Compared to the grading process in the Imperial College that was unknown to outsiders, Di Jin and Gongsun Ce each took their relatives, friends, and maids to walk on the streets of the capital, preparing to find a restaurant for dinner.
Di Jin seldom came out, and Gongsun Ce introduced him along the way: "The one to the north is Zhuque Street, and the most famous main store is Zhuangyuan Building, which is located opposite the Imperial College. It is really well-intentioned, and every time during the imperial examination This year, this place is definitely the most popular place in Beijing, ha! The number one scholar, the number one scholar, is just for good luck!"
Di Jin thought to himself that there was one in Bingzhou, and the business was also booming. This chain brand was really unfavorable in the dynasty that valued imperial examinations. The crowding inside can be imagined: "We don't have to go there. That excitement..."
Gongsun Ce showed his folding fan and said very proudly: "Shilin, don't worry, I reserved the seats half a month ago!"
Di Jin: "..."
Then why are you criticizing?
However, since Gongsun Ce had booked a restaurant, Di Jin naturally would not dissuade him, and the group headed towards the Zhuangyuan Building.
Before we even arrived, we could see a tall wedding gate built with colorful silks from a distance. It was decorated with lanterns and festoons and was full of joy. The waiters who came out were all in different spirits, with smiles all over their faces: "Your Excellency, please invite me!" "Master Xiucai please!!"
In the past, Xiu Cai Gong was just a respectful title for scholars. Now Xiu Cai Gong really wants to bless the Jinshi. Naturally, every scholar candidate who walks into the Zhuangyuan Building also steps in with a smile on his face.
When everyone came to the box reserved by Gongsun Ce, they found that in addition to seats and ornaments, there was also a table specially placed by the wall, complete with pens, inks, paper and inkstones. It was just for literati to eat wine and write poems. It was very considerate. .
Gongsun Ce also felt a little itchy when he saw it: "Shi Lin, how about we each write a poem when you and I are drunk?"
I don't know if it was because of a certain Song Yasi who didn't want to be named. As soon as Di Jin heard about restaurants, drunkenness, and poems, a poem came to mind. Shaking his head: "I'm not in the mood today, let the waiter serve the food, everyone is hungry."
As soon as these words came out, Di Xiangling and Lei Cheng nodded. They were really hungry. After all, worrying outside the examination room was more than just waiting.
"Blame me! Blame me!"
Gongsun Ce held up his hands apologetically and said to the waiter waiting outside the house: "Bring the good wine and food!"
"yes!"
According to Lin Xiaoyi's on-the-spot investigation, the food at Zhuangyuanlou is at the lower-middle level in the main stores in the capital. It is not the most delicious, but it is certainly not very delicious.
Fortunately, when he was hungry, he didn't care about the cost-effectiveness. Everyone ate and drank. Gongsun Ce originally wanted to make a drinking order to liven up the atmosphere, but when he saw everyone immersed in eating and enjoying the delicious food, he suddenly realized that he was actually very hungry. and join in the fun.
In comparison, Di had specially prepared breakfast and lunch before entering the examination room. They were both easy-to-carry but filling foods. He did not practice mace today and consumed very little. Instead, he stopped after eating one portion, and then looked out the window.
Through the window, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery of the capital when the lanterns are on. You can hear scholars chanting poems loudly in the rooms on the left and right, and laughing wildly, mixed with the sound of singing girls playing silk and bamboo, which is quite interesting.
"The current curfew in the capital seems to have been completely relaxed..."
In the pre-Tang Dynasty, the curfew was lifted during the Lantern Festival, and people were able to take advantage of this festive festival to go out at night. By the time of Taizu of the Song Dynasty, small-scale night markets had spontaneously formed in the capital, and later the curfew system became more and more popular. loose.
During the reign of Emperor Renzong in history, the opening bell and closing drum were canceled in Bianjing City, and the curfew was officially lifted at the official level. From then on, the capital could legitimately stay up all night, but in fact before that, the curfew existed in name only, and the night market It's bustling, business is booming, and there's fun going on all night long.
Di Jin is naturally more accustomed to such a life, which gives him a sense of intimacy close to future generations. However, his current biological clock has developed the habit of going to bed early and getting up early. It seems that even if the curfew is open, it is impossible to go out to the night market...
Gongsun Ce raised his head despite his busy schedule: "It is indeed a good thing to relax the curfew, but it is also a great convenience for those gangsters and desperadoes. I am afraid there will be more and more cases!"
Di Jin nodded: "Yes, you can't just have fun and ignore the danger..."
Don’t blame the Kaifeng government office for not being able to catch an escaped Wu Jing for several months. First of all, in this era, if the escaped convicts really have to hide on the top of the mountain or hide in the gangster’s den, it will be difficult for the government office to capture him. Secondly, even if Wu Jing comes to the capital, compared to With a population of one million, the Kaifeng government office's security force of archers is too weak.
The curfew is of great significance precisely in this era of loose social management systems and relatively low supervision levels. Although it affects people's entertainment life, it also brings stability to cities and towns.
Now that the curfew is gradually lifted, ordinary people can have fun, and the dangers have also increased greatly.
As he was talking, a noise suddenly came from the door, and then accompanied by laughter, the door was suddenly opened, and a smell of powder mixed with the smell of alcohol rushed in.
The four people at the table frowned and turned their heads, and saw a scholar smelling of alcohol staggering in with a prostitute in his arms.
Fortunately, there was someone in front of the door. Without Lin Xiaoyi and Zhu Er, Gongsun Ce's bookboy said angrily: "Get out! This is my young master's private room!"
Di Xiangling thought to himself that like a master, like a servant, his tone was quite aggressive, and when he was about to throw the person in when there was further conflict, he saw that the other party actually handed over his hands in an accusatory tone: "Well! Wrong way! Wrong go!"
With that said, he carried the prostitute and walked out again, muttering along the way: "Borrowed it! Borrowed it!!"
Di Jin withdrew his gaze and shook his head, quite disappointed with the service attitude of Zhuangyuan Building.
In other main restaurants, Dr. Chajiu always stays outside the private room, waiting for guests to call. This Zhuangyuan Restaurant is great. He is very enthusiastic when welcoming guests, but when he comes in, he is perfunctory and allows drunkards to break in. Come and disturb the guests while they are dining.
In comparison, Gongsun Ce frowned and put down his chopsticks: "There was something wrong with that person just now! The prostitute he was holding in his arms was not wearing the clothes that the official prostitutes of the Jiaofang Division should have, but more like Xiao Tianshui. The private prostitute in the alley..."
This is Di Jin's knowledge blind spot, but he knows that the main restaurants in the capital are all official, and the prostitutes operating there are of course official prostitutes from the Jiaofang Division: "The private prostitutes from Xiaotianshui Lane cannot be brought in Restaurant?"
Gongsun Ce said: "It's really not possible! Not only do private prostitutes dare not enter official shops, they can't even go to foot shops. They can only run privately in Xiaotianshui Lane and can't go on the stage. The woman just tried her best to pretend to be an official prostitute, but she couldn't. I saw through it at a glance!"
Di Xiangling glanced at him and was very unhappy. He thought he was an upright person like my brother, but he didn't expect that he still had the air of a scholar leaning on the red and the green, treating prostitutes in a righteous manner and being complacent.
Di Jin's eyes flickered: "Has Mingyuan investigated similar cases?"
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Gongsun Ce nodded: "I have rented two houses before, and there were murder cases in both cases. In the second case, the murderer was the concubine of the landlord who was a prostitute. In order to investigate the case, I went to Xiaotianshui Lane to investigate the private prostitutes. They are different from official prostitutes, so they can be recognized at a glance."
Di Xiangling suddenly realized, and then returned his attention to the food, and took advantage of the time to talk to eat more, after all, Lei Cheng's little fat man's hands were always busy.
Di Jin thought to himself that it was lucky that I was guarding Laoqiao Lane, otherwise the neighbors would not know what happened. Seeing Gongsun Ce eager to try again, he said, "There may be something fishy about the drunk man just now. I will accompany you to take a look!"
At this time, Lei Cheng stopped his chopsticks, touched his belly, and said with a smile: "Sixth brother, you haven't eaten much. Are you tired from the exam? I'll go and make sure that brother Gongsun won't be hurt by the thief!"
Gongsun Ce smiled: "I understand your concern, but it is unnecessary. Although I have not practiced martial arts, I am not an ordinary scholar! Da Zhuang!"
As soon as the words fell, the book boy stepped forward, clenched his fists, and said angrily: "With me being so strong, I will not let the young master be hurt by thieves!"
Di Jin had actually noticed that Lin Xiaoyi, who was also a book boy, was smart and thoughtful, while this book boy was bright-eyed and powerful, and shouldered the responsibility of bodyguard protection.
Gongsun Ce does need some force protection. After all, his mouth sometimes makes others feel a little hurt~
"gone!"
Gongsun Ce was the one who entertained the guests. Halfway through the meal, he took the boy out and went out, leaving Di Jin and his family alone. They looked at each other and smiled, feeling that it was normal, and continued to use their chopsticks.
"Xiao Yi, Zhu'er, you can go eat outside too, don't be hungry!"
During this period, Lin Xiaoyi and Zhu Er also filled their bellies and enjoyed eating and drinking at the most popular Zhuangyuan Building in the capital.
By the time it was completely dark and the lanterns and candles were lighting up Zhuque Street, Gongsun Ceren hadn't come back to eat yet, but he asked the waiter in the restaurant to bring a note, telling them that they didn't have to wait after eating and could go home on their own.
"Let's go back!"
Gongsun Ce had long since settled the banquet, but I wonder if the appetites of a few of them were too big. Fortunately, the first two volumes of "The Biography of Su Wuming" were already the best-selling books in the capital. In the year of the big exam, they actually sold as much as the imperial examination collection. It was almost the same, which made Wenmao Hall famous. During this time, he was making crazy money. Of course, Di Jin would not be polite to just a meal.
"Send it to Xiu Cai Gong!!"
After being shouted by the waiter, Di Jin walked out of Zhuangyuan Building and looked at the passing carriages: "It's still a long way from home. Walking would be too tiring. Let's rent a carriage!"
The rental industry in the capital of the Northern Song Dynasty was extremely developed. It was very convenient to rent horses or carriages. Not to mention that it was just dark, there were horses for rent in the market even at the second watch of the night.
Therefore, the common people in the capital have also developed a habit. "Usually going out to the market to do business is a bit like a long and tiring journey. I go from lane to lane and bridge to market. I have a fake saddle horse that only costs a hundred yuan." When I usually go out, I have to rent a horse instead. , it costs about 100 cents to rent one time.
It’s not cheap anymore, but that was the price of goods in the Huizong Dynasty a hundred years later. It doesn’t need to be that high now. You can rent a mule and horse for thirty or forty cents and travel half of Bianjing City. A horse-drawn carriage is naturally more expensive, and one is comfortable. Hundreds of articles are needed.
There was such a service outside the main restaurant. Di Jin and his entourage just stopped and refused to leave. Immediately, three groups of horse renters came towards them, but a figure came first and came directly in front of them, lowering their heads slightly. : "Guest, would you like to rent a carriage?"
Di Jin glanced at him and nodded: "Rent a carriage and you drive!"
"yes!"
A carriage was already approaching, and the people jumped on the carriage. Seeing how quickly they started, the other horse renters also backed away.
"Come up, everyone!"
Di Jin gave an order to get into the carriage first. Lin Xiaoyi and Zhu Er were unaware of it, while Di Xiangling and Lei Cheng glanced sideways at the driver when boarding the carriage before getting into the carriage.
The driver was none other than Wu Jing. At this time, he had almost changed his appearance. Not only had his appearance changed, but his behavior was really like that of a driver. Both Di Xiangling and Lei Cheng recognized each other's identity through different methods, but the former had a relaxed posture. , but secretly accumulating strength, the latter's body is obviously tense, ready to fight at any time.
Only Di Jin was the most relaxed. After entering the carriage, he leaned back and heard the sound of horses whipping outside: "Drive!"
The carriage moved forward.
Just after leaving Zhuque Street, Wu Jing started chatting: "Guest, it took me two months to prepare this car before it goes on the road. Are you still satisfied?"
Di Jin said: "It's indeed good. If you can drive more steadily, more customers will come."
Wu Jingdao: "This capital is very congested. I'm driving too steadily, and I'm afraid the people behind won't be able to wait! But there is a road in front, leading to Yulin Lane. Is the guest willing to go around there? It's just that there is some bad luck there. I have made a big mistake. case, the murderer has not been caught yet..."
Di Jin said calmly: "There will be a day."
Wu Jing's expression changed when he heard this, and he concentrated on driving, and the carriage became more stable.
When they arrived at Laoqiao Lane, the carriage stopped, Wu Jing jumped out, took out a low stool and put it on the ground, saying, "Guest, please get off!"
After everyone got out of the car, Di Jin said: "You guys go home first. This horse renter is very suitable to me. I can use his horse to travel next time. It will also be a good opportunity for him to recognize my home..."
It's easy to say that the horse renter works as a coachman himself, a bit like the taxis of later generations. They just pay when they get to the place. But if you just rent a horse, you have to consider the issue of return and deposit, so it is often a regular customer who rents a horse. Only if there is a fixed residence in the capital, horse renters will be willing to rent out their horses, donkeys and mules.
But Lin Xiaoyi felt strange. Even if the young master fell in love with him, he should have ordered him to talk to the horse renter. Why did he come forward in person, but heard Di Xiangling say hello: "Let's go!"
When he arrived at the door, Lei Cheng looked back uneasily and whispered in a low voice: "We are so far away, will everything be okay?"
"rest assured!"
Di Xiangling smiled slightly: "We can only arrest people and kill them, but we can't do anything else. Buddhism can't persuade these vicious monks to put down their butcher knives. Only Sixth Brother can dispel their anger and teach the monks!"
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