Chastity Layman 2

Chapter 319
There was an upsurge in Chang'an City.

Jixian Library has now become the most popular store in Chang'an.

The anthology of Taibai poems has long been sold out, and the reprints of the Three Character Classic and the Thousand Character Classic are also sold out, with a huge amount of reservations.Although there is no stock for a while, the scholars still come to check in every day. It is close to the Gongyuan, and almost all the scholars in Chang'an, especially those from other places, live in Pingkangfang, so everyone now regards this as a scholar. The place where the kids get together.

There is also a reading room at the back of Jixian Library, where you can borrow books and register for borrowing books with a membership card.

The environment is beautiful and the atmosphere is good.

Although there are many rules, everyone likes to come.

Especially for some long drifters, the economy is relatively tight, and they don’t have the money to buy so many books. Now they have the opportunity to borrow books from Jixian Library. Forbid them to copy books.

Even Jixian Library will provide some part-time job opportunities every day, hiring them to copy some books, or organize some books.

Jixian Library has specially set up a kiosk of honoring characters outside the library gate, and sent people to collect old paper and old books.

Old paper is old paper with characters. Since ancient times, people have respected and respected paper with characters. Even if the paper is useless, they will not easily destroy it. Generally, there will be a kiosk for recycling old paper everywhere. Taiwan, these useless papers are taken there to be burned, to show respect for words and paper, and respect for the culture of the sages.

Qin Lang sent people to build a respectful pavilion outside the museum to collect these old books and old papers.

People can send all old papers and old books, and the library will give some rewards according to the quantity and value.

Even if it is useless old paper, it can be replaced with one or two new sheets. If it is some valuable old books, it can be exchanged for a lot of money. If it is some precious ancient books, it can be exchanged for many good ones. thing.

Someone brought several scrolls of bamboo slips before, which looked very broken, but after identification, they were found to be the slips of the Han Dynasty, and the contents recorded were also very precious. I paid ten guanqian as reward.

This time, everyone's enthusiasm was high. Many people brought some old papers and old books from home, some old books that I didn't know what they were, and even a clerk from the pharmacy got some tortoise shells with many symbols on them. He didn't recognize it either, but he felt that it should also be a character of some dynasty, so he sent it for a try.

As a result, no one in the library recognized it. Qin Lang happened to come to inspect it, and was surprised to recognize that it was an oracle bone inscription.

In later generations, these armor fragments excavated underground were regarded as keel bones for medicinal purposes, and they were discovered by a person of insight by accident, so there was research on oracle bone inscriptions.

However, in ancient times, oracle bone inscriptions have always been researched and inherited. This is a specialized study, which is classified in the study of epigraphy. There are very few people who study it, and there is a lack of systematic argumentation.

Most people really don't know this stuff.

Qin Lang attached great importance to it, so he directly gave the guy a gold equivalent to a tortoise bone, and told him that this was the writing on the tortoise shell in the Shang Dynasty.

This shocked the whole Chang'an.

Some people are surprised that a few pieces of tortoise shells can be exchanged for heavy gold, and some people are surprised that Qin Lang said that those are the characters of the Shang Dynasty. You know, the Tang Dynasty has a history of nearly 2000 years from the Shang Dynasty, even if it is more than a thousand years away from the late Shang Dynasty. years.

History books have more records about the Zhou Dynasty after the Shang Dynasty. For the Shang Dynasty before the Zhou Dynasty, there are actually very few records left, and this period of history is very vague.

The most critical thing is the lack of written records left over from the Shang Dynasty.

Qin Lang's discovery still caused a shock in the historian circle.

The Jingzi Pavilion of Jixian Library is also named Chang’an. Every day, many people bring books, some of which are purely discarded old calligraphy paper, and some people bring all kinds of old books, some of which are actually of average value. The inventory is large, but I did receive many valuable old books, and even many predecessors' notes, all of which are unique materials.

Qin Lang spent a lot of money to build a special research room, and invited many people to sort out and study these books and materials, classify them, and then transcribe them.

Qin Lang respects and cherishes these things very much. For him, these things are history and China.

Throughout the ages, many nationalities have risen and weakened, and finally died out, or even completely buried in the dust of history. The most important thing is that without this kind of cultural inheritance, they don't know who their ancestors are, and they don't know what kind of history they have had. , So there is no such glory, and it will not learn the lesson, which is sad.

And a nation has its own culture and history, and it is even more tragic if it is not respected.

Many well-known Confucian scholars and scholars in Chang'an received requests from Qin Lang to help them study and sort out these materials. Qin Lang gave good conditions, and many scholars in Chang'an also received requests from Qin Lang. Part-time job request, let them assist those great Confucian scholars and scholars in sorting out, transcribing, etc.

Some things, in the eyes of some great Confucians, are just miscellaneous learning, or even heresy, but Qin Lang still thinks that these first-hand materials are of great value.

Organized and transcribed, it can be used as a reference for future generations to study.

Even some of the so-called miscellaneous fallacies are actually very important research results in astronomy, calendar, geography, physics, mathematics, and even engineering, construction, animal husbandry and many other aspects.

Even some predecessors' notes, some strange notes, unofficial history miscellaneous notes, etc., are of high literary and historian value.

This matter requires money, a lot of money.

He even had to continue to post money, and he might not see any return at all, but Qin Lang still insisted on doing it, and he was willing to do his best to save the culture.

Just like oracle bone inscriptions, he also set up a special research room, invited scholars in this field, and searched and collected oracle bones from all over the place, as a specialized study for research.

At first Cheng Qian found it difficult to understand, but later he gradually supported him. He still couldn't understand the meaning of doing this, but he knew that Qin Lang was not the kind of person who would do useless work.

So with the crown prince's nominal lead, this matter will be even more influential.

Of course, Jixian Library is still very profitable.

In addition to the three books being out of stock and forcing the publishing house to do their best to reprint and reprint them, the Jixian Library itself also sells many other handwritten books, and stationery such as paper and ink are also important commodities.

In addition to the low cost of printing books, bamboo paper is also good for copying and so on. However, its price is very different from that of various leather paper, hemp paper, and rattan paper. Therefore, many scholars queue up to buy every day, and everyone wants to stock up. Cheap bamboo paper.

Jixian Library even received a large purchase order from the imperial court and purchased a large number of orders from them. For this reason, the library immediately placed orders with various paper workshops and ink workshops that supplied the supplies.

Jixian Library is now very popular among scholars, and Jixian Library has appeared many times because of the crown prince's share, so these scholars who have benefited from it began to praise His Royal Highness without hesitation.

It is also beneficial for Jixian Library to use the name of the prince. Firstly, no one dares to get distracted.If anyone else came up with ink, cheap bamboo paper, woodblock printing, and such cheap books, I'm afraid the store would be burned by countless old interest groups within three days.

Maybe they don't need to set fire to the store at all, just find a few people, and they can get the owner of the bookstore involved in a case that he can't get out of, and he won't understand it until he dies.

But for the shop opened by the prince, it is inevitable to worry about it.

The Jixian Library has been open for a long time, and it has become more and more prosperous. Nothing has happened, but Qin Lang has always sent people to be on guard.

It has touched the interests of too many people, and some people will definitely refuse.

When the third edition of Taibai Poetry Anthology arrived for sale again, there was finally a situation.

"A new Tianyi Bookstore has opened in Dongshi, and their family has also started selling printed books."

Ah Huang ran to tell Qin Lang.

"Tianyi Bookstore? Do you really sell printed books?"

"I bought all the books."

What Ah Huang bought was also a thread-bound book. Its binding method is the same as that of the printed book of Jixian Library, and even the cover uses the same blue leather seal.

The book is very thick, with more than 40 pages, each page is filled with thirteen lines, and each line has 32 characters. The layout is much more compact than Qin Lang's Three Character Classic, and there are no punctuation marks.

"The Analects!"

This is a printed version of Analects, in block letters.

After looking through it carefully, this is a pure Analects, without any annotations from later generations. Such an Analects has about [-] words.

Lao Huang bought ten copies, and Qin Lang compared them, and found that they were all exactly the same. They were indeed engraved and printed, but compared to the books in Jixian Bookstore, this Analects of Confucius was still a bit rough.

They also use yellow bamboo paper, but although the ink used is ink, it is obviously not as good as the ink used by the printing bookstore. Another possibility is that they are rushing for time. Generally speaking, there are no typos or omissions, but the printing effect of the fonts is not very good, with different shades, and even some smudges.

But it is indeed a printed Analects.

"How much is a copy?"

"Eight hundred dollars!"

Nearly [-] pages of the Analects of Confucius, nearly [-] words, if it is the original manuscript, the market price will not be less than [-] yuan, if the handwriting is more beautiful, and the paper is better, it may cost [-] to [-] yuan, or even more expensive .

But now the Analects of Confucius is only [-], it seems that the other party also wants to grab the market at a low price.

"There are a lot of people queuing up to buy it, Saburo, we also have to print the Analects, and it has to be cheaper."

Qin Lang smiled.

It seems that some booksellers couldn't do it anymore. After all, they didn't dare to do anything to the Jixian Library under the crown prince's name, and they were unwilling, so they also started engraving and printing books.

Engraving and printing books is actually not difficult, but no one has done it before, or there was a problem with ink before, and when Jixian Library launched engraving books, it is still easy for those who are interested to imitate them as long as they do reverse research. A ready-made copycat object.

"This is actually a good thing, it shows that the market is changing with us!"

"But they steal our business."

"Everyone can print this book. As long as the quality is guaranteed, it is beneficial to readers. We welcome it." Qin Lang is not afraid of this kind of open and fair competition. This is healthy competition and should be encouraged.

What's more, in fact, Qin Lang still has a magic weapon in his hands that no one else can shake, that is, the compilation of the Nine Classics of Justice has produced some results.

Donggong organized a large number of famous Confucian scholars to discuss the compilation of the Nine Classics and Justice. At present, the nine groups have produced several volumes, and some have even produced more than ten volumes.

Although not yet fully completed, the content of the first few volumes has been reviewed, which means that it is ready for publication.This is the standard scripture for imperial examinations unified by the imperial court. Anyone who participates in the imperial examinations must read this book.

So this is the biggest opportunity for Chongxian Library Printing Bureau and Jixian Bookstore. As the Eastern Palace system, they will naturally be eligible to be the first to publish.

"Your Majesty, I will take the first scriptures of the Nine Classics that have been compiled and reviewed, and show them to His Majesty. As long as His Majesty permits, we can officially start writing, proofreading, engraving, printing and publishing."

I dare not say that every scholar in the entire Tang Dynasty will have a copy in the future, but at least the government students at all levels of the imperial court and candidates who want to take the imperial examination must read these books. Even if only some people buy it, then this is a huge demand .

With such a large market, why bother with other booksellers' counterfeit engraving and printing?

In terms of skills and relationships, they can't compare with Donggong. They eat meat by themselves, but they also give some soup to others.

Hall of Liangyi.

Li Shimin saw the scriptures brought by Qin Lang and Chengqian.

About fifty or sixty volumes of the Nine Classics of Justice have been repaired, and the speed is good.

Li Shimin looked through it carefully, and kept nodding his head, expressing his satisfaction.

"I didn't expect Donggong to be so efficient."

"Your Majesty, these are His Royal Highness's virtuous corporals. They have done enough logistical work for the great Confucian scholars and famous scholars from all over the world, so that they can work with peace of mind and no worries, so this efficiency is also high."

Li Shimin chuckled.

After all, the justice of the Nine Classics is just compiling, not writing, so it’s not too complicated to say that it’s really complicated. In fact, it’s just choosing one as the standard version among the various scriptures and annotations that have been circulated before, and then slightly revising it. .

But after all, what is involved is an academic dispute, so the descendants of various academic schools will definitely have disputes. The fact that the results can be produced so quickly shows that the host is very capable.

"Yes, these engravings can be printed and distributed."

Li Shimin originally planned that after compiling the Nine Classics, Hongwen Hall and Chongxian Hall would each copy a copy, one original and one copy, and then Guozijian would also copy a copy for students to copy.

But now, the success of Qin Lang's engraving and printing technique can allow the justice of the Nine Classics to be implemented in the world faster.In particular, the court didn't even need to pay extra.

Not only did he not need to pay, Qin Lang even proposed that the Chongxian Library Printing Bureau would take out [-]% of the book price as the publishing fee.Of course, this edition fee belongs to Donggong who organizes the compilation.But Donggong will take the money, part of it will be sent to the great Confucian scholars who are responsible for the compilation as remuneration for the manuscript, and the other part will be used to pay the descendants of the authors and commentators of the Nine Classics.

The last part is paid to the subordinate officials and scholars who participated in this compilation, and the rest can be dedicated to the emperor's internal treasury.

Li Shimin was a little embarrassed to hear that.

"This publishing fee is quite good. Give it to those great Confucian scholars and subordinate scribes who participated in the compilation, and the rest will belong to the East Palace."

"How do you plan to set this price?" the emperor asked.

"This time, the East Palace will fully cooperate with the imperial court's original intention of compiling the Nine Classics and promulgating the world with justice, so the price will be the lowest. It will be published by volume. A volume of [-] characters, less than [-] pages, we will only sell for [-] yuan. In addition, we will also Book rental services will be launched in various Jixian bookstores, renting and reading the Nine Classics is just, and one volume is only one penny a day!"

"Good!" Li Shimin was very satisfied.

"To establish a heart for the world, to establish a life for the people, to inherit the knowledge of the past, and to bring peace to all generations, this is what we scholars should do!"

Li Shimin was on the spot, looking at Qin Lang in disbelief!

(End of this chapter)