It is the twelfth lunar month, and although snowflakes are constantly falling in Beijing, the streets are still very lively. In other words, the most lively thing in Beijing is the autumn harvest and the winter storage.
The capital is the most prosperous place, and materials from all over the world are gathered there, so much so that there is a saying in the capital that "Beijing was brought here by drifting".
Because the southern grain from Huguang makes the officials, the army, and the harem worry-free; the northern grain from Shandong and Zhili supplies the people in the capital.
Salt comes from Changlu Saltworks, silk brocades, cotton clothes and silks come from Nanzhili; porcelain incense burners come from Jingdezhen; horses and lambs come from the northwest and Liaodong.
In medicine, a large number of medicinal materials come from Anguo, Hebei and Bozhou, Anhui.
The wind and snow were howling, but it was hard to beat the bustle of the inn.
Several businessmen sat around, eating the recently popular mutton hot pot, and suddenly felt warm and connected.
"Guys, this is yellow mutton from Datong. You can get it for fifty yuan per kilogram. It's juicy and tasty. Add some soybean sauce to it. Oh, it's so delicious."
The businessman at the head of the table pointed to the hot pot and the paper-thin pieces of mutton that were presented and praised: "I heard that this way of eating came from the imperial palace. Who in Beijing wouldn't imitate it?"
As he said that, he picked it up with chopsticks, not caring about burning it, and wrapped it in his mouth.
"Yellow sheep?" The fat-faced businessman on the side chuckled and said: "There are at most 10,000 yellow sheep in Datong a year, how can we take our turn?"
"I can't tell whose family raised it."
"Hey, you don't know." The sharp-tongued businessman shook his head and said, "It seems like three or five years have passed since you went to Nanjing. The best mutton in Beijing now is the yellow sheep sent from Chifeng.
."
"As for the Datong yellow sheep? All the sheep in Suiyuan say they are Datong sheep, so it's our turn."
"Is that so?" The fat-faced businessman was stunned and shook his head helplessly: "It's better to stay in the capital and be comfortable, where there are all kinds of delicacies in the world."
As he spoke, he listed the treasures of his family: "Dongting tangerines, Fujian lychees, longans, Yongcheng dried dates, Dingshan chestnuts, Yunnan cistanche, Suzhou fermented bean curd, Kaifeng egg pine cones, Suzhou pine nuts and jujube paste sesame cakes, Sichuan lychee pancakes..."
"Good guy, if you wander around Beijing, you can eat all the delicious food in the world——"
The businessman sitting in the main seat also put down his bowl and chopsticks at this time, with a face full of approval: "That's true, I heard that there was a plague in Datong Xuanfu half a year ago, and the price of medicinal materials has skyrocketed, and there is no place to buy it, but if this is the case in Beijing,
, you have to use a big cart to pull it——"
"So, in this world, even if you are a dog, you have to go to Beijing. The taste and benefits will be more than anywhere else."
A few people said it rudely, but the diners nearby nodded.
No matter how hard it is, it cannot hurt the people of Beijing, and no matter how hungry it is, it cannot starve the city of Beijing.
"As the old saying goes, the east is rich and the west is noble, the south is poor and the north is poor. And with such benefits, even a tile-roofed house in Nancheng costs 300 pieces of silver!"
"At this price, people would be reluctant to sell it."
"Hey, dear, this is Tianjin, but you can buy a small courtyard that you can enter!"
The merchants were all speechless, and the nearby diners also listened with interest, not to mention the sense of pride in their hearts.
The waiter heard this with interest. Suddenly, with sharp eyes, he caught a glimpse of a carriage through the crack of the window, and immediately ran out to meet it:
"Are you going to work as a prostitute or stay in a hotel?"
As expected of a capital city, all the waiters in the store are dressed in cotton-padded clothes.
An old man who was nearly fifty years old got off the carriage. He was wearing a half-worn cotton robe that was neatly combed. He got off the carriage directly.
Looking up, the four big characters of Yuelai Inn were mostly covered by wind and snow, and the cover had long since frozen solid.
"Do you have a hotel room?" At this time, a tall man stepped forward.
"Yes, yes." The waiter nodded quickly.
"Come to two good guest rooms and a lower room, take the horses to the stables, feed them more concentrated feed, and by the way, prepare a table with three dishes and one soup for me -"
"Okay -" After accepting the two silver coins, the waiter said with a smile: "You can stay directly until the day after tomorrow, and the meals will be paid separately..."
How expensive!
The young man glanced behind him. The old man nodded slightly, and then he said: "That's enough."
So, the servant came in from the backyard with the carriage, and the old man and the young man went directly into the inn.
As soon as I opened the door curtain, a wave of heat hit my face.
Not long after the two sat down, a servant came over and the food was served.
Looking at several hot pot tables nearby, the young man couldn't help but ask: "Man, what is this?"
"You don't know, but this is a popular way of eating recently. It's called hot pot. It's eaten with mutton. Not to mention how delicious it is."
The waiter hurriedly asked: "Do you want to try it?"
"No need." At this time, the old man sitting in the chair spoke, his weathered face full of rejection.
"Teacher, the style of this capital is very different from that of Shaanxi." Young Guo Mi couldn't help but admire in a low voice.
Gu Yanwu couldn't help but echoed at this time: "The capital has abundant food and supplies, and is the best in the world."
"However, this kind of prosperity is only caused by the supply of materials in the world. One city consumes no less than one province. Even if there is no Beijing, there are Nanjing, Tokyo, etc...."
After traveling around the world for a long time, Gu Yanwu went through many hardships, but this was the first time he came to Beijing, and he was quite touched for a while.
In fact, the sudden selection of him as historian was beyond everyone's expectations, and Gu Yanwu himself couldn't react.
When he wanted to refuse, the disciples, relatives and friends around him tried to persuade him one by one, so he had no choice but to agree.
During this period of time, his mood had calmed down, and he thought to himself that his travels to the north and south of the Yangtze River were like searching for the reasons for the fall of the Ming Dynasty. Now that he was a historian, he had not been let down.
The next day, Gu Yanwu took his student Guo Mi to the Zhao Mansion to seek an audience.
It was rumored that he was appointed as the historian this time because of the recommendation of the chief assistant. Later, when Gu Yanwu inquired, it was true.
He is not a pedantic person, and he still understands the courtesy.
At this time, outside the Zhao Mansion, that is, the gate of Duke Fu's Mansion, there was a long queue of civil and military officers waiting to see him, all wanting to see the chief minister.
Gu Yanwu sighed in his heart, but handed over the name card and a silver dollar.
He still obeyed the rules and lined up directly.
"Is this all you do?" Seeing Gu Yanwu's attitude, the man on the body couldn't help but said: "Brother, do you dare to give me a dollar?"
"One dollar is a lot." Gu Yanwu said with a faint smile.
"Hey, in front of Shouxu's door, even ten yuan is still a starting point." The man said helplessly:
"I am the nephew of the First Assistant Wet Nurse. I only paid twenty yuan for this. There is no chance that I will ever see him again."
"You, I'm afraid you have to wait until the end of time."
Suddenly, the side door of the palace was opened.
The man was frightened, like a vulture seeing a dying animal. He took three steps and two steps, his face flushed and he squeezed forward, trying to rush towards the threshold that symbolized the future.
Unfortunately, the servants were experienced and quickly stabilized the situation.
Gu Yanwu looked at this farce and felt more and more ridiculous in his heart, and his desire to enter the officialdom became less and less.
"Is Mr. Gu from Kunshan here?"
"Is Mr. Tinglin here?"
The butler called diligently by different names and looked around, as if looking for his sweetheart.
Gu Yanwu stepped forward, raised his head and said, "I'm here, Gu Yanwu."
"My master invites you, come with me quickly——"
The butler was overjoyed and quickly and carefully led the way, crossed the threshold, and entered the dreamy little door.
At this moment, everyone was shocked.
Including the wet nurse's nephew, they were stunned and regretful.
The Duke's mansion was large in scale, but it was gorgeous and restrained, without any sense of excess or extravagance. This made Gu Yanwu couldn't help but nod:
He is worthy of being the first civil servant to assist the emperor.
"Mr. Huating, I have heard of his name for a long time. It is really a great blessing for Zhao to meet him today."
Zhao Shu was wearing a casual robe, and her long hair was pinned up by a jade hairpin. Obviously it was still bathing time.
Gu Yanwu complimented him, and the two sat down and started talking about compiling history.
"Your Majesty has established a new history museum and is preparing to compile the history of the pre-Ming Dynasty..."
Zhao Shu eloquently said: "When the History of the Ming Dynasty is compiled, the History of the Yuan Dynasty will also organize manpower to compile it. I am old and weak, so I can only supervise the revision as the chief executive..."
Good guy, the CEO of two history books...
When Gu Yanwu heard this, he took a deep breath.
He was completely sour.
Why does this sound so uncomfortable?
After talking about some ideas for compiling history, Zhao Shu emphasized that the report must be impartial and impartial, and no one should hide it for the sake of the emperor. The emperor only required the word fairness.
"Sir, you are a great talent. The position of historian must be yours."
Zhao Shu summed it up by touching his hand and calling: "Tomorrow, there will be a message in the palace. You can prepare for an interview first -"
"How can I be so virtuous and capable as to cause Your Majesty to worry about you?"
Gu Yanwu felt that he had been shocked a lot that day, and now he seemed to be slightly calmer.
Damn it, this is an audience with the emperor!
He has long wanted to meet this man who regained the country and revitalized the Ming Dynasty.
You must know that the number of common people in the world who can be received by the emperor can be counted on one hand.
"Your Majesty has longed for Sir for a long time..."
After leaving these words, Zhao Shu served tea to see off the guests.
Gu Yanwu left the Duke's Mansion, sitting on the carriage and wandering around with all his thoughts on his mind.
The roads in Beijing are wide and flat, and pedestrians and vehicles move on the right side in an orderly manner.
As for the snow on the road, it had long since been shoveled away and truckloads of it were transported outside the city.
After he returned to the inn, he found a remote location and listened to the words of the guests while thinking deeply.
"Brother, maybe we can share a table?"
While he was closing his eyes and concentrating, a voice suddenly came from his ears.
I saw two men in their forties walking towards them. They were polite and had a certain aura in their words.
When Gu Yanwu saw them, he immediately realized that the two of them were officials.
One of them surprised him.
How can you be an official with a scar on your face?
"sit down!"
Gu Yanwu smiled, doubts rising in his heart.
The two people in front of them also sat down unceremoniously.
"To tell you the truth, the mutton hot pot here is the most authentic. I heard that the shopkeeper has connections and can get Datong yellow mutton——"
Huang Zongxi sat down and said something to Gu Yanwu:
"I am Huang Zongxi, courtesy name Taichong, from Yuyao, Zhejiang."
As he said that, he pointed to the scarred Wang Fuzhi beside him: "This person's name is Wang Fuzhi, his courtesy name is Ernong, and he is from Hengyang County, Huguang."
"I am Gu Yanwu, a native of Kunshan, Nanzhili."
Gu Yanwu was astonished. How could anyone introduce himself to his family immediately?
"It's really Mr. Tinglin."
Huang Zongxi was overjoyed and hurriedly bowed respectfully: "I heard that Mr. Xiang came to Beijing to serve as a historian. We specially searched for him. Unexpectedly, it turned out to be true."
Gu Yanwu was shocked: "How do you know me?"
Wang Fuzhi on the side said: "After Mr. visited Zhao Daizhou (Zhao Shu's hometown), we just passed by. We followed him all the way and looked for several stores before we found it."
"No -" Gu Yanwu exclaimed and laughed, "Now the whereabouts are exposed."
"It's still early for the two of us. I'm afraid that after a while, there will be an endless stream of people coming to visit. It's better for you, sir, to make some plans early."
Wang Fuzhi suggested.
"That's all, if the soldiers come to block it, if the water comes and the soil comes to cover it, it will come sooner or later." Gu Yanwu shook his head and said to the two of them:
"You can't hide in the capital from now on."
"It's just that, as expected, this Mr. Wang should be a member of the officialdom. What's wrong?"
Wang Fuzhi was helpless, and Huang Zongxi explained with a smile: "In order to save his father, Brother Wang had to cut his cheek to avoid the Western thieves..."
After this explanation, Gu Yanwu instantly fell in love with Wang Euzhi.
Seeing this, Huang and Wang also started asking questions. The more they talked, the more they felt about some of Huang Zongxi's opinions.
For a moment, it was almost dark.
The three of them were still unfinished.
"Unknowingly, I and you two actually feel like confidants——"
Although Gu Yanwu has the highest reputation among the three, he is also the most surprised.
After visiting the world in these years, his thoughts seemed to be almost nothing. He never thought that he would see it today.
For a moment, he actually had an idea in his mind:
The biggest gain from this trip north is not the position of historian, but these two close friends, right?
At this time, in the Forbidden City, Zhu Yixi was reviewing the draft.
The cabinet takes turns to take a day off, but as an emperor, he takes a day off all year round, which is really miserable.
But I have no choice but to work for myself, so I can only work hard without complaint.
At this time, Dongchang Admiral Yang Le entered quietly. After seeing the emperor who was attentive, he notified Liu Afu.
The latter nodded, but made no move.
After a while, when the emperor was resting, he took advantage of the break and said, "Sir, Admiral Sheep is here."
"Oh? Let him come over."
Soon, Yang Le came to the emperor and said respectfully: "Your Majesty, after Gu Yanwu arrived yesterday, he went to see the chief assistant today. The two had a very happy chat..."
"knew."
Hearing Gu Yanwu's name, Zhu Yixi's whole body perked up and she felt a hundred times more energetic.
"Give him a message and come to the palace tomorrow -"
"yes!"
While we were chatting here, a eunuch suddenly came quickly. Liu Afu frowned and hurried over: "Damn you, I'll beat your ass for disturbing His Majesty."
"Daddy, good news from the northwest——"
The eunuch trembled and pointed outside: "The messenger has arrived in the imperial city."
Liu Afu was shocked and quickly went up to report.