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墨書 Inktalez
The crescent moon illuminated the vast land, and in ancient times, it was the brightest source of light at night, guiding travelers along their paths. A passerby could look up and see its brilliance, shining far more brightly than the stars.
However, nowadays, various lamps on the ground outshine the moon, and with air pollution, it has become rare to see such a bright moon. Yet how many modern people have the mood to appreciate it? Take the Han family for instance; Han Dad and Mom Han spend their evenings watching television, hardly paying attention to whether the moon is out tonight. As for Hanno, there's no need to mention it—she is completely absorbed in her computer.
Hanno wore glasses perched on her nose—she had mild myopia and usually didn’t wear them except when working or using the computer to block some radiation. The lenses reflected the soft glow emanating from the screen as Hanno focused intently, completely immersed in the world of words.
Since Kim Da-da started writing martial arts novels and founded Ming Pao, many famous authors emerged in Hong Kong Island from the 1960s to early 1990s, all becoming wealthy and respected through their writing. What a wonderful path this was!
Many web novels feature protagonists traveling back in time or crossing over to steal classic works from the 21st century Earth for fame and fortune. Yue Junzhe used to look down on such behavior when reading, but now, driven by life's necessities, she found herself succumbing to readers' disdain.
Yue Junzhe selected half a dozen works from her memory and ultimately chose The Age of Great Strife. Although she preferred Moonlight's Return to the Ming Dynasty as a Prince, that was Moonlight's representative work and debut masterpiece; she decided it was better left for the author themselves. The Age of Great Strife could only be considered average among Moonlight's works—neither more nor less. However, with its time-travel premise and theme of Spring and Autumn hegemony, it would undoubtedly surpass others in this modern era.
"Chapter One: The Ten Virtuous Men"
Yue Junzhe still reached for Return to the Ming Dynasty as a Prince because she found its opening very intriguing and capable of piquing readers' interest.
Without a computer, Yue Junzhe had to write by hand. Thankfully, the original owner had good handwriting skills; otherwise, her own poor penmanship from typing too much in modern society would have left a terrible first impression on editors.
After a month of sleepless nights and relentless effort, Yue Junzhe finally completed The Age of Great Strife. She packed the contents of the first and second volumes into a leather bag and personally took a bus to Ming Pao's headquarters. She was very interested in The Age of Great Strife but feared that if she merely mailed her manuscript to Ming Pao, the editors might overlook it and delay her progress. Her funds were dwindling quickly; she had little time to waste.
Being rejected was normal; after all, she was just a recent high school graduate—young and inexperienced. Who would believe she could write something worthwhile? No matter how Yue Junzhe promoted The Age of Great Strife, she faced relentless rejection. Undeterred, she followed a female editor closely, striving to pitch her work.
"...What we call great strife is comprehensive contention—thoroughly fought over a long period with ruthless intensity. The conflicts during Spring and Autumn lasted around three hundred years; they shattered the suffocating closure of classical federal kingdoms like spring thawing river ice. The emergence of iron tools led to vibrant commerce while traditional land systems wavered and authority weakened. New landlords and scholar classes surged forth, greatly invigorating society's vitality. Thus, old systems collapsed, old cultures were destroyed; commoners who once lived like clay pots began to stir restlessly like thunder. High mountains crumbled while deep valleys rose into towering peaks! Entering the Warring States period, these conflicts finally evolved into great strife—a fierce competition for survival where weakness meant extinction and backwardness invited punishment..."
"You can stop now; we won't publish your work. I have my job to do—don't bother me anymore. Hurry up and leave; otherwise I'll call security," the female editor said impatiently.
Yue Junzhe stopped in disappointment with a sigh. Fine then; if Ming Pao didn't believe in her talent, she'd try other publications instead. With so many newspapers on Hong Kong Island, surely one would have an eye for talent.
"Wait a moment! That girl from earlier—hold on!" A middle-aged man in his forties called out to Yue Junzhe. "What you just said was quite interesting; which article did that come from?"
"It’s the background of my creation," Yue Junzhe answered honestly, sensing that this man might become her benefactor.
"Can I take a look at it?" the middle-aged man asked.
Yue Junzhe couldn't contain her excitement and immediately handed over the brown paper bag.
The man took the bag and said to Yue Junzhe, "I'll review it in my office. Come with me."
He led Yue Junzhe into the editorial area, where she saw all the editors, including the female editor she had previously approached, respectfully addressing the middle-aged man as "Chief Editor."
"You are the Chief Editor of Ming Pao?" Yue Junzhe was taken aback; had she just hooked a big fish?
"Yes, my surname is Dong, and my name is Qiao. And you, young lady?" Dong Qiao asked.
"Ah, I’m Yue Junzhe," she replied. Although she didn't know Dong Qiao personally, she was aware that all the chief editors of Ming Pao were accomplished and respected figures in the literary field. Indeed, just like the current Chief Editor Dong, who graduated from Bay Island University’s Department of Foreign Languages and had studied for many years at the School of Oriental and African Studies in London. He had served as an editor for the Today World series, a producer and commentator for the BBC, chief editor of Ming Pao Monthly, chief editor of Reader's Digest, and a consultant for Chinese language studies at Harbor City University. He was also set to become a director at Next Media and president of Apple Daily in Harbor City. Dong Qiao's writing was profound and elegant, combining the depth of British prose with the lively spirit of Ming and Qing literature, carving out a unique path in contemporary manuscript writing that endeared him to readers. He had published works such as Another Mood, Matters of This Generation, Racing Against China's Dream, and The Twilight of Dialectics.
"Please have a seat," Dong Qiao said as he brought Yue Junzhe into his office and instructed his secretary to prepare two cups of coffee. "Feel free to browse through the magazines and books in the office."
Yue Junzhe nodded and casually picked up a magazine to flip through. After arranging for her comfort, Dong Qiao took out the manuscript of The Age of Great Strife from the brown paper bag and began to read it carefully.
The first page only had the title "The Age of Great Strife." The second page contained a synopsis: "A reborn young master, with Confucius's righteous spirit; Yan Zi is already old; Sun Wu has yet to complete his military treatise; noblemen vie for power while Jin is on the brink of collapse... As a son, brave among men; one day for revenge—what more could a man desire? In this moment, gazing upon the reeds swaying in autumn waters—where is she? In the city corner's mulberry grove stands a quiet lady hesitating; there are calls from distant cuckoos—what more could a good man seek? The Age of Great Strife asks again: how will Qing Ji rise again?"
Dong Qiao nodded repeatedly as he read through the impressive synopsis. He had been intrigued by Yue Junzhe's passionate interpretation of The Age of Great Strife earlier and found his expectations heightened after reading this introduction. Flipping through to the main text, he was drawn in by just the first chapter. The office fell silent except for the sound of pages turning. Half an hour later, after finishing a magazine, Yue Junzhe looked up at Dong Qiao only to find him completely absorbed in his reading without saying a word. She picked up another magazine to browse through. Another half an hour passed before she grabbed yet another magazine... After going through four or five magazines, she finally noticed that Dong Qiao had finished all his manuscripts but then started reading them again from the beginning.
Yue Junzhe thought to herself: "..."
However, this time Dong Qiao read quickly and finished within half an hour. Setting down the manuscript, he looked at Yue Junzhe with undisguised admiration in his eyes. He hadn't expected this delicate young woman could write something so passionate and grand.
"Sister Yue," he said, "we will accept your piece for publication in Ming Pao shortly. We’ll offer you sixty yuan per thousand words; how does that sound?"
Yue Junzhe was uncertain about the remuneration situation for scholars in this era, but she knew that the Golden Giant was quite stingy, offering very little in terms of manuscript fees. Dong Qiao, being his employee, was bound to uphold his principles. She decided it was time to negotiate for herself.
“Mr. Dong, could you possibly increase the payment a bit? You can see that The Age of Great Strife is an excellent book; if we promote it well, it will surely attract a large number of readers.”
“Sister Yue, you are just a new author. We cannot offer you too high a fee; otherwise, the established authors will be unhappy.”
Yue Junzhe replied, “In that case, I might as well take my manuscript to the Eastern Daily News and try my luck there.”
She stood up, took her manuscript, and made a move to leave.
Although Dong Qiao was reluctant to be threatened by Yue Junzhe, he recognized the value of The Age of Great Strife and had no choice but to relent. “Wait a moment.”
Yue Junzhe calmly looked at Dong Qiao, who couldn’t help but regard her with a bit more respect.
“Eighty yuan per thousand words; I can’t offer more than that,” Dong Qiao stated.
“Alright,” Yue Junzhe understood when to stop pushing.
The Age of Great Strife totaled over one hundred forty-five thousand words. At eighty yuan per thousand words, she would receive over one hundred sixteen thousand yuan in manuscript fees—a considerable sum. To put it into perspective, working odd jobs at a restaurant would only earn her a few hundred yuan a month. Without hesitation, Yue Junzhe signed the contract with Dong Qiao and left the manuscript with him. Dong Qiao generously handed her a check for sixty thousand yuan.
Holding the check, Yue Junzhe felt a wave of relief wash over her. She now had enough for her university tuition and living expenses; even if she stopped writing, one hundred thousand yuan would last her several years. The immediate priority was to find a new place to live. The old house in the village was dilapidated and too far from the city center, making it inconvenient for her studies and errands.
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