Chapter 81 Chapter 18: Sweeping Snow and Cooking Tea on a Hot Summer Day

At three poles in the sun, three cannons were heard outside the yamen of Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department. Immediately, the yamen opened wide, and a line of yamen guards of honor walked out from the yard, surrounded by a large sedan chair carrying eight people.In the sedan chair sat Hu Zigao, the salt censor of the Huaihe River and Huaihe River.The sedan chair left the Xunfeng Lane in front of the Yamen of the Salt Transport Department, carried it across the Tongsi Bridge, went up the South Street, and meandered towards the Xiaodongmen.At this time, the city was full of noise and crowds, hearing the sound of shouting, pedestrians avoided one after another, stood on the side of the street, watching the majesty of Lord Xunyan Yushi going out.

Since the establishment of the capital in the Sui Dynasty, Yangzhou has been prosperous until now.There are two reasons for its prosperity: First, it is located between the Jianghuai River and the Huaihe River. The canal from Hangzhou to Beijing Tongzhou passes through here, and it is the intersection of the north and south water veins.The canal is also known as the Caohe River. Because of the favorable location and the convenience of jurisdiction, the governor's office of the Canal Transport is located in Yangzhou.The second is the coastal waters, where all the people in the country cook the sea for salt, which is very profitable.The total annual salt production in the country is about 3 million yin, and Yangzhou alone has 700,000 yin.Therefore, the first of the eight major patrolling salt censors in the country is the Lianghuai Salt Transportation Department in Yangzhou, the founder of the state.Both Caohe and the salt industry are the economic lifelines of the imperial court, and these two major yamen are located in Yangzhou.As the saying goes, the southeast is the fertile land of China, and Yangzhou is the hub of the southeast.After the Sui, Tang, Song and Yuan Dynasties, to the present day of the Zhu Ming Dynasty, this Yangzhou is much more prosperous than the previous generation, which was glamorous and ecstatic.Some people describe that Yangzhou is full of misty houses, full of beautiful wine and charming children, and the city's aura of wealth, beauty, luxury and arrogance makes foreign tourists smack their tongues.

If Yangzhou City is a paradise, then the paradise in the paradise is the little Qinhuai in front of Xiaodongmen.This little Qinhuai exits from Longtou Pass in the south, and exits from Dadongmen Shui Pass in the north. Both ends are connected to the canal.People in Yangzhou are used to calling the canal Guanhe.The Yinguan River flows into the city, with a water distance of about eight miles. It was called Shihe in ancient times.On both sides of the city river, most of them are the villas of rich salt merchants or the secret rooms of the river houses of beautiful actresses and courtesans.At night, the boats on the river are like crucian carp, and there are thousands of lanterns on both sides of the river.Furong Luoqi's eyes are full of brilliance, and the music of silk and bamboo is endless.Being in it, I really don't know what night it is.Because the Qinhuai River in Nanjing is famous all over the world, this place is named after the Little Qinhuai River.

After about two quarters, Hu Zigao's sedan chair passed Shuangqiao Lane under Xiaodongmen, entered a grand mansion, and stopped in the sedan chair hall.As soon as he stepped out of the sedan chair door, he saw a middle-aged man Xizizi who was wearing a collared stone blue satin gown came forward to greet him, bowed deeply to Hu Zigao, and said respectfully: "Shao is here waiting for Mr. Hu." Needless to say, this Shao is Shao Daxia.He was still in the capital a month ago.After getting Zhang Juzheng's letter of recommendation from Wang Zhuan, Governor of Water Transport through Yuniang, he set off for Yangzhou.After a short rest for two days, he sent his housekeeper to the Governor's Mansion of Water Transport to assassinate him.After Wang Zhuan read the letter from Shoufu, he took the initiative to meet Shao Daxia. This Wang Zhuan was promoted from Beijing Xuncheng Yushi to Yangzhou. , and even managed more than a hundred thousand Cao troops.Therefore, among the many officials in Yangzhou City, he is naturally the most powerful.Shao Daxia was originally a well-known figure in Yangzhou City, but now he has climbed up to the backstage of Wang Zhuan, and he is even more powerful.Although Hu Zigao thought he had Feng Bao as his backer and didn't pay attention to ordinary officials, he knew that Wang Zhuan was the celebrity of the first assistant Zhang Juzheng, so he was in awe of him.When he heard that Shao Daxia had become Wang Zhuan's guest, he couldn't help being suspicious, he didn't know what was going on, but he didn't dare to neglect.When he received Shao Daxia's invitation to visit Shao's mansion, he readily agreed.

Shao Daxia has houses in Nanjing, Suzhou, and Yangzhou. In terms of scale and power, the biggest other business is the Shao Mansion in Yangzhou, which is next to the small Qinhuai River.It covers an area of ​​about 100 feet along the river, and has its own dock for going down the river.The neighbors of the Shao Mansion are all great salt merchants from Huizhou, and they are considered wealthy figures, but their mansions are still a little inferior compared to this Shao Mansion.The most worth showing off of this Shao Mansion is its fan hall facing the river.If you look at the Shao Mansion's living room facing the river from the Qiaolou of the Xiaodongmen, its work is like a large fan spread out on the side of the Xiaoqinhuai River.Not only is the house like a large fan, but on the side facing the water, no matter its three doors or thirty-six windows, they are all made in the shape of a fan.Ye Lai lit sixty-four large palace lanterns in the living room. Looking from the river, there were thirty-nine large and small light fans, shining brightly and brightly, becoming the most unique scenic spot in Little Qinhuai.Because of this scene, people directly refer to Shao's Mansion as Shanting Mansion.Hu Zigao was originally a seasoned veteran. According to his temperament, he should have become a regular visitor to Shanting Mansion long ago, but he knew that Shao Daxia was Gao Gong's friend in the world, and Gao Gong was Feng Bao's deadly enemy. He refused to associate with Shao Daxia.Now that he has Wang Zhuan as his friend, he let go of his scruples and wants to have some fun in this hall.

After getting out of the sedan chair, he was comfortable listening to Shao Daxia's polite words. He habitually brushed off his official sleeves and replied with a smile: "Mr. Shao, I've heard of your name a long time ago. I didn't expect you to look like this." Shao Daxia grinned and asked, "What does Lord Hu think I, Shao, should look like?" "Not like Zhang Fei, but also like Li Kui." "Why?" "Aren't you a famous hero in the south of the Yangtze River?" After a few jokes, the two of them no longer felt separate from each other.Hu Zigao walked into the fan hall led by Shao Daxia.Before Hu Zigao took his seat, he browsed through the layout of the living room, then looked at the small Qinhuai outside the door, and sighed:

"It is said that the fan hall outside Shao Yuanwai is unique in Little Qinhuai. Seeing is believing today. It was all piled up with money." "I'm a person with a swollen face to pretend to be fat, so I can put on a face, but I don't have much money in my pocket." "Look, it's the autumn wind that you cried poor before it even started, and you're afraid that I'll beat you up?" Hu Zigao's half-truth and half-false words made Shao Daxia feel a little embarrassed, and he hurriedly explained: "Master Hu, don't misunderstand me. I, Shao, place the most importance on benevolence and righteousness, and take money very lightly."

During the conversation, the two sat down as guests and hosts. At this time, a hunchbacked old servant came up to make tea. He could only look at the ground with his eyes, but he couldn't look up at the sky. It was really embarrassing.Hu Zigao couldn't see it, so he said: "Mr. Shao, since I came to your house, I have met more than a dozen servants, but none of them are spiritual. You have probably spotted all the ugly people in Yangzhou City." "What Master Hu said is very true. All the servants in my house are extremely ugly, and I deliberately searched for them."

"What is your intention?" "In order to make the beauty more beautiful." "That's what I said, but after all, it's unsightly. How can I drink the tea that the old hunchback brewed just now?" "Lord Hu, those are the best spring bamboo shoots in Dongting." "No matter how good the tea is, you won't get it," Hu Zigao said angrily, feeling that Shao Daxia has a quirk, "Mr. Shao, you invited me here just to see these ugly monsters?" "No," Shao Daxia blinked slyly and asked, "Master Hu, what day is today?"

"Seventh of July." "That's right, it's both Qixi Festival and Yulan Festival." "What's the matter with the Qixi Festival, just lie down and watch the Altair and Vega, that's all," Hu Zigao smiled self-deprecatingly, and said, "As for the Yulan Festival, it's a festival for the pretty women in pink, so what does it have to do with me!" "The Yu Lan Festival must be related to Mr. Hu." "Why?" "I invited someone to come for Mr. Hu." "Who?" "You will know when you see it:"

After Shao Daxia finished speaking, he gestured to a short servant with a sunken face and pockmarked face standing at the door. The servant turned and hurried away. After a while, he heard the footsteps of Sesai Sui. A gentle lady walked in with lotus steps.Hu Zigao looked for the reputation and was stunned. This woman was none other than Liu Xianglan, the owner of the Yicui Building by the Qinhuai River in Nanjing.In the sixth year of Longqing, Hu Zigao got acquainted with Liu Xianglan in order to curry favor with Xu Jue.After Xu Jue left, Hu Zigao became a frequent visitor in Yicui Tower, and the meeting of singing and dancing, spent many autumn nights and spring evenings.But after being transferred to Yangzhou, firstly, there was a new love affair, and secondly, after all, it was separated from Nanjing by mountains and rivers. Although the two people still had an old relationship, they never met again.Shao Daxia found out the truth, in order to please Hu Zigao, he sent someone to Nanjing to pick up Liu Xianglan, and chose the Qixi Yulan Festival, so that the two old lovers could meet in the fan hall. "Xianglan, is it really you?" Hu Zigao stood up suddenly. "You, Mr. Hu..." Liu Xianglan was also excited by this sudden encounter. Tears were shining in her eyes, and she seemed to be mourning. "When I first came to Yangzhou to take up the post, everything was laid out anew. I couldn't get out of my hometown and came to Nanjing to see you. I didn't expect that I would go back for two years." Hu Zigao said with shame. "My family thought you were Bao Xinglang, but Mr. Shao said that you entrusted him to send someone to Nanjing to pick me up to Yangzhou. My family was originally full of resentment, but it was washed away all at once:" Liu Xianglan laughed through tears while Hu Zigao heard her words, and was grateful to Shao Daxia for doing good deeds for him. He cast a grateful glance at Shao Daxia and said to Liu Xianglan: "Xianglan, I, Hu, have never forgotten you one day. It's good that you come. Once you come, stay in Yangzhou and don't leave." Seeing the exchange of affection between the two of them, Shao Daxia interjected and said with a smile: "As soon as Miss Liu comes, those beauties in Yangzhou City will probably feel ashamed of themselves and throw themselves into the river." The pockmarked face retreated, and immediately led ten or twenty servants.Under Shao Daxia's arrangement, they stood apart one by one, and let Liu Xianglan stand in the middle.Liu Xianglan wore a lotus-picking skirt, her face was as white as tofu brain, and her figure was tall and well-proportioned. However, those servants were either crooked, with crooked legs, hunchbacks, or toothy eyes, none of them looked like a human figure.But Shao Daxia was so ingenious that he had two sets of servants alone, one set was the people in front of him, which was extremely ugly.There is also a set of handsome boys and beautiful girls, which makes people ecstasy. Today, in order to set off Liu Xianglan, all the ugly servants were moved out.Comparing the two, Liu Xianglan's graceful appearance looks like a fairy.Liu Xianglan looked left and right, and couldn't help laughing, giggling non-stop. Seeing Liu Xianglan for the first time, Hu Zigao only felt that she was still charming, but not glamorous. Now that she was placed among the ugly people, he suddenly realized that Liu Xianglan was more charming and charming than two years ago. What a pleasure it was to suddenly see a delicate lotus flower in the middle of the stem! Hu Zigao didn't care about the dignity of the official, so he walked out of the seat himself, went to take Liu Xianglan's jade hand, pulled her to sit down beside him, and asked her: "Today's Yu Lan meeting, how do you want to live?" "Go to the twenty-four bridge." "Which twenty-four bridge?" "There is no need to ask, 'On a moonlit night at the twenty-four bridges, where can the jade man teach me how to play the flute', that is the twenty-four bridges in Du Mu's poem." Hu Zigao turned to Shao Daxia and said teasingly: "Xianglan has never been to Yangzhou, so she can only follow the map to find out. Shao Yuanwai, do you think so?" Shao Daxia smiled before he could answer, Liu Xianglan asked, "How can you follow the map to find the twenty-four bridge?" Hu Zigao replied conceitedly: "There are many bridges in Yangzhou City. The twenty-four bridges you mentioned are not one bridge, but there are really twenty-four bridges." "Really?" Liu Xianglan was taken aback. Hu Zigao continued: "These twenty-four bridges are the Stone Bridge on Jiushishan Mountain, the Fairy Bridge in Jiufeng Garden, the Xiaojia Bridge in the Spring Flow Painting Boat, the Beauty Bridge at the end of Sweeping Mountain, the Hongqiao on the edge of Juanshi Cave, and the bridge connecting Hangou. Beilai Bridge, Yingen Bridge in Song Dacheng, etc., may I ask Xianglan, which one do you want to visit?" "Are these bridges on the Slender West Lake, or on the Little Qinhuai River?" Liu Xianglan asked earnestly, resting her cheek on her hand. "They're all in Yangzhou City." After Hu Zigao finished speaking, he winked at Shao Daxia.Seeing this detail, Liu Xianglan was worried that Hu Zigao would deceive her, so she asked Shao Daxia: "Official Shao, is what Master Hu said true or false?" "He's kidding you. However, since ancient times, there have been two theories about the twenty-four bridges. One is that there are really twenty-four bridges, and they are all on the Slender West Lake." The servants listened to his speech with their ears open, waved them away, and counted with their fingers, "These twenty-four bridges are Zhuohe Bridge, Tea Garden Bridge, Daming Bridge, Jiuqu Bridge, Xiama Bridge, Workshop Bridge, Xi Maqiao, South Bridge, Ashi Bridge, Zhoujia Bridge, Xiaoshi Bridge, Guangji Bridge, Xinqiao, Kaiming Bridge, Gujia Bridge, Tongming Bridge, Taiping Bridge, Liguo Bridge, Longevity Bridge, Qingyuan Bridge, Yiqiao, Shenqiao Zuoqiao, Sanguangqiao, and Xiamaqiao." Hearing Shao Daxia count out the names of the pile of bridges in one breath, Liu Xianglan secretly admired them. She glanced at Hu Zigao and said angrily: "You bullied my family to never come to Yangzhou, and you lied to me. In fact, you are also a fake Yangzhou. It's not like Mr. Shao really knows." Although Hu Zigao was scolded, he felt at ease.He scratched his ears, and teased, "Actually, Yuan Shao is also lying to you. The real twenty-four bridge is one." "Really?" Liu Xianglan looked at Shao Daxia suspiciously. Shao Daxia replied: "As I said just now, there have always been two theories about the Twenty-Fourth Bridge. There is another saying that the Twenty-Fourth Bridge is just a bridge. , also known as Hongyao Bridge." "Why are there two names?" "Its real name is Wu's Brick Bridge, because Jiang Baishi, a poet of the Song Dynasty, had a sentence in his "Yangzhou Slow" that reads "red medicine by the bridge". Medicine Bridge. However, in my opinion, the Twenty-Fourth Bridge should not be a bridge. In Du Mu's poem, "On a moonlit night at the Twenty-Fourth Bridge, where can the jade man teach me how to play the flute?" It proves that there are twenty-four bridges on the Slender West Lake, if there is only one bridge, is there any need to look for the jade man playing the flute on the bridge?" "Shao Daguan's research is reasonable," Liu Xianglan stretched her head to look at the river outside the window, and said eagerly, "Then let's go boating on the Slender West Lake, from the slave's house to the brick bridge of Wu's house, and play the flute for you." "Can't we go today?" Hu Zigao said. "What's your idea?" Liu Xianglan asked warily. "Don't you like worshiping Buddha? When you are new to a place, you have to ask Buddha and Bodhisattva to bless you before you start playing." "That's true." Liu Xianglan asked, "Where can I worship Buddha in Yangzhou City?" It was Shao Daxia who replied: "Yangzhou City is full of blues, the most famous are the Eight Great Temples, they are Jianlong Temple, Tianning Temple, Fajing Temple, Gaoman Temple, Chongning Temple, Jinghui Temple, Foyuan Temple, Lingjiu Temple When Miss Liu worships Buddha, she must first worship Avalokitesvara." "right." "The Avalokitesvara Bodhisattva in Gaoman Temple is the most spiritual, but the journey is far away. Today may be too late. Choose an auspicious day and let Mr. Hu accompany you. Today, you still enjoy the Yulan Festival." This Yu Lan Festival was originally a festival for women in the south of the Yangtze River. Every year on July 7th, the female relatives of some wealthy families would hire boats to cruise the river at night and put lotus lanterns on.The number of lamps depends entirely on the financial resources of each family.Those from poor families can use one or two lamps, but rich gentry and large households can light up as few as a thousand lamps, and as many as thousands or even tens of thousands of lamps.In the city of Yangzhou, every year during the Yulan Festival, giant merchants and households will put lanterns on the small Qinhuai River at night.The lanterns start at Xu time, and at this time, the small Qinhuai River will be closed, leaving the entire river for the lotus lanterns.At that time, there will be stars, moon and river lanterns every day, and there will be lantern watchers on both sides of the bank.The noise and hustle and bustle continued until dawn.Liu Xianglan has lived by the Qinhuai River in Nanjing for a long time, and enjoys the fun of setting off river lanterns every year. She does not believe that the scene of putting lights on the small Qinhuai River will be more lively than that on the Qinhuai River in Nanjing, so she said: "The Yulan Festival is better in Nanjing." Shao Daxia didn't argue with her, he just asked her: "Miss Liu, how many lanterns do you put out every year for the Yulan Festival?" "I don't have to worry about it myself, someone will let it go for me." This is the truth, Liu Xianglan is a famous prostitute, so many officials and gentry are vying to court her, and every year someone buys lamps for her.Shao Daxia also bought lamps for others, so he knew the scenery, so he asked with a smile: "I know Miss Liu is surrounded by rich young masters. How many of them can buy lamps for you?" "Eight hundred lamps." "Ah, why are you so sour?" Shao Daxia sneered, and said disdainfully, "I knew that there were many cheapskate in Nanjing city, and they didn't have much money, so they wanted to establish a family outside. Miss Liu, you know that Master Hu has done everything for you. How many lamps have you prepared?" "How many?" Liu Xianglan stared at Hu Zigao with big sparkling eyes, and the censor suddenly felt embarrassed, because he had no idea that he would meet Liu Xianglan in the fan hall, let alone buy a lamp for her: he didn't know Shao Daxia Why did he say this, he didn't know how to answer for a while, so it was Shao Daxia who rushed to answer for him: "No more, no less, a total of 10,000 lamps." "Ten thousand lamps?" Liu Xianglan clicked her tongue several times in surprise, and asked, "How much will it cost?" "Money is a trivial matter, only two thousand taels of silver, but Mr. Hu's infatuation with you, Liu Xianglan, cannot be bought by twenty thousand taels of silver." Shao Daxia said, secretly winking at Hu Zigao, deliberately complaining He said, "Master Hu, I, Shao, shouldn't have interrupted these words. Miss Liu didn't come, and you talked about it all day long. Now that you're here, you've prepared so much for her, but you still refuse to confess. Why?" Having said this, Hu Zigao realized that Shao Daxia had prepared ten thousand lotus lanterns for him in advance.He was stunned for a while, and then he praised Shao Daxia in his heart for his ability to handle affairs. He looked like a rough man, but he was actually as careful as a hair.He suddenly felt that he had gained face, and immediately gave a dry cough, and said to Yuru: "As the saying goes, you have to scratch your own itch so that others will praise you. You, member Shao, say how much I miss Xianglan, which is ten times louder than my own noise." It should be said that Shao Daxia's trick of inviting Liu Xianglan was quite successful.When Hu Zigao first came to Shao's residence, he was still a bit put on airs, but now it has only been more than an hour, and he has already regarded Shao Daxia as a close friend in his heart. Shao Daxia saw this, but he still showed humility and flattered Hu Zigao everywhere.Hu Zigao was in a very happy mood as he renewed his old relationship and gained new knowledge. The three of them chatted while drinking tea in the fan hall, and they didn't realize that it was almost noon.Shao Daxia said that there was Bo Yan to entertain him, so he got up and invited them to the dining room next door.Because he drank a lot of tea, Hu Zigao wanted to relieve himself, seeing him looking around, Shao Daxia understood what he meant, so he called a servant and ordered him to lead Master Hu to make it easier. Hu Zigao followed the young man into a side room next to the fan hall. This room was facing the inner garden, and the carved windows were lined with jade-white silk curtains, which looked elegant and clean.The servant opened the door respectfully, and Hu Zigao smelled a refreshing fragrance coming from the room, and immediately felt refreshed, but when he stepped into the door, he was shocked.The walls of the room were empty, except for a naked beauty standing in the middle of the room.He quickly retracted his legs and asked the boy: "What is this for?" The servant said: "Didn't your lord want to relieve yourself?" "It's just for urgency, why did you bring me to this room?" "This is the drowning room." "The drowning room," Hu Zigao looked into the room again, the naked beauty made him dreamy, and he asked again, "Why don't you see the drowning basin?" The servant pointed at the naked beauty: "Isn't it?" "How could it be her?" The boy laughed and said, "Your Excellency, you have misjudged me. This is not a real person, but a wooden sculpture." "what!" Hu Zigao came into the house again, took a closer look, and saw that there was indeed a beautiful woodcarving in front of him, but the carving and painting skills were very exquisite, and he looked no different from a real person.The servant followed in and turned the mechanism hidden on the beauty's back. Immediately, a small hole opened up in the beauty's genitals.The boy said, "My lord, please use it" before bowing and retreating. Hu Zigao came out after untying his hands, thinking to himself: "I, Hu, have been in Yangzhou for two years. I am used to seeing the extravagance of the salt merchants. I didn't expect that Shao Daxia was even worse than them. Just untie a cockroach. Just let you have the feeling of having sex, not to mention other places." Entering the dining room, he made a face at Shao Daxia, and asked: "If it's Miss Liu, what should I do?" "What should I do?" As soon as he asked the question, Shao Daxia immediately thought that it might be a matter of drowning in the room, so he asked with a lewd smile, "Master Hu is talking about convenience?" "Yes!" Shao Daxia replied: "Lord Hu, don't worry, the door is also open to convenience, but men and women are different." "You mean there is another room?" "yes:" Seeing that the two people were talking like guessing riddles, Liu Xianglan asked: "What are you two talking about? Why are you still talking about the slave family?" "It's nothing, it's convenient for yourself and convenient for others." After Hu Zigao finished speaking, the corners of his mouth pulled up and his whole body trembled with laughter. Shao Daxia secretly ridiculed him for being uncommon and strange. After he had laughed enough, he said: "Master Hu, Miss Liu, let's have dinner now." The dining hall of Shao's mansion is next to the fan hall, and it is also by the river.This dining room is very large, and it is not a problem to set up a banquet for ten tables.The side facing the river is full of carved wooden fans, the altar is elegant, clean and dust-free, and you will have an appetite once you enter it: Shao Daxia leads Hu Zigao, Liu Xianglan and three people to sit facing the river, but the hall is empty, not to mention dishes, not even a table, Hu Zigao asked Shao Daxia: "Mr. Shao, what shall we eat?" Shao Daxia replied: "There will be a dining table brought over soon, please take a look at it, the one who likes it just nods, and the dishes on this table will stay, if you don't like it, just show your head and let it be removed." As soon as Shao Daxia finished speaking, a waiter stood at the door of the dining room and asked, "Master, can you eat vegetables now?" "You!" Shao Daxia waved his hand. In an instant, four people brought up a table of dishes, and the waiter sang loudly: "This table is auspicious with dragon and phoenix—" The food table stopped in front of the three of them. The dishes on this table were mainly chicken and snakes. They were either stewed, steamed, cooked or fried. They were all good in shape, color and fragrance. Hu Zigao swallowed a mouthful of saliva, but Liu Xianglan covered her nose and said : "My family never eats snakes, I'm so afraid." "Take it away." Shao Daxia gave an order, and four servants carried the dining table down the hall, and another four servants carried a table through the door, and the waiter loudly announced the menu: "The Wizard of Oz—" The dining table stopped, and Hu Zigao stretched his head to look. It turned out to be a table of duck meat and goose, which was also very delicate.Hu Zigao laughed and said: "The male duck and the goose are indeed the gods of the green field. Isn't it cruel that they have become a blessing in their mouths?" "Then don't eat it." Liu Xianglan added coquettishly. Shao Daxia pouted, and the table was lifted down again.When the third table of dishes was brought up, the waiter shouted again: "Xiaguang Caiyu——" Take a closer look at this table, it is made of quail, starling, thrush and other birds in the sky.Liu Xianglan meant to stay, but Hu Zigao wanted to see how many tables Shao Daxia had prepared, so he waved his hand and signaled to take it down.So after another six or seven tables, when the dishes on the tenth table were brought up, the waiter reported again: "Qinhuai is amazing——" The dishes on this table are all fish and shrimp, all of which are special products of the Little Qinhuai River, such as emerald shrimp, hibiscus fish fillet, golden thread eel shreds, crab powder whitebait, etc., all of which are not bad.Firstly, Liu Xianglan was hungry, secondly, she felt that being too picky would embarrass the host, and thirdly, because the dishes on the table were very suitable for her taste, so she insisted on staying. Hu Zigao followed her wishes and said politely: "Qin Huai is stunning, beautiful and delicious, well, today's Yulan Festival has made a good start." Liu Xianglan gave him a blank look, pouted her lips and said, "Everything you say will change its taste. Shao Daguan's hospitality is so kind, the slave's eyes are firstly opened, and secondly, I feel sorry." "Where is it?" Shao Daxia explained, "It's not about hospitality. I usually eat like this." "Do you eat vegetables every day?" Hu Zigao asked. "yes." "How many tables are prepared?" "Usually ten tables are suitable, if you pay a guest, you can double it." "So, you have prepared twenty tables today?" Shao Daxia nodded, and Hu Zigao sighed: "If Xianglan didn't want to eat this amazing Qinhuai, I would like to experience all the twenty tables of dishes." Liu Xianglan's eyes were wide open, and she said in amazement, "I have never seen such a way of treating guests and such a scene in Nanjing before." Hu Zigao was half showing off and half sighing: "Xianglan, you are confined to Nanjing, and you don't know the size of the world. The enjoyment of salt merchants in Yangzhou is really the best in the world." "I won't argue with you now." Liu Xianglan said and picked up the chopsticks. After lunch, under Shao Daxia's arrangement, Hu Zigao and Liu Xianglan were led to the guest room to rest.There is no need to elaborate on the love between the two of them as before.After the two of them finished their bed and came out to wash and wash, they didn't realize that it was almost Youshi.They met Shao Daxia again in the fan hall, and they didn't feel any embarrassment: Hu Zigao had been playing for half a day, and he was still enjoying himself. He clasped his fists at Shao Daxia and asked: "Mr. Shao, I've been bothering you for half a day. I don't know if there is any other program arrangement next?" Shao Daxia replied: "It's been planned earlier, let's go to Shuanghong Building to have tea now." "What's so special about drinking tea there?" Liu Xianglan asked. Shao Daxia replied courteously: "People who have played in Yangzhou all know a saying, which is called 'skin wraps water during the day, and water wraps skin at night'. This bag of water refers to drinking tea, and water wrapping refers to taking a bath. In Yangzhou City, restaurants and tea shops and Bathhouses and bathrooms can be found everywhere. Every family competes for odds and wins, and it is a place for fun. Let’s just talk about tea shops, there are probably hundreds of them in Yangzhou. The more famous ones are the ones with the gate sedan chair Ermeixuan, Huifangxuan, Wenlan Tianxiang in Jiaochang Street, Fengyuan Garden on the ridge, Pinluxuan in Xiaodongmen, Wenxing Garden in Qionghuaguan Lane, Xiaofanghu in Huayuan Lane, etc. They are all the most famous teahouses. The Shuanghong Tower is on the Beimen Bridge, just out of the city, and it is the connection between the Little Qinhuai River and the Slender West Lake. This Shuanghong Tower is a large garden with towers, pavilions, flowers, trees, bamboo and stones. Quite charming. The east side of the main building can be overlooked, and you can’t see the scenery of lakes and mountains. The tea sets such as cups, plates, spoons and chopsticks upstairs are all exquisite." Shao Daxia is like a treasure, he teased Liu Xianglan, Hu Zigao was also willing to accompany him, the three of them immediately got up from the sedan chair to look at the Shuanghong Tower, and because they were guided by the guards of ceremonies, the road was smooth, and they left the north gate in a while .The owner of this tea shop had been notified a long time ago that he knew that the censor of Yan Yunsi was coming to taste tea, so he cleaned up neatly inside and out, and even vacated the third floor of the main building. It will be a loss, Shao Daxia has already paid the money.Because in public places, Hu Zigao was jealous of the eyes and ears of the city people, so he didn't dare to go wild, so he naturally put on airs, held his head high and kept his chest high, and followed the owner of the teahouse to the third floor, and their entourage were all arranged together. building. The Shuanghong Building is magnificently built, and the third floor is also as wide as three couplets. Originally, there were seven or eight tea tables, but now they are temporarily removed, leaving only a cherry wood carved Eight Immortals table in the middle.At the base of the left wall is a large book case, on which felt has been spread, and paper, pen, ink and inkstone are placed; in front of the base of the right wall is a guzheng, with a furnace of sandalwood next to it.The owner of Shuanghong Building jumped up and down to show his hospitality, and called two girls to perform tea ceremony for Hu Zigao.Hu Zigao is a frequent customer of various restaurants and teahouses in Yangzhou City, and he is an expert in this kind of entertainment. He said to the owner: "You don't need to perform a normal tea ceremony. I just want to ask you, what's so special about this Shuanghong Tower?" "Yes." The shopkeeper replied in the affirmative. "What is it?". "Shoveling snow and cooking tea." Hu Zigao walked around and said: "Sweeping snow and cooking tea is a very charming thing, but in this scorching heat, where is there snow? I just don't know what kind of story you are making up." "It's not a story, it's true." As the shop owner said, he ordered the servants to go down to get the snow. After a while, the two servants came up with a basket of snow. road: "Where does this snow come from?" "In a deep cellar." The owner explained proudly, "In Xiaoke's tea shop, a large cellar more than ten feet deep was dug. Every winter when it snowed, he shoveled some auspicious snow into it. For distinguished guests like your lord, open the cellar and take out some." "The ground in Yangzhou is wet. If you dig such a deep cellar, won't it seep water?" "There must be water seepage, but Xiaoke built a stone cellar, jointed with glutinous rice paste, and the inside is very dry." "You are a caring person, and you should earn this money." Just as Hu Zigao praised it, Liu Xianglan asked again: "There is snow, but how to cook it?" "Great question, Miss." The owner of the store also could see Liu Xianglan's identity, so he called her like this, "Xiao Ke, the tea cooker in Shuanghonglou is very particular about the tea cooking stove, which uses a clay stove. The second is copper Choshi, which must be the old Choshi that has been boiled for more than a thousand times, so that the dryness is completely removed. The third is the fire for cooking tea, which must be fierce and continuous. If it is not wet, it will cause the water to harden and take away the fragrance of the tea. Fourth, the person who cooks the tea must be a boy of seven or eight years old. Only a child can truly experience the artistic conception of sweeping snow and cooking tea." Liu Xianglan was excited when she heard it, and asked: "You mentioned fire just now, but you didn't explain it clearly. What kind of fire is fierce and continuous?" "Use pine hair." "Pine hair? This has to be stored every other year, right?" "That's right, I keep the pine fur away every winter." "This is really interesting," Liu Xianglan clapped her hands and said, "Shopkeeper, go and bring up the clay stove, and let the little boy here make tea for us." "You can't do that. The smoke from the clay stove will make you blind." Seeing Liu Xianglan was a little disappointed, the shopkeeper said again, "The tea is made in the courtyard downstairs. Girls just go to the porch outside the door, and you can enjoy it." can be seen." After hearing this, the three of them went to the veranda and looked down, and sure enough, they saw a clay stove set up under an osmanthus tree, and a child with pronghorn braids lying on the ground, holding a pair of small tongs Fluffing the tandoor.Although the flame cannot be seen, wisps of green smoke curl up from the branches and leaves of the sweet-scented osmanthus tree, elegant and illusory, which attracts people's imagination.At this time, the sun was westward, and the Slender West Lake, surrounded by mountains and water, was bright and quiet. Gulls in the lake fluctuated at different times;Yanliu painted bridges, cornices and ancient trees are all like the light ink of Song and Yuan painters.This boundless and distant scenery made the three of them a little drunk.At this time, the owner of the store respectfully invited Hu Zigao to leave ink. "What to write?" Hu Zigao was eager to try. "If Lord Menghu does not give up, I will give this Shuanghong Tower a couplet." "it is good!" Hu Zigao wanted to show off his skills, so he walked to the desk, stared at Liu Xianglan in a daze, pondered for a while, and then wrote: Flowing water is not the intention of moving customers The sunset is the soul of beauty Before Hu Zigao could finish writing, Shao Daxia yelled "Ok!" This compliment came from the bottom of his heart.He previously thought that Hu Zigao was just a corrupt official, but he didn't expect that there was such a lingering literary thought in his stomach.Liu Xianglan was even more excited when she saw it. She knew that Hu Zigao's emotion was because of her, and there was already a sultry look in her eyes.However, Hu Zigao regarded this appearance as very charming, his eyes were facing each other, and he was burning with desire, and he couldn't help himself.The owner of the store was proficient in writing and ink, and knew that the couplet was well written. Standing on one side, he bowed to the left and bowed to the right, praised and praised, thanked and thanked.At this time, the little boy came up with a bronze Choshi and handed it to the girl performing the tea ceremony. "May I ask what kind of tea Mr. Hu is drinking?" the owner asked. "Choose the best ones, and make two or three of them." After Hu Zigao finished speaking, he suddenly felt that the owner of the store was in the way, and said, "It's none of your business here. You can go downstairs to call for business." The owner of the store knew what was going on, and quickly withdrew.Seeing that the guests were not interested, the girl did not perform the tea ceremony, but made a pot of the best Dongting spring bamboo shoots, Liu'an melon slices and Hangzhou Longjing each.The three of them sat down and enjoyed the scenery while drinking tea. Liu Xianglan looked at the guzheng on the base of the wall, felt itchy for a while, so she walked over and sat down to play a song for the two tea guests.While playing, while singing: Mandarin ducks sleep in the lotus pond, Outside the curtain, purple swallows fly together. The dance and dance in the Yumeiren gazebo are so charming, The lotus-picking boat, the sound of the scull swaying over the back of the green hill, On both sides of the bamboo bridge, there are piles of catkins and flowers. Hi only hi, the shepherd boy rides the flute on the back of a bull, I'm afraid, the wind blows the tourists drunk... Liu Xianglan sang softly, singing Hu Zigao's lust again, his face was red, it seemed that even a hundred thousand King Kong could not be subdued.Shao Daxia also praised Liu Xianglan in his heart as a natural beauty, but he still felt that she was slightly inferior to Yuniang.Thinking of Yuniang, he suddenly felt sour, and his thoughts suddenly became chaotic.At this moment, they suddenly heard footsteps on the stairs in a hurry, and the three of them looked up together, only to see a soap slave wearing a post station livery running up with sweat on his face, holding a special post for the post station in his hand. leather pouch.One can tell at a glance that this is a messenger who specializes in delivering official documents. "Who are you looking for?" Hu Zigao asked. "Find Yuan Shao." Zaoli replied angrily. "I am." Shao Daxia stood up. "Here is a secret document from Beijing Express, please sign for it." As Zaoli spoke, he opened the cowhide bag, took out a sealed secret letter from it, and handed it to Yuanwai Shao respectfully, asking him to sign for receipt.While signing, Shao Daxia asked: "How do you know I'm here?" Zaoli replied: "Young man, go to your mansion first. The people in the mansion said you were here, so I rushed over without stopping." Zaoli took the reward and went away. Shao Daxia opened the letter and shook off the paper. The letter was not long, but only a few words: Shao Yuanwai saw the words as if meeting: Last month, when you came to Beijing, you were lucky to visit him, and we talked with each other, without any pleasure.If there is any clue about the entrusted matter, I hope to tell you quickly.Greetings from Li Gao, the dog.Wu Qingbo Li It turned out to be a letter from Uncle Wu Qing and Li Wei. Shao Daxia read it, thought about it, and handed the letter to Hu Zigao.Just now when Zaoli came in, Hu Zigao thought he was looking for him, but he didn't expect that the receiver was actually Shao Daxia. Historically, the delivery of official documents was limited to the yamen.What's even more strange is that this letter was mailed from the current first royal family.此前闻说首辅张居正亲自写信给漕运总督王篆，要他就近对邵大侠多加照拂，胡自皋已是吃了一惊，今见武清伯李伟的亲笔信，胡自皋更对眼前这位邵大侠产生了敬畏。他没有想到扬州城中还有这等攀龙附凤手眼通天的人物。他把信笺还给邵大侠，不无羡慕地问道： “武清伯李伟有何事托你?” 邵大侠品了一盏六安瓜片，把玩着茶盏半晌不作声。胡自皋看他有难言之隐，又悻悻地说道： “若不便说，就算了。” “胡大人对我邵某如此友契，我还有什么事好瞒着你。”邵大侠旋即一笑，说道，“只是武清伯所托之事，的确有些棘手。” "What is it?" “武清伯与蓟辽总督王崇古大人至为要好，王大人麾下有二十万兵士，今年冬季这二十万兵士的棉衣生意，王大人给了武清伯。” “怎么，武清伯还做生意?”胡自皋瞪大了眼睛。 “谁都不怕银子咬手，纵是皇亲国戚，概莫能外，”邵大侠议论了一句，接着说道，“今年三月间，首辅张居正倡议子粒田征税，皇上颁旨布告天下。一些势豪大户都很有意见，武清伯也大有腹诽，但碍着李太后支持张居正，谁也不敢吭声。这一道决策，使武清伯每年要往外拿大几千两银子，武清伯便想寻些外快，贴补这项亏空。于是，王崇古大人便送给他这个大人情。” “二十万套棉衣，值多少银子?”胡自皋问。 “一两银子一套。” “二十万两银子，这笔生意是不小。”胡自皋心眼儿多，私下一估摸，又问，“是不是武清伯把这笔生意委托给你做?” "yes." “你打算怎么做?” “我要把棉衣做好，于十月底之前运到北京。” “这时间可是有些紧了。” “时间紧还赶得出来，最难办的是银子。” “不是有二十万两银子么，纵让武清伯赚几万两，你也做得成呀。” “如果有银子放出来，武清伯何必舍近就远，大老远要我承担这笔生意呢?““你是说，武清伯不给钱?” “他是说要给，但我不会不知窍，去要他的银子，二十万套棉衣我肯定要帮他做好，但银子，却是一厘一毫也不能收他。” "That……" “胡大人，我想过，这个事我们两人来做。” “如何做?” “你设法为我弄点盐引的批文，把这二十万两银子赚出来。” 邵大侠大献殷勤把胡自皋侍候了一整天，为的就是说出这句话。胡自皋乍一听，不知道自己的好处在哪里，也不慌表态，而是推诿道： “今年户部拨下的盐引总额，已所剩无几，我就是有心帮你，一时间也办不成。” 两人谈这些生意事，柳湘兰不感兴趣，早一个人踅到游廊上，凭栏远眺湖山。邵大侠朝她看了一眼，压低声音说： “胡大人放心，赚出的二十万两银子，你我各一半。我用分到我名下的十万银子，再凑几万两，就能把二十万套棉衣制成。而且，我还会对武清伯讲明，这二十万套棉衣，是你我共同孝敬他老人家的。” 胡自皋心下一盘算：这笔生意下来，不但可赚十万两银子，而且还可攀上武清伯这个高枝。一举两得，何乐而不为?他心下已判了个肯字，但嘴里却还在叫苦： “这事儿可行，但你要的盐引数目太大，一时批不出来。” 话既然已说穿，邵大侠就不再绕弯子，他直通通说道：“胡大人只要肯做，就断没有批不出盐引的事，你是不是不相信我邵某?” “这是哪里话?”胡自皋口气一松说，“这事做起来风险很大，你给我几天时间布置。” “好，那就一言为定。” “一言为定!” 胡自皋此时只恨与邵大侠结识太晚，误了许多发财良机。他哪里知道，方才上楼的那位驿递铺的皂隶是假的，武清伯的信也是他一手捏造。邵大侠为了引他人瓮，故意设计了这个骗局。 此时金乌西坠晚霞渐淡，小秦淮两岸的喧闹声越来越大，盂兰节放河灯的序幕已经拉开。邵大侠办完大事，已是一身轻松，他与胡自皋一起走到游廊，对尚在凭栏的柳湘兰说： “柳姑娘，我们挪个地儿吃晚宴去吧。” “上哪?”柳湘兰问。 “小东门城楼上，那里是看河灯的最佳之处，胡大人为你买的一万盏荷花灯，我已安排手下为你下河飘放。届时，八里之长的小秦淮上，就会飘荡写了柳字儿的河灯。”