Zhang De still stayed outside to look after the carriage, while Zhao Junchen accompanied Emperor Deqing into the "Zhang's Teahouse".
But it was said that after Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen stepped into the teahouse, they looked up almost at the same time and found that the quality of this teahouse was only ordinary.
The area of the teahouse is not too small, and the tables, chairs, and tea utensils are relatively clean, but the environment is quite noisy, and it is full of ordinary people with vulgar appearance. Teagoers gather in the teahouse, with three or five people forming a table, or
They were laughing, shouting, or arguing, and the noise was constant.
Both Zhao Junchen and Emperor Deqing had a quiet temperament and disliked making noise. After seeing such a situation, they could not help but frown slightly.
In fact, this is an expected situation. Although "Zhang's Teahouse" claims to have invited "the most famous storyteller in the capital", which seems to be prestigious and generous, in this era "storytelling" is still popular in the market.
Meanwhile, the entertainment activities belonging to the lower class people have not yet been accepted and sought after by the upper class of society. In short, they are not on the stage. For several truly high-end teahouses in the capital, most of the methods of attracting customers are playing piano and chess.
Appreciation of calligraphy and painting, etc. - So even if "Zhang's Tea House" invites the best commentators, it does not mean how high its grade is.
However, precisely because the grade of "Zhang's Teahouse" can only be considered medium, the identities and origins of the many tea customers in the store can be said to be diverse, including three religions and nine streams, and their speech and expressions can, to a large extent, represent people from all walks of life in this era.
ideological dynamics.
In short, this kind of environment can best show Emperor Deqing "what the people want".
Seeing this arrangement, Zhao Junchen nodded secretly, thinking that although Xu Qingyan failed to understand his intention in time and changed the plan temporarily, he did put some thought into it.
Now that he has entered the teahouse, he has to act according to the predetermined plan, so Zhao Junchen did not hesitate too much. He immediately stopped a tea doctor and ordered: "The environment here is too noisy. Arrange an elegant place for us."
between."
The tea doctor was stunned at first, but then he quickly said with a smile: "Two guests, I'm really sorry, the private rooms are already full. If you two want to drink tea in the store, there are only two or three tables left in the front hall.
Empty table...
And because Mr. Zhang, the most famous storyteller in the capital, was invited to the store today, there were a lot of guests coming to listen to books and drink tea. The two guests might have to share a table with other guests.
That's it...
However, it is also beneficial for the two guests to drink tea in the front hall. Although the environment is a little noisier, they will be more aware when they listen to Mr. Zhang's lecture later. Moreover, it is as clean as a private room and is completely out of the way."
Hearing what Dr. Tea said, Zhao Junchen frowned even more and asked Emperor Deqing for instructions: "Your Majesty...Uncle, the environment here is too noisy and we are really not used to it. Let's return to the carriage."
Just wait inside...I think the road outside will be open again soon."
After Emperor Deqing thought for a moment, he shook his head and said: "No need, just drink tea with the tea guests in the front hall. We won't see such a bustle on weekdays."
After saying that, Emperor Deqing took the lead and walked towards an empty table.
Obviously, Emperor Deqing is still thinking about the theory of immortal fate and will try it at any opportunity.
Seeing Emperor Deqing's attitude, Zhao Junchen shook his head helplessly and could only follow behind.
Finally, Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen chose a tea table near the front to sit down, and then waited with other tea guests for the legendary "famous storyteller Mr. Zhang" to appear and give a lecture.
In fact, Emperor Deqing's trip out of the palace was nominally for a private visit incognito. However, he was the emperor after all. He would not only bring Zhao Junchen and Zhang De with him. Naturally, there were also several Jinyi guards in casual clothes secretly.
The guards had been following Emperor Deqing not far behind. Now after seeing Emperor Deqing enter the "Zhang's Teahouse" and take a seat, these Jinyi guards also entered the teahouse one after another, but then they fell into hesitation.
.
There are many people in the teahouse and the environment is complex. If they want to protect Emperor Deqing more comprehensively, it is best for the guards to sit at the same table with Emperor Deqing. But after all, they are in awe of Emperor Deqing's supreme status.
They dared to sit side by side with Emperor Deqing easily, but if they sat at another table far away, it would be difficult for them to protect Emperor Deqing's safety in the first place.
Just as these Jin Yiwei were hesitating, two more tea patrons entered the "Zhang's Teahouse". They were a middle-aged man and a young man. The middle-aged man was dressed as a businessman.
, the young man is dressed in Confucian attire.
The two people did not hesitate much after entering the teahouse. They just looked around the store environment for a while. It seemed that because the tables chosen by Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen were closer to the front, they walked directly to the table where Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen were sitting.
In front of Zhao Junchen's desk.
Then, the middle-aged man said with a smile: "You two, how about sharing a table?"
After saying that, the middle-aged man sat down directly without waiting for Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen to respond. After the young man smiled kindly at Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen, he said "Trouble", and the same was true.
Follow and take a seat.
Seeing these two people sitting at the same table without his consent, Emperor Deqing immediately looked unhappy, but in the end he didn't say much. After all, whenever private teahouses and restaurants were full,
It was a common situation for several groups of guests to sit at the same table. Emperor Deqing would only lose his status if he got into a fight over this.
On the other side, several guards in plain clothes did not raise any objection when they saw Emperor Deqing, so they had no choice but to sit at another table far away.
Soon, Dr. Tea had served tea to all the new tea guests in the front hall, and Zhao Junchen also specially asked for an extra snack and nuts.
Because there were outsiders at the same table, Zhao Junchen and Emperor Deqing just drank tea quietly at this time without saying anything. However, the tea provided by "Zhang's Teahouse" was ordinary, which made the two people who were accustomed to luxury drink tea.
They all had sad faces.
The two tea guests at the same table did not have the worries and particularities of Zhao Junchen and Emperor Deqing. They seemed to be talkative people, and they soon started chatting.
The middle-aged businessman was the first to say: "Hey, it was a coincidence today. I encountered Mr. Zhang giving a lecture on the road, but it was also a blessing in disguise."
The young Confucian scholar didn't know much about "Mr. Zhang" and wondered: "Uncle Huo, you are just a storyteller. You travel all over the world to do business, and you are used to seeing the market. How can you respect him so much?"
"Uncle Huo" explained with a smile: "What do you know? Don't underestimate this old Mr. Zhang. He is not an ordinary person, but the leader of the storyteller industry. Not only is he eloquent, but he also has great wit."
Coincidentally, he never tells the same old stories that we have long been tired of hearing. Instead, he keeps up with the current news. Whenever anything new and eye-catching happens between the government and the public, Mr. Zhang will quickly tell
We will make up a fascinating new story, so listening to Mr. Zhang’s lectures will not only feel fresh and interesting every time, but also increase your knowledge, and you will have more conversation topics when chatting with others in the future.”
With that said, "Uncle Huo" turned to look at Emperor Deqing and Zhao Junchen, and asked: "You two are also here for Mr. Zhang? Have you ever heard Mr. Zhang lecture before?"
Emperor Deqing shook his head gently and said, "I have never heard of this person before, but after hearing your introduction, I am somewhat interested."
But "Uncle Huo" was a familiar person. He didn't care about Emperor Deqing's indifferent attitude at all. He said with surprise: "Oh? You two have never heard of Mr. Zhang's reputation before? However, in this capital,
Most of the people who eat storytelling have picked up Mr. Zhang’s wisdom. Whenever Mr. Zhang makes up a new story, they will follow it and tell it, so even if the two of them have never heard of it before,
With Mr. Zhang’s fame, you must have heard the wonderful stories compiled by Mr. Zhang.”
Emperor Deqing shook his head again and said: "I rarely listen to people telling stories, and I'm afraid I have never heard of the stories compiled by this person."
After saying that, Emperor Deqing was already a little impatient and had no interest in what "Uncle Huo" was talking about. He was secretly thinking about how to shut up this man.
However, what "Uncle Huo" said next quickly made Emperor Deqing change his mind.
"Uncle Huo" first shook his head with regret and said: "Then you really don't have good ears. You must know that Mr. Zhang's lectures are always very exciting... The last time I listened to Mr. Zhang's lectures, I was still half-hearted.
The story Mr. Zhang told a few months ago was about our present Majesty accepting envoys from all over the world to pay homage. It was a story that made people gasp in admiration!"
"Oh? What's the story about?"
Emperor Deqing immediately became interested when he heard that the protagonist of this story was actually himself, and if nothing else happened, there would be a lot of praise and admiration in the story.
"Uncle Huo" was like a fan of later generations. He seemed to be eager to prove the extraordinaryness of Mr. Zhang to his tablemates, so he recounted this story vividly on the spot.
If this story can be summarized, it is a processing and adaptation of the story about Emperor Deqing accepting envoys from various countries to pay homage to him on the occasion of his birthday some time ago. It tells the story of how the envoys from various countries who came to pay homage to Emperor Deqing seemed to be respectful, but in fact
Each one had their own agenda. Some envoys wanted to take advantage, some were princes in trouble who wanted to seek justice from Emperor Deqing, and some envoys relied on their own country's strong military force to implicitly threaten the situation. The situation was not uncomplicated.
At the same time, in this story, the image of Emperor Deqing can be said to be wise, mighty, wise and courageous. He is simply a role model for emperors throughout the ages.
On this occasion, not only did he deal with all the complicated problems in an understatement, but he also used hard and soft tactics with extraordinary methods, which fully demonstrated the majesty and wisdom of the Emperor of Heaven. After several beatings, the envoys from various countries were convinced, especially those who had previously
He was a Jurchen envoy who flaunted his power. Under the power of Emperor Deqing, he bowed to the ground and surrendered completely. He said, "With such a great figure as Emperor Deqing in the heaven, Jianzhou Jurchens will never dare to have any different intentions in the future." This can be said to be a great act.
It increased the prestige and ambition of the officials and people of the Ming Dynasty.
This "Uncle Huo" may have listened to many lectures in the past, and his eloquence is also extraordinary. In just two cups of tea, he recounted this story about praising Emperor Deqing, which was full of ups and downs.
Wonderful.
After hearing such a story, Emperor Deqing was naturally very happy and his face lit up. He felt that this story made him feel more comfortable than the flattering words he usually heard. If he hadn't been there now
Worrying about hiding his identity, he just wanted to reward the "Uncle Huo" in front of him heavily.
"This story... is indeed good! Do the people like it? How do they evaluate it?"
After listening to the story, Emperor Deqing smiled and no longer felt that "Uncle Huo" was noisy. Instead, he asked about the details and reactions.
Seeing that Emperor Deqing finally became interested, "Uncle Huo" was also very proud and said: "The envoys from various countries are in awe of the majesty of our country, and we ordinary people are also honored. This story of Mr. Zhang naturally won the applause of the whole house.
.....”
The smile on Emperor Deqing's face became even wider, and he had a better impression of Mr. Zhang who compiled this story. He felt that although this storyteller was of low status, he was quite knowledgeable.
And just when Emperor Deqing was about to ask further questions, Mr. Zhang, who was known as the best storyteller in the capital and was eagerly anticipated by all the tea drinkers, finally arrived belatedly and appeared in
The front hall of the teahouse.
Mr. Zhang is about in his early fifties, with a short and skinny figure. He wears a blue Confucian shirt. His temperament is full of goodwill, which makes people subconsciously feel good at him upon seeing him.
After this person appeared, he gestured to all the tea guests and walked towards the podium in front of the teahouse. After seeing his appearance, all the tea guests also showed excitement on their faces and kept cheering.
Obviously, Mr. Zhang is quite famous among the tea guests, and there are not a few people who hold him in high esteem like "Uncle Huo".
Soon, Mr. Zhang took his place on the stage. He raised the gavel and slapped it, and the originally noisy teahouse lobby suddenly became quiet.
Then, I heard Mr. Zhang slowly say: "Everyone, what I am going to tell you today is the story of a great upright official of our dynasty... In the prosperous times, why did the dignitary ministers of the imperial court do so in public?
fainted from hunger? Why did the merchants in the capital celebrate the news after hearing the news? Who left the huge amount of silver left in front of the door in the middle of the night? Was it out of goodwill or a conspiracy? What the prodigal brothers did,
Is it shamelessness or is there a reason? Behind all this, is it the distortion of human nature or the loss of morality? Let me explain all these things in detail!"
This opening statement is unique in this era, and it immediately grabbed everyone's attention.
On the other side, Zhao Junchen couldn't help but smile, and thought to himself: "When I was discussing the 'Storytelling People's Guild' with Xu Qingyan, and how to make the storytelling content more attractive, I told him a few examples.
It was just a casual mention at first, but I didn’t expect that this opening line would actually be used..."