Guide to Traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty.

Chapter 126 0121 [Dao Tea]

After Lin Lingsu came to the capital, he lived with hundreds of other Taoist priests in Taiyi Palace and waited for the exam.

There was a severe shortage of manpower on Huang Chang's side, and he was recruiting temporary workers in various roads in the capital.

There is no wages, only food is provided, but one hour a day can be set aside for temporary workers to read those Taoism scriptures.

There were very few applicants, and they would have been given free food and lodging.

Lin Lingsu quickly signed up, he was going to read a book!

This gentleman was poor when he was young, so he was thrown into the temple since he was a child, and he became a novice monk for many years.Unbearable to be abused by the old monk, he escaped from the temple and became a Taoist priest.But it's just that he doesn't have the savage way of life. He usually travels in the rivers and lakes and learns some illusions and tricks.

He said that he worshiped Zhao Sheng, a Taoist from Mount Shu, as his teacher, but anyone with a normal mind would know that he was talking nonsense.

Because Zhao Sheng is a character in "The Legend of the Immortals", Zhang Daoling's last disciple in the world, and he ascended to heaven with Zhang Daoling and became a god!
Lin Lingsu hated monks very much. After he succeeded in illusion, he traveled between Lianghuai and Huaihe regions.As long as the money is spent, they will go to the temple to eat and drink for free, and use illusions to calm the monks from doing anything.

With more than ten years of experience in the rivers and lakes, and being a monk when he was young, Lin Lingsu is very familiar with Buddhist and Taoist rituals.

His religious practice has been completed to full marks, and he only lacks a solid theoretical foundation.

The main reason is that Daoist scriptures are hard to find. Unlike the Internet age, you can read them casually with the mouse and keyboard.

Lin Lingsu doesn't even have a master, and all he can get in touch with are ordinary Taoist scriptures on the market.He was completely thinking about it by himself, and then ran to a serious Taoist priest to discuss the scriptures, accumulating knowledge of Taoism bit by bit.

Therefore, the Taoist priests who had come into contact with Lin Lingsu felt that he was misinterpreting the scriptures.

"You sort out the scriptures in this room by category," Huang Chang said to several temporary Taoist priests. "You can read the scriptures by yourself at the time of application every day, but you are not allowed to take the scriptures out."

Lin Lingsu looked at the room full of Daoist books, his eyes were shining, this is what he lacked!
After Huang Chang left, several temporary Taoist priests rushed in to organize the scriptures.

They had the same idea with Lin Lingsu, and wanted to get some precious Taoist scriptures to read.

So while sorting out the books, look for what you want, and put it aside for reading.

Finally, a guard came to remind: "It's time to apply."

The Taoist priests immediately picked up the Taoist scriptures and looked through them. Lin Lingsu chose a seat by the window, frantically supplementing his theoretical knowledge.

This gentleman is really smart and has a good memory.

I have to make reading notes every day, and based on my experience of more than 20 years, repair and adjust some deficiencies in Taoism.

For example, Taoist rituals, Lin Lingsu felt that they were not perfect enough.Some Confucian rituals can be used for reference, and some Buddhist rituals can be used for reference, and all of them can be stuffed into Taoism to make Taoist rituals more solemn, solemn, mysterious, and majestic.

"The next door is arguing again!" said a temporary Taoist priest.

"Come and watch the excitement."

Lin Lingsu also followed, and the room next door was already noisy.

Those are all serious Taoist officials, and the number has increased a lot. There are a total of 20 people at Huang Chang's disposal.

The content of their quarrel was "Journey to the West", which the Neidan School liked very much and planned to present it to the emperor.The Waidan sect likes novels and stories, but hates Buddhism. They think that this book should not be passed on to the outside world.

Some Taoists believed that the book could be dedicated to the emperor, but it had to be revised extensively.

After arguing and arguing, there was no result. "Journey to the West" just lay there eating ashes.

Lin Lingsu showed disdain, what's the fuss about a book from Buddhist scriptures?When you are developed, let the Buddha also change his title.

Other temporary workers were still listening to people quarreling, but Lin Lingsu had already returned to the house and continued to do research on Taoist theory.

With many Taoist treasures as nourishment, Lin Lingsu's knowledge is advancing rapidly.He learned more in a few days than in one or two years in the folk, but because he was completely self-study, his understanding of Taoism was different from others in many ways.

Lin Lingsu must be able to get out of thousands of Taoist priests in the capital.

He knows weather, illusion, and medicine.

Most importantly, he has dealt with all kinds of religions and nine streams all year round, so he can understand people's hearts!

Once he got a chance to meet the emperor, Song Huizong pouted his ass, and Lin Lingsu knew what shit he was going to do.

……

But it is said that Lin Lingsu was in Tokyo to supplement Taoist theories, and Xue Daoguang was traveling westward with his bags on his back.

Daoist scriptures are all secrets that are not handed down, and it is difficult for ordinary people to see them. Now, a large number of Daoist poems by the master have appeared in novels.

Xue Daoguang is going to see which senior brother wrote "Journey to the West".

He has a formal Taoist certificate on him, and the emperor worships Taoism.Encountering a post station on the way, as long as Xue Daoguang took out the Taoist card, he could not only eat and live for free, but also use transportation for free.

In more than a month, he went from Kaifeng to Hanzhong.

And he was full of energy, without any sign of fatigue.

Arriving outside the city of Xingyuan Mansion, I saw large tracts of unknown crops planted in the fields in the suburbs.

There are also a few archers who are patrolling around, and when they see someone approaching, they yell: "This is overseas fairy food, and you can see it? Get out of here quickly, so as not to disturb the immortal energy!"

Fairy food?

Xue Daoguang walked over upon hearing the words, and asked, "Where's the fairy food?"

He was combing a Taoist bun and wearing a Taoist robe. The archers didn't dare to neglect, and cupped their hands and said, "This is the seed Zhu Chenggong, a scholar of the Eight Elements, got from the hands of overseas immortals. He borrowed some seeds and planted them in the field at work." .”

Xue Daoguang learned from Wang Qizhi that the author of "Journey to the West" is Zhu Guoxiang, Zhu Ming and his son, and that Zhu Ming is Zhu Chenggong, the son of the eight-element scholar.

Could it be that Zhu Guoxiang is really his younger brother, and he even went overseas to visit immortals?
Xue Daoguang asked again: "What is the name of this fairy food?"

The archer said: "It's called corn, and the yield is several stones per mu. It's a theory. Immortal grains have immortal energy, and ordinary people can't bear it. After harvesting this year, only some seeds will be rewarded and given to blessed and virtuous gentry. Small people dare to steal seeds, all Take him to prison!"

"The yield per mu is several stones..." Xue Daoguang understood a little bit, and nodded in approval, "But he is a good official."

The less people are allowed to breed, the more people will grow!

People came to peek at those cornfields every day, and the attention was already full.

Archer pointed to the sweet potatoes between the rows: "This is a fairy potato, and it also has fairy energy."

Xue Daoguang left with a smile, more interested in his junior brother.

He took the Taoist certificate, went to the post station to get a boat, went down the river, and arrived outside Yangzhou City the next day.

When the official ship docked, Xue Daoguang clasped his fists and said, "Thank you for sending me off, and farewell!"

The boatman didn't give him a good face. In the past, the post station only entertained officials, but now it even accepts Taoist priests. They worked for half a day without extra wages.

Xue Daoguang smiled and threw out a silver coin.

The boatman caught it quickly, and found that it was neither iron nor copper, so he smiled and said, "Master Tao, go slowly."

Xue Daoguang is rich, although not much, but also generous.

He doesn't take money seriously, he just earns after spending it all.

He didn't go to the post station to get supercilious looks, and walked into a restaurant outside the pier: "Two bowls of rice, one plate of fried meat, and two taels of rice wine."

"Okay!" The store clerk greeted him enthusiastically.

Although Jindan Nanzong of Taoism was later classified as Quanzhen Taoism, they did not abstain from meat and alcohol at this time.

Especially the five patriarchs who founded the sect, each of them "understands the three teachings and learns nine streams".They can enter and leave the mansions of princes and generals, hang out with the people at the bottom of society, discuss Zen with monks, and discuss poetry with Confucian scholars.

It's okay, drink and kill people with a knife!

"Lang Jun, I bought it, I bought it!" A servant rushed into the shop.

A young man was eating wine in the shop. When the servant rushed over, he asked, "Is that a gentleman's tea?"

The servant picked up the things in his hand: "It's all first-class gentleman's tea."

The young man smiled and said, "That's appropriate."

Some of the tea leaves bought by the servants were packaged in wooden tubes and painted with a layer of paint to prevent moisture.There are plum blossoms engraved on the surface of the cylinder, engraved with words such as "Gentleman's Tea", "Zheng Jun", "How can you get the tangy fragrance of plum blossoms without going through a bit of coldness" and so on.

There are also a lot of bulk ones, which are wrapped in oiled paper.

The Zheng family sells it very expensively. The purchase price of first-class green tea is less than 90 renminbi, but the price in Yangzhou reaches 300 renminbi.

It doesn't seem too extravagant, but this is Yangzhou, where tea is produced!
Of course, the Zheng family also has costs in selling tea, not to mention shop tax and loose tea tax, transportation and marketing are the big ones.

Gifts to the prefect, gifts to the prefecture, gifts to the county magistrate, and even Xingyuan Mansion, they have all given gifts to officials.I don't ask for anything else, I just want officials to treat guests with green tea, and those green teas are also given away for free.

Some officials don't accept it, some officials accept it and don't read it, and some officials don't even see each other.

The process was a bit tortuous, but the effect has been revealed.

The transfer envoy felt that green tea was not bad, and it was convenient to drink, so he entertained guests with green tea several times.

The news quickly spread throughout the Transshipment Department, then to the Xingyuan government office, and then to the Nanzheng county government office.Officials who didn't take green tea seriously, hurriedly searched for gifts from Zheng's family, and followed suit with green tea to entertain guests.

After coming and going, the rich merchants of Xingyuan Mansion inquired about the source of tea.Besides drinking it for themselves, they also want to buy it as a gift!

The spread is so fast, pure hype is not enough, the main thing is that the green tea itself is excellent.

The young man opened the oil-paper bag and smelled it: "The fragrance is not boring, it is quiet and uplifting, it is indeed a good thing. The Zheng family is in a lot of trouble. If there is good tea that is not sold in Xingyuan Mansion, we have to come to Yangzhou."

The servant said: "Your Majesty, the tea, wine and vinegar in Xingyuan Mansion have all been purchased by the Wu family, the Huang family, and the Chen family. The Zheng family cannot open a store there."

"That's right, we have to wait for those three companies to buy in." The young man nodded and said.

The young man twisted the tea leaves in his hands and muttered, "Gentleman's tea, gentleman's tea, I haven't tasted it yet, so I don't know how it tastes. Go ask the store to boil a pot of water!"

Boiling water is readily available, and the shop assistant quickly came over with a kettle.

The young man was just brewing tea when someone suddenly entered the shop with a sack.

The shopkeeper was very happy to see it, and hung up the water sign with "Gentleman's Tea" in person, and shouted loudly: "This shop serves Gentleman's tea, five yuan a bowl, and can be brewed with water many times. This gentleman's tea is not It's simple, it was fried by Zhu Zhengjun, a scholar of the Eight Elements, and all the officials in the government love it, and the scholars in the state also love it..."

Is it available in restaurants?
Only five cents a bowl?
The young man instantly felt that the gentleman's tea in the bowl was not fragrant.

"How long is the tea in this shop?" the young man asked.

The shopkeeper replied: "Third class."

The young man muttered, "It's not just a matter of waiting."

"Make a bowl for me," said a diner, "I've heard of Junzi tea, but I haven't tried it. I want to taste it today."

The shop assistant hurried over, grabbed a handful from the sack, threw it into a bowl and poured boiling water.

"That's it?"

"Gentleman's tea is very expensive, five Wen is only that."

The diner couldn't say anything more, he had already finished his meal, and he couldn't wait to taste it when the boiling water was a little cooler.

Seeing that the neighbors were looking at him, the diners immediately praised: "Good tea, not astringent, very refreshing."

The shopkeeper said with a smile: "Everyone in the government likes to drink it, so it's naturally good tea."

If it is only spread from top to bottom, it is absolutely impossible to spread it so fast. The Zheng family even made up stories and hired people to tell them everywhere.Don't talk about anything else, just say that the nobles love to drink green tea, which makes the ordinary people have various speculations.

Another diner who was not short of money said, "I'll have a bowl too!"

After finishing two bowls of rice, Xue Daoguang listened to the discussion in the store, and became even more curious about that "junior brother".

Why are there shadows of their father and son everywhere from Xingyuan Mansion to Yangzhou?

It even spread to Kaifeng, this reputation is too great!
"Give me a bowl too," Xue Daoguang shouted, "Don't put too little tea, just the right amount, it's a lot of money for you."

The store clerk then threw some more: "Seven texts."

Xue Daoguang looked at the tea leaves that were gradually brewing. The turquoise color was pleasing to the eye, much more natural than round tea.

After waiting for a while, Xue Daoguang tasted it carefully, nodded and said, "This tea is suitable for people who practice Taoism. What kind of gentleman's tea is it? It is clearly Taoist tea, and it must come from the hands of my junior brother."

(End of this chapter)