Xiaoqi

In the central hall, there are no empty seats at this moment. More than [-] people are sitting around the high platform in the middle, looking up at the singing and dancing on the high platform.This is a major feature of Nanyuan Restaurant, it is like this every evening, and it has been eight years so far.The singing and dancing will last for an hour, and then the ladies will perform. At present, Nanyuan Restaurant has more than [-] famous singing and dancing ladies who are famous far and wide, either playing or singing or performing on the same stage, and the time is still one hour.

After the two shows, it was almost midnight.It's curfew time in the city.Although it is a curfew, Nanyuan Restaurant will occasionally violate the rules, and there will be a finale show at midnight.However, this kind of grand finale does not happen every day, and it is only open to distinguished guests who have been in private rooms for many years, and ordinary people have no chance to see it.

The so-called finale drama is the product of some wealthy children or business tycoons who spend a lot of money, willing to pay high prices to invite celebrities to perform.It is worth mentioning that the ladies of Nanyuan Restaurant are not coerced unless they want to, and no one can threaten them to sleep with guests, because this large restaurant is owned by the royal family, and no one dares to bully or act recklessly here, even if The children of the royal family are no exception.

"These songs and dances are still the same, nothing new, and some new elements can be added." In the private room on the third floor to the north of the hall, a man in brocade clothes stood in front of the window with his hands behind his back, looking down at the song and dance performances in the hall, In less than a quarter of an hour, he began to comment on the singing and dancing below.

Accompanied by him is a young girl, but she is slender (a beautiful figure that suits one's wishes), short and fit, with shaved shoulders and a plain waist.The neck is extended and the item is beautiful, the quality is exposed, the fragrance is not added, and the lead is beautiful.Yunji E'e, eyebrows repaired and juicy, red lips are bright outside, white teeth are bright inside.Bright eyes are good at gazing, dimpled to support the right, majestic and gorgeous, with a quiet appearance and a leisurely body.Tender and charming, charming in language.Fantastic service, the bone image should be pictured.The radiance of draped clothes, the splendor of Eryao and Bi.Wearing gold and emerald jewellery, embellished with pearls to dazzle the body.Practicing the literary shoes of long-distance travel, the light train that drags the mist and silk, and the fragrance of faint orchids, walking around the corner of the mountain.

Its shape is as graceful as a frightened bird, as graceful as a swimming dragon, with glorious autumn chrysanthemums and lush spring pine.It seems as if the moon is covered by light clouds, and the snow flutters like the flowing wind.Looking at it from a distance, it is as bright as the sun rising to the morning glow; when observing it by force, it is as bright as a flower coming out of Lubo.She is Zhen Mi, the female servant who always accompanies Li Li.

At this moment, there were two other people sitting in the room drinking tea, and chatting in low voices together from time to time.They also didn't wear official uniforms, they were all brocade clothes, dressed as children of rich families, those who didn't know it thought they came here to drink flowers and wine, but they didn't know that they were accompanying the emperor on a private visit.In other words, they couldn't help themselves. They were arrested by Li Li and forced to come to Nanyuan Restaurant.Otherwise, none of the officials in the Manchu Dynasty would know that they are well-known "wives are strictly controlled", they have lovely wives, and they are virtuous and virtuous. Not long ago, they took the initiative to choose two ladies as concubines for their husbands in Nanyuan Restaurant .Marrying a wife is like this, what more can a husband ask for?

These two people who were taken by Li Li as a strong man to accompany them obviously share the same hobbies with him, they are Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang.The two of them were the closest to Li Li and they were of the same age, so Li Li would bring them with him every time he went out of the palace. It was rare for him to come out to drink flower wine like today, so the two of them were naturally indispensable.However, closeness is closeness, and the etiquette of a monarch and his ministers cannot be abandoned, so when they saw Li Li and Zhen Mi standing side by side in front of the window watching the singing and dancing, the two of them retreated to the room to drink tea, and never squinted at Li Li and Zhen Mi talk.

"Your Majesty said that these songs and dances are not new, how can you tell?" Seeing that Li Li lacked interest in the songs and dances in the hall, Zhen Mi asked in surprise.Obviously she didn't agree with Li Li's comments, because Nanyuan Restaurant was run by her mother Zhang Ai personally, and the more than [-] dancers and singers in the restaurant were carefully selected. .But now Li Li is still not satisfied with the performances of the dancers, which makes Zhen Mi very upset, thinking that Li Li is too picky, or his vision is too high.

After finishing speaking, Zhen Mi murmured to herself: "Do you think that everyone is as high as the emperor like you! In order to prevent the officials from making irresponsible remarks, a dozen or so sisters tried their best to choose a court lady for you. There are more than 500 court ladies who are good at singing and dancing alone, plus more than [-] maids from the inner palace, there are more than [-] young girls around you all day long. You must know that these court ladies are one in a million My beauties, they are used to seeing you so high. How can a mere restaurant be compared to the inner courtyard of the palace?"

Li Li didn't know that Zhen Mi was slandering him in his heart, but he said with great interest: "The costumes of these dancers are too conservative, wrapped tightly, the fabric is not light enough, the color is too ordinary, and lacks vitality; the dance is also very Conservative, not completely open, lacking in appeal; the tunes are too old-fashioned, some new ones need to be compiled, and the instruments are too monotonous, and multiple instruments can be played at the same time and mixed together, so that the sound effect will be better.”

Seeing that what Li Li said was logical, Zhen Mi smiled sweetly and teased: "There are so many shortcomings, I wonder if His Majesty, who is brave and mighty, has any good ways to improve them?"

"Uh! This..." Li Li was stunned when he heard the words, and suddenly remembered that his identity seemed not suitable to participate in such things, and when he was about to sternly refuse, he saw Zhen Mi's disappointed expression, and he immediately changed his attention.

Chapter 232 Feminist Pioneer

"Uh! This..." Li Li was stunned when he heard the words, and suddenly remembered that his identity seemed not suitable to participate in such things, and when he was about to sternly refuse, he saw Zhen Mi's disappointed expression, and he immediately changed his attention.

Said: "Actually, there are many masters of singing and dancing in the inner palace, such as Xiaoqiao, Wenji, Lianshi, Yinger, Hongchang and Wuxia, as well as Zhou Yu's wife, Da Qiao, and Kong Ming's wife, Mi Huan. , and your sisters, who are not only good at singing and dancing, but also good at rhythm, and they are also good at dressing. If you can get them involved, everything will be solved.

Of course, they are all dukes' wives, so they are not suitable to show their faces, but they can be behind-the-scenes planners or compose new songs. Anyway, they all have free time, and they are free, and they can do something meaningful in their spare time. Time can realize self-worth, so wouldn't it be the best of both worlds? "

At the end of the day, Li Li added: "But you can't let them do it for nothing, you have to show something. Let your mother do this. Everything is in her hands, and she can do it. Turned into countless money, there is a lot to do!"

"Is this an oracle?" Zhen Mi asked weakly and softly, intentionally pulling Li Li into the water.

Li Li's eyes widened suddenly when he heard the sound, and he shook his head again and again: "No, this matter has nothing to do with me. How can I have the time to intervene in such matters? Mi Er, you must keep the secret for me and keep your mouth shut, otherwise Once it gets out, my reputation will be completely ruined!" After speaking, Li Li showed a look of fear on his face, as if once the matter got out.His throne will be in jeopardy.Obviously, he did it on purpose.Usually staying in the palace is too boring, so it is rare to come out of the palace tonight.Deliberately playing with Zhen Mi.

"Hee hee hee, I scared you, I'm just teasing you!" Zhen Mi said with a smile.

Li Li looked at Zhen Mi with a frightened look, and the two immediately looked at each other, and then laughed heartily.You tease me, and I tease you, so that the two sides are even and happy.

After laughing, Li Li reminded Zhen Mi: "Tell your mother about this. Let these princes' wives and noble concubines move, so that they won't have nothing to do all day. I'm too busy to panic, and now I finally find them Do something. In addition, tell them, just as I said personally, there is no distinction between high and low, as long as it is earned by labor, it is honorable; let them not have any worries, just let them do it, and accept the rewards they deserve. If something goes wrong, I will make decisions for them."

The voice did not fall.Guo Jia got up and walked over, and said: "Your Majesty's move is the first of its kind, dare to be the first in the world, but why do you include the humble minister?"

Guo Jia has already interjected.Zhuge Liang is naturally no exception: "What Feng Xiao said is absolutely true. The ministers and others are devoting themselves to serving His Majesty, but why does Your Majesty not even spare the wives and concubines of the ministers and others?"

"Are you two trying to take advantage of the fire?" Seeing Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang approaching, Li Li felt even more at ease.Jokingly said: "If you get it cheap, you'll be good. I'm giving you a chance to earn extra money. To lift the control of your younger siblings, do you still want to take this opportunity to blackmail me?"

It can be seen that Li Li is in a good mood tonight.Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang looked at each other, looked at each other and smiled, not saying anything.Then Guo Jia laughed and said: "Your Majesty's words are wrong. It is really not appropriate for women and Taoists to get involved in matters like this, not to mention damaging the reputation. Once it is spread, it will inevitably be criticized by people for not abiding by women. Said In the end, this kind of thing is easy to say, and the ministers are important ministers in the court anyway, so they have to take some face into consideration, and it is not a good thing to let women and Taoists show their faces. Does your majesty think so?" After Guo Jia finished speaking, Zhuge Liang immediately nodded in agreement, expressing his agreement.

However, Guo Jia's remarks were half-truths and half-false. They were not only joking, but also tactfully expressed his concerns.Obviously, what Li Li said just now made them both quite tempted, because Guo Jia and Zhen Mi's third sister really love each other, and the couple has been very affectionate since they got married; the same is true for Zhuge Liang and Mi Huan. Respect each other as guests, raise your eyebrows.The only fly in the ointment is that most of the women in this era stay at home after getting married, taking care of their husbands and raising their children. However, there are so many maids in their homes that they don't need so many people to look after their children. Therefore, their wives usually have nothing to do, so they naturally divert their exuberant energy To his own man.In this way, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang's life is not easy. Whenever they have some free time, they have to "pay the public rations".

Just now when Li Li mentioned that they could participate in the choreography and music composition, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang's eyes lit up and they felt that this was feasible.Because they know that their wives do have talents in this area, can sing and dance well, and are proficient in rhythm, and they are dexterous, and female celebrities are quite skilled in craftsmanship, and they are qualified for what Li Li called "jobs".But they were overjoyed and worried. After all, it is not appropriate for officials and family members in this era to show their faces, especially in matters of romantic occasions, which is not something that women can get involved in. One is notorious, and the other is that it will damage the face of a man.Therefore, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang could no longer calm down, and immediately stepped forward to express their concerns, otherwise, Li Li would speak well and give an order, and the matter would be settled, and there would be no room for change.

Li Li is well aware of Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang's concerns, and also knows that they really want to find something for their wives to do.Although their wives have no worries about food and clothing and don't have to worry about livelihood issues at all, it is not an option to do nothing all day long. If they can do something they are interested in, it will undoubtedly be the best.

In this regard, Li Li also felt the same way.He has many wives and concubines, and none of them are vases. They all have their own hobbies and abilities, which involve almost all aspects. Whether it is female celebrity skills or singing and dancing rhythms, they are all outstanding.However, they are women, restricted by many current rules, they have nothing to do except husband and child, and they can't do what they like at all.It was precisely because of this that Li Li was keenly aware that his wives and concubines were already showing signs of intrigue, and the root of all this was that they were idle all day long, so they would naturally be ignorant, and a lot of trouble came from it.Therefore, Li Li wanted to find something for them to do, mobilize them all, do what they like to do, turn their minds to their favorite "career", bring them together again, work together, and live in harmony. The signs of intrigue were killed in the cradle.If this is the case, Li Li will be relieved of his heart problems. It can not only eliminate the conflicts between his wives and concubines, but also allow them to realize their self-worth. The best of both worlds, why not do it.

It was with this kind of thinking that Li Li took the opportunity to speak out what was in his heart, and brought in Guo Jia, Zhuge Liang, Zhou Yu, and the wives and concubines of the generals.The purpose of doing this is to eliminate their worries, everyone is the same, naturally there is nothing to say, there is no talk of being unruly, and there is no violation of etiquette, so as to eliminate gossip from the source.

After thinking about this, Li Li said with a smile: "Feng Xiao and Kong Ming don't have to worry, I have already thought about it. The inner government will take the lead in this matter, and let Xin'er, Wu Xia and Wen Ji get involved. Let them do what they like , as long as they are happy, other things will naturally be handled by others, and it will never be spread."

After a pause, Li Li said frankly: "There are no outsiders here right now, so I won't hide it from you. Since the founding of the People's Republic of China, less than half a year ago, I feel that the atmosphere in Chang'an City is not good. There is also an undercurrent in the official mansion. Many ladies and wives of officials and eunuchs wear gold and silver, and talk about ostentation and extravagance. The style of extravagance has emerged. The most important thing is that there are signs of open and covert fighting among the officials. The government is no exception.

In view of this, I decided to change this unhealthy atmosphere, suppress the extravagance, and put an end to the internal consumption caused by open and secret conflicts, and the source of all this is the family members of the officials.Let me set an example, let the wives and concubines in the inner government do what they can, let them feel the hardships of labor, deeply appreciate the hard-won life of rich clothes and good food, let them know how to create value, learn to cherish the existing affluent life.At present, the great cause is unfinished, and it is not yet time to enjoy peace, so it is imperative to eliminate the trend of luxury, sooner rather than later.I don't know how you two agree? "

"Your Majesty is wise, and the ministers are at your disposal." Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang responded respectfully.

Li Li nodded and said with a smile: "Since that's the case, this matter is settled. In addition, as long as the wives and concubines of the officials are willing to come out to work, the industries such as embroidery, accessories, official uniforms and furniture under the name of the inner government will be 100% large and small. Many workshops can open the door to them, allowing them to participate, more work, more pay, and pay according to actual benefits. This salary is not included in the salary, it is paid separately, and it is entirely their own labor income, which enjoys free control Rights, this provision will be included in the laws of our dynasty to effectively protect their legitimate rights and interests." Speaking of this, Li Li laughed teasingly: "If they dare to take this step, maybe they will soon If I can support myself, and even support the whole family, then I won’t have to look at the faces of you officials and lords to live! Hahaha!”

Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang looked at each other with weird expressions, and they looked dumbfounded, which made Li Li laugh even more happily, as if his happiness was based on the embarrassment of Guo Jia and the two of them.

After laughing loudly, Zhuge Liang said: "I have no objection to this. But it is a long way to go to implement this matter, and it is not easy. After all, this is a rule that has been passed down for thousands of years, and it cannot be broken overnight. Yes. In addition, it is a good thing for women to support themselves, but I am worried that there will inevitably be incidents such as the abuse of power by the official family or the collusion between officials and businessmen in the future. For this reason, we must make careful arrangements to prevent problems before they happen!"

Li Li suppressed his smile when he heard the sound, nodded his head and said: "That's true. Everything has pros and cons. What we do is to guide and stimulate the positive side, and try to eliminate the disadvantages as much as possible. We can't quit because of choking. Kong Ming is solely responsible for how to formulate the law. , this matter is not in a hurry, think about it slowly, and it will not be too late to formulate the law after all the women of our Jin country are mobilized."

Chapter 233

As the night deepened, the street market became more and more lively.

In troubled times, a lively night market like Chang'an City is extremely rare.

In contrast, in the other two major vassal states, there were almost no pedestrians in the streets after dark, and the cities, large and small, were all immersed in the silence of the night, and such a lively scene could not be seen at all.

As the night fell completely, more and more people entered Nanyuan Restaurant, the hall was full of voices, and the noise was so loud that the whole street was enveloped by it.

In a sense, Nanyuan Restaurant is the uncrowned king of Chang'an City at night, and the whole city becomes colorful because of its existence.

The restaurant has two gates, east and west, not for convenience, but for strict hierarchy.Those who enter the restaurant from the east gate are all dignitaries, at least civil and military officials above Zhonglang or Yilang and their heirs. Officials below the general are not allowed to enter through this gate.They can go around to the west gate to enter the restaurant, because the west gate is set up for middle-level and low-level officials and merchants like them. After entering the restaurant, there is a lobby with everything to eat, drink and play.

In contrast, the East Gate is different.The dignitaries went upstairs directly after entering the door. They had private rooms upstairs for a long time and were served by special personnel. Whether it was enjoying singing and dancing or eating and drinking, they all enjoyed superior treatment and priority.Of course, their consumption is naturally extremely high. One night's expenditure is enough to spend in the hall for ten days, which is equivalent to two years' expenditure of ordinary people in a family of five.

It is obvious that Nanyuan Restaurant is an out-and-out gold consumption cave, a place where rich people are qualified to set foot.Ordinary people will never be able to enter the door for a lifetime, and it is impossible to imagine what the life of the dignitaries is like.

From evening to now.There has been a lot of traffic in front of the restaurant, and hundreds of people in splendid clothes enter the restaurant every quarter of an hour.After half an hour, the restaurant had accommodated tens of thousands of people, but it was still not crowded.Depending on the situation, even if another 1 people come, Nanyuan Restaurant can swallow it in one gulp.

That's exactly what happened.The floor area of ​​this restaurant is comparable to that of the Imperial Palace in Beicheng. Except for the slightly inferior architectural decoration, the building area and luxury level are not inferior to the Imperial Palace.Therefore, many people privately discussed that Nanyuan Restaurant was actually the residence of Emperor Li Li.There is no essential difference from the Mei Wu built by Dong Zhuo back then, and it is quite similar.

Unlike Mei Wu, Li Li seldom shows up, and Nanyuan Restaurant is open to the public, allowing all wealthy people to come and enjoy consumption.Because of this, many rumors about Nanyuan Restaurant were gradually forgotten, and no one made irresponsible remarks about it, let alone linking this Xiaojin Cave with Emperor Li Li.However, it is a well-known fact that Nanyuan Restaurant is owned by the royal family, so it is completely different from ordinary restaurants or fireworks and willow lanes.Consumption here means superior status and status, and many people will be proud of being able to enter the restaurant as a capital to show off to their relatives, friends or colleagues.

The people who came to the restaurant tonight were obviously different from those in the past, more than half of them were scholars who came to Chang'an to take the exam.They were well-dressed and came in groups of three or five. After paying the minimum consumption of twelve taels of gold, they entered the restaurant through the west gate.look.Their families are all good, or a few people pooled money to pay the threshold fee.I came here specially to see the freshness and join in the fun.It is worth noting.Among the test takers who came to the restaurant, there were almost no samurai who participated in the martial arts. It can be seen that most of the samurai came from humble backgrounds and could not afford such a high threshold fee.

"These young people really enjoy themselves, it's very different from when you and I were young!" Seeing more and more young people in the hall, Li Li couldn't help sighing softly.

At this time, Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang were standing beside him. When they were discussing things just now, Zhen Mi retreated to the room consciously, and was making tea for them at the moment.It is precisely because Zhen Mi is very well-behaved that Li Li keeps her by his side for a long time, even taking her with him when he goes out of the palace tonight.Perhaps Li Li has long been used to her presence, but he hasn't realized it yet.

After hearing Li Li's words, Guo Jia said: "In the past few years, there has been no trouble among the vassal states, and the world has been peaceful. Many local tyrants, merchants, and gentry roamed among the three vassal states and made a fortune. Therefore, the newly-emerged wealthy lords and There are many wealthy households, and they want to seek fame after their pockets are bulging, and they have no time for themselves, so they pin their hopes on the next generation, and the young people in the hall are probably the heirs of these nouveau riche." , Guo Jia didn't say much, but it's not difficult to hear from his words that he has prejudices against these candidates, and he seems to be very disapproving of them.Obviously, this has something to do with them going in and out of restaurants together before they became officials, and they just want to enjoy themselves when they have nothing to do. Even if such a person has talent, it is useless and cannot be used.This is Guo Jia's intuitive view of them.

After Li Li heard the words, he smiled and said nothing, with a noncommittal expression on his face. After Zhuge Liang saw this, he said with a smile: "The words of filial piety coincide with me. In the past half month, many young scholars have come here every night. When I came to the restaurant, there were many vagrants who stayed here. According to the statistics of the restaurant owner, after half a month, there were more than [-] scholars staying here, and more than half of them came from the Southern Han Dynasty under the rule of Liu Biao. They are from the Northern Wei Dynasty, and the remaining [-]% are young people from our country of Jin. These people spend a lot of money, spend a lot of money, and don’t even bat an eyelid. Send it to the Ministry of Officials, as for how to deal with it, I will ask His Majesty for instructions when I come to Xiangguo." It is obvious that Zhuge Liang and Guo Jia have the same views.

Hearing that Zhuge Liang's words were not without a tentative meaning, Li Li smiled lightly and said: "Since ancient times, the way to select scholars is to have both ability and virtue. Among them, virtue is more than ability. If you don't cultivate virtue, you can't use it even if you have talent." However, this is the standard for selecting talents in a peaceful world, and it is not suitable for use in troubled times. As for the method of selecting and employing people in troubled times, I have said many times before. Secondly, make the best use of strengths and avoid weaknesses, as long as they are used properly, we can achieve the desired effect. Of course, it is best if we can find talents with both ability and political integrity. Lost people. However, you must be cautious when using this kind of people. Be cautious, and discard them after the situation is stable. Otherwise, these people will become moths in our Jin country, which will do a hundred harms but no benefits. How about Make a decision, you discuss it on your own, make a record, and report it to me afterwards.”

Guo Jia and Zhuge Liang nodded happily after hearing the words, and Li Li saw his heart move, and then asked: "Since there are more than 2000 candidates for the test in and out of the restaurant, how many literati and warriors will come to take the test this time? The assessment will start tomorrow, presumably the number of candidates has already been counted."

Zhuge Liang responded: "Your Majesty expected it right. The minister and Feng Xiao came here for this purpose. However, we were brought here before we even opened our mouths. I beg your majesty to forgive me for being negligent for a while."