I don't know when there was an anecdote in Chang'an City. A new street was built in Bachuan in the north of the city. Different from the vertical and horizontal layout of Chang'an Lifang, Bachuan Fang City was composed of two rows of shops facing each other, forming a long street about one mile long.
The long street is built along the lake. It not only has a stage for singing, prostitutes' opera, lake fresh food shop, wine and teahouses, but also a close-up view of the river, fishing on the shore, and boating in the lake. Moreover, it is not as crowded as the city, and there is no need to
Observe the curfew and it is a good place to escape the summer heat and enjoy leisure and entertainment.
At first, not many people went there. Later, people who went there and came back praised the beautiful scenery and delicacies of Bachuan to their neighbors. As a result, the number of tourists and travelers in Bachuan Market increased.
The third day of July, Chang'an North, Guandao.
Yin Yu sat in the carriage, opened the curtains, looked at the scenery outside the window excitedly, and said: "Madam, Chang'an is crowded and noisy. If you stay here for a long time, you may get sick. Bachuan is much more comfortable."
Yang Yuhuan, who was riding in the same carriage, came close to Yin Yu, looked out the window, and said with a smile: "I have been to Bachuan, where the water, sky and lake are beautiful. Although it is beautiful, it is desolate."
Yin Yu: "That was in the past, Bachuan is so lively now!"
After hearing this, Yang Yuhuan looked a little disbelieving, but did not refute.
Under the escort of a group of military guards, chamberlains and maidservants, the carriage slowly moved along the official road and finally reached the pass of the Bachuan Trail.
The carriage slowly stopped, and I saw that at the pass of the trail, someone had built a new gate, and there were soldiers with swords standing on both sides of the gate, inspecting the tourists coming and going.
Yang Yuhuan was confused and asked Yin Yu.
The latter said: "In the newly established Bachuanfang City, house signs must be checked when entering and exiting to prevent criminals from getting in. In addition to the gates here, there are three others, one in each of the other three in Fang City.
Direction, there are usually rangers patrolling the area."
Yang Yuhuan was a little surprised when he heard this, and asked: "What does that city look like, and why is it so heavily guarded?"
Yin Yu said: "It is normal to be heavily guarded. After all, we are not in the city, so we must be careful."
As she spoke, she took off another jade plaque from her waist and handed it into the hands of the chamberlain.
The chamberlain showed the jade token to the guard at the gate. The latter just glanced at it, quickly ran to move the horse away, and bowed to invite the carriage in.
Yang Yuhuan was curious when he saw this. When the chamberlain returned the jade plaque, he asked to take a look. He saw that the word "zhou" was engraved on the front of the plaque, and the number and hidden symbols were engraved on the back.
Yin Yu said with a smile: "This brand belongs to Zhou Ze. I asked Madam Yu Jun to borrow it for use. It's better than wasting words and wasting time here."
Yang Yuhuan nodded, returned the sign to Yin Yu, and said: "Everyone in Chang'an City knows about Zhou Ze and Yu Junniang. Earlier, Sanlang was so grateful for the deep love between the two that he specially recruited Zhou Ze to meet him in the palace.
When he came back, he told me that the elder of the Zhou family is upright and steady in his actions. Although he is not a clever scholar, he is a capable person and can be used."
When Yin Yu heard this, there was a hint of envy in her tone: "Mother Yu Jun is also blessed from her previous life. She has found a good husband who will never leave her, even if she doesn't even have to give up her life."
Yang Yuhuan looked at Yin Yu and asked teasingly: "What? Do you want to get married?"
Yin Yu was speechless.
Yang Yuhuan: "You are fifteen, and Sanlang also told me that it is time to find a good husband for you."
Yin Yu still didn't speak.
Yang Yuhuan frowned and said: "Are you still thinking about that Zhou Lang? Last time you made a big fuss in the palace and made San Lang very angry. It's not like you don't know. Listen to Yu Huan.
I mean, although it’s good to be alone, it also depends on fate.”
Yin Yu looked out the window and suddenly asked: "Where are you, Mrs. Yuhuan?"
Yang Yuhuan was startled: "Me? What's wrong with me?"
Yin Yu: "Are you and your father together because of love or because of fate?"
When Yang Yuhuan heard this question, he was stunned for a moment, thought for a while, and then said: "Sanlang and I are not only in love, but also fate."
Yin Yu: "I don't understand."
Yang Yuhuan sighed and said: "I have heard rumors in the market that Yuhuan was originally a woman, but she was greedy for power and wanted to climb high, so she showed herself to the saint. In fact, it is not like that."
"Before I met your father, King Shou treated Yuhuan very well and provided impeccable accommodation and food. Over the years, he and I treated each other with respect and never had a single quarrel. However, as a husband and wife, after getting along,
Although they are destined, they are not alone in love. They are as indifferent to each other, more like passers-by living together."
Yin Yu asked curiously: "What about you and your father?"
Yang Yuhuan: "As the emperor, Sanlang not only composed music together with Yuhuan, but also devoted himself to me. He once told me that because of Yuhuan, the inner court did not select him for a long time, and only favored one person. Therefore,
He and I are not only in love, but also fate."
Yin Yu sighed after hearing this.
The carriage followed the Bachuan Trail and arrived at the entrance of Fangshi. Noisy voices came from outside the carriage.
Yang Yuhuan put on his curtain hat, followed Yin Yu, got off the carriage, and saw a long market built by the lake in Bachuan.
Different from the courtyards in and out of Chang'an City, the buildings in Bachuan Market are all small buildings connected by eaves. They are closely connected with each other and look densely packed, with no end visible at a glance.
At the entrance of the market and on both sides of the road, the first thing you can see is the department store, which is full of cloth shops, umbrella shops, utensils and other shops.
After passing the department store, and walking a little further, there are restaurants and restaurants. Looking up, you can see a lot of government officials, businessmen, family members, scholars and students out for fun, sitting on the eaves of the second floor, facing the view of Bachuan Lake, chanting
Compose poems, drink and dine.
Yin Yu took Yang Yuhuan and continued walking forward to the center of the market.
There is a courtyard built here, which is wider than other places.
To the east of the courtyard, close to the lake, is a boathouse entrance, where painted boats and shed boats are docked for tourists to go boating, fishing, or to enjoy the scenery by boat.
To the west of the courtyard is a stage made of wood and stone. The audience has already been crowded under the stage, waiting eagerly for the curtain to open.
Yin Yu waved to Yang Yuhuan and said: "Come with me quickly, the play is about to begin!"
A group of people entered a restaurant next to the stage.
As soon as Yin Yu entered the door, he showed the jade sign to the store owner, and was then led to a private room on the second floor.
Yang Yuhuan walked into the elegant room and saw the unique decoration inside, including music, chess, calligraphy and painting, and incense and cauldrons. He couldn't help but said: "There is such an elegant place in Bachuan."
Yin Yu opened the bamboo curtain on the terrace of the private room and ordered others to guard the door. Then she said to Yang Yuhuan: "This is a private room reserved for the Zhou family alone. No one comes in on weekdays."
Yang Yuhuan asked in surprise: "A private room reserved for the Zhou family? Then who built this restaurant?"
Yin Yu: "The three continents of Bachuan and this city are owned by Pang Zhonghe. However, he is old and has inconvenient legs and feet, so the steward here is actually Zhou Langhe."
Yang Yuhuan said, "That's it."
Yin Yu lay on the window and looked in the direction of the stage attentively.
Yang Yuhuan came over and looked at it, and asked: "What drama are you playing today?"
Yin Yu: "Du Shiniang sank the treasure chest in anger."
Yang Yuhuan: "Du Shiniang sank the treasure chest in anger? The title of the play is interesting, I have never heard of it."
Yin Yu: "I heard that it was a newly written play by Han Xiao, and it was performed for the first time today."
Yang Yuhuan was very interested: "Hanxiao layman? Is he the main writer of "Butterfly Lovers"?"
At this moment, there was a knock on the door, and a store owner brought in a menu.
When Yin Yu heard this, she patted her forehead and said, "I was so focused on watching the show that I almost forgot to eat."
Asking the maid to fetch the menu, Yin Yu put it on the table and asked Yang Yuhuan: "What do you want to eat, madam?"
Yang Yuhuan opened the menu and looked at it. The more he looked at it, the more confused he became: "Walking around the world, rich in money, rising to prominence... What kind of dishes are these?"
Yin Yu picked up the chicken pen on the table, first circled "Wandering Rivers and Lakes", then circled "Red Cloud Fire", then circled "Pingbu Qingyun", and finally ordered some snacks and Hu cakes.
After finishing writing, Yin Yu handed the menu out and sat at the window again waiting to watch the show.
Yang Yuhuan looked confused for a while, but didn't know what to ask.
After a long time, the curtain slowly opened, and Miss Bai came on stage. She first gave a four-way salute and then sang a quotation. There was a sudden burst of cheers and applause from the audience.
Yang Yuhuan and Yin Yu were lying at the window, listening to the sound of a gong, and the whole opera officially began.
The plot of "Du Shiniang Angered and Sinking the Treasure Chest" is not complicated. If it can be boiled down, it is just one sentence - a loving girl meets a ruthless man.
The famous prostitute Du Shiniang had the ambition to be a good person, but she was worried that she would meet someone unkind, so she put all her savings in a hundred treasure chests, and only said that she was poor to the outside world.
Du Shiniang met Li Jia, a scholar. After some tests, she felt that the latter could be entrusted to her for life, so Du Shiniang withdrew some of her savings and asked Li Jia to borrow money. Finally, she paid the ransom fee and the two returned home together.
While taking a boat on the way, a wealthy businessman coveted Du Shiniang's beauty, so he persuaded Li Jia to sell Du Shiniang to him for a thousand guan on the grounds that her family background was not worthy of her.
When Du Shiniang learned about this, she was devastated. She first took out the treasure box and angrily scolded the betrayer, then threw the treasure box into the lake, and then committed suicide.
This story may seem commonplace now, but in the Tang Dynasty, the story of a courtesan being too affectionate and a scholar being unfaithful was unprecedented.
Therefore, after the performance of this play, the audience was filled with indignation and wished they could go up and tear the heartless man to pieces.
Yin Yu was lying on the window sill, wiping tears while throwing the chess pieces on the table at the actors on the stage.
Still not relieved, Yin Yu wanted to get the inkstone, but luckily Yang Yuhuan held her back.
When the opera came to an end, Yin Yu cried and asked Yang Yuhuan, whose eyes were red: "Ms. Yuhuan, are there really such heartless people in the world?"
Yang Yuhuan grew up in a walled courtyard. He heard from his servants some stories about chaos and abandonment, but he always half-believed it and said, "It's just a play."
The two girls talked about opera together for a while. A maid came outside the door and asked if they could pass on the food.
Yin Yu also watched the show and shed tears. She was very hungry, so she answered.
After a while, one dish after another was presented.
Yang Yuhuan took a closer look and found that wandering in the rivers and lakes turned out to be braised fish, burning red clouds was sheep tripe, and walking in the blue clouds was green lotus leaves.
Although she knew all the ingredients, she had never seen the cooking method of the dishes. Every dish was blanched in thick oil, which looked completely different from the usual cooking method.
Yin Yu said hello and started eating with her chopsticks.
Seeing this, Yang Yuhuan hesitated for a moment, but finally couldn't help it, picked up a piece of fish and put it into his mouth.
With just this mouthful, she opened her eyes wide and couldn't help but said hello.
Seeing this, Yin Yu asked with a smile: "Is it delicious? This is a unique dish here in Bachuan."
Yang Yuhuan didn't bother to talk, took a mouthful of belly silk, swallowed it, and praised again.
A few plates of food went into the mouths of the two girls in a short time.
After eating these, Yang Yuhuan put down his chopsticks, let out a long sigh, and then said to the door: "Please come over and talk to the store owner."
The waiter outside the door responded.
Not long after, the store owner arrived at the door and said hello.
Yang Yuhuan asked: "Why are the dishes in your store so different from other restaurants?"
The store owner said respectfully: "The store uses some secret methods for cooking, all of which were taught by Zhou Erlang."
Yang Yuhuan: "Zhou Lang? Zhou Jun and Zhou Hengcai?"
Storekeeper: "Yes."
Yang Yuhuan: "What exactly is the method?"
The shopkeeper bowed and said: "This cooking method is the foundation of a small shop. If it is spread to others, it will ruin your job. Please forgive me."
Yang Yuhuan said oh.
Yin Yu came close to Yang Yuhuan and whispered: "Madam, don't blame me. When Zhou Jun comes back, I will ask him to tell you the cooking method himself."
Yang Yuhuan smiled, shook his head and stopped asking.