The next day, Zhulan took the newspaper she had read to attend the book club. She read too much yesterday afternoon and now her head hurts and her brows are furrowed.
Su Xuan asked, "Mom, are you feeling unwell?"
"Well, I've been too busy lately and haven't been following Concubine Chen's novels for a while. I read a lot yesterday."
She, a fake book fan, didn't want to be exposed and she wanted more autographs from Concubine Chen!
Besides, she couldn't afford to lose face if her mistake was exposed. How could she face Concubine Chen in the future
Su Xuan exclaimed, "Don't you deliver newspapers to Prince Qi's mansion every day?"
"I want Concubine Chen's autograph."
Su Xuan was silent. Her mother-in-law was a fake book fan and she deceived everyone in the capital. She subscribed to a lot of newspapers for every issue. Everyone in the capital knew that Mrs. Zhou was a senior book fan.
Even she, who liked the story of Concubine Chen and had written a letter to her, had to admit defeat!
Zhulan cleared her throat, "The Toffee's story is indeed good."
Su Xuan smiled, "Yeah."
The story of the Toffee has hurt countless men's hearts and exposed many dirty thoughts!
The place where Concubine Chen held the book club was a villa with a large area. Zhulan entered the yard and looked around. Her eyes widened slightly, "The architecture here is very unique."
The female official smiled and explained, "Every time the Concubine writes a story, she will present it in Zhuangzi according to the classic scenery of the story."
Su Xuan recognized a lot of the scenery, "The concubine is very thoughtful."
Zhulan also admired that if Zhuangzi opened its doors, it would become a check-in place for book lovers. It was obvious that the concubine had been preparing for a book club.
As the female official passed by one scene after another, Zhulan, the fake fan, could recognize the books corresponding to the scene. What amazed her were the paintings. There was a framed painting for each scene, and the story in the painting was the concubine's novel.
Su Xuan suppressed her excitement and said, "This really opened my eyes."
The female official smiled and said, "The Concubine said that there are four seasons in a year, and there will be a book fair in each season. There is a grand prize today."
Zhulan thought that it could be possible to charge a fee, which would bring in considerable income every year!
When they arrived at the garden, quite a few people had already arrived. The concubine's books were very popular among the female officials, and the invitations for the first book club were loose, so Zhulan met quite a few acquaintances.
Zhulan nodded to her acquaintance and walked over to Concubine Chen, "It's very lively."
Concubine Chen gestured for her to sit down, "I put a lot of thought into this."
Zhulan is in a good position. She knows everyone not only because of her status, but more because she is the number one fan!
Su Xuan went to her younger sister and said, "My younger sister is here early."
Xue Han asked, "Did this girl Lin Xi have to come early?"
Su Xuan looked at her daughters. They had already come to Lin Xi's side. "Concubine Chen's story is very popular. Several girls in the family also like it very much."
Xue Han looked at her daughter and nieces with a smile, "It's good for the little girl to see more."
Su Xuan nodded in agreement. Concubine Chen came from a prominent family and had rich life experience. Her wisdom would be reflected in the novel, and those with good comprehension would learn a lot.
She also made some suggestions for Zhulan's approach. She can't write novels, but she has rich experience and she has to continue to pretend to be the number one fan!
Concubine Chen was so happy that she wanted to take notes. "I know you understand me the best. Don't subscribe to the newspaper in the future. I will sign my name and send it to you directly."
Zhulan remained calm, "No, I feel a sense of accomplishment when I buy it myself."
Concubine Chen's eyebrows softened, "Then I only have this sum of money left."
Zhulan felt relaxed, having finally gotten away with it.
Book clubs are much more friendly than tea tasting and flower appreciating. The ladies discuss their favorite stories in groups of three or four. The manor is full of scenery, and you can go to find the scenery that relates to your favorite stories. Coming to the manor for the first time is like treasure hunting.
Yuwen and Linxi also stood up. Yuwen praised: "The concubine is really thoughtful. It would be better if this was not a private manor."
You can come and see it anytime.
Lin Xi knew more, "This is the manor that the concubine came with as a dowry."
So forget about opening up.
Several people stood in the gallery, admiring the exquisite paintings one after another, and the girls were all immersed in appreciating them.
Soon a lot of people gathered here. Linxi and the others were about to leave when a few girls came from the opposite side. Before Linxi walked in, the girls had already avoided her.
Yu Wen was keenly aware of Lin Xi's gaze, and waited until she was far away before asking, "Do you know anyone?"
Lin Xi thought of the information she had investigated, and after confirming that there was no one around, she whispered, "There was a girl named An just now. She came to Beijing last year and her ancestral home is in Sichuan."
Yuwen instantly thought of the purpose of her father's going to Chuanzhou. She thought that the Qin Palace knew the news because of the Chuanzhou issue, so she turned her head and took another look.
Miss An breathed a sigh of relief after the others had gone far away, and this reaction was noticed by Miss Jiao who was standing beside her.
Miss Jiao asked, "Are you okay?"
Miss An shook her head to indicate that it was okay. She admired her own courage. The longer she stayed in the capital, the more she knew who she should not plot against.
Miss Jiao said with envy, "The young ladies in the capital are divided into different levels. Before we came to the capital, we were the sought-after young ladies of officials in the state capital. It was only after we came to the capital that we realized how small we were."
Miss An pursed her lips, she was unwilling to accept it since she had already arrived in Beijing.
In Xiaoliu Village, Chang Zhi was wearing ordinary long clothes and looked like a scholar. The servant was also made into a book boy. Chang Zhi got off the carriage and looked at the dilapidated courtyard in front of him.
The house in the yard had not been repaired for a long time, and one side of the house had collapsed and was uninhabitable.
Slave, "Is anyone there?"
After waiting for a while, someone came out of the intact house. It was a pregnant woman, followed by a little girl of seven or eight years old.
The servant smiled and said, "Madam, we passed by here and wanted to get a glass of water."
The woman pursed her lips and said, "There is water, but it's a little inconvenient since my husband is not at home."
The servant said, "We can just wait in the yard."
The woman's movements were a little strenuous as her stomach was quite full, so the little girl ran to the kitchen to boil some water.
Changzhi said, "I saw some paper in the yard. Is there anyone reading at home?"
The woman's hands froze for a moment. "Yes, my husband is a scholar. He went to help someone write a letter. He will be back soon."
Chang Zhi had been here the day before yesterday. He had made a point of asking around in the county town, and then he met the man of the house, who was helping with the accounting.
When he asked around, he heard a lot of stories. The male owner of the house was 28 years old and very famous in Xiaoliujia Village. He was precocious and had a good talent for studying. As a result, he took the exam with full confidence at the age of 16. He passed the first county exam, but his ranking was not high, and he failed the second one.
He took the exam twice more afterwards, but failed the second time each time. Taking part in the provincial examination required leaving home, which cost a lot of money each time. Taking part in the county lady's joint guarantee also required money. After failing several times, there was no money left at home.
He saved money for two years to continue taking the exam, but he failed the county exam. His brothers and sisters quarreled with each other and finally split up the family.
When Changzhi finished his recollection, the little girl came out with a cup. The woman said, "These are some of the intact cups in the house. Please don't dislike them."
Changzhi didn't despise him. He had experienced more hardships when traveling with his master before. He took out a candy from his purse and handed it to the little girl, "Thank you for your hard work."
The girl looked at her mother, and the woman was silent for a moment before nodding, "Thank you."
Changzhi had no intention of leaving. He came on time, just waiting for the male host to come back. He needed to verify his guess.