(Two in One Chapter!)
How did the people of the Tang Dynasty drink tea?
First, the tea leaves were ground into powder, then the water was boiled.
After the first boiling, salt was added. After the second boiling, the ground tea could be poured in and boiled.
After the third boiling, the tea was divided into teacups.
That was not enough. According to personal taste, scallions, ginger, dates, orange peel, dogwood, mint, and other things could be added. Spices and other things could also be added.
The taste was simply too sour! In any case, after Li Zexuan tasted it once, he could not wait to avoid all the teas of this era!
Because how could this be tea? It tasted worse than Chinese medicine!
In fact, China's ancient tea ceremony probably started in the Tang Dynasty and flourished in the Song Dynasty. After the invasion of the grassland tribes in the Yuan Dynasty, China's tea ceremony gradually declined. In the Ming Dynasty, it showed a different scene.
Generally speaking, the Tang Dynasty boiled tea, the Song Dynasty boiled tea, and the Song Dynasty boiled tea. Whether it was boiling tea or boiling tea, people used crushed tea leaves as the raw material. However, this method was completely changed in the Ming Dynasty. According to legend, Zhu Yuanzhang, the founder of the Ming Dynasty, once visited the common people and saw that they were laboriously making Dragon Phoenix Tea as a tribute to the palace. It was very difficult. If there was a slight flaw, they had to make it again. It wasted a lot of time and a lot of good materials.
Therefore, in the 24th year of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang issued an edict to abolish Dragon Phoenix Tea and change it to Dragon Phoenix Tea (loose tea).
From then on, "Tang Dynasty boiled tea and Song Dynasty boiled tea."
When Li Zexuan first transmigrated, he regretted that he did not transmigrate to the Ming Dynasty. However, after thinking about it, he felt relieved. Since the Tang Dynasty was popular to boil tea leaves and not stir fry tea, then he would lead the trend!
However, since the beginning of spring this year, too many things had happened. Li Zexuan did not have time to search for good spring tea leaves to stir fry. In the end, Zheng Yinhong took the initiative to send a batch of good, fresh, and uncrushed spring tea leaves from Hangzhou. How could he waste it?
Moreover, this was spring tea from the Lingyin Temple!
The Lingyin Temple, also known as the Yunlin Temple, was built in the first year of the Eastern Jin Dynasty. In the Tang Dynasty, the famous Tea Sage Lu Yu wrote the world's first monograph on tea, "The Classic of Tea". There was a record of the tea produced by the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou. This tea was actually the predecessor of the West Lake Longjing Tea!
The Spring Tea that Zheng Yinhong brought could also be called the Dragon Well Tea after the Rain!
Therefore, when Li Zexuan heard that the tea leaves in the wooden box were produced in the Lingyin Temple in Hangzhou, it was not surprising that he became so excited!
"Haha! This Marquis has always heard that Hangzhou is a beautiful place. The North Peak of the Hidden Spirit Temple is even more beautiful, with clear hills and clear waters. The tea leaves produced in that place must taste very good! To tell you the truth, this Marquis doesn't like to crush the tea leaves before drinking them. This is because it deviates from the original taste of the tea leaves. Brewing the tea leaves in boiling water will allow one to appreciate the true taste of the tea! "
Li Zexuan let Pang Feiji take the tea leaves, then looked at Zheng Yinhong and said with a face full of praise.
"Marquis is really wise. I deeply agree. When I was in Jiangnan, I heard that Marquis was a master of both literature and martial arts. I didn't expect that Marquis would have such a unique understanding of tea. Marquis is really my soulmate!"
Zheng Yinhong secretly let out a sigh of relief, then said with a face full of joy.
Li Zexuan was also in a good mood after receiving the first-rate Dragon Well Tea. He laughed and said, "Haha! This Marquis also regretted that we didn't meet earlier. When this Marquis has finished brewing this Spring Tea after the Rain, I will definitely invite Manor Master Zheng to Yunshan to taste it. I hope Manor Master Zheng will be free then! "
"It is my fortune to be invited by Marquis. When the time comes, I will definitely be there on time! What's more, although this Marquis was far away in Jiangnan, I know that Marquis is a master of fine food and wine. This Hangzhou Spring Tea after the Rain will definitely be even more fragrant after going through Marquis' hands! When the time comes, I will be in for a treat! "
Zheng Yinhong laughed and cupped his hands, then looked at the sky outside the window. He stood up and said, "It's getting late, so I won't disturb Marquis any longer. Goodbye!"
Li Zexuan raised his eyebrows imperceptibly. He secretly thought that this Zheng Yinhong was a little interesting. Usually, people who came to give gifts would have a request after giving them. However, this old man directly left after giving the gift, as if he was really just here to visit him. How interesting!
As a mature adult, Li Zexuan naturally wouldn't be so stupid to think that Zheng Yinhong was just admiring his reputation and had simply come to see him. However, since Zheng Yinhong didn't say anything, Li Zexuan didn't need to take the initiative to ask. In any case, he had only received a box of tea leaves. If he had any excessive requests in the future, he could just refuse.
But then again, he saw that this old man surnamed Zheng wasn't the kind of person who didn't know how to adapt to circumstances. He probably wouldn't make any excessive requests!
"In that case, this Marquis won't keep Manor Master Zheng. Take care!"
Li Zexuan stood up and cupped his hands to send the guest off.
"Marquis, take care. Goodbye!"
After Zheng Yinhong finished speaking, he took his son out of the door. It was really as if he didn't take away a single cloud with him when he waved his sleeves. It was extremely natural and unrestrained!
"My husband, why are you interested in tea leaves? Didn't you used to hate tea the most? "
After Zheng Yinhong and his son left, Han Yuxi came out of the side hall and walked to Li Zexuan's side. She blinked and asked curiously.
Li Zexuan smiled and said, "Hey! That's because I didn't come across good tea leaves and didn't use the correct method of making tea. After these tea leaves are dried, I'll make a pot of good tea for you, my wife! At that time, my wife, you'll understand why your husband didn't drink those teas before! "
…
"Father, are we leaving just like that?"
On the cement road at the foot of Cloud Mountain, the Zheng Family's horse carriage galloped steadily. The smooth cement road caused the horse carriage to not jolt at all. In the horse carriage, Zheng Qianjun looked at his father puzzledly and asked.
Zheng Yinhong leaned against the couch in the horse carriage and replied calmly, "Why? The sky is already dark and we're still not leaving. Don't tell me you want the Marquis to keep you for dinner on Cloud Mountain? "
Finishing, Zheng Yinhong closed his eyes and planned to rest.
Zheng Qianjun said helplessly, "No, Father. I'm saying that you came to Cloud Mountain today just to deliver tea to the Marquis?"
Zheng Yinhong opened his eyes and said unhappily, "Why? Don't I look like it? Do you want me to use these tea leaves to exchange for some benefits with the Marquis? If I do that, I dare to guarantee that both of us will be chased out!
This time the Marquis liked the tea leaves that we sent is already a great piece of news to us! If we insist on other things, it will only make the Marquis feel that we're just unscrupulous merchants and not worth befriending! At the very least, we've formed a good relationship with the Marquis and this is something that many people can't even dream of!
As for other matters, when our relationship reaches a certain level, even if we don't mention it, the Marquis will also give us a few ways to get rich! Take a look at Cao Wendong, Lin Wenyuan, and the others who followed the Marquis of Yong 'an. Aren't they all doing better now?
So, Qianjun, you still need to practice your shrewdness. When befriending a gentleman, you must not be too unscrupulous! "
Zheng Qianjun nodded his head thoughtfully and said, "Yes, Father! I understand! But Father, this time you sent the tea leaves to the Marquis is really too risky! But luckily you sent it right. The Marquis actually really likes fresh tea leaves. We're really lucky! "
"Lucky?"
Zheng Yinhong smiled, then sighed and said, "Before I came here, I spent a lot of effort to send people to gather information about the Marquis of Yong 'an's likes and dislikes, and I was thinking about what I should give him. But in the end, I realized that nothing I gave him was appropriate. Because the Marquis of Yong' an doesn't lack money, power, good food and wine, and it seems like he doesn't lack women!
After thinking about it over and over again, Father could only make such a risky move. I never expected that the Marquis would actually be just like Father and like Father to like fresh tea leaves and not tea leaves to make soup! Now that I think about it, we're really lucky! "
"It's mainly because of Father's courage. If it was anyone else, they would definitely not dare to take such a risk!"
Zheng Qianjun couldn't help but compliment, and then he changed the topic and sighed with emotion. "My horizons were broadened when I saw Yanhuang College and the courtyard on Cloud Mountain. Everyone says that the Marquis is a disciple of the gods, and now I believe it!"
Zheng Qianjun looked at his son with a smile that didn't look like a smile, and said, "You're about the same age as the Marquis. If you're as capable as the Marquis, Father can die in peace. It's said that when you see a worthy person, you should emulate him. When you return this time, Qianjun, you have to study hard. Our Zheng Family can't be a family of merchants for generations! "
"… Yes, Father!"
… … …
The next day, there were no clouds in the sky, and it was clear that it was a sunny day.
Li Zexuan instructed Xiao He and Xiao Xi to dry the spring tea that Zheng Yinhong had sent over. Early in the morning, two servants of the Zheng Family delivered ten boxes of spring tea to Li Zexuan. That's right, ten boxes. Zheng Yinhong probably moved all of his stock over to Li Zexuan. Li Zexuan was delighted when he saw this. Anyway, he didn't mind having too much, so he let Xiao He and the rest dry it together!
This process usually took about half a day. The purpose was to reduce the smell of grass in the tea leaves, so that the water content reached the requirements of stir-frying, and at the same time, to prevent the new tea from becoming lumpy when stir-frying.
After making the arrangements, Li Zexuan went to Yanhuang College. Recently, there were a lot of things to do at the college. As the head of the Yamachō, he naturally couldn't get away!
In the afternoon, Li Zexuan had just finished his lunch. When he saw that the tea leaves in the backyard were almost dried, he was excited and asked someone to bring the tea leaves to the kitchen. He wanted to personally "cook" the tea leaves!
"Husband, how can these tea leaves be stir-fried? Are you sure you didn't remember wrongly? "
When Han Yuxi heard that Li Zexuan wanted to stir-fry the tea leaves, she immediately followed him into the kitchen and asked.
Li Zexuan smiled confidently and said, "Of course I didn't remember wrongly. Back then, my master drank stir-fried tea leaves, not tea powder. What's so good about tea powder? Hey, wife, you came at the right time. I haven't cooked for a long time, and my cooking skills have regressed. You can cook, and I'll teach you from the side! "
Speaking of which, before getting married, Li Zexuan's culinary skills were still considered decent in the Li family. But after getting married, he basically entered a state of eating and waiting to die. Han Yuxi made delicious food for him every day in a variety of ways. If he hadn't persisted in practicing his sword every morning, he would probably have become as fat as a horse long ago!
As a result, he basically didn't know how to cook now. He had become a "King of Mouths" through and through!
"Mm! Since husband insists on stir-frying the tea, then I'll help you stir-fry it! "
Han Yuxi nodded, and then asked someone to help her find the apron that Li Zexuan "invented". After tying it, she walked to the stove.
She would never refuse Li Zexuan's request. Some people said that Li Zexuan doted on his wife, but it was better to say that Han Yuxi doted on her husband!
"Wife, the whole process of stir-frying tea is divided into three stages: green pot, rejuvenation, and bright pot. The so-called green pot is to initially shape the tea leaves into a flat shape within a quarter of an hour. The tea leaves are stir-fried until they are seventy to eighty percent dry. Next is rejuvenation. After the green pot step, the tea leaves are spread flat in the bamboo sieve and rejuvenated. It takes about an hour.
The last is bright pot. After the rejuvenated tea leaves are added to the pot and stir-fried until they are dry, reducing the moisture to about five percent, and further shaping. This process takes about a quarter of an hour. After the bright pot, the tea leaves will be the finished product when they are cooled. They can be brewed with boiling water directly for drinking! "
Li Zexuan came to Han Yuxi's side and roughly explained the steps of stir-frying tea.
These were all things that he had seen on TV before. In terms of practice, he had never stir-fried it himself!
Just now, when Li Zexuan was talking, Han Yuxi was memorizing and thinking about the specific operation of each step in her mind. At this moment, after Li Zexuan finished speaking, she nodded thoughtfully and said, "En! Husband, I should understand now. Let me try ~! "
Li Zexuan said with a smile, "Hehe! Wife, you can try as much as you want. We still have a lot of tea leaves at home. It doesn't matter if you spoil it! Oh, come, come, let me help you with the fire. Isn't it tiring to work together with a man and a woman? "
Han Yuxi had long been accustomed to her husband's unconventional behavior. Hearing this, she rolled her eyes at Li Zexuan and said, "Husband, don't you need to go to the academy in the afternoon? I heard that there are a lot of things going on at the academy recently. You'd better go quickly! It's enough to have me and Xiao He here! "
Li Zexuan shook his head and said, "It's okay. I'll go after I'm done. At most, I'll stay at the academy for a while at night!"
Seeing that she couldn't persuade him, Han Yuxi could only let Li Zexuan be.
On the other side, Li Zexuan had already started burning firewood. Speaking of which, in this era, there was no gas, no natural gas, and no induction cooker. For stir-frying, they could only rely on firewood.
Xiao He had already helped Han Yuxi clean the pot. When Han Yuxi saw that the fire was almost ready, she poured the tea leaves that Xiao Xi handed over into the pot and began to stir-fry tea for the first time in her life!
…
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