Kingdom of Heaven and Han

After chatting for a while, Li Tang invited Zhang Zeduan to drink.

In the beginning, Zhang Zeduan took a sip of his wine and ate a piece of meat out of concern for his face, then put down his fast food and picked up the grapes on the table to eat.After a while, I couldn't bear it anymore, and ate up a plate of meat like a storm.

Seeing Li Tang, he sighed.Said: "How long has it been since you waited for the imperial edict?"

Zhang Zeduan said: "To be honest, I haven't had a full meal since I crossed the Yellow River. When I meet a good family, I give half a bowl of rice, so I can get by for a day. If I don't meet a good family, I pick a few wild fruits. Digging two wild vegetables is also a day."

Li Di said: "How can this be done? There is no good meat or good food in this small shop. Wait for the imperial edict to follow us and find a place where we can eat enough!"

In this era, there are many wild fruits and vegetables in the wild.Now it is summer again, and it is the season when melons and fruits are ripe, so it is not easy to starve to death.If Zhang Zeduan returns to Luoyang in winter, it will not be so easy.After the war, there were few people, and there was no place to beg for food.

After several years of war, most of the people in Luoyang fled.When Meng Bangxiong was in charge of Luoyang, he didn't rest and recuperate, and it was in depression.After Wang Xiaohun entered Luoyang, the population was mainly concentrated in the vicinity of Henan Fuya and around the Huitong Bridge near Fuya.The lake garden is in the south of the city, and it is very desolate at this time.The three of them walked for a long time, but only saw two taverns, not even a noodle shop.

Li Di rubbed his legs and said, "I'm tired from walking. How about walking like this? At the entrance of Changxiamen Street in front, I remember that there are vegetables and meat sellers. Let's go there to buy a piece of meat and cook it by ourselves when we go back." .”

Li Tang said: "Can you cook? When I saw Zhang Daizhao today, why don't you treat him to a full meal?"

Zhang Zeduan hurriedly waved his hand: "I ate a plate of meat just now, and I'm half full. If there is no store, let's go back."

Where is Li Tang willing to follow?Pull up Li Di, walk to Changxiamen Street, and head north all the way.After walking for a few miles, there were finally more shops on the street.Not too far away, I saw a Xiankelai dumpling restaurant in front of me.

After letting out a sigh, Li Tang said: "This is an industry under the name of Xuanfu Division, and it is found in every prefecture and county. The dumplings inside are delicious, there are many vegetables for sale, and there are good wines. ?"

Zhang Zeduan smiled embarrassedly, and said: "Before I left, there was also a dumpling restaurant in Longde Prefecture. It's just that I was too shy to go in."

Li Di said: "Then don't miss it today. Compared with wontons, dumplings are bigger, so it's more enjoyable to eat!"

While talking, the three walked into the dumpling restaurant.

This place is not far from the Henan government office, and many official offices are gathered here, and officials often come to eat.The boy's eyes were the sharpest, and he could tell at a glance that Li Tang and Li Di were officials, so he rushed to greet them.

Li Tang said: "Is there a pavilion? If there is one, give us one."

The boy was all smiles.Said: "Yes, yes. Officials come with me."

Cyclamen dumpling restaurants are all built in lively places in the city, and the layout is roughly the same.The first floor is the lobby, the second floor is the pavilion, and in some places there is the third floor, which is a more advanced pavilion.This shop is on the second floor, and the servant took him upstairs and picked a pavilion facing the street.

The three of them sat down, and the servant handed over the menu. …

This is also the rule brought by Wang Xiaolie.The menu on the first floor is written on a bamboo sign and hung on the wall for easy replacement.The guests order according to the order, and the servant is not responsible for reporting the dishes to the guests.The pavilion on the second floor has a menu, which is a pair of bamboo slips, and the servant will introduce it to the guests.

Li Di didn't look at the menu.Said: "First, two plates of dumplings, stuffed with pork and cucumber. Then, a plate of braised Yellow River carp, a plate of braised mutton, and seasonal vegetables. You can see what kind of vegetables you want. By the way, let's have a plate of pig ears mixed with green onions for cold dishes, one person will come A trotter."

The boy kept saying yes and wrote it down.

It is not popular to use notes in this era, and the servants are required to memorize the dishes ordered by the guests.If the menu is wrong, the servant will be punished.So this profession looks inconspicuous, but it is not easy to do.In a tavern like Cyclamen, the servant's salary is not a lot.

Watching the boy go out, Zhang Zeduan whispered: "There are only three of us, how can we eat so many dishes?"

Li Di said: "It's nothing, if we can't eat, we'll pack it up and go home. As you saw just now, where we live, it's not easy to eat."

Zhang Zeduan said: "It's the best. Otherwise, wouldn't it be a waste to spend so much money?"

Li Tang smiled and said: "Dai Zhao, we have money. Now Wang Xuanfu's Painting and Calligraphy Academy makes more money than he used to in the Imperial Academy of Painting. You specialize in boundary painting, so you can be said to be No. 1 in the world. When you come to the Painting and Calligraphy Academy, you must be paid a lot .”

Zhang Zeduan said: "From ancient times to the present, there should be no one who treats painters like Taoist emperors. Why, Wang Xuanfu is also keen on this way?"

Li Tang smiled and shook his head: "That's not true. It's just that Wang Xuanfu has very few restrictions on painters. Except for completing some things assigned by the government, he doesn't interfere with the rest. We have craftsmen who paint a few paintings every month and sell them. It's a lot of money."

Zhang Zeduan nodded, understanding what Li Tang meant.They used to be the edicts of Hanlin Academy of Painting, painters recognized by the state.Any one of them is a top painter in the world.Ordinary people may not be able to tell a good painting from a bad painting, but the Imperial Academy is waiting for an edict, and this sign knows it.The paintings of these people are sold at a high price of course.Painting ten or eight paintings a year is not necessarily lower than the salary of many officials.

Li Di said: "What can I say? Zhang Daizhao's No. 1 painting in the world is what the Academy of Calligraphy and Painting couldn't wish for. Zhang Tiju is in charge of the Academy of Calligraphy and Painting. After two months, he will be Xuanfu's brother-in-law. There is such a person as the backstage, Our Academy of Painting and Calligraphy will not be inferior to others."

After hearing this, Zhang Zeduan wondered: "Xuanfu's brother-in-law? Why, isn't Wang Xuanfu's sister married yet?"

Li Di said: "Wang Xuanfu's father Qin Wangshi died for the country. They have kept their filial piety for three years, so they will delay it."

"I see." Zhang Zeduan nodded.I have been in Longde Mansion for many years, and I have only heard about Wang Xiaolie's things in the past few months, and I don't know these things yet.

Li Tangdao: "In short, when you return to Luoyang this time, you don't have to worry about making a living. Although Wang Xuanfu doesn't know painting, he has a brother-in-law who knows painting. There is also a wife who has never been educated, and is a master of painting and calligraphy. There are These people, how can our life be difficult?"

Zhang Zeduan was even more surprised.Said: "Wang Xuanfu's wife, who has never been educated, is also a master of calligraphy and painting?"

Li Tangdao: "Of course. When we were in Xiangyang, this woman was still in the Academy of Painting and Calligraphy, and worked with us for a while. She wrote good calligraphy, especially good at Liu style. Her calligraphy is strong, tall and handsome, who would believe it is Written by a woman?"

Zhang Zeduan said: "I didn't expect Xuanfu to have such a relationship with the Academy of Painting and Calligraphy."