In an inconspicuous-looking tavern, a tall and tall man sat.
Wearing a gray suit and carrying a huge bamboo hat on his head.
There were a few guests in the tavern, who were laughing and drinking and playing guessing games. Seeing such a strangely dressed person, everyone lowered their voices.
The capital city of the Ming Dynasty was so mysterious and secretive that it seemed that the patrolling Imperial Guards would not be able to detect anything unusual, making themselves look like heroes.
Either he is really good at martial arts and is not afraid of being rounded up by the Imperial Army.
Or, he is just a person who is not very smart.
But no matter which one it is, ordinary people can't afford it.
People with high martial arts skills generally like to be quiet and make loud noises. If they make the other party unhappy, they may lose their lives in the blink of an eye.
If someone is not very smart, he is more likely to take action because everyone is making noise.
After a few years of peace, who is willing to take action? It is better to do less than to do more. Just keep your voice down.
"Forget it, let's pay and go. I just saw that the man seemed to have a knife on his waist."
"What, a knife? In the capital, where can ordinary people carry knives casually? It must be someone from the government."
"What's the shameful thing about a government official wearing a big hat?"
"Maybe it's some secret mission. We don't want to accidentally overhear it and be killed and silenced."
"Let's go, let's take a break."
The only customer at the table stood up, paid and left because of this person's arrival.
The customers can leave, but I, the shopkeeper, cannot leave.
Not only can't I leave, I have to go up and greet people.
"Sir, what would you like to order?"
"Have a bowl of dry noodles."
"Just a bowl of dry noodles, don't order any dishes, just eat with noodles?"
"No, just a bowl of dry noodles. Just bring it to me."
"Then, would you like some soju to quench your thirst?" the shopkeeper asked again.
"Is your soju used to quench thirst?" The man seemed to be very angry. He yelled, slammed his right hand on the table, and even opened the bamboo hat on his head and threw it on the ground.
This person is none other than Duan Tianming, the commander of the Thirteenth Service of Dongchang.
Yesterday, Xiao Chen arranged for him to disguise himself and go around the outskirts of the city to see if there were any monks who stopped the butcher from killing pigs and catch one.
As soon as I went out, I didn't know who threw rotten vegetable leaves on the ground, a bump on my butt, and my clothes were smashed.
There is only one set of casual clothes, so I can't change them even if I want to.
Although there is also a bright red gown, it is better not to wear this bright red dress in the capital.
As a last resort, I had to change into a smart outfit.
However, this fancy outfit did not look like that of ordinary people, so he simply covered his head with a bamboo hat.
But he didn't expect that with such a dress, he would scare away all the drinking guests.
Thinking that I have no grades today, I just eat a bowl of dry noodles to relieve my stomach.
I once thought that the shopkeeper's verbosity suddenly caused the unknown fire in Duan Tianming's heart to burst out.
The shopkeeper next to him just wanted to do more business, which made Duan Tianming furious.
While being shocked, he hurriedly bowed to apologize.
"Sir, please calm down. I will make you a bowl of dry noodles."
With that said, he was about to leave tremblingly.
"Come back." Duan Tianming shouted.
The shopkeeper hurriedly turned around with a look of panic on his face: "Sir, what are your orders?"
"I don't want that bowl of dry noodles."
"Ah?" The shopkeeper was even more panicked, "Sir, I'll just treat you as a villain and apologize to you. I won't charge you for this bowl of dry noodles."
With that said, he was ready to leave again.
"I said, how did you, the shopkeeper, open the door to do business? I said no, don't you understand? I can't afford the food, so I eat dry noodles?" Duan Tianming became more and more angry as he thought about it.
I dare not say anything else, but I have hundreds of thousands of taels of silver in my hands.
Xiao Chen asked me to take charge of the small treasury in Dongchang. When I go out to do errands, as long as it’s not too outrageous and I eat a few dishes and drink some soju, there’s still no problem.
I have no grades today, and I have no shame in eating meat and drinking wine.
You actually want to give me a bowl of dry noodles? Am I a freeloader?
"No, no, no," the shopkeeper waved his hands hurriedly in fear, "That's not what I mean. What I mean is to apologize to you."
"Okay, don't apologize. I don't want this dry noodles. Give me a bowl of steamed noodles." Duan Tianming said.
Hearing that the other party had just changed his appearance, the shopkeeper's nervousness calmed down a little.
"Sir, do you want meat dumplings or vegetarian dumplings?"
"Big man, what do you want to eat with vegetarian noodles? Give me a bowl of pork noodles."
"Soyzi noodles, they are available in the store. But this big meaty noodles..." The shopkeeper looked embarrassed and did not dare to continue talking with a sad face.
"I've been rambling for a long time, don't you have any feelings?" Duan Tianming was a little angry.
The shopkeeper hunched over, clasping his hands together, picking the fingernails of his right hand with his left hand, and said solemnly: "We haven't bought any pork in the store for two days."
"You don't even have any pork, what kind of tavern do you open? I'm sorry to waste my time here." Duan Tianming stood up angrily, walked a few steps to the side, and picked up the bamboo hat he had thrown away.
, slapped it on the head, and prepared to leave.
Who knows, I was so angry that I didn't notice that a bench under the table next to me stretched out a little too long.
Suddenly it hit my knee, causing numbness and pain.
The nameless fire that Duan Tianming tried so hard to suppress could no longer be controlled. He kicked all the tables in the tavern to the ground with an unknown number of kicks.
The bamboo woven chopstick cage on the table, together with the chopsticks inside, were scattered all over the floor.
The shopkeeper turned pale with fright. He knelt on the ground with a "pop" sound, his head pressed against the floor, and he did not dare to make a sound.
Seeing the other person kneeling in front of him, Duan Tianming suddenly became a little sober.
A day's work without success is your own business, what does it have to do with other people's pubs?
It's not easy for ordinary people to run a business. If someone makes a fuss like this every day, it's better to close down.
He put his right hand into his pocket and touched it, and found two ingots of silver.
Five taels for the big one and two taels for the small one.
I looked around and saw that there was nothing broken, including tables and benches, which I could just lift up.
It was just his actions that scared the shopkeeper.
He picked up five taels of silver and was about to throw it to the shopkeeper, but when he raised his hand, he took it back and exchanged it for two taels of silver.
"This money belongs to Dongchang's small treasury. The brothers in Dongchang usually go out to perform tasks, so they cannot spend it carelessly."
He weighed the two taels of silver in his hand, and with a heart, he threw it towards the shopkeeper: "Take it, this is disturbing your business, so I'll accompany you."
The shopkeeper knelt on the ground, trembling all over.
I originally thought that with how rude Duan Tianming was, he wouldn't smash the tavern to pieces.
Now, I just knocked over the tables and chairs, but I have to pay myself the money.
How dare I accept this money?
He knelt on the ground, straightened his body, and shook his hands vigorously as if his hands were trembling: "I can't do it, I can't do it. The guest officer just knocked over the table and stool and just helped him up. There is no need to compensate."
"That's right." Duan Tianming took a step forward, picked up the two taels of silver on the ground, and put it into his arms.
Then, he turned around again and started to lift the tables and stools one by one.
The shopkeeper quickly got up and walked to Duan Tianming's side: "No, no, I can just hold up the table and stool by myself."
"I knocked it over myself, so I helped myself up. If you want to help me, give me a hand, but if you act like this, I will get angry again." Duan Tianming's expression was serious.
"The villain is wrong, I won't say anything anymore." The shopkeeper muttered a few words in a low voice, turned around and started to hold up the table and stool beside him.
After returning the tables and stools in the tavern to normal, Duan Tianming sat down again and said, "Shopkeeper, please bring me a bowl of noodles."
As if he was afraid that the shopkeeper would offend his mother-in-law, he immediately added: "Spicy noodles."
"Okay." The shopkeeper responded, not daring to say anything more, and hurried into the back hall.
Not long after, he walked out with a bowl of hot steamed noodles.
Picking up the chopsticks and stroking them with his left hand, Duan Tianming reached out and took the noodle bowl handed over by the shopkeeper.
"What's the matter with not being able to buy big meat? Logically speaking, this kind of thing shouldn't happen in the capital." Duan Tianming said, stirring the noodles with chopsticks.
"There was a monk who blocked the nearby butcher from killing the pig."
"Monk?" Duan Tianming's eyes lit up.
"Every day when the pigs were slaughtered, the monks would come on time. The butchers had no choice but not to kill them for the time being."
"Come every day?" Duan Tianming's eyes began to shine.
"Yes, I wait near the butcher's house every day."
"Where is the butcher's house?"
"In the alley not far behind."
Duan Tianming suddenly stood up, took out the two taels of silver in his arms, put them on the table, and disappeared through the door like a gust of wind.
