Every autumn rain, every cold, every winter snow, we need to add more cotton. Wear more clothes when the weather is cold. However, more people have nothing to wear and no clothes to wear. The real sky is the quilt and the earth is the mat. Give everything to Depending on God's will, maybe a few more frozen corpses will be transported to the outside of the city by the city police for burial tomorrow morning. Human life is actually very short. It may take several reincarnations as long as the eyes are opened and closed. The journey of life must not be an experience gifted by God. When does it begin? It’s not up to you. Even if it’s death, you may not be able to make the decision.
A winter snow once again turned the capital city white. The eaves, willow branches and passers-by were all covered in snow. Many people would worry about their lives in this kind of weather, but some people would just enjoy the snow while having a party in this kind of weather. good time. How can people be the same.
The Li family mansion, no, this Li family is not Li Baoguo's European-style villa, nor is it Li's artificial Jiangnan garden, but the residence of Master Li Yutang, the official minister. If we rank the houses in the capital, the palace where Zhu Xiluo lives is Courtyard No. 1, and Li Yutang’s is Courtyard No. 2, close to the Forbidden City. Such a location is priceless. It cannot be bought with just money. If Li Yutang’s legs and feet were faster, he could complete it in one breath. After get off work, this is definitely the favorite working environment for hard-working social animals. Li Yutang lives in such a prominent and convenient location. It can be seen that not all ministers of the Ministry of Personnel are honest and law-abiding.
Compared to Li Baoguo and Li Suzuou, Li Yutang's house looks much more low-key from the outside. It is surrounded by simple rammed earth walls that can be blown over by winds exceeding level 8. After all, it is close to the Forbidden City and there shouldn't be any thieves who wouldn't take a long look at the Li family mansion. , the security is absolutely good, so the wall is just a decoration. The vermilion door is the standard for officials of the Ming Empire. On the door beam is a plaque of Li Mansion. The calligraphy is also very ordinary. It is probably written by Li Yutang himself. The porch There are no carved hollows or inlaid reliefs. After all, it is necessary for the official minister to keep a low profile. However, when you walk inside, it is a different world. There are zigzag corridors on both sides. The corridors are carefully carved by exquisite craftsmen. According to Some craftsmen revealed privately that the pillars alone cost no less than a thousand taels. They were all transported from the primitive forests of Yunnan and Guizhou. The floor tiles of the cloister are said to come from the same production area as the tiles used in the Forbidden City. There are four-season flowers planted in the open space in the middle of the corridor, red, orange, yellow, green, blue and purple. They are so beautiful when they bloom. People who don't know better think that nature has forgotten Li Mansion in winter.
After passing through the cloister, there is a row of houses, which are where the servants of the Li family live. There are many rooms. It is estimated that the Li family has more servants. The first thing that comes into view after passing through this row of houses is a huge pond with greenery. There are lotus leaves and unknown fish in the water. The pond is surrounded by willows, locust trees, and sycamore trees. There are several birds landing on the double-pointed rockery in the pond.
This is only one-tenth of the Li family's mansion. Further back is the residence of the Li family. Because the Li family has a large population, each person has a separate courtyard, so it does not seem crowded.
Today, the Li family mansion is extremely lively. Liu Wenzheng, the Minister of Justice, Zhang Songhe, the Minister of Rites, and cabinet members Xiao Li Jinchen are all gathered here. Although today is not a rest day, no one will report them for absenteeism.
Probably because of his age, Li Yutang doesn't like the dry hot air from the air conditioner, so he always chooses to sit in the pavilion by the pond every time he has a gathering. A dozen large and small fire pots filled the pavilion, and no one felt cold.
The four of them sat together, with a pretty young woman playing the piano beside her, and the song "Meeting Friends in the Snow" played out about the deep friendship between Zhong Ziqi and Yu Boya.
"Snow is like plum blossoms, and plum blossoms are like snow. Whether they are similar or not, they are both strange. They say that auspicious snow heralds a good harvest. This snow is so good." Li Yutang finished half of the poem, then picked up the wine cup and drank it all in one gulp.
The boy who had been waiting on him took the wine on the stove and refilled it for Li Yutang.
As the head of the family and the host of today's banquet, Li Yutang also took off his official uniform, wore an amber hair crown, his beard was also specially taken care of, and he wore a coat made of Suzhou silk tapestry and a mink fur cloak.
A bird steps on a flower branch and comes out with plain silk. I have heard people say that it is difficult to carve silk. You must know that it is a Xuanhe object and do not look at it as an ordinary embroidery.
This is a poem written by Emperor Huizong of the Song Dynasty about Kesi, which shows the love of Kesi among the powerful. Kesi is made of warp, colored weft, showing patterns, rich in three-dimensionality. There is a saying that every inch of Kesi is an inch of gold, so it is often used by the royal family. For example, Wang Xizhi and Wang Xianzhi's "Books of Two Kings" were framed with tapestry. Bian Yongyu praised these copies as "the texts are decorated with crystal-clear quality and bright colors." "Beautiful, exquisite in painting, misty clouds, absolutely like Li Sixun." It can be seen that many people may not be able to afford Mr. Li's clothes in their lifetime. The ancients said it well, only studying is the only way out for the poor. Studying brings fame, fields, wealth, fame, and beautiful wives.
"Haha, Mr. Li is a talented person. I'd like to give you a toast." Zhang Songhe also picked up his wine glass.
"Haha, thank you, Brother Zhang. Let's all drink from this cup together." Li Yutang picked up the wine glass and invited everyone to drink from it.
The wine is the best Dukang, and the dishes are the work of the imperial chef of the previous dynasty. Eight-treasure pearl rice, sesame butter rolls, zhenglu tail, vinegar-stewed pork slices, and clear mixed duck tongue are all placed on the table. If it were a man, The Lord, the Immortal King, was present, and I believed in the Immortal King's stomach. These dishes could be eaten without reservation, but none of the adults used their chopsticks. After all, everyone was already tired of eating like this three meals a day.
"Snow is dotted in the red stove and the fire is burning slowly. The beauty of optimism is slightly drunk. The moon is clear through the empty window. People are a little thinner than plum blossoms. There are beautiful scenery, good wine, and beauties. Today we must not be drunk or return." Liu Wenzheng took the wine bottle from the boy's hand and filled himself another glass.
"Haha, brother Liu, don't be greedy for drinks. Mr. Li has come to us for business." Li Jincheng, the younger brother, snatched the wine bottle from Liu Wenzheng's hand and persuaded him.
"It doesn't matter, it doesn't matter. As long as my dear brother likes it, I can take care of the beautiful scenery, wine, and beauties." Li Yutang smiled heartily. He was already so old and had already passed the time of appreciating the beautiful scenery and trying to force himself to compose a piece of shit. Poems about age, drinking too much is harmful to the body, and drinking wine can only be done in moderation. For beauty, it mainly depends on the body and mood. If the mood is good, there is nothing wrong if the body is not good. If the body is good, but the mood is not good, this is not the case. There is no way, after all, this is a common problem among the elderly.
"This is true,"
"A gentleman's words are naturally taken seriously." Li Yutang stroked his beard lightly. Every word and deed determines a woman's future. Of course, such a future may be a better choice for women from poor families. It would be happiness to spend your whole life with your face facing the loess and your back to the sky, reaching the sky in one step, and serving someone older than your father.
"Haha, then I won't be polite. Mr. Li knows that this is all I want." Liu Wenzheng smiled with a smile on his lips.
"Haha, adult beauty is what a gentleman does."
The girl who played the piano trembled slightly in her heart. Her fate, which was not at her own mercy, might have started like a doll again. If you want to resist, well, how can this world of cannibalism be what the poor want.
There was a pause in the sound of the piano, and the maidservants filed out from both sides. The maidservants were wearing half-sleeved shirts with lapels on their upper bodies, long skirts, and waists. Their heads were slightly toward the middle, their arms were raised and lowered, and their legs were stretched out on one side. Bend your knees, twist your waist slightly, and dance gracefully.
All barbarians at home and abroad who dared to call themselves soldiers were killed. It was a tradition in the Tang Dynasty to keep dancing and singing girls at home. As long as the family had more money and an official status, during the Tang Dynasty, these people liked to keep singing and dancing girls at home and entertained them at every gathering. The appearance and dancing postures of singers and dancers can also represent the image of their owners. However, the Li family was probably the only one who raised singers and dancers in the Ming Empire.
Zhu Xiluo was a frugal emperor who basically saved everything he could. There were no singers or dancers in the palace. Even the Jiaofang Department was sold by Zhu Xiluo and turned into a private institution. Even during festivals, officials were entertained and performed on stage. They were all hired by Jin Yiwei on a temporary basis, and there was no need to pay money and no need to take care of the food. Therefore, this kind of extravagant, decadent and wasteful living habit has been abandoned by everyone. Of course, there are also people who like this hobby. For example, Mr. Li Yutang, Mr. Li is a scholar. He can't stand the immoral behavior on TV that exposes breasts and thighs. This kind of behavior can be said to disgrace the ancestors. Even if they die, they cannot be buried in their ancestors' graves. Of course, Li Yutang I prefer this kind of real experience that can be seen and touched. Whether the door is closed or not will not affect my interest.
Of course, some people like it, and some people don't like it. For example, Zhang Songhe, the Minister of Rites, doesn't like this cliché. If it wasn't a bit ahead of the times to find a few girls with exposed thighs to dance in front of the Confucius Temple, Zhang Songhe would have paid the price long ago. Then he took action, "Mr. Li, those shameless military ministers have been shouting with joy recently. You have to think of a way to suppress their arrogance."
He must have been oppressed and persecuted by the bureaucratic class. As a landowner and gentry, Zhang Songhe had no good impression of officials. Now that he was an official, he naturally had no good impression of military attachés who were not his own kind. It’s okay to look for trouble, but you still have to find faults.
"So what," Liu Wenzheng was a little discouraged. After all, he was the most seriously injured in yesterday's battle. If he hadn't been beaten by Zhang Luzi frequently and his body had developed immunity, otherwise he would not be able to get out of bed today. "Your Majesty is a nostalgic person. Yesterday was obviously started by those quarrelsome and shameless military attachés. However, His Majesty made a fifty-fifty attack on each side. No one on either side was blamed or offended, and he even made money for nothing."
"Hey, Brother Liu, this is your fault. Money is all external possessions. After all, the Holy Emperor is poor, so those meager salaries should be regarded as loyalty to the Holy Emperor." Li Jinchen waved his hand, Mr. Kuan was not a person who was short of money.
"It's a little difficult to bring down those military ministers. After all, they fought with the Holy One. This is an iron-clad friendship. Although the Holy One favors us and relies on us to help him manage the government, what the Holy One pursues is balance. He I don’t want us civil servants to completely control the court.” Li Yutang, an old cultural figure, made an analysis.
"It's hard. I can't eat when I see those shameless warriors."
"Yes, me too. When I think about those military ministers, my sex life is not going well."
"Same, same."
Several people at the top of power in the Ming Empire began to eliminate military officials in various ways. Some said that the reason why Zhang Luzi was called Zhang Luzi was because he was born by a donkey. Why Qian Song was tied up in Liangshan and survived by chance? It was because Song Qian saw After falling in love with Qian Song, the two had an unclear relationship. Why Song Qian had no children in his life was the root cause of his illness when he was young. Wang Shouyi, well, he was a pirate leader, a debaucher, and his legacy was felt in Kunlun Prefecture.
The vegetation in the world is beautiful, but they are not. Chinese medicine is very bitter, and their conscience is also bitter.
Just as several important ministers of the Ming Empire planned the military ministers, whether they instigated the censor to impeach them for their personal indiscretions, or cursed the villains and threw them at their homes, or simply spent money to hire assassins to cause a few accidents, the housekeeper of the Li Mansion Came in a hurry.
Seeing someone coming, everyone stopped making unrealistic and bad ideas.
"What's up"? Li Yutang asked.
The visitor bowed and said, "In reply to the master's words, thank you for coming."
"Which Mr. Xie?" After all, there were many court officials named Xie, and Li Yutang didn't remember who it was.
"It's Mr. Xie Xiangrong."
"Oh, it's that kid." Li Yutang finally remembered who he was, and looked at his colleagues as if to explain, "He is one of my disciples, the current prefect of Songjiang. He is probably here to give me a New Year's gift as the Chinese New Year is approaching." .
The salary of the Ming Empire was still very high compared to the income of ordinary people, but it was difficult to sustain the high consumption of officials. In order to have legal and reasonable acts of corruption and bending the law, the ministers of the DPRK and China invented many ways to receive gifts. There are false gifts, such as plate fees, firewood silver, festival money, banquet money, groom's money, etc., and the New Year's gifts given to oneself by disciples are also one of them.
"Haha, I see, Mr. Li's disciples still know etiquette. There are still more than a month to celebrate the New Year, so I came to see Mr. Li."
Several people expressed their envy and jealousy that Master Li had accepted a good disciple.
After a while, Xie Xiangrong was brought in. He was dusty and his face was a little tired. When he saw Li Yutang, Xie Xiangrong fell to his knees on the ground.
"Teacher, the student is here to see you. I wish you a happy birthday." After speaking, there were a few rapid bangs and the sound of his forehead hitting the ground.
Li Jinchen, Liu Wenzheng and Zhang Songhe all felt a headache after hearing this. Master Li's disciples were extraordinary, knowledgeable, courteous, and respectful of their teachers.
After looking at Xie Xiangrong who was empty-handed, and then looking at Xie Xiangrong who didn't seem to have a gift box behind him, Mr. Li was a little unhappy, "You came here empty-handed?"
