Zhao Song: My father was Emperor Taizu of Song

Chapter 41 Taking the Hook

The word spread like wildfire, and within just a few days, Fanlou's new storybook, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms," quickly made a name for itself among the upper class of Kaifeng.

It must be said that "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" is really very suitable for this era. Unlike other famous works, the stories of unparalleled loyalty and bravery and fierce battles in "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" can easily attract the heroes of this era.

Therefore, ever since then, whenever it was time for storytelling at Fanlou, many princes, nobles and wealthy families would arrive early to reserve their seats and wait for the storyteller to appear.

Even if they arrive late and can't get a seat, they are willing to stand to the side and listen for five rounds.

"Ahem, last time we talked about how Lady Cai proposed to surrender Jingzhou and Zhuge Liang burned Xinye. This time we'll continue with Liu Bei leading the people across the river and Zhao Zilong rescuing his lord single-handedly..."

At the appointed time, the storyteller appeared on the high platform on time. He simply cleared his throat and did not even use a gavel. The originally noisy restaurant instantly became quiet.

Everyone stared longingly at the high platform.

Seeing this, the storyteller didn't hesitate. He immediately took a sip of tea and began to tell the five stories of the day.

"It is said that Zhang Fei, because Guan Yu had released the upstream water, led his army to attack from downstream, intercepting Cao Ren and engaging in a chaotic battle..."

Pan Mei arrived at the private room on the second floor as usual.

However, when he listened to the story again, there was a hint of admiration in his eyes.

Even someone like Lu Duoxun, who had never been on the battlefield, could tell that "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" was not just a story, but a vivid textbook of military strategy and tactics!

It cleverly integrates the seemingly complex strategies and tactics into the story of the Three Kingdoms, and even ordinary people will be amazed by its ingenuity.

Let alone Pan Mei?

"The author of this book must be a man of great talent; in terms of military strategy alone, he is probably no less capable than Shi Shouxin and others..."

As Pan Mei listened to the storybook, her fingers unconsciously tapped on the table, but she was thinking about something else.

"I wonder who this person is, or whether he is an official in the court. Now that the new dynasty has just been established, everything needs to be rebuilt, and the court is mostly composed of former officials of the Zhou dynasty. His Majesty is in dire need of talented people..."

"If this person has not yet entered officialdom, and I can recommend him to His Majesty, it would certainly be a meritorious deed..."

Thinking of this, Pan Mei's eyes lit up slightly, and her fingers, which were tapping the table, paused slightly.

Pan Mei has not yet fully risen to prominence, and his official position is merely that of the Envoy of the Guest Province. If he could recommend talented individuals to serve the emperor, it would naturally be of great benefit to him.

Moreover, even setting that aside, he still wanted to get to know the author of the book.

Just as he was thinking about this, the storyteller on the stage had finished telling the five episodes of the day and was preparing to leave.

Seeing this, Pan Mei no longer hesitated, beckoned to his servant, took out two pieces of silver from his pocket, and said:

"Please invite the storyteller from today to come up for a chat."

The servant accepted the money with a broad smile, and before long, the storyteller arrived in a hurry.

"Sir, may I ask why you are looking for me...?"

"Please have a seat, sir."

Pan Mei pointed to an empty chair to the side, then took out a heavy bag of copper coins from her bosom and placed it in front of the storyteller.

"Sir, this is..." The storyteller looked at the bag of copper coins, swallowed hard, but did not take it immediately. Instead, he glanced at Pan Mei cautiously.

Having stayed in Fanlou for a long time, I've heard many things and met many people, so I naturally know that some money isn't so easy to get.

"There's nothing else. I've been listening to the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' for many days, and the way you tell it is excellent. That's why I'm offering this small gift as a token of my respect."

At this point, Pan Mei paused, then smiled and said, "In addition, I would also like to get to know this talented person who wrote 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' and I would be grateful if you could introduce me to him."

"this……"

The storyteller reluctantly tore his gaze away from the money pouch, shook his head, and sighed, "I'm afraid I can't help you."

"I don't even know who wrote 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms,' and..." The storyteller hesitated for a moment before continuing, "And after tomorrow, there will be no more chapters in 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms'..."

"there is none left?"

Pan Mei was slightly taken aback, just like the readers who had been following the story were suddenly told that the author had abandoned the project.

"Yes." The storyteller shook his head with regret. Since he started telling the story of the Three Kingdoms, his pay had increased by two cents. Now that he had lost this good job, it was a great loss for him.

He sighed and said, "This storybook was provided by a new bookstore in the city. Every day, a servant from the bookstore would deliver five chapters to me. But today, the servant said that from tomorrow onwards, there will be no more 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' storybooks..."

"Why is that?" Pan Mei frowned.

"I don't know."

"Which bookstore gave you this book?" Pan Mei asked again.

The storyteller thought for a moment and said, "Next to the Shiqian Foot Inn on the Bian River in the west of the city, there's a newly opened bookstore, I think it's called... Famous Works?"

"Famous Bookstore... Alright, I understand." Pan Mei took the bag of money and handed it to the storyteller without further ado: "Sir, please accept this money."

After saying that, Pan Mei got up and hurriedly left Fanlou, heading west of the city.

……

In the west of Kaifeng city, on the banks of the Bian River, there is a bookstore of moderate size located by the river, named Famous Works Bookstore.

Pan Mei stood in front of the bookstore, looked up at the signboard, and strolled in, her brows furrowing slightly.

The study was quite empty, with only a cabinet, a few bookshelves, and a few chairs.

Strangely, the bookshelves in that bookstore were almost entirely empty, with only one book on each shelf.

"Sir, what would you like to order?"

Behind the counter, an elderly man with white hair and beard saw a guest arrive and quickly stepped forward to greet him.

Pan Mei glanced at the bookshelf and asked quickly, "Is the 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' from your collection?"

"To be honest, sir, it comes directly from our shop." The old man took the only thread-bound book from the bookshelf and handed it over.

Pan Mei took it, unfolded it, and saw that it was indeed the Romance of the Three Kingdoms as told by the storyteller. Not only that, but it also had five more chapters than the storyteller had told.

"How much is this book? I'll take it."

"Ten strings of cash," the old man replied.

Without saying a word, Pan Mei took out ten strings of cash from his pocket, placed them on the table, and asked again:

"May I ask the shopkeeper, is this the book 'Romance of the Three Kingdoms' that you wrote?"

"No, that was a Mr. Luo."

"Could you please introduce me?" Pan Mei's eyes lit up slightly.

"I'm sorry to disappoint you, sir, but Mr. Luo is not here today." The old man shook his head.

Pan Mei sighed, feeling a little regretful, but quickly composed herself and asked:

Is there a sequel to "Romance of the Three Kingdoms"?

"Of course, I do it five times a day, without fail," the old man said with a smile.

"Alright, I'll come back tomorrow to buy the follow-up."

Upon hearing this, Pan Mei's face lit up with joy. She glanced at the strange bookstore again, but had no interest in investigating further. Instead, she hurriedly left the shop.

Back in his office, Pan Mei reopened the book "Romance of the Three Kingdoms" and began to read it carefully.

The more he looked, the more alarmed he became.

Some of the strategies and tactics involved are truly breathtaking!

What he didn't know was that before writing Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Luo Guanzhong was a trusted advisor under Zhang Shicheng, so his abilities were beyond question.

Even Zhu Yuanzhang did not kill Luo Guanzhong because of their falling out; on the contrary, he valued Luo's talent and tried to recruit him several times.

However, Luo Guanzhong refused them all, devoting his life's work to this book.

From then on, the early Ming Dynasty lost a top strategist, but history gained a new book, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms".

Pan Mei unknowingly became engrossed in the book again, until he read the last chapter. He slammed his hand on the table, could no longer contain himself, and jumped up. Forgetting everything else, he grabbed the book and rushed to the palace.

Such a divine book, how could His Majesty not be informed of it?