Chapter 3 The Ullamyan Lantern Festival

The Nan City of Luoyang is also called Fengdu City. It is the largest commercial market in the two capitals of the Great Sui Dynasty. It is twice that of the western city of Chang'an. There are more than 100 businesses, thousands of shops, merchants gather, and the goods are piled up. All industries are flourishing and lively. ("《" website 7*

Yang Yuanqing inquired about tea shops all the way. Tea drinking in the north of the Sui Dynasty was not prosperous, but after the destruction of the Chen Dynasty, many southerners arrived in the capital. This time, thousands of wealthy households moved from the south of the Yangtze River, which increased the number of tea drinkers. There were also tea shops in the southern city.

Before the sky was completely dark, they found a tea shop in the northwest corner of Nanshi. The tea fragrance was filled with just one street, and there were more than twenty shops in total. Almost the tea in the entire northern region was supplied by these twenty tea shops. Each shop occupied a large area, with one store next to one, and most of the wooden buildings behind it, with more warehouses.

A six-foot-long red flag was hung in the middle of the street, with four large black words written on it: "Red Rust Tea House". The shop is also the largest in the entire tea house, covering an area of ​​five acres. There are not many shops covering an area of ​​five acres in the entire Nanshi City.

This shop is actually Yang Yuanqing's private property. He alone accounts for 60% of the shares, Combasse accounts for 10% and the remaining 20% ​​is shared by some major officers of the Fengzhou Army. This shop also monopolized the tea supply in the grassland.

The tea in the Sui Dynasty was green tea. It had not yet been fried green and was directly used in water to fry it. It was not suitable for preservation and was prone to mold and spoilage. It must be made into tea cakes after simple treatment such as fermentation and drying, and then sold to the grassland.

Although the method is very simple, the trend of drinking tea in the grassland has just begun, and most merchants don’t know it. It is precisely this way. Hongrust Tea House does not do domestic business with very little profits. All tea is sold to the grassland and makes huge profits. This place is actually just a transit warehouse, and the store is deserted and there are basically no customers.

Yang Yuanqing walked to the door of the store, but from a distance he saw Combas walking hurriedly from the opposite side. In addition to this tea shop, he also opened a wine shop and ran between two shops every day.

Combas wore a green robe from a Han man and a flat scarf on his head. He looked like a man with blue eyes and sharp noses. He looked quite funny and a bit out of character.

Combas also saw Yang Yuanqing, and was stunned at first, then laughed loudly and opened his arms to welcome him. From March last year to now, they have not seen each other for more than a year.

The two hugged each other tightly, Combas punched Yang Yuanqing with an exaggerated movement, then pulled his arm and smiled, "Why don't you send a letter first?"

"I came to Beijing to deal with some personal matters and left in a hurry."

"It's for your grandfather!" Combas guessed Yang Yuanqing's purpose.

"Do you know?" Yang Yuanqing asked.

Combas nodded, "I know a little, let's go! Let's talk inside."

He also called Green Tea and Yang Yuanqing's personal soldiers and ordered the second shopkeeper to prepare dinner accommodation for them. Several friends came up and led their horses in. ("《" website 7*

"There are many places to live in the tea shop, and the food and accommodation are very good. I asked the Qilu wine shop in front to bring you wine and food. The braised venison in their house is delicious and steamed sea bass, so I don't want the wine. I have good wine in my store."

Combass' enthusiastic introduction made the soldiers even more hungry, with their eyes full of anticipation. The second shopkeeper led everyone through the aisle in the shop and went to the lobby behind to rest. Combass took Yang Yuanqing and Green Tea to the living room on the second floor. He worked hard all the way. Yang Yuanqing finally sat down. He breathed a sigh of relief and stretched out his body long.

Green Tea knelt in front of the window, petite figure, like a green-haired kitten. She widened her eyes and looked out the window curiously. From here, you can see the situation on the street. She has never passed by the Central Plains and is full of curiosity about everything in the Central Plains. Every time she goes, she will carefully observe the street scene. In her words, there is knowledge here and she can learn a lot.

A guy brought herbal tea. Yang Yuanqing picked up the bowl and took a sip, then asked Combass with a smile, "Is your daughter married?"

"Not yet! It's hard to find a son-in-law from the Sui Dynasty."

"How is Yang Wei? I feel that he is a little interesting to your daughter. He mentioned it to me several times."

"this....."

Combas didn't expect Yang Yuanqing to suddenly mention Yang Wei, which caught him off guard. Thinking of Yang Wei's fat figure, he felt a little angry, but he was open-minded and smiled and said, "As long as A Mo likes it, I have no problem."

After pondering for a while, Yang Yuanqing asked in a low voice: "Is there any news about her?"

Yang Yuanqing asked about Chuchen. She left Dali City the winter of the previous year, and there was no news. Combas shook his head. That year he and Chuchen broke up in the capital. She only said that she went to the south and there was no news again.

Yang Yuanqing felt sad, and he stopped thinking about this matter and returned to the main topic, "Tell me about my grandfather, what do you know?"

"You came by unfortunately. Yesterday, Taiwei Yang was in funeral. It was very grand. The court would take a day off. The emperor personally helped him with his spirits."

"What!"

Yang Yuanqing was shocked. It was just a hot summer that the funeral was held yesterday?

"Where is the coffin parked?"

"I heard that it was placed in the ice cellar of Baima Temple. I had been doing rituals for forty-nine days. Yesterday it was Qiqi and was officially buried. The tomb was in Mangshan."

Although the length of the coffin is not fixed, three days early and more than a hundred people will be at night depending on the situation of the tomb, or waiting for the arrival of the most important relatives, the summer season is generally seven or nine days, and the longest is only half a month. It is too long for the body to be stored, and few people will be kept for forty-nine days. This makes Yang Yuanqing feel very uncomfortable. The Yang family’s ancestral home is Hongnong, and the ancestral tribe members can arrive at the latest in two days, and the grandfather’s tomb was repaired three years ago. There is no reason why the Yang family had to delay so long before they were buried?

As if she understood Yang Yuanqing's thoughts, Combas sighed and said, "I specially spent money to inquire about the inside story from the Yang family. I heard that the emperor refused to give Yang Taiwei's title to your father. The Yang family members protested with the coffin, saying that the emperor treated the dead and treated the living people with little respect. Anyway, they had complaints. ("《》影在7*"

"What then?" Yang Yuanqing asked coldly.

"In the end, the emperor gave in. Ten days ago, the emperor appointed your father Duke of Chu and was appointed as the Minister of Rites. However, there will be gains and losses. A few days ago, the emperor appointed Cao Qigui to be elected. Your father was defeated, and Yuwen Shu was elected and became the seventh minister of the dynasty with the other six people."

Yang Yuanqing didn't know what to say. At that time, he and his grandfather tried hard to overthrow Yuwen Shu, making his father the first choice Cao Qigui. Now that the Yang family is a title, they actually confronted the emperor, destroying their future and leaving him speechless.

At first, Combas was just a small businessman. He was captured by the Western Turks and became a prisoner of war in the Sui army. He has been following Yang Yuanqing. Over the years, he has become more and more aware of the situation of the Sui Dynasty, especially in the past two years, he has deliberately paid attention to the political situation and learned a lot of inside information.

This is also Yang Yuanqing’s hope for him. He should not become a businessman who only knows how to make money. He should also put his keenness on business opportunities to the political situation of the court.

At this time, it was completely dark, and Combas stood up and smiled and said, "General, go for supper!"

"Um!"

Yang Yuanqing nodded, "Green Tea, go together."

Green Tea did not respond. When Yang Yuanqing turned around, she looked blankly in the distance, and was fascinated by her.

"Green Tea!" Yang Yuanqing called her again, and then Green Tea woke up and said hurriedly: "Young Master, what's wrong?"

"What are you looking at? You're so fascinated." Yang Yuanqing walked to her and asked with a smile.

"Young Master, what is that? It's dazzling." Green Tea pointed to the distance and saw a light tower several feet high in the distance. The light wheels were dazzling and the color was constantly changing. No wonder Green Tea was fascinated by it.

Yang Yuanqing pondered for a moment, suddenly woke up, and turned around and asked Combass, "Is it the Ullambana Festival today?"

Combas believed in Zoroastrianism and was not interested in this kind of Buddhist and Taoist things, but he knew it, so he smiled and said, "Tomorrow is the Ullambane Festival. There will be the Ullambane Lantern Festival tonight, which is very lively. Almost half of the people in the capital will go to Luoshui to watch the lanterns."

Green Tea looked at the light wheel over there again, and her eyes showed a look of yearning, almost begging Yang Yuanqing, "Young Master, please let me go and see if it's okay?"

Yang Yuanqing hadn't seen the lights for five or six years. Thinking of the bright lights, thinking that his personal soldiers and green tea had never seen the prosperity of the Sui Dynasty Lantern Festival, they should have seen it, so he smiled and nodded, "Go to have a meal first, wait for everyone to go together."

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During the meal, Amo, the eldest daughter of Combas, came quietly and sat aside and talked to Green Tea. She had been in the Sui Dynasty for more than two years and followed the local customs. Not only did she speak fluently in Chinese, she was dressed in no different from those of the Sui Dynasty women. She wore a red striped skirt and a double-ringed moon-looking bun. Her face was exquisitely made. She was a Sogdian woman with a tall figure and a slightly fat appearance. She looked taller than ordinary Sui women.

Amo is sixteen years old this year. She has been kissing her several times. Others think she is a Hu girl. Her father, Combas, is determined to find a son-in-law of the Sui Dynasty, and the marriage is delayed.

But she was not without fate. Since Conbas praised Yang Wei for being fat and mighty and could find a good wife in Sogdian, the speaker was unintentional, but the listener was intentional. Yang Wei was worried about A Mo. In a flash, almost two years, Yang Wei mentioned A Mo three times in front of Yang Yuanqing, forcing Yang Yuanqing to consider Yang Wei's thoughts.

Since her father does not object, let them stay together more to see if they have this fate. But Yang Yuanqing also knows that Yang Wei’s biggest problem is not Combas, but the religion they believe in. Does Amok give up her belief for Yang Wei?

"Yuan Qing!"

Yang Wei quickly walked into the teahouse lobby, looked at Yang Yuanqing, but saw A Mo at first sight. He was stunned and looked at her stupidly, like a statue of a general, moving.

Amo's face turned red with shame. She lowered her head and turned around. The soldiers covered her mouth and tried hard to hold back her laughter. Combas couldn't stand it. She sighed and stepped forward and patted his shoulder hard, "Oh! Who are you looking for? Looking for Yuanqing or my daughter?"

Yang Yuanqing walked forward and said slowly: "I know everything about my grandfather. You don't need to talk about it anymore. It's rare to meet it tonight. Take her to see the lights!"

Yang Wei looked at Yang Yuanqing and looked at A Mo again. He hesitated. His grandfather was just having funeral yesterday. Is it appropriate for him to do this? But he was unable to overcome his inner desire in the end. He mustered up the courage to slowly walk to A Mo and knelt down on one knee, whispering something to her. After a while, A Mo nodded gently with a red face.

Everyone burst into laughter, but Yang Yuanqing glared at him. Everyone was so scared that they were silent that they dared not laugh anymore.

Yang Wei was full of joy and stood up and bowed to Yang Yuanqing, saying, "Yuanqing, then I'm sorry, I'll accompany her to watch the lights."

"Go!" Yang Yuanqing waved at him with a smile.

Amo slowly stood up and secretly glanced at her father. Combas nodded slightly and agreed. Amo blushed and lowered her head and followed Yang Wei quickly out amid the laughter of everyone.

"Everyone, wash up a little, we'll go and see the lights too!" Yang Yuanqing said to everyone with a smile.

Everyone was very happy and rushed to the well in the yard.

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Today, Chaohuan is called Yujingtian,

What's more, it's the year of Kanto.

The dance posture is suspected to be back to Ziyang Girl,

The singing sounds like the immortal.

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To be continued...