Lifting the curtain of the carriage, Zhu Youxiao not only looked at the hustle and bustle on the street, but also looked carefully for another group - beggars and refugees.
The increase in beggars, and even refugees selling their children, can reflect the situation of the capital and even the country from another perspective.
There were beggars, but not many; Zhu Youxiao did not see any refugees selling their children.
This was certainly not a peaceful and prosperous era, for even in such a peaceful and prosperous era there were beggars and people selling their children. But the scene before him gave Zhu Youxiao some comfort.
This is a bit self-deception!
But Zhu Youxiao was not a saint who would give money to the poor, nor did he want to be a white lotus who would go on a hunger strike when others could not eat. He was working hard and had already made many people's lives better, and that was enough.
Just like he couldn't prevent the Little Ice Age from coming, but he was trying his best to prevent it from becoming a disaster, or at least to reduce the damage caused by this major disaster.
Zhu Youxiao smiled to himself and knocked lightly on the carriage. When the carriage stopped, he and Li Chengcheng got out and strolled along the street, with Wang Tigan following closely behind.
This scene looks so familiar. Wang Tigan couldn't help but sigh as he looked at the man and woman in front of him.
It's just that Zhang Yu'er was replaced by Li Chengcheng. I don't know why the emperor likes that "poop scooper". It is estimated that it won't be long before Li Chengcheng, like Zhang Yu'er, is promoted to a concubine!
Zhu Youxiao often wondered why the carpenter's woman in history would also become his own. They met and knew each other, as if they were destined to be together, without any effort to find each other.
People like Zhang Yuer and Li Chengcheng came to me by chance, and there seemed to be an invisible attraction that was drawing me in.
Well, although the carpenter was in office for a short time, he had quite a few women, maybe seven or nine?
Zhu Youxiao turned his head and glanced at Li Chengcheng, who was wearing a sable cloak. He had a rosy face, smooth black hair, and a white fur collar, which made him look very handsome.
Li Chengcheng hurriedly lowered his head and avoided the emperor's gaze.
Well, she looks more like a young wife going shopping with her husband. Even in the Ming Dynasty, it was not popular to hold hands with her husband.
Zhu Youxiao withdrew his gaze, raised the corners of his mouth, and revealed a meaningful smile.
Once I gather seven wives, I can summon a dragon or some other magical creature, right?
Zhu Youxiao was thinking about good things when he saw a lot of people in front of him, gathered at the door of a teahouse and making a lot of noise.
Zhu Youxiao stopped and watched, very curious. Before he could say anything, Wang Tigan had already stepped forward quickly, and something was about to happen.
After a while, Wang Tigan found out what was going on and rushed back to report, "Master Long, this teahouse has invited Jiangnan Liu Mazi to tell stories. But they're charging admission, one penny per person, which is why some people are making a fuss."
Liu Mazi?! Zhu Youxiao thought about it and seemed to have some impression of her, but he couldn't remember where.
Wang Tigan saw the emperor's confusion and added, "Liu Mazi's real name is Liu Jingting. He often tells stories in Yangzhou and is very famous."
Zhu Youxiao chuckled and said, "I understand. Let's go in and listen, and get to know this famous storyteller from Jiangnan."
"Master Long, please wait a moment. I will make some arrangements." Wang Tigan hurriedly walked away a few steps and extended his hand to greet Lu Jianxing and others.
Soon, Wang Tigan had finished his arrangements. Lu Jianxing, along with two Jinyiwei, approached and surrounded Zhu Youxiao and the others. When they reached the teahouse door, he stretched out his hand to separate the crowd and make way for Zhu Youxiao.
The three of them possessed skills and strength that no ordinary person could withstand. Some wanted to yell, but when Lu Jianxing and the others glared at them, they felt a chill run down their spines and quickly shut up.
The two teahouse waiters standing at the door also realized that these people were not easy to deal with. Before they could speak, Wang Ti Gan had already handed them a big yuan.
"Please, sir, please come in." The waiter nodded and bowed, and invited Zhu Youxiao and others in with a smile on his face.
After passing the screen in front of the teahouse, one enters a specially decorated hall. Tea tables are arranged in rows. The table and chairs in the front should be the storyteller's stage, with folding fans and wake-up sticks on it. The famous Liu Mazi has not yet arrived.
Many customers had already sat down at the tea table. Lu Jianxing glanced around, bowed, and invited Zhu Youxiao and the other three to sit at a tea table on the side that was well-suited for protection.
Then, he and his two brothers sat on the side, separating Zhu Youxiao and others from other tea drinkers.
After they sat down, a waiter came over to greet them. After ordering tea and melon seeds, Zhu Youxiao and the others waited quietly for Master Liu to appear.
During the Sui and Tang dynasties, people already referred to stories as "hua." By the Song Dynasty, the art of storytelling had developed. With the prosperity of cities, thriving commerce, and the expansion of the urban middle class, popular entertainment activities developed rapidly, and hundreds of professional "storytellers" emerged.
By the Ming Dynasty, the performance form of Pingshu had already taken shape, but it was still different from that of later generations. For example, what Liu Jingting performed was, to be more precise, Yangzhou Pinghua.
Speaking of Liu Jingting, he was quite famous in the historical period of the late Ming and early Qing dynasties.
He was loved and admired not only by the common people, but also by the general public. Many scholars and literati also wrote poems and essays praising Liu Jingting.
For example, Huang Zongxi, Zhang Dai, and Wu Weiye all wrote his biographies, and Kong Shangren also vividly described Liu Jingting's bold, brave, and chivalrous behavior in "Peach Blossom Fan".
Zhu Youxiao had heard of his name, having heard it mentioned in Wang Zhongguo's secret report. Although Liu Jingting was a street performer, he had close ties with the so-called Jiangnan scholars.
Soon, some more tea drinkers came in and paid money, and the teahouse became noisy.
Li Chengcheng felt a little uncomfortable, sitting on equal footing with the emperor, and in such a chaotic environment. It seemed there were few women present.
Zhu Youxiao sensed the maid's uneasiness, reached out and gently patted her arm, then smiled warmly and nodded.
Li Chengcheng nodded subconsciously, pursing her lips to reveal a smile. This small gesture of the emperor gave her a lot of comfort. As long as the emperor was by her side, her heart was much more at ease.
"Look, Mr. Liu is coming out." Following the tea drinker's excited reminder, everyone looked over.
Liu Mazi, Liu Jingting? !
Zhu Youxiao narrowed his eyes. He was not just here to listen to the lecture. With some guesses, or rather some suspicions, he carefully looked at the "pockmarked face" who walked up to the podium.
Although there are some pockmarks on his face, he is not ugly; he is of medium build and not too big, but has a somewhat elegant temperament.
"The slightest tap of the drum brings thunder and rain; the slightest movement of the tongue and lips brings history and the ages."
"The local sounds of the five regions. Local customs are cherished and familiar to all. Every time they are uttered, they sound like the rustling of swords and iron cavalry, floating in the air; or like the howling of the wind and the weeping of the rain, the sorrow of birds and the terror of beasts. The hatred of the lost country suddenly arises, and the sound of the sandalwood clappers changes color."
These are all words of praise for Liu Jingting recorded in history books.
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