You were taken hostage, why pursue the Enemy's Empress?

The Shangmo Bookstore in the city of Jang collapsed.

The boss, Wu Jige, ran away with his young wife.

All the books in the bookstore, including three thousand copies of "Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio," were sold for only two or three hundred coins each.

This news spread quickly in Jang City. Anyone who had bought a book from the bookstore became a regular customer.

Books for only three hundred coins were unheard of. Even a regular bookstore would charge three or four hundred coins just to hire a copyist. Since copyists had a steady stream of customers at bookstores, they could charge even more for private work. As a result, almost no one could afford to buy a book for three hundred coins.

The Shangmo Bookstore was suddenly flooded with customers, and some even brought their friends and family to take advantage of the closing sale.

After all, there were only three thousand copies of the book, and once they were gone, there would be no more!

...

At sunset, Ji Su had been lying in the courtyard, basking in the sun and practicing his energy healing since he had persuaded Luo Ming to leave in the morning. However, he had been waiting for Luo Ming's reply and had not received any news.

"What's wrong with this guy?"

He sat up and waved to his subordinate, "Go out and see why Luo Ming hasn't made any moves."

The subordinate nodded quickly and left the Flame Kingdom embassy.

About half an hour later, he hurried back and said, "Master!"

Ji Su sat up and asked, "What's going on?"

The subordinate said quickly, "I went to the bookstore to inquire, but no one saw Luo Ming. Later, I found out that he had gone to a teahouse to argue with some gentlemen."

"Argue?"

Ji Su was a bit puzzled. He knew that Luo Ming had a famous teacher and liked to argue with people who had profound knowledge.

But now... when his sister was about to be eaten up, he ran off to argue with someone?

Was he insane?

The subordinate continued, "Master, there's something else about the Shangmo Bookstore!"

Ji Su was annoyed, "What is it?"

The subordinate said mysteriously, "The Shangmo Bookstore has closed down!"

"Huh?"

Ji Su was surprised, "Didn't it just open? How could it have closed down?"

The subordinate was also puzzled, "I was thinking the same thing! But I found out that it seemed to have closed down, and all the books were sold for two or three hundred coins to clear the inventory. I heard that..."

Then he repeated everything he had heard.

Ji Su was furious, and kicked him in the stomach, cursing, "Are you stupid? Even if they really wanted to clear the inventory, they wouldn't sell them so cheaply! Who would worry about selling 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio'? You've been with me for so long, why haven't you grown a brain? Your father should have drowned you in a chamber pot when you were a baby!"

The subordinate held his stomach, "Then what is he doing..."

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Ji Su sneered, "He's just losing money to gain popularity. Now the whole city knows about his bookstore. He lost at least two hundred coins on each of the three thousand copies of 'Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio.' He's really generous!"

He was angry and didn't understand why a woman would be so humble for a man.

The money he earned from singing was thrown away just like that, six hundred coins down the drain for Ying Wuji.

Was it just because he was handsome?

Whenever he thought of Hua Chao's gentle and beautiful appearance, he felt heartbroken.

The subordinate was also anxious, "Master! What should we do?"

Ji Su thought for a moment, and a cold smile appeared on his lips, "Go to all the major bookstores and invite the owners to our Flame Kingdom paper shop. I've prepared good wine for them!"

"Yes, sir!"Watching his subordinates leave, Ji Su's smile was quite cruel.

He didn't want to see Ying Wuji live a good life, and how could he allow Ying Wuji's family to be with him?

As long as he secretly ruined the business of the bookstore, he could pour the soft rice in Ying Wuji's bowl on the ground and feed it to the dogs. By then, not only would Hua Chao leave him, but the entire Minister's Mansion would probably look down on him.

Tsk! Perfect!

...

As the night gradually cooled, it was in the south of Jiangcheng.

Most of the residents here were common people, and it was naturally not as prosperous as the city center at night, but it was also quite lively. After all, when it was night, the labor force from each household came back from work.

Although the candlelight in each household was not bright, it still decorated the night with warmth and tranquility.

"Finally done for the day!"

Ying Wuji stretched lazily and closed the door of the bookstore. "I'm so tired!"

Hua Chao snorted lightly. "You lay in the study all day, and you're still tired?"

Ying Wuji pouted. "Although I was lying down, my heart was always on the front line of the bookstore. I'm not less tired than the others, right, Aqiang?"

Aqiang nodded repeatedly. "Young master is the most hardworking!"

He was a clerk in the paper shop and was borrowed by Ying Wuji along with other clerks. The salary was twice as much as before, and although he was busy, he was going to return to Kingdom Qian on a wounded horse a few days ago. Today, he stayed here to receive double the salary and didn't even have time to laugh secretly under the covers. How could he ruin Ying Wuji's reputation at this time?

Ying Wuji spread his hands. "Look, Sister Hua Chao, the eyes of the masses are sharp."

Hua Chao gave him a white look, but there was an unstoppable smile in her beautiful eyes.

Ying Wuji patted Aqiang's shoulder. "Report, how many books did we sell today?"

Aqiang quickly took out the account book. "Reporting to the young master, we sold a total of 900 books!"

"900 books?"

Bai Zhi frowned, somewhat dissatisfied. "I saw many people today. How come we only sold 900 books, which is less than what we printed today! It's a pity that the young master spent so much effort."

Judging from her appearance, she was really anxious.

Ying Wuji smiled and rubbed her head. "We only opened at noon today, and it's already good to sell 900 books in the afternoon."

He had already expected this number. After all, in this era, he couldn't play the game of live streaming and selling products. Everyone who came to buy now was mostly common people and small households. It would take some time for word of mouth to spread to the ears of big customers.

Of course, he also hoped that his bookstore would become popular overnight. At that time, it would be easier to create momentum, but this was ultimately unrealistic.

In the eyes of the noble people in Kingdom Li, he was like a piece of shit that no one wanted to touch, and they didn't lack money, so there was no need to buy books and save a few hundred wen. It was simply asking for trouble to promote to them.

It was better to let things take their course. The printing technique would eventually be deciphered, and he was just accumulating some funds for the next business. There was no need to go out of his way.

Of course...

It would be great if some kind-hearted nobleman was willing to help him promote. But he shouldn't dream too much. It was already good that they didn't kick him while he was down. Maybe in a few days, there would be some dirty tricks waiting for him. He still needed to be prepared. If he was not careful, he might fail halfway through his business.

Ying Wuji stretched lazily. "Let's all go back and rest. We'll continue working tomorrow!"

"Yes!"

Everyone responded and left through the back door, full of energy and ready to make money tomorrow.

Ying Wuji said goodbye to Hua Chao and then took Bai Zhi back to the Kingdom Qian embassy.

...Translation:

Although it was already night, the doors of the Flame Kingdom's paper store were wide open.

The hall was filled with guests, all of whom were the bosses of major bookstores.