial examination, a book collector in Suzhou bought a rare Song Dynasty edition for two hundred taels per page.

Of course, this price is a bit outrageous and is an individual case.

Only a rare and exquisite official edition would be worth this price.

But ordinary Song Dynasty books are worth at least one or two taels of silver.

You need to know.

At that time, the monthly income of ordinary people in the Ming Dynasty was two taels of silver.

With the popularization of printing technology, the price of a book nowadays is mostly between three cents and five cents of silver.

That is, one tael of silver can buy thirty ordinary books, but only one Song Dynasty edition book.

This shows how rare and valuable Song Dynasty books are.

Shen Nian’s biggest hobby is collecting Song Dynasty books.

Once, he wanted to get a Song Dynasty book.

When his father and mother quarreled, he stood on his father's side for a month and was pinched by his mother until his thighs turned purple.

Even though there are now two souls fused in his body, his love for Song Dynasty books remains undiminished.

The Shen family in the capital had several Song Dynasty books, hidden in a small mahogany box, which was locked.

Normally, Shen Nian would not take it out, and would only take it out to appreciate it when he was in a good mood. Shen Nian squatted down and carefully flipped through the twenty or so books on the cloth stall.

He read a lot of books in the Hanlin Academy and had some ability to distinguish the true from the false.

soon.

Shen Nian was certain that four of the volumes were Song Dynasty books, and all of them were official printed books.

They are: a copy of Jia Changchao's "A Differentiation of the Sounds of Various Classics" printed by Lin'an Prefecture School, a copy of the third volume of "Collected Works of Du Gongbu" engraved by Suzhou Public Envoy's Treasury, a copy of Zhu Xi's "Essentials of the Analects of Confucius and Mencius" engraved by Bailu Academy, and a copy of "Collection of Works from the Flower Garden" engraved by Ezhou Public Envoy's Treasury.

Shen Nian swallowed his saliva and thought to himself, "If I can get these four books for fifty taels, I'll take them!"

"Shopkeeper, how much are these books for?"

Shen Nian looked at a middle-aged man wearing a short jacket and black pants sitting behind the bookstall.

The middle-aged bookstall owner answered readily, "Five cents a copy, take your pick!"

"Ok?"

Shen Nian was stunned.

"Am I so lucky? I just got a bargain?" Shen Nian murmured in his heart.

He couldn't believe that pie fell from the sky!
These four Song Dynasty books can be sold for fifty taels at any price. If they meet a book collector, they can even be sold for a hundred taels.

"Do you want them? If you do, pick out a few and I'll pack them for you!" said the middle-aged bookstall owner.

Shen Nian looked a little puzzled and picked up the four Song Dynasty books one by one.

Then be ready to pay.

The middle-aged bookstall owner picked up the hardcover paper and started wrapping the books very quickly.

At this time.

Shen Nian looked at the other books on the bookstall again and suddenly realized something was wrong.

Except for these four yellowed Song Dynasty books, the other books are very new and are all printed at the moment. They are definitely not from the same batch.

In addition, Shen Nian has bought many books and is more familiar with the situation of the bookstalls.

It is extremely rare to sell books like this, where every copy is the same price.

Because the thickness, newness and oldness are different, the content is also different.

The prices of classics, history, poetry, and collections of essays cannot possibly be the same.

At last.

Most book buyers understand the value of books.

As long as you can recognize the characters and see the engraved marks on the back, you will not sell Song Dynasty books like this.

Shen Nian's head was spinning rapidly.

It suddenly occurred to him.

When he was in the Hanlin Academy, he once told several clerks in front of them that his greatest hobby was Song Dynasty books.

It is possible that the news has already spread.

"This is definitely not pie in the sky, but a trap. How could a small bookstall have four Song Dynasty books at the same time, all officially printed? And so cheap?"

The more Shen Nian thought about it, the more he felt something was wrong, and gradually realized that this was most likely a trap.

After Shen Nian pays for the book, the bookstall owner will disappear immediately.

The person behind the scenes may appear immediately or at an appropriate time, claiming to bribe Shen Nian, and the bribe is these four Song Dynasty books.

When Shen Nianruo tried to defend himself, he produced the witnesses and material evidence that he had purchased these four books at a high price.

Shen Nianruo said that he spent two coins to buy four Song Dynasty books worth fifty taels of silver.

Reasoning doesn't work anywhere.

Immediately.

Shen Nian stopped taking the money and tied the purse around his waist again.

The bookstall owner was stunned and said, "Sir, what's the matter? Do you think it's expensive? I can make it even cheaper!"

After hearing this, Shen Nian became even more certain that there was a trap.

He put his hands behind his back and said, "Call out the man behind your scheme. I've seen through his scheme!"

The bookstall owner suddenly panicked and looked towards the northwest.

Shen Nian followed his gaze.

A middle-aged man in a gray silk robe walked out from the corner.

It's an acquaintance.