The uproar buzzed like a swarm of flies, impossible to ignore any longer.
Realizing that her elder sister was encouraging her, Song Anhao thought for a moment before summoning her courage and shouting down at the crowd below.
“There were fifteen judges in the first round. Every one of them is a shopkeeper who has run a bookshop for more than ten years. They may not hold any scholarly titles, but they have read more popular storybooks than you have read the sages’ classics. From over a thousand manuscripts, they selected the best hundred, and it took them three full days.”
“There were five judges in the second round. They were the authors of The Story of Qin Niang and The Record of Redress, myself, the oldest manager of the Song Family Bookshop, and my elder sister, County Princess Linghui. The Story of Qin Niang, widely regarded as the pioneering work of inner-house intrigue fiction, was discovered by her.”
Seeing the people below gradually quiet down, Song Anhao raised her voice and enunciated each word clearly. “This is a popular-story writing competition, not the imperial examination. Being well-versed in the sages’ classics does not mean that what you write will be something ordinary people enjoy reading or can understand.”
“If you want to see the manuscripts ranked in the top twenty, you can wait until they are printed and buy them at a bookshop yourselves. It won’t take very long.”
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Jinzhao appeared beside the railing. She silently looked down at the crowd below until every one of them fell quiet.
The scholar who had raised the objection met Song Jinzhao’s calm, indifferent gaze. He silently sat down and buried his head between his knees.
If he had known that County Princess Linghui was one of the judges, he would never have spoken up. He had certainly offended her now.
After the unveiling ceremony ended, the twenty finalists were taken to three separate rooms.
Zou Wudie stared at the young man sitting before her. Only after he had finished explaining all the terms did she hurriedly speak.
“You said just now that Peach Blossom Hermit is also one of the judges. Could I meet her?”
The Story of Qin Niang was Zou Wudie’s favorite popular storybook. The reason she had wanted to write one herself was that she had been inspired by that very book.
After talking until her mouth was dry, Song Anhao felt even more exhausted when she realized that the other woman’s attention was elsewhere. She had been working hard all day, yet all Zou Wudie cared about was meeting Liu Ruoxi.
With so much money on the table, was meeting Liu Ruoxi really more appealing?
“Just as you had your maid accept the award onstage, Peach Blossom Hermit doesn’t want to reveal her identity either.”
Disappointment appeared on Zou Wudie’s face, and she sat back down in her chair.
“All right. How much money did you say just now?”
Song Anhao pushed the contract across the table. “Please read it carefully.”
Zou Wudie lowered her head and read it word by word. A moment later, her eyes suddenly widened.
“That much money?”
“Miss!” Her maid hurriedly nudged Zou Wudie’s shoulder, then looked up to observe Song Anhao’s expression.
When she saw that his expression remained perfectly normal, the maid’s anxious heart eased slightly.
Hopefully he wouldn’t regret offering such a high price.
Song Anhao smiled calmly.
“This is only the guaranteed minimum payment for printing the book. If it sells well, you’ll also receive a share of any profits exceeding the guaranteed amount.”
The delight in Zou Wudie’s eyes grew brighter and brighter, almost spilling over.
“Agreed.”
As she spoke, she uncontrollably signed her name at the end of the contract. Before Song Anhao could even begin explaining everything, a red thumbprint had already been pressed over the signature. Her decisiveness was astonishing.
“According to the outline you submitted, the book is expected to reach three hundred thousand words. The remaining two hundred thousand words must be submitted within two months.”
Zou Wudie nodded without hesitation.
“No problem. I can finish it in half a month.”
She had already completed most of the story on her way to Suining City. If she hadn’t been too distracted to write during the several days she spent waiting for the rankings, she would have finished it long ago.
At the thought of receiving the remaining two hundred thousand words in barely half a month, Song Anhao nearly failed to suppress the smile tugging at the corners of his mouth.
He liked writers like this—those who submitted their manuscripts ahead of schedule. There was no need to chase them, and their efficiency was excellent.
“May I ask where your family lives, Miss Yue? Is it far from Suining City?”
Zou Wudie opened her mouth, then froze halfway through. She swallowed the words she was about to say and replied, “I’ll be spending a few days sightseeing in Suining City. When I leave, I’ll hand over the complete manuscript to you.”
Song Anhao was clever enough to understand her concern instantly. She was afraid he would investigate where she lived.
“Then which inn are you staying at? Would you like the bookshop to arrange a quiet place for you?”
Zou Wudie shook her head.
“I’m staying at Mingyuan Inn. It’s very quiet there, so there’s no need to make other arrangements.”
Song Anhao gave a slight nod and courteously escorted her to the door.
After all twenty people had signed their contracts, Song Anhao stared at the delivery dates recorded in his hand and sighed.
“It’s a pity that only three of them live in Suining City. Keeping in touch with the others will be troublesome. Not only will it be difficult to urge them along, we won’t be able to keep an eye on them and make sure they start new books either.”
Song Jinzhao stepped over the threshold and entered.
“We have shops in every county of the southwestern province. Have them go directly to those shops. Communication will be just as convenient.”
Song Anhao abruptly lifted his chin.
“What about places outside the southwestern province? I think twenty people are still a little too few.”
Song Jinzhao merely smiled and said nothing.
There were indeed shops elsewhere—nearby, as far as Panzhou in the southwest, and farther still, all the way to Yandu, the capital of the Northern Shu Kingdom. But those were all covert shops used to relay messages. They could not attract too much attention.
