When Nian Jiaojiao spoke, the female students below looked confused, while the three Madam attending above seemed thoughtful.
Nian Jiaojiao smiled slightly and continued,
“A person’s character, whether good or bad, has nothing to do with wealth. It lies in her personal choices. Education, family environment, and other factors are merely external. Our Great Yue history has many great scholars and upright officials who came from wealthy and noble families. Therefore, to assume that wealth inevitably leads to unkindness or greed is merely a narrow perspective.”
As soon as Nian Jiaojiao finished speaking, the female students from the privileged faction below applauded and cheered.
The three Madams on stage also nodded slightly.
Chen Liangyu’s expression turned cold.
To dismiss her words as a narrow perspective meant that she, Chen Liangyu, would show just how comprehensive her own arguments could be!
After refuting the other's statement, Nian Jiaojiao presented her reasoning:
“Then let me elaborate on why officials from poor backgrounds might be more prone to corruption than those from wealthy backgrounds.
As fellow student leader Chen mentioned earlier, officials from poor backgrounds lived amongst impoverished people, and therefore understood the hardships of poverty better.
However, precisely because they experienced hardship, if they did not maintain their pure heart, then after becoming officials, they might develop a stronger obsession with wealth, becoming even more greedy than the average corrupt official.
Of course, I am merely suggesting that such a situation is possible; it cannot be denied.
In summary, I believe that greed is not determined by poverty or wealth, but by personal character. My presentation is complete.”
After Nian Jiaojiao finished, there was silence in the hall.
After a pause, Li Jing began to clap, leading the applause.
“Well said! Excellently said!”
Compared to the excitement of the privileged faction, the humble origins faction appeared rather subdued.
Chen Liangyu suddenly stood up, her earlier arrogance gone. Her face flushed as she addressed the three Madams:
“Nian Jiaojiao has gone off-topic. This is sophistry!”
The Madams on stage were somewhat disappointed to see their usually composed protégé lose her composure.
At this moment, Zhu Yazhi, a scholar from the humble origins faction who was about to compete, stepped forward.
“Liangyu, whether Student Leader Nian’s words are sound will be judged by the Madams. You… have lost your composure.”
Chen Liangyu gradually calmed down upon hearing this. When she saw the expressions of the Madams, her heart sank by half.
The reputation she had painstakingly built over so long was now tarnished because of this Nian Jiaojiao.
Nian Jiaojiao!
A flicker of hatred flashed in Chen Liangyu’s eyes.
Undoubtedly, the factional dispute between the student leaders had resulted in a victory for Li Jing’s side.
“I’ve never seen this student before,” a Madam sitting in the center asked curiously.
A Madam from the student leader class whispered beside her,
“She was recently recommended by the Dean to join us…”
Originally, she had thought she was merely a student who had gotten in through connections, but today, she had delivered a surprise.
The Madam in the center looked at the dignified Nian Jiaojiao with admiration in her eyes.
She seemed like a promising talent. If she were to join her class in the future, she could pay more attention to her…
The conversation between the Madams did not affect the continuation of the competition. In the scholar and provincial scholar groups, the humble origins faction and the privileged faction each won a match.
After the session ended, the privileged faction members showed signs of joy.
The humble origins faction, however, had their morale greatly diminished, their spirits as deflated as frostbitten eggplants.
...
After three days of continuous overcast weather, Qingzhou finally cleared up.
The post-rain air, carrying the fragrance of grass and earth, always lifted the spirits of passersby.
Coincidentally, the academy was on break, and Tong Fu’s shop was officially opening. Nian Jiaojiao and her companions came to help at the shop.
The bookshop was named after Nian Jiaojiao’s pen name, “Qinglian Jushi,” hence “Qinglian Bookstore.”
For the normal operation of Qinglian Bookstore, Tong Fu had already hired two shop assistants, one to handle money and the other to promote books.
On the opening day, with the help of Nian Jiaojiao and others, a row of tables was set up outside the shop, all displaying novels written by Nian Jiaojiao.
“Come quickly, come quickly! Written by the famous contemporary novelist Qinglian Jushi. Don’t miss out as you pass by!”
“Qinglian Jushi’s novels are a must-have for you!”
“Amazing! This novel made the once chaste him, now…”
“It burst onto the scene in Great Yue in the year 1156, becoming popular in neighboring towns and cities. Today, I, Qinglian Bookstore, have the exclusive release!”
“She was willing to endure the pain of having her heart dug out for him. A legendary love story between a wealthy young master and a poor female scholar!”
These shouting calls attracted the attention of passersby, and after hearing these promotional slogans, people eagerly gathered around.
With the “herd mentality,” the crowd continued to grow without further calls.
Nian Jiaojiao’s ears turned red upon hearing these shouts.
Although these promotional slogans were written by her, the effect when heard was unexpected.
So shy~
Yesterday, Tong Fu came to her for promotional slogans. Her initial drafts were quite conventional, but Tong Fu was not satisfied.
She insisted that Nian Jiaojiao’s promotional slogans back in Shanshui Town were not at this level!
Feeling that her marketing skills were underestimated, Nian Jiaojiao rolled up her sleeves and started to show her true abilities.
After she finished writing, Tong Fu was indeed extremely pleased.
However…
Nian Jiaojiao glanced at the four male companions beside her.
Xingyun was doing well; he had eagerly immersed himself in the excitement. When customers handed him their money, his cat-like eyes instantly turned into starry eyes.
Nan Qing and Xuan Yi looked at her strangely.
Even Yu Chuan’s eyes revealed a hint of amusement.
Nian Jiaojiao’s face flushed with embarrassment.
It was even more awkward…
Nian Jiaojiao’s promotional efforts were very effective. After a busy morning, not only did the number of customers not decrease, but it even showed an increasing trend.
Tong Fu wiped the sweat from her forehead and whispered into Nian Jiaojiao’s ear during a break:
“Although we’ve sent people to rush out so many books, the quantity is still not enough. At this pace, your books will be sold out in another half hour.”
Even though the shop had opened, her pre-ordered stock had not all been delivered yet, so they were still being hastily copied.
However, judging by the current situation, she would need to place new orders immediately after receiving the current batch.
Nian Jiaojiao nodded and whispered back into Tong Fu’s ear:
“It’s alright, it’s just hunger marketing. From now on, we should fix the number of books released daily. This will make everyone more interested. Additionally, we should introduce collector’s edition novels, which can be priced higher…”
As Nian Jiaojiao spoke, she noticed Tong Fu’s bewildered expression and realized she had used many terms from her previous life. So she said:
“We’ll discuss the specifics when we get home.”
Tong Fu looked at Nian Jiaojiao with admiration.
Having Jiao Jiao around made her feel so secure!
She had been worried about whether the business would succeed or not, but with Jiao Jiao here, what was there to fear!?
Tong Fu looked at Nian Jiaojiao’s slender body and suddenly felt that she had become tall and sturdy.
Nian Jiaojiao’s male companions are blessed!
It's a shame I'm a woman…
Tong Fu shook her head regretfully.