Pingyang Fu of the Red Chamber

Chapter 436: The estrangement between scholars from the north and the south
Xicheng Square,

There are many shops on both sides of the street, and small merchants and hawkers are all shouting. The afterglow of the evening sun shines lightly on the gray bricks, green tiles or the brightly colored pavilion eaves, giving the evening scene of the prosperous capital city in front of you. , adding a bit of haziness and poetry.

The three of them walked less than a hundred meters to the street with their guards, then turned south and followed the road to the end. In front of them and behind them were people who were either old, elegant, fresh, or sophisticated. The simple faces of the people, the carriages and horses, and the flow of people. Not far away, the penetrating shouts of vendors could be heard faintly, and occasionally there was a long neigh of horses. Then they saw a three-story building located outside the market square. There is a restaurant on the first floor, and the canvas of "Youlai Inn" is hung at the entrance.

Although it is a property of the Hou Mansion, Zhang Jinyu has never been here before. Unexpectedly, Youlai Inn in Xicheng is the largest of the three restaurants. It is not far away from Yunshan and Qiu Lake. It is really an excellent location.

Zhang Jinyu was speechless when he saw it, secretly thinking, good guy, Yang Hanyu in the house doesn't talk much, he is worth a lot of money, he is really good at doing business, and of course, his graceful water snake waist kung fu is also very good.

Emperor Wu Zhou Shihong stood not far away and watched. The restaurant was very lively and there were many passers-by. The restaurant was divided into three floors.

It seems that the bottom floor is where ordinary people eat. Although the second floor is a private seat, ordinary people are not restricted to go up. The third floor is mostly private rooms, which must be expensive. There is a platform above the ground in the center of each floor. The tune should never stop.

It seems that there is no distinction between high and low, and everyone can sit down.

Looking up,
The waiter was wiping sweat and was extremely busy, and the shopkeeper was shouting from inside and outside. The dishes on the table were delicious and fragrant, making people forget to leave.

The group of people stood at the entrance of the restaurant, looking at the majestic gatehouse, they all felt suddenly enlightened.

"Master Huang, the servants here have heard a little bit about it. There are rumors in the capital that Sanjia Youlai Restaurant has a northwest flavor, especially the roast mutton. It is even more outstanding. Now that I have seen it, it is not in vain."

It was also Dai Quan's first time here. Restaurants all over the capital were crowded at this time, but he didn't expect there to be so many people. The taste must be unique.

Zhou Shihong looked at the crowd-pleased scene and felt happy. It proved that the people in the capital were still wealthy. Just hearing the word northwest would make him think of Mu Shi, the king of Xiping County.
I didn’t know if it was his property, so I asked casually,
"In that case, let's go in and taste it together. But for the northwest taste you mentioned, have you checked whether it belongs to the one in the west?"

Zhang Jinyu looked embarrassed and didn't know what to say. Dai Quan glanced at the Marquis with a strange expression and replied,

"Mr. Huang, this place was originally a property of the Ministry of Internal Affairs. It was given to Yang Shuren as a dowry earlier. This restaurant belongs to Mr. Zhang's house. Mr. Zhang, don't you think so?"

"Yes, that's true, but I haven't been here before, so I can't call it my kid's."

Zhou Shihong heard Zhang Jinyu's unjustifiable excuses and said angrily,

"There is a shortage of money outside the customs. I know it, sir. From now on, focus more on business and don't get caught up in money. Come on, go in and live in a wealthy family today."

"The boy listens to the master. The family tradition is loose. The boy will be strictly disciplined when he returns home. Master, please slow down."

The two of them carefully followed behind.

Everyone also followed the flow of people into the restaurant. Even on the first floor, it looked bright, and the surrounding lanterns had already been lit.

Ordinary people rushed directly to the empty seats on the first floor, while Zhang Jinyu and his party waited at the door.

At this time,

There was a waiter at the door of the restaurant who was specially there to lead the way. He hurried over and said respectfully;

"Dear guests, please come in! I'd like to give you my best regards!"

A young store waiter hurriedly ran over to say hello and gave him a decent greeting.

"Reward,"

Mr. Huang was in a good mood and shouted,
"then!"

Dai Quan, who was behind him, naturally threw a few big bucks at him.

"Thank you all for the reward,"

The waiter happily caught the money and put it in his coat pocket.

"Guys, do you want to work as a prostitute or stay in a hotel?"

The waiter continued to ask respectfully.

"Of course it's time to eat. What do you say upstairs?"

Zhang Jinyu looked at the first floor. There were too many people. They were all ordinary people. It was inevitable that there was a mix of good and bad, and they were afraid of unrest.

The waiter replied;

"Back to the young master, the second floor also has private seats. You can sit in them. It doesn't matter. The third floor has private rooms, and the cost is higher."

I thought I would go to the private room on the third floor to feel more secure, but Zhou Shihong said first,
"Then choose a bigger seat by the window on the second floor."

"Okay, sir, please come."

After saying that, he led the way.

Everyone followed in turn,

Passing by the first floor hall,
Then I looked inside the hall. It was very lively. Many people were eating and drinking nearby, quietly watching the performance on the middle stage. Some people gathered together and chatted in detail, and some were bringing their families with them. They were all smiling, and some of them were sharing the table with each other, laughing and not knowing what was said.

It was different when looking at the second floor. There were hardly any common people, but there were quite a few students from academies, mostly scholars in Confucian uniforms, gathered around and having a wild and wild life. The waiters next to them were rushing back and forth with wine and food, and from time to time they would There was the sound of guessing games, chatting and laughing, the sound of glasses clinking...

Following the waiter's guidance, everyone came to the table by the window. Dai Quan went over first and wiped the table and chairs with his sleeves. Then Zhou Shihong lifted up his clothes and sat down, watching the two of them standing dumbly at the table. , and said,

"What are you doing standing there in a daze? Boy Zhang, sit across from me and Dai Quan will sit with you."

Dai Quan hesitated to sit down, but Zhang Jinyu didn't care and sat down. Seeing this, Dai Quan had no choice but to sit down with him.

Then, the waiter came over with tea, poured a bowl of tea for everyone present, and then asked,

"What do you guys want to eat?"

Dai Quan naturally looked at Mr. Hou and slapped Zhang Jinyu's arm with his hand.
"Master Marquis, please have some."

Zhang Jinyu looked at Emperor Wu, and Zhou Shihong also nodded slightly, then picked up the tea bowl and took a sip. The tea was good, although not very good, but it was still drinkable.
"The best thing in the restaurant is the roast lamb. It's not the northwest style. It has to be served half way. It only has naan bread and a few refreshing cold dishes."

"Okay, gentlemen, please wait for a moment and I'll be back soon."

Then he went back and sang a promise and shouted,

"Half roasted lamb, six side dishes"

After watching the people leave, Zhou Shihong looked around at the second floor.
"It seems that there are a lot of people in Enke this year. There are so many students from the academy and scholars rushing to take the exam. Oh, well, I really remember that there weren't that many last year."

When Dai Quan saw Emperor Wu finish drinking the tea, he stood up and filled the tea bowl with water. He sat down again and replied,
"Master Huang Mingjian, because of that incident last year, the scholars from the north and the south were unhappy, so they had to postpone it. This year, the emperor opened the Enke, everyone is celebrating, and those who have the conditions are rushing to take the exam. This year, the conditions have been relaxed again, so the scholars who refer to That’s a lot.”

"Mr. Zhang, what do you think of Enke this year?"

Zhou Shihong also had a headache about last year's list. Although he didn't take it and suppressed it for the time being, he had to put it on the list this year no matter what.

Zhang Jinyu was sipping tea and waiting for the roast lamb for dinner, but she didn't know that the emperor asked about it. She didn't understand the imperial examination, so she didn't just rush to the shelves, so she replied with some embarrassment,

"Mr. Huang, I'm just a rough guy. I don't know how to understand the affairs of this scholar. I brought over the imperial examination papers, and if you don't say anything else, any of the students upstairs can do better than the kid's essays. Speaking of Enke this year, as Butler Dai said, everyone is celebrating, and I think the scholars in the capital are very happy."

Emperor Wu just wanted to ask again,

at this time,

The waiter brought the dishes over, and saw half a roasted whole lamb, which had been neatly cut and placed on the plate. Several cold dishes were served, and a large plate of naan bread was placed on the table.

"Everyone, everything is here. Please use it slowly. If you need anything, just call out."

"Understood, let's go down."

"Yes, the little one is going down."

The waiter didn't dare to stay, so he turned around and went downstairs.

Several people picked up their chopsticks, picked up the mutton and put it in their mouths. The aroma was overflowing and lingered in their mouths. Sure enough, the taste was unique and acceptable. Zhang Jinyu was not polite, picked up the naan pancake, put a large piece of mutton in it, and rolled it up. Take a big bite.

Emperor Wu also ate it in the same way, and it had a different taste.
"The taste is unique and really good. I can only eat it once in a while, but eating such greasy food for a long time is a bit harmful to the body."

"What Mr. Huang said is true, but most of the people here are ordinary people. Eating once or twice is considered a luxury. How can we afford it for a long time?"

Zhang Jinyu explained vaguely while eating the food in his mouth. This was true. Emperor Wu smiled and shook his head.

"By the way, you just said, what did you find in the third uncle's house?"

Hearing the emperor's somewhat teasing words, Zhang Jinyu blushed, swallowed the food in his mouth, straightened his face, and replied,

"Sir, there are a lot of things, including fifteen hundred pairs of armors, weapons, bows and arrows, etc. There is a lot of everything. I have sent them to the Imperial City Department."

"Ok?"

Emperor Wu squinted his eyes and thought for a moment. When King Zheng left, he had just succeeded to the throne, so those things must have been prepared before. Thinking of the tragic death of the former prince Zhou Yongxiao, he felt sad, and he was not the one to worry about it.

"Don't spread this matter indiscriminately. It's in the past. He doesn't have the courage. If he had, he could have waited until today."

"Yes, Master, I know this."

Dai Quan nodded and responded,

Seeing the real master speaking, Zhang Jinyu was doing her best and was still competing with the mutton. This interruption made her worry about it.

The three of them stopped talking while eating.

However, a group of scholars from out of town came to the next table and sat together. They ordered a few dishes and a pot of sake and started drinking.

One of the scholars in white Confucian uniform sighed,

"Dear dear friends, if I open the Encore program this year, I don't know if it will be the same as last year, with no results. Moreover, the registration process this year is much more stringent. The provincial examination also requires a sponsor, not to mention a guarantor, and a meritorious name. It took a lot of effort to write a letter of recommendation vouched for by someone else.”

Several other people nodded in agreement, and another young man wearing the same Confucian uniform replied,
"Brother, what you said is wrong. It's strict. As long as we rush to take the imperial examination and are upright and not afraid of slanting shadows, all the county offices will register their names, and the distinguished masters will also give letters of recommendation. But I am worried that this year's imperial examination will not be successful for the prince of the south. If we scan the ranking list again, I’m afraid the northern scholars like me will never get ahead again.”

"Yes, what should we do? The south of the Yangtze River is rich and there is no pressure in life, but we in the north are already poor and need to worry about our livelihood, hey!"

"Who says it's not true? If southern scholars take the top three places in every imperial examination, then all the officials in the court will be from the south. If this goes on for a long time, the northerners will lose their positions. Will there be any chance of success in the future of the country? I’m waiting for a place to stay.”

As soon as I finished saying this,

All the scholars surrounding him were silent, and some even sobbed.

The rest of the people felt the same way, their eyes were red and they were wiping tears, and some were crying.He even started to cry.

All in a girlish state!
(End of this chapter)