Northern Dynasties

Chapter 53
Early the next morning, when Li Tai got up and went out, he saw that the villagers were busy carrying goods. The yard was already filled with two carts, and He Basheng was still directing the inventory to continue loading.

"Having been on the road for several days, it is inevitable to be tired. Let's go to the city for a short stay for a few days, and Ah Pan will go with me. I will also introduce you to the two sons of the family. You and other young and brave people will naturally have similar tastes together."

Seeing Li Tai approaching, He Basheng said with a smile.

After He Bayue's death, he left behind his sons He Bawei and He Bajing, who have been living in Chang'an City.Li Tai had heard about this matter from He Basheng and his subordinates, and he also learned that the relationship between He Basheng and these two nephews did not seem to be very good in Baishui Manor.

But no matter whether the relationship is good or not, it is always embarrassing for him to watch when his relatives are reunited, not to mention that he himself has relatives in Chang'an.

So he shook his head and said with a smile: "Before my cousin went to the countryside to tell my parents whereabouts. Now that I have entered Gyeonggi, it is time to visit. Uncle is going to the party by himself, so forgive me for not being able to accompany him. I will visit the famous Kunzhong again in the future."

"I was negligent. I only cared about my own affairs, but I forgot that you and your relatives have not seen each other for a long time."

After He Basheng heard the words, he patted his forehead, and beckoned Li Tai to follow him into the dorm. Then he rummaged through and found some scrolls, a piece of bow and some fashionable goods, and put them in the box: "They each have their own jobs. I am too lazy to bother you, and I will give you some vulgar goods one by one. Although I want to live in the city for a few days, I don’t like to be harassed by random people. After seeing you, you will go to the city to meet up."

Li Tai also nodded after hearing the words, indicating that he had written it down.

In the security environment around Chang'an City, people dare not go out when there are few people. He Basheng then assigned several personal soldiers to follow, together with Li Tai's own entourage, a group of more than a dozen people left the manor first and went to Chang'an City.

Today's Chang'an is still the ancient city of the Han Dynasty. It is not as grand as the Chang'an City in the Sui and Tang Dynasties, but it is also much larger than the Huazhou City where Li Tai traveled.There are many military cities and fortresses around, like stars arching the moon.

But the city is also a bit dilapidated, and many parts of the city walls have collapsed, some have been replaced by fences, and some have simply exposed gaps, and there are many traces of people and animals walking, which seems to have become a convenient small gate.

Chang'an City in the Han Dynasty was dominated by palace buildings, such as Weiyang Palace, Changle Palace and other large palaces.The outer walls of these palaces are covered with city walls, and the inner palace city and outer city city together constitute the imperial capital.

However, with the development of history, the internal and external layout of Chang'an City has also been greatly damaged.Various wars such as Wang Mang's usurpation of the Han Dynasty, warlord melee at the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty, and Wu Huanhua at the end of the Western Jin Dynasty have greatly damaged the ancient city of Chang'an.

Today's Chang'an City has been reduced to only the palace city of the Han Dynasty, and the surrounding Guocheng has long since ceased to exist, replaced by various small garrison cities and fortresses, some of which have simply degenerated into farmland.

Li Tai and his party entered the city from the east of the city through the gate. It used to be the Changle Palace in the Han Dynasty, but now it has become a Guocheng where the city residents live together.

The so-called Wang Xietangqianyan in the old days flew into the homes of ordinary people. Although it refers to Jiankang City in the south of the Yangtze River, it is quite appropriate to use in Chang'an City today.

The original forbidden garden has become a residential area. In addition to the messy layout of common people's houses and Qu Lane, there is also a military city set up in the city, which is separated from the civilian area by walls.

In addition, there are many Buddhist temples scattered in the city. It is still early in the morning, and the sounds of various chanting and Sanskrit singing can be heard endlessly.

But what interests Li Tai the most is that there are many kiln workshops scattered between the residential houses, Buddhist temples and Bingcheng, and some kilns are still producing with billowing smoke.

What is drying near the kiln is not products such as ceramic dishes, bottles and jars, but Buddha statues of various sizes and shapes, and many craftsmen are carefully coloring them there.

As the capital of the Western Wei regime, the largest handicraft industry in Chang'an City today has nothing to do with food and clothing, but firing Buddha statues. Four out of ten people in the city practice it. This is really a spectacle.

Right now Li Tai is just an ordinary passer-by in Chang'an, even if he has any emotion, he doesn't have the ability to make changes.

But seeing so many skilled workers in Chang'an City, he couldn't help being moved. The level of workmanship in his kiln was limited to firing bricks and simple pottery.If you can recruit a group of people to send them to Baishui Manor to collect local materials and specialize in the firing of ceramic ritual vessels, there will undoubtedly be a big market.

The current Chang'an City is close to the Wei River, and the terrain is high in the south and low in the north. Therefore, when the city was planned in the Han Dynasty, important palaces such as Weiyang Palace and Changle Palace were located in the south of the city.

Now these palaces have long since ceased to exist and have been reduced to civilian areas, and the pattern of dignitaries in the south of the city has also changed.The palace garden had already been moved to the depression in the northeast corner of the city, and the residences of the dignitaries naturally moved accordingly and concentrated in the north of the city.

This is because Chang'an City has lived for many years, resulting in the sinking of the groundwater level. The higher the place, the more difficult it is to get water.

The address that Lu Rou left for Li Tai was in the northwest of Ji'an Temple in the city. Under the leadership of He Basheng's personal soldiers, Li Tai and others successfully found Ji'an Temple after entering the city, and then dispatched the people to inquire about the nearby dwellings.

This Ji'an Temple is considered medium-sized among the temples in the city, and the incense is very strong. At this morning, there are already an endless stream of worshippers.

Standing next to the temple, Li Tai heard the believers who went in and out talking about the temple's prosperity in marriage and the harmony between husband and wife.

His soul travels through this world, but he is not an absolute materialist. Hearing this, he became a little interested. Waiting for the address of the trilogy to visit was also boring, so he went to the temple for a stroll.

Just when he arrived at the main hall and was about to enter to pay his respects, Li Tai heard Li Yantou shouting from behind him, and when he turned around, he saw Lu Rou, who was unkempt and hungover, also came along.

"A Pan also believes in Buddha and worships Buddha?"

Seeing him wandering in front of the temple hall, Lu Rou walked in and said with a smile.

Li Tai shook his head after hearing the words, and said only: "I just heard that this temple protects people's marriage, whether it works or not, this vision is always good."

When Lu Rou heard this, her expression suddenly became a little weird. She pulled Li Tai out and walked to the side of the temple wall before saying: "Even if you have a heart of respect, you must look for the temple gate to worship. You know Who is this temple dedicated to?"

Li Tai shook his head after hearing the words, and Lu Rou motioned him to come over and explain in a low voice. After hearing this, Li Tai's expression suddenly became weird, and he subconsciously moved away from the temple.

It turns out that this Ji'an Temple was built for the wife of Emperor Yuan Baoju of the Western Wei Dynasty, Yi Fushi. Yi Fushi was originally the queen of Yuan Baoju. The princess was the queen, and the former queen was finally forced to commit suicide by Princess Rouran.

Later, Princess Rouran died of dystocia, and Yuan Baoju ordered people to build this temple in memory of her ex-wife in the high place in the city overlooking the imperial city.It sounds like long-term love, but the most worthless thing for people is the so-called love when there is nothing they can do, which can range from sadness to life.

This is really because of its dizziness and conspicuousness, how much can it protect believers even if its own marriage is not saved?
Lu Rou first brought Li Tai home, and led his wife and daughter to meet each other.

Lu Rou's wife, Yuan Shi, was born in the imperial family of the Northern Wei Dynasty. She was dignified and polite, and she was quite enthusiastic about Li Tai's visit.When Lu Rou said that he wanted to entertain his cousin, Yuan Shi actually brought up his skirt and came down to the hall to prepare a meal.

Although Li Tai often had thoughts of guarding against the imperial family of the Northern Wei Dynasty, he had to admit that his cousin-in-law was indeed gentle and respectable. She got up in a hurry and said that she didn't need a meal, because she was going to visit another cousin Cui's house.

"A few days ago, the master of the house returned to his house, and he often sighed that Ah Pan has a good demeanor. Even without his relatives, he can stand on his own in a distant country. It is already embarrassing to lose care of him. My cousin entered the house today, so why don't you leave without eating!"

Standing in the hall, Yuanshi smiled and said to Li Tai, with an unquestionable tone in his tone.

After seeing this, Lu Rou also said: "My cousin is busy with business recently, so he may not be at home when he visits at this moment, and I will visit with Apan in the evening after the servants report. Although your sister-in-law is out of the noble family, she is not pampered. , I don’t have the ability to build a career, and the food and drink in the house are all up to the lady. If you refuse to witness her femininity, she will not like it.”

Hearing this, Li Tai could only thank him again before going back to the table, when Yuanshi saw this, he bowed slightly and left the hall.

"I live in Beijing and work in a simple family. The supplies are unavoidably shabby, and I set up dairy slaves to treat guests. Are you used to drinking, Ah Pan?"

Lu Rou asked the old slave in the family to offer a can of tea, and said to Li Tai with some embarrassment.

Since Li Tai entered the house, he also saw that although Lu Rou's mansion is not small, the doors and windows are mostly dilapidated, and the interior furnishings are also plain and simple. The only thing that can be said is that it is very tidy.It can be seen that although the family is not rich, the lady in charge is still diligent and decent.

"I didn't tell you about my visit. I was rude and rude. If my cousin is so courteous and polite again, I will be ashamed to be a guest here."

Li Tai picked up the bamboo spoon, first scooped a spoonful of tea for Lu Rou, and poured a cup for himself. After taking a sip, his eyebrows raised, and he sighed: "Tea has its own taste, and it is more mouth-watering than buttermilk!"

Drinking tea has not yet become a custom in the north. The tea in Lu Rou’s house is made from tea leaves, orange peels, dried dates and shredded ginger.

This tea not only retains the fragrance of tea leaves, but also dilutes the bitter taste. It is sweet and slightly spicy. In this late summer and early autumn season, it will quench your thirst and sweat.

"Grandma made the tea herself, just because Aye loves to drink. I also helped!"

Lu Rou's daughter was five years old, with red lips and white teeth, delicate and cute, she stood aside shyly, but when Li Tai praised the tea, she said with an excited smile.

Then the little girl turned around and ran to the inner room to take out a clay pot. Although she was a little reluctant, she still placed it on Li Tai's desk: "It will taste better if you add a spoonful of honey. Just add a spoonful. OK……"

Obviously, this is a delicious food that the little girl collected herself. She wants to entertain guests but is afraid of being wasted by them.

When Li Tai saw this, he laughed, put the pot back into the little girl's arms and said, "Uncle is not fond of sweets, so my lady puts away the honey. I live in a manor in the countryside, and there are many honey in the mountains and forests. Someday, my lady will share it with you." Parents come to the country as a guest, I will give you a full can, and there are other interesting foods to eat."

"Is it a big can? How big is it?"

When the little lady heard this, her eyes lit up immediately, she put down her little honey pot and opened her small hand, gesticulating: "Is it that big?"

"It's so big!"

Li Tai opened his arms and hugged him as a gesture, which immediately made the little girl smile.

(End of this chapter)