Chang Qingyun gave an order, and five or six young servants in green clothes and hats came over with wine bottles to pour wine. Thorpe's sharp eyes saw clearly that there was a stove burning on the porch outside, and a tin skewer for warming wine was being stewed. It is probably the most popular Jinhua wine among the wealthy officials. The General Office has made many special offers from Jiangnan, and its taste is similar to rice wine.
However, the most eye-catching thing is the glass wine bottle shining brightly on the plate: the national scholar is unparalleled.
This kind of liquor has been widely favored since its launch: It is not that there was no distilled liquor in the Ming Dynasty, but these liquors without exception had many impurities and were easy to get alcoholic. They were not loved by scholar-bureaucrats and wealthy people. Guo Shi Wushuang adopted the brewing process of modern liquor, It has high purity, rich aroma, soft entrance and pure taste, and it is not easy to get drunk after drinking it. Coupled with the clear glass wine bottle, it made all the drinkers crazy. With the courtesy exchanges among the bureaucrats, the popularity quickly spread beyond Guangdong and became a specialty of Guangzhou. Not only was it consumed in large quantities locally, but it was also sold as far away as Jiangnan and the capital. There were even traces of this wine in the homes of the Houjin nobles in Liaodong. Although Guangzhou Station has expanded the production capacity of the winery dozens of times, it is still difficult to find any wine on the market. The price on the black market is already more than ten times higher than the original price.
At a glance, there are more than a dozen bottles of "Guo Shi Wushuang" on the table, and it seems that there are still some in the corridor. The governor's office is really rich, and he is worthy of being a high-ranking official with eight seats!
"Come on, please have some wine." Chang Qingyun entertained him attentively. Thorpe and others were wary and did not dare to drink too much. They only tasted briefly. Thorpe was afraid of exposing his language, so he refused to say much. Seeing that the atmosphere was a bit dull, Chang Qingyun winked. Next to him, a Qingke Xianggong named Melun, who was specially having fun in the Governor's Mansion, understood what he meant. He immediately stood up and said with a smile:
"It's boring to sit around and drink wine." He was very cheerful, rolled up his hands and sleeves to pour wine for everyone, and said with a smile: "Why don't you listen to some new music..."
Immediately he ordered: "Come up, the singer!"
At that moment, two singers came in from the corridor. They are all young boys of fifteen or sixteen years old, and they are rich and beautiful. When he came in, he knelt down, kowtowed, and stood aside with his legs crossed. Mellen smiled and said: "Today there are distinguished guests from Nanjing here, please sing your favorite songs first."
The two little boys quickly agreed. One played the piano and the other played the pipa, and sang a set of songs first. Although Thorpe can now understand Nanjing Mandarin. But this tune is not in the Jianghuai Mandarin rhyme, and it is different from the rhyme in modern Cantonese opera or Kunshan dialect. It sounds like it is in the fog, and I can barely understand a few words. On the other hand, Lin Ming and Xie Peng listened with rapt attention. Judging from the reactions of everyone present, the singing was probably pretty good.
After the song was sung, everyone applauded, Melun smiled and said: "Sure enough." Then he gave them a cup of osmanthus tea left on the table:
"Have a drink and then choose some of your familiar tunes to serve your gentlemen."
The two agreed. He drank up the tea in the cup, wiped his mouth with a handkerchief, played the pipa again, and sang a set of "Sheep on the Hillside". Everyone present applauded, and the atmosphere became somewhat lively. Thorpe didn't know what was good about it, so he had no choice but to remain silent. Chang Qingyun saw it in his eyes and already understood seven or eight points in his heart.
"This is truly a rare beauty in the world." An old man looked at the two singing boys with fascination, "Songs can really crack rocks..."
"How do you know their beauty? These two children were bought by General Feihuang from Fujian to serve adults," Chang Qingyun said with a smile. "You all know the tricks of General Feihuang. It's a pity that his unfulfilled ambition ended up at the hands of the thief Kun."
When it came to the word "kun thief", although Thorpe acted as if nothing had happened, he showed a focused look on his face. Chang Qingyun nodded slightly, "That's it!"
But a curtainman next to him smiled and said: "What's so wonderful about it? Mr. Mei, please tell me."
Mellen said: "Buddha said: It can't be said, it can't be said. Just think about what Mr. Xianhe called a beauty just now..."
Everyone at the table laughed, and Thorpe was confused. Don't know what's so funny.
Although Mr. Xianhe has gray beard and hair, he is very lively and said with a smile: "Drinking is boring. I think this 'beautiful creature' of Master Mei is a good match. Let's have a match to cheer up the fun!"
"What a lovely beauty," one of the butlers squinted at the two singing boys, "She is the Elephant Girl."
As soon as the words were said, the whole audience burst into laughter. The two singing boys also blushed with embarrassment and pretended to be mad: "The gentlemen are always making fun of the young ones." After saying this, they came over and used their long-sleeved hands to pour wine for the guests one by one. The dishes and guests are now all active. Some of them laughed coquettishly with the singing children, some simply fumbled up and down their hands, and some simply hugged them in their arms and insisted on having a "leather cup"... The little ones are all practiced too. Tricks, charming smiles to flatter those who act coquettishly and persuade them to drink, some simply sit in their arms and pull their beards and ears to drink. For a while, there was cheering and laughter. Thorpe didn't dare to drink more than a glass of wine, so he only took a sip of the wine.
Because Lin Ming has a gold sore, he doesn't eat alcohol. He only drinks tea and eats light dishes. Seeing Mr. Xianhe holding on to the little boy, he knew that he must have a habit of cutting off his sleeves, so he just smiled. But he saw the little Yao'er swaying one step at a time, twisting his waist and coming over to propose a toast to Thorpe. He was afraid that the chief would fall out in public and it would be difficult to deal with it, so he whispered: "Just give me a false response, don't use pretense."
Thorpe nodded slightly, and the little boy came in front of him. He held the wine with a handkerchief and brought it to Thorpe's mouth. He said softly: "Master Suo, Master Suo... you are the host and guest today. You have to be generous and drink a few more glasses." ..." Thorpe saw that he was slim and graceful, and that he was more feminine than a woman. The fragrance came to him. Even though he knew he was a man, his heart couldn't help but sway, and he drank the wine.
I drank it, but it tasted as if I had eaten a fly.
Mellen was joking while looking at the host and guest Thorpe, but the other party had a look of impatience and contempt in his eyes - it was obvious that Mr. Thor was not interested in this pair of "things", and it would be boring if they went too far. Just at this time, the chef came to offer the main course. He took a plate of steamed white flour cakes, a plate of crystal goose, a plate of marinated fish and a bowl of sour bamboo shoots and shrimp ball soup from the table and gave them to the little boy. The two kowtowed and went out with their plates, kneeling on the porch to eat.
Mellen clapped his hands: "Yun Yan, why don't you come out to serve me?"
Following the call, a woman walked in through the curtain. When everyone looked at her, they saw Yun Yun wearing a rice-colored gauze shirt and a dark green flowing skirt. There were dark clouds and crows, and her black silk curls were curved. Two willow-smeared eyebrows frowned slightly in the universe, looking around with a look of sadness or joy, and everyone felt refreshed. Chang Qingyun couldn't help but praise loudly: "What a peach blossom with a human face, and like a hibiscus in the water!" The Yun Yuan smiled brightly at Lin Ming, almost causing Lin Ming's three misty souls to disperse. Just listen to her singing:
"After the fall of Xinyi, the wind and rain suddenly come, and the courtyard is free and unrestrained. The spring is coming, the music is lazily played, and the wine is lazily played. I say farewell to the orioles and thank the swallows. Ten years of dreams have broken the brothel, and the laziness is still lingering with the catkins. It is difficult to find old friends, and I hold the piano. My heart is rewritten. I remember how we once joined hands to fight against the grass fence and under the flower curtain. I saw the windlass turning low and the swing playing high. Nowadays, even if there is a round fan and a light shirt, who can we walk with? Looking back at the evening The mountains are green, and the sorrow of separation comes."
Lin Ming looked at Tingting's dancing posture and felt as if he was in a fairyland. He couldn't help but said: "I have dreamed of Yangzhou for ten years and won the reputation of a brothel."
Chang Qingyun smiled and said: "This was sung by the singers when I went to Jinling last year, my mentor and I visited Qinhuai. Although it was written by Mr. Ji Di (Gao Qi), it was sung a hundred years later, but it is still an old dream of Qinhuai." He seemed to be feeling emotional as he spoke.
After the dance, Yun Jun knelt down and said a long blessing, and was about to retreat when Chang Qingyun said: "I heard that you have practiced some new songs before. This Master Suo is an honored guest. Please sing a few songs." Listen."
"Yes, I know," he said. He ordered someone to fetch the pipa, sat on the embroidered pier, played with it a few times, and sang:
Trying Luo Shang under the peach branch,
The butterfly rice is divided into buckets and the fragrance is left behind.
The moon flattens the grass,
Half face with angry red makeup.
Her singing voice was melodious, both crisp and soft, charming but also strong. Her singing voice lingered endlessly, and the guests at the banquet were fascinated by it. Yun Yun played the pipa while waving her hands and singing:
The wind is getting warmer, the sun is getting longer, and the willow trees are weeping.
A pair of dancing swallows, thousands of flying flowers, and the setting sun all over the ground.
After singing the song, Mr. Xianhe said with a smile: "This poem is really graceful and graceful. It is the successor of the Southern Tang Dynasty. It is the only one who can get it from heaven. I didn't expect Mr. Maozhong (Chen Zilong) to write such a sentimental and charming poem." Natural. It’s really strange!”
Thorpe didn't know who Mr. Mao Zhong was, but the words sounded like ordinary thick lyrics and erotic songs. What's so strange about that? While thinking about it, someone said: "Mr. Maozhong's poems are very different. They are completely different. Recently, the student just got a new piece of his work..." After that, he recited:
The immortals are lonely for a long time, and the literary garden is desolate and the ancient hills are exhausted. The Han Dynasty used to be called the Northern Territory, but the Chu Feng now covers Nanzhou. Can Zhang Yaohai become an elegant person? There are only a few words left to play in the Jade Tower. Quite tired of the withered world, I cut the clouds, cut the moon and paint the three autumns.
Everyone nodded in praise, but Thorpe couldn't understand the merit, so he could only continue to sit expressionless. Everyone at the table became interested, and everyone started talking about poetry with enthusiasm.
…
"The most difficult thing about composing lyrics is the modern style. It should be flat but not oblique, and it should be oblique and not flat. One of them loses its cohesion and makes it hard to read. How can you afford to lose this person?"
"You are wrong: there are both oblique and oblique sounds in poems. Lu Fangweng's "Burning ashes and removing vegetables" uses the oblique sound for the word "locust"; "Don't break the red and fragrant trees, but know what you mean", The word 'dan' has a flat tone; Li Shanfu's 'Huang Zu did not pity the parrot guest, Zhigong favored Qilin'er', the word 'qi' has a flat tone! Han Yu's poem "Yueyang Tower" "The universe is narrow and hinders", the word "hesitate" It is actually pronounced as 'visit', Bai Juyi's "Poems of He Linghu Xianggong" "Benevolence fans the road, rain anoints the pavilion Yan", and the word "fan" has a flat sound again! Li Shangyin's "Shicheng Poem" "The ice will float on the pillow, and the curtain will not be hidden" Hook', self-note 'ice, go sound'..." (To be continued.)
