Man Tang Huacai

Chapter 602: Eating
"Butterfly! It's a butterfly!"

On the official road, there was an endless line of people heading from Chang'an to Luoyang for food. Suddenly, there were a few children's cries. It was a little girl who stuck her head out of the carriage, pointing at the roadside and asking Du Wulang to look.

Du Wulang was also happy to play with his daughter, and said with a smile: "Ah Ju, have you never seen butterflies? I clearly told you the story of Liang Zhu last time."

Ah Ju was his nickname, which means茭白. The nickname was given after a cheap plant in the hope that the child would be easier to raise. As for his full name, it was much more serious, and was given by Du Youlin, who said it came from the Book of Songs. However, Du Wulang could not tell which poem it came from at the time.

"Yes, but I haven't seen it during a picnic. Grandpa, picnics are so much fun."

"When we get to the Yellow River, I'll take you to fly a kite when the wind is strong."

Du Wulang was also a playful person, and he had a lot of toys in his luggage, such as kites and diabolos. If you didn’t know him, you would have thought he was a vendor.

That evening, when the large group of troops stayed at Gantang Posthouse, he took his wife and daughter to play Cuju on the grass. He did not have the demeanor of a court official in his thirties at all. Others shook their heads at the sight of him, but he was enjoying himself.

When they were tired of playing, the ball rolled down the hillside. Du Jing ran after it with a smile, but saw a beautiful female Taoist priest picked up the ball.

"Thank you, Taoist Master."

"You are Ah Ju, right? You are so pretty."

"Huh? How do you know my name?"

Du Jing was still curious, but Du Wulang and Xue Yunniang had already caught up from behind and bowed, saying, "Thank you, Princess Boping."

Li Yiniang nodded, exchanged a few words with them, and finally said something subconsciously.

"I really envy you two."

After Li Yiniang walked away, Xue Yunniang asked Du Wulang: "If the princess envied the couples in the world, why didn't she choose a good partner, but became a nun instead?"

"It's not easy for a Tang Dynasty princess to marry. Those who seek to curry favor with the rich and powerful don't want to marry her, and those who are extraordinary and outstanding are unwilling to marry her. How happy it is to be like Princess Yuzhen."

"If the princess is envious, Your Majesty will always have a solution."

Du Wulang looked around and whispered, "The princess doesn't envy couples, she envies our close relationship with His Majesty."

Xue Yunniang didn't dare to say anything more about this matter.

She knew that she had no blood relationship with His Majesty, but she had always been treated as a younger sister and taken care of. On the other hand, His Majesty had always been somewhat distant from her twin sister, which made her feel a little uneasy.

You say you are envious today, but what if you become jealous in the future?
"Husband, I think the Du family needs to keep a low profile after all."

Du Jing refused and said, "Grandpa and Mom, what are you whispering about?"

"You're talking bad about Azhu." Du Wulang said happily.

In the following days, on the way from Gantang Posthouse to Luoyang City, Xue Yunniang always tried to please Princess Boping intentionally or unintentionally, and would often bring her snacks that Du Wulang had painstakingly collected in various counties and cities they passed through.

Seeing her like this, Du Wulang joked with her, "You are not seeking advancement in the court, so why are you trying to build relationships like others?"

"It's not about building relationships." Xue Yunniang said, "I just think the princess is too lonely."

"alone?"

"She grew up in the imperial palace and had no friends except Princess Hezheng. This time she went to Luoyang, and Princess Tangchang, who was closest to her, couldn't go because of illness. Others avoided Princess Hezheng and didn't dare to interact with them."

Du Wulang heard this and silently handed over a pack of Fuling cakes he had just bought from the county town, saying, "Then you can bring these to them to eat."

This matter was originally nothing, but when he was about to go to sleep that night, he suddenly thought of what Xue Yunniang said that day.

"Princess Tangchang is ill?"

Du Wulang murmured this detail, and then thought of Zhang Yi's death, and a shadow fell on his heart.

He suddenly lost his happy state and felt resentful. He was unable to play like he did in the past few days.

Not long after, the team finally arrived in Luoyang.

After experiencing the war, the city of Luoyang looked much more dilapidated than during the Tianbao period, with a large number of people dying and displaced.

Du Wulang looked up and saw that the black marks left by the fire on the city wall had been washed away by the rain and covered with a layer of moss, like a scar that had healed but the marks were still visible.

The officials who came to welcome the event wanted to show the prosperity of Luoyang as much as possible, but the sense of desolation could not be concealed. Even if all the people in the city came to watch, it was still far from the grand occasion of Chang'an City where thousands of people emptied the streets.

People pointed and talked, their expressions revealing a cautious expectation and a mixture of worry.

Du Wulang looked from the carriage, curious about what they were discussing.

You know, the last time the Tang emperor went to Luoyang for dinner was in the 23rd year of Kaiyuan. It has been 26 years since then, and only a few people still remember what happened back then.

Perhaps he is looking forward to the many opportunities that the emperor's visit to the east will bring to this city?
~~
The house that the Du family bought in Daodefang is still there, but it has not been taken care of for many years and is now in a state of desolation.

Someone suggested that Du Youlin buy a mansion in Qinghuafang, on the north bank of the Luo River, closer to the imperial city and close to Taipei City, but Du Wulang persuaded him not to do so.

When he moved in this time, Du Youlin saw that the house had a bad orientation and couldn't help but start complaining again.

"I am the Prime Minister of a country after all. How can I live in this small house with a north-facing door?"

"Our house in Chang'an isn't that great, it's long and narrow, not square, and I've lived here for many years but my grandfather still won't let me move out." Du Wulang said disapprovingly, "Although my family has made some money over the years, we can save it and use it slowly after we retire."

"You unfilial son, you're not going to stop until you piss me off to death." Du Youlin emphasized again, "I still have some work to do and I have no intention of retiring."

"I don't know why Grandpa went to court so hard every day. It's nothing more than the price of tea increased from 30 coins per pound to 6 guan per pound. You said the taste was very different every day, but I couldn't taste it at all. Nowadays, roasted tea is sold at this price. Tea cakes used to be sold at this price."

Du Youlin was furious and said, "Am I doing this for that little bit of enjoyment? I am doing this for the ambition of serving the country and benefiting the people!"

Hearing this, Du Wulang hesitated to speak, secretly complaining: "Grandpa has only this little talent, yet he still wants to manage the country and benefit the people."

He didn't want to be an eyesore at home. He changed his clothes and went out alone, wandering around Luoyang City.

Although Luoyang City is not as magnificent as Chang'an, the scenery is beautiful in another way. The streets are not so regular, with more bluestone paths, painted bridges and flowing water.

Du Wulang deliberately walked along the Luo River for a while and saw a constant stream of merchant ships on the river.

This reminded him of an analogy he had overheard from Xue Bai, which was that the canal transport was like blood, and the faster the blood circulated, the faster a person would recover, and the same was true for the Tang Dynasty.

Although Luoyang is in decline now, it will surely rise again gradually with the development of water transportation.

As he was walking, a servant suddenly stopped him and said with a smile: "My dear, come and have a drink and listen to the music. The songs and dances in our house are from the imperial music school. You can listen to them for just two cents for tea. Although it is not as good as the pleasure you get from the brothels, it is important to moisten your lungs, soothe your ears, and enjoy yourself for a long time."

After hearing this, Du Wulang went in, but when he looked around, he realized that he had to pay two cents for tea only to sit at a table with others in the lobby, and the whole place smelled of sweat and feet. He scratched his head in embarrassment.

Although he did not spend money recklessly, he was, after all, a son of a noble family, and was in a state of mind where he was not stingy but would still spend frugally.

"My dear, would you like a seat upstairs?"

"Lead the way."

He went upstairs and chose a small seat by the window with a view of the Luo River. He ordered some tea and food, and spent 47 coins. As for the private rooms upstairs, there must be better ones, but since he came alone, there was no need for that.

"Why don't you try the crystal duck gizzards in the Bidian restaurant?"

"It sounds like a cold dish, I won't eat it." Du Wulang said, "Let me try your snacks first."

"Order more food to enjoy the show. Our actors are praised by Du Lang."

"Which Dulang?"

"My dear, haven't you heard of this? 'Du Lang doesn't know how to play music, but one song brings him a fortune'. It's about Du Wulang from Chang'an, who turned the music school into a business."

"I see. I want to see it first."

The servant originally thought that he was a man who could spend money, but he didn't expect that his fingers were so tight. He retreated disappointedly, still grumbling behind his back.

Du Wulang did not care and was enjoying himself. From his spot he could even see the performance in the lobby. Although the performance was exaggerated by the servants, it was actually just someone singing a new play.

After a play was over, someone came on stage to dance with a sword, and then the actors came on stage to thank the performers. The female lead was not pretty, she could only be described as pretty and charming, but the play was indeed good.

At this time, the servant came over with a lot of flowers and asked at each table if they wanted to buy flowers as gifts for the actors performing on the stage. He was also smart and did not go to the lobby downstairs, but only looked for these wealthy guests sitting in the elegant seats.

If you buy flowers, you will get a shout from the shop owner.

"Liu Shiqilang from Jiafang presented fifty peonies to Qiong Niang!"

The spectators in the lobby began to cheer. Although they only spent two cents, they had a full cup of tea, watched the performance, joined in the fun, and even praised the wealthy guests upstairs to add to the atmosphere.

Du Wulang felt amused in his heart, as these were all leftovers from when he had reformed the music school.

As for where he learned it from? It was nothing more than what Xue Bai told him.

Soon, the servant came to him and asked, "If you like the show, why don't you buy some flowers?"

"How much?"

"Twenty cents a plant."

"I'm not buying anything. I'm just browsing."

"My dear, do you think today's play is not good? If you have any advice, we will be very grateful."

"I don't have any advice for you." Du Wulang said, "I just..."

He just didn't want to spend the money, thinking it was unnecessary just to show off, but he didn't know how to ask for it and was in a very difficult situation.

After thinking about it, he decided to say that he had something going on at home, but it would be a pity to waste the red date cake that he hadn't finished eating.

At this moment, someone suddenly said, "I'll buy ten for him."

Du Wulang turned his head and saw a young man coming down from upstairs. Although he was dressed simply, the material was soft and smooth. He had no extra ornaments on his body, but the jade pendant around his waist was of pure color and finely carved. It was the best of the best.

This man was from a rich family, but he was well-spoken, and obviously came from a famous family. After he spoke, he raised his hand, and the servant nodded and agreed, without really asking for money. He just said, "Then put it on Cui Lang's account." "Okay."

"No thanks." Du Wulang said, "Why bother you to spend money? I'll buy it for you."

"Brother, don't be polite. Money is a vulgar thing. If you talk too much about it, you will be inferior." The young man smiled and waved his hand, and asked, "Brother, are you from Chang'an?"

"Yeah, is my accent that obvious?"

"The emperor is visiting the east now, so there must be many dignitaries coming to the east. I'm afraid this store owner will pester them and offend them unintentionally."

Du Wulang said, "So that's why you came forward. You're kind-hearted. But do I look like someone who would be unhappy about such a thing?"

"Brother, you are not surprised by honor or disgrace. You are an ordinary person, but you can live in peace in the market. You can tell at first glance that you are a remarkable person."

"How do you know?" Du Wulang was greatly surprised. "Is my temperament so obvious?"

He thought he would hear some extraordinary answer, but the young man smiled and said, "Earlier, I watched the emperor enter the city and saw you in the team."

"Ah? I see."

Du Wulang thought about it and realized that he was left behind because he was taking his daughter out to play. It didn't matter, so he said, "Oh, my family is an official, a small official, and I am just an idle official's son."

"I am from Anping, my name is Cui Dong, and my courtesy name is Mingxi." The young man crossed his arms and saluted, introducing himself, "I am the 39th in my family. You can call me Cui Sanjiu or Mingxi."

Du Wulang was a little embarrassed, so he had to say: "Jingzhao, Ji... Jiji, you can just call me Ji Wulang."

He bowed and wanted to turn around and leave, but Cui Dong had already sat down opposite him and had someone bring another pot of fine wine.

"Brother Ji must think the opera here is just average, right?"

Du Wulang said: "Not really, it's just that spending money to buy flowers is just vanity, which I don't think is real."

Cui Dong clapped his hands and said, "Brother Ji, you see things clearly. People in this world are busy and busy, seeking success and wealth, always trying to prove that they are better than others, but it is such a pity to waste their lives on economics and official careers."

These words made Du Wulang feel like he had found a soulmate, so he started chatting with him, and the two of them got along very well.

~~
A few days later, Du Wulang and Cui Dong had become very good friends. Both of them liked traveling, so Cui Dong invited Du Wulang to visit Cui's villa in Shou'an County and visit the nearby Xianglu Mountain, Changgu and other places.

The villa is located on Jinping Mountain in the south of the county. Looking up, you can see twelve peaks hanging in the sky like brocade, which is very spectacular.

Cui Dong and Du Wulang rode side by side, talking to each other, saying, "Empress Wu once visited this place, and the word 'Jinping' was given by her."

"It's a great place, surrounded by mountains and water." Du Wulang asked, "How long will it take to get to your villa?"

"We've already arrived." Cui Dong turned around and pointed, no one knew where he was pointing, and said, "We entered Jinping Villa half an hour ago."

"Ok."

After riding for another half an hour, they finally entered a large mansion at the foot of the mountain.

As soon as I entered the door, I saw the four big words "Jinping Qiguan" written by Wu Zetian herself.

Later, Du Wulang chatted with the servants at home and learned that Cui Dong’s great-grandfather was Cui Xinggong, a famous official in the early Tang Dynasty, who had compiled the "Four Books" with Wei Zheng.

Cui Dong's family belongs to the eldest branch of the Bo Ling Cui family, and was originally even more prominent. However, after being deliberately suppressed by several generations of emperors of the Tang Dynasty, they now act very low-key.

It turns out that the four words "Jinping Wonder" seemed to express Wu Zetian's admiration, but in fact these four words were used to demarcate half of the Cui family's land in Shou'an County.

Cui Youfu, who was appointed to office together with Xue Bai, was the magistrate of Shou'an County. The Cui family was also helping out behind the scenes in this matter. Although the blood relationship is distant, the mutual help between families is indispensable for everything done these days.

The day after Du Wulang moved in, the young men of the Cui family hosted a banquet to welcome him.

They were drinking tea and discussing poetry in a bamboo forest with elegant shadows of the wind, which was very much in the style of Wei and Jin Dynasties. Du Wulang felt that he had become much more elegant.

He had always wanted Du Youlin to retire, and that was the kind of life he had imagined.

Gradually, the group of people started talking about state affairs, and the first thing they couldn't avoid talking about was the emperor's meal in Luoyang.

What surprised Du Wulang was that their view was not that food could bring prosperity to Luoyang, but that it was a decline in national strength.

"During the reign of Emperor Xuanzong, the country was prosperous and the granaries were full through the use of the grain transport and the purchase of grain. But in the end, a rebellion broke out and we fought back."

"After all, not every emperor can rule a prosperous era like Emperor Xuanzong did."

"Or the famous ministers in the court are dying out, and I can't think of a better way..."

Du Wulang originally suspected that Cui Dong approached him deliberately, but after hearing these words, he finally confirmed that Cui Dong didn't know his identity at all.

Among the Cui family's children, Cui Dong is the one who cares least about economic career. When others were discussing state affairs, he just listened and gave Du Wulang an apologetic look.

When these Cui family members commented on the emperor, they showed no fear and even had a condescending attitude.

It was not directed at Xue Bai, but because the Five Surnames and Seven Families have always looked down on the Li family.

"The current emperor is still talented, but he is broad-minded but not deep-rooted. He was able to quell the An-Shi Rebellion because the Tang Dynasty was still strong and he had good luck. As for the national policies he has implemented since he ascended the throne, it can be seen that he is hesitant to make changes."

"Yes, the imperial court wanted to collect more taxes, but they didn't dare to say it openly, so they collected them through the salt and tea monopolies. As a result, the prices of salt and tea have risen sharply now, right?"

"It's a little slower this year. It's obvious that the court is suppressing the price of salt. I heard that the emperor is now favoring Liu Yan and is distancing himself from Yuan Zai. This can be seen from the grain transport and warehouse construction."

"Liu Yan's 'storing warehouses along the water' is not necessarily much better than Yuan Zai's hasty warehouse building. The real key is that when Liu Yan was in charge of the salt monopoly, he often left a portion of the profits to the salt merchants, always suppressing the salt price."

"This must be more in line with the emperor's wishes. The emperor deliberately took out fried tea and brewed tea in order to use the tea monopoly to make up for the tax revenue and lower the price of salt."

"Using the money from the tea monopoly to replace part of the money from the salt monopoly is nothing more than trying to make the rich tea drinkers and the big tea merchants pay more and collect less money from the poor salt eaters."

"That being said, I believe it won't affect Uncle Wu's business, right?"

The Cui family members were chatting with each other, but Du Wulang was shocked when he heard them.

He considered himself to be a close minister of the emperor. Even if he had not eaten pork, he had seen pigs run. He should have a deep understanding of the situation in the world, at least better than these young people who had not yet entered officialdom or had just entered officialdom.

Unexpectedly, these people's insight into national policy was much sharper than his.

He observed carefully for a long time and he didn't recognize any of these people, and was sure that none of them held high positions in the court.

So where did their news come from?
"So, I don't believe that the emperor went to Luoyang to seek food because there was a shortage of food in Chang'an. It must be because of Yanshi."

Hearing this, Du Wulang couldn't help but ask, "Master Yan?"

"Brother Ji, don't you know? The emperor once served as the commander of Yanshi, and many of his private businesses also started in Henan Province. In Luoyang, he has more control than in Chang'an."

Du Wulang was stunned and didn't know what to say.

The Cui family members then continued chatting.

"Just like Empress Wu in the Eastern Capital."

"Yes, Empress Wu proclaimed herself emperor in the Eastern Capital, so the current emperor must have carried out reforms in the Eastern Capital."

"Spring seedling loan."

"I bet that no matter how well the imperial court does, when it comes to the local areas, the Spring Seedling Loan will be used by some people to lend money at high interest rates. If ordinary farmers want to take this money, they will have to pay an additional one or two cents of interest."

Du Wulang asked: "Why?"

The man who asserted this smiled bitterly and said, "That's how the world works."

Cui Dong was bored and pulled Du Wulang, saying, "Let's not talk about career and economy with them. Let's go enjoy the bamboo sea."

"Sanshijiulang, the imperial court now pays more attention to the imperial examination. It has been confirmed that there will be an imperial examination this year. Your essay is good, why don't you give it a try?"

Cui Dong said, “No need.”

Du Wulang also wanted to hear the Cui family's opinions on Chunmiaodai from their perspective. Although he was pulled by Cui Dong, he still turned back.

At this moment, a servant who had been serving nearby suddenly asked a question.

"Seventeenth brother, I heard that there is an additional provincial examination this year. Anyone can take it regardless of their status, even servants. Is that true?"

Cui Shiqilang glanced at the servant boy indifferently without saying a word, his eyes clearly reminding him that he had no right to speak here.

The servant was shocked and said hurriedly, "I know my crime."

But Cui Shiqilang still said nothing, and seemed to be still angry. It seemed that he was about to be punished.

"Yan Fang, follow me." Cui Dong said.

With these words, the servant named Yan Fang felt relieved and hurriedly caught up with Cui Dong and Du Wulang.

When Du Wulang heard the name, he couldn't help but remember that he once had a servant named Duan Yan. So he looked at Yan Fang carefully and found that although they had one character in the same name, they were completely different people.

Duan Yan is lazy, greedy, muddle-headed, righteous and loyal; Yan Fang, on the other hand, has a tense expression and behaves very properly.

"Why do you have to ask Shiqilang those questions?" Cui Dong patiently explained, "The official list says 'regardless of household registration', which means anyone with any household registration can take the exam. But you are not a naturalized person, and you have only read a few books, how can you pass the exam?"

"I want to try it."

"I know you have high aspirations." Cui Dong smiled and said, "How about this, I'll ask Uncle Ba later and find a good job for you."

Yan Fang was originally looking at Cui Dong with expectant eyes, but after hearing what he said, he became disappointed.

He knew that this so-called job was still to work for the Cui family.

After hearing this, Du Wulang decided to go back and ask Xue Bai what this "not restricted by household registration" meant.

(End of this chapter)