Chastity Layman

  Chapter 54 Avalokitesvara Maid

  East Palace, Lizheng Hall.

   This is the main hall of the Prince’s bedroom in the East Palace. Behind the hall is a lotus pond of more than ten acres, and there is a water pavilion between the lotus ponds. Zheng Guanyin, the abandoned princess, liked quietness very much, so she built this water pavilion very elegantly and comfortably. There are green gauze curtains, soft beds, and tea stove scriptures inside. It is very elegant to drink tea and read books here.

  The eldest grandson of the new Crown Princess, nicknamed Guanyin Maid, liked this place very much when she entered the East Palace. Especially in this summer, the waterside pavilion is like a small island in a lotus pond, with tall willow trees planted all over it, and the green willows are shaded, making the waterside pavilion cool and ventilated, making it very comfortable.

  At this time, Guanyin's maidservant was making tea. The nobles and bureaucrats of the Tang Dynasty loved drinking tea, and even formed a very complicated method of making tea. Avalokitesvara is very patient. She first sandwiches the tea cakes and roasts them on a small fire. When the tea cakes give off a slightly pleasant scent, she uses a tea mill to grind the roasted tea cakes into powder, and then Use a tea sieve to filter the tea powder, and finally put it into the boiling water on the stove next to it, and drink it after the tea soup has boiled three times.

   "Put some salted onion, **** and jujube, more orange peel, mint, and some dogwood." Li Shimin reminded his wife.

  Guanyin's servant persuaded, "His Royal Highness, you have to drink tea cleanly. You have to drink tea with its original taste, instead of adding various spicy and spicy flavors. It will have no original taste of tea when you drink it. It is no different from the waste water in the ditch."

  Li Shimin shook his head.

   "If this tea is only brewed for a light drink, it will really fade out like a bird. It's better to drink buttermilk."

  He already has the blood of the Xianbei Hu people, and he is also a general on horseback, so like many nobles in the north at this time, he doesn't like drinking tea very much, but prefers buttermilk. At this time in the Tang Dynasty, buttermilk was boiled and concentrated from cow, sheep or camel milk, and then it was processed into a drink, which also generally contained a little alcohol.

   This unique drink is very popular among Guanzhong people at this time, especially the upper class nobles, especially the generals from Guanlong.

On the contrary, tea is actually more popular among scholar-bureaucrats. The tea-drinking style first emerged among the scholar-bureaucrats in the Eastern Jin Dynasty, and then slowly spread to the Kanto region with Buddhism, until it finally influenced the north with the great prosperity of Buddhism, making people The north also began to rise in tea drinking.

"Your Majesty thinks that tea is bitter, but in fact, tea is bitter first and then sweet, with a long aftertaste. You have to taste it carefully." Avalokitesvara's maidservant poured the finely ground tea into boiling water. Take the tea soup, add nothing, not even a little salt.

   Li Shimin frowned, holding a teacup as if holding a bowl of medicine.

"Why don't you learn from that Qin San, I heard that he drinks tea even more weirdly, so he specially went to that tea merchant to buy the loose tea, and brewed it directly with boiling water without roasting, grinding or boiling. Complete leaves." Li Shimin was a little dissatisfied when talking about Qin Lang, "Why buy tea like that, it's better to just plant a tea tree in the yard, and pick a few pieces of tea from the tree to brew when you want to drink."

   Guanyin's maidservant smiled slightly, took a sip of tea from the teacup, and savored it carefully.

   There is no mixture of various spices and seasonings, and you can taste the pure tea fragrance.

   "Erlang, my concubine thinks that you have gone too far with Qin Sanlang."

   "Passed?" Li Shimin was stunned.

  He put down the teacup, "Passed alone? Maid Guanyin, tell me, why did you pass alone? It was Qin San who passed, but you turned your elbow outward."

  The maidservant of Guanyin persuaded her husband, "Erlang, no matter what, is Qin Lang a hero in calming the chaos?"

   Li Shimin clicked his tongue, which he could not refute.

   "Qin Lang is indeed a hero for Jingchao."

Although Qin Lang was young, he was not a confidant in the Qin Palace, he had not fought side by side with him for many years, and he had not endured those pressures with him, but just three days before the palace change, Qin Qiong entered the East Palace alone in a dangerous situation. On the day of the palace change, if Qin Qiong hadn't secretly dispatched Xuanjiaqi from the Weishui camp, or Qin Lang had organized prisoners and rangers to help Xuanwu at the critical moment. Even if he killed Jiancheng and Yuanji took control of the emperor that day, once the palace soldiers captured the Xuanwu Gate and entered the Taiji Palace, Li Shimin and the hundreds of people in the palace at that time would still have to die. of.

   Not to mention that Qin Lang also rescued Hongyi Palace and protected his wife and children that day.

It is precisely because of these credits that after Li Shimin obtained the power to control Chang'an's soldiers and horses, he immediately named Qin Qiong as the General of the Left Guard. Shangzhu country.

  You should know that up to this time, although Li Shimin has also conferred new official positions such as Cheng Yaojin and Yu Chigong, most of them are the Sixth Commander of the Eastern Palace, and only generals in the Twelve Guards.

   No one has conferred meritorious service.

"Your Highness also said that Qin Qiong and Qin Lang's father and son were extremely skilled and played a key role in helping His Highness calm the chaos, so he made an exception and rewarded their father and son immediately afterwards. But why is Your Highness so irrational now because Qin Lang refused His Highness's marriage offer? , Punish Qin Lang like this? How will Qin Qiong and his son think about being dismissed from three posts in one day and demoted to the third rank? Will it chill the hearts of the heroes, and will the other heroes be secretly dissatisfied?"

  Li Shimin frowned urgently, "Can't I punish him?"

   "Of course your Highness can, but you have to be careful. Although Chang'an is stable now, the world is not."

Although it is said that Li Jing, the general manager of Lingzhou, has congratulated Li Shimin for expressing his allegiance to the prince, he also said that the Turkic invasion of Wucheng was not a large-scale attack by the Turks, but a separate private event set up by Yu She, the nephew of the Turkic Jieli Khan. Action, so Li Jing himself can deal with it.

   And Li Ji from Hedong also expressed his loyalty by presenting congratulations.

   But what people worry about now are Yan Wang Li Yi in the northwest of Chang'an, Lujiang King Li Yuan in Youzhou, and Youzhou Governor Speng Guogong Wang Junkuo.

   Li Yi, formerly known as Luo Yi, was a general on the border of Youzhou in the Sui Dynasty. He was well-known and feared by the Northern Yi. At the end of the Sui Dynasty, he submitted to the Tang Dynasty early on, so he was given the surname Li by Li Yuan, and he was named King of Yan County. Later, the troops were transferred to Guanzhong, and now they are guarding Jingzhou.

  Originally Yuanji was going to command the Northern Expedition, and Li Yi was the deputy commander, so he set up a battalion in Jingzhou and mobilized troops, horses, money and food. Right now, Li Yi is sitting in Jingzhou, with a large number of troops.

  What worries Li Shimin and others the most is that Li Yi has always been arrogant because of his self-reliance, and has had a grudge with Li Shimin long ago. But the prince wanted to win him over, so Li Yi has always been the prince's best friend.

"The location of Jingzhou is very critical. Although Turkic Jieli Khan has not aggressively invaded the south, Yu Sheshe is the nephew of Chuluo Khan's son Jieli. Now it is located in the south of Turkic, occupying many places in Hetao, especially supporting The Liang divisions in Shuofang all rebelled against the Tang Dynasty. If Li Yi rebelled in Jingzhou, it would be tantamount to a stab in the heart of my Datang. Not only would it directly threaten Chang'an, but also Hexi, Longyou, Ling Wu and other places will also be lost as much as possible."

  Avalokitesvara is not a woman who likes to interfere in external government affairs, but right now she has to remind her husband that although the Jingchao has succeeded, it is not too early to be happy. You can't mess with a great hero just because of a small matter, it will chill people's hearts.

   "This Li Yi, I have to get rid of him sooner or later." Li Shimin and Li Yi are not a small feud. Li Shimin was the general of Tiance back then, but Li Yi still didn't take him seriously.

   "Your Highness, if you can't bear it for a little bit, you can make big plans. You should be tolerant towards Li Yi, and you should be more tolerant towards Qin Lang. You can tell who is the enemy and who is the friend."

Li Shimin nodded, his wife's words are correct, no matter how Qin Lang disobeyed him, he would still be his hero in calming the chaos, especially the son of Qin Qiong, the number one general under his command, compared to Li Yina, he would definitely not be one of his own , which is just a hidden danger.

   "Thank you Guanyin servant for waking me up, otherwise I would have made a big mistake. Alas, I was just a little annoyed for a while, but I was confused. I will give an order to restore Qin Lang's title."

  The Guanyin servant girl stopped him again.

   "Your Highness, you are not joking, and there is no reason for government orders to be volatile. Your Highness just dismissed Qin Lang yesterday, and if he reinstates him today, it would be too childish, and it would also damage the majesty of the Crown Prince."

   "Then what do you say?"

  Li Shimin and Guanyin Maid have been husband and wife for more than ten years, and Guanyin Maid married him at the age of thirteen. The couple have been loving and respecting each other along the way. Although Li Shimin is now the prince, many things can still be persuaded by Guanyin Maid.

"The issue of the title can be put aside for the time being. When the meritorious officials of the Jingchao will discuss their merits and rewards later, His Highness will reward Qin Lang for his meritorious deeds. At that time, the title will be restored or changed, or it will be given to the real one. Feng Shiyi is also good. Now Qin Lang can be re-assigned a job, not only to appease the Qin family, but also to let the government and the public understand that His Highness treats heroes generously. At the same time, this is also a way to make the best of his talents. Qin Sanlang is a capable person. It is a pity that His Highness does not use it. It's gone." Guanyin's servant girl made a suggestion.

  Yongan Square, Qin Family.

   "Weigong wine really lives up to its reputation, it's a good wine!" Ma Zhou, a drunkard, blushed after drinking, applauding repeatedly.

Even Qin Lang, who is not very good at wine, thinks that Wei's home brew is really delicious. This wine is really much better than most wines brewed by Tang people. First of all, it is clean, and the wine is clear and not cloudy , Many Tang wines are actually called turbid wine, which means that there are many impurities, which are not good-looking and affect the taste. You have to sieve the wine before drinking.

  This Weigong wine tastes very mellow, without any miscellaneous taste, neither sweet nor greasy nor bitter. It is very pure rice wine, but it has a sweet aftertaste. After drinking it, it will warm your stomach.

  I didn't feel anything special at the first sip, but the more I drank it, the more I wanted to drink it, and the more I drank it, the better it tasted.

  Qin Lang felt a bit like drinking old winter wine made by his grandfather in his hometown when he was a child.

Wei Zheng said somewhat proudly, "The uniqueness of this wine in my family is actually in the koji. The recipe of the koji in my family has been passed down for generations, and each generation has been researched and improved, and then the best glutinous rice is used. , and the best wine is only brewed on the two days of winter solstice and Qingming every year, and finally there is this wine."

   "Exquisite, it really is worthy of the famous Wei's home brew in Chang'an." Qin Lang also blushed from drinking, and praised repeatedly. The key to rice wine, in addition to the raw materials and weather, the koji is indeed an extremely key point.

  Ma Zhou hugged the wine jar and said, "That's right, this Weigong wine is priceless in Chang'an, and it's hard to drink a glass. They say that a bucket of gold is not worth a sip of Weigong wine."

Qin Lang's eyes lit up when he heard this, "Wei Gong, why don't we form a partnership, you are responsible for providing distiller's yeast and technical guidance, and I am responsible for providing manpower for brewing and sales. If we earn money, let's add two to one and make five, how about sharing the money together? At that time, we will sell this Weigong wine all over the world, and the money will roll in, and won't we make a lot of money?"

  But Wei Zheng shook his head without thinking.

   "Weigong wine is brewed by Wei's family, not a winery."

   "Wei Gong..."

  Wei Zheng didn't listen to the persuasion at all, and directly refused the cooperation proposal. For Wei Zheng, drinking and talking about wine can be very elegant, but talking about selling wine to make money is vulgar.

  Qin Lang was speechless, wouldn't it be good to make some money, wouldn't it be nice to have money to buy chicken legs? Wouldn’t it be nice to buy a few orchids from the Western Regions and Silla maidservants?

   What a dead-headed person, even if he has money, he doesn't know how to make money.

   What's so vulgar about talking about money? Isn't it good to be vulgar? Do you want to eat wind and drink dew to be a fairy? Since you are an ordinary person, you have to eat, drink, and scatter. They all have emotions and desires. How nice it is to be a layman who is greedy for money, lustful, and free.

   Holding the wine glass in his hand, Qin Lang was thinking, well you Wei Zheng didn't give face, or I can do it by myself. Without your Weigong wine recipe, I can make Qingong wine, or just try distilled liquor?

The more Qin Lang thought about it, the more excited he became. He was worrying about not having a source of income. Although he already had a house in Chang'an City, there were more than a dozen people in the mansion. We couldn't just count on Yuxiao to bring them. It's a bit private.

   Ah Huang came in.

   "Sanlang, the Cheng family brothers and the Yuchi family brothers are here."

Cheng Chumo and Yuchi Baoqi came in, looked left and right, sniffed, "good wine, my brothers were still worried about you just now, I thought you were dismissed from office, now you will be very depressed and uncomfortable, I can't think of you Pour it here and drink it happily."

"Don't talk nonsense, let me give you a few introductions. This is Prince Zhan and the chief bookkeeper Wei Gong Wei Xuancheng. This is my guest Ma Zhou and King Ma Bin. This is the Wei Gong wine brought by Wei Gong. Come and taste it quickly. .” Qin Lang smiled and greeted a few guys to sit down.

  Cheng Chumo stepped forward and deliberately raised the knife in his hand, "Oh, where do I put my thousand-sword knife? It's not good to drink with it."

   "Hey, brother Chumo still carries a sword with him wherever he goes?" Qin Lang asked.

  Chu Mo said proudly, "My sword is a real thousand-ox sword. Brother, I just received a thousand-ox sword to prepare my body, so I can get it without a sword. I kept my brother in mind, so I came directly with the sword."

  Qin Lang heard that this guy has been emphasizing the importance of preparing his body.

   "In the morning, he was the prince Qianniu, but now he is Qianniu, and he has been promoted several levels in a row."

"Actually, I still borrowed from you, Saburo. There are twelve members of Qianniu Beishen, one radish and one pit. Aren't you exempt from Qianniu Beishen and take back Qianniu's knife, so I made up for it. Take a look, is this the knife you handed back?" Chu Mo proudly raised the knife.

Qin Lang was not at ease, and said with a smile, "Come on, just a thousand bulls ready to look at you makes you so happy that you don't know how much you weigh, no matter how poor you are, you are still the majestic founding county magistrate of Licheng. "

  Chu laughed silently, "In the future, the dukedom of my father's country will also be given to me."

  Cheng Chumo picked up Qin Lang's vacancy and was promoted to Qianniu Beishen, Yuchi Baolin was granted the title of Head of the North Gate, Yuchi Baolin was awarded Qianniu Beishen, these guys were all promoted.

   "Come on, brother, I'm showing off. Damn, each person will be punished with three cups." Qin Lang raised the wine jar and threw it in front of several people, "Drink!"

  (end of this chapter)