Chapter 45 – Naming the Hall

Liu Shun was very diligent, and on the second day, Xu Chun received the large box of books. He said with great respect, “Brother Jiu has so many precious books!”

He couldn’t wait to read Brother Jiu’s letter first, and when he saw the sentence, “A friend whom one can entrust with life and death, one or two in a lifetime is enough,” he became momentarily lost in thought, thinking, I just need Brother Jiu.

For a moment, he didn’t know how to reply to Brother Jiu, so he could only open the box of books and carefully read them, becoming even more moved. These books were clearly carefully selected by Brother Jiu. The Three Kingdoms and Longtu Gong’an, chosen by the illustrator to meticulously match the paintings, printing and embroidery, would sell extremely well! There was no need to mention medical books; they were too precious. Doctor Zhou would probably have his eyes gleam with excitement upon seeing them. It would be best if Doctor Zhou proofread the woodblock print; he would definitely be thrilled. This Zhusuan Jing and Horse Classic were even more precious. Printing them would also be very practical, and they were something he could immediately have the school print.

His gratitude grew stronger, and he became even more careful, not daring to desecrate Brother Jiu’s heartfelt intentions. So he personally wrapped the books, called Donghai over to supervise, and went to Xiayun Workshop first, calling Qingqian and Luo Yuzhou over. He showed them the books and then discussed his ideas.

Qingqian was naturally delighted upon hearing this: “It’s not easy to get these out-of-print books. Firstly, we must take good care of them. Assign eight capable managers to lock them up, four per shift, taking turns day and night, never leaving their side. During the day, send someone to make rubbings page by page to create the woodblocks. The books are not allowed to leave the library under any circumstances; secondly, the entire matter needs to be kept confidential, no leaks can be allowed. After making the woodblocks, print a proof copy first and ask someone to carefully proofread it. At this point, the illustrators can be invited to draw the embroidered illustrations. By this time, the books can all be returned.”

Luo Yuzhou also said, “The printing factory needs to be reprimanded again. After all, it wasn’t our own business before. I’ll arrange for a few capable managers to go over there first, thoroughly reorganize all the workers who print books, engrave woodblocks, and proofread, keeping only those who are reliable. The printing factory also needs to be properly repaired, and anything that needs to be replenished should be promptly purchased. All arrangements for worker accommodations should be made, and during the woodblock engraving period, everyone must stay at the workshop, not allowing outside stays.”

Xu Chun agreed wholeheartedly: “Yes, the tools used before were suitable for printing chapbooks, but for these out-of-print books, they’re still lacking. We need to improve the tools. Paper, woodblocks, and illustrators—I want the best, only then will they match these books. Smoothly manage the workers, and the printing factory will trouble Manager Luo. Anyway, Xiayun Workshop is also managed by Sister Qingqian, so you can pay more attention to that side. Donghai will cooperate here, mainly focusing on those medical books. When the time comes, Doctor Zhou will be in charge, ensuring everything goes perfectly.”

“As for the book donations for the charity school, please have Sister Qingqian take overall responsibility. All the coordination will rely on you. I’ll leave Qiuhu with you, and if there’s anything, you can let Qiuhu help and report back to me.”

Qingqian smiled, eager to try: “Thank you for your trust, Prince. I will not fail you. Inks, brushes, and paper, these are specialties of Minzhou. Now, immediately dispatch the goods, and I won’t let Prince down. But this will leave only Chunxi and Xiaochao by your side. Should I send a message to Young Master Biao and select a few capable ones to send over?”

Xu Chun shook his hand: “No, Biao Brother is also using people right now. Let’s slowly teach some people ourselves.”

“Hold on, for the printing workshop, we need to come up with a more impressive name.”

Qingqian said, “I’ve just taken over the workshop these days and learned a bit about it. There’s the famous Dongting Sweeping Leaves Mountain House, which takes the meaning of editing books like sweeping fallen leaves; Suzhou’s Juwen Hall, Si Mei Hall, Baixing Hall; Jinling’s Fuwentang, Jujin Hall, Deju Hall; there are even more in the capital, such as Juizhen Hall, Shancheng Hall, Wencheng Hall, Hanwenzhai, and more than a dozen others. However, the names are ordinary and hard to remember. In my opinion, we should come up with an easy-to-remember name, carve it into the workshop’s seal, and stamp it on every book. That way, it will sound impressive.”

Xu Chun chuckled inwardly and hurriedly wrote a letter to Brother Jiu. Brother Jiu was highly educated and could come up with an impressive name for him.

Xie Yi, however, was meeting with Xie Fei, listening to Xie Fei talk about the preparations for the charity school. He smiled and praised, “Your ability to handle matters is commendable. In just a few days, you’ve raised quite a sum. As for the excess donations, there’s no need to return them. Just transfer them to the Imperial Capital’s Foundling Home. Providing for the daily necessities of orphans is also thorough.”

“The matter of me giving a calligraphic inscription for the plaque will be waived. Since you’ve already invited the top three scholars, have them each write a plaque and poem. I remember that the Number One Scholar’s handwriting is quite good. He came from poverty, and now donating funds for education also shows that he hasn’t forgotten his roots. Orphaned children seeing the calligraphy and poetry of the top three scholars will naturally be inspired to strive upward, a good deed indeed.”

Xie Fei originally thought that the emperor must have ill feelings toward He Zhiqiu, but he didn’t expect him to speak so casually. He thought that if he relayed this to He Zhiqiu, perhaps he could set his mind at ease.

Xie Fei thanked the Emperor for his grace and left. However, in the corridor, he saw Su Hua personally holding a vermilion lacquer box, approaching with a smile. Seeing him, he hurriedly stepped aside and bowed, “This servant greets Your Highness.”

Xie Fei smiled, “Greetings, Eunuch Su.”

Su Hua had a face full of smiles, “Greetings, Your Highness. I heard that you established a charity school? This humble servant has some savings, and I’d like to contribute a little.”

Xie Fei hurriedly said, “In fact, we’ve already gathered enough funds, and I dare not accept your kind intentions, Grand Eunuch. Far exceeding the silver needed to establish the charity school, I just reported to the Emperor, and His Majesty ordered the surplus funds to be transferred to the Foundling Home.”

Su Hua said, “In that case, I’ll order someone to send it to the Foundling Home as well. This humble servant still has duties to attend to. Please go ahead, Your Highness.”

Xie Fei repeatedly bowed, watching as Su Hua walked briskly into the inner hall. Soon after, he saw Su Hua running out to serve writing utensils. He was surprised. Wenshixin Hall was usually where the Emperor met with ministers for discussions. If he wanted to write, he would generally go to the rear hall, Suiyu Hall.

Now that he suddenly asked for writing utensils, it certainly wasn’t for everyday writing. It seemed that he was going to write large characters. Was he planning to write an inscription for somewhere? A temple? Or a palace within the palace? Could it be the Abstinence Palace?

Unfortunately, he didn’t seek a calligraphy gift from the Emperor for the charity school. If he could obtain an imperial calligraphy inscription, such as Xuancheng and Qingxiang Academies, which have been passed down to this day, it would indeed be a topic of admiration.

Xie Fei kept thinking about it as he continued to prepare for the charity school. Indeed, he personally visited the Number One Scholar’s residence, sending some medicinal herbs and tonics, and informed him of the Emperor’s verbal decree. He assumed that He Zhiqiu would certainly be delighted.

Unexpectedly, after hearing this, He Zhiqiu was silent for a while and said softly, “The Emperor is admonishing me not to forget my roots. Thank you, Your Highness, for relaying the Emperor’s verbal decree. This minister humbly obeys the imperial command and dares not violate it.”

Xie Fei was somewhat bewildered but still comforted him, “I see that the Emperor is very amiable. Minister He, you should relax and take care of your health. Once you recover, you should cheer up. In a few days, when the academy opens, I hope the Number One Scholar will personally write the plaque and attend the celebration.”

He Zhiqiu nodded, “Thank you, Your Highness. I’m ashamed, but it’s time for me to cheer up and work for the benefit of the people.”

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In the evening, Liu Shun personally delivered the plaque with the horizontal inscription “Chufeng Tang” to Xu Chun.

Xu Chun couldn’t stop smiling, and then had Liu Shun deliver a set of large brushes to Brother Jiu. These were the brushes Brother Jiu liked, and he had someone custom-make a set specifically for writing large characters, which had just arrived today.

After seeing Liu Shun off, Xu Chun looked at “Chufeng Tang” several times, feeling that it was bold and unrestrained, elegant and dust-free, much like Brother Jiu himself. He thought, Brother Jiu writes so well; I’ll directly make rubbings and carve this character into the workshop seal, stamping it on every book produced by Chufeng Tang. These books will surely be handed down for posterity, and Brother Jiu’s calligraphy will also benefit the world along with these books, handed down to posterity.