The most popular thing in the southern city today was the meat stalls.
Although most of the people who came to the market to buy meat were ordinary people, there was no lack of people who had foresight. The rich and powerful always had servants, stewards, maids, and servants. Some of these people were very favored by their masters. They all had relatives and friends, so when the masters got the news, they also got the news.
Therefore, these people were the first to rush to the market, waiting for the market to open. As soon as the North, West, and South markets opened, a large number of people swarmed in. Many businessmen were surprised to find that most of the people who rushed into the market went to the meat stalls.
Soon, people who were slow to realize also rushed into the market. After that, those who didn't hear the news at all and only went to the market to buy other things, after hearing the news from the customers who bought all kinds of meat and left excitedly, also dropped everything and joined in the rush to buy meat.
The shops selling gold and silver jewelry, jewelry, and jade were already very few people, and now they were even more deserted. The vendor stared dumbfoundedly at the customers who were crazily snatching the meat and eggs, and then looked down at the delicious food he had cooked. He didn't understand why they had abandoned the delicious food and went to snatch some raw meat and ducks.
The Hu from the Western Regions had a roll of white cloth slung over his shoulder. At first, he had been boasting about the quality of his cloth, but now, he was listlessly leaning against the door frame, his big blue eyes darting back and forth. He was thinking that since the people of the Tang Empire loved to eat meat so much, should he bring a goat with him next time? Obviously, meat was more popular than cloth.
The market had gone crazy. As long as there was the word "meat," the stall would be crowded with people, as if they didn't need money to buy at all. Those selling live chickens, ducks, dogs, and goats, because they were living animals, did not prepare too many goods. Even so, they could not sell all of them in a day, because the level of wealth of the people in this world was far from reaching the point where they could eat meat every day.
All that was left were the butchered meat shops. The butcher was so busy that he only cared about cutting and binding the meat with a sharp ox-ear knife. He didn't even lift his head or open his eyes. The money basket was left next to the butcher's table for the customers to throw in their own money. He didn't even bother to count it.
Some of the people at the back saw that there was less and less meat on the chopping board. They were so anxious that they shouted, "I've paid!" They threw the money in their hands into the money basket and shouted, "I've paid! I'm done paying! Quickly cut the meat for me! "
The butcher stood behind the shop assistant with his hands in his sleeves, watching the bustling business scene with a wooden expression. Listening to the clinking of the money basket, looking at the copper coins piling up higher and higher, there was not the slightest hint of joy on his face.
This was a one-off deal! I've sold it out today. What business do I do tomorrow? No matter how much I earn in a day, I can't support my family for the rest of my life.
Seeing that the sky was already dyed with a hint of twilight, it would be too late to go back to the butcher's shop to buy the meat. Moreover, the shop could not spare any manpower to buy the meat. The shop assistants were so busy that there was no one left to buy the meat.
As a matter of fact, even his half-grown son came forward to help. The boy tried his best to hold on to the chopping board, which was being pushed back by the crowd, and shouted in his changing voice, "Don't push! Stop pushing! If you overturn the chopping board, I won't sell meat anymore! "
The butcher smiled sadly and thought to himself, "That's right! From tomorrow onwards, I really can't sell meat anymore! "
When Yang Fan arrived at the scene, he was dumbfounded. He never thought that the business of the butcher's stall would be so good. It was rare for ordinary people to buy meat. Although they wanted to eat meat during the holidays, they couldn't bear to spend so much money. But it was different this time. If they didn't buy now, they would never be able to eat meat again. Everyone was fighting like crazy.
Yang Fan sat on the horse and stared blankly for a long time. Then, as if awakened from a dream, he tied the horse to the side of the road and rushed forward.
It was a sea of people!
Yang Fan was skilled in martial arts, but in the surging crowd, he was squeezed to the point where his feet couldn't touch the ground. He was like a piece of dead wood in the tide, floating here and there. Everyone was using his elbows, shoulders, hips, waist, buttocks. Every part that could be used to push, bump, rub, twist, and struggle to move forward.
"This can't go on."
At first, Yang Fan's movements were a little bashful. He was too embarrassed to fight with people like this. But then he remembered that there was a pregnant woman at home who was pregnant with his child. This was the time when they needed to replenish their nutrition. If they didn't even have an old hen to stew soup with, they wouldn't even be able to eat fresh fish. Every day, they would have plain rice with dried vegetables …
How sad.
For his wife, for his son, he'd go all out!
High Official Yang decided to throw away his dignity as an official and swore to fight with the people for food.
With a loud roar, he bent his body and dropped down, forcing his body to fall in the midst of rubbing shoulders with both his feet touching the ground. As soon as his feet touched the ground, he found strength in his body. He didn't seem to do anything, but he heard cries of alarm from all around. The people who were desperately 'swimming' towards the meat table seemed to be slapped by a huge wave. They quickly surged to the left and right.
The people at the outermost edge of the crowd were pushed by this force. They staggered and fell two or three feet away, falling to the ground. In the center of the crowd, there was an empty space of three or four feet. Inside, there was only Yang Fan standing. Yang Fan cried out in shame. He quickly took advantage of this rare opportunity to rush forward.
Ever since Yang Fan became a martial artist, because he walked the path of an official, he rarely fought with his fists and feet. So, he didn't have many opportunities to use this' Eighteen Drops of Stained Clothing 'martial art. Before this, he had only used this martial art in the pleasure of the boudoir.
But he had only used it once. That time, he hadn't even finished using the 'Forty-Eight Tremors' when Wan 'er cried out, "I'm going to die." She then happily fainted. So when Yang Fan wanted to try it again, he could only reduce its power by more than half. Otherwise, even Wan' er's mature body wouldn't be able to withstand it.
This was the first time Yang Fan had used this martial art on something else. He didn't think that even though it touched on the side of 'fighting', it was actually to … buy some meat for his wife and son to eat.
Yang Fan used his' despotic power '. After he forced the crowd aside, he stood there like a crane in a flock of chickens. But this was only for a moment. The crowd that he had forcefully pushed aside only lasted for a moment. Then, under the counterforce of the surrounding crowd, they once again squeezed towards him. Taking advantage of this moment, Yang Fan threw himself forward. He slashed towards the meat stall like he was splitting the waves.
The butcher who was standing there in a daze as if he had lost his parents saw him. Just now, Yang Fan's move was impressive. Who couldn't see him? As soon as he saw Yang Fan, the butcher's eyes lit up. He was so excited that his body trembled. "There's hope!"
Yang Fan didn't know him, but he knew Yang Fan.
Yang Fan was an influential figure in Nan City, although he didn't appear here often. But he owned eighteen shops here, and they were all the most profitable and powerful shops in Nan City. If it wasn't for the fact that he was an official and a high-ranking official like the Ministry of Justice, he would have long been elected as the head of Nan City's business, and become the representative of all the businesses in Nan City.
The butcher looked at the less than two plates of pork left on the chopping board. He suddenly came back to his senses and shouted, "We're closed! We're closed! We're not selling anymore, we're not selling anymore! "
The customers who rushed to the front were anxious. "Butcher, don't you still have two plates of pork on the chopping board? Why are you not selling anymore?"
The butcher glared and said, "Can't I keep the meat for myself? We're not selling anymore, we're not selling anymore! "
The woman who was in the small shop heard it. She rushed out and said to the butcher, "Are you old and confused? If these two plates of pork were replaced with rice and flour, how many more days could you eat? Why do you still want to keep the meat for yourself? "
The butcher glared at her and reprimanded her in a low voice, "What does a woman like you know? Go away, don't make trouble for me." The butcher turned around and continued to shout, "We're not selling anymore! I want the rest of the meat for my family. Liu Qi, Huo Er, hurry up and take the meat back! "
Although the common people were dissatisfied, they did not dare to snatch the meat; they had no choice but to disperse while cursing and swearing. Yang Fan was trying his best to squeeze his way forward. As soon as the crowd dispersed, he rushed to the meat table. He saw that the official's head was crooked, his belt was untied, his robe was wrinkled, one of his boots almost fell off, it was hanging crookedly on his feet.
Seeing that the butcher wasn't selling anymore, Yang Fan couldn't help but be disappointed. He angrily tidied up his clothes and wanted to go somewhere else to try his skills. He swore that he would get a few pounds of meat for his wife today. But the butcher was already bowing and bowing to welcome him. He grabbed his fat hands and said with tears in his eyes, "Shopkeeper Yang …"
Yang Fan was respectfully welcomed into the butcher's shop by the butcher. After about the time it took for three sticks of incense to burn, he carried a big, greasy sack and sneakily walked out of the butcher's shop. The two unsold plates of pork were already in his pocket.
The butcher was about to lose his job, and Yang Fan controlled the 18 shops in the busiest area of Nan City. As long as he was willing to help, whether it was by joining the butcher or distributing some goods to the butcher, the butcher wouldn't have to worry about not having a new business. So … these two plates of pork became his gift to ask for Yang Fan's help.
Yang Fan carried the sack out of the butcher's shop. Before he could put the sack on the horse's back, he saw two familiar people walking towards him from afar. The two people's clothes were disheveled, and they looked disheveled. Both of them had their heads lowered, looking dejected.
"Brother Chu, Brother Qiao!"
Yang Fan immediately shouted. Chu Kuangge and Maqiao looked up and saw him. They immediately ran over happily. Chu Kuangge said happily, "Erlang, why are you here?"
Yang Fan said, "Brother Chu, Brother Qiao, why did you two enter the city?"
Both sides rushed to ask, and Maqiao said, "Hey! I heard a message from my family, so I quickly asked for leave and rushed back. I didn't expect to hear that the court had issued a 'ban on slaughter' as soon as I entered the city, so I didn't even go home and ran to Nan City to buy meat. But I was still a step too late. "
Yang Fan was shocked and quickly asked, "What happened to your family?"
As soon as Maqiao heard this, he beamed with joy and said, "Of course it's a good thing. Haha, your sister-in-law is pregnant."
"Really?"
Yang Fan was surprised and happy. He quickly cupped his hands and said, "Haha, congratulations, Brother Qiao is going to be a father soon."
Maqiao waved his hand and deliberately put on a disapproving look, but he couldn't hide the grin on his face. "I can't compare to you, I can't compare to you. I'm a few years older than you, but I didn't expect to be behind you in this matter. Hey! When my son is born, he will have to call you brother. "
Yang Fan said with a smile, "How can you be sure that the first child will be a son? Maybe it will be a girl. It's good to have a girl. If she is as beautiful as Sister Pasta, she will marry into my family and be my daughter-in-law. If she looks like you … "
Maqiao stared at him and said, "What?"
Yang Fan sighed and said, "Then I will reluctantly accept her as my goddaughter and prepare a dowry for her in the future. I can't let my unborn son be wronged, or my wife will not agree. "
Maqiao spat at him and said, "Bah bah bah! If I have a daughter, she will naturally be as beautiful as her mother. But then again, why did you give birth to a son and I give birth to a daughter? Maybe your first child will be a girl, and she will be my daughter-in-law in the future. "
Yang Fan proudly raised his chin and said, "Yesterday, I invited Doctor Jiang to visit and prescribed a few medicines for your sister-in-law. Doctor Jiang also took your sister-in-law's pulse. Doctor Jiang said that from the pulse, he was at least 80% sure that it was a boy."
Maqiao and Chu Kuangge hurriedly congratulated him. The three of them laughed and laughed for a while. Yang Fan asked again, "Brother Chu, you are in the Jinwu Guards, and Brother Qiao is in the Longwu Guards. The two guards are stationed in the east and west of Luoyang City, far away from each other. How did you get together?"
When Chu Kuangge heard this, his old face turned red, and there was a hint of embarrassment on his face. Yang Fan couldn't help but be surprised when he saw this.
Maqiao said with a smile, "Erlang, you don't know. Miss Xiaodong is very fond of our Big Brother Chu. Now Big Brother Chu has already hired a matchmaker and sent a betrothal gift to Aunty Hua's family. Aunty Hua is preparing to arrange their wedding as soon as spring arrives. "
Yang Fan was overjoyed when he heard this. He said with a smile, "Good, good! Brother Qiao and I are going to have children, and Brother Chu is going to get married and start a career. This is really three happy things. Brother Chu, you are wrong. Why didn't Brother Chu tell me about such a happy event? "
Chu Kuangge said with a smile, "It's just an engagement. Why would I tell you? I originally planned to wait for the wedding to be ready and then invite you to the banquet on the day of the official wedding. Haha, we are brothers, so you must come at that time."
Chu Kuangge did not weaken their brotherhood because of Yang Fan's promotion, but after all, the difference in their status was there. This was a fact that could not be ignored. How could he instruct a minister of the Ministry of Justice to help him arrange a wedding? When he got married, it was enough if Yang Fan could come.
Yang Fan understood his thoughts. Friendship was one thing, but class was also an objective fact that could not be ignored, so he didn't say much. He just said, "Don't say such things. Brother Chu, did you come to the market to buy the things needed for the wedding? We are brothers, so you don't have to be polite. If you need anything in my shop, just take it. We are good brothers, and Miss Xiaodong is also a very familiar neighbor of mine. Let me do my best. "
Chu Kuangge said with a smile, "Of course I won't be polite to you. But I am alone. Besides, it is my first time getting married at this old age, so I don't know anything about this. There is only one girl in Xiaodong's family, and she has to take care of the old man. I don't have a family, so I became a live-in son-in-law.
Most of the wedding matters were handled by my mother-in-law, so I didn't have to worry too much. It's just that there must be wine and meat to organize a banquet. Today, I also heard about the 'ban on slaughter', so I hurried to the market to buy some fish. Although the fresh meat can't be kept for the day of the wedding, it's better to make it into cured meat and dried fish. Who knew … "
Speaking of this, Maqiao was also a little depressed. "Sigh! I really can't imagine that such a thing has never happened since ancient times. Why do you think the emperor would give such a decree? The common people live a poor life, and all they ask for is food and clothing. Occasionally having a little meat to eat is a great joy, but the emperor actually gave such a decree … Now that your sister-in-law is pregnant, I also wanted to buy some meat for her to nourish her body, but who knew that I would come empty-handed. "
Speaking of this, Maqiao glanced at the oily sack in Yang Fan's hand and couldn't help but be happy. He said, "Erlang, you bought meat?"
At this time, the drums of the Southern Market sounded. Yang Fan said to the two, "Let's go, we'll talk while we walk."
As the three of them walked, Yang Fan told them about how he saw officials forbidding fishing on the way to the White Horse Temple, and how he learned about the 'ban on slaughter' issued by the imperial court. Chu Kuangge and Maqiao couldn't help but look at him strangely after listening to him, which made Yang Fan's hair stand on end. He couldn't help but touch his nose and said, "Why are you two looking at me like that? Even if I am a high-ranking official, I still have to live. Is it shameful to buy some meat for my wife? "
When Chu Kuangge and Maqiao heard this, the expressions on their faces became even more strange. Yang Fan didn't seem to be mocking him, a dignified minister of the Ministry of Justice, for buying meat with others. He couldn't help but wonder, "What do you two mean?"
Chu Kuangge sighed and shook his head with a wry smile. "Erlang, Erlang, you are really smart all your life, but stupid this time."
Yang Fan was startled. "What's wrong?"
Maqiao cried, "What's wrong? Haven't you figured it out yet? You said that the fishermen by the river are forbidden to continue fishing? "
"Yes!"
"Dead fish can still be fished out of the river?"
"Yes!"
Chu Kuangge said with a wry smile, "Fishermen fish, are they willing to eat it themselves? They still have to sell it for money in exchange for some rice and noodles. Why don't you buy the fresh fish that they just caught from them, instead of coming to Southern City to buy meat? "
Yang Fan was stunned. He was stunned for a long time and couldn't say a word.
Maqiao shook his head and said, "I used to hear a joke about riding a donkey and looking for a donkey. I thought it was a stupid person in a story. I didn't expect that I would have such a stupid person by my side! "
It was rare for Chu Kuangge to see him embarrassed. Seeing that he was so cute at this moment, he couldn't help but laugh.
Yang Fan slapped his forehead and shook his head with a wry smile. "Yes, yes, it's really like this. I was so anxious that I lost my mind."
Chu Kuangge comforted him, "Fortunately, you came at the right time and managed to grab some meat. The two of us came earlier than you, but those people seemed to have gone crazy. We two big men couldn't even compete with them. Now that we are empty-handed, I don't know how to explain it when we go back."
Yang Fan stopped, patted the sack on the horse's back, and said with a smile, "What I have, you naturally have too. How could a brother eat it all by himself? There are two fans of pork here. Sister Xuning is pregnant, so she can't even eat some meat. Brother Qiao, you carry one back later. "
Maqiao said happily, "Okay! Erlang, I won't be polite with you! Big Brother Chu, this fan of pork, we'll split it in half. "
Chu Kuangge hurriedly said, "No, no, no, sister-in-law is pregnant and needs meat to nourish her body. When I get married in the spring, I think every family will have no meat to eat. The neighbors won't say anything."
Yang Fan said, "You don't have to fight. That fan of pork is for Sister Xuning. Big Brother Chu won't get married until spring, so there's still more than a month. There's no hurry. At that time, I will be responsible for the chicken, duck, and fish at the banquet. "
Ma Qiao said, "It's already a ban on slaughter. Although the Imperial Court didn't directly ban meat, isn't a ban on slaughter the same as a ban on meat? In a month's time, where will you find meat to eat?"
Yang Fan shook his head and said, "You don't have to worry, the sky won't fall. The reason why I came to buy it is because the imperial court will be strict with the imperial court. For a period of time, I'm afraid that everyone really won't be able to eat meat. However, such a thing that goes against common sense, even if it's the emperor's decree, it can't be implemented.
It's a matter of course for the imperial court to levy taxes. Isn't it because people evade taxes? Not to mention such an absurd decree. What's the difference between this and the imperial court forbidding the common people to eat and marry and have children? The common people don't have enough to eat. Hunters hunt, farmers raise pigs, and fishermen fish. Most of the meat they get is sold to the rich in exchange for rice and flour.
Now, everyone in the world was a vegetarian. The price of food and vegetables had skyrocketed. The common people couldn't survive. The officials and nobles also didn't have meat to eat. If they couldn't even eat meat, how could they still be officials? How could they earn money? Just you wait, it won't be long before this decree will only exist in name. "
Yang Fan sighed and said, "It's just that, before the imperial court revokes this decree, it's impossible to buy or sell meat openly, and it's also impossible to eat meat openly without any scruples. The price of meat is bound to skyrocket. Some people used to be able to eat meat every few days, but now they probably can't afford to buy meat for half a year or even a year."
Hearing what he said, Maqiao and Chu Kuangge also understood. Chu Kuangge sighed and said, "Although the rich will also be affected, the impact is not big. The common people are the unlucky ones. The rich may not be able to eat meat for a period of time, but for the common people, they may not even be able to eat."
"Yes …"
Yang Fan was also a little disappointed. He sighed and said, "Brother Chu, you don't have to worry. I'll be responsible for the meat you need when you get married. I'm going to see Master Xue today, but because of this matter, I have to go in a while. Haha, every time I see Master Xue, I always have something important to ask, but this time, I'm afraid he will never think that I will ask him for help. "
Chu Kuangge and Maqiao both had strange expressions on their faces. Indeed, when the people in the world couldn't eat meat because the emperor believed in Buddhism, he could go to the temple and ask a monk to help him eat meat. This kind of thing sounded really ridiculous, but when they thought of the impact this matter would have on them, how could they still laugh?
Maqiao said angrily, "We have also seen some old people who eat vegetarian and believe in Buddhism, but whether they want to become immortals or Buddhas or want to live forever, that is all their own business. Now the emperor wants to become a Buddha, but we, the common people, don't have food, drink, and can't live a good life. What is this?"
Yang Fan said, "The reason why the emperor is the emperor is because the emperor's own business is sometimes the business of the people in the world. Only with a good emperor can there be a good life! "
Yang Fan didn't say too much. Seeing that Chu Kuangge and Maqiao were nodding in agreement, it was enough. They were illiterate, but illiteracy didn't mean that they didn't understand the truth. When they understood the truth, they would become like-minded comrades in the future.
They were all officers of the Imperial Army, and they had already begun to lead troops. In the future, they would lead more troops. Yang Fan's intentional guidance wasn't to make use of them. He just didn't want to part ways with them because of their different beliefs one day, or even become sworn enemies with them on the battlefield.
…
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