Xie Ming

Chapter 460 Qinhuai Zuiling Valley Stay

Qinhuai River!
It was called Huai River in ancient times and its original name was "Longzangpu".

It is more than 220 miles long and is the main river channel in Yingtian and Nanjing areas!

It has been famous since ancient times
According to legend, after Emperor Qin Shi Huang unified the country, he saw purple clouds rising in the sky above Nanjing during his eastern tour and thought it was the royal aura, so he dug a square mountain and cut off a long ridge to make a ditch that flowed into the Yangtze River. Later generations mistakenly believed that this water was opened during the Qin Dynasty, so they called it "Qinhuai".

By the late Three Kingdoms period, merchants gathered here and it had become very prosperous!

During the Six Dynasties, it became a place where famous families lived, merchants gathered, scholars gathered, and Confucianism flourished.

After the Sui and Tang Dynasties, it gradually declined, but it still attracted countless literati and poets to come here to pay tribute and chant "The swallows in the halls of the Wang and Xie families in the old days now fly into the homes of ordinary people."

During the Song Dynasty, it began to recover and became the cultural core of the Jiangnan region.

Time flies and the world changes!

Dynasties changed, and the situation became the Ming Dynasty!
The ten-mile Qinhuai River also achieved its heyday thanks to the fact that it was established as the capital by Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang!
There are rows of golden and powdered pavilions, painted boats floating on the water, the sound of oars and the shadows of lights, all of which are magnificent and electrifying!
Among them, the most famous restaurants and dance pavilions on the riverside include Zuixianlou, Beishilou, Jixianlou, Gufulou, Danyanlou, Heminglou and a few others.

These restaurants were originally built under the order of Emperor Taizu of the Ming Dynasty, Zhu Yuanzhang. They were mainly used to receive guests from all over the world and to encourage innovation and competition among restaurants.

Although the construction of restaurants was supervised by the government, the operation was left to the autonomy of private merchants!

As a result, each restaurant serves wine and food and puts up signs to attract customers, and the competition is fierce!
In order to attract dignitaries, some taverns even hired professional singing girls to serve wine.

Over time, this item has become standard!

The government turned a blind eye to the business of restaurants, and it was not uncommon for officials to enrich themselves by taking advantage of the situation.

This kind of immoral behavior is becoming more and more rampant!

The matter will be recovered on this night of the Mid-Autumn Festival in August!
At the beginning of the midnight, Xiao Jingchuan left Wuying Palace alone and walked out of Xihua Gate again!

But at this moment, unexpectedly, Liu Wenbing, Marquis Liu, and Gong Yonggu, the son-in-law of the emperor, were also waiting here, specifically to arrest Xiao Jingchuan!

At this moment, the two men were blocking the gate. When they saw Xiao Lang's figure, they didn't need to say anything and showed no reason to show mercy. They went up to him and pulled Xiao Jingchuan onto his horse. The three of them rode three horses and headed straight for Qinhuai Zuixian Tower!
It was because before entering the palace, Lord Liu had said that there would be a welcoming banquet at Zuixian Tower tonight, so after waiting for Xiao to enter the palace, he immediately asked Gong Yonggu to come, for fear that Xiao would slip away at night. In order to catch him alive, these two followed him in front of Xihua Gate and squatted for half an hour!

Xiao Jingchuan was actually very tired and didn't want to go through this kind of trouble again!

But he couldn't resist the hospitality of Liu and Gong? !

There is nothing I can do but accept my fate and follow the arrangements!
After that, another hour passed!

It’s the Chou hour, the fourth watch!
Liu, Gong and Xiao had their fill of food and drink in Zuixian Tower. Xiao could no longer hold on and begged for mercy and left!
According to Xiao Lang's opinion, after all, this return to Beijing is regarded as a trip for foreign military officers to report on their work. During the night, they can just take a rest in an inn or hotel and have a quick sleep!
But Gong Yonggu, who was drunk, opened his mouth and shouted violently, and he had to give in!
He insisted on asking Xiao Jingchuan to stay in Zuixian Tower, where he would be served with warm fragrance and soft jade, and be comfortable!
Xiao Lang looked at her and refused to be with her, saying that he was not worthy of her!

He made excuses by saying that he had returned to the capital on the orders of the emperor. It was not nice to find himself in brothels as soon as he arrived in Nanjing.
If this news were to reach the ears of the censors tomorrow, I don't know how they would interpret it.
I have no explanation to the soldiers who are still staying on the northern front!
I was thinking, what the hell, the commander-in-chief returns to the capital and the first thing he does on his first night is to put his finger in a woman's crotch. How disheartening!

Ok!

Although Liu Wenbing was drunk, his mind was still somewhat clear!

Seeing that Xiao Lang intended to stay at the post house, although he did not agree, at least he was not as ridiculous as Gong Yonggu. According to him, he thought the post house was too simple and shabby, and he had to invite Xiao Jingchuan to go home with him and live in Liu's house!

Xiao Jingchuan still insisted on refusing!
As a last resort, he brought it over and sent Xiao Lang to Linggu Temple at night!
Having said this, it is necessary to briefly describe this kind of thing!

This Linggu Temple is actually one of the three famous Buddhist temples in the Ming Dynasty!

It was first built in the Southern Liang Dynasty and enjoys the reputation of "the best Zen temple in the world".

During the reign of Emperor Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, the temple was named "Linggu Zen Temple" after him.

As for the location, it is at the foot of Zhongshan Mountain, north of the imperial city.

Why, then, did officials from other provinces who came to Beijing to report on their duties not stay in hotels or guild halls, but rather in Buddhist and Taoist temples?

There is a trick to this!

According to historical records, the Great Ming Code, Military Code V, Post Offices, states: "Any official who is on official business and occupies the upper room in the main hall of a post station shall be flogged fifty times."

It means that if officials from other provinces who come to Beijing seek comfortable living conditions and occupy a hotel room, they will be beaten with fifty lashes if they are discovered.

The Ming Dynasty law strictly prohibits officials from staying in accommodations that exceed the standard!
But after this was put into practice, problems began to arise over time.

That is, whenever an official from another post returns to Beijing, he lives alone in a hotel and is worried about work, which always gives people a feeling of desolation and helplessness!
As the saying goes, "The sun sets over the quiet hotel, and the partridges cry, and the guests miss home. In the evening, the rouge rain falls on the corners of the wall, and the mountain peach trees are full of flowers."

What I am talking about is this kind of state of mind!

However, what if officials from other provinces, after coming to Beijing, live in hometown association halls which serve as places for social gatherings and making friends?

That is better than delivering evidence to the censor for impeachment.

After all, since the Ming Dynasty, starting with Emperor Taizu, great efforts have been made to strictly prevent officials from forming cliques and colluding with each other.

You said that it was not easy for you, an official from another province, to travel thousands of miles to the capital, so why should you live in a guild hall and live in fear, causing trouble? !

Therefore, these officials who returned to Beijing from their posts outside the capital found a proper solution!

Because it was the Ming Dynasty, temples and monasteries of all sizes were built everywhere in both Beijing and Nanjing.

Sometimes there are more of these places than hotels!
And unlike the desolate scenes of "green lamps and ancient Buddhas" imagined by the public, most of these temples are of considerable scale, elegant environment, comfortable accommodation, delicious vegetarian meals, and the living environment is even better than that of hotels and halls!

At the same time, temples are public places!
Anyone can enter and burn incense and worship Buddha.

While staying there, officials from other provinces avoided the noise of hotels and the gossip of guild halls, and refused all kinds of greetings and farewells. Even if colleagues came to visit them, they could give them a cup of tea in return, demonstrating their open-mindedness, which reassured the emperor and left the censors speechless!

With so many advantages, it has become the first choice for officials from other provinces to stay when they come to Beijing!

Why not?!
(End of this chapter)