Ming Dynasty Detective 1546

Chapter 44 The Correct Use of Famous Works

Night falls.

Everyone had dinner in the lobby of the inn, and then returned to their rooms in groups of three or four, all looking a little strange for a moment.

The news of Zong Chengxue's death has spread.

Hanging in a dream, suicide in reality?

This is even more terrifying than simply being victimized!
Haiyue acted very calm, but she went to bed a little early and lay there without saying a word.

Hai Rui slept in another bed next to him. The two brothers often slept in the same room. Hai Yue was not used to the ancient practice of sleeping with feet touching each other. Sleeping in the same bed with feet touching expressed deep brotherly love, which he could not stand. But having two beds in one room, chatting about everything in the evening, just like the chats between roommates in college, still felt good.

But tonight, Hai Rui rarely showed a mischievous look: "Brother, do you think this 'strange dream' is credible?"

"'Ghost dream'? Oh, 'weird dream', a weird dream about gods and immortals..."

Haiyue knew that the ancients believed in these things very much. As someone from the later era, she moved her lips but whispered, "I can't completely disbelieve these things..."

He didn't believe it at all before, but now he can't help but believe it a little.

After all, I have come to this era, and there is magical power between heaven and earth.

Hai Rui, however, clearly followed Zi Bu Yu's philosophy of not speaking of strange things and supernatural phenomena. He calmly replied, "The so-called dream of entering the foggy village is nothing more than a daytime fantasy or a nighttime dream, a spiritual encounter. However, when Judge Zong Tong hanged himself, the doors and windows were locked, leaving no one inside. We should investigate whether it was a true suicide or a staged murder scene."

Hai Yue nodded, her mood regaining its composure. "President Zong died in Guangzhou Prefecture more than half a month ago. The Censorate is investigating. By the way, did you know that the current Censor Zhou Xuan is highly respected by Magistrate Shao?"

Hai Ruiqi said: "Oh?"

Hai Yue smiled and said, "That Zhou Nietai is known as the 'Iron-faced Judge'. He is known for his sternness and indifference to fame and fortune. He is dedicated to solving local cases and apprehending criminals. He is a veteran criminal lawyer with thirty years of experience. If there is anything unusual in Zong Tongpan's case, Zhou Nietai will definitely notice it..."

"What a good official!"

Hai Rui felt relieved and was about to say something else when there was a knock on the door.

"Who?"

"It's a little girl."

Li Yuying's voice came in.

Haiyue was a little surprised at first, but then she understood. She stood up, opened the door, and looked at the other person with a smile.

"Greetings, gentlemen!"

Li Yuying blushed at his gaze, and with a trembling voice, she made up an excuse that wasn't really an excuse: "I just moved to the next room, and I came here to say hello to the two gentlemen..."

Haiyue said, "Please come in."

The separation of men and women in Hainan is not as strict as in the Central Plains. When the local Li people get married, young men often use betel nuts as a betrothal gift. "No need for New Year's invitations, just betel nuts." After everything is simple, they start to get married in the same room and make love. Later, the Han people also had similar customs, which were criticized by outsiders and considered indecent.

At this time, Hai Yue invited Li Yuying in. Seeing this, Hai Rui opened the door a crack to show his openness.

Li Yuying bowed and said, "I have never been able to thank the Fourteenth Young Master. If he had not stopped me with the Great Ming Law, I would have been tortured by that foolish prefect..."

Hai Rui returned the greeting, "I wouldn't dare! Your brother and sister have endured this calamity, yet you remain steadfast. Such integrity and righteousness are truly worthy of pine and bamboo, a true role model for us all!"

Thinking of her brother, Li Yuying's eyes turned slightly red, but she no longer showed sadness. She knew very well that no one wanted to see a sad face. She took out the gift book and started talking about Journey to the West.

Hai Rui was a little surprised: "Brother, are you writing again?"

Others would ponder over their writing, but Haiyue was different. Furthermore, the academy had already given her a heads-up, so she said naturally, "Yes! That's what we agreed to. I'll continue writing after the exam!"

Hai Rui hesitated for a second before finally muttering, "I'm also looking forward to the sequel..."

"what?"

Hai Yue really didn't know, mainly because this guy never urged him and just listened quietly when others discussed the plot, so that even he thought that this upright and honest brother had no interest in the novels.

Li Yuying hurriedly said, "How can a humble woman take away someone's love? I will return this to the Fourteenth Young Master..."

"That's not necessary!"

Hai Yue smiled, took out another book from the package, and handed it to Hai Rui. "I was planning to give it to you a long time ago, but I didn't want to affect your exam preparation."

Hai Rui accepted it with great joy, caressing the simple cover, unable to let it go. Li Yuying, realizing her copy was safe, breathed a sigh of relief.

She only read for a short while before she was already immersed in that fantastical world. She felt it was more wonderful than she had ever imagined, so how could she bear to return the book?

Now that he had more books to read, he couldn't help but offer some compliments: "Sir, are you planning to publish the complete version of Journey to the West? If so, I'm afraid all the bookshop owners on Sanshan Street in Jinling will flock to him upon hearing the news!"

In this era, the booksellers in Sanshan Street, Jinling, were generally recognized to have the best quality books. Even the books specially supplied to the Annan royal family were obtained from there. Li Yuying's words were a great compliment to a historical novel.

Haiyue shook her head and said bluntly: "Booksellers are disgusting. No matter where they are from, I won't sell to them."

There is absolutely no copyright protection these days, and copying and piracy are rampant despite repeated bans.

Take, for example, Li Yu, the author of The Sex and Zen Master. He was renowned for his talent and his numerous works led to numerous reprints. Furious, he declared, "I till the soil while they feed me. How can I bear this? I will fight to the death and issue a notice to the parties involved!"

This was more than just talk. Li Yu acted decisively, conducting open and covert investigations, gathering evidence, filing complaints with the authorities, and spreading the word, creating a considerable public outcry. But what was the result? The booksellers continued as usual, only pretending to pay a small amount of silver as compensation before continuing their rampant theft.

This was exactly the situation Haiyue encountered before. "Journey to the West" was first sought after and became famous in Qiongzhou Prefecture. Immediately, booksellers came to buy it, but the price was kept very low, almost hoping to make a huge profit.

Clearly, the deal had not been reached, but within two months, the "Newly-Published Journey to the West" appeared on the shelves of the bookstore.

It was printed directly from the manuscript he circulated in the academy.

Then this new version of Journey to the West began to be enthusiastically sought after, and booksellers immediately reprinted it. The printing became more and more refined, the typesetting became more and more careful, and the illustrations became more and more exquisite.

When the "New Edition of Journey to the West" became a hot seller, booksellers even placed advertisements in it to promote their other books.

Not only was Haiyue helpless about this, but because her work became popular and attracted the attention of local students, she was also criticized.

A student from a county school is not doing his job properly and is writing historical novels?
What? We love to watch? We love to watch and criticize!

Haiyue has personally experienced why the authors of the four great classics have to be guessed by later generations, and no one can be absolutely sure.

It turns out that in this era, the creative environment is so thankless that the authors bear the blame while the booksellers reap the benefits. It is really like "I sow the seeds while they eat the food."

Hai Rui also knew about this matter and told her the general outline. Li Yuying was furious after hearing it: "What a short-sighted person!"

"They're just a bunch of profit-seeking merchants! No matter, I'll save myself the bad reputation of selling words. From now on, I won't sell them, I'll just give them away!"

Haiyue waved her hand.

Although his family is not wealthy, his fourth brother runs Yinglue Society and they are not short of money, so he stopped writing. Now, even if he is ready to continue writing, he will not sell it to booksellers, but to give it to relatives, friends, teachers and classmates.

Books for sale, vulgar! So vulgar!
Giving your works as gifts to others is elegant! Very elegant!
Trust in the quality of "Journey to the West" and this way of dissemination that does not sell words are the right route for plagiarism.

It's a lesson learned.

Li Yuying was delighted to hear this. After all, she was one of the first to receive the book. "It's my great honor!"

Hai Yue smiled and said, "Just now I heard you say that you have already read the chapter about havoc in heaven and Emperor Taizong of Tang visiting the underworld?"

Li Yuying turned into a curious baby: "Yes!"

"Then I'm going to tell you about a folk legend that has existed since the Tang Dynasty."

The story of Emperor Taizong of Tang visiting the underworld had indeed been circulated among the people as early as the Tang Dynasty. Its original intention was to use the affairs of the underworld to satirize Er Feng's Xuanwu Gate Incident. In "Journey to the West", this legend was cleverly adapted and turned into a prologue to the grand story of obtaining Buddhist scriptures from the West. It can be said to be a brilliant piece of writing.

But as she was speaking, combined with the experience of the fellow judge Zong Chengxue, Hai Yue subconsciously said: "If the soul of Emperor Taizong of Tang was taken away in the underworld, then he would naturally not be able to survive in the world of the living. It can be seen that there is an explanation for the bizarre stories of immortals. For example, the "strange dream" that has been circulating just now, in which the soul was taken away in the dream, and after waking up, it is natural to hang oneself... Hehe... Hehe..."

I was laughing, but suddenly I couldn't laugh anymore.

The two looked at each other.

His face turned pale.

Especially Li Yuying.

Damn it! I came to chat at night because I heard about that horrifying suicide case during the day, and I didn’t have anyone close to me, so I was worried I couldn’t sleep!

Now that you say that, won’t it be even more difficult to sleep?
The atmosphere instantly grew cold. Hai Rui looked at the two of them speechlessly and flipped open the book.

This kind of thing can't be persuaded, the more you persuade, the more afraid you become. Read a book~Read a book~
(End of this chapter)