A bowl of spicy oil noodles cost ten yuan, and a big meat bun cost five yuan. Shen Qingzhi was sweating and his mouth was full of oil. After a bowl of noodles and four meat buns, Shen Qingzhi felt that he was only half full. He could still fit in at least two or three meat buns.
Thinking about it, I have spent thirty yuan. The price is really not cheap. It is twice as expensive as a stall. After five or six meals, one stone of corn is gone.
There are more than twenty square Hu tables on the first floor, with almost 70% of the guests, including people wearing short brown ge clothes. As for the guests who go upstairs, most of them are people in long robes and beautiful clothes.
Shen Qingzhi estimated the customer flow of the noodle shop and found that there would be at least tens of thousands of dollars in revenue this day. There were so many rich people in Xiangyang.
Just as he was about to get up and leave, he saw two girls coming in front of the door. They were protected by two guards. They were the young ladies of some wealthy family.
The little lady in the middle is wearing a light yellow blouse and a dark floral skirt. Her black hair is parted into a flower bun, with a golden walking stick inserted at an angle. Her skin is like snow, and her eyebrows are picturesque.
Shen Qingzhi sat back on the bench and looked at the girl intently. Most of the diners on the first floor had their eyes on the girl.
When Mrs. Sun heard that Miss Qiu'er was coming, she hurriedly came out and said, "Miss Qiu'er, why did you come to the noodle shop? There are so many people here. What if something happens?"
Yang Qiu smiled and said, "Aunt Sun, how is the business of the noodle shop? My daughter and Lan'er came over to have a bowl of noodles, and then went to Goulan to listen to the opera."
Mrs. Sun glared at her daughter and said, "The third floor is quiet. I have reserved a private room for you. Madam, please go upstairs."
After watching the young lady go upstairs, Shen Qingzhi reluctantly got up and left. He has been living in the hut in the craftsman's workshop these days. The weather is hot in July and he is not afraid of catching cold.
Yesterday, the market stopped working, and there were more old men in yellow Gebu shirts cleaning the streets. The city soldiers used oxcarts to pull clean water to wash the streets. Flowers and plants were placed on both sides of the street near the city hall, and the messy market became... Gotta tidy up.
The city soldiers did not disperse the people living in the market, but only restricted them from moving around in the late 19th and early 19th centuries, otherwise they would be interrogated by the patrolling soldiers.
In addition to the opening of shops in the other eight cities of Jin City, there is a blacksmith shop not far from where Chong Qingzhi lives that has been banging "ding-ding-ding-ding-ding" since the beginning of the morning.
Tomorrow is the date of the treasure auction, and the auction process and treasure list have been posted on the white wall of the city headquarters.
Shen Qingzhi was illiterate and squeezed in the crowd to join in the fun. He heard a lot and learned that the treasure auction would be held for three days and a total of 120 treasures would be auctioned.
The treasures will be placed in the open space in front of the lobby of the city hall. There are a total of twenty desk tables. Two treasures are placed on each desk table. You can look closely but not touch them.
In order to protect the treasures, each case table is protected by two soldiers. There are hundreds of soldiers in front of the door and hundreds of soldiers guarding the surroundings, not to mention the two thousand soldiers and horses outside the market. It can be said that the defense is tight, and there is no fear of anyone taking advantage of the money.
Interested bidders write down the number of the treasure, write the price on the paper, write the buyer's name on the back, and put it into the wooden box.
At Shen Zheng time, the state government would send officials to open the wooden boxes, sort them by number, quote the bidding price, and announce the winner of the treasure.
In order to prevent bidders from colluding, Yang Anxuan asked Ding Quan to send spies to bid the lowest price for each treasure. If the price was lower than this number, the treasure would not be sold at a low price.
Shen Qingzhi came out of the noodle shop. He just heard that the young lady said that after eating noodles, he was going to Goulan to listen to a play, so he strolled to Goulan in the west.
Living in the market for the past few days, Chongqing Zhi visited all nine squares of the market. Goulan is undoubtedly the busiest place.
Since ancient times, entertainment venues have almost no connection with ordinary people. Listening to music in restaurants and watching dances in prostitutes are the affairs of wealthy people.
Those high-ranking officials and powerful people invited prostitutes to travel around to express their love for the mountains and rivers. The common people had no food and clothing, so there was no leisure time.
Occasionally, I heard that the scholar talked about ancient and modern times in a deserted village shop, listened to an old prostitute singing a few idle songs at a well drinking place, or simply danced a few times to entertain himself while working.
Yang Anxuan was in charge of Yongzhou, and he made corvees light and reduced taxes. The ordinary people had a few more grains in their hands. Some people sent their children to schools, while others wanted to eat, drink and have fun.
A few coins to go to a restaurant for dinner
, visiting prostitutes and brothels is not enough, but you can still cut some pork and buy a piece of cooking cake at the market. The emergence of Goulan, with its low price and good quality, quickly became a place for people's entertainment and the most lively place in Jiufang.
Yang Anxuan followed the introduction of Goulan in the Song Dynasty and built continuous thatched sheds in the market to protect against wind and rain. Then use wooden boards as walls to surround the hut into squares, with doors in front for people to enter and exit.
The interior is divided into a stage and an auditorium. The stage is built with wooden boards three feet high and surrounded by bamboo railings, so it is called Goulan. There is a "music bed" on the left side of the stage, which is where the musicians perform. A curtain is hung at the back of the stage, and behind the curtain is where the actors put on makeup. The auditorium also has levels. The one in the middle facing the stage is called "Green Dragon Head", and the one next to "Green Dragon Head" is called "White Tiger Head". In addition to backrest chairs, the first two rows also have tables and tea tables. The price of snacks is naturally ten times higher than the hard seats in the rows behind.
Goulan can be large or small. For example, the goulan for opera performances can accommodate more than 200 people to listen to the opera, while the venues for history telling, storytelling, singing, ventriloquism, shadow play, puppet show, juggling and other arts are relatively smaller.
In recent years, opera has emerged from the capital and spread rapidly to the north and south of the Yangtze River. In addition to old songs such as "Butterfly Lovers" and "The Peacock Flies Southeast", a group of poor literati have compiled many new songs based on Yuefu and historical stories, such as "Guo Zhao" "Guan", "The Peach Garden of Friendship" and the story of Twenty-Four Filial Piety, etc.
The city magistrate promulgated the official document of the state government and no fees will be charged for the time being. Goulanfang attracted all the jugglers from Xiangyang city. Many brothels also sent singers to sing. Opera troupes from Runan, Jingzhou and Jiankang came to Xiangyang to perform.
There is a wooden sign hanging on the wall in front of Goubao, and a waiter sitting in front of the door is enthusiastically soliciting visitors, "Blind Liu tells stories, and you can listen to them for half a day for one price." "Miss Hongxing sings a new song, and there are dancers to accompany you. It only costs two yuan." "Let's watch a movie, the battle with Lu Bu in front of Hulao Pass, so murderous"...
Carefully avoiding the children running in front of him, Shen Qingzhi stopped in front of a theater, followed a few scribes, and listened to them read the name of the play written on the wooden sign, which was "Ti Ying Saves the Father". We came here from another theater where "Crossing Zhaoguan" was being performed.
Shen Qingzhi thought about it and felt that it was more likely that the young lady would come to listen to "Tiying Saves My Father", so he was not in a hurry to enter. Just opposite, there was a circle of people watching the knife dance performance. Shen Qingzhi stood there The crowd watched and waited.
After about half a stick of incense was touched, two guards escorted an ox cart to a stop in front of the hook fence. Shen Qingzhi's eyes lit up and he recognized the two guards beside the young lady.
The bullock cart stopped, and sure enough, the young lady got out of the cart and entered the hook fence with her guards. Without hesitation, Shen Qingzhi paid five coins and walked into the hook bar.
It is very spacious inside, with more than ten rows of long wooden benches, which can seat at least 200 people. The thatched shed is nearly two feet high, and the surrounding wooden walls are only eight feet long. Light shines in from all sides, so it doesn't feel dark or stuffy.
Shen Qingzhi saw the young lady coming to the front and sitting on a chair in the middle. The waiters in the theater came forward to serve her, serving tea and snacks, and they were all busy. Shen Qingzhi saw that there was an empty seat diagonally behind the young lady, so he hurriedly stepped forward and sat down. From here, he could see the small side of the young lady's face.
The performance hasn't started yet, and a dance is being performed on the stage. The dancers are dancing while shaking the snare drum. There were vendors walking around carrying baskets, shouting for "fresh fruits," "pancakes," and "beef jerky."
Seeing that 60% of the audience was seated, the dancers on the stage retreated, and the sound of silk and bamboo gongs and drums sounded. Shen Qingzhi knew that the performance was about to start. He saw that the young lady stopped joking with the maid next to her and looked at the stage attentively.
There was a noise at the entrance, and seven or eight men rushed in, noisily walking forward. The fat man walking in the front, wearing a rich dress and silk scarf, holding a feather fan in his hand, went straight to the front of the stage, but at this time, the two rows in front were carrying cases. Several seats are already occupied.
The waiter smiled and stepped forward to lead them to an empty seat. The fat man pushed the waiter away and said proudly: "When I listen to plays in Beijing, I always sit in the front row."
With a sly glance, Huan Sheng stared at Yang Qiu and said with a smile, "Young lady, how about spending a few gold to sit with you?"
The two guards beside Yang Qiu immediately jumped up and rushed towards the fat man. Of the six men following the fat man, two immediately rushed out and faced off against the two guards.
Huan Xuan sent Huan Ning to Xiangyang to buy treasures and gave him a thousand taels of gold. Huan Xuan sent his guards around him.
Guard experts protect the safety of gold. Huan Xuan was good at martial arts and had a group of martial arts masters around him, who usually protected him and could secretly assassinate his opponents.
The guards around Yang Qiu were selected by Yang Anxuan for his sister. They were all masters in the military, and they were inseparable from each other in the fight. Huan Ning smiled proudly and said, "If you two more people go up, don't scare the little lady."
Two more people stepped forward to attack. Shen Qingzhi stood up and four words came to his mind, "Heroes save beauties."
Without thinking much, Shen Qingzhi jumped up on the wooden stool, shouted: "It's shameless to bully the few with more," and rushed straight towards Huan Ning.
Huan Ning saw a green-headed man emerging and said ferociously: "Destroy this boy."
The remaining two guards intercepted Shen Qingzhi, and the three of them fought together. Huan Sheng smiled and said to Yang Qiu who was sitting peacefully: "Don't be afraid, little lady, fool is a good person."
"Afraid," Yang Qiu sneered, "I'm afraid someone will tear your bones apart."
"Tsk, tsk," Huan Sheng waved his feather fan confidently and said, "Young lady, don't talk nonsense. No one in Xiangyang City dares to do anything stupid."
Theatergoers saw the fight and fled out the door. The city soldiers on the watchtower noticed something was wrong and sounded a warning gong. Immediately, 20 city soldiers rushed towards the scene of the accident.
Seeing the fat man talking and approaching the young lady, Shen Qingzhi roared angrily, punched the man in front of him, and kicked Huan Ning with his leg, ignoring the slap from the left.
Huan Ning was just looking at the beauty, but was kicked in the stomach by Shen Qing. He took a few steps back and fell to the ground with his legs in the air, moving around like a fat turtle.
Yang Qiu smiled like a blooming flower, extremely beautiful. When Shen Qingzhi saw it, he paused and dodged slightly as if he was being shocked by electricity. He was struck by a palm and fell in the direction of Yang Qiu involuntarily.
Shen Qingzhisheng was afraid of bumping into the young lady, so he stepped on his right foot with his left foot, tried his best to fall sideways, and fell in front of Yang Qiu with the case in hand. The plates on the counter fell to the floor, smashing to pieces, and the snacks rolled everywhere.
"Oops," Yang Qiu couldn't help but exclaimed when he saw that Shen Qingzhi had a handsome face, a heroic look on his brows, and his nose was bleeding when he touched the table.
Huan Ning struggled to get up and roared: "You dare to hit me, kill this kid."
Outside the hook fence, Shi Xiu and his people arrived. Seeing the crowded entrance, he made a quick decision: "Break through the wall and enter."
The machete struck the wooden wall and opened a gap three or five times. Shi Xiu and his men rushed in and shouted: "Don't move, stop."
Huan Ning clutched his stomach and said angrily: "Yu is the brother of Taiwei Huan, and he has been ordered to come to Xiangyang on official business. This kid dares to beat Yu, so please tie him up and punish him."
Shen Qingzhi stood up and protected Yang Qiu. When Yang Qiu saw that his clothes were torn in the fight and were floating in a mess, he felt pity in his heart and said softly: "My daughter is the sister of Governor Yang. It was the fat man who insulted my daughter."
When Shi Xiu heard that the young lady was the sister of Governor Yang, he immediately ordered: "Tie up the fat man and his gang."
Huan Ning shouted: "Yu came here under the orders of Captain Huan. Who dares to kidnap Yu? You, Governor Yang, can't afford to offend Yu."
Shi Xiu sneered and said, "Go and tell Governor Yang these things. I'll tie you up."
The guards tried to stop him, but Shi Xiu pulled out his sword and shouted, "If you dare to resist, you will be killed without mercy."
Huan Ning was frightened and shouted in a stern voice, "I will follow you to see Governor Yang and see how you end up."
In the Governor's Mansion, Yang Anxuan was furious when he learned that Qiu'er had been teased. He immediately ordered Huan Ning and six guards to be tied to the horse post in front of the mansion, and each of them was whipped forty times.
Seeing that the whip was about to hit him, Huan Ning begged, "Chief Yang, don't look at the monk's face but the Buddha's face. I hope you will forgive me for the love of Taiwei Huan."
"Execution." Yang Anxuan didn't bother to talk to him.
The whip crackled, and Huan Ning cried like a ghost and howled like a wolf.
Yang Anxuan said to Shi Xiu: "You handled today's matter appropriately, and you will be promoted to the next level."
Shi Xiu was overjoyed, knelt down on one knee and said, "Thank you, Lord, for the reward."
Yang Anxuan looked at Shen Qingzhi, secretly praising the handsome young man in his heart, and asked with a smile: "Young man, who is your name? Thank you for your generous help today."
Shen Qingzhi cupped his fists and said:
"Chen Qingzhi of Wuxing met Governor Yang."
"Chen Qingzhi, Wuxing Shen family?" Yang Anxuan asked. Shen Qingzhi's name flashed in his mind. Could it be that this young man was a famous Southern Dynasty and Song Dynasty general who served in five dynasties according to history books.
Yang Qiu on the side said softly: "Third brother, you must thank Mr. Shen deeply."
Yang Anxuan glanced at the girl in surprise, and saw the blush on Qiu'er's face. His heart moved, and he looked at Shen Qingzhi again. He saw that this young man was really talented.
"Chen Qingzhi, are you willing to join the army?" Yang Anxuan asked.
Shen Qing said happily: "I would like to follow Governor Yang to kill the enemy on the battlefield."
Yang Anxuan nodded and said to Zhang Feng: "Zhang Feng, take Shen Qingzhi with you and take good care of him."
