A few days later, an imperial edict arrived in Yancheng under the escort of a team of imperial guards. Zhao Bin smiled unconsciously after reading the edict. Now he could practice salt with confidence.
In the elegant market of Beijing, a restaurant named Wangjianglou is gradually becoming popular. However, it is not the dishes of this restaurant that are popular, but the banners and couplets hung out by this restaurant, which immediately set off the cultural circle of Beijing. Son. It turned out that this was Zhao Bin's marketing plan for Myolie. According to Zhao Bin's instructions, five days before the opening, the restaurant began to be decorated with red and colorful decorations. The covered plaque gave people a sense of mystery. A huge red banner on the left was hung directly from the top of the building to the bottom of the building. .
Write a couplet: Wangjiang Tower, Wangjiang Flow, Wangjiang Tower Wangjiang Flow, Jiang Tower is eternal, and the river is eternal.
On the right side is a blank couplet, and a notice is posted in front of the door: Anyone who finds this couplet will be rewarded ten thousand taels of gold. As soon as this notice came out, it stirred up a thousand waves, including the scholars who recited poems and composed poems in the teahouse, the handsome young masters in the brothels, and the diligent teachers who lectured in the academy. People continued to gather from all directions, saying angrily as they walked: "Who dares to be so arrogant and ask for ten thousand taels of gold in one coin? I want to see if he can take out these ten thousand taels of gold today." "That's right, a restaurant owner. He also dares to pretend to be an educated person and imitate others, which is simply ridiculous." . . . .
An hour later, crowds gathered around Wangjiang Tower, and people stood on Chunshui Bridge. Even the other side was full of onlookers, and the road was blocked by water. The people below began to discuss heatedly:
"Young Master Wang, look at this couplet, it's really wonderful, can you cope with it?"
"This couplet is really remarkable. I can't think of a suitable couplet at the moment."
"Oh, it's so difficult. Who made this couplet?"
"Brother Liu is a great talent, can you come up with the second couplet?"
The person being asked felt that he was being called out in public, but he couldn't stand it, so he felt unhappy and said: "Why are you asking me? You don't think about it yourself."
. . . . . .
A few more people tried to give it, but as soon as the second line came out, they were rejected by others with scolding and shouting, "Can you be right? The artistic conception is completely unachievable. Go on."
Trying to retreat back to the crowd to continue thinking.
Seeing that the time was almost up, Xing'er said to Zhang Guide: It's your turn, Shopkeeper Zhang.
Zhang Guide glanced at the people around him, took a deep breath, picked up the gong on the table, and walked to the balcony on the second floor. Looking at the people shouting downstairs, Zhang Guide took a deep breath again, and then exerted his strength After ringing the gong in his hand, everyone downstairs heard the sound of the gong and couldn't help but look towards the figure on the second floor.
"My lords and young masters, my surname is Zhang, and I am the shopkeeper of Wangjiang Tower. This couplet was made by my young master. Anyone who can match this couplet will be rewarded by my young master with a reward of ten thousand taels of gold. In addition, Wangjiang Tower will Officially opening in five days, Wangjiang Tower has prepared unique delicacies in Daxia for you, and we welcome all the young masters to come and taste them."
"May I ask the shopkeeper, what is your son's surname? Where does he come from?" someone in the audience shouted.
"My young master's surname is Wen, and he is not from a well-known family, so you may have never heard of him."
When everyone in the audience heard this, they couldn't help but exchange words with each other: "Surnamed Wen? Are there any famous families named Wen?"
“I don’t know, I’ve never heard of it.”
"Didn't I say that we are not from a famous family?"
"Although it is not a famous family, it must be a famous family somewhere."
"That's not necessarily the case. There are many scholars in the world, and they don't necessarily belong to famous families."
"Although you don't necessarily belong to a famous family, you can't be separated from it. Otherwise, no matter how many books you read, you won't be able to become an official."
There is a strange phenomenon in Daxia, that is, there are many scholars, and many scholars are officials, but the question is whose book you read and whose official you become. A big family or a famous family dominates a force. People who rely solely on their own family bloodline will definitely not be able to do it. Then they need someone to help. So they set up schools within their own sphere of influence and select available talents. Many local small and medium-sized families They would send their own children to school, hoping that they would be favored by the families that controlled the power of the court, and that they would be able to serve as officials in the court and fight for the interests of their own families. And some who could not enter the court could also become local officials or work for aristocratic families. Do things and be protected by Tao. Even if you join the court as an official, it depends on who asked you to be an official. If the Zhang family asks you to be an official, then you are an official of the Zhang family and you have to work for the Zhang family. If the Xue family asks you to be an official, what you do is Xue. As an official of the Xue family, you must put the interests of the Xue family first. Even if you are within the royal sphere of influence, you still have to make a choice. Should you choose to serve the royal family or several major families?
Because all the six ministries of the imperial court are ruled by a few big families, not to mention the six ministers, among the twelve ministers under the six ministries, only three are not from a few big families: Shangguan Lingyu, the right minister of the household department, Shangguan Lingyu, the right minister of the punishment department Gongsun Burang and Yang Guozhong, the right minister of the Ministry of War.
Shangguan Lingyu and Gongsun Burang were scholars promoted by Zhao Wuji from a young family, while Yang Guozhong, like Ding Hu, was a general who fought on the battlefield.
"Since you are not from a famous family, why do you make us believe that you can come up with ten thousand taels of gold?" someone downstairs shouted.
"Even so, I'm not afraid of blowing my cowhide to pieces." Someone followed and drank.
"My young master said that in the imperial city, to deceive guests is to deceive the heavens. As long as someone can guess this couplet correctly, I will give you ten thousand taels of gold with both hands. If you can't come up with it, you can go to the Yamen or Dali Temple to report the case. Could it be that, sir? Are you still afraid that there is no place in the capital for the young master to make the decision?" Zhang Guide said according to the drill he had done before. Although what he said was neither humble nor arrogant, he was already sweating on his back, but he wore more clothes in winter, so he couldn't tell it.
The person who asked the question just now was silent, because what the shopkeeper said just now clearly dug a hole. Anyone who says he doesn't believe it means he doesn't believe in the Daxia imperial court and the government government can make decisions for the people.
"Whoever can answer this couplet within five days can come to Wangjiang Tower at any time to fulfill his promise." After saying the last sentence, Zhang Guide bowed his hands to everyone downstairs, and then retreated to the second floor.
The downstairs was still bustling with people. Some people felt that they couldn't get along and left sadly. Some people secretly wrote down the couplets and then went back to ask for help. There were also people who had just heard the news and came here after hearing the news.
In less than a day, word spread in the capital. A new Wangjiang Tower was opened in Yashi. There was half a couplet on the Wangjiang Tower: Wangjiang Tower, Wangjiang Flows, Wangjiang Tower Wangjiang Flows, Jianglou Eternal, The river flows through the ages. It is said that whoever can match this couplet can get ten thousand taels of gold.
As a result, everyone in the streets and alleys of the capital were talking about this matter. Some people were obsessed with the second half of the couplet, while others were curious about Mr. Wen as mentioned by the shopkeeper. Even the ladies in some official residences were discussing in groups.
On the second day, there were still many curious people who went to the Wangjiang Tower of Chunshui Bridge in Yashi to watch, but no one came to respond.
On the third day, there were still curious people coming to watch. However, just when everyone was still immersed in the first couplet, a cry of surprise from the crowd drew the attention of everyone on both sides of the strait to Wangjiang Tower again. "Look, there are new banners hanging in Wangjiang Tower."
Everyone looked up in surprise and looked upstairs, only to see another red banner hanging from the roof, with thick calligraphy written on it: Yansuo Pond Willow. Another blank red banner hung down from the other side.
The street in front of Wangjiang Tower was once again out of control. Many students and scholars came in droves, including many rich ladies in rich clothes. On the second floor of a teahouse on the other side of the river, a young man with a slender figure and an extremely handsome face appeared. Lu said with a hint of fun: "Interesting!"
But as soon as the young master finished speaking, he heard a charming voice behind him saying: "Hey, I am a handsome young master from some family. It turns out to be Sister Qingxue."
The handsome young man looked back and saw a girl about fifteen or sixteen years old, wearing emerald green clothes and a snow-white fox hat. She was holding a hand-warming incense burner. Looking at this girl, her skin was as white as snow. Her lips are like cherry blossoms, her eyebrows are like slender willows, her expression is like autumn water, she is indescribably charming.
The handsome young man disguised as a man said expressionlessly: "It turns out to be Sister Ningyao. It's such a cold day that Sister Ningyao is not at home to take shelter from the cold. Why are you here?"
"Of course I'm here to meet my sister," the pretty woman said with a charming smile.
"Aren't you afraid that the eldest prince will hear what your sister said? I heard that Mr. Xue has already betrothed my sister to the eldest prince as his concubine." It turns out that this charming woman is Xue Ningyao, the third granddaughter of the Minister of Household Affairs. And this handsome young man disguised as a man is Fang Qingxue, the granddaughter of Fang Shutong, Minister of War.
"Hmph, there's nothing wrong with being a concubine, let alone being a concubine to the eldest prince. My sister has already passed her hair age, and I'm probably twenty years old. She hasn't been married yet. Could it be that she's waiting for the eighth prince? If I remember correctly, my sister If so, the Eighth Prince is only eight years old now, hahaha."
"I'm afraid I'm going to disappoint my sister. I have to choose my husband by myself. I won't be anyone's bargaining chip." After saying that, Fang Qingxue walked downstairs with her entourage.
Xue Ningyao, who stayed upstairs, didn't care about Fang Qingxue's words, because in her eyes, the royal family was the best choice. This was the idea that the family had instilled since childhood, and their mission was to win political benefits for the Xue family.
Xue Ningyao slowly came to the window, looked at Wangjiang Tower on the other side and murmured to herself: "Choose by yourself? Humph, you have to choose powerful people when you choose. Is it difficult not to choose the person who wrote the couplet? ?ridiculous."
One after another, before anyone responded to the first couplet, the second couplet came out one after another. The interest in Wangjiang Tower among the children of aristocratic families and scholars in the capital was completely ignited.
On the fourth day, Wangjiang Tower began to issue reservation cards. Only those who purchase reservation cards will have the opportunity to enter Wangjiang Tower for dining tomorrow. The reservation cards are priced at 2,100 taels for a table in the hall, and 150 for a private room. One hundred and ten taels of silver were sold out, but in the eyes of scholars from these aristocratic families, a hundred and ten taels of silver were nothing at all. Soon the forty-five reserved cards were sold out, and five more were reserved for emergencies. In one day, more than 10,000 taels were made, and everyone in the restaurant was very excited.
Near noon on the fifth day, the Wangjiang Tower was crowded with people. In anticipation of everyone, the Wangjiang Tower was officially opened. People poured into the Wangjiang Tower. There was a stove in the house and it was extremely warm. The dining table was already filled with delicious food. They brought a copper pot, ingredients, wine, and instructions on the table. Out of curiosity, everyone followed the instructions and started the era of hot pot dining in Daxia. Before spring came, Wangjiang Tower became a gathering place for literati, wealthy children, and wealthy businessmen. Even the nearby brothels and brothels lost a large number of customers at the beginning.
