The largest and most luxurious restaurant in Chang'an is not far from the West Market, next to the broadest Zhuque Street in Chang'an, as soon as you enter the square gate, it is called "Xinghua Tower".
It got its name because of the overwhelming apricot trees planted within the courtyard walls.
On this day, Zheng Shuqing, who had just been awarded the title of Minister of Household Affairs by the imperial court, was so proud that he invited Fang Chongyong to "view the flowers" in the Xinghua Tower and experience the authentic luxury of Chang'an.
Is wearing gold and silver considered luxury?
No, no, no, that level is too low. You are still in the stage of nouveau riche. You think the emperor is farming with a golden hoe every day.
This apricot blossom forest is much more valuable than gold and silver. Considering the price of land near Chang'an West City, the Xinghua Building covering an area of more than four acres means "noble" in itself, even if there is nothing here. !
Because it is rare, it is expensive. Because it is expensive, it is luxurious.
At this moment, in the cubicle on the third floor of the Xinghua Building, Zheng Shuqing was pointing at the blooming apricot flowers here, introducing the scenic spots here to Fang Chongyong, who was distracted because he was dozing off.
The wooden plaques hanging almost all over the wall are written with poems left by literati.
Among them are many famous articles that Fang Chongyong had memorized in his previous life.
Apricot blossoms are white flowers with red stems, similar to Jiangmei, but taller and more luxuriant than plum blossoms. When they are just in bud, they are pink, and when they are in full bloom, they are snow white. Precisely because the apricot blossom trees are tall, the best place to appreciate them is upstairs.
In order to treat guests, Zheng Shuqing spent a lot of money. The entire third floor was paid for by "Mr. Zheng" and he reserved the entire third floor.
"Today the spring is bright and the apricot blossoms are blooming like the sea. With this feeling and this scene, why not write a poem to cheer up the mood? A poem written by a nine-year-old child prodigy from Chang'an is also a beautiful story."
Zheng Shuqing was in a good mood and gave Fang Chongyong a cup of "Spring Drink".
Yinzi is a drink, and Chunyinzi is a drink suitable for drinking in spring. It does not specify which kind. Correspondingly, there are "Xia Yinzi", "Autumn Yinzi" and "Winter Yinzi".
Commonly known as "Four Seasons Drink".
The spring drink that Fang Chongyong drinks now is peach blossom drink. To put it simply, it is a drink made by boiling peach blossoms and adding brown sugar and other medicinal materials. It has a light brown transparent color with a few peach blossom petals floating on it.
Of course, the process won't be that simple.
Apart from anything else, brown sugar is not easy to obtain. This is sucrose prepared by Datang using technology from Tianzhu. Even in Chang'an, only wealthy families could afford it.
Fang Chongyong didn't even bother to ask how much this peach blossom drink cost. In short, it couldn't be cheap.
"I advise you not to cherish your gold-threaded clothes. I advise you to cherish your youth. When the flowers bloom, they must be broken. Don't wait to break the branches when the flowers are gone."
Fang Chongyong yawned and lazily "composed" a seven-character quatrain that fit the occasion. Yesterday I stayed up late studying the military and civilian conditions in Hexi. The first-hand information provided by Niu Xianke, in addition to oral accounts, also included his own experience as an official in Hexi for many years.
"Eh? Just wait a minute. I'll get someone to write on the board with pen and ink and hang it on the wall!"
Zheng Shuqing came back again and again, and had already written the poem "Encourage Learning" on a wooden board and hung it on the wooden wall on the third floor.
"It's the right time to become famous in Chang'an. I witnessed the rise of the prodigy to dominate the poetry world of the Tang Dynasty."
Zheng Shuqing stroked his beard and smiled.
"Okay, stop talking in circles. Tell me, what's the matter?"
Fang Zhongyong asked weakly. He knows Lao Zheng's style very well, and nothing good will happen if you go to him.
"It's really okay this time. I just want to thank you. I have been awarded the title of Minister of Household Affairs by the imperial court, and now I have to deal with the imitation of the Sogdian cloth you mentioned for the needs of the palace.
Drinking water reminds you of the source. It is the right thing to take you out to see the scenery of Chang'an. "
Zheng Shuqing said proudly. It would be damned if it was not developed to manage the cloth specially provided for the palace.
In the future, when Li Longji sees imitation Sogdian cloth with excellent texture, he will definitely be reminded who got this cloth. In this way, it would be difficult for Zheng Shuqing not to be remembered!
Does Jane exist in the emperor's heart?
If the emperor remembers him, can he not be promoted?
"I thought the cloth would be used for military supplies."
Fang Chongyong sighed, having nothing to say.
It is indeed you, Chang'an sage Li Longji. The officers and soldiers at the border are suffering, and I will come first to enjoy. I remember these words clearly.
How can you give good things that are not even used in the palace to the border soldiers first?
Li Longji's thinking mode can be understood by just putting yourself in his shoes.
"Military supplies? How is that possible? Sogdian cloth is expensive in Chang'an. With the blending technology of our Tang Dynasty, the quality will only be better after imitation. This is the face of a saint, how can it be sold on the market? As for rewarding the three armies? It’s even more impossible.”
Zheng Shuqing complained angrily. He felt that although Fang Chongyong was very smart and good at making money, he just didn't understand the hidden rules in these powerful circles.
After a while, the delicious meal was served. The dishes of the Tang Dynasty are usually famous for their "big opening and big closing". Roasting a whole lamb means putting a sheep on the table and cutting it with a knife.
But for some reason, the dishes served today were all very small. Of course, based on Fang Chongyong's limited knowledge, the smaller the pile, the more expensive the food.
"This dish is made from magpie's tongue and lamb's heart as the main ingredient. It goes through many extremely complicated processes and is finally baked. It's called Xiaolingzhi. As for how it's made, I don't know.
It is said that one sheep can only take four taels of meat. "
Zheng Shuqing pointed to a small plate of beautifully arranged barbecue and said, the pain in his face was vaguely visible.
Fang Chongyong's chopsticks had touched the meat but he didn't dare to pick it up.
If he takes a bite of money or something, the smell of chewing money can be heard in his mind.
Fang Chongyong took back his chopsticks, pointed at the bowl of white rice in front of him and asked, "What's the point of this?"
"The name of this bowl of rice is Qingfeng Rice. The ingredients are very sophisticated and the preparation is very complicated.
First, you need to steam a bowl of crystal rice. The one you have eaten, right?
After the crystal rice is steamed, add dragon eye powder and borneol powder, mix with milk cheese, put it in a gold jar and seal it, then place it vertically in an ice pond until it cools down. Dipterocarpa is a spice derived from the dipterocarp tree, which comes from Persia. "
Longan powder is the powder made from dried longan. This is no longer called "rice", but is similar to a cheese pastry with complicated processes.
But no matter how good the craftsmanship is, the high price is inevitable.
"Shilang Zheng, it's better to save money to support your family. Only then do you know that it is easy to go from frugality to luxury, but it is difficult to go from luxury to frugality."
Fang Chongyong couldn't help but persuade Zheng Shuqing to save money and spend it.
He hasn't asked what the other dishes are. Yes, you can't tell just by looking at the appearance. Anyway, he intuitively thinks they are expensive.
Lao Zheng spends so much money and still rents out the venue. Does his family really have a mine?
Well, maybe there is!
Thinking of this, Fang Chongyong didn't want to speak for a moment. When you persuade a person whose family owns a mine to be frugal, you often play the lute to a cow.
“That’s what you don’t understand.
For example, when we are traveling in a stagecoach, is it possible for us to be robbed by bandits?
Let alone this kind of thing, it is not an exception for a governor to die on the way to his appointment.
The money you save on weekdays is not enough to buy a coffin if something happens. Why don't you keep it to benefit others?
As long as you are in a high position, people will naturally rush to give you money to curry favor with you, so why worry about these stinky things? "
Zheng Shuqing drank all the "condensation syrup" in the cup. This wine was rich in the taste of money, which made him feel very satisfied.
If you have money, you can build it as much as you want. What will you do if you keep it? After death, wouldn’t there be nothing to enjoy?
"There is really something I need to trouble Mr. Zheng."
Fang Chongyong suddenly said seriously.
Hearing this, Zheng Shuqing immediately became nervous.
He didn't care much about spending a huge sum of money on a big dinner. As soon as he heard that Fang Zhongyong was asking for help, his mind started to work at high speed and he was no longer as lazy and leisurely as before.
"Well, you might as well give it a try. I'm sure it won't work for the big one. But for the small one... I'll try and see if it works."
Zheng Shuqing said very cautiously, which was completely opposite to his nonchalant attitude towards life just now.
"Zheng Shijun must have some friends in the officialdom. Can you ask them to write to the court, saying that Tubo has grown in strength in recent years and it is not appropriate for us, the Tang Dynasty, to start a war with them?"
Fang Chongyong said something that Zheng Shuqing didn't know how to evaluate.
"The problem...should not be big."
Zheng Shuqing pondered for a moment and said.
If he wanted to recommend Wang Zhongsi to the throne, he would never dare to write such a memorial, nor would he dare to ask his acquaintances to write it.
However, there is usually a court discussion before the war begins, and it is inevitable to have a good show and someone to advocate peace.
This kind of memorial does not recommend officials for promotion, so they do not have to bear joint and several liability, and they will not be held accountable afterwards.
Regardless of victory or defeat, it is safe.
If we win, the Tang Dynasty will be invincible. Forgive me for being blind.
I lost the fight. Did you see what I said in the first place?
It has to be said that Fang Chongyong's requirements are indeed not high.
"Is there really nothing else? I heard that the third prince's cronies are planning your future father-in-law to go to Longyou..."
Zheng Shuqing asked hesitantly.
It would be understandable if Fang Chongyong clamored for the use of troops in Hexi, and then Wang Zhongsi could take advantage of the situation. But the other party actually asked me to sing the opposite tune.
This is not normal.
Could it be that he wanted his future father-in-law to sit on the bench for the rest of his life, just like Yang Ruoxu who ate to death in Kuizhou?
"Can you just say it's okay?
I remember that the dyes required for Sogdian cloth were probably not the best from Chang'an. Niu Xianke said that when the border officials were counting the goods of Sogdian merchants, there were actually a lot of dyes produced on the coast of Shandong.
If the imitation cloth is not as good as the original Persian cloth, the saint will definitely feel disgraced, and then the official position of Zheng Shijun will be..."
Fang Zhongyong said carefully, hesitating to speak.
"Okay, okay, why don't I just go and do this?"
Zheng Shuqing finally had no choice but to compromise.
There is no technical difficulty in imitating Sogdian cloth, but this may not be the case in terms of craftsmanship.
These technologies may have been readily available in the Tang Dynasty, or even lagged behind, but the materials and steps required in the process cannot entirely rely on past experience.
The goods from the Western Regions have been popular in Chang'an for many years, which naturally has its own uniqueness. Sogdian cloth has this name, but it is not woven by the Sogdians! At least not yet!
The secret of craftsmanship lies in the details.
Although the technology of Datang's textile industry has reached its peak in this era, if you want to imitate it, you may have to deal with some local technical adjustments and optimizations.
For example, the dyeing sequence, color adhesion, and brocade color contrast.
In the era before the Internet, textile printing and dyeing technologies in various parts of Datang were relatively independent. Although the textile industry in Chang'an, Luoyang and other places is advanced, it does not lack corresponding local characteristics in each region.
Not to mention the textile industry in Persia.
Zheng Shuqing's job seems simple, but the risks hidden in it are not small.
"In that case, I would like to thank Mr. Zheng."
Fang Chongyong bowed and said.
"I really don't understand you. In fact, there is no need to be tied to your future father-in-law. Your future is limitless and cannot be ruined in a boring place."
Zheng Shuqing persuaded him kindly.
Fang Chongyong actually understood what he said. But Fang Chongyong also has secrets and plans that he cannot tell.
In view of the relationship between Zheng Shuqing and Li Linfu, Fang Chongyong obviously cannot tell the truth.
The two of them had a great meal and drank in the Xinghua Building before saying goodbye.
…
What Fang Chongyong didn't expect was that while he was still planning how to get Wang Zhongsi to return to Chang'an to face the Saint, Li Heng's pig teammates had already started to take action.
The situation took a turn for the worse.
In May, Hexi Jiedushi Cui Xiyi, under the urging and pressure of the imperial court, had to break the alliance and lead troops to surprise Tibet. The Tubo general Kilixu was defeated in the west of Qinghai.
Li Longji also appointed Wang Wei, the censor of Youshi Yi, to go from Liangzhou to the fortress to express his condolences, and wrote a poem "Envoy to the fortress", which said: "The lonely smoke is straight in the desert, and the sun is setting in the long river. When Xiao Guan is waiting to ride, all the people will Protect Yan Ran."
After hearing about Tang's betrayal, Tubo was furious and entered a state of full mobilization. On the vast front bordering the Tang Dynasty, Tubo troops were frequently dispatched.
The border situation of Datang is in danger!
At this juncture, Du Hope, the governor of Shanzhou, wanted to capture the new city of Tubo, so he petitioned the court, hoping to send capable generals to Hexi to lead troops to respond. This person must be the brave and capable Wang Zhongsi.
At the same time, Jingzhao Yin Weijian also wrote to the court, bluntly stating that Wang Zhongsi's stay in Dongyang Mansion outside Wushan County was a waste of talent. He suggested that he be transferred to Hexi to serve as deputy envoy of Jiedu, and be granted the title of governor of Liangzhou to sit in the rear of the Hexi Corridor.
I have to say that Wei Jian's suggestion, if one does not look at interpersonal relationships, is indeed selfless for the country and the people.
But judging from the "secret" relationship network, that's not the case at all.
Wei Jian is Li Heng's brother-in-law, and Wang Zhongsi is Li Heng's childhood friend, and they grew up together. Wei Jian suggested that the court should reuse Wang Zhongsi, which would be as good as helping to give Li Heng wings.
As expected, this move aroused strong dissatisfaction and backlash from Li Linfu, who was trying to protect his longevity from King Li Ling and who had already taken refuge in Concubine Wu Hui.
Li Linfu immediately suggested that Li Longji and Wang Zhongsi go to Jiannan and serve under Zhangqiu Jianqiong, the Jiedushi envoy of Jiannan, and be responsible for training the local united troops!
You can tell who Zhangchou Jianqiong is without asking. Wang Zhongsi has tremendous abilities. When he comes to Jiannan, he will be coiled up if he is a dragon, or lying down if he is a tiger!
However, Li Longji unexpectedly rejected Li Linfu's proposal, saying that there was something going on in Hexi and Tubo was ready to take action, so there was no need to make a big move against Jiannan's military affairs.
However, Li Longji did not agree with Wei Jian's suggestion, as if this incident had never happened at all.
On this day, Fang Chongyong had just gotten up and was ready to exercise, when his future brother-in-law Wang Yanshu came alone to ask for advice.
Two days ago, the third prince Li Heng sent someone to Zheng County, Huazhou to inform Wang Zhongsi's wife Li: There is no hope of transferring Wang Zhongsi to Hexi. There may be a chance of transferring Wang Zhongsi to Jiannan, but they can no longer operate.
The panic-stricken Li family quickly sent Wang Yanshu to find Fang Chongyong to consult on countermeasures. Her arrogant and respectful attitude fully demonstrated the snobbishness of her mother-in-law.
To help or not to help, this troublesome matter was placed in front of Fang Chongyong.
