Chongwen Gate in the capital was formerly known as Wenming Gate, also known as "Had Gate". Because the word "Had" is not elegant, literati often pronounce it as "Haidai". After the Jingnan Incident, Emperor Yongle Zhu Di moved the capital to Beiping, rebuilt the city, expanded the southern city wall outwards, and still opened the Wenming Gate as a hub for merchants and merchants. In the fourth year of Zhengtong, the Wengcheng was added and officially renamed Chongwen Gate. However, the people in the capital still call it Hademen.
In the 31st year of Jiajing's reign, in order to strengthen the defense of the capital, Luo City was built in the south of the capital. Chongwen Gate has since become the gate of the inner city. The newly built Luocheng area was vast, and until the late Qing Dynasty there were still acres of countryside.
Chongwenmen is connected to the canal in the south and goes to Tianjin in the east. From above, tributes and daily necessities can be entered through the gate. It itself is under the protection of Luocheng, so the markets in Guanxiang area are particularly prosperous.
The water of the moat is clear, there are bridges on the river, a boat on the middle reaches of the river, and trees and flowers are planted on both sides. The green willows welcome the wind and the red flowers welcome the moon. It is very beautiful. In the Ming Dynasty, it was even a holy place for tourism. Leaving the city from Chongwenmen, there is a dirt road not far from the moat. It has no official name. It is just named after the place and is called Chongwenmenwai Street. This was the "Flower Market" of the capital in the Ming Dynasty. Flowers shipped from places such as Marco Polo Bridge and Caoqiao, as well as various "like flowers" produced in the capital: paper flowers, silk flowers, velvet flowers, Tongcao flowers... are also here to compete for beauty.
The Hua'er Market falls on the fourth day of every month. When Xiaoqian came to meet at Chongwenmen, it wasn't the market, and the streets were still bustling and lively. Farmers from the southern suburbs and Luocheng bring their own vegetables and fruits, raised chickens and ducks, and fish and shrimp from various places to this place for sale every day. Although this is also within the city, the tax card is located at Chongwenmen. By selling goods here, traders and farmers will pay less taxes.
This was not the first time Xiao Qian had returned to the capital. Like Min Zhanlian, he came from a wandering world. He was arrested and imprisoned during the Parasol Project. After some hardships in prison, he was recruited by the Foreign Intelligence Service and became a member of the Special Service Team. He is from Hejian Prefecture, North Zhili. He worked as a slave in the capital when he was young, so he is very familiar with the people of the capital. He was born with a baby face and looked very young. Everyone called him "Xiao Qian", but in fact he was already in his forties.
He set off from Zhangjiawan early in the morning, pretending to be a servant of a wealthy family who was out on business, and hired a strong mule to drive on his way. The sixty-mile journey was completed in one day, and we entered Nancheng in the evening. Quietly stay at an inn on Chongwenmenwai Street.
Early the next morning, Xiao Qian changed his clothes, pretended to be a merchant from out of town, and went to the Juchun Garden Tea House.
Chongwenmen is both a tax customs house and an important thoroughfare. On both sides of the street are inns, restaurants, teahouses, walking tours, carriage shops, and so on.
When he arrived at the bridge outside the moat, he did not cross the bridge into the city, but walked eastward. Within a few miles, he saw a Taoist palace called the Taiping Palace, but it was commonly known as the Peach Palace among the people. The surrounding scenery here is beautiful and it is a tourist attraction in the capital. It's officially the middle of winter, so there aren't many tourists, which makes it feel a bit deserted. The Juchunyuan Teahouse on the dirt road in front of Guanqian is still bustling with people.
Originally there were quite a few teahouses on this street, but this one was the largest. The shopkeeper of the teahouse is also named Qian. Outside the Chongwen Gate is a well-known "crouching bug" who is familiar with both black and white.
The teahouse is a courtyard with two entrances. There is a high door frame on the side of the road, with a banner hanging on it. There is a row of green oily wooden signs below, with various famous teas written in ink, such as West Lake Longjing, Maojian before the rain, Bird tongue and clouds. ...However, most people in the capital don't pay attention to drinking tea, and these famous teas are just a special feature.
There is a reed mat tent, with more than a dozen tables and stools, and two stoves on one side. On one side there are guys baking sesame cakes all the time, and on the other side there are two large copper kettles, which are steaming. Whenever the water boils, there is a whistle that can be heard from all over the street.
After passing the open-air scattered seats, there are three main halls that are the front hall. The tables and chairs are more elegant than outside, and they are all occupied by people with some status. As for the back hall, it was the domain of literati and dignitaries, and ordinary people would not go there.
Although it is the middle of winter and the cold wind is strong, there are still people sitting in the scattered seats - most of them are working people or passing vendors. They take advantage of the heat of the stove to sit and take a breath, drink a bowl of hot tea, and have a sesame seed cake. It doesn’t cost much to keep your stomach full. After filling my stomach, I can continue to make a living.
Xiaoqian walked through the reed mat shed, went up the steps and lifted up the thick cotton curtain. A hot air mixed with the smell of sweat, incense, meat, tea...all kinds of smells hit his face. Followed by noisy sounds, pouring into his ears like a tide.
As soon as he entered the house, a waiter came to greet him:
"Sir, I'm new! Is this your first time back to Juchun Garden? How many of you..."
Xiao Qian said calmly: "Find a quiet seat, a pot of incense tablets and two cups. Make two sesame seed cakes." After saying this, he threw out a bunch of copper coins.
There are people from all walks of life in the teahouse, so the waiters have the most vicious eyes, and they can already tell by looking up and down. With a shout, he was led to a single table in a corner near the back door.
Xiao Qian glanced around and saw that more than half of the people in the three rooms in the front hall were already there. Most of the people who come to the teahouse to have tea are drunkards who are not interested in drinking. There are people who talk and spend time here, people who come to discuss business, people who make peace, people who draw fiber, people who keep matchmaking, people who do teeth, people who buy and sell tickets... There are also many people who work in the teahouse every day to make a living. There are people who tell fortunes, people who sell fruit, people who shave and shave people's faces, people who sing...all kinds of people, all kinds of weird.
He filled both teacups with tea, slowly drank the fragrant tea and ate the sesame cakes. Quietly observing the hall and the tea guests coming in and out. Teahouses are a place where people come and go, and people are mixed. The geographical location of Juchun Garden means that most of the guests here are passers-by. In particular, these three front halls are where the Eight Immortals' tables are set up to entertain the sixteen parties. His unfamiliar face will not attract anyone's attention.
Not long after, a driver wearing a felt hat and a sheepskin jacket came over, bowed slightly to him, and asked in a thick Shandong accent: "Is this the regular customer who came to hire a driver yesterday?" What?"
Xiao Qian nodded slightly and said, "Are you the guy from the car dealer? I'm not very good at walking, so I need to be familiar with the local roads."
"Yes, that's right, my nickname is Weiyuan." The driver bowed and said, "There are two counties in the capital, and the roads in the surrounding counties are all familiar."
"Just wait for me for a moment, and then go over after I've had my tea."
The coachman said: "The small car is outside. The one with three copper coins and red ropes hanging on the blue cloth hood is the one." After saying that, he withdrew.
Xiao Qian was not in a hurry to leave and sat there for a while. Seeing the door curtain raised, a middle-aged man came in, wearing a green satin-wrapped felt hat with fire fox fur ears and a six-in-one unified felt hat, a straight green cloth, a cotton robe, a black satin belt, and a pair of felt boots. A kind of "looking" dress.
As soon as he walked in, the waiter raised his voice and said, "Master Qin is here!"
Before he finished speaking, there was a commotion in the store, and all kinds of people sitting on the seats stood up and came over to greet him. Mr. Qin just made a bow to return the gift. He didn't say anything, and a pair of eagle eyes quickly passed over the people in the front hall. Then he slowly walked to the empty table in front of him and sat down.
All the tables in the teahouse are large and small Eight Immortals tables, but this one is rectangular. Facing the main door of the main hall. No matter how many people came in and out, no one sat down at the table. Xiaoqian knew that this was a "horse head table". Only local "leading men" can sit there.
The waiter immediately brought a pot of tea and two plates of Nanguo preserves.
Mr. Qin took a sip of tea and wiped his short beard. Someone is already here to say hello. Xiaoqian knew that Mr. Qin was a local gangster in Luocheng, and newcomers to the rivers and lakes had to pay their respects to the dock here in order to "do business."
While he was perfunctory, he asked the waiter at the side: "Why is Liu Xiaobian missing?"
"As for me, he hasn't come to the shop for two days," the waiter said. "Several guys have looked for him, and even my family members have come here to look for him. He must have been drunk in a prostitute somewhere."
"It's really outrageous." Mr. Qin said, "It's a good job, but I can't help but look like a human being, and I don't cherish it. I really can't help you!"
He thought for a moment and said: "If he doesn't come today, you will find Wu Laodao for me tomorrow."
"I understand!" the waiter responded. Just as he turned around to leave, Xiao Qian came to the Ma Tou table with a tea bowl. With a smile on his face, he cupped his hands and said, "Boss, please give me tea!" After saying this, he pressed the edge of the bowl with his right thumb and held it with his two fingers. Hold the bottom of the bowl, with the thumb and index finger of your left hand bent, and the other three fingers straightened to the tip of your right elbow.
"Boss, please give me tea."
Mr. Qin seems to be a familiar person, and he knows that he is a "colleague" from outside. This was a routine visit to the pier. Immediately, Tao Ye picked up the tea bowl, paid a humble bow and asked:
"May I ask your surname, what kind of Hongxi do you want to be?"
"I don't dare. My surname is Qian. I run a small business. Now I work as a cook in Zhangjiawan, Tongzhou. I have to go to Luocheng to do business from time to time. I am new here, so I have to ask the third master to take care of me."
Mr. Qin raised his eyebrows slightly and said, "Originally, I shouldn't have stopped you from getting rich, but the weather has been bad recently, with strong winds and heavy rains. Take care of yourself."
"Yes, thank you Third Master for teaching me." Xiao Qian was very respectful.
"This is a carved plum from the south of the Yangtze River. It is very precious. Try one."
"Thank you Third Master." Xiao Qian ate a carved plum and whispered: "I have something to ask Third Master the next day. I wonder if Third Master can be convenient?"
"Just come find me here. If I'm not here, ask the guy."
"Thank you, Third Master!" Xiao Qian took a few steps back respectfully, then turned around and left the teahouse.
Mr. Qin watched him leave without paying much attention - there were people from all walks of life visiting the dock every day, not to mention that he was doing business in Tongzhou, which is sixty or seventy miles away from here. To be honest, there is not much business to do in Luocheng. , so they won’t be able to disturb Shuntian Prefecture’s horse-riding policemen.
(End of chapter)
