The Ming Dynasty: My sister, Empress Ma

For Ma Wenyuan, the best goal was actually to find some small bookstores.

Small bookstores don't have dedicated illustrators; they usually cast a wide net.

However, don't expect much money from small bookstores either.

I visited several bookstores and got the same result.

The shopkeeper should either refuse directly or politely.

As noon approached, Ma Wenyuan ran out of ideas and went into a nearly empty bookstore.

The bookstore is named Guanyun.

Stepping into the bookstore, one is greeted by a dazzling array of books, ranging from the Four Books and Five Classics to miscellaneous books.

The bookstore was large, with two floors, but there were very few customers.

Several elderly men dressed as Confucian scholars stood at the front of the bookshelf, reading books.

Obviously, they won't buy it.

Two middle-aged men dressed as shopkeepers were idly chatting in a corner.

Is this place affordable?

Ma Wenyuan suddenly felt like leaving, but he still adhered to the principle of "since we're already here, we might as well try our luck."

Ma Wenyuan walked up to the shopkeeper.

"Young master..."

When the shopkeeper saw that a customer had arrived, he immediately got up to greet him.

Before he could finish speaking, he was interrupted by a slightly excited voice.

"Brother Ma, what are you doing here?"

Looking in the direction of the sound, he saw a young man with an unattractive appearance coming down from upstairs and heading in his direction.

Ma Wenyuan stepped back, bowed, and said, "Brother Guo, I didn't expect to meet you here. What a coincidence."

The visitor was Guo Chong, courtesy name Zixiang.

Guo Zixiang bowed in return.

"This shop is owned by my family. I've been staying here these past few days, and I'm also taking the opportunity to review my studies."

"So, what kind of sage's writings are Wen Yuan planning to buy today?"

Guo Chong assumed that Ma Wenyuan had come to buy books.

Ma Wenyuan was slightly surprised. He only knew that Guo Chong was from Shanxi, but he didn't know what his family did.

Fortunately, she responded quickly, smiling as she replied.

"I'd like to discuss a business deal with Zixiang."

Ma Wenyuan wasn't ashamed to talk about it; making money wasn't shameful.

At least it's easier to talk about this within the same year.

Of course, as long as Ma Wenyuan presented his status as a tribute student, he could get along well with anyone in any bookstore.

However, no one would wear their status as a tribute student on their sleeve.

Furthermore, no one should tell everyone they are a tribute student.

Isn't that just plain crazy?

"Business?"

Guo Chong was only slightly taken aback, but showed no sign of aversion.

Merchants may have a low social status, but that's only on the surface. Who would complain about having too much money?

Guo Chong stepped aside and invited Ma Wenyuan upstairs to talk.

Ma Wenyuan had no objection and stepped forward.

After exchanging a few amusing anecdotes about their shared childhood, Ma Wenyuan steered the conversation back on track, handing his painting to the other man.

It's not the colorful style of modern comics, but rather a black and white ink wash style.

But the characters are three-dimensional, giving them a unique charm.

Even if you can't read, you can still enjoy it. Not to mention that these days, most people who can afford storybooks are literate, so the addition of narration makes it even more captivating.

Ma Wenyuan's painting depicts the Oath of the Peach Garden, from Liu Bei's intervention to the three brothers' eventual oath of brotherhood.

This amazed Guo Chong.

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms has not been widely disseminated today; only handwritten copies circulate among a few literary circles.

However, the story of the Three Kingdoms has existed for a long time. For example, the "Complete Illustrated Romance of the Three Kingdoms" from the Zhizhi era contains written records about it, and there are also some miscellaneous plays.

Therefore, the plot was neither unfamiliar nor novel to Guo Chong; what was strange to him was the form of expression.

It's more engaging than just text.

Guo Chong considered for a moment, then suddenly asked,

"Wen Yuan only wants to publish this one chapter?"

Ma Wenyuan shook his head. "I have no intention of publishing Romance of the Three Kingdoms."

This item is not a political mistake, as evidenced by its circulation within literary circles.

But the author made a political mistake. It didn't matter if it spread in a small circle, and nobody said anything.

Wouldn't it be ruined if the area were too large?

Besides, Robben isn't dead yet.

Guo Chong expressed his understanding, and then asked,

"What does Wenyuan plan to draw?"

Ma Wenyuan already had a plan in mind, and asked with a smile.

"What do you think of the Analects?"

"That's good." Guo Chong said noncommittally.

Illustrated Analects is better than illustrated novels; the former has a wider audience, and who wouldn't want to be admitted to the emperor's court?

To ascend to the Emperor's Hall, one must study the Four Books and Five Classics, and the latter also requires considering the quality of the plot.

The former simply picks up a pen and gets it done.

"Illustrated into several short stories, they can not only be used for early education, but also enhance memory."

Guo Chong was very interested, but hesitated for a while, "It's just that I'm short of money and I'm afraid I can't afford Wen Yuan's manuscript fee."

Ma Wenyuan was not surprised, but he did not intend to get up and leave. "If Brother Guo is interested, I can cooperate in the form of a joint venture, with each party bearing their own profits and losses."

Upon hearing this, Guo Chong's eyes lit up. The first expense of selling books is printing, and the second is the royalties for illustrators and authors.

The latter, in particular, is fine if it's a classic.

However, if it's a regular storybook, the bookstore has to consider the target audience of the book; if they make a mistake, they'll lose a lot of money.

If Ma Wenyuan could enter the market as a joint venture, it would undoubtedly reduce a lot of pressure on Guo Chong.

After a moment's thought, Guo Chong said,

"I will bear the losses myself, and we will split the profits equally."

This is because Ma Wenyuan was born in the same year.

Ma Wenyuan had no reason to refuse; if he was responsible for his own profits and losses, it meant he needed to contribute his principal to form a joint venture.

If you don't take responsibility for losses, and you only make money when there's profit to be made and don't make money when there isn't, then it can be considered a technical investment.

Admittedly, the latter's shares are certainly less than the former's, but the key issue is that Ma Wenyuan cannot come up with the capital to invest.

"Splitting it 30/70, and Wen Yuan is not allowed to give this item to other bookstores for printing in the future. What do you think, Wen Yuan?" Guo Chong asked tentatively.

This is an attempt to monopolize copyright.

It's not hard to see that he really wants to turn around the bookstore's predicament.

Ma Wenyuan's arrival just gave him a chance to take a gamble.

Ma Wenyuan nodded slightly; he didn't discuss the price further.

After all, the other party is the future runner-up in the imperial examination, and Ma Wenyuan is willing to give up some benefits to curry favor.

The land was divided in a 3:7 ratio, with Ma Wenyuan receiving 30% and Guo Chong receiving 70%.

Soon, Guo Chong ordered someone to draft a contract. After the two signed it, it would need to be notarized at the county government office. This was the so-called "red contract," the most credible contract of the time.

How many copies can you publish in a day?

Ma Wenyuan was somewhat curious about the productivity of this era.

As far as he knows, woodblock printing is now the main method, with movable type still used in a few places.

Wooden movable type is not suitable for printing, as woodblock printing would be very expensive.

"Based on one hundred pages per book, the woodblocks can be engraved in a month... no, fifteen days. One worker can print about three books a day."

Guo Chong chuckled self-deprecatingly, "My family's bookstore has been in dire straits since my father died, and now we can only rely on Wen Yuan."

Ma Wenyuan understood the meaning.

Guo Chong is going all in; he either wants to become famous overnight with his comics or he'll shut down his business.

Ma Wenyuan was happy to see this happen, because if the other party could make a profit, he could also make a profit.

After discussing some details with Guo Chong, Ma Wenyuan left Guanyun Bookstore.

Since the other party has acted this way, how could Ma Wenyuan delay the manuscript?