The Winter Solstice Festival in the eighth year of Jinghe falls on November 28, which is one of the most important festivals of the year. On this day, every household celebrates the festival, and Yangzhou people eat glutinous rice dumplings in the morning.
Rich families often have another way to celebrate. For example, He Yunzi, one of the Seven Outline Merchants, sent out invitations and scheduled a banquet on the winter solstice to celebrate the festival for the imperial envoy Zhu Fanghe who came from afar. The location was set to be in Shu in the northwest of the city.
Gangpingshan Hall.
Under the instructions of the Salt Transportation Department, there were a lot of people responding to the meeting, and they responded from all directions. The party became hot before it started, and the momentum was great. Many people came across the river from nearby Nanjing and Zhenjiang. Some good people predicted that Pingshan Hall would be held during the Winter Solstice Festival.
The meeting will surely be the most legendary cultural event in Yangzhou City in the past ten years.
As the chief minister of Yangzhou City, Mr. Li also received an invitation. He called Jin Wanwan over and asked, "Can we still carry out the large-scale restoration of the Youyuan Garden?"
Jin Wanwan said helplessly: "Due to various inexplicable reasons, the He family can't steal the limelight this time. It's just a matter of time. But I see that you have a very close relationship with the imperial envoy, so there is no need to make friends through these.
stop."
Mr. Li had no choice but to temporarily let the Salt Transport Department be proud of him. Originally, it was his idea to hold a festival to build a momentum, but the Salt Transport Department once again snatched it away and turned it around. It was like he initiated the donation, but was forced to do so by the Salt Transport Department.
Coming from behind.
"Brother He invited several of our merchants to accompany him. I still want to go, but are you going? If you're afraid of losing face, it's better not to go." Jin Baiwan asked.
Li You slapped the table and said: "Let's go together! Why don't you go? It's not a big deal who has no face! I have to settle the accounts with them today!"
Jin Wanwan shook his head. Even if his son-in-law wrote a hundred good poems, his own reputation would not increase much. In the end, it would be the He family who organized the grand event who would take the glory.
Jin Wanwan could certainly see that on the one hand, the He family was under the orders of the Salt Transportation Department, and on the other hand, it was also for the sake of their own reputation. The more successful this event was, and the word spread through the mouths of literati and celebrities, the greater the reputation of the He family would naturally be.
.
The motives of the He family for posting to their son-in-law are obvious. Li You is known as the leader of the dynasty and is the best in Jiangzuo. If he goes, it will be the icing on the cake for the He family. If he doesn't go, he will be marginalized.
Without further ado, on the day of the winter solstice, Li You and Jin Wanwan sat in a boat together and looked northwest along the waterway. At this time, the trees on both sides of the river were sparse. Although they were not bare, their branches and leaves were withered and yellow, giving it an early winter atmosphere.
The five halls of Pingshan Hall were all in use. It was cold outside but warm as spring inside. All the six major salt merchants besides the He family came to support them. Officials of the seventh rank and above in Yangzhou City also came. Even those who are not there on weekdays
The Yangzhou City Salt Transportation Taizhou Branch and Guazhou Warehouse were also not absent. It was indeed a rare festival event.
Zhu Qinqian, officials, salt merchants and several Jiangzuo famous people all sat in the main hall in the middle, while the rest of the literati sat in the four halls on the left and right.
When Li You arrived, the official opening had not yet begun. Mr. Li glanced around and felt that he was out of place. Although the hall was full of laughter and laughter, he seemed to be outside.
No one came to talk to him. Some people did it intentionally, and some people felt that Li Biejia's future was not good, so he didn't want to waste his time and risk offending others in public.
But it doesn't matter to Mr. Li. His arrival has impacted the original interest structure, so it's normal for him to be unpopular. People in the world are snobbish and seek profit, so as long as he has the advantage, those people will still be interested in him.
Only this time, the host He Yuanwai happily came forward to greet Li You and exchanged a few words. He Yunzi really didn't expect that the face-loving Li You would attend. This was indeed an unexpected surprise.
To a certain extent, does it mean that he has to admit defeat on this matter? I'm afraid that Mr. Li, as a famous person, doesn't want to miss an occasion like today. Now that he's here, he has something in his pocket.
No matter what Mr. Li's character is, he is a leading figure in the poetry world. If the most famous poet in Jiangzuo does not come, today's cultural event will be greatly eclipsed. No matter how Mr. Li didn't deal with it in the past, he will still do it in the future. As long as he does a few things today
The poems attracted applause from the whole house, which only added glory to his master, which he couldn't ask for.
The hall was full of drunken guests with three thousand guests. It was a good day, celebrities gathered, and all the guests were seated. All the ingredients for success were in place! He Yunzi was overjoyed. After this grand event, after today, I am afraid that he will be the leader of Yangzhou salt merchants. This is his
The biggest purpose!
At first, it was mainly a banquet. After Li You entered the table, he found that there were exquisite plates from the Jiajing period on the table, containing durians, lychees, pears, dates, apples, cantaloupe and other fruits. Various seasons, various seasons, Biji
At this moment, there is a hint of proud luxury in the ordinary surface.
Mr. Li marveled in his heart, and said with a smile to the prostitute who was accompanying him with wine: "Melons and fruits are not that rare. I wish you beauties could stay fresh like this for a long time."
The beauty lowered her head to cover her mouth and smiled, then stretched out her slender fingers to pour the wine.
After three rounds of wine, the cloud board sounded, and six women entered the hall, holding various musical instruments such as pipa, xianzi, yueqin, and sandalwood board.
When they got closer, everyone all praised how wonderful it was! Each of the six women wore close-fitting colorful cloud clothes, and their figures were slender and graceful. What was even more amazing was that the six women were all the same tall, short, fat and thin, even with the bulge on their chests.
Their twin peaks also seemed to be similar, as if they were made from the same mold. Moreover, all of them had clear eyes, white teeth, and beautiful faces.
The owner of the room, Mr. He, stood up and clasped his fists around him and said: "Today I am meeting friends with poems, so I called out the small Qingqu singing group at home. They have no other talents, but only one good thing. They are very good at singing and dancing. As soon as the poems come out, no matter what
Long and short, you can sing and dance immediately to cheer you up."
Such a team is still very rare. It is probably the only one in the world. I don't know how much money was spent by outsiders to gather and train it. It immediately heated up the atmosphere in the hall. Except for a few big salt merchants, everyone was eager to try it.
The beauty next to Li You complimented: "My lord, you will be the best today, dominating the whole audience. I am honored to have Zhang Lanzhi as my escort."
"Of course." Li You laughed.
Ding Yunshi, the highest-ranking official, asked Zhu Qincha, who was at the top, to publish the work first, but Zhu Fanghe waved his hands and smiled and said: "The pearls and jade come first, the masters come first, so I still invite my virtuous brother to assist the world!"
Li You was not polite and said loudly: "I went to Huaisi Prefecture the month before last. I felt what I saw on the road and composed a long song! I will use it to show off my shame today."
Zhu Fanghe said happily: "After Yuanyuanqu, my dear brother has another singing career?"
Li You chanted in one breath: "Fengyang women sing yangko and cross the Yellow River in the first month of every year. The north wind blows snow and sand on their faces, and their waist drums whistle in winter. They wear ragged clothes and a handkerchief on their heads. They say they have been out for a long time. There was no rain in Shouzhou the year before last.
Ze, this year Sizhou is overflowing with the river mouth. I am singing Yangko to spend the harvest year, and after paying off my official rent, I am still farming. Traveling from south to north like a flying swallow, such hardship is really pitiful!"
Except for the person sitting in the corner writing a note making noise from time to time, the whole hall was completely cold...
No one dares to say that Mr. Li's poems are not good, they must be superb. But today is the winter solstice, and everyone is gathered here to be full of joy, drinking and eating, and laughing. This long and miserable song is quite inappropriate.
Is this a pitiful occasion for singing in ragged clothes and wearing a ragged handkerchief? This year's Sizhou Juehekou is probably about you, Mr. Li, so there is no need to show off here.
The Six Beauty Group, who were standing in the field preparing to perform, were also stunned. Suddenly, two of them lowered their heads and began to sob.
Zhang Lanzhi said in Li You's ear: "Maybe they are from Fengyang. Mr. Li mentioned their pain point. They miss their loved ones even more during festive seasons."
I could only hear Zhu Qincha saying with concern: "If you live high in a temple, you worry about its people; if you live far away from the rivers and lakes, you worry about your king..."
By the time Mr. Fanghe finished his emotion, He Yuanwai could no longer sit still. He first scolded the six beauties: "Stop crying! Let the distinguished guest laugh!"
Then he pointed outside and said to Li You: "There seems to be light snow outside. Mr. Li is a famous person, so it is appropriate to use snow as the theme."
Li You sighed, "When I just went up the mountain, I saw some poor people crying in the thatched huts at the foot of the mountain. As a local parent, I felt pity for them. I talked to them and couldn't help but sigh. At this time, there was snow in the sky, which was quite like that of other people.
Worry. Listen to my poor man’s song in the snow!”
Then he composed a poem: "At the end of the year, I worked day and night and got fifteen buckets of rice. It's a pity that I spent the whole year looking for food and could not go away for ten days. The north wind blows at dusk and makes the house cold. How can it be difficult for a poor man to sleep? The wind
The sound of gathering trees became louder and louder, blowing snow from the sky. Wu Wa danced with joy at the snow, but she knew that the fireworks below the mountain would be amazing!"
Everyone in the hall was speechless again, speechless. Mr. Li was possessed by Bai Juyi, who wrote about the charcoal seller today. Worrying about the country and the people cannot be said to be wrong, but it depends on the situation...
It’s a romantic time, a feast of lights, a festive occasion, and everyone is here to have fun and be elegant, not to get together and lament the sufferings of the people’s livelihood. Having said that, poets who are good at lamenting the people’s livelihood generally do not associate with salt merchants, and will not appear in this hall.
The poems were sung together, but no one sang along, so the silence continued. He Yuanwai finally confirmed that Li You was definitely here to trick people!
Someone said: "I have come up with a rule. During this festive season, with beautiful scenery, beautiful people, wine and delicious food, we should not overwhelm the scenery. Poems should be limited to things in the hall and romance."
"Okay!" Li You pointed at the six beauties standing in the field who had never had a chance to show off their talents until now, "I take this as my title!"
Everyone pricked up their ears. Mr. Li was famous for being good at reciting beauty. All they heard was a five-rhyme poem: "When I was young, my body was humble at first, my soul hurt my family and I suddenly left. Now that I am no longer hungry and cold, I forget to sing and dance. Elders
It's hard to be close to each other, and I still have questions about my stage name. You are still a son of a human being, so don't worry about being beaten when you are too young."
It is indeed a masterpiece by Li Tanhua, with sincere, sad and touching emotions. The six-year-old beauty couldn't help but recall the tragic life experience of being resold and the pain of learning art, and tears welled up in her eyes again.
The pitiful beauty in front of me won more sympathy from everyone than the refugees and poor people that Mr. Li just recited. The whole hall burst into sighs, lamenting the fate of beauties since ancient times.
The atmosphere was so bad... Officer He Yunzi was so angry that he wanted to vomit blood. This was not the passionate and passionate poetry event he had imagined! If he had known better, he would not have given the invitation to Li You to show off just for the sake of a moment of pleasure.
Jin Wanwan, who was sitting on the other side of the table, secretly laughed to his heart's content. This son-in-law was so cunning. Taking advantage of his status as the number one poet in Jiangzuo and taking advantage of others who did not dare to compete, he deliberately manipulated the topic to tease He Yuanwai. It was just like
Whose family holds a happy event, but carries the coffin to mourn and cries so much that the festive atmosphere is covered up.
It was a good New Year's event, but it was still lifeless right now, which was half the failure. Jin Wanwan was sure that whoever wanted to jump out and start a new business would definitely be turned into a disgraced scum by his son-in-law who relied on his status.
Of course, if this continues, the son-in-law will not suffer. Today is all about his one-man show of worrying about the country and the people and paying attention to people's livelihood. Word spread that his moral character will rise by ten percentage points.
Not knowing what his son-in-law said about the general ledger algorithm, Jin Wanwan was just going to go through the motions, but at this moment he suddenly started to look forward to it.
