Everyone knows that Chang'an is prosperous. Hu merchants traveled thousands of miles across the sand sea to come here from Fulin and Dashi. Japan even sent envoys from the Tang Dynasty to learn etiquette, literature, and techniques...
Ritual music came to enlighten our people, and it was the most popular among the Tang Dynasty people at that time.
Chao Heng was sent to the Tang Dynasty at the age of nineteen. He still remembers the scene when he knelt in the shrine and prayed to Sumiyoshi for peace.
Unfortunately, only half of the five-hundred-member mission finally entered the Tang Dynasty alive. The others either contracted the disease and died, or were swallowed by the whale wave.
On the side, Lu Li looked away from a Kunlun slave and asked casually: "Chao Qing, how many years have you been in Chang'an?"
"Twenty-seven years."
Having said this, Chao Heng shook his head, feeling even more grateful in his heart, stroking his beard under his chin, and sighed: "In the past, when I boarded a boat in Namba for a long journey, I was not yet in my prime, and my youth was still there, but now I can claim to be a I...I don’t know if my soul can return to my hometown in this life.”
After finishing his words, Chao Heng looked towards the East China Sea in ecstasy, thinking of the Seto Inland Sea in his hometown.
Twenty-seven years ago, his name was not Chao Heng, but Abe Nakamaro. He was recognized by the officials of Honglu Temple because of his foundation in Sinology and his character and etiquette. After arriving in Chang'an with the mission, he entered Taixue, the highest institution of higher education in the Tang Dynasty, as an exception. , study for further study.
As time went by, the companions who came to Tang Dynasty returned one after another, but he was unwilling to leave. It was not that he was nostalgic for the wealth and prosperity of the Tang Dynasty, and he hated the poverty in his hometown, but he was thirsty for knowledge. "Book of Rites" and "Chun Qiu Zuo Zhuan" ", "Shangshu", "Book of Changes"... there are too many things to learn.
After graduating from Taixue, he chose to take part in the imperial examination and unexpectedly passed the Jinshi examination. In fact, Abe did not expect that he, a barbarian from a small and remote country in the east of the sea, would be favored by the examiner, and he burst into tears of gratitude.
Later, the current saint met all the Jinshi in Hanyuan Hall. Not only was he lucky enough to meet Long Yan, but he was also given a name——
Chao Heng.
From then on, the official career was prosperous. Zuo Chunfang, the crown prince's palace, was appointed as the secretary of the department and Zuo Buque, the provincial minister. The sage said some time ago that he would be promoted to the friend of the king of rites, responsible for the affairs of travel and regulation.
The fifth-rank official, this is the position that many people in the Tang Dynasty dream of, wearing a silk red robe with a small group of flowers!
Chao Heng felt that he would never be able to repay this kind of kindness in his lifetime, but this year the mission that came to visit Tang Dynasty received news——
His old friend Shimomichi Masabi founded Japanese law and katakana based on what he learned in Tang Dynasty.
On the one hand, he was grateful for the kindness of the Tang Dynasty and wanted to dedicate his life here. On the other hand, he felt the feeling of benefiting the country and being filial to his elderly parents. Chao Heng felt deeply entangled in his heart and had not drank alcohol for a long time.
However, tonight's banquet made him temporarily forget his worries and be full of expectations, because his friends Li Bai, Wang Wei and others will attend.
Thinking of this, Chao Heng suppressed his homesickness, turned around and looked at Lu Li, inviting him: "Master Lu, are you free to attend the banquet tonight? Supervisor He is about to return home from official duties, and Li Taibai and Wang Mojie are hosting a banquet in Pingkangfang. , to bid him farewell.”
"If you can go there, you will definitely accomplish a grand event."
What does hospitality mean?
Looking at this international friend in front of him, Lu Li felt that this was it.
In addition, although it is not a plot world now, there is no need to make friends with historical celebrities with a utilitarian heart, but being able to have a banquet with Li Bai and see the poetry and immortality is better than drinking alone?
Therefore, Lu Li did not shirk and said cheerfully: "In that case, I'll excuse you."
"Sir, don't be joking. It's not too late for us to be happy that you can come to the banquet."
In this way, the relationship between the two took another step forward, and the topics became casual, but most of the time it was Chao Heng who talked about everything from Japanese customs to the embarrassment of coming to the Tang Dynasty for the first time, chatting while walking.
Along the way, the scenery of Chang'an appeared in front of Lu Li one after another——
In order to get rid of the guards and go straight to the West Market, which is the most crowded place, we now left the West Market and headed east. The journey passed through half of Chang'an City, and we saw a lot of scenery.
It was bustling at first, then a little deserted, and now it's lively again.
Especially after leaving Mingde Street and walking to a few streets adjacent to Pingkang, even if I didn't enter the city to see the sights, just seeing the world and the people on the street felt a bit dizzying.
When we arrived at the East Market and were about to turn into Pingkangfang, there was a congestion on Kuo Street. The camel team of Sogdian merchants encountered the crowd watching the military drama and was not allowed to move forward.
In the end, all the policemen from the nearby Wuhou Pu were dispatched to restore order, and it took less than half an hour for traffic to resume.
By chance, Lu Li stayed where he was and watched a Tang Dynasty version of cross talk with Chao Heng.
There are two characters, one is fat and the other is thin. The thin one is called Cang Falcon, while the fat one is called joining the army. The former teases and teases the latter, and holds something similar to a long-handled hammer, with one end wrapped in soft cloth, and hits the It was very noisy, but not painful, and had quite a show effect.
Lu Li felt that when future generations of cross talkers saw this scene, they would probably bow their hands and call them ancestors.
Of course, for him, the most emotional thing was when Marquis Wu came to maintain order, the aliens in strange clothes and abstract faces all saluted with their hands crossed, stood by the roadside, and cooperated with Marquis Wu and the bad guys. .
Bow before saying anything, learn more about etiquette.
"No matter how rich these wealthy merchants from the Western Regions are, and how burly their companions are, they dare not cause trouble in Chang'an. If they dare to violate the laws of the Tang Dynasty, all their goods will be confiscated and expelled from the country."
A white-clad Wuhou was chatting with bad people, and his words were full of confidence, or perhaps, arrogance.
However, they never made it difficult for these barbarians to treat foreigners the same way they treated the people of the Tang Dynasty.
Openness and tolerance are not just words.
In Lu Li's memory, there were several Silla people serving as clerks or minor officials in Dali Temple.
"Does the temple minister have any girls he knows well?"
After turning into Pingkangfang, Chao Heng suddenly spoke.
Lu Li was stunned for a moment, then understood what he meant instantly, and said with a smile: "Tonight, guests do as they please, there's no need to pay too much attention."
If you want a famous prostitute from Pingkangfang to accompany you, you have to spend a lot of money. I am here to have a drink, so there is no need to cause the host family such trouble.
Furthermore, Lu Li didn't have any charming thoughts, and he didn't intend to make a show, so he insisted on having his wife accompany him.
Hearing this, Chao Heng nodded, with an even bigger smile on his face.
The banquet was held at Huang Liu's mother's house, which was a reputable brothel in Pingkangfang, so it was impossible for Lu Li to feel neglected.
Huang Liuniang was the name of the madam. She was also a famous singing girl in Chang'an when she was young. As she got older, there were fewer and fewer patrons, so she simply used her savings to buy a house and trained some girls to entertain guests.
The so-called hospitality is actually to accompany the guests and perform songs and dances, which is a kind of showmanship rather than selling oneself.
At least in name only.
In addition, after entering Pingkangfang, Lu Li didn't see any gaudy plaques such as Yihong Courtyard and Yichun Courtyard, let alone such-and-such a building or such-and-such building, unified as someone's house. This may be the name of his fake mother. It could also be the stage name of a famous prostitute.
