Zhang Xiaochuan said goodbye to Princess Mingyang, went all the way to the east, passed through the grassland, crossed the dense forest, and arrived at the junction of the Xia Kingdom and the Song Kingdom. There was nothing to do all the way, and Zhang Xiaochuan soon arrived in the hinterland of the Central Plains. There are more and more pedestrians on the road, and in Zhang Xiaochuan's eyes, everything is so kind, and the scene is becoming more and more prosperous. Zhang Xiaochuan inquired and knew that he was about to arrive in Bianjing City, and he couldn't help but feel excited, he would soon be able to see the beautiful and prosperous Bianjing City. Finally, Zhang Xiaochuan saw the tall city gate, a majestic gatehouse, its majesty and height are far from being comparable to the capital of the Xia Kingdom. When they got closer, they saw a wide moat surrounding the tall walls. When you enter the city, there is an outer city, an inner city, and the imperial city in the center, a gate set of gates, and a besieged city. In Bianjing City, the market is wide and neatly arranged, with tall city towers as the center, and houses on both sides are lined up one after another. There are tea shops, wine shops, pedicure shops, butcher shops, temples, public houses, etc. In the store, there are silk and satin, jewelry, spices, incense, paper horses, etc., in addition, there are special medical clinics, cart repair, fortune telling, face trimming, all walks of life, everything, the head of the big store also has a "Cailou Huanmen", hanging the market banner to solicit business. Pedestrians in the market are crowded with people. During this period, there were businessmen doing business, gentry watching the street scene, officials riding horses, small vendors, family members riding sedan chairs, monks carrying baskets, tourists from other places asking for directions, street children listening to stories and watching plays, children of wealthy families eating and drinking in restaurants, and disabled elderly people begging on the edge of the city. Men, women, young and old, Shinong, businessmen, businessmen, three religions and nine streams, everything. There are also various means of transportation, such as sedan chairs, oxen and horse-drawn carts, rickshaws, peaceful carriages, flat-headed carriages, and boats on the river that passes through the city. What a prosperous scene, what a beautiful city. Zhang Xiaochuan was dazzled and couldn't stop admiring. It's also the biggest in the world, Zhang Xiaochuan couldn't help but think. Indeed, as he thought, this Bianjing City was one of the best metropolises in the world at that time in terms of population, building scale, and economic development level.

Zhang Xiaochuan found an inn to settle down, and couldn't help but take a good look around. There are a lot of tricks in the market, some are pure acrobatics, some are training animals for fun, and some are real kung fu. The artists who tell stories in Goolan and Vasheri are really high, and the books they say are really good and fascinating, so that Zhang Xiaochuan doesn't want to leave. There are also singers, the people are good-looking, the drama is also exciting, and the level is also so high that Zhang Xiaochuan has never seen it. All kinds of snacks and snacks also tempted him, so that he couldn't help but come forward to taste them. The smell of rice and wine wafting from restaurants and restaurants also made him swallow his saliva. It's truly a paradise on earth.

At night, the lights are on, and the night is even more charming, and many commercial establishments are open all night, which Zhang Xiaochuan has never heard of. The nightlife in Bianjing is also very colorful, although Zhang Xiaochuan is very tired, it is difficult to sleep. He saw a tall building from afar, which was brightly lit, and it was very magnificent. Zhang Xiaochuan asked passers-by what kind of place it was. "At first glance, you are a foreigner, and it is the famous alum tower. In Bianjing City, Alum Tower is the first of the seventy-two restaurants. The prosperity of restaurants in Bianjing City is famous all over the world. Alum Tower attracts countless wealthy businessmen, princes and grandsons, and literati to come here to play and feast. "How can this alum building be so attractive?" Zhang Xiaochuan couldn't help but ask after listening to the person's introduction. "This alum building, it's not just a restaurant, it's not just a place for feasting. There are also some of the best geisha in Kyoto. These geisha are not only beautiful and unparalleled, but also quite good at playing and singing, and some are even extremely literary, which can be said to be a double talent. You think, who would not like not yearn for it. Zhang Xiaochuan couldn't help but nod his head, he was very fascinated, and he couldn't help but want to take a look.

At that time, according to the regulations of the Song Dynasty, official (singing) tricks were allowed to accompany wine, banquets, tours, singing and dancing, and singing. They are women who are good at singing and dancing, and who also provide specific services to men. Many literati and bureaucrats in the Tang and Song dynasties were mostly prostitutes, and they were not exempt. The alum tower in the Song Dynasty is a bit similar to today's "nightclubs" and "dance halls". It's just that the geisha at that time had a specialty, and it wasn't something that could be done by just one woman. It is precisely because there are many "glamorous banners" as a cover that so many people are invited to come to the alum tower to drink, feast, sing and dance, and that more than 1,000 people are often drunk in the alum tower, and many people are "lit up in the middle of the night." But the people who "go to the alum tower in the middle of the night" are not just for a supper and meal, but for singing and dancing. During the Song Dynasty, officials, literati, ink writers, and prostitutes were common, not only allowed by policy, but also considered to be elegant. Officials are not condemned as long as they do not engage in prostitution. Therefore, although Alum Tower is only a restaurant, its prosperity mainly depends not on food, but on the people who accompany the waiters to drink, feast, sing and dance. At the same time, if the Song Dynasty wanted to publish a collection of poems, it was not as convenient as today, the literati wrote poems, filled in the lyrics, and relied on these geisha to sing and become famous, and the two sides were mutually beneficial, killing two birds with one stone, so why not?

Zhang Xiaochuan hurriedly rushed towards the alum tower, and when he arrived, the luxurious alum tower stood out from the crowd. I saw that the candlelight was swaying, the lamps were novel, and in each tile ridge on the eaves, a lantern was lit up, and there was a sense of fairyland on earth.

When you enter the door, you can see that the alum tower is composed of five buildings: east, west, south, north and middle. Three floors high, five floors facing each other, flying bridge railings, light and dark communication. The whole building is undulating, the eaves and corners are staggered, magnificent, and people come and go inside. When I went upstairs, I saw that the hall, the aisle and the pavilion were all hung with beaded curtains and embroidered foreheads, and the decoration was elegant and warm. Looking out of the window, the night view of the capital is in full view, accompanied by romantic singing and dancing, poetry and laughter, it is really an elegant enjoyment here.

The corridor of the alum tower was full of banquet girls, and I saw that they were all gorgeous and colorful, with extraordinary appearances, and they were ready to be called at any time. Just when Zhang Xiaochuan was secretly surprised, someone had already greeted him and said, "Xiang Yuan, please, I don't know if Xiang Gong wants to go downstairs to the hall or upstairs to the pavilion?" "Is there any difference between these two places?" Zhang Xiaochuan didn't know what was going on here, so he had to ask patiently. "The downstairs hall is also called 'door bed horse road', which is for the common people and ordinary people, and there is a pavilion (private room) upstairs, and the magnates and gentlemen go upstairs to sing, dance and feast called 'mountaineering', and if they want, they can also order music and dance to help the singers, which is called 'dotting flower cards'?" "Okay then, Xianggong, please. "When I got to the hall, it was very open. On the high platform in front, there are beautiful women dancing and singing, dancing gracefully, with attractive figures, sweet voices, and intoxicating singing voices. Under the high platform, there were many spectators and drinkers sitting at many tables, many of whom were already drunk. It's no wonder that many people would like to get drunk for a long time, and who wouldn't want to get drunk in a place like this?

Zhang Xiaochuan found a seat and sat down, and immediately a waiter came over to inquire and asked him what food and wine he wanted. Zhang Xiaochuan ordered according to the recipe he said, and asked for the restaurant's own brewed Meishou wine, which was quite famous at the time. As soon as the wine comes up, the aroma comes to the nose, and after the mouth, it is slightly spicy and sweet, and it makes people have an endless aftertaste after the stomach. Zhang Xiaochuan couldn't help but sigh, "It's really a good wine, the best in the wine!"

Zhang Xiaochuan tasted wine, listened to the song and watched the dance, and couldn't help but be intoxicated, at this time, a thirteen or fourteen-year-old boy came over. The young man sat on the edge of Zhang Xiaochuan's table and said to him, "Brother Tai drinks alone, isn't it lonely, is it okay for us to be together?" I saw that this young man was very gorgeous, he was born with red lips and white teeth, a delicate face, and a very extraordinary appearance, and he must be famous. "It's just that you're younger than me, why do you come to such a place?" Zhang Xiaochuan was a little puzzled. Zhang Xiaochuan called the waiter, prepared dishes, chopsticks and wine utensils for him, and the two of them drank together. "I don't know what Brother Tai is called, where is the house?" the young man asked Zhang Xiaochuan, "Oh, my name is Zhang Xiaochuan, and I am a foreigner. What about the little brother, I don't know where the Zunfu is?" "My surname is Zhao, my name is Dechang, and my home is in the capital. The two of them chatted while drinking, don't look at this Zhao Dechang's age, he knows no less things than Zhang Xiaochuan. He knows a lot of interesting anecdotes and celebrity allusions. After a while, the topic of the two of them talked about drinking, and Zhao Dechang knew more, and he said a lot about drinking in one breath. For example, you need to use a jade cup to drink Fen wine, a glow-in-the-dark cup to drink wine, a bronze cup to use sorghum wine, etc., Zhang Xiaochuan admired and envied it. "I can't see it, the little brother is not very old, but he is a master in this way!" "Where is it, it's just that I have heard and seen a lot since I was a child." Seeing Zhang Xiaochuan praising himself, Zhao Dechang also knew how to give in. When the wine was hot, Zhang Xiaochuan couldn't help but ask, "Brother Dechang, do you come here often?" I heard people say that this place is very fun, dignitaries, and princes also come, just come here to see the world. "Hehe, so that's the case!" "What if you don't have a strict family education, you can't go to find a woman to have fun like others, right?" It seems that this little brother is also precocious enough, Zhang Xiaochuan thought to himself.

The two of them drank happily, and they parted until it was late, and made an appointment to drink together again when they had time. Zhang Xiaochuan returned to the inn, which was also open all night and welcomed guests at any time. Zhang Xiaochuan is also tired, after all, he has been excited all day, and it is time to take a good rest with the strength of wine. He returned to his room and fell asleep.