Registrar Zhou was a sixth ranked official. Even if an Elementary Scholar wanted him to write a foreword, he would not write a foreword. But Fang Yun was different. If his foreword became popular, he would also benefit from it.
"Let me take a look first."
Fang Yun handed over the papers he had written over the past few days to Registrar Zhou.
When Registrar Zhou saw it, he was surprised and asked, "I heard that because your handwriting was not good, you almost lost both your hands. Although your handwriting is a little immature, it is not bad. The structure and handwriting have the style of a master. If you practice for a year, you will not be worse than those who have been taught by a master. "
"After the county examinations, I felt ashamed and worked hard to practice my handwriting. So now I can write well." Fang Yundao said.
Registrar Zhou did not probe further and continued to look at Fang Yun's original manuscript of 《Romance of the Western Chamber》.
"You have improved the sentence structure? It is easier to read, not bad. The two spaces at the beginning of each paragraph are also very novel and easy to read. Your style of writing is very suitable for lazy people and is suitable for entertainment … "
Registrar Zhou's voice stopped abruptly. He looked up at Fang Yun with a strange look in his eyes.
Registrar Zhou did not pay much attention to Fang Yun's new sentence structure. It was easy for him to understand the paragraphs and spaces, so he did not pay much attention to it. This was because at the level of an Elementary Scholar, even if there were no new sentences, he would be able to understand it quickly. Otherwise, he would not be worthy of being an Elementary Scholar. He was a High Scholar, and did not care about the sentences.
But if a High Scholar or an ordinary literate person read a book without any sentences, it would be very tiring.
Registrar Zhou asked seriously, "You used the new sentence structure to popularize this novel? So that as long as one is literate, they would be able to quickly understand your novel? Your novel's real target is the common people? "
Fang Yundao said, "Your excellency is wise. I did not expect that you would not only accept this method, but also see through my intentions. This student admires you!"
Registrar Zhou laughed, "I am the Registrar of the Department of Arts. Applying what I have learned is the foundation of us Confucian scholars. If not, how can we deal with the barbarians and demons? Don't treat me like a few rotten scholars. However, your idea is feasible, but the premise is that it must be a good story. But since you dare to use it like this, the story must be extraordinary. Let me take a look. "
Registrar Zhou began to read the 《Romance of the Western Chamber》 seriously. After reading only three pages, he raised his head and looked deeply at Fang Yun. He said: "The opening is novel, the structure is tight, and the writing is beautiful. The most important thing was that the story was very smooth. There was no flaunting of literary talent, and there was no long-winded explanation. It was easy to understand what it was talking about. If you say that the new sentence is strange, then your story is correct. Strange and correct coincide, and you will succeed in every endeavor! "
"Thank you for your praise, sir," Fang Yundao said.
Registrar Zhou continued to read. Fang Yun thought that he would gradually comment on the Romance of the Western Chamber, but he did not say anything and continued to read.
Fang Yun was worried at first, but when he looked carefully, he realized that Registrar Zhou was so engrossed in the novel that he completely forgot that there was a person sitting next to him who wanted to hear his evaluation. His facial expression also changed along with the plot of the novel.
Fang Yun secretly breathed a sigh of relief. He thought that the 《Legend of the Oriole》 and 《Romance of the Western Chamber》 had been popular for thousands of years and were still praised by later generations. Even Registrar Zhou, who looked down on popular novels, was engrossed in the novel. This meant that in the Sheng Yuan Continent, which was a desert for popular novels, the new 《Romance of the Western Chamber》 would be accepted by hundreds of millions of scholars.
Registrar Zhou flipped to the last page of 《Legend of the Oriole》 and looked at it for a while. A satisfied smile appeared on his face, but there was still a trace of unfinished feeling. It was as if he was reluctant to let such a good novel end like this.
"When I was young, I also liked to read supernatural novels. I thought that after passing the Imperial Examinations, I would no longer be interested in such novels. But after reading 《Romance of the Western Chamber》, I realized that I had overestimated myself. Good, it doesn't write about supernatural novels, it writes about people's hearts, it doesn't write about the court, it writes about men and women. This is a true popular novel, both refined and popular! Even if you don't let me write this preface, I will still rush to write it. Perhaps after a few hundred years, the only thing I will let people know about is the preface of 《Romance of the Western Chamber》. "
"Sir, you flatter me," Fang Yundao said.
"Your 《Romance of the Western Chamber》 was written with the wrath of the heavens, right? The Liu family has gone too far. "Registrar Zhou looked at Fang Yundao sympathetically.
"Sigh …" Fang Yundao did not reply. He lowered his head, afraid that he would be found out if he did not conceal it well. In fact, 《Romance of the Western Chamber》 was not related to Fang Yundao's experience.
Registrar Zhou sympathized with Fang Yundao even more.
"There is another novel?" Registrar Zhou asked again.
"Yes. It was a novel idea that I came up with in the past. I have revised it over the past few days. Although it is not as good as 《Romance of the Western Chamber》, it still has its merits. I hope that Sir can correct it. " Fang Yundao knew that 《Romance of the Western Chamber》 had a much higher literary status than 《Tales of the Pillow》. He only regarded it as an addition and did not pay much attention to it.
Registrar Zhou nodded and continued to read 《Tales of the Pillow》.
When he saw Half-saint appear, Registrar Zhou smiled and said: "You are bold. You even dare to write about Half-saint."
When he read about the scholar dreaming of Jingguo, he praised: "Wonderful! Very wonderful! "
After he finished reading 《Tales of the Pillow》, Registrar Zhou did not immediately open his mouth. Instead, he was deep in thought. He was even more serious than when he read 《Romance of the Western Chamber》.
Fang Yundao was surprised. Wasn't it just a story about a scholar who woke up from his dream and gave up on fame and fortune to pursue the Divine Path? Why did Registrar Zhou have such a big reaction?
"Good! This novel is profound and thought-provoking! How can mere fame and fortune compare to the Divine Path of the Divine Path? Everyone knows this principle. There are countless scriptures that have been repeatedly explained for thousands of years. Some cite scriptures, and some use famous people's stories. But to write a novel that promotes the Divine Path and also takes into account the story, using a golden millet dream to warn future generations, this is unprecedented! Glory and splendor are like dreams, the Divine Path is real, and the Divine Path is true! This novel may only be written by someone with great talent, but it is a great contribution to promoting the Divine Path. This novel will definitely spread throughout the world. "
Fang Yundao was confused. He had only slightly changed 《Tales of the Pillow》 to cater to the mainstream ideology of the Saint Origin World. How did it become "profound and thought-provoking" in Registrar Zhou's eyes? 《Romance of the Western Chamber》 was so awesome, but in Registrar Zhou's eyes, it was not as good as 《Tales of the Pillow》? The former took three days to write, while the latter only took one afternoon to fill in the pages.
Fang Yundao recalled the famous novels of the Saint Origin World. Indeed, there were very few novels with the theme of "promoting the Divine Path". Even if there were, most of them were only briefly mentioned. The concept and story were also relatively poor. Compared to 《A Golden Millet Dream》, it was not just a few streets, but a few thousand years.
Fang Yundao suddenly realized that 《Tales of the Pillow》 was not really that good, but it just happened to fill in the gaps of "politics, education, and ideology" in this era.
On the other hand, 《Tales of the Western Chamber》 had a much higher literary status than 《Tales of the Pillow》, but in the eyes of Confucian scholars, it would never be as good as promoting the Divine Path.
Fang Yundao was a little embarrassed. The evaluation of "profound words" was too heavy. These four words were originally the evaluation of Confucius by the great scholars of the Han Dynasty. Later, it was generally used to evaluate the saints.
Registrar Zhou said, "Leave your manuscript with me first. I will personally present it to the Dean tomorrow. Next month's 《Holy Path》 has been confirmed, so this will definitely be included in the 《Holy Path》 a month later. "
Fang Yundao was helpless. He really did not want to be in the limelight now. He just wanted to calm down and focus on making money. Why did he have to be included in 《Holy Path》?
"Don't tell me you overestimated this 《Tales of the Pillow》?" Fang Yundao asked tentatively.
Registrar Zhou said solemnly, "I have read the 《Holy Path》 of the past dynasties, and I am very clear about the value of 《Tales of the Pillow》. I can be sure that in less than three years, there will definitely be a Half-saint who will designate this article as a compulsory article for the students of the Ten Nations Academy of Literature. This 《Tales of the Pillow》 is more than ten times more important than your previous national poem. The novelists have been in decline for hundreds of years, and the most recent novel that appeared in the 《Holy Path》 was the famous 《Song Dingbo Catching Ghosts》 written by the great scholar Gan Bao more than two hundred years ago. "
Fang Yundao could only remain silent, but he was secretly happy that he had picked up a great bargain.
Being included in the 《Holy Path》 not only gave him a reputation reward, but he could also build a memorial arch and get the Holy Pages. The number of articles published in the 《Holy Path》 determined the chances of going to places such as the Forest of Holy Monuments, the Holy Tower, and other places in the future. The highest reward was to go to the place where Confucius went into seclusion or the place where the saints died. Not only was it significant, but the benefits were also very generous.
That was the fundamental reason why Qu Zhengxiang of Gyeongo obstructed Fang Yundao.
Registrar Zhou said, "Wait a moment, I will go get the gift from Cai He." His tone was filled with envy.
Not long after, Registrar Zhou returned with a kraft paper bag in his hand and said, "The Holy Pages inside are a gift from County Magistrate Cai. Although your poem was published in the 《Holy Path》, the distance between the two places is very far. The Holy Pages that belong to you will only arrive in at least a month."
Fang Yundao hurriedly stood up, surprised and happy, "Is Magistrate Cai really willing to give me the Holy Pages? He doesn't have many of them himself, right? "
Registrar Zhou said enviously, "He only has two in total. They were given to him by the Minister of Wen before he came to Ji County. Or rather, they were given to him by the Minister of Wen shamelessly. However, the original draft of your national poem is worth the price. "
Fang Yundao carefully took the kraft paper bag, opened it, and slowly took out a piece of paper.
The piece of paper was as white as snow, but it emitted a faint orange halo, as if it was wrapped in orange light. Fang Yundao gently stroked the paper. It had a strange feeling, as if there were tiny waves churning between his hand and the paper.
This piece of paper had an inexplicable attraction that made Fang Yundao feel close to it.
Registrar Zhou explained, "This is the legendary Holy Pages. Its function is just like the legends. It can double the power of battle poems. If the poem is exquisite and has enough talent, it can even be turned into reality. The Holy Pages are one of the strongest aids for the human race to fight against the demons and barbarians. It is also the most precious treasure left to us by Kong Sheng. "
"How many Holy Pages are produced in a year?" Fang Yundao asked.
"On the surface, ten thousand pieces are produced in a year. A portion is given to the authors who published the poems in the 《Holy Path》, another portion is given to the living Half-saint, another portion is given to the Holy Clans, and the last portion is given to the Ten Nations. There have always been rumors that Kong Sheng is secretly producing Holy Pages and can produce an additional two thousand pieces every year. I don't know the specifics. "
"How many pieces of Jingguo are produced in a year?" Fang Yundao asked.
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