Chapter 207

First Volume, Chapter 207: Gold-Leaf Edition

Shen Qingci instinctively tried to pull her hand away, but at these words, her motion halted, and she frowned in confusion: "Salesperson?"

Qin Feng nodded vigorously, face alight with excitement, feeling he was already on the brink of becoming a publishing tycoon: "All books under Heaven look to Jingdu as their barometer. Any book that becomes popular in Jingdu naturally gains fame throughout the realm. Elder Sister, you're a celebrated literary talent in Jingdu—you wield immense influence among the literati."

"From now on, whenever a new book is published, send it to you, and you help promote it to the Jingdu literati."

Shen Qingci finally understood Qin Feng's plan, yanked her hand free, and gave him a withering look: "Why should I help you?"

Qin Feng grew desperate, made up his mind: "I won't let you help for free! For every book sold through you, I'll give you a commission. Two hundred wen per Regular Edition, two taels of silver per Fine Edition. The profit margin is already substantial—book bureaus always rely on volume."

Shen Qingci had never cared much for money; whether it was hundreds of thousands of taels or just a few taels made no real difference to her.

But considering Qin Feng was raising money to build the New Army for the sake of Liang Kingdom, and promoting books was a trivial favor, she reluctantly agreed: "Forget the commission—but you must agree to one condition."

No money? Was there such a thing in this world?

Qin Feng was ecstatic, pressing immediately: "What is it? Tell me!"

Shen Qingci let out a light huff, her eyes filled with resentment: "Did you make some extraordinary promise to the Qiyang Princess?"

An extraordinary promise?

Qin Feng instantly realized, muttering under his breath: "Could it be… glass?"

At the word "glass," Shen Qingci sighed, extending her slender finger to jab hard against Qin Feng's forehead: "What can I even say to you? Is there anything you won't promise? Glass is an Imperial Tribute from the Western Regions—every piece circulating among the Folk has leaked out of the Imperial Palace, and it's extremely expensive."

"A single glass bead the size of a pigeon's egg starts at five hundred taels of silver."

"Now the Qiyang Princess won't let it go, insisting you owe her ten catties of glass vessels. Ten catties! Even if I sold Qingya Pavilion, I couldn't make up for it."

Qin Feng thought: It's just broken glass balls—why treat them like jade vessels?

No! Even jade vessels aren't this valuable!

Qin Feng had been too busy lately to smelt glass, but sensing Shen Qingci's resentful gaze, he puffed out his chest and assured her: "Elder Sister, rest assured—I'll handle this! Glass? No big deal!"

The moment he said that, Shen Qingci's eyes filled with even deeper resentment: "Easy for you to say!"

"The Qiyang Princess never takes losses. Once you made that promise, she'll find every way possible to collect! Just the other day, she came storming into Qingya Pavilion, causing a scene. You don't care if you're burned alive—I still have my reputation. Her outburst scared off many literati—they won't come near me anymore."

"So why not sincerely apologize to her? Tell her it was just careless talk—see if she'll forgive you…"

At these words, Qin Feng's face instantly fell.

No matter how the Qiyang Princess treated Qin Feng himself was fine—but she must never target his family.

This move of hers was like touching Qin Feng's fatal vulnerability.

Apologizing? Impossible. Not in this lifetime.

And Qin Feng realized: if he didn't teach that spoiled princess a lesson, she'd only escalate.

Thinking of this, Qin Feng had already devised a plan.

He immediately slapped his chest, unusually serious as he promised Shen Qingci: "Even if you don't help me promote the novel, I won't let the Qiyang Princess bully you! I'll handle this myself—so long as I, Qin Feng, still draw breath, I won't let my sister suffer a single injustice!"

Shen Qingci had been somewhat angry—after all, all this trouble stemmed from Qin Feng.

But hearing his words, her resentment vanished entirely, and she felt a quiet sense of pride: "This boy… seems to have grown up."

Imperial Palace, Imperial Study.

The Liang Emperor held the Fine Edition of Mingyue Zhuan, read it straight through, then tossed it casually to Li Zhan, eyes filled with admiration: "This book's prose is bold, its story fresh, its emotions nuanced—an exceptional work. Only that brat Qin Feng could bind it so exquisitely."

Seeing the Emperor's high praise, Li Zhan smiled obsequiously in agreement: "Qin Feng's literary talent has long been evident in Jingdu. May I humbly ask Your Majesty—how shall we handle this book? Store it in the library, or…"

Before Li Zhan finished, the Liang Emperor cut him off bluntly: "Burn it."

Li Zhan froze for a moment, then immediately understood, handing the book to an Imperial Eunuch with orders to dispose of it immediately, then beaming with flattery: "Such trivial reading has no place in the Palace. I'll immediately warn all Palace Masters to strictly forbid purchasing this book."

The Liang Emperor silently accepted Li Zhan's suggestion—not because he targeted Qin Feng, but because rules must be upheld; merely restricting this book's entry into the Palace sufficed.

The Liang Emperor recalled something and asked casually: "How is Qin Feng's camp coming along?"

Li Zhan didn't dare delay: "Your Majesty, we initially thought Qin Feng was building the camp solely to train New Recruits—but now it's clear that's not the case. Besides the Training Ground, the camp includes accounting offices, Gongfang, and a Book Bureau—it's practically a miniature city."

"Moreover, the New Army training has deviated significantly from his original promise. The Elite Troops transferred from various camps now spend their days as Laborers. Meanwhile, the three hundred guards transferred from the City Patrol Bureau have begun actual training. Both their numbers and organization, as well as the camp's scale, differ entirely from what he pledged."

Here, Li Zhan stole a glance at the Liang Emperor and ventured cautiously: "Shall I send someone to give him a warning?"

The Liang Emperor pondered a moment, then waved his hand dismissively: "No need. Qin Feng Xiao'er is always clever and resourceful—expecting him to rigidly follow rules is unrealistic. I entrusted him with the authority to recruit precisely to see how far his abilities extend."

Hearing this, Li Zhan quietly exhaled in relief, his grim expression instantly brightening as he chuckled: "By the way, Qin Feng's training methods are most unusual. Those three hundred guards are being worked to the bone—just the 'foot strength' drill alone is enough to send chills down one's spine."

The Liang Emperor, buried daily in Imperial Memorials, found this new twist intriguing: "Oh? Tell me more."

Li Zhan, equally amused, wore a faint smile: "Within half a Envoy, they must run a full circuit around Beijing. Fail to finish, and they get no food. And whenever the guards fall asleep at night, they're suddenly attacked—either dragged out to run dozens of Li, or beaten senseless without reason."

Upon hearing this, the Liang Emperor frowned slightly: "Increasing training intensity is acceptable—but such harshness… won't it provoke mutiny?"