Pawn Crossing the River

Qi Xuansu and Liu Hu set out from Longmen Prefecture on March 15th, and in the blink of an eye, it was already late spring and early summer.

Huzhou is located in the south, and it is already a little hot in the summer. Passers-by have changed into light clothes.

In the previous dynasty, the "Da Wei Hui Dian" made detailed regulations on the clothing of scholars, farmers, merchants and businessmen. For example, merchants could not wear silk and satin, and ordinary people could only wear flat-toed shoes, not upturned shoes, nor boots. Only Confucian scholars could wear Taoist robes, and Taoists could wear legal robes. Ordinary people could only wear red auspicious clothes in the style of the ninth-rank official uniform when they got married, and women could wear the phoenix crown and bridal robe of the imperial edict, and so on.

However, in this dynasty, all these rules were abolished, and only corresponding regulations were made on the color of clothing. It was not allowed to use black, that is, Xuan color, casually. Only people in the court and Taoist sects could use it. Instead, the bright yellow color that used to symbolize the emperor was released from restrictions and used at will. The name of the black-clothed man came from this.

Because it was a time of peace and prosperity, at a glance, the streets were full of silk and satin. There were many people wearing bright yellow clothes, and some people wore official uniforms, but there were no animal patches that symbolized their rank, and they could not wear black, so they would not be mistaken.

Looking closely, there were some high-nosed and deep-eyed Semu merchants wearing the clothes of gentry in the Central Plains, which was somewhat funny.

This was very different from the scene of mountains of corpses and seas of blood, cannibalism, and desolation in the chaotic times.

This was the real reason why the Taoist sect and the Great Xuan court had secured the world.

Zhang Yuelu took a carriage to leave Shenxiao Temple and headed for Taiping Inn.

Taiping Inn was called an inn, but it was actually a restaurant and an inn in one. The main building was a restaurant, and the back was an inn.

Today, Yuan Chongzong, the top gentry in Jiangling Prefecture, booked the main building of Taiping Inn for a banquet.

This is not unusual, but today's banquet is very "plain". In the past, such banquets always invited a few popular women to "lively the atmosphere", and maybe even invited a courtesan to perform, but today there were no women of style, only the Kunqu Opera troupe specially invited from Jinling Prefecture to entertain the guests.

In addition, the guests were not ordinary people, including the local prefect, the judge, the deputy captain of the Qingluan Guard, and a group of gentry, wealthy businessmen, and celebrities from Jiangling Prefecture.

It was only the end of Chenshi, and the gate of Taiping Inn was already full of carriages. Because this dynasty advocated animal power instead of human power, sedan chairs were banned. Young people and military officers liked to ride horses, and old men and gentlemen naturally took carriages.

These carriages were not comparable to ordinary carriages. Influenced by the customs of the Western Continent, two-horse four-wheeled carriages are now popular. After the size of the carriage increased, it was like a small pavilion, with carved beams and painted buildings, inlaid with gold and jade, and bells hanging from the four eaves, ringing crisply when walking. Inside, it was like a room, with all kinds of furnishings, and even books and writing, handling official business, and all kinds of tea sets and stoves, fixed by special buckles, so there was no need to worry about tipping over even if there was an occasional bump.

The luxurious carriages that were rarely seen on weekdays gathered together, not to mention those divine and famous horses. It was really a place where great scholars talked and laughed, and there was no ordinary person coming and going, overflowing with wealth and elegance.

Compared with these BMWs and carved carriages, the carriage that Zhang Yuelu rode was quite inconspicuous and did not attract attention.

Zhang Yuelu, who went to the banquet alone, got off the carriage, looked around, and said to himself: "What a big scene."

The lobby of Taiping Inn has been cleared, and there is a special screen in front of it, like a peacock spreading its tail, with a Western carpet laid. It is not for banquets, but for welcoming guests. After bypassing the screen, there is a staircase to the second floor, which is very wide and grand, and can accommodate six people in parallel without being crowded. The main table is set on the second floor.

However, there was no one else on the second floor except the servants. All the guests were in the hall on the first floor. There were chairs and tea tables here. Those who couldn't stand for a long time sat down to drink tea while waiting.

Because the two main guests hadn't arrived yet.

One was the host Yuan Chongzong, and the other was today's guest of honor, Zhang Yuelu.

Today, Zhang Yuelu didn't wear the Taoist formal dress, but just an ordinary female casual dress. Although it was a bit conservative, she didn't wear a veil. Zhang Yuelu really looked down on this. Some women's veils were almost the same as not wearing them. Not only could they not cover their faces, but they were also well aware of the meaning of half-covering the face while holding the lute. It was looming. Was it to cover the face? Or to seduce people? It was really suspicious.

In her opinion, if it was inconvenient to meet people, don't wear a veil. It would be better to use a mask, or meet people openly.

There were not many female guests present today, but there were still some. Since the decline of Neo-Confucianism and the rise of Mind Learning, coupled with the intention of Taoism to de-Confucianize and crack down on Confucian ethics, it has become normal for women to show up in public.

Zhang Yuelu came to the front door and handed the invitation to the housekeeper of Yuan Mansion who was entertaining guests.

The housekeeper thought it was a rich lady from some family, but after opening the invitation, he was stunned.

It was not his fault. There were not many people who had seen Zhang Yuelu's true face. Most of them had heard of her name for a long time. In the eyes of everyone, a Taoist monk who came to Jiangling Mansion on a "Yinglong" would have a small show. Even if all the Taoists of Shenxiao Temple were dispatched, it would not be strange, but no one expected that Zhang Yuelu would come alone.

After a while, the housekeeper came back to his senses and shouted loudly: "Deputy Hall Master Zhang is here."

The people who were chatting and waiting in the lobby were stunned, and then they all stood up.

At the same time, the housekeeper bowed slightly and led Zhang Yuelu into the lobby on the first floor.

Zhang Yuelu looked around. Not only did he not have any stage fright, but he seemed to overwhelm everyone with his aura and turned against the guests.

Many people couldn't help but feel shocked.

The person who came here is not a good person. Deputy Hall Master Zhang is able to hold a high position at a young age. It cannot be explained by the words "good fortune".

There are so many children in the Zhang family, why should a woman from a nearby family come to the top?

So many people died in the Jiangnan case, why did she survive to the end?

There are so many disciples of Master Cihang, why did he choose her?

It can be seen that it is difficult to deal with.

Yuan Chongzong was not there, but his son Yuan Shangdao was. But before the Yuan family master could speak, Zhang Yuelu had already asked, "Forgive me for my blindness, but I wonder who is Mr. Yuan?"

Everyone looked at each other, Yuan Shangdao cupped his hands and said: "My father is old and frail, so he came late. I hope Deputy Hall Master Zhang can forgive me."

Zhang Yuelu smiled: "The guests have arrived, but the host is not here. This way of treating guests... is nothing. After all, you have to respect your elders. Of course I understand."

After that, Zhang Yuelu walked towards the second floor.

It seems that she is the local owner.

It's not that she doesn't understand the etiquette involved, but she has already understood one thing: what she wants to do is inherently offensive.

The remaining people on the first floor didn't follow Zhang Yuelu upstairs, nor did they stay where they were.

Many people frowned.

This Deputy Hall Master Zhang is too arrogant and arrogant!

It took Yuan Chongzong most of his life to achieve his current status, and it was built through his huge reputation and countless connections.

But how old are you, Zhang Yuelu?

No matter how promising you are, you are still just a fourth-grade wine-sacrifice Taoist priest, a rising star, and it is not yet time for you to be arrogant.

This is just like a prince who is expected to ascend the throne and proclaim himself emperor, but it does not mean that he can regard himself as emperor now and ignore important officials in the court.

After Yuan Chongzong got older, Yuan Shangdao was already the head of the Yuan family, and he should have been the one to welcome Zhang Yuelu this time.

Yuan Shangdao is much older than Zhang Yuelu, and is about the same age as Zhang Kuqi. Although he cannot regard himself as an elder, and Zhang Yuelu will not recognize him, it is always difficult for Zhang Yuelu to refuse a friendship between his peers.

In this way, Zhang Yuelu became Yuan Chongzong's junior. After Yuan Chongzong arrived, he took Zhang Yuelu with him to greet Yuan Chongzong with courtesy and favor. Invisibly, the order of seniority was established. Yuan Chongzong took care of the identity of his elder. A lot of things can be said easily.

But he didn't expect that Zhang Yuelu's plan would come to nothing by playing his cards out of compliance with the rules.

In addition, Yuan Shangdao originally wanted to test Zhang Yuelu on behalf of his father Yuan Chongzong. There are only a handful of people in the Taoist sect who can be named after the stars. The famous national teacher Li Changgeng Zhuyu is in front. Yuan Shangdao also wants to see if Zhang Yuelu is really the same. In the legend, the stars in the sky descend to the earth, are they worthy of being famous? Or is it difficult to live up to the reputation?

Yuan Shangdao reached out to the housekeeper and whispered a few words.

Not long after, I saw a luxurious carriage slowly approaching.

Everyone went out to greet him.

Zhang Yuelu stood on the second floor and looked out of the window.

"What a grandeur."

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