"If you ask about the rise and fall of ancient times, please only look at Luoyang City." Luoyang has been the imperial capital since ancient times, witnessing countless historical events. When it was prosperous, princes and princes gathered in Luoyang City to build gardens here, which was a grand scene. When it was declining, the people fled and were deserted.

The original name of Huyuan is Jixian Garden. It was a garden in Jixianli, Luoyang by Pei Du, the prime minister of the Tang Dynasty. During the Song Dynasty, many people have been involved in the famous garden in Luoyang. During the Jingkang Rebellion, the owner fled and there was no news since then. In a few years, the garden was overgrown with weeds and it has become a residence for foxes and rabbits.

It was here that Wang Xiaoli set up a painting and calligraphy academy to take in discrete court painters.

Li Tang took Li Di to turn the lake garden from south to north, from east to west. Finally, he stood on the Shuixin Pavilion, looked at the vast Pingjin Pond, and sighed: "I heard that this lake garden has been famous since the Tang Dynasty and has countless scenic spots. I looked at it today, but I saw weeds everywhere."

Li Di said: "Dad, after Jingkang, the people of Luoyang fled, and there were not many families in the city. Without them, wouldn't this garden be deserted?"

"Yes, the Jingkang Rebellion has also suffered a great disaster for all ages. Not only the people have suffered, but the scenery has also suffered." Li Di looked up and saw lotus flowers in Pingjin Pond, with buildings on all sides already falling down, and the flower garden is covered with weeds, and I couldn't help but sigh in my heart.

Li Di said: "Xuanfu made this place a painting and calligraphy academy. We worked harder on weekdays and cleaned it up again. When we arrived in Luoyang, it was better than when we were in Xiangyang. What else was unhappy? I heard that Luoli Yifeng is a famous dish here. We will go out to taste it later."

Li Tang laughed when he heard this: "You are still young, and you are thinking about these things every day. You want me to say that when you arrive in Xijing, don't rush to eat those famous treasures. But if you want to find a clean and elegant restaurant, you need two kilograms of beef and a few vegetables. While drinking wine, you can see the scenery of your hometown."

Li Di said: "Since my dad said that, I will do it. It's almost noon. Let's go out to see if there is any suitable place."

Walking out of the lake garden and looking at the few pedestrians on the streets and the shops on both sides were mostly decayed, Li Tang sighed: "When I was young, I lived in Xijing and made a living by selling paintings every day. Luoyang was so prosperous at that time! Although it was not as lively as Kaifeng City, the scenery was better with trees and the shaded roads. Inadvertently, there was a restaurant on the street. Go in and have a drink, and your life was as good as a fairy."

Li Di said: "I am young and I have such a peaceful life, but unfortunately I haven't lived for a few years."

While I was walking, I saw a wine flag coming out under the big locust tree beside the road. There was a cage in front of the door, and a few chickens were closed, and they kept croaking.

Li Tang said: "After walking for a long time, the only one of them sells wine. Let's go and have a drink of two glasses."

After saying that, he took a big step with Li Di and entered the restaurant.

A servant was lying on the counter and was bored. When he saw Li Tang and Li Di coming in, he hurriedly came up and said, "Two guests, please come in."

Li Tang chose a seat to sit down and looked around. The restaurant was not big, with only seven or eight tables, and there were two tables of guests sitting at this time.

Li Di said: "Do you have good wine in your store?"

The servant smiled and said, "Cheer, since Wang Xuanfu came to Luoyang, the wine has not been sold in a special bargain shop like before. Here, such as the famous wine Jinshaquan, is the most powerful. And the local wines are sent by the supply and marketing cooperatives, not from their own brew."

Li Di said: "You two are not ordinary people, so of course you have to drink good wine. Jinshaquan is famous far and wide, so I brought two bottles. - By the way, I heard that this wine has been aged for several years, so don't fool us with others!"

The servant smiled and said, "Celebrity, how can a small shop like us have wine that has been aged for a few years? You will only have some."

When Li Di heard this, he waved his hand and said, "Forget it, it's not aged, I can't drink that wine. Just take a bottle of normal wine."

The servant turned around with a smile, and couldn't help but mutter in his heart. Since this guest official has no money to drink good wine, why should he ask so much?

Soon, the servant brought a bottle of wine and a plate of beef sauce. He put on a few vegetables that were in season and then stepped down.

In such small shops, they do not sell hot dishes. If you want to eat hot dishes, you order them to buy them for you. Only in Xiangyang and Dengzhou, Wang Xiaoli brought up new habits, and taverns also sell hot dishes. Even common noodle shops and dumpling shops can stir-fry a few simple dishes.

After pouring the wine, Li Tang took a sip and sighed: "Luoyang is the world's metropolis. At this time, it is actually much worse than Xiangyang. It's really a pity."

As soon as he finished speaking, a man at the table next to him suddenly turned around and looked at Li Tang and said, "So it's Li Taizhao! You haven't seen each other for many years, how are you doing?"

Li Tang looked closely and saw that the man was covered in beard and had a lot of dust. After looking for a long time, he recognized him and said, "Duitzhao Zhang, is it really you?"

Traditionally, Chinese people have beards, but also called "beards". Some people even collect the lost beards and treat them as treasures. However, in the Song Dynasty, many scholars before the age of 40 did not have beards. The person in front of them looked young and had a beard, just like a coolie.

The man nodded: "I'm sorry to see you! We'll have a day to meet again!"

Li Di got up, walked to the man, looked up and down, left and right, and said, "My God, it's really Zhang Di! I saw Li Di a few years ago, and I don't remember him?"

The man looked at Li Di carefully and said, "It turns out it is Li Di! You have grown a lot in the past few years and can't recognize you for a while."

Seeing that there was only one pot of bad wine and two peaches in front of the man, Li Tang hurriedly asked him to come to his table and said to him: "Where have you been there in the years? I have also gone to many places, but there is no news about you."

The man sighed and said, "Kaifeng City was broken, and I also fled with the people. By chance, I was hit by the Jin army. When they saw that I was young, they pulled me to carry the load. Later, they moved to Longde Mansion and lived there. Most of the people there fled, and the rest of the food was not covered. Who would buy paintings? There was no way, so they had to do some living for a living on weekdays. A few months ago, Wang Xuanfu's army headed north and recaptured Longde Mansion. I thought I couldn't stay there for a long time, so I returned to the Central Plains."

Li Tang couldn't help but sigh when he heard this.

The man named Zhang Zeduan was very famous in later generations. In this era, he was just a attendant in the Painting Academy. He was a colleague of Li Tang, Li Di and others, so of course he met him. Recently, he returned to Luoyang City and wanted to find something to do, but he didn't expect to meet Li Tang and Li Di.

If you ask Wang Xiaoli, he doesn't know who Li Tang and Li Di are, but he knows Zhang Zeduan. After all, although Li Tang and Li Di are famous masters who have left their names in later generations, Zhang Zeduan has famous paintings and has been included in the textbooks of merit and history. As long as they are Chinese, there are few people who have never heard of them.
Chapter completed!