Kingdom of Heaven and Han

The next day, Qi Chongli came together and sent a letter.When I opened it, it was written by Li Qingzhao, welcoming Qi Chongli to Luoyang.

Qi Chongli is from Gaomi, Mizhou, and is Zhao Mingcheng's cousin.Last year, Li Qingzhao was imprisoned for Zhang Ruzhou's case. Thanks to Qi Zongli's rescue, he was released after nine days of imprisonment.This time Li Qingzhao wrote a letter, first to welcome Qi Chongli, and second to ask about the situation of his younger brother Li Hui.

When Zhang Ruzhou approached Li Qingzhao, his younger brother Li Nai had a good impression of him and tried his best to encourage Li Qingzhao's marriage with Zhang Ruzhou.In the end, Li Qingzhao had an awkward relationship with his younger brother, so he resolutely left Hangzhou.

It can be seen from the letter that Li Qingzhao should have a good life after his birth in Luoyang, and his tone is much more relaxed.After putting down the letter, Qi Chongli breathed a sigh of relief.

Li Qingzhao is a girl, and it is not convenient for Qi Chongli to visit.After receiving the letter, he went to the study, wrote a reply letter, and asked the sender to take it back.

Just after sending the messenger away, I saw Xiang Zichen coming.He said to Qi Chongli: "Consultant, the weather is fine today, why don't you take a stroll around Luoyang City? You and I haven't seen Qu Fei for many years, so let's meet him by the way. There were so many people and noisy last night, I didn't have a chance to talk about it in detail."

Qi Chongli was about to refuse, but after thinking about not seeing Chen Yuyi for many years, he agreed.

Chen Yuyi came from a family and was famous for his Ci. He knew many literati in this world.Especially in the past few years, with the growing power of Luoyang, Chen Yuyi's status has become higher and higher, and many literati have to reminisce with Chen Yuyi when they arrive in Luoyang.

After leaving the Governor's Mansion, Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen walked along the main road.They walked all the way to the door of Chen Yuyi's house, and after asking, they found out that Chen Yuyi had gone to the Yamen and would not go home for lunch.We had to send someone to call Chen Yuyi back.

It wasn't until nearly noon that Chen Yuyi returned home from the yamen.When they saw Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen, they greeted each other.

Looking at the sky, Chen Yuyi said: "It's almost noon, how about we go out for a few drinks?"

Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen saw that Chen Yuyi's house was not big, there were not many servants in the house, and his wife had to take care of the children, so they readily agreed.

Not far away, there is a cyclamen dumpling restaurant on the side of the road.Chen Yuyi said: "You are foreigners. After you come to Luoyang, you need to eat dumplings. Let's eat dumplings at noon today. This family is owned by Xuanfu Division, and the taste is very good."

The two nodded and walked into the dumpling restaurant together.

Chen Yuyi's home is nearby, and he is a regular visitor here.As soon as the boy saw it, he rushed up to meet him.

Chen Yuyi said: "Today, I have two old friends who will choose a quiet pavilion for me. Also, I want good tea!"

The boy agreed and led the three of them to the back.He chose a secluded pavilion by the lotus pond and let the three of them sit down.

Chen Yuyi sat down and took the menu.After looking at it for a while, he said to the boy, "One serving of dumplings per person, just bean stuffing."

After finishing speaking, he asked Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen, "Does any of you eat celery? The celery dumplings here taste really good."

Xiang Zichen said, "I usually eat celery, but I don't know if I'm used to eating dumplings?"

Chen Yuyi said to the boy: "One serving of celery stuffing, two servings of bean stuffing, serve them quickly."

The boy agreed.

Chen Yuyi said again: "One more steamed Yihefang fish, one Sixi meatball, one scrambled egg, and one stir-fried bitter gourd. The side dishes include cold lotus root slices, sauced beef, braised chicken feet, and suddenly mixed pig ears , let’s have two more plates of boiled edamame. By the way, bring a bottle of the best wine, and it’ll be chilled.”

The boy agreed, wrote down everything clearly, and left quickly.

Chen Yuyi said to the two of them: "Here in Luoyang, there are mostly market dishes. Please forgive me. Everyone follows Xuanfu's habit, eating some home-cooked food, and there are no singing and dancing during meals. Of course, if you two want to listen to music, there are also some at the door. showgirl."

Qi Chongli said: "The three of us are chatting, what singer do you want? They are here, but they are noisy."

Xiang Zichen said: "That's right. It's the best, it's the best!"

Xiang Zichen's ancestor was Xiang Minzhong, and then from his aunt Shenzong to the queen, he was cousin to the Taoist emperor, and his family background was prominent.Gongwen Ci, especially in Ci, has deep experience, and has sung poetry with Chen Yuyi before.Although they know each other, they can't be said to be familiar with each other.

Qi Chongli was different. He was born in a family of officials and officials. He was able to make an epitaph for others at the age of ten, and he was known as a child prodigy.When he was studying in Taixue, his articles were praised by the Taoist emperor.Especially when he was a Hanlin bachelor, his edicts were highly praised by Zhao Gou.When he was studying in Taixue, he had a very good relationship with Chen Yuyi, and this time it was a reunion of old friends.

After a while, cold dishes and wine came up.Chen Yuyi poured a glass of wine for each of them, and said, "It's really not easy for us to reunite after so many years. Last night, there was a lot of talk and we didn't have a deep conversation. It's a pity. Come on, let's gossip after this glass of wine."

The three toasted and drank it all in one gulp.

Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen took a piece of beef and chewed it slowly.He nodded and said: "This beef is really delicious! However, there are cattle bans in other places, and all the cattle that are eaten are old and sick. Under Xuanfu's rule, why can you eat beef at will?"

Chen Yuyi said: "Xuanfu made a calculation. As long as there are more cattle, eating beef will not lead to a lack of cattle. Now a county in Nanyang is experimenting with raising a kind of vegetable cattle, which are specially killed for meat. Since last year From the perspective of the situation, the situation is not bad.”

Xiang Zichen said: "If you eat beef, you must ensure that there is no shortage of folk cattle."

Chen Yuyi smiled and said: "Naturally there is no shortage. And here in the north, because there are no paddy fields, the demand for donkeys and mules has increased greatly in the past two years, but the demand for cattle has decreased. This kind of thing is also to increase income and reduce expenditure. No shortage."

Qi Chongli said: "You can't see it in other places. This incident shows that Xuanfu has a long-term vision, and no one else can match it."

Chen Yuyi sighed: "A few years ago, I was struggling to make ends meet in Xiangyang, so I joined Xuanfu. At that time, I didn't feel that Xuanfu was much different. It was just that I was careful and thoughtful. After staying for a few years, I became a big It's different. Now I just feel that Xuanfu thinks a lot and sees a wide range, which is not comparable to my generation. Now that Xuanfu has confessed things for a year, he is often at a loss. What he thinks is far from Xuanfu's requirements. But when I think about it carefully, I realize that Xuanfu has far-reaching thoughts."

The three of them were chatting, drinking some wine and eating some cold dishes.After a while, the dumplings were brought up.

Bringing the stuffed celery to Xiang Zichen, Chen Yuyi said: "My wife likes to eat stuffed with celery, but I don't like it. I always feel that it has a strange smell. These are ordinary celery dumplings. Let Bogong enjoy it alone."

Xiang Zichen served the dumplings, tasted one, and couldn't help frowning.Said: "How is this dumpling different from cooking? It's a bit weird to eat in your mouth."

Chen Yuyi hurriedly said: "Why, isn't Bo Gong not used to eating it? It's okay, let the store change a plate. I really can't get used to it, and the store also has pure meat stuffing. It's just that there is no vegetable flavor, and the food is a bit bland. .”

Xiang Zichen ate a bean stuffed one, nodded and said: "This is good."

Chen Yuyi called the boy over, and said, "Pick up this plate of celery dumplings, my wife can eat them. Then serve a plate of bean stuffing, hurry up."

The boy agreed.He took a paper bag and neatly wrapped a plate of celery dumplings.

Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen looked at each other in surprise.

Chen Yuyi is a staff officer of the Xuanfu Department, with a monthly salary of more than [-] guan, and he still needs to pack the dumplings?According to the usual practice, with Chen Yuyi's status, when he came out to eat, he threw it away if he was not used to it. How could he pack it?
Seeing that the expressions of the two were a little weird, Chen Yuyi thought about it for a while and knew what it meant.Said: "Here in Luoyang, there is a bank now. If you have too much money, you can deposit it in the bank. There is [-]% interest a year. My wife quarrels with me every day and takes home less money. In the bank There will be a lot of interest. So naturally I will save a little in daily life and save some money."

Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen nodded, although they didn't know what they meant.

After chatting for a long time, Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen understood that Chen Yuyi was no longer the Chen Yuyi they knew.The former Chen Yuyi was a standard scholar-official bureaucrat.Now Chen Yuyi, although the income is very high, but there is a lot of fireworks.For example, at home, Chen Yuyi didn't have many slaves, and the size of his home was not large.When I went out to eat with people, I chose not a luxurious place, but a dumpling shop.Although Cyclamen is a mid-range restaurant, it mainly focuses on affordable prices, and there are not many other entertainment items.When eating, even pack it.

Both Qi Chongli and Xiang Zichen knew that under Wang Xiaolie's rule, although officials' salaries were basically based on the court's Luge, they were not discounted or deducted, and all were paid on time and in full.Compared with other places, the salaries of officials here are almost doubled.

Chen Yuyi was one of the few people with the highest salary under Wang Xiaolie's rule, and his income was very high.As it is now, it can only be said that after these few years, people have really changed.

With a bank, saving money has interest, which is a great temptation for many people.In this era, when people have money, they often save it in gold and silver, or even deposit copper coins directly.While there is little room for physical currency to depreciate, it also does not appreciate.Although the interest is very low in the bank, there is a fixed interest after all.People like Chen Yuyi have a lot of income in a year, and the annual interest on saving money is a lot of income, especially so.

The three of them felt satisfied after eating the dumplings, and chatted with each other while drinking.

For future generations, dumplings are not a rare food.But this era is different. It is rare to have a staple food with meat and vegetables, but dumplings are more popular because they are delicious.Some people even eat dumplings three times a day and never get tired of eating them.

At this time, the fried hot dishes were served, and Qi Chongli took a chopsticks to float the fish, and praised: "The Luoli River Boat is known as a treasure, and it really deserves its reputation! It's just that it's not suitable to drink grape wine with such dishes. I heard Luoyang There is a lot of strong wine, why don't you take a bottle and drink it?"

Chen Yuyi said: "That's true. The most expensive wine in Luoyang is Mudanchun. It is said to be produced in Luoyang, but it is actually aged wine brewed in the past few years. It is extremely precious, and there is no such thing in this restaurant. The wine sold in the restaurant is the best liquor. The wine is Du Kangzui, and it is also produced by the Xuanfu Division."