The Happy Life of Small Officials in Northern Song Dynasty

On the Zuixian Building in Luzhou, Zhu Shiyong held a large banquet to welcome the distinguished guests from the capital. Zuixian Building was originally unknown in Luzhou. Of course, Luzhou basically didn't have any good restaurants except Hefeng Building, but this Zuixian Lou's business has always been good because of its good location.

The North City of Luzhou is a place where fireworks gather, and Zuixian Tower is just right in the middle of seven or eight brothel singing workshops. On weekdays, piao, prostitutes, tortoise slaves, and old bustards welcome and send them off, who will do it? Cooking food is mostly ordered in restaurants, which is convenient and frees up more time to make money; therefore, the business of Zuixianlou is very good, and the prices are ridiculously high.

The two hundred horsemen of the Imperial City Guard Division fully filled the upstairs and downstairs tables of the Zuixian Tower, and the entire Zuixian Tower was taken down by Zhu Shiyong, and he clicked his tongue without knowing it. The magistrate spent a lot of money I'm afraid that these twenty or so tables will cost at least three to five hundred guan to live at a low level.

People who know the inside story naturally don't think so, because the shopkeeper of this restaurant is surnamed Liu, and the owner's surname is also Liu, and he is the vice president Liu of the Luzhou Chamber of Commerce, who is known as "Little Zhuge".

Zhu Shiyong warmly invited, but Long Zhen, who had been in the officialdom for a long time, half pushed and half agreed. The soldiers didn't mention the banquet, and Long Zhen, Zhao and Fang were invited to a private room on the third floor for dinner alone.

The small charcoal stove in the private room is burning hot, the inside is warm, the tablecloth is white, the dishes on the table are served on golden plates, there are already a few people standing around the table, tall and short, and they are all holding hands Smile and wait for Long Zhen.

Long Zhen had never enjoyed such treatment before. He was easily caught in the capital, and his official position was a lot bigger than him. He was a master who could not be offended. Except in front of the guards, Long Zhen had never been seen by anyone. With such a high regard, it's no wonder that the group of people in Beijing would run to prefectures and counties outside the capital whenever they had the opportunity. Their affection for Beijing officials was as high as three points, and they carried a bit of majesty like the capital of emperors under the feet of the emperor.

Zhu Shiyong smiled and said to the dazed Long Zhen, "Commander Long, both heads, please, please."

Long Zhen said: "Master Zhu, how dare you spend so much money?"

Zhu Shiyong said with a chuckle: "Commander Long is being polite. The mountains and fields are not as good as the capital city. Some home-cooked dishes are for Commander Long, the two capitals, and the brothers. Please take a seat."

Long Zhen clasped his hands and said: "In this case, brother will not be polite."

Zhu Shiyong said: "To be polite is to meet outsiders, come here, let me introduce some good friends to you, all of whom are prominent figures on the ground in Luzhou."

After finishing speaking, President Tang, President Liu, and President Huang of the Chamber of Commerce introduced Long Zhen one by one. After a long time, they bowed their hands and finally calmed down and sat down. The maid poured the wine. Come and come to my Luzhou mansion for business, this is the glory of my Luzhou, this glass of wine, I wish Commander Long every success and smooth business affairs."

Everyone raised their glasses in agreement, Long Zhen laughed and drank the toast; Chairman Tang served the dishes attentively by himself, leaving the two servant girls who were waiting on the side with nothing to do.

There are more than 20 dishes on the table, all of which are exquisite. Where are the home-cooked dishes that Zhu Shiyong said in his mouth? Chairman Tang spread the dishes and introduced them to Long Zhen and others: "Commander Long, how about this dish? It's called the 'Pearl in the Palm'"

Long Zhen pinched his mouth, almost swallowed his tongue when it was delicious, and praised repeatedly: "Good name, good taste, this dish took a lot of effort."

Vice President Liu is very good at it, and said with a smile: "It's also very simple. Dip the duck's feet in some flour, put the small balls squeezed with shrimp meat on top, smooth them with a ruler, and then press the quail eggs on top. On the yang part, stick the minced ham and coriander on both sides, put it on the plate, put it on the tray and steam it thoroughly, and it's the 'Pearl of the Palm'."

Long Zhen was dazed when he heard it. Although he came from the big wharf in the capital city, he was only from Qiu Ba after all, and he didn't know anything about these exquisite things to enjoy.

"Not bad, not bad. Compared with the dishes in the restaurants in the capital, the dishes are almost the same, and the taste is also similar. It's rare." Long Zhen nodded while eating, trying his best to hide his ignorance and superficiality.

"This is stewed horseshoe soft-shelled turtle, this is anchovy shrimp in honey sauce, this is stewed whitebait, this is grouse in stewed chestnuts, this is..." Tang Jiyuan introduced in a series of voices, and Long Zhen and the two both had a headache. Mechanically using the chopsticks to follow his introduction, the same fork was picked up and stuffed into his mouth, and he had no time to speak.

Zhu Shiyong and the several presidents looked at each other, and they all saw a trace of disdain in each other's eyes. The officers and soldiers of the Guards Department were nothing more than bumpkins.

After eating more than a dozen mouthfuls of food, Long Zhen felt a little out of control, biting his legs and said vaguely: "You guys eat too, don't just watch us eat, we didn't have a good time along the way. We are all a little rude when we eat."

Zhu Shiyong hurriedly smiled and said: "It's okay, it's okay, the adults have worked hard, we should eat more, and the presidents, let's eat with the adults, otherwise, wouldn't it be a loss of hospitality?"

Everyone echoed, picked up the vegetables and put them in their mouths to chew carefully. Compared with Zhu Shiyong, Tang Jiyuan and others, Long Zhen and the two Dutou's food was terrible. The three of them could pick up a pile of hills with one chopstick. The whole dish was stuffed into the mouth, before the food in the mouth was chewed and swallowed, the eyes were already scanning for the next target, and then the chopsticks followed when the eyes reached the hand; several times the chopsticks of Fang Dutou and Zhao Dutou When they collided in the air, they made a clicking sound, and their emotions began to practice using the dining table as a battlefield and chopsticks as swords.

After sweeping around, Long Zhen and the others finally put down their chopsticks to catch their breath. Zhu Shiyong picked up the wine glass and toasted quickly. After a few rounds of back and forth, Long Zhen and the others gradually became slightly drunk.

"Commander Long, is Prime Minister Lu safe?" Zhu Shiyong smiled.

"Okay, okay, I can eat and sleep." Long Zhen wiped his mouth and said in his heart: I want to know how Lu Xiang is, but how can Lu Xiang tell me.

"I really envy Commander-in-Chief, who can meet with these important officials of the court and pillars of the country every day in the capital. I am in a foreign place. Although I have a heart of admiration, I can only wish you well-being from afar."

"It's good if you have the heart. After returning to Beijing, I will convey the admiration of the magistrate." Long Zhen said boldly.

"Then I would like to thank Commander Long. Commander Long came to my Luzhou on business. If there is any place where I, Zhu, need to work, feel free to speak up. If the board and lodging are not to your liking, several presidents have inns in their homes, so you can do it." Go and relax with them."

Long Zhen hiccupped and said with a smile: "I don't dare to take it, how can I disturb you all, and maybe I will leave for Yangzhou Mansion after staying for a long time, so I don't dare to disturb you too much."

"Oh? Are you going to leave in such a hurry? Commander-in-Chief really worked hard."

"I can't help it, I'm in the officialdom, I can't help myself." It was rare for Long Zhen to say something Wen Zou Zou.

"I can't help myself in the officialdom, and I can't help myself. I can't help myself. Just for this sentence, I have a drink." Zhu Shiyong smiled and raised his glass, and Long Zhen also raised his glass and drank it.

"We are also very close from Luzhou to Yangzhou. Commander Long is leading the horse army. It will take three days and three nights at most to get there. Just bear with it." Zhu Shiyong cautiously inquired about the news bit by bit.

"Shit, we can't get there in ten or so days. Those who eat and sleep on this journey will suffer again." Fang Dutou, who had a chicken leg in his mouth, pulled out a chicken shred from between his teeth with his oily hands, and cursed. road.

Long Zhen scolded: "Shut up, there are so many complaints, this is an errand, understand?"

Fang Dutou waited to retort, Zhao Dutou just kicked his leg from below, Fang Dutou stopped talking, and continued to deal with his grouse legs; in such an occasion, not giving Long Zhen face is asking for face He's boring and swearing on weekdays, so Long really doesn't care if he wants to be a good person, but if he doesn't give him a step down in front of outsiders, it's more than enough for Long Zhen to punish his little capital.

Zhu Shiyong saw that Longzhen's tone was still relatively strict, so he winked at Tang Jiyuan, Tang Jiyuan understood, stood up and raised his glass and said: "Commander Long, both of you have worked hard for the imperial court. You are really admirable and admirable. The villain respects the three of you." One cup, if the three of you don't dislike it, how about staying in my courtyard tonight?"

Long Zhen smiled and said: "I don't dare to do it, there are already arrangements in the military station, so why bother."

Tang Jiyuan said: "To put it bluntly, what kind of people live in the post station? There is nothing else in my other courtyard, only one thing, clean and elegant. If adults sit down and work, it is also a good place."

Long Zhen's tongue was a little big, and he was poured alcohol by several people in a row. Although he could drink a lot, he couldn't bear it. He waved his hand and said, "Don't mention it, how can I have time to sit down and enjoy leisure? The food supervisor surnamed Su The envoy sent an errand to hire a large number of ox carts and mule carts to transport grain in Luzhou in the past few days, hundreds of carts, where to get them, my head... my head is getting big."

Zhu Shiyong and everyone in the chamber of commerce were overjoyed: they finally revealed their words, the special envoy of grain transportation and grain superintendent surnamed Su, and hundreds of carts, these information are already very self-explanatory.

Tang Jiyuan said calmly: "Yes, the commander has worked hard, and there is no way for the superior to be ordered. Besides, he is also working for the court, so the special envoy will not take away your credit."

"What kind of bird envoy, just a stinky brat, I don't know whose dick I licked, teenagers also came to point fingers at us, and when it comes to credit, I'm afraid it's all in vain this time, even us I'm greedy for my salary, is there any hope for this mother?" Zhao Dutou, who had eaten up all the chicken legs, couldn't help cursing.

"Are you in your teens? You became a special envoy when you were a teen? To be honest, I don't really believe it. I'm afraid I might be drunk." Tang Jiyuan laughed.

"You're just drunk. Speaking of which, this guy is still from your Luzhou mansion. Maybe you guys know each other. This kid's name is Su Jin." Zhao Dutou yelled.

Long Zhen felt slightly inappropriate, and it was too late to stop him, Zhao Dutou had already spoken his name.

Zhu Shiyong, Tang Jiyuan and others were startled, their hearts jumped, it was him!This kid is so capable, didn't he say that he went to Ying Tianfu to study?How did you get into the position of special envoy? You have some skills.

Zhu Shiyong hated him so much, his precious son came home a few days ago and didn't mention anything about it except asking for money, nothing else, the matter of Su Jin leaving Yingtian Mansion for the capital should always be mentioned, this idiot, Apart from eating, drinking and playing, he doesn't know anything. He is really an unworthy son, and he ignores his confession.