Lin Gao Qiming

As soon as spring began in the eleventh year of Chongzhen, the people of the capital realized the abnormality of the weather. As winter turns to spring, the almanac has turned to late March. However, the howling northwest wind does not roll in the yellow sand and dust like in previous years. Instead, it blows countless snowflakes mixed with cold rain and icyly hits the heads of pedestrians. . The poor people who had no money to buy a sedan or ride a mules and horses were shivering with cold, and they stumbled step by step along the snowy and muddy streets. Some people tripped and fell while walking due to hunger and cold. In the quagmire formed by snow and water, I couldn't struggle, and after a while I stopped moving.

The unusual spring cold unexpectedly boosted the business of tea shops everywhere. In this snowy March season, most people only need to go to Chaishikou and Coal Burning Stores to inquire about the rising prices, and most people will decisively choose to stay in a tea shop and spend the whole day. The tables and chairs near the soup stove were crowded with people early on, but even in the corner far away from the stove, the steaming and diffusing water vapor in the room would give people a false sense of warmth. Moreover, in addition to the warmth, the dense white mist even gave people a strange illusion, as if it was enough to cover the ears and eyes of the factory guard and make him invisible, so the sound of chatting inevitably became louder and louder. The topic always started with the unfavorable weather and how many trucks the street patrolmen had carried away this morning, and then turned into complaints about the price of rice, firewood and coal. In the midst of sighs, the topic gradually shifted to dangerous areas such as the invasion of the East, the rebellion of the bandits, and the separatism of the bandits, and the discussion inevitably became more and more wild. Until the tea guests started arguing about which was the most important, whether to suppress the bandits, the imperial prisoners or the emperor; which of the courtiers and governors should be kidnapped and sent to the Western Market; and even what would be the fate of the Ming Dynasty in the future. When the locals started to argue, the store owner would come forward to mediate and persuade them, reminding them to pay attention to the "Don't talk about national affairs" posters on the wall.

The owner of this tea shop near Chaoyangmen always instructs the tea doctor to close the windows tightly in rainy and snowy weather, to resist the cold and at the same time isolate the wild discussions of the tea guests in the house. However, the cracks in the windows are always through There is a bit of cold wind, so the table by the window is always less visited. However, a young man who claimed to be a student of the Imperial College was particularly fond of this location. As soon as the tea shop opened in the morning, he sat here and ordered a bowl of Yuanbao tea and some sesame cakes. He took a few sips, opened the bamboo bookcase he carried with him, and took out Paper, pen, ink cartridges, and a thin-page booklet. With the light coming from the open-tiled window panels, I flipped through a few pages of the booklet and began to immerse myself in copying.

Although it is a tea shop, there is no scent of tea in the room. In winter, the doors and windows are closed, and the air is very dirty. There is only an indescribable mixed smell, coupled with the noise of the tea guests, it is necessary to study peacefully in this world. Writing is really difficult. However, this young man was calm and focused, and his writing skills were as fast as flying.

What the tea drinkers talk about most recently is not national events, but a recent "strange case". Naturally, this strange case is the kidnapping case of Shopkeeper Leng. Although the case has been settled long ago, and the rush to Delong caused by it has subsided for many days, there are too many unclear aspects in it, which are enough to arouse the endless curiosity of the tea drinkers.

Originally, for such a major case, there must be detailed information in the Shuntian Mansion Yamen. However, the few Shuntian Mansion Yamen servants who often come to the teahouse can't say anything new. So far, everyone only knows two things: Lao Xi He Liansheng was the first to cause trouble behind his back.

Gradually, there were more and more tea-goers in the shop. Amid the tea doctor's greetings and the chatters and sighs of the tea-goers, a middle-aged man opened the door curtain and walked into the room, shaking off the snowflakes that had fallen on the fine velvet quilt. , then took off his big green felt hat, revealing his sparse gray hair, and he also held a bookcase in his hand. The tea-goers turned a blind eye to the dilapidated scribes who were common in the capital, and Dr. Tea did not bother to greet him. The middle-aged scribe slowly wandered to the table in front of the window, and saw the young Gongsheng still immersed in copying books. The green olives were picked out and placed on the lid of the bowl. He glanced at it with squinting eyes, then sat down on his own: "May I ask this husband, is it the Beijing News that you copied?"

"Exactly." The young man raised his head, and there was a strong Mandarin accent in the Mandarin, "My hometown is far away, and the elders want to hear the emperor's jade voice, but it is difficult to get there. This "Beijing News" is full of information, but it is very valuable. , borrowing a newspaper to copy it is also an impossible method, which makes the old gentleman laugh."

The so-called "Beijing News" is the result of the distant and dull nerves of the Ming Empire touched by Australian cultural fashion. Since the Australians separatized Lingnan, although the emperor personally issued a decree banning "Kun's calligraphy and obscene paintings", Australian newsprint also banned it. Moreover, he repeatedly reiterated that "Zhang Zou is read by the emperor and is not allowed to be copied without permission" to avoid delivering news to the spies of the Kun people. "violators will be punished." However, the wealthy newspaper copying shop owners in the capital saw business opportunities in Australian newspapers and periodicals, formed a joint venture to set up a newspaper shop, bribed the provincial governors stationed in Beijing to copy the newspapers, typed them into volumes with wooden movable type, and even included them. Simple engraving news pictures, published once every ten days. Although the price of a single copy was not cheap at 30 Wen Jingqian, the bureaucrats and scholars in the capital still flocked to it, and even the illiterate people found it a pleasure to have someone read the newspaper.

When several discerning teagoers heard the word "Beijing News", they came over and asked to read the newspaper. The young man did not refuse, but his Fujian accent was really torture to the ears of the people in the capital. So the middle-aged scribe sitting across the table had just finished a bowl of tea soup when he was begged by the tea drinkers to continue reading. He spoke in an authentic Beijing style, but seemed a little lackluster. Teagoers listening to the news gradually began to whisper:

"Why don't the newspapers mention side events?"

"At the beginning of the month in Xuanda Town, a (Chahar) slave knocked at the gate and asked for the opening of the market. Mr. Lu decided that if it was not a Donglu, it was a traitor, and he refused to allow it. He even had a quarrel with Boss Yangge of the Ministry of War. Struggle, how come there is no follow-up text?"

"You are so ignorant!" An old man wearing a square scarf made a sharp voice: "The imperial court not only banned the newsprint of Kun Thief, but also prohibited private copying of memorials and memorials in the newspaper office, or mentioning border affairs and military affairs, for the sake of What? Just wait and think about it, if the Kun thieves knew that Donglu had entered the fortress just like coming to the capital for an outing, and he went to form a blood alliance with the Nalu chief Hong Taishi, what would our court do? The emperor is indeed wise!" In the store Everyone roared with laughter, and some shook their heads and sighed, "Old Mr. Lu is probably confused, and it's just Donglu. If the Kun people asked for the market to open, they would have come straight from the sea. There is no need to go around the outside of the fortress and knock on the gate to announce the great victory." ?”

"Zhang Zhang, what nonsense are you talking about?" A man slapped his tea bowl on the table and shouted: "Are you speaking for Donglu or Kunthief? Didn't you hear the newspaper you read last month? The thief Li Zicheng has been defeated, and the eight kings, Zhang thief, have been killed by the formation of heavenly soldiers, and will soon spread throughout the world. These are all the achievements of Mr. Lu back then. Who do you think you are? How dare you slander Mr. Lu here!"

The old man in the square scarf coughed twice and said with a smile: "Wang Laowu is not going crazy. You speak of Master Lu, but do you know the other Master Lu of Sixth Subject, Lu Beike?"

"Are you talking about eating raw pork belly, Lu Beike?" a tea-drinking clerk said, causing the tea guests to burst into laughter. Everyone in the capital knew that Lu Zhaolong (also known as Benqian, nicknamed Beike), an official born in Guangdong, was the most hostile to the Kun people and the Macao barbarians in his life. He often criticized Zhang Fengyi, the Minister of War, without thinking about Kun. He said: "The hearts of the people in Guangdong are in an uproar and they want to eat the meat of phoenix wings." Unexpectedly, Yang Sichang, the right minister of the Ministry of War, ridiculed him: "Since the people of Guangdong are like this, I think all the thieves and thieves will have their meat." Lu Zhaolong was extremely angry and frantic, It was inevitable that he would lose his manners in front of the emperor, and he would get such a bad reputation from then on.

"It is said that the miners in Yongzhou and Chenzhou were in trouble the year before last. Mr. Lu asked the Holy One to go and recruit peace. He planned to follow Qi Nantang's method and train the miners as soldiers to prepare for the attack on Kun. The Holy One agreed and issued an order to teach him to patrol Pianyuan. , It’s a pity that no one is willing to use his life for him. He died tragically in the rebel army within a few months of taking office, and his head was chopped off by the mine thieves. The old man is indeed nothing, but if you, Wang Laowu, are really something, why not start from the beginning Serving under Lu Beike's command is no better than gossiping with other old men in a tea shop?"

The man who was called Wang Laowu's face turned purple, but he couldn't speak a word.

"I heard that the group of mining bandits were wiped out by the heavenly soldiers until they had no place to live. Most of them were killed and dispersed, and the other half ended up defecting to the Kun thief. It's true that the thieves have similar personalities. But it can be seen that the Kun thief also has some tricks."

"Kun Ren not only has some tricks, but also said that the edict prohibits Kun Kun from trading, but which one of them is really implemented and can cause Kun Ren's feet to hurt?" The secretary who answered the conversation picked up the tea leaves on the lid of the bowl and placed them on the table. He said in a contrived manner: "Did you know that in recent years, the fresh fruits from South China purchased by the Chief of Food for Ouchi are all canned Australian products that violate the prohibition? What is inexhaustible in the palace is sold, and a small can of sugar-watered lychees is sold for the price Eighty-nine taels of silver is equivalent to our year's salary of work and food, and the supply is still in short supply. The huge profits are all shared by the Kun people and the officials. This situation is not known to the outside world, but who in the palace does not know? Except for ...The Holy Emperor cares about the world and cannot care about such trivial matters."

The discussion in the teahouse became more and more heated, and the owner tried to dissuade him several times, but to no avail. Seeing that no one was listening to the newspaper and tired from reading, the middle-aged scribe handed the newspaper back to the young man, took out a small tin flask from his arms, poured some wine into the tea soup bowl, and drank it After finishing it, he sighed: "How beautiful!" and called Dr. Tea to come and settle the money for the tea soup. The peculiar sweet aroma emitted by the wine caught the attention of the young Gongsheng. He tried hard to recall this once familiar smell, but the quarrel between the middle-aged scribe and the tea doctor rang in his ears.

"...How can you say we are greedy? You old man can read newspapers, don't you know the current market? Since the imperial court banned the sale of Kun goods, everything on the ground in the capital has become expensive. Not to mention that there is something else used in this tea soup Even if the brown sugar and white sugar are used, the price has increased by three to five cents per catty..."