Tang Qi Tan

And on the "Houlang" water wheel vehicle and boat slowly going south along the Grand Canal, Jiang Tian also watched Linghu Xiaomu, who was wearing a round-neck gown with a fringed head, cooking a pot of drinks in a decent way; What came out was a cup of dark brown tea soup, and then it was presented to Jiang Tian with both hands.

With Jiang Tian gently blowing away the froth and bubbles, Duanzhan took a sip, and immediately intuitively felt a familiar burnt bitter taste, rippling from the tip of the tongue with the hot tea soup; and then there was a peculiar fragrance.That's right, this is the coffee introduced from outside the world, called bitter bean tea.

It's just that although it has been introduced for hundreds of years, and the merchants who brought the seeds to offer were also rewarded by Liang Gong, they still cannot be changed. The daily tea drinking habits of most Tang people; Apart from its characteristics, there is no communication.

Most of the time, it is introduced as a special medicinal material in Liangling, Annan, Champa, Chenla, and Tianzhu; it is used as a refreshing prescription together with other exotic herbs. .Therefore, the taste of daily decoction is really touching.

However, for Jiang Tian, ​​these coffee beans are more derived from the nostalgia and memories of another medieval century; as the hinterland of the Western Continent, the coffee that is popular in the Kingdom of Zealand is a large amount of coffee from North Africa and the Arabian Peninsula; once Also a cheap comfort product for the poor.

As for tea, silk, and porcelain from the East, in the outer ocean full of risks and crises, under the threat of giant marine life that swims endlessly; only intermittent large-scale oriental convoy trade can provide them, and instead it has become a way to flaunt The luxury of status privilege.

Although, the Eastern Empire, as the successor to most of the Roman heritage, has tried planting in the warmer Asia Minor and African enclaves; but no matter the silkworm seeds, mulberry trees, or tea trees that are seriously unacclimatized, they all intend to The royal disappointment of luxury alternatives and monopoly.

Although the craftsmen and servants of the royal family have also achieved certain results; but the imitation silk, because the silk coat is sparse and brittle, is easy to break; it looks cheap and inferior at a glance.And the movement is a half-dead tea tree, which makes the royal steward worry about becoming bald.

In the end, only in the process of imitating oriental ceramics, some progress and results have been achieved through attempts at all costs; but the final product is also far from the delicate and moist oriental porcelain; it is more like a kind of surface glaze. The pottery that has been transformed is called Zishi porcelain.

In contrast, the East-West trade in the time and space of the Tang Dynasty, whether it is the ocean-going route on the sea, or the traditional Silk Road/Golden Road/Spice Road on land; Therefore, they are quite stable and prosperous;
Therefore, on another space-time line, many products that only appeared in the age of great exploration were exchanged to Middle-earth thousands of years in advance; but some of them were not born at the right time, such as the output of coffee beans, which could never be affected. Become the scale of tea output and tea drinking habits.

In addition to the vast number of guest vassals and naturalized people, in overseas princes and foreign vassal territories, they are regarded as cheap refreshments for coolies and slaves.Others are completely obliterated, with little impact or change; such as pineapple, shallot, and spinach.

Another example is the three-piece set of potatoes, corn, and sweet potatoes from the southern coast of Xinzhou, as well as peppers, tomatoes, and tobacco; During the Taiping years, more people were fed and many contributions were made.

Therefore, when Jiangpan sails along the inland waterway, you can often see mountain fields and corners, planted with large vines similar to melons, beans, and yams; , Huang Chengcheng pumpkin, cucumber belongs to.

Even though there have been rumors and records of famines, floods and droughts from time to time in the imperial courts of the past dynasties, it has been a long time since the imperial courts have heard of a large number of people starving to death under the expectation of cheap food imported from overseas and a large number of products.Thinking of this, Jiang Tian took another sip of bitter bean tea/coffee.

Immediately, I tasted the taste of milk and icing sugar mixed in it, and slowly released; even the sour and bitter taste permeating the taste buds gradually changed into another exciting and complex aroma.Jiang Tian also sighed again, and stretched out his hand to let her fall on it again.

It was really because he couldn't adapt to the mainstream tea ceremony of this era.Although Liang Gong, the predecessor of the traveler, has brought the popular fashion of boiling tea in later generations; but because of a hundred years of peace, the custom of fighting tea to compare wealth has become popular from the court to the people, and the traditional tea brewing has flourished.

This requires a set of rather delicate equipment and tedious and detailed processes; so much so that it has become a knowledge and skill that is specially taught by someone.Because it is necessary to grind and sift the cake of dried tea leaves, grind the city powder and sieve it, boil the tea soup in a small pot that has just boiled, and then precipitate and cool.

Finally, according to personal taste and wealth, spices such as pepper, cinnamon, bay leaves, etc.; A handful of fine salt can be used as a seasonal drink for the four seasons.

But the taste is simply indescribable, like the darkness of an old English afternoon tea.In contrast, Jiang Tian, ​​who is used to staying up late and surfing the Internet in modern times, is more acceptable to this kind of coffee/bitter bean tea.Then, seeing Linghu Xiaomu report again:

"The concubine is on the outskirts of the local Wu Desi, not only recruited a few new recruits, but also got a lot of income. This Huaiyang area is really worthy of being the richest man in the southeast! Just a family of merchants , you can take out thousands of coins, just to show up and leave your name."

"But according to my concubine's private inquiries and investigations, behind the officials and people who want to get you out of Guangling this time, I'm afraid it must be the push of the Dugu envoy; the reason is also very simple, this envoy is People who want to do something are just because Yangzhou is too critical."

"Although this gentleman is the head of the southeast military administration, he is not the only one in Huaiyang. In addition to Yangzhou Mansion, which is directly appointed as the center of the court, there are also three divisions and four envoys in his own way; other There are more than a dozen yamen, including the Yuanyuan, Qianjian, Gongyuan, Shibo, etc., all of which are intertwined."

"But the most important ones are the ones that can control the governor's mansion." Speaking of this, Linghu Xiaomu said again: "The censor who patrols Huaiyang has no time since ancient times. The envoys patrolling the enemy are also being chased, and the next step is to use this to make a big fuss."

"The seized followers of the Dayun Sect are now all over the three sects, the gentry, the officials and the gentry, and even the undecided leaders are imprisoned among them, just waiting to be entangled. Therefore, if the officials continue to stay in Huaiyang, they will inevitably be hindered. How about mobilizing all parties and sending generous gifts abroad?"

"Therefore, even the bitter beans in front of me are specially collected." Then Linghu Xiaomu also poured himself a cup, and took a sip; suddenly her beautiful eyebrows were raised lightly, and she was slowly savoring In the middle, he stretched out his small tongue and licked his lips, which turned into a faintly pleased color and said:
"It turns out that this is the taste that ancient cultivators like officials like? I thought that those alchemists who refined Qi in ancient legends would eat wind and drink dew and swallow clouds to be convinced? Unexpectedly, Do you have the same research and experience on foreign things from outside the region?"

"Haha, otherwise, what do you think you can do besides cultivating in ancient times?" Jiang Tian chuckled and said, "Of course, after a long period of dormant meditation, I will go out to find opportunities and make further progress. For perception, given the size of the world, there are naturally places to explore."

"As the saying goes, all things in the world, and all phenomena in the world, have their own principles and ways of survival; they can be used as a reference or as an external force to rely on. From this, many cultivation methods and various methods of cultivation were born in ancient times. Mysteries and fairy tales."

"As for the so-called "eating wind and drinking dew, swallowing clouds and convincing one's breath", that is actually a slightly biased statement; at the beginning of the cultivation of ancient ancestors, it was impossible to completely rely on external objects; only with the body and the world Gradually harmonize, gradually reduce the secular needs, and turn to pursue a higher level."

"The so-called eating the wind and drinking the dew and swallowing the clouds are just a form of expression of absorbing the aura of heaven and earth, or energy; the process of specific cultivation is to find ways to deduce and seek it, and to absorb and use it more efficiently. , the method and technique of the power of all things."

"The initiative to cut off most of the worldly desires is just to avoid wasting and accumulating energy; because when there is too much communication with most external objects, it will inevitably be contaminated with some impurities; it is easy to affect one's own inspiration and xinxing. Stable, and even turned into a monster."

"Therefore, cultivators are undoubtedly the great thieves between heaven and earth, they just steal not ordinary wealth resources, but the spiritual foundation of heaven and earth as their own nourishment; but they can't avoid what people want, and inherit it from generation to generation as masters, disciples, and Taoists. The more people there are, so it is hard to escape the backlash of the world in the end."

"Thus, after Jedi Tiantong, the vast majority of those who cultivated in the hidden world either hibernated in the land of nine springs to look forward to the future; Heaven and Earth, went to a higher level alien world."

"Then, what's the situation like, sir?" Linghu Xiaomu said with rolling eyes again: "It is said that you are a ray of primordial spirit who has returned and awakened in this body after a lifetime, do you think that Yingjie is in this world? But I don't know if concubines and others will hinder and implicate you?"

"Are you worried about me, or are you worried about your own future?" Jiang Tian laughed again, stretched out his hand to gently pinch her slightly sharp chin and said: "In a sense, you are all me The cause and effect of creation is also part of the world's calamity, and we cannot stay out of it."

"So, you are not my burden, but I have been implicated in this catastrophe. Of course, everything in the world has something to lose, don't you feel the faint changes from yourself? Even this The unintentional overflow of the body will also have subtle benefits for you."

"..." However, upon hearing the last sentence, Linghu Xiaomu couldn't help being vaguely relieved, but bit her vermilion lips lightly, her face blushing faintly and charmingly: "Could it be, is this the ancient Buddhist classics, Does it involve the magical effect and truth of yin and yang dual cultivation and intercourse surgery?"

However, at this time, the sound of vocal music, drums and trumpets outside interrupted this mouth-watering, ambiguous atmosphere that wanted to go further on the spot.Jiang Tian couldn't help pushing out the window with some annoyance and looking out, and saw the boat was slowly approaching the shore, and there was a lot of drums and music under a colorful pagoda building on the pier in the distance.

And at the foot of a certain mountain in the north, armies and horses gathered, golden drums were beating, and flags were like a forest; just as the tense atmosphere of the imminent war broke out.It's just that the enemy as an opponent has not yet appeared, only the vast mountains and forests in front of him, accompanied by the hunting mountain wind, howls one after another.

However, amidst the faint neighing of people and horses, a little column of smoke suddenly rose in the distant forest; then, it turned into a rapidly spreading smoke, covering most of the deep forest along the mountain wind. Mimi; it also started to growl like it disturbed some existence.

It's time to enter a new copy