On the official road on the west side of the capital, an old man is leading a donkey, saying that the old man is actually a bit excessive, the man is only in his early fifties, although he has passed the prime of life, but he is also in good spirits, a coarse linen clothes is no different from ordinary farmers, and the bearing revealed by his gestures is far more noble than that of the countrymen.

When he was less than a hundred steps away from the city gate, the man stood still and looked up at the word "Wangjing" on the tower of the city gate.

Wangjing is not the name of the capital, but a reminder for those who have left the capital to look back.

At the beginning of the establishment of the dynasty, they simply hung the word "Wangjing" directly on the city gate tower to remind them to take a few more glances when leaving, so as not to be sad in the future.

I don't know which guy came up with it, when the king left Beijing, when he saw the plaque on the gatehouse, he had to praise this person's bad taste.

……

The middle-aged man leading the donkey looked up at the plaque for a while, then withdrew his gaze and planned to continue on his way, but as soon as he took a step, his sleeve was "pulled".

The man turned his head helplessly, looked at the donkey behind him who was biting his sleeve, and said with a wry smile:

"You, you, you're really lazy donkey, grinding and urinating a lot."

With that, he took out a handful of buckwheat from the donkey's pocket and put it in his hand to feed the animal that had accompanied him all the way.

He did come all the way, the donkey next to him was probably the young master of a large family in his last life, he was used to a good life, he was neither a camel nor a grinder in this life, he slept when he was full at home on weekdays, and then he ran to the next circle to find the little female donkey, and lived a more nourishing life than ordinary people.

If it weren't for the man's wealthy family and the lack of these bags of forage, I am afraid that this lazy donkey would have been pulled to the back kitchen to make donkey soup......

After the donkey had eaten the food, he snorted happily and walked forward with his head held high, and the man had to smile and shake his head, and was led by the donkey towards the city.

When he came to the city, the man looked at this and that, as if there was an endless scene, and then a guy who was soliciting business in a restaurant noticed him, and hurriedly stepped forward and said:

"Yo, uncle, this is the first time to the capital? Our Moon Tower is the premier restaurant in the capital, the food is delicious, the price is fair, do you want to come in and have a look? ”

The man smiled when he heard this, and said in his heart that the No. 1 restaurant in the capital was not Yanque Tower, but it was not broken, and he directly handed the reins to the other party and said:

"An upper room, you can watch the wine and food, and this donkey......"

"Little understand, our restaurant donkey meat is a must, I really didn't expect you to be a connoisseur, and you came with your own ingredients. Not to mention, this donkey is really well raised, this fur. ”

The donkey on the side was quite spiritual, Xu understood the words of the shopkeeper, the two donkeys' eyes were round, and they opened their mouths to bite each other.

The shopkeeper was so frightened that he almost threw the reins in his hand.

Seeing this, the middle-aged man stretched out his hand to appease the donkey, and said:

"It's not for food, you help me take care of it, three meals a day, and the silver is indispensable for you."

With that, he shoved a piece of broken silver into the other party's hand.

Seeing this, the shopkeeper immediately smiled, as long as the silver was enough, let him use the donkey as an ancestor to offer.

"Don't worry, I won't eat it or bring it hungry, please come inside."

After making a "please" gesture, the shopkeeper led the donkey to the backyard.

……

The lights of the capital are bright after dark, and the influx of students from other places in recent days has made the already bustling streets even more lively, not to mention the people coming and going on the streets, and even the restaurants and teahouses and the nearby brothels are crowded with students wearing long shirts.

At this time when it should be the most profitable, many big stores have gone the opposite way, not only reducing the cost of room and meals, but also providing free drinks, but this wine is not drunk for nothing, and you need to leave a decent ink treasure.

You know, once these scholars carp jumped over the dragon gate and soared, then they couldn't ask for it, and if they were lucky enough to get the authentic work of a future top three, it would not be too much to offer the treasure of the town store.

Now a random calligraphy and painting of the county order outside has been fried to fifty taels, if that person happens to write a good hand, the title is a good word, then hundreds of taels can't be beaten.

Other officials such as Futai Shilang who are four or five grades higher are even more difficult to find if they have money.

In the dynasty, knowledge is valuable, and official rank is even more valuable.

These inns and restaurants are hard enough, but those Fengyue Golan are even harder than them.

Those women who have been sold into the workshop since childhood, or who are willing to step into the Qinglou, without exception, want to find a wishful husband who is both talented and official.

This is not a fool's dream, more than ten years ago there was a tepid kiln sister, because of a poor scholar who saw him, he gave him a dozen taels of silver, the scholar also competed, the scientific examination and the first, not out of a year on the eight sedan chair will marry this fireworks woman through the door.

Later, the woman gave birth to two sons and a daughter for him, and the family of four was happy, and they were simply envious of others.

After that, some people began to follow suit, once they met a talented scholar, not only did they not make money, but they also had to paste dozens of taels upside down, and those girls with slightly worse postures did not refuse, even if the article did not make sense, they had to take care of the wine.

A copper coin thrown out can always hit a few people.

Among them, there are really blind cats who meet dead mice, even if they are not married home by the eight sedan chairs in the end, they are carried back as concubines by a small sedan chair.

With the lessons of the past, more and more people gradually began to imitate, and finally formed a trend. Even later, many ruffians and scoundrels in Beijing learned to buy a long shirt, and every time they met Enko, they would dress like a dog and go to the Qinglou to eat and drink, and even the fair-looking ones could be left overnight.

Of course, if you are discovered, the consequences will be miserable, and you will usually break your leg and throw it out of the door, but the specific leg you break depends on the mood of the brothel.

Therefore, those who mix in the gangster circle in the capital can more or less open their mouths and recite a few famous poems, which is not found elsewhere, and it is also a major local feature.

……

The middle-aged man was bored in the room, so he came to the backyard of the restaurant, but he didn't expect to meet the shopkeeper during the day.

The shopkeeper is also a kind person, took the customer's silver, and did not neglect the donkey who almost gave himself a bite during the day, not only the trough was full of forage, but also I didn't know where to take a radish, he took a bite, a donkey, and ate deliciously.

Seeing the middle-aged man, the shopkeeper immediately greeted:

"Guest officer, why are you here, it's all livestock here, and the smell is so big."

The man smiled and said:

"I used to stay in the cattle and sheep shed, I'm used to it, by the way, what is there to spend around here?"

When men ask this question, most of them are not serious places, there is wine and food in the restaurant, and the only thing missing is not the girl.

When the shopkeeper heard what the other party said, he immediately knew it, and he said with a smile that all men understand:

"This lord, if you want to say that the best place in the vicinity, it must be the Tongque Tower, where the girls can pinch out the water one by one.

If you like to be a little older, it's not in the way, I know Mother Chen of Tongque Lou very well, don't look at her old age and decrepitude, but that waist ...... Gee. ”

When the shopkeeper talked about Chen's mother, his eyes lit up unconsciously, as if the old who was over fifty years old was more in line with his taste.

The middle-aged man just laughed at the hard work of the shopkeeper, almost every Qinglou bought a few guys in the inn in order to help them attract business, and many mediocre girls were even more famous than Oiran under the encouragement of these people.

"Okay, let's go to Tongque Tower, but Mother Chen still forget it, just find me a few Qingling."

"Gotcha!"

The shopkeeper threw the rest of the radish butt to the donkey, and he took the man out, and the two walked through the streets and alleys all the way.

The man is over half a hundred years old, dressed in short clothes, no matter how he looks like a scholar who participated in the scientific examination, even if he is really a scholar, this age is not yet the first, and most of them have no hope for the rest of their lives.

Although the shopkeeper has never read, he also knows that reading requires a talent, and he himself has no talent, so he can't be a master who calls people, he can only be a guy who is called by others, this is fate.

The two of them went around and around, and suddenly their eyes suddenly opened up, a big river was in front of them, and there were many boats by the river, among which one of the most prosperous businesses was written, and the plaque reads the words "Tongque Tower".

The shopkeeper took the man into the door with a familiar car, and the sharp-eyed Mother Chen saw it at a glance, and immediately twisted her waist to meet her.

"Mother Chen, find two young men who can play music for this uncle." Xiao Er said.

Mother Chen immediately smiled when she heard this, "The guest officer upstairs, please, Lamei, come out to pick up the guest." ”

After the girl named Lamei took the middle-aged man upstairs, Chen's mother turned her head to look at the shopkeeper with a smile on her face.

"Dead, take it." Chen's mother said, handing over a piece of broken silver.

"This ...... Give too much. ”

The shopkeeper looked at the silver in the other party's hand and did not reach out to take it.

"Take it, go back and buy decent clothes, don't dress up like this next time."

Xiao Er was stunned for a moment when he heard this, and then his face was happy, "Okay! ”

……

Enke is imminent, and even a fireworks venue like Tongque Tower is crowded with people from all over the world.

Some of them have literary faces and white faces, and they have long been brought back to the room by the girls in the building, and the rest of them in the hall are either slightly worse in appearance or lack of talent, in short, they are picked by others.

One of the guests at the table was like this, there were all kinds of crooked melons and cracked dates, and a ruffian man at the table took the lead and said:

"In previous years, I ate and drank here, and I could have dozens of taels of silver in my pocket before leaving, but this year, I don't know why, there are especially many people who come, and even serious scholars like you don't have a chance to go upstairs."

"That's it, how can I say that I am also a famous local talent in Donglu, these girls don't know the goods, so they know to pick a good one to bring to the house, and it's not the same when the lights are turned off?" A man of five years and three thick coarse chimed in.

"No, you need to know that you look at the beauty under the lamp, the more you look at it, the more spiritual, this beauty can be divided into men and women." Another long-faced gentleman shook his folding fan coquettishly.

The ruffian said angrily: "When Lao Tzu is rich, he must marry seven beautiful women who are like flowers and jade." ”

Unexpectedly, as soon as he opened his mouth, the rest of the people laughed, and one of them joked:

"Wang Gui, you came here to drink flower wine, do your cooks know?"

The man named Wang Gui still looked like a scoundrel, and said unashamedly:

"What does she dare to say?"

"I've heard that your family knows martial arts, and you will peek at the widow taking a bath, and you will be unarmed when you go back." Another companion directly revealed the short road.

"Coming out to drink is to have fun, don't talk about those bad things." The ruffian hurriedly played haha, "Meeting is fate, tomorrow my brothers will take the big exam, I will invite you today, you will soar another day, don't forget my brother, I will do it, come, go one!" ”

Most of the righteousness is the slaughtering of dogs, and for these new acquaintances, Wang Gui, who is a ruffian, is particularly generous.

Several foreign scholars who have eaten and drunk other people's food in the past few days are naturally embarrassed to refuse, and they have raised their wine glasses one after another, and said words like "never forget each other", but in fact, they still look down on this kid from Qinglou in their hearts.

Wang Gui was originally called Xiao Guizi, he grew up in Zuixinglou since he was a child, he likes to read but has no chance to read, and then Zuixinglou closed, he got some compensation, he wanted to concentrate on reading, but he had already passed his age, coupled with limited talent, and finally had to give up.

Xiao Guizi never knew who his biological father was, and his mother didn't want to say it, until recently, under his soft grinding and hard bubbles, it was revealed that he was surnamed Wang, and as for anything else, he couldn't ask anymore.

Compared with the bustle downstairs, the upstairs private room is much quieter. The sound of the piano under the fingers of the two young singers was quite beautiful, and the man who was over fifty years old and still old at heart sat quietly by the window, closing his eyes and listening to the sound of the piano.

Suddenly, there was a sound of neat footsteps downstairs, Qing Ling stopped his movements when he heard the sound, and the sound of the piano stopped abruptly, and the middle-aged man opened his eyes, stood up calmly, and then walked out of the room under Qing Ling's puzzled gaze.

……

A large number of officers and soldiers suddenly came downstairs, and there was no doubt that the costumes were Jinghuwei.

Mother Chen can also be regarded as a good speaker in Tongque Tower, and at this moment, when she saw that it was an old acquaintance who led the team, she hurriedly greeted her and said:

"Yo, what is the reason why the military master is here?"

As he spoke, he stuffed a piece of silver in a position that others couldn't see, but the general who had to put two handfuls of oil on it every time he met was surprisingly "iron-faced selfless" today, and directly pushed the old in front of him away, and said:

"Search!"

Chen's mother was defenseless, and was directly pushed to the ground, if it weren't for the shopkeeper on the side who quickly supported her, I am afraid that she would have fallen to the ground.

At this moment, a majestic voice came from the second floor: "No need. ”

I saw a man dressed in coarse linen coming down the stairs.

Seeing this, the general was stunned for a moment, then clenched his fists and said in a deep voice:

"Lord Pan, Your Majesty is invited."

The person in front of him is the only king with a different surname in the previous dynasty, Pan Yuanzheng, the king of Anbei.

Pan Yuanzheng nodded, looked around, and then came to the shopkeeper who was supporting Chen's mother, handed over a silver ticket and said:

"Help me take care of the donkey, and if a young man surnamed Pan comes to look for him in the future, you will leave it to him."

With that, he followed Jing Huwei out of the gate.

The shopkeeper was stunned with the silver ticket in his hand, and he didn't expect this inconspicuous old man to be the current prince.

Last name Pan? Could it be the prince Pan who was demoted out of Beijing?

The shopkeeper is not stupid, he guessed it at once, he looked down at the silver ticket in his hand, a hundred taels, yes, now he really has to offer the donkey as an ancestor.

……

Everyone in the lobby also looked in a daze, Wang Gui was the closest and heard it most clearly.

Looking at the appearance of this group of Jinghu guards showing off their martial arts, he secretly swore that he must be a big official in the future.

……

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