Volume 5 Chapter 31 Jiangdong
After the sacrifice was completed and the troops were settled, Emperor Zhao attended the banquet prepared for him by the people of Yangzhou. As everyone expected, he changed into a bright red robe and wore a fu hat, but he did not add hard wings for the convenience of eating.
In other words, after showing off his power, the official did not do anything else, but immediately started to make the ruler and the people one family.
However, although Emperor Zhao would not cause any trouble, he could not stop the local people in Yangzhou from causing trouble - almost all the wine and food for the banquet were contracted out, and someone would take the initiative to explain almost every glass of wine and every dish.
Of course, this cannot be blamed on Sun and Wei, because the instigator was none other than Zhao Jiu.
About a year ago, Emperor Zhao had done something similar in Tokyo, where he had taken over all the official expenses and royal titles... Not only was it free, but he also charged for it... Of course, the benefits were immediate. At least Zhao Jiu didn't wear the old clothes of Emperor Taishang Daojun at the Mid-Autumn Festival last year. The court officials also had their own sacrificial robes, and even the fruits given to the ministers of the Secret Cabinet at the end of last year were much richer.
So what can we say about Sun Jinglie responding to the call to save money? Besides, in a sense, this can be regarded as the monarch being familiar with local customs, which is a part that everyone likes to see.
In fact, in the beginning, these introductions were quite respectable… For example, when serving a glass of wine, the person who served the wine would probably say how many years the restaurant had been famous, and who had written poems about the wine; when serving fruits and vegetables with the wine, the person would also probably talk about the place of origin and related stories… And every time, there would be officials, scholars, monks and Taoists present who would trace back the relevant cultural origins.
On the other hand, Emperor Zhao was not stupid either. He took a sip and said a few words of praise, which seemed harmonious and natural.
But suddenly, when a dish that looked very familiar to Emperor Zhao came up, the scene changed abruptly.
"Good instructor, you know that this Jianyan Royal Duck is different from other dishes. First of all, it uses authentic Huaishang wild duck. The ducks are fat in autumn, which is a good time for duck hunting..."
"Secondly, there are two secrets when pickling. One is that the salt must be fried in advance so that it can absorb the flavor and the skin can be tightened. The other is that the duck's stomach must be filled with osmanthus flowers so that the duck meat can be fragrant..."
"Finally, it has to be cooked over a slow fire. Only in this way can the duck skin be white and tender, and the duck meat be plump..."
"Stay still."
Zhao Jiu finally couldn't help but interrupt the man. "Jinling Osmanthus Saltwater Duck is world-famous. There are written records of it as early as the Southern and Northern Dynasties. Yangzhou and Jinling are separated by a river, so it is not uncommon to have saltwater ducks. But why is it called... Jianyan Imperial Duck? Is there any allusion? Was it given by the Queen Mother?"
"So that the officials know."
This person, who was said to be a famous silk merchant in Huaizuo and a member of the Zhao Emperor's Royal Maritime Trade Company, immediately became solemn upon hearing this, and fell to the ground in front of the table, answering seriously. "This duck is not an ordinary sweet-scented osmanthus salted duck. It is named after the reign of the Emperor not because of the Empress Dowager's appreciation, but because it is said that in the early years of Jianyan, when the Emperor led the royal army to stop Wanyan Wushu, the fourth king of the Jin thieves, on the Huai River, the people of Huaizuo once offered this thing to the Emperor as a tribute, so it became famous..."
Zhao Jiu was stunned for a moment, then immediately smiled and said, "Yes , I remember now. That's what happened. Minister Lin of the Ministry of Revenue took the duck to Bagong Mountain that day. Minister Hu of the Ministry of Works ate it the fastest. Although I also liked it, I only ate half of it. It was because I remembered that the garrison in Xiacai, Huaibei, did not have such a delicacy... So, I crossed the Huai River that night and went to Xiacai to deliver the remaining half of the duck to Zhang Boying along with Liu Guangshi's head... It's been seven years, but it seems like yesterday. I didn't expect that the duck was actually yours?"
When the emperor talked about the events of the day, he thought of countless allusions, elegant tunes, and poems, and prepared to continue.
However, there are people who are much faster than them!
"I am deeply grateful to the emperor for saying this." The local silk merchant who presented the duck bowed to the ground in tears as the whole audience was stunned. "I was overjoyed when I heard that the duck from my own duck shop could be presented to the emperor. Later, I heard that the emperor was working hard in Huaishang and was often worried about the country... Therefore, when the difficulties in Huaishang were solved, I invested in purchasing all the duck shops that were presented to the emperor, and specialized in making Jianyan imperial duck. Who would have thought that I could present this to the emperor today? I... I am satisfied with my life."
Everyone was stunned, but they could only carefully glance at Emperor Zhao.
Unexpectedly, Emperor Zhao was not angry at all when he saw this man's exaggerated performance. Instead, he sighed for a moment under the careful gaze of everyone, and then stroked the table and said:
"It's rare that you have such a heart! It's just a pity that although the crisis on the Huai River has been resolved, the crisis on the Yellow River has not been resolved. Today, I am still like the day on Bagong Mountain. I am grateful for the loyalty of the people of Huaizuo, but I am also worried that the soldiers in the imperial camp cannot enjoy it... What a pity! What a pity!"
"Your Majesty!" The man raised his head hastily, but then changed his expression. "After the duck is pickled, if it can be dried in the shade, it can be stored for several months even in winter. Although it is only a white body, I have always wanted to serve my country. There is also extra money at home, and I can't work hard. Before the New Year, I can send Jianyan imperial ducks... I can send 3,000 imperial ducks to the imperial camp to reward the soldiers!"
Zhao Jiu finally slammed the table and said, "You have such ambitions, how can you still be a commoner? You should be granted a title and reward your offspring for their good birth... After today's banquet, you should report the names of your two sons and nephews. If they are good at literature, you can ask Sun Jinglue to recommend them to the Imperial College. If they are good at martial arts, you can ask Liu Tongzhi to join the imperial guard!"
At this point, the official hesitated for a moment, then immediately spoke up: "And if your family can still send 3,000 royal ducks by this time next year, why don't I promote you to a high position?!"
The Huaizuo silk tycoon who also ran the Yuyingfang business was naturally overjoyed when he heard this, and he kowtowed on the spot to express his gratitude.
In front of the palace, under the rustling autumn wind, many celebrities from Huaizuo were becoming more and more dumbfounded... They never expected that such a royal Mid-Autumn Festival banquet, a place where Emperor Zhao should appreciate the customs, would actually allow such a shameless person to sneak in?
However, what is even more difficult for them to accept is that this shameless guy's ridiculous and straightforward behavior was actually recognized by the government... Was he really given an imperial favor or a special status?
Don’t we need to talk about traditional feudal morality?
If it were this direct, what was the point of them making a fuss about Qiao?
However, some people also directed complicated looks at the expressionless Sun Jin Sun Xiantai... Sun Xiantai was a governor, a top official. He was also a close minister sent out from the imperial court that day, and was also the confidant of the prime minister. Others might not know the official style, but how could he not know?
But since you know it, why can't you give me a hint in advance?
Give me this first show... the first soup opportunity, I will definitely be more elegant and more reliable than this duck seller, right? As the saying goes, if you buy bones for a thousand gold, you don't need to buy salted duck, right? We can also be professional as a shill!
Of course, I regret it, but this is a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, and no one cares about elegance or inelegance anymore:
This one said that when Huai Shang was fighting against the Jin army, his family wanted to support them, but the government won too quickly and they didn’t have time. Then they kept regretting it for seven years and hoped that the government would give them another chance. His family could provide 3,000 sets of military uniforms, made of cloth, not cloth.
That said, every time a government bulletin comes out, our temple organizes study. We have long understood the government's guidelines, but because our temple is poor and far away, we have never been able to contribute... There is nothing else to do. We just had the autumn harvest this year and happened to have 500 dan of new rice stored in the warehouse. It would be better to send it directly to the government treasury, and there will be another 500 dan next year... In addition, we can even contact other temples and monasteries to prepare military rations for the soldiers accompanying the government in Yangzhou;
Some people also said that his family had neither food nor clothes, and they were just sailing on the canal and the Yangtze River. They happened to see the government's official ships were in tatters, so they were willing to donate three black lacquered big-bellied ships to the government to facilitate the transportation of official grain from the south to the north...
Of course, Zhao Jiu was full of emotion for these grateful representatives of Yangzhou scholars and citizens. Those who donated clothes were treated a little better than those who donated ducks; the monk from Daming Temple who donated food was directly granted a Buddhist name by the emperor, and Daming Temple was also given the exclusive outlet for Qingmiao Loan in Yangzhou city; the one who donated three big-bellied ships was directly selected as a fellow Jinshi because he was a local talent in Yangzhou, and was recruited as a secretary in front of the emperor... I just don't know whether he really spent a fortune on horse bones or sent them to the army when he returned to Tokyo.
But no matter what, with the arrival of the Jianyan Imperial Duck, the window paper was opened, and the banquet instantly became more lively than before, and it was pure joy for the people.
In the next few days, the official followed the same routine, only meeting with the children of the scholars and common people of Lianghuai every day, eating the tribute of meat floss today (meat floss was invented in this era), eating the tribute of seafood tomorrow, and going to Daming Temple to ring the bell and write a few words the day after tomorrow... Of course, he would definitely do some business like the royal duck business... Anyway, he stayed in Yangzhou and didn't move.
All I can say is that fortunately Yangzhou is one of the biggest cities in the world today, and the empress dowager has lived in Yangzhou for another six or seven years. The palaces are still there, and the army has a place to be housed. In addition, Emperor Zhao's style is there, so even if he eats meat floss once, he will no longer care about it. No matter what, it has nothing to do with extravagance... But even so, gradually, some bad rumors came. They all said that the official had worked hard for a long time, and it was rare for him to come to such a prosperous place, and for a while he felt that he was happy here and didn't want to leave.
So, in late August, when the envoy Lu Yihao, who was stationed in Hangzhou, sent envoys again to ask the emperor to cross the river to the south, the emperor still had no intention of crossing the river. This made many people feel anxious.
On August 25, two scholars from Jiangyin, Li Tao and Su Bai, crossed the river to Yangzhou, which was separated by a river, and knelt in front of the palace to make suggestions... The content of their letters was complicated and detailed. Some of them advised the emperor to be close to virtuous officials and stay away from villains, some suggested to unite the large ships from the southeast and head north to take Youyan, and some advised the emperor to change the official system... In response, Emperor Zhao accepted their letters, but did not meet these people. Instead, he asked the guard Shao Chengzhang to make it clear that after he crossed the river, he would meet with the southeast envoy, Prime Minister Lu, to hold a political symposium targeting the southeast. At that time, all the scholars and people in the southeast could speak to him in person, but since he was in Yangzhou, he only talked about love and romance, ate delicious food, and did not talk about political affairs.
The two scholars had no choice but to return to Jiangyin, which was separated by a river.
However, despite this, until the beginning of September, Emperor Zhao still did not cross the river to the southeast, and the officials and people in the southeast became increasingly restless.
It is said that this day was the Double Ninth Festival on the ninth day of the ninth lunar month, and dignitaries, scholars and common people from all over the country went out of the city to climb mountains.
There is a mountain in Yuhang County, 50 miles northwest of Hangzhou City, called Jingshan. On the mountain there is a temple called Jingshan Temple. This temple is one of the five Zen temples in the southeast. Although it is not as prominent as the Daming Temple in Yangzhou, it is also an ancient temple of more than 300 years old, with more than a thousand monks and hundreds of monk rooms. Moreover, this mountain is located in the prosperous place in the southeast, so it is naturally the first choice for Yuhang people to climb.
However, although they all come to climb the mountain, the treatment they receive is completely different.
When a retired senior official from nearby came, he would be personally welcomed and his small courtyard would be cleaned up; when a wealthy family who had donated a large sum of money came, there would be a monk who would receive them carefully and make them feel warm; as for ordinary good men and women, if they did not donate some money or silk, it would be difficult for them to go in and have a cup of tea... You have to know that the tea from Jingshan Temple is a famous tea in southeast China, and a piece of tea cake would be worth a lot of gold.
Of course, there are some exceptions... For example, some famous scholars and students in the southeast who are well-known. Although you don't give them any incense money, if you don't prepare tea for them and sweep the house, they may go out and say that you, the people in Jingshan Temple, look down on others. When the news gets out, not only will the retired officials not come, but even the tea will be difficult to sell.
However, if Mr. Wuqiu Zhang Jiuchen came, he would unexpectedly not need the monk in charge of reception to serve him carefully, because whenever this person came up, he would be looking for the monk Dahui from the Central Plains.
Today is no exception.
"It's just the Mid-Autumn Festival in August, and it's the ninth day of September. Only this one hasn't changed, and everyone has seen and heard it." Seeing Zhang Jiuchen, who was nearly 40 years old, coming into the courtyard with his hands behind his back and a frown, the monk Dahui, who was sitting under a tree in the courtyard, blurted out something, but it seemed incomprehensible... There was no way, he was the pioneer of koan Zen in the history of Chinese Zen Buddhism, and he relied on this messy mouth.
" What do you mean it won't move?" Zhang Jiucheng sat down and looked up in thought. "The sun won't move? It's appropriate to use the government as a metaphor for the sun."
"It's not just the government. It's been more than 20 days and your frown remains the same." Monk Dahui sneered.
"There's nothing we can do!" Zhang Jiucheng said with a sigh. "The government is like the sun in the sky, but it doesn't act according to schedule. Of course, ordinary people like us are worried..."
Monk Dahui held his rosary in his hand and sneered, "Bullshit!"
Zhang Jiucheng was stunned for a moment, then laughed along with him: "That's bullshit indeed. In fact, the official's move is not unexpected. He has always been doing things in an unsystematic way over the years... It's just that he was far away in previous years, and now he is so close that he is so confused."
"I have been thrown down on a rope bed, and now I am lifted up. Don't take on anything rashly." Monk Dahui was talking nonsense again.
"I am not taking responsibility for it without any reason, but I am unwilling to do so." Zhang Jiucheng replied sternly. "The emperor is clearly trying to revive the country, but he is still unwilling to learn from the Taoism..."
"Even the emperor is unwilling to be ordained, so how can I not be unwilling?" Monk Dahui sneered again.
"Your family's Buddhism has never achieved positive results." Zhang Jiuchen was speechless.
"Has your family's Taoism ever become a serious and famous school of thought?" Monk Dahui sneered even more. "If you have never gained, how can you lose? If you have never lost, why would you be unwilling?"
Zhang Jiuchen was silent for a moment.
Zhang Jiuchen is about 40 years old this year, which is the golden age for a scholar to enter politics, but he has never served as an official.
Of course, before, it was because of personal academic pursuits and contempt for Cai Jing and others, but later it was because the court changed to the original school and abandoned Taoism. That's right, Mr. Wuqiu, who was born in the southeast, was a disciple of the Taoist master Yang Shi, and an important figure in the southward expansion of Taoism. He was considered the direct descendant of the orthodox Luo School of Taoism.
But to be honest, Zhang Jiuchen was not actually a pure Taoist disciple. He was greatly influenced by Buddhism and was very knowledgeable in mathematics.
But no matter what, Mr. Wu Gou did not hide his thoughts in front of his best friend, the monk Dahui. The two of them were talking about these sharp words, which were extremely simple in human terms... It was nothing more than Zhang Wu Gou hearing that the emperor was coming to the southeast, knowing that this was a rare opportunity, and wanted to come forward again as a famous scholar in the southeast to persuade the emperor to accept Taoism.
However, even Zhang Jiuchen himself understood that the official would most likely not accept it.
Only his teacher Yang Shi had been publicly rejected once, and several of his fellow disciples had also been publicly rejected. If he did not take advantage of the opportunity of Emperor Zhao's visit to reconcile with Southeast and use his identity as a local celebrity in Southeast to try again, I am afraid that his chances of studying Taoism in the future will be even slimmer.
So, I have to go.
However, the courage he had finally mustered up was upset because Emperor Zhao suddenly stopped, and his momentum gradually weakened.
Turning back to the present, Monk Dahui saw that his friend remained silent, but he put away his sneer and slapped his knees to hum in response: "A new drum is beaten in the new year, and a new Dharma rain has been given. All things are renewed, and everything follows the rules. Samantabhadra is delighted and opens the door at the right time. Release the White Elephant King, and he cannot be found anywhere. Only this is not new. Open your mouth casually and swallow the Dharma body. The thousand-year-old peach kernel is originally the old kindness."
The monk Dahui's utterances were not so subtle, and were basically just nonsense with some metaphorical meaning. Zhang Jiucheng immediately realized what he meant, but shook his head heavily: "I am doing this for the Tao, not for fame and fortune, and certainly not for party struggles!"
Monk Dahui shook his head thoroughly: "You are innocent, but are all your fellow disciples innocent? Even if your fellow disciples are innocent, you are not innocent either!"
"How can I not be innocent?" Zhang Jiuchen was finally angered by his old friend.
"After all your talk, aren't you still dissatisfied with the heavy taxes in the southern countryside?" Monk Dahui responded seriously.
"Is this selfish?" Zhang Jiucheng was furious. "Aren't the people in the south taxed heavily?"
"All the people in the north died, but they didn't have to pay taxes." Monk Dahui put his hands together. "You have never seen the war in the north, but I escaped from the north during the Jingkang period..."
Zhang Jiuchen was speechless for a moment.
But this time, the monk Dahui did not intend to give up, but continued to pursue: "What you should worry about is whether the taxes of the people in the south are being intercepted by private individuals. Although you have never been to Bianliang, you should trust your fellow disciples and other officials. The government is poor, and they have been growing mulberry trees for five years. Are they all covering up for the government?"
"I can trust the emperor, but I can't trust those soldiers and generals." Zhang Jiucheng did not hesitate. "The thousand-year-old peach pit is the benevolence of the past... Zhang Jun is a corrupt official, famous all over the world! Han Shizhong is a rude official... When the Western Army defeated Fang La, they caused more trouble in the southeast than Fang La. Wasn't Han Shizhong one of them? How did he turn around and become a famous minister and general? If the emperor and father really use the blood and sweat of the people in Jiangnan, it would be better than giving it all to those Western Army officers!"
"If that's the case, we should hurry up." Monk Dahui replied with some effort.
"Going fast is risky, what if I lose?" Zhang Jiucheng was not afraid at all. "Do you really want to fight me?"
Monk Dahui remained silent.
Zhang Jiucheng also felt bored when he saw this, so he stopped the dispute that had broken out countless times and walked away in anger.
As his old friend left, Monk Dahui was helpless and stood up to see him off. The two of them did not part until they reached the intersection in front of the temple. Seeing his old friend leaving in a depressed mood, Monk Dahui could not help but recite a verse.
As the saying goes:
“What is the same as one? Don’t have any delusions.
Even if it reveals the past and present, it is still a monkey trick. "
Turning around and just returning to the courtyard, he met the abbot of the temple again. It turned out that the abbot saw that Monk Dahui was from Tokyo, and he thought that he would be better at chanting sutras in front of the emperor. So after much thought, he wanted Monk Dahui to learn from the practices of the great monks in Daming Temple, and when the emperor arrived in the southeast, he would go there to find a royal affinity for Jingshan Temple.
Monk Dahui had been staying at Jingshan Temple for six or seven years, so how could he refuse the offer? He immediately accepted.
However, when the host left happily, he couldn't help reciting the jingle again.
As the saying goes:
"Tear down the east fence and repair the west wall.
There is no one who is accurate in following the rules of Jingshan.
Is there any accurate one? Who knows?
The monks peeped into the incense kitchen, and the owl bit the ridge of the Buddha hall. "
But in the evening, when the great monk recalled his experiences of the day and wrote these rhymes into a collection, preparing to publish it before his death, this was another matter.
Of course, let's not mention that a good monk did not chant scriptures all day long, but only meditated with rhymes. After a few days, on the other side, Emperor Zhao dragged on in Yangzhou for many days, and when Daming Temple began to suspect that the emperor wanted their temple to be responsible for feeding more than 3,000 soldiers, he finally took action.
That’s right, as the saying goes, the endless fallen leaves are rustling, there is a river between Jingkou and Guazhou, the Yangtze River is flowing eastward, and the autumn wind blows over the south bank of the river... Emperor Zhao finally crossed the Yangtze River on September 15th, under the almost boiling excitement of the scholars and people in the southeast, and arrived at his loyal Liangzhe Road under the attention of all the people.
However, what made the people in the southeast confused was that after crossing the river, this official, who had never liked to follow the rules, still did not go to Hangzhou to meet Prime Minister Lu Yihao. Instead, he stationed most of his troops outside the city of Jinling, and then led only a few hundred cavalrymen through Jiangning Prefecture to the west to Taiping Prefecture (now Dangtu and Wuhu areas).
Some of the meanings are unexpected, but they make sense.
After all, the current governor of Taiping Prefecture is none other than the former prime minister in the early years of Jianyan, Li Gang Li Boji.
Moreover, when the ceremonial procession arrived at Taiping Prefecture, it was not only Li Gang who came to greet him. There also came Yang Yizhong, the commander of the imperial guard, who was supposed to accompany him; Hanlin academicians Fan Zongyin and Lu Benzhong; Ren Baozhong, the gate attendant; Yu Yunwen, the attendant of the imperial court; Mei Li, the attendant of the Secretariat; and Lang Zongying, the secretary.
Everyone came in casual clothes holding gold medals, and then went directly to pay homage, while each presenting a thick booklet.
"Does the emperor suspect the old minister?"
Li Gang was shocked and angry when he saw these close ministers suddenly appearing before him. "So you sent someone to investigate secretly?"
"If I suspected Lord Li, why would I need to send someone to investigate?" Several years later, facing Li Gang whose momentum remained undiminished, Zhao Jiu no longer acted like a puppet. Instead, he closed the document full of forms titled "Shuiyang Town Autumn Tax Survey" in his hand and faced him calmly.
Li Gang was stunned for a moment, then fell silent, and then became gloomy.
