This crowded night scene was impossible to see before the Song Dynasty. No matter it was the powerful Han Dynasty or the prosperous Tang Dynasty, although the country was very powerful at that time, the life of the people at that time was far less comfortable than it was in the Song Dynasty;
During the Han and Tang Dynasties, curfews were implemented at night. At night, people were not allowed to wander around on the streets at will, and they could only stay at home.
After Zhao Kuangyin established the Song Dynasty, the citizen economy in the Central Plains was already very prosperous, and simple daytime business could no longer meet the increasing consumer demand;
In addition, the laws of the Song Dynasty were very broad and not as strict as those of the Han and Tang Dynasties, so the night economy came into being. The Song court not only did not interfere, but also provided help and improvement of policies in a timely manner. The emperors of the Song Dynasty sometimes We will also take the royal family members to visit the night view and experience the prosperity of the Song Dynasty;
Along the way, taking advantage of the lights and candlelight in the shops on both sides of the street, Yang Yunfan and the others arrived at Fan Tower. Zhang Wu, the housekeeper of the Zhang Mansion, had already been waiting in front of the Fan Tower door on Zhang Qixian's orders;
This Wuyue is in his fifties, slightly chubby, with a mustache, a naive face, and sharp eyes, making him look very shrewd;
As soon as he saw the three people coming to the door, the housekeeper Zhang Wu roughly guessed their identities. He looked at the three people and focused on the older Yang Yanzhao. He bent forward and cupped his hands and said, "I dare you to ask, but Yang Yanzhao." General?"
How can a person who can serve as a steward in the government affairs office or the privy deputy envoy's office be an ordinary mediocre person? This ability to communicate with others and observe people's emotions can only be regarded as basic skills;
When Yang Yanzhao heard this, he also raised his hands and said: "I am Yang Yanzhao of Tianbo Mansion."
"This little old man is Zhang Wu, the housekeeper of Prime Minister Zhang's house. I'm here to wait for you all as ordered by Prime Minister Zhang," he said, smiling and cupping his hands to Yang Yunfan and Chen Zishan behind Yang Yanzhao.
"The private room on the second floor has been prepared. The prime minister has some things to deal with. He may have to come later. How about you go upstairs to have tea first?" Zhang Wu said with a questioning expression and a smile.
As the saying goes, prime ministers are seventh-rank officials. Yang Yanzhao did not dare to look down upon and be rude to the steward of Prime Minister Zhang's house, so he quickly raised his hands and said, "Steward Zhang, you're welcome, please!"
Everyone exchanged polite greetings and walked into Fan Tower. As soon as they entered the door, before they could see the cave inside the building, bursts of opera and music came to everyone's ears. After walking dozens of steps, they found that there was indeed a cave.
The hall on the first floor of Fan Building is very spacious, equivalent to a super large courtyard. The hall is filled with tables and chairs. It seems irregular, but it is orderly and has no sense of chaos;
The lobby on the first floor is crowded and lively, no less than the night market scene outside. Of course, most of the people who come to Fanlou to spend money are not ordinary people, and they will not be as noisy as the night market outside;
In the hall, there are storytellers, singers, and geisha performers; this is a place for men to relax and have fun, and it is also where these artists make a living;
The three of them followed Butler Zhang to the private room on the second floor. They saw that this private room was in an excellent location, overlooking the panoramic view of the lobby on the first floor of Fan Building, and it also seemed relatively elegant and quiet;
The incense burner in the private room emits wisps of sandalwood smoke, which is refreshing, and the tables and chairs for host and guest are neatly arranged and spotless;
After the three of them sat down, Butler Zhang ordered his servants to order tea. People in the Song Dynasty drank tea, which was improved compared to the Tang Dynasty. They usually divided the tea powder into several bowls, poured it into boiling water, and stirred it while pouring. Stir quickly to fully mix the tea powder with the boiling water. This is called "ordering tea". .
In the tea ceremony of the Song Dynasty, boiling water was a critical step. People in the Song Dynasty generally did not boil water in iron pots when ordering tea, but in porcelain bottles.
The porcelain bottle for boiling water was specially made. People in the Song Dynasty called it "sand bottle". It was resistant to high temperatures and could be grilled directly on the charcoal fire. The sand bottle was filled with most of the bottle of water, and it boiled in a short time.
Since the walls of the bottle are opaque, you can't see the water boiling and can only hear the sound. Distinguishing water by listening to sounds was a unique skill in the tea art circle of the Song Dynasty. Those who can make some tea in Fanlou are masters who can listen to sounds and distinguish water;
Tea bottles in the Song Dynasty were made of porcelain, and sometimes tea bowls were also made of porcelain. As early as the Tang Dynasty, the upper class despised porcelain. They drank tea in copper, silver or gold bowls, or even iron bowls, and refused to use porcelain bowls.
Later, a master of tea ceremony named Lu Zhen came out. He said that gold and silver are too precious, copper and iron are too tacky, and these metal tea bowls also have a fishy smell, which affects the taste and color of the tea soup. Only porcelain bowls are the most ideal tea set. Lu Zhi’s tea ceremony insights started the Song Dynasty’s custom of drinking tea from porcelain bowls;
After the tea was brewed, the maid who had been waiting for a long time used a blue and white porcelain plate to place the teapot and teacups on the square table among everyone. While rinsing the teapot and teacups with boiling hot water, she used a silver spoon to pour the fine tea leaves. Dip it into a tea cup and brew it with hot water.
Young people are not as interested in tea art as they are in opera and juggling. Yang Yanzhao saw that although Yang Yunfan and Chen Zishan were in the room, their hearts had already flown to the lively atmosphere on the first floor;
Seeing that Zhang Qixian wouldn't come for a while, he said to the two of them: "If you two find it boring, go and play on the first floor. If Mr. Zhang comes later, you two can come up."
"Remember not to cause trouble here. Those who come to Fanlou to spend money are not ordinary people," Yang Yanzhao warned again.
When the two heard this, they looked happy. Yang Yunfan said, "Don't worry, Fourth Uncle, we are just going down to watch the excitement, we won't cause any trouble."
Yang Yanzhao nodded with a smile, said nothing, and returned to the room to chat with Butler Zhang.
With Yang Yanzhao's consent, the two happily went downstairs to the lobby on the first floor.
The lobby on the first floor of Fan Building is still so lively. The opera "Empty City Strategy" that I heard when I entered the door has finished, and the theater troupe is arranging props to prepare for the next performance;
In the northwest corner of the hall, there were performances by some jugglers, including smashing rocks with their chests, swallowing swords in their mouths, and breathing flames from their mouths. Both of them knew the principles and didn't pay too much attention, and walked forward.
Yang Yunfan and the two saw a burst of noise and exclamations not far from the front of the opera stage. They also heard the sound and squeezed into the crowd, wanting to see what happened;
After squeezing into the front row, the two of them discovered that it was a bidding auction, and the auction item turned out to be the first night right of a beautiful girl from Fanlou;;
Both of them were stunned for a while, and they both made a big blush, regretting that they rushed in carelessly. Blushing, they withdrew from the crowd, came to sit down at a square table, poured a cup of tea and drank. to relieve embarrassment;
Chen Zishan said: "Junior brother, there are many talented and elegant people in Tokyo city. They gather in brothels and teahouses. It is a good story to win beautiful women back with their talents or wealth. There is nothing wrong with it. Junior brother, there is no need to be so embarrassed."
"Senior brother, you have the nerve to accuse me, but look at you, you are also blushing. We are laughing at the same time. Don't blame anyone, haha," Yang Yunfan said unconvinced.
