It was becoming harder and harder to live in Jing. Not only were the foreign businessmen sighing, even the officials were so worried they were pulling at their beards. In the first twenty years of Great Peace City of the current dynasty, every mu of land only cost six hundred taels of silver. Now, it was still expensive and cheap, but it had risen to an eye-popping two thousand five hundred taels of silver per mu. No wonder the Left Servant of Menxia Province, Sun Xiji, had the saying that every mu of land had the same value as gold. A small courtyard, even at the very edge of Jing, cost close to a thousand taels of silver. The scholars who came to Jing for the imperial examination all complained incessantly. Fortunately, there were the local guilds that flourished because of the times, so most of the scholars who did not have enough money did not have nowhere to go. Also, there were monasteries to rent. Normal scholars could afford the rent, so there were no complaints. Only those literary magnates who only had a good reputation but no gold and silver could not afford to buy a place in Jing in their entire lives. They would often write a few self-deprecating poems. They could express their feelings and also gain the sympathy of the poor scholars, killing two birds with one stone. Some guilds that had produced large and small Yellow Doors or Hanlin Guilds would often hang up signs that would allow them to rent a thousand taels of silver a day. These places with good feng shui were in short supply.
There were a total of six hundred guilds in Jing. Most of them were located next to each other in the southeast of Great Peace City. Every time the imperial examination was held, it would be bustling. If one was not amorous, it would be a waste of youth. This large area of guilds had all kinds of food and drink, restaurants and brothels as numerous as the hairs on a cow. Originally, the scholars going to the imperial examination were worried that they would be unfamiliar with the place. Their local accent was scorned by the locals of Jing. When they entered Great Peace City and lived in the guilds, they found that they were surrounded by people from their hometown. Those who did not have money were happy. Those who had money in their pockets wanted to spend it all to enjoy themselves. Did they really think that these people were stupid with too much money? Of course not. Most of the scholars from the same hometown who were qualified to enter the capital to take the imperial examinations had studied hard. They were just short of breaking through the last layer of window paper. Once they had jumped through the dragon gate, they would always remember the days when they were poor, when other people only had a few copper coins for a piece of flatbread or a few taels of silver for a full meal. When they soared in the future, as long as it was within their ability, how could they not be happy to help a fellow villager who had helped them in the past? As a result, the business of almost all the shops in this area, which was known as the Dragon Fish Restaurant, was exceptionally good compared to the other markets. Moreover, many foreigners who were already officials in power in the capital liked to come here every now and then to gather with their friends. They would cheer their fellow countrymen on or give them advice in person.
This scene was just a small microcosm of the competition between the four parties in the Liyang Dynasty. Unfortunately, as the Green Party, one of their best friends, gradually withered away, the rich scholars of Qingzhou became homeless ghosts. Their voices in the Fish Dragon Strip area became quieter and quieter.
The White Lion Building was not originally called this name. It was called the Heavenly Fragrance Building. At that time, business was average. This year, it had made a lot of money. It could be said that last year, the head of the brothel, Li Baishi, had stayed in a big brothel nearby. This beauty did not need to be said. She was the only prostitute on the Rouge List. For the men of Jing, just this point alone was enough. Li Baishi was known as the Queen of Beauty and Beauty, and she had a good reputation. Several famous and upright officials in the imperial court had been sponsored by her. She was also an official from Dongyue, and her family background was very powerful. Not only the Baishi Restaurant, but many nearby restaurants also benefited from her fame and were overcrowded. They were all rich young masters who came because of her reputation. The White Lion Restaurant also had a few specialty dishes that were incomparably spicy. To diners who leaned towards the strong palate, it was undoubtedly a good place to eat without spending much money. Today, a group of customers had arrived. There were only three of them, but their wealth was different from before. The restaurant owner still gave them enough face and personally served them. There was no other reason. The young master Zhao who led the way knew how to conduct himself. He had known the manager for many years and often chatted with him, so it was to his liking. The shopkeeper surnamed Lu was not stupid at all. Not only did he cook, but he also served the dishes himself. In addition to the many years of friendship with Prince Zhao, the two friends of Prince Zhao did not look like common people. One of them was a woman disguised as a man. How could she escape the sharp eyes of the Shopkeeper Lu? He knew at first glance that she was an extraordinary lady. Could it be that Brother Prince Zhao had taken a fancy to the daughter of a high official? Hey, this was a good thing. It would be even better if he could attend a few cups of wedding wine in the future and meet the big shots in the capital. As for the other man with a white face and no beard, Shopkeeper Lu did not dare to look at him. He was wearing an unfamiliar satin that could not be said to be exquisite. Compared to the clothes of the rich people he had seen in the past, it seemed to be a small style of a local rich man.
After Prince Zhao took a seat in the private room, he smiled at the woman who covered up her appearance clumsily and asked, "My The Great Prince Of Sui, how is this place?"
She snorted coldly and said, "It's extremely shabby!"
Prince Zhao was not surprised by this answer. He said with a smile, "The dishes are not good to look at either. They only have one characteristic, which is spicy. But don't you always say that you can eat spicy food? When the time comes, if you have the ability, don't drink a mouthful of water. "
She rolled her eyes and said, "Can't I drink water when I'm thirsty? Zhao Kai, what can you do to me?"
The young man who was called Zhao Kai leaned against the back of the chair and gave a thumbs up. "Princess Sui Zhu's true temperament is admirable."
The woman raised her eyebrows and slammed the table. She said angrily, "Surnamed Zhao, call me Young Master Sui!"
Zhao Kai said helplessly, "Fine, fine. Who asked you to be my sister? The Great Prince Of Sui is The Great Prince Of Sui. "
The woman did not know if she was angry or sincere. She said very hurtfully, "Anyway, I don't treat you as my brother. What you think is your business."
Zhao Kai's face was sad. The woman added frost to the snow and said with a sneer, "Still pretending!"
Zhao Kai did not care. He laughed and was very happy.
The man who looked the most like an official among the three stood with his hands clasped behind his back and was very respectful. He looked at the two young men and women bickering with an expressionless face.
Zhao Kai turned his head and said with a smile, "Great Master, come and sit. This is not the palace with strict rules. Let's do whatever is comfortable."
Two strands of white hair hung down. The man near his chest shook his head and said, "I don't need to kneel to be comfortable."
It had always been the eunuchs of the dynasty who called themselves that. Only those eunuchs with some status and power had the qualifications and courage to do so. However, since the young man was Zhao Kai, the illegitimate son of the current emperor, and the woman was Princess Sui Zhu, the identity of the eunuch who Zhao Kai called "Great Master" was revealed. The number one eunuch in the dynasty, Han Diaosi. This old eunuch who could not be considered a man was nicknamed Human Cat. If he was not the stabilizing force of the palace and obstructing time after time, West Chu's Cao Changqing would have already taken the emperor's head. The Finger Profound Realm of the Handiao Temple was too incredible to be able to skin the Talisman General Hong Jia, one of the four outstanding grandmasters of the Pugilistic World. This damned eunuch was feared by all the court officials. Every time Shopkeeper Lu knocked on the door and served the dishes, he had to apologize and take a bite before letting the two young masters eat.
After eating two dishes, Princess Sui Zhu suddenly put down her chopsticks and said sullenly, "Eating like this is no different from eating in the palace. Zhao Kai, let's go downstairs and pick a lively table!"
Zhao Kai smiled and said, "We'll listen to you. Great Master, The Great Prince Of Sui's words are the most important today. We'll all listen to him, okay? "
Han Diaosi's mouth twitched for the first time and nodded slightly. Human Cat was not making fun of Princess Sui Zhu's childish nature. He was just grateful that the young master deliberately arranged for him to sit at the same table. In this world, Han Diaosi had seen too many people who treated him well but did not remember him well. When he was still an ordinary eunuch in Handiao Temple, he had followed his master out in plain clothes and met that lowly woman. She had also sincerely invited him to have a meal with her. Even though she knew that he was a eunuch, it was the same. Handiao Temple would remember that simple meal for the rest of their lives.
If someone respects me, Han Shengxuan, an inch, I'll respect them a thousand feet. If someone bullies me, I'll bully them for the rest of their life. Countless civil officials and generals who were tortured and killed by Human Cat were glad that they did not have an afterlife to suffer again.
Since it was Fish Dragon Slices, Baishi Restaurant was of course full of good and bad people. There were scholars, rich gentlemen, and even some scoundrels who lived in brothels as thugs. Shopkeeper Lu had no objection to changing tables. Rich people were always happy to do things.
The restaurant's business was good, and it was meal time. The shopkeeper finally cleared an empty table and had the waiters quickly clean it up. Zhao Kai and the other two sat down and heard a bare-chested man at the next table step on the bench. He clenched his teeth and scolded, "Damn it, a few days ago, a pretty boy came to our Dingfeng to visit women. He didn't have money in his pocket to pretend to be a master, and he used a few nonsensical essays to fool us. The poems were not poems, the words were not poems, and they were noisy. I'm going to beat this little bastard up with a stick on the spot."
Sitting at the same table were a few scholars who did not have much money. They had been in the brothel for a long time. The scholar who was in charge of paying for the prostitutes was suffering from a lack of money, and the price of his sisters was too high. He thought that it was not a good idea to stay in the brothel for a long time, so he wondered if he could build a good relationship with the head guard in front of him. He did not expect to lower the price, but before he went to bed, he could at least get rid of some unnecessary tips. In brothels, there were many ways to do things. To maintain one's reputation, it was very expensive. The extra expenses on maids and servants were accumulated bit by bit, and the amount of broken silver was also very frightening.
An old-fashioned scholar who did not look like a clever person hesitated for a moment and said, "I've heard of this person. He recited three poems, and now everyone knows about Fish Dragon Slices. They are all not bad. Among them, 'The lonely light shines on me, my liver and gallbladder are all ice and snow' and 'The east wind of spring brings the spring' are all good poems."
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