The Farm Girl’s Charismatic Fortune
Chapter 207 - 203 Even the Divine Monarch Has Fears

Chapter 207: Chapter 203 Even the Divine Monarch Has Fears

The two most famous bookstores in Shaxi County are Boyue Bookstore and Boxue Bookstore.

These two bookstores have shops in many cities across Xuanyuan Country and are well-known for selling a wide variety of books with good quality paper and ink, and well-written characters.

The two bookstores were also where the Ruo Shui brothers once copied books to earn silver.

Originally, Boyue Bookstore was doing better than Boxue Bookstore, but after driving away the Ruo Shui brothers, Boxue Bookstore surpassed Boyue Bookstore and snatched away many of their regular customers.

Later on, Boxue Bookstore somehow managed to persuade Master Fang, a leading figure in the calligraphy world, to come out of retirement and help them create typefaces. The new books on the shelves of Boxue Bookstore all featured Master Fang’s handwriting. Although they were printed and not original manuscripts, the characters were identical to those written by Master Fang himself.

Master Fang’s calligraphy was a model that many students aspired to imitate, which is why their business boomed.

However, since the opening of Wenyuan Bookstore, business had been worse day by day, with customers only coming to buy the Four Treasures of the Study. After all, Wenyuan Bookstore had just opened and did not have as many of the Four Treasures as the two larger bookstores.

When business at the bookstore was poor, the shopkeeper was also to blame. Fearing they would be chastised by their employer, they immediately wrote a letter to inform their owner of the situation.

When the letter reached the Capital City, Yu Gefan, the owner of Boyue Bookstore, had just finished dining with his wife. After reading the letter, he frowned and said, "It’s that Across the Waters again!"

Mrs. Yu, upon seeing this, asked, "My lord, what does the letter say? Is Across the Waters helping Boxue Bookstore copy books again?"

"No, it’s a new bookstore. Since it opened half a month ago, there has been no business in our store," Yu Gefan said as he handed the letter to his wife.

The reason he knew about Across the Waters was that his arch-rival, Boxue Bookstore, had gained an advantage over him because of the books copied by Across the Waters and Beyond the Mountains.

He had someone buy a book and indeed found it had a miraculous effect of calming the mind and quickening one’s thoughts.

Therefore, he instructed his people in Shaxi County to keep an eye out, to see if they could invite him over with a generous offer.

Lately, however, his books were no longer available, and then the rival Boxue Bookstore made a big move by getting Master Fang to create typefaces. Recently, he had also spent a hefty sum to ask another master calligrapher to help create typefaces. While the typefaces were still being made, a new bookstore sprang up, selling books entirely by Across the Waters and Beyond the Mountains.

After reading the letter, Mrs. Yu calmly said, "My lord should send someone to find out who the owner behind Wenyuan Bookstore is, to see if it’s run by Across the Waters and Beyond the Mountains. Then we can plan how to deal with them. It’s not too late. If we can win them over, we win them over. If not, we’ll make sure that bookstore can’t continue to operate!"

Running a bookstore successfully isn’t something everyone can do; the Yu family, too, comes from scholarly lineage, boasting a Top Scholar ancestor and more than a dozen Imperial Scholars over generations. Their great ancestor even held the position of Grand Secretary to the Hanlin Academy, hence their home was filled with an abundant collection of books.

Even now, her husband held a position at the Imperial Academy, and she herself was the biological first cousin of the Noble Consort.

It was because of this connection that their Yu family’s Boyue Bookstore managed to open branches across Xuanyuan Country.

Besides bookstores, their Yu family also owned a paper making workshop.

The silver earned from the paper making workshop was the major source of income, with all the official schools and the Governor’s Office in Xuanyuan Country using paper that came from their Yu family’s workshop.

Or rather, most of the paper in Xuanyuan Country was produced by the Yu family’s workshop.

There were once three paper making families; however, the other two were driven out of business by their Yu family, leaving only Boxue Bookstore’s Xing Family. But the quality of the Xing Family’s paper wasn’t as good as Yu’s, and seeing as the Xing Family also owned a bookstore, they were probably unwilling to sell paper to a competitor.

To avoid direct confrontation with their family, the Xing Family focused more on ink and inkstones.

The Hui Ink from the Xing Family was quite famous.

So, if one wanted to impede the success of a new bookstore, it was enough to simply not sell them paper or ink.

Yu Gefan nodded and said, "What my wife says is true."

Mrs. Yu continued, "If the new party has backers, then let Boxue Bookstore make the first move. We shouldn’t act yet; let’s see how they play their hand first. They must be more anxious than us."

Yu Gefan squeezed his wife’s hand and smiled, "My wife speaks truly."

After all, if Across the Waters had opened his own bookstore, it would be a direct affront to Boxue Bookstore, especially since Across the Waters had once helped them with copying books. It made sense that the arch-rival would be more eager.

Mrs. Yu didn’t take the new bookstore seriously at all.

Over the years, how many in Xuanyuan Country could grow to be influential, with branches in every major city?

Both Boxue Bookstore and Boyue Bookstore had powerful support behind them, a support as unmovable as a mountain.

In Xuanyuan Country, there were only a few people whose offense they feared.

~

Ruo Xuan was still unaware that trouble was looming. She had left the mushrooms to be managed by her mother and grandmother along with the villagers, only occasionally checking in, without needing to be involved.

She had already begun to deliver goods regularly to the taverns and grocery stores every day.

Three hundred catties of fresh mushrooms could be sold daily, two hundred to the taverns and one hundred to the grocery stores, at twenty-five wen per catty, earning her seven thousand five hundred wen a day.

The remaining mushrooms were dried, and once dried they would sell for even more.

Over the past few days, Xuanyuan Que had procured a set of utensils for her, and besides attending classes, she was busy blending fragrances, distilling floral waters, and making rouge and face powder in Xuanyuan Que’s room.

Xuanyuan Que’s room was filled with various rich floral scents every day, forcing him to keep his distance.

She never seemed to clean up after herself once she finished with the flowers, and it was him who always had to tidy up the mess.

He was even considering moving back to the courtyard of the Bogu Pavilion!

While Xuanyuan Que was contemplating moving back to the city, Ruo Xuan came running over with a tray full of little bottles and jars.

Before she even arrived, Xuanyuan Que’s hair inexplicably stood on end, one by one.

He stood up and stepped away.

"Brother Xuanyuan, don’t go," Ruo Xuan shouted loudly.

Xuanyuan Que had no choice but to stop in his tracks.

Ruo Xuan ran over, set down the tray, and pulled him to sit down: "Brother Xuanyuan, I need a favor."

Xuanyuan Que looked at the bottles and jars on the tray, the bad feeling in his heart growing stronger, with his hair standing on end proudly and defiantly.

He subconsciously rubbed his arms: "What favor?"

His usually cool and detached voice had a hint of imperceptible timidity.

"Close your eyes," Ruo Xuan’s little hands covered his eyes.

Xuanyuan Que pulled down her hand, wanting to leave, "Don’t even think about applying any of that stuff you’ve concocted to my face."

Ruo Xuan hoisted her little legs and sat directly across his legs, pressing down on his shoulders, "Don’t move!"

"..."

Xuanyuan Que indeed dared not move.

Was this flower getting too audacious, such that she might dare to climb onto his head later?

Ruo Xuan picked up a bottle of perfume, removed the stopper, and held it up to his nose: "Brother Xuanyuan, how do you find the scent of this perfume?"

"Strong, unbearably strong!"

Xuanyuan Que quickly pushed away the small bottle in her hand, and couldn’t help but sneeze as he turned his head away.

Ruo Xuan: "..."

Strong?

Apparently, Divine Lord Xuanyuan didn’t like the scent of roses.

Next one!