Eldest Princess Jinyang

In the side room by the east window, soft orange lamplight mingled with the delighted surprise in the eyes of that slender, radiant face.

Jia Heng was infected by the girl's delight, fresh as a lotus just showing its pointed bud. Looking at the rather crooked characters, he smiled. "You'll be able to write them even more beautifully in time. As the saying goes, handwriting mirrors its writer. A girl's handwriting ought to be graceful."

If I had Qingwen write out her own prophetic verse someday, that would be rather interesting, he thought.

Qingwen nodded and murmured her assent, gazing at the few characters on the paper as though they were precious treasures.

Eldest Princess Jinyang's Prefecture · upper chamber

Curtains hung on every side, and red candles burned silently in glass palace lamps. In the exquisitely furnished upper chamber, beside a brightly lit balustrade, a beauty in court attire, golden hairpins, and a splendid skirt reclined on a yellow rosewood chaise longue. She lifted her soft, shimmering gaze from the hemp paper, then set a sheet of Xuan paper covered in writing on the little table beside her with slender, fair fingers tipped in brilliant red polish.

A trace of wistfulness colored her tone as her crimson lips parted, her voice like a cascading spring flowing over jade. "Is this 'Linjiang Immortal' the opening verse of the manuscript for Romance of the Three Kingdoms?"

Outside the chamber, beyond a dividing screen, an old man in a brocade robe stood bowed in attendance, his gray-white head lowered. "Your Highness, Young Master Jia took the first chapter of the manuscript away with him."

Eldest Princess Jinyang seemed to knit her elegant brows. "Didn't you have someone make a copy?"

"This old man was foolish. It did not occur to me to have it copied at the time. But Young Master Jia said he would deliver the manuscript at the end of the month." Liu Tong, the elderly shopkeeper of the Ink and Brush Studio, bent a little lower.

Eldest Princess Jinyang extended her slender, jade-white hand, its nails painted a vivid red, and lifted the teacup beside her. She took a sip. "Send someone to urge him along. If he has any pages ready, bring whatever he has first. A verse this fine ought to be matched with a fine story. That is only right."

"Yes," Liu Tong replied.

"Leave the account book with Shuang'er. You may withdraw as well," Eldest Princess Jinyang said evenly.

"This old man takes his leave."

Liu Tong cupped his hands in a bow, then turned and departed.

"So many affairs, ancient and modern, all consigned to laughter and conversation..." Once the old man's footsteps had faded, the court-robed beauty gave a soft laugh and murmured the words. Beneath slender, willow-leaf brows, her long, softly alluring phoenix eyes gazed pensively toward the scattered lights in the distance-the Great Han Palace Gardens.

Early the following morning, Jia Heng ate breakfast and headed to the Literary Gathering Pavilion at the Imperial College, just as he had the day before.

As on the previous day, he took up his post on the third floor and settled into a routine of a cup of tea, an examination essay, and an entire day spent sitting.

After lunch, just as he was about to take a short nap, Song Yuan came up to the third floor and smiled. "Ziyu, I've had someone start making the wooden signs. We'll mark out Section A on the third floor first. Once they're finished, we'll put them here."

Pouring tea, Jia Heng smiled. "Thank you for taking the trouble, Mr. Song."

As he spoke, he handed over the freshly filled cup.

"What trouble is there in that?" Song Yuan waved a hand and smiled. "How much more of your manuscript have you written, Ziyu? I ran into Zisheng when I went to the superintendent's office on business just now. He said he would come over shortly. I told him you had finished the second chapter."

"I finished the third chapter yesterday and was just about to ask for your corrections, Mr. Song." Jia Heng turned, took the manuscript from behind the long table, and handed it to Song Yuan.

"Oh?" Song Yuan promptly set down his teacup, accepted the manuscript, and began reading.

Jia Heng quietly savored his fragrant tea beside him.

"Excellent." Song Yuan laid down the manuscript and tapped out his praise. Looking up at Jia Heng with shining eyes, he said, "In my humble opinion, this work is certain to sell widely. Ziyu, the price you asked when you sold it to the Ink and Brush Studio... was too low. If the rest is as good as these opening chapters, it may well drive up the price of paper throughout the Divine Capital. A thousand taels for a single book is not beyond imagining."

Such was the power of the golden first three chapters. Having read all three and turned them over in his mind, Song Yuan felt the book already showed every sign of becoming a great success.

Jia Heng set down his teacup and sighed. "Unfortunately, I've already signed the contract. I can only see how well it actually sells and negotiate the price again."

Sometimes that was simply how things went. Without channels or connections, one could only watch other people make money.

Before this, he had not known Song Yuan, nor had he known about the channels available through the Imperial College.

As the two spoke, a clear voice came from outside. "What was too low?"

It was Han Hui, accompanied by Yu Zhen.

The two were rather like Jiao and Meng, neither ever apart from the other.

Upon entering the chamber, Han Hui immediately noticed the manuscript on the table. Delight spread across his face, and he picked it up to read.

Yu Zhen first nodded to Jia Heng, then teased him with a smile. "Ziyu, you promised Zisheng and me the pleasure of reading it first, yet Mr. Song has beaten us to it."

Jia Heng smiled. "I intended to invite you both after I had written three chapters. Yesterday, as chance would have it, Mr. Song and I rode back in the same carriage. When he asked about it, I dared not treasure my own worn broom and keep it to myself, so I gave it to him to read."

By then, Han Hui had finished reading the manuscript as well. Looking as though he had lost something, he sighed. "Ziyu, I doubt I'll sleep well tonight."

Jia Heng laughed. "You're joking, Zisheng."

Han Hui smiled. "I'm ashamed to say that, although I've read a few history books, I know little of Records of the Three Kingdoms. I imagine many of our peers are much the same. Ziyu, your romance, seven parts fact and three parts fiction, may well spark a craze for the Three Kingdoms."

That was the state of scholars, too. They devoted themselves exclusively to the learning currently in vogue as a path to advancement, regarding histories as miscellaneous reading. Most merely skimmed them. They might know a few famous allusions, but apart from those who compiled books in the academies, few read them in full.

By presenting history as a romance, Jia Heng had indeed pioneered fictionalized historical storytelling in this world.

Jia Heng's expression briefly stilled, his gaze deepening as he thought of someone-Cai Dongfan, whose Romance of Chinese General History series had transformed five thousand years of China's grand official history into stories in the form of historical romances.

"By the way, did Mr. Song just say the Ink and Brush Studio offered too little?" Han Hui asked, knitting his brows.

He and Yu Zhen had both been present at the Ink and Brush Studio when Romance of the Three Kingdoms first appeared in the world. At the time, however, they had not known Ziyu well enough to inquire too closely about the payment.

Jia Heng smiled. "Mr. Song merely said the book showed signs of selling well, and that if it were printed using the college's woodblocks, I might receive a little more for my writing."

Han Hui nodded. "The college's printing workshop also works with outside booksellers, but... oh, where is the contract? What terms does it stipulate? May I have a look?"

After a moment's thought, Jia Heng turned and took the contract from his cloth bag. "Brother Zisheng, please have a look."

Han Hui accepted the contract and read it, his brows gradually drawing together. "This contract offers two taels per chapter. For a manuscript of your quality, Ziyu, that is indeed cheap, though it would be fair enough for an ordinary newcomer. Hmm, it actually doesn't stipulate..."

Whether Liu Tong had overlooked it that day or the old shopkeeper had never imagined anyone in the Divine Capital would dare default on the Ink and Brush Studio, the contract did not stipulate a steep penalty for breach.

Of course, had there been a hefty penalty clause that day, Jia Heng would probably have been disgusted by it and walked straight out.

Song Yuan leaned over to examine the contract as well and asked in surprise, "Why didn't the Ink and Brush Studio include a breach clause?"

Jia Heng said, "We did make an arrangement of sorts. I was to deliver an initial volume of fifteen chapters, and the Ink and Brush Studio paid fifty taels in advance. If I breach the agreement, I must pay them a hundred taels."

Song Yuan's eyes lit up at that. "In that case, just give them the hundred taels. If we print it at the college workshop, paying only for labor and paper, and put it on the market, this book might bring in ten thousand taels. Who can say?"

Song Yuan managed affairs at the Literary Gathering Pavilion of the Imperial College, handling the printing of its manuscripts and even books by some of the Lecturers, so he knew the process well.

Yesterday, he had thought the Ink and Brush Studio had ample financial resources and could renegotiate the payment. But even with renegotiation, they would add only a few hundred taels at most.

Han Hui's expression paused at these words. He folded the contract neatly and asked, "Ziyu, what do you intend to do?"

Jia Heng considered for a moment. "Since I've already given them my word, I shouldn't go back on it. But I can find a suitable opportunity to discuss it with them again."

This, too, was established practice within the trade... even if changing a buyout into a share of the proceeds was out of the question, renegotiating the payment was still possible.

Mr. Song had confirmed that yesterday as well. Such a convention did exist in this world.