The time is September, and the order belongs to the third autumn.
The temperature in the early morning was a bit cold, but it couldn't resist the enthusiasm of the businessmen. There are 360 squares in Zhongjing City, and the smell of food is wafting on every street. A gust of wind blows, the spicy spicy soup full of pepper is refreshing, and the aroma of the big pancakes sprinkled with sesame seeds is fragrant, which whets your appetite. The time-honored ramen restaurants scream "Erxi" and "Red Soup", which seems to make the business even more prosperous. The street stalls set up with hot oil pots are not to be outdone, and the marinated food is thrown into the oil. In the pot, it is sizzling, rolling and frying, and the oil is yellow and crispy. In this compartment, the plainly dressed Xiaojiabiyu puts out various homemade cakes, which are so exquisite that if you take a few steps closer you can smell the sweetness in the air; in the other compartment, a bold and handsome man fishes out a piece of cake from the big pot. Chop the big, well-cooked meat, pour it with a spoonful of red oil sauce, wrap it in pancakes, pack it in lotus leaves, and hand it to the buyer...
At this time, the tea house on the street also pulled up its signboard, which read "Wake up early" in big gilded characters. The waiter stood at the door with a smile on his face. There was a basin in front of him, and the hot steam was coming out of the basin. The waiter's mouth Li shouted: "Wake up early..."
This shout woke up the entire Zhongjing.
"Wake up early" is a custom in Beijing. Anyone who doesn't rush to work with a mouthful of hot food will bring his favorite breakfast to the teahouse, wash his face with the water in the hot water basin, go inside, and choose a seat to sit down. Next, listen to the gentleman on the stage read the imperial newspaper, analyze the current situation, and start the day slowly. This is "waking up early".
When the Daxuan Kingdom was founded, some officials suggested that "wake up early" was just common people talking about government affairs, so please stop waking up early. Taizu angrily said that people in the world could not know the affairs of the world, and even sent eunuchs from the Qing Dynasty Bureau of the Palace. Under the leadership of the chief eunuchs, they stationed in various teahouses and taverns, and shared daily memorials with the people, except for confidential matters. He read it for seven consecutive days before Yan Guan shut up. From then on, anyone who went out to "wake up early" would shake their head proudly, raise their thumbs up, and shout "Wake up early by order" with one part pride and one part defiance, which was very domineering.
…
Nan Yuanxi walked quickly among the crowd with a piece of pancake in his mouth. Last night, Xiao Hexiang lost her temper for some reason. After tossing herself all night long, she got up three-quarters of an hour late.
Thinking of the fragrance of little lotus, Nan Yuanxi felt tenderness in her heart. He never expected that in the land of fireworks, he would find the love of his life. So what about the brothel girl? If possible, he would like to marry Xiao Hexiang Mingming to the matchmaker tomorrow and carry her into his home in a sedan chair.
However, Xiao Hexiang's redemption price was too high.
Nanyuan Xi took a big bite of the pancake. His Nan family had been prominent during the founding of the country, and their ancestors also had great Confucian figures. However, one generation was not as good as the other, and it had been passed down for hundreds of years. In his generation, it finally came back, and he awakened his talent for "thorough reading". It's a pity that his talent is limited. After twenty years of studying, he has just stopped at the "writing stage". He thought that he still lacked the guidance of a famous teacher, so he sold his family property and traveled thousands of miles to Zhongjing City.
But where is Zhongjing City? Thousand-year-old ancient capital, the most beautiful place. He has no power and low talent, so naturally he can't even find a way to post.
In order to make connections, he frequently held cultural gatherings, but the people who attended were on par with him. In the blink of an eye, within six months, there had been no progress in his apprenticeship, and most of his money had been consumed.
Finally, someone said that they could help him find a job as a copywriter in Wenchang Pavilion, but it would require a lot of money. At that time, Nanyuan Xi was grasping at the last straw and giving everything to him. In the end, his efforts were all in vain and he was defrauded of his money.
When all thoughts were lost, it was Xiao Hexiang who held Nan Yuan Xi back from committing suicide by throwing herself into the river. This brothel girl had participated in Nan Yuan Xi's cultural gatherings several times before and was fascinated by Nan Yuan Xi's eloquent talks.
"I think that Lang Jun is not good at poetry and classical meanings, but he is very knowledgeable in the analysis of current affairs. In Lang Jun's mouth, boring official documents are vivid and easy to understand. Why don't Lang Jun take the position of 'Mr. Shuowen'? Maybe he can get noble people Blue Eyes. No matter how hard it is, you can still save some money."
The little lotus fragrance wakes up the dreamer.
Mr. Shuowen is a profession that was born along with the custom of "waking up early". They took the palace newspaper and read it to the guests who came to wake up early. The higher-level Mr. Shuowen could also analyze the hidden stories behind the palace newspaper and even predict the direction of current affairs. To be given the title "Sir" is enough to show his high status. From time to time, a certain Mr. Shuowen was favored by nobles and recommended to the court or as an aide.
Nan Yuanxi listened to Xiao Hexiang's advice and found a way out that was suitable for him. After only half a year, the name "Huazui Nansheng" was somewhat famous. Now he is one of the top ten wake-up people in Beijing. Mr. Shuowen of one of the teahouses, "Beifeng Tower", has a monthly salary of thirty taels of silver.
Yesterday I heard that there was an important newspaper today, but I didn’t know what it was. Being late was Mr. Shuowen’s taboo. So Nanyuanxi quickened his pace again...
…
"Good morning guests, Nan Sheng is very polite." Hurrying slowly, Nan Yuanxi finally arrived at Beifeng Tower in time, took the copy of the Di newspaper just copied from the shopkeeper, and hurried onto the stage.
"Mr. Nan, I saw you running all the way on the road, but you were so entangled with the fragrance of lotus last night that you forgot the time!" A familiar morning guest was teasing below, causing a burst of laughter.
"Don't talk nonsense!" Some supporters of Nan Yuanxi retorted, "If he was lingering with Xiao Hexiang, Mr. Nan would definitely not be able to get out of bed in the morning, why would he run all the way..."
Everyone laughed again.
Nanyuan News: (￣ェ￣;)
Sir, are you defending me? I, Nanyuan Xi, am so useless in your eyes?
Nan Yuanxi coughed twice and signaled the audience to be quiet.
"Everyone, let's talk about the joking later. Let's get down to business and talk about today's Di newspaper." Nan Yuanxi forced his respect and picked up the Di newspaper in his hand. After just a glance, a look appeared on his face. I was in disbelief, and then I read it several times.
A customer below was impatient and shouted: "Mr. Nan, what's wrong? But the barbarians invaded?"
Someone else asked: "Could it be that the demon clan is coming to attack the autumn wind again?"
Nan Yuanxi quickly gathered his mind and put down the Di Bao. In this short period of time, he had completely memorized the Di Bao.
"Don't worry, everyone, you are not a demon. There is only one thing in the newspaper today. I, His Majesty Daxuan, canonize Chen Luo and Chen Dongliu of Wan'an County, Qingzhou, as Wan'an Bo!"
There was an uproar below.
"Chen Luo? Who is he? I've never heard of him!"
"Uncle Wan An, is this a real title? Isn't it the most taboo thing nowadays to grant a title with real power?"
"Our dynasty has an ancestral system, and no title can be granted without merit. Where is this Chen Luogong?"
"How old is Chen Luo? Is he Confucian or Taoist?"
Nan Yuan Xi took advantage of the crowd's commotion, took a sip of tea, suppressed the surprise in his heart, and gestured to suppress it. The voices below gradually became quiet, and Nan Yuan Xi continued to speak.
"Chen Luo, who was nineteen years old and a loyal soldier, wrote a wonderful article called "Zhong Kui's Brief Biography". Reciting it can gain the power to ward off ghosts. Moreover, people who are not gifted in reading can also recite it."
"The full text is as follows——"
…
Almost at the same time, all the morning teahouses in Zhongjing and all the Shuowen gentlemen slowly read out "A Brief Biography of Zhong Kui".
"Zhong Kui is from Zhongnan Mountain, Shaanxi Province. He has outstanding talent since he was young..."
At the same time, at the Wansheng Gate of Zhongjing City, a carriage slowly drove into Zhongjing.
Sitting in the carriage was the great scholar Wei Yan and the newly promoted Wan Anbo——
Chen Luo!
