Chapter 56 – Tanyu Bookstore

Whether Fan Xian wanted to or not, the people congratulating him still came in droves. Perhaps because they had found a rare opportunity to get closer to Servant Fan, or perhaps because they knew that the Emperor had already made Fan Xian the Co-Lawyer of the Taishang Temple, and that his marriage to a certain person in the palace was imminent, the officials of the various ministries had given enough face to send their subordinates to come and congratulate him, and even the various princely mansions had sent gifts to him as well. Dongchuan road sedan chair constantly, singing the sound of gifts, gift boxes are almost piled up the entire council room.

The crowd of onlookers on the street wondered, thinking that it was just a bookstore, but it had made such a commotion, and that this Duke Fan, who was both a scholar and a military man, was really not an ordinary person. The biggest benefit of the opening scene was that from now on, the Tanyu Bookstore would have no trouble being harassed by those in the underground world, and there would be very few problems with the officials.

Fan Xian calmly watched the scene, and bowed to the guests, knowing that most of them had come for his father’s sake. The good thing is that the bookstore is too cramped, and the guests are not any famous people, just a little chat, explaining which family which family, and then leave. After these people left, there is still some suspicion, why the hall of the Fan family, but want to business, to know that merchants are always not very dignified a job.

At this time, King Jing’s son Li Hongcheng finally came, the street recognizes his identity people have saluted, he returned with a gentle face, without a trace of the arrogance of the royal relatives, face like a spring breeze, very elegant. Seeing him go to the store, some passers-by curiously said: “This Tanya bookstore face can be really big.”

“King Jing’s House and Fan’s family have always been on good terms, don’t you know that?”

Fan Xian saw him coming and his heart moved slightly, such a character as gentle as the spring breeze, but willingly running around for the second prince, what kind of character should that second prince be? Smiling and shaking his head, he pushed all these things out of his mind, and welcomed him out of the store – he still wanted to have a more simple friendship with Li Hongcheng.

The two of them entered the quiet room at the back, and Li Hongcheng sighed as he surveyed the decorations around him, “It seems like quite a lot of silver was invested.”

“I only took more than seventeen hundred taels.” Fan Xian poured him a cup of tea and said, “A small business, it can’t enter the eyes of the World Prince.”

Li Hongcheng took the tea and said with a wave of his head, “You Fan family members are the most capable of earning money, this is something that all the officials in the court know, except that Lord Sinanbo is earning money and managing finances for the court, but you are earning it for yourself, and these two sides are not the same.”

Fan Xian smiled, “When you earn silver, you always have to pay taxes to the court. Even if you get some, you can’t always put it in your hands to rust, if you take it out and use it, you’re taking care of other people’s business, and if other people’s business is good, the court’s tax will be more. So no matter where you do business, as long as you can earn money, this money is always in the hands of the court, and finally used to the people.”

Li Hongcheng listened to some confusion, but also seems to understand some, hit the knuckles and sighed in admiration: “A few words, but seems to say the great truth, the court has always respected agriculture and suppressed the business, I still wonder why you will choose this business, is not intended to career, it turns out to be so.”

Fan Xian was greatly embarrassed, thinking that in his previous life, when he was not sick, he could only take the bottom few in political economy, just gossiping, why did he become a reason? He quickly stopped and changed the topic, “Come on, come on, what’s the career path or not, I’ve only made two crooked poems, and I’m going to be a deserter in next year’s big competition.”

Li Hongcheng, who had been disturbed by Fan Xian’s style for a long time, finally used his fan again in front of him, and kept fanning his neck, and said with amusement, “If you write crooked poems, do you still let those people in the Imperial College live? Look, just now, how many students outside had to come to visit Fan Da Poet, if not for your family’s subordinates blocking the way, I’m afraid that this time is not yet quiet.”

Fan Xian said with a sad face, “Those students of the Imperial College, some of them are old enough to be my grandfather, but also came to call one student after another, it’s really a bit unbearable.”

Li Hongcheng laughed out loud, pointing his fan at him and said, “Look at your sad face, but your words are so narrow-minded, you ah you ah, you’re really a funny person.”

Fan Xian rolled his eyes, thinking to himself, “What’s so interesting about you? He asked, “This time, I’ve taken the trouble to write the words for the king, when will you lead me to the king’s residence to pay my respects to the old man?”

Li Hongcheng was stunned, then remembered that in front of this teenager simply do not know his father once met with him, a smile, also do not break this, ready to look at the Fan family’s teenager’s jokes in the future: “When you want to go on it, where there is no need to say anything to me.”

King Jing’s son Li Hongcheng has always felt in front of Fan Xian, seems to be far more mature than the age of 16 or 17, not to say spoiled, but at least it is also calm and steady, he has been wanting to break each other’s calmness, suddenly clapped his hands and said, “Right, I forgot to congratulate Fan Shiyi brother.”

Fan Xian was stunned, not knowing what to congratulate.

Li Hongcheng stood up, “Congratulations to Shiyi brother for receiving the position of the Conciliatory Law Officer of the Taishang Temple, the birds of joy are calling at this door, so I have to treat you to a few more drinks.”

Fan Xian smiled, “So it’s this, you should have been clear about it long ago.”

“In the past, it was just a rumor in the palace, but it didn’t come to fruition, so naturally it doesn’t count.” Not knowing what Li Hongcheng thought of, his brows suddenly furrowed. At this moment, he suddenly thought of a pile of things, the Second Prince and himself always thought that the Fan family would not be on the Crown Prince’s side even if they were not biased in favor of helping themselves, but his side seemed to have overlooked a very important issue. After Fan Xian got married, his wife was the illegitimate daughter of the prime minister, so there was no guarantee that he would not …… slowly throw himself to that side.

So he suddenly lowered his voice and said, “Si Li Li is going to be escorted back to the capital, so he might be able to find out who the person who colluded with Northern Qi really is.”

Fan Xian simply did not expect the other party to have thought of so many things in this turn of an eye, and was slightly stunned, then said with a bitter smile, “I’m nothing more than a small ant, I just pray that these nobles in the court ignore me.”

Li Hongcheng glanced at him, knowing that the other person’s words are not quite true, but also did not point out, smiled and said, “In short, and fight Guo Baokun that matter, what needs my hand, you do not be polite.”

“That’s natural.” Fan Xian responded in vain, but said another pile of things, “I intend to open a tofu store in the south of the city, are you interested in taking a stake?”

Li Hongcheng was drinking tea, almost swallowed the tea bowl in, woefully straightened his clothes, and said in a good mood, “Tofu store can earn a few money, the bookstore is still at least a book money, that’s sour money.”

Fan Xian laughed and ignored him, thinking that when the time came to deliver the freshly squeezed soybean milk to the king’s residence, you’ll say it again. When he was in Tanyu, he ate a lot of tofu, but because of the different eating habits of the seaside, he rarely drank soybean milk, and after he came to the capital and drank a few times, he always felt that there was too much dregs, and he didn’t know if it was a process problem or what, so he decided to improve it.

To the twilight, after school Fan Si Zhe finally sneak along the back door came in, last time by Fan Xian lesson, he also counter-lesson of the same school students, feel very good, so the school also do not feel a piece of drudgery. But this day the bookstore opened, this from the site selection to the selection of paper, from the invitation to the shopkeeper to set the price of the book by his own hand to do things, can not help him not nervous, so early over.

As soon as he entered the bookstore, he first sighed long and short and didn’t see the daytime scene, and then drilled headlong into the account room. Fan Xian sipped his tea and waited for him, and after a while, Fan Si Zhe came out with a confused and innocent face.

Fan Xian was startled and asked, “What happened?”

Fan Si Zhe mumbled for half a day before finally taking a breath and cursing, “Earned too much more than we thought!”

“Huh? Is that so?” Fan Xian originally thought that on the first day he opened the door, it would be good to have some business, where did he think of this, he took the account book handed over by his brother and looked at it, looking at the number, his heart couldn’t help but shake a little, not to mention that the fine edition of the book of stones had sold more than eighty sets, and even the scriptures, histories and books that he had asked Wan Song Tang to print on his behalf had been bought by the readers watching the event.

Fan Xian pinched his fingers and felt that …… doing business is really a very accomplished thing ah.

“Today’s opening, those who have friendship with our family come to support more, naturally it won’t be so good in the future.” Fan Xian looked at Fan Si Zhe, whose eyes had turned into copper coins, and carefully reminded him.

Fan Si Zhe swallowed a mouthful of saliva and cast an envious look at his elder brother, “Big brother, I know. It’s just that you get to sit in the bookstore every day, while I only get to hide, I really envy you.”

Fan Xian lost his smile and said, “Do you like being a merchant that much? My father’s title is still waiting for you to inherit, study hard, in the future, the whole court’s money may be under your control.”

“That will have to be the Secretary of the Ministry of households.” Fan Si Zhe said with a gloomy face: “Father is a scout origin, right now is still only a minister, obviously that the old Shangshu are lying in bed for several years, the court did not let my father top up. I ah …… can at best donate a merit, this road is only afraid that it is not possible.”

Fan Xian looked at his brother with some surprise, suddenly this little guy although there are a lot of naughty and unruly places, but look at themselves to see things is unexpectedly shrewd, after thinking about it, said: “love to do business on do go, father there I will go to say.”

Fan Si Zhe was overjoyed, but suddenly said with a worried frown, “But what about mother?”

Fan Xian’s heart lurched, remembering Liu, who he hadn’t considered for a long time. The Fan Mansion in Kyoto seemed to be in a happy place, but who knew how long this seemingly wonderful situation could continue?