A few days later, the sky finally cleared up. Zhao Yao took Song Jicai and the four of them down the mountain to visit Jinling City. They were shocked by the prosperity of Jinling City.
Jinling City is the capital of Jiangnan. It has been the most prosperous and wealthy state capital in Jiangnan since ancient times. Although it has experienced wars in the previous dynasty, Jinling City is still more prosperous than the capital city. Also, Jinling City has outstanding people and has produced talents since ancient times. Over the past hundreds of years, Jinling City has produced countless talented men and women.
Facing the elegance and splendor of Jinling City, Zhao Yao was very calm. After all, he had seen more prosperous countries and cities in his dreams, but Song Jicai and the four of them had never seen such a prosperous and lively city. The four of them were like country bumpkins entering the city for the first time, excitedly and curiously looking around and touching.
Zhao Yao is only interested in the delicious food in Jinling City. Before he came to Jinling City, he asked about the delicious food in Jinling.
Throughout the morning, Zhao Yao and his four good brothers ate all the famous and delicious food in Jinling City. At noon, a few people went to the most famous restaurant in Jinling City - Jiangnan First Floor to have dinner.
The first floor of Jiangnan is truly the first restaurant in Jiangnan. Both the wine and the food are excellent in Jiangnan.
There are so many people eating here every day. If you don't make a reservation in advance, you will have to wait a long time to eat here at noon.
Zhao Yao sent Tong Xi to reserve a seat on the first floor of Jiangnan early in the morning, so they went to eat at noon and did not need to wait in line.
They didn't book a private room, but a window seat on the second floor. In this way, when they ate, they could not only hear the conversations of other guests, but also see the lively streets outside the window.
The waiters on the first floor are all smart people, and they can judge the identity of a customer from a person's dress, speech and behavior.
As soon as Zhao Yao and the others stepped onto the first floor, the waiter greeted them politely and enthusiastically. He first calmly looked at the five young men in front of him. Although they all wore ordinary clothes, the aura they exuded did not resemble that of ordinary people, especially the shortest young master among them.
This young man looks to be eleven or twelve years old, with fair skin and extremely handsome appearance. Especially his eyes are very clean, beautiful and full of aura. The most important thing is that this young master has a noble air, but it is different from the noble young masters he has seen in the past.
He has basically met and served all the noble sons of Jinling City. They come from famous families, some are graceful, some are noble, some are elegant, some... But compared with the young master in front of me, I feel that the noble young masters in Jinling City are much inferior.
The young master in front of him is more noble than the famous young masters from the famous aristocratic families in Jinling City, and he also has a bit more majesty. This majesty prevented him from showing any disrespect.
Various thoughts flashed through the boy's mind, but none of them showed on his face, but the smile on his face turned respectful.
He first saluted Zhao Yao and the others politely, and then asked them if they had made an appointment.
Zhao Yao told them the seats they had reserved.
When the waiter heard Zhao Yao's accent, a flash of surprise flashed in his eyes, and then he invited Zhao Yao and the others to go upstairs more politely.
Zhao Yao walked in front, Song Jicai and the four of them walked behind.
Tongxi walked at the end, looking around secretly, and then he found that many guests were staring at them.
The waiter led Zhao Yao and the others to their seats, "How many young men are from the capital?"
When Zhang He heard the waiter ask this, he looked surprised and said, "How do you know?"
"The accents of several young masters sound like they are from the capital." In Jinling City, people from the capital are not uncommon. These young men deliberately wore ordinary clothes, but their status was definitely either rich or noble. "Is this your first time coming to Jinling City?"
Zhao Yao looked at the guy with a long camera and said with a smile: "Yes, this is our first time to Jinling City. Can you tell us about the delicious and fun places in Jinling City?"
"Young master, you asked me to the right person. Let me tell you..." The boy told Zhao Yao and the others about the delicious food and fun places in Jinling City like he was telling them the names of dishes.
He spoke in an ups and downs, with a Jinling accent, and he kept talking like he was pouring beans, which sounded very interesting and fun.
Zhao Yao and the others wrote down all the fun things the guy said.
After the waiter finished speaking, he introduced the delicacies on the first floor to Zhao Yao and the others. After Zhao Yao and the others finished ordering, the waiter left. After a while, the waiter brought the tea and snacks they had prepared for the guests on the first floor.
Zhao Yao did not let the guy go, but asked him about the famous people in Jinling City.
When it comes to celebrities in Jinling City, the guy gets even more excited. He chattered to Zhao Yao and others about the five great talents and five beauties in Jinling.
Song Jicai and the others listened with great interest. While listening, Zhao Yao sighed in his heart, no matter where he is, everyone loves to hear the gossip of talented people and beautiful women.
While talking, there was a commotion downstairs. Then, I heard many people shouting "Master Li".
When the waiter heard that Mr. Li was coming, his expression became a little excited, and he quickly told Zhao Yao and the others that Mr. Li downstairs was Li Jue, the leader of the five most talented men in Jinling.
Listening to "Master Li" being called downstairs, Zhao Yao was a little curious about what kind of person this "Master Li" was.
After a while, Mr. Li went upstairs. The clerk hurriedly reminded Zhao Yao and the others.
Zhao Yao looked at Li Jue and was shocked. Because it was the first time he saw someone who was more handsome than his starling. The most important thing is that Mr. Li has an immortal temperament and looks like someone who is not a human being.
Li Jue felt Zhao Yao's eyes and naturally looked over. When he saw Zhao Yao, a trace of surprise flashed in his eyes.
The waiter who led Li Jue upstairs invited Li Jue to the private room.
"Mr. Liang, is our Mr. Li from Jinling City a god-like figure?" The tone and attitude of the boy when he said this were full of pride.
"He is indeed a fairy-like figure." Zhao Yao praised without hesitation, "This is the first time I have met such a good-looking person."
"Mr. Liang, I want to tell you that Mr. Li is very talented..." The boy continued to tell Zhao Yao and others a lot about Mr. Li. He wished he could blow Mr. Li to the sky.
The waiter said something more, and when he saw that Zhao Yao and the others wanted to eat, he withdrew.
After he left, the guests at other tables also talked about Mr. Li.
Zhang He and the others listened, but they didn't take it seriously: "Isn't it just that he looks good? What's so great about it?"
Chu Huan glanced at Zhang He and the others and said, "This Mr. Li is not a simple person."
Shen Sen curled his lips and said, "Don't these children of aristocratic families just like to do this?" After saying that, he sneered again, "Really, no matter whether they are children of aristocratic families in the capital or in Jinling, they all have the same virtue. "
Seeing that Zhao Yao didn't move quickly, Chu Huan looked thoughtful and asked with concern: "Boss, what's wrong?"
Zhao Yao came back to his senses and said to Chu Huan: "It's nothing, I just think there is someone better-looking than my eighth brother." Just when they looked at each other, he felt a coldness. For a moment, he felt as if he was being stared at by a venomous snake.
Song Jicai was eating meat and said, "Boss, why is a man so good-looking?"
"That is, we men have to rely on our ability, not our beauty."
Chu Huan mocked the two of them unceremoniously and said: "You two are ugly and jealous of others' good looks."
These words made Song Jicai and the others angry, and they started arguing with Chu Huan.
Zhao Yao quickly started a fight to persuade them to make peace and let them eat honestly.
The guests at other tables talked about other talented people, and as they talked, they talked about the imperial examination.
According to their words, they were hesitant about the imperial examination. He also said that the five great talents headed by Li Jue were unwilling to take part in the imperial examination. He also said that many scholars from poor backgrounds were quite willing to take part in the imperial examinations.
Many children from aristocratic families were unwilling to take the imperial examinations with students from poor backgrounds, as they felt it was a disgrace to their status.
Although scholars have a high status, there are differences among scholars. Students who come from well-known families look down upon scholars who come from poor families. They feel that they have a sour air of poverty and think that they should not study.
Zhang He and the others wanted to say something, but Zhao Yao stopped them with his eyes.
Although students from aristocratic families were reluctant to take the imperial examinations, scholars from poor families actively participated.
After lunch, Zhao Yao and the others did not stay on the first floor for long.
Zheng Xilin thought that Zhao Yao and the others would come back from playing until the evening, but he didn't expect to come back in the afternoon.
"Third uncle, do you know that students from aristocratic families in Jinling are unwilling to take the imperial examination?"
Zheng Xilin was not surprised at all when he heard Zhao Yao ask this. He said in a gentle tone: "Have you heard?"
"Is this the Jinling family's way of resisting the imperial examination?" Zhao Yao said with a cold face, "They also said that taking the imperial examination would be an insult to their status. They really think highly of themselves."
"Not only will they not participate themselves, they will also prevent poor students who participate in the imperial examinations from participating." Zheng Xilin said, "They do not openly oppose the imperial examinations, but they will secretly use means to prevent anyone from Jinling City from participating in the imperial examinations. take an exam."
Although Zheng Xilin did not clearly say what methods those people would use, Zhao Yao could probably guess it.
"It turns out that's what they were trying to do."
Zheng Xilin said in a playful tone: "It depends on the students' willingness to participate in the imperial examination. If none of the students are willing to participate, the court and the local yamen cannot force the students to participate."
Zhao Yao sneered: "This move is really powerful. If no candidates are willing to take the imperial examination, then the imperial examination will not be held."
"Not only Jinling, other places will follow suit."
Zhao Yao suddenly laughed very contemptuously: "I don't know if I should say they are stupid or that they underestimate my father."
Hearing what Zhao Yao said, Zheng Xilin raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Do you think their move won't work?"
"Maybe in Jinling and Suzhou, their approach can work, but I guess they haven't thought about what will greet them afterwards."
Zheng Xilin pretended to be curious and asked: "What will greet them?"
"All the officials in Jinling and Suzhou will be abolished. At that time, the emperor will transfer officials from other places to take over these two places." Zhao Yao said, "Of course, the emperor cannot abolish all the officials in the two places at once. , but my father will do it by killing chickens to scare monkeys. With my father’s methods, the chickens killed are not ordinary chickens, and they will not be able to bear it. "
"Your father is a narrow-minded man, and there will be no good consequences for offending him."
Zhao Yao nodded in agreement: "That's right." After saying that, he thought of Li Jue whom he met on the first floor, "Uncle Three, the Cao Gang and the Salt Gang in Jinling and Suzhou are controlled by aristocratic families, right? ?”
"Yes, the aristocratic families have an inseparable relationship with the Cao Gang and the Salt Gang."
Seeing Zhao Yao's thoughtful face, Zheng Xilin asked, "What's wrong?"
"I have an indescribable feeling."
Before he finished speaking, Tongxi walked in. He first saluted Zhao Yao and Zheng Xilin, and then reported respectfully: "Your Highness, someone sent a few Lingnan and Fusang people, saying they are what you want."
"Did it arrive so soon?" Zhao Yao stood up in surprise and said, "Bring them to see me." As soon as he finished speaking, he hurriedly said to Zheng Xilin, "Second uncle sent someone to deliver them."
"Lingnan people and Fusang people?"
"Third uncle, I'll tell you later, I'll go see them first." After Zhao Yao finished speaking, he returned to his room.
After a while, Tongxi led two Lingnan people and two Fusang people in.
When these four people saw Zhao Yao, they hurriedly kowtowed and saluted him. Their etiquette was very standard. It seemed that someone had specially taught them before. Not only that, they also speak pretty good Mandarin. Although it was not very standard, Zhao Yao could understand it.
Zhao Yao asked Tong Xi to take the two Lingnan people down first, and he asked the two Fusang people first.
These two Fusang people have lived in Dazhou for many years and are very proficient in Dazhou's Mandarin, so there is no need to find someone to interpret. They were once pirates and then captured by fishermen from Soochow.
The fishermen of Soochow did not kill them, but made them slaves. The two of them were the best performers among the many slaves, mainly because they were smart and quickly learned the Dazhou dialect.
They are smart, hard-working, and responsible, so they have been quite popular in their master's family over the years. They had a good time in Dazhou and were unwilling to return to Fusang.
Before these two people came to Dazhou, they had been to many places in Fusang to engage in petty crimes, so they were quite familiar with other places in Fusang.
Zhao Yao first asked them about the location of Jinshan and Yinshan. Of course, he did not mention Jinshan and Yinshan.
Coincidentally, Jinshan and Yinshan are not far from their hometowns. Zhao Yao felt that he was really lucky. He asked again about things in Fuso.
When they thought about the miserable life of the people in the country, the two men looked horrified at first, and then told Zhao Yao everything they knew, saw, and heard.
"Your Highness, when the slaves left Fuso, the emperor was already old. Now, the slaves don't know who the emperor is in Fuso."
"How many sons did the emperor have before you left Fuso?" In a small place like Fuso, the emperor dared to call himself emperor. He was really ambitious.
"Have four sons."
"Tell me about these four people."
"The lowly slaves don't know much. They only heard what others said before."
"It's okay, tell me what you heard."
"Yes, Your Highness."
The two of them talked to Zhao Yao about the four sons of Emperor Fuso. The eldest son was born to the empress, had mediocre qualifications, and was not liked by the emperor. The second son is in poor health and spends many years away from home recuperating. The third son was both civilized and martial, and his mother was deeply loved, but his mother was a palace maid. The youngest son is a famous young general.
After hearing this, Zhao Yao guessed in his heart that the current emperor should be the second son.
He asked the two men if they still remembered the way back to Fusang, and they said they did.
Zhao Yao questioned them for a long time, and did not stop until before dinner and let them rest.
With these two people, the plan to go to Fuso can be advanced.
The content of this chapter has been revised repeatedly.
Regarding Li Jue's appearance, my previous writing was too greasy. After revising it over and over again, I still feel that this version is the best.
Finally, I humbly ask for monthly votes online!
