Peerless Pirates

On the evening of September 26th, the sun had just set, and the lanterns on the Qinhuai River were lit up. Red and pink lanterns were hung on the flagpoles at the stern, fluttering in the wind. The bow of the boat,

The charming and charming girls were playing the harp or the pipa. The rich aroma of powder also wafted as the boat opened.

The cargo ships that came and went during the day have now stopped and been replaced by this boat. The entire Qinhuai River seems to have changed its appearance. If the Qinhuai River in the day is like a worldly merchant running for a living

, then when it was too late, she turned into a gorgeous 28-year-old girl, looking particularly charming.

With the lanterns reflecting the water and the boats rippling, it's a good time to drink and have fun.

"Brother Cong, Brother Hou, Brother Kong, please!"

"Xiao Lang, please!"

In the humility of each other, several young men dressed as scholars stepped onto a medium-sized boat. The leader was none other than Song Zheng, who was a famous literary scholar in Shandong Province at that time, the number one scholar in martial arts in the Qi Dynasty, and the leader of the Forbidden Army Zhenzi Team. Together with them,

A few companions

There are several sons from Shandong Road. One is Hou Zhonglian, one of the three great princes in Licheng at the time, one is Cong Ge, and the other is Kong Fan, who comes from the Kong family in Yanzhou (Qufu

Belongs to Yanzhou, Shandong Road).

The three of them all came to Jiangning to take the Jinshi examination the year before last. The reason was that the difficulty of the Jinshi examination was incomparable to that of the national examination (the latest chapter of Xianzuo). In addition, after the Shandong Road Civil Examination was released, it was already early October. They came to Jiangning again.

Taking the Jinshi exam is too tight. Therefore, after many candidates succeed in the exam, they will study for another two years and study the Jinshi exam questions. Two years later, they will take the Jinshi exam again.

When all the candidates from Shandong Road came to Beijing, they were all proud to visit Song Jue. Song Jue was now famous all over the world. He was a Confucian master and the deputy chief professor of Jiangning Academy of Literature. All the candidates with different status came to visit, and Song Zheng also

I took advantage of the situation and connected with these people.

Since social connections are extremely important in official circles, Song Zheng followed another great scholar Wei Buzhou in the past six months and participated in several poetry gatherings. As a junior student, Song Zheng was humble, studious, and good at writing, which won him a lot of praise.

The title of the poem. Although it has the aura of being the top scholar in martial arts, literati have been noble since ancient times. As the saying goes, "Everything is of inferior quality, only reading is high." Song Zheng tried his best to blend in and sang with the literati and officials in Jiangning City.

The sedan chair was carried by everyone, and he was the son of the great scholar Song Jue. The literati and officials gradually accepted Song Zheng. Now, Song Zheng's reputation is not small, and he has become one of the most famous young talents in Jiangning City.

In later generations, He had five senses and five types of work, namely: small officials made big work, cold officials made hot work, secular officials made elegant work, idle officials were busy doing things, and male officials and women made work. But Song Zheng added one more: military official Wenzuo.

Today, Song Zheng took the initiative to host a banquet with Hou Zhonglian and others, which was also a means of cultivating connections. These people are Song Zheng's classmates, and they all come from Shandong Road. As a "landlord", Song Zheng naturally has to show his kindness to the landlord.

The location is this Lian Family Boat.

The head singer of the Lian Family Hua Fang is named Lian Shui'er. Although she is not the most famous on the huge Qinhuai River, she has good taste. Lian Shui'er lives up to her name, with a graceful figure, tenderness and long hair.

With

A pair of big, tearful eyes, looking forward to life, but also a kind of aloofness, unlike other singers who dress up in gaudy clothes. He is also knowledgeable in Shui'er, chess, calligraphy and painting, which attracts some self-proclaimed geishas.

Literati.

There is a rule for entertaining guests. If you are entertaining a big businessman, you will naturally want to go to a gorgeous place. The more beautiful and coquettish the woman is, the better. When entertaining a scholar, it is best to choose something like the Lian Family Painted Boat.

Song Zheng once had a drink with Wei Buzhou on this boat, and he also liked the atmosphere here.

"Master Song, gentlemen, this old slave is very polite." As soon as he boarded the ship, the shipmaster, who was in his fifties, came over to greet him.

Song Zheng nodded, "Boatman, Miss Shui'er, are you ready?"

"Miss Shui'er is in the back cabin, waiting for the young master to come. Please take a seat, young master."

Song Zheng waved to the captain, who bowed his hands and stepped back. Song Zheng led Hou Zhonglian and others through the dome and stepped into the cabin.

The table has been set up in the cabin and tea has been brewed. The curtains on both sides of the cabin have been opened and the windows have been set up. Sitting on the table, you can enjoy the beautiful scenery on both sides of the Qinhuai River.

Directly opposite the hatch, there is a bead curtain hanging, and behind the curtain is a guzheng. However, Lian Shui'er is not sitting next to the guzheng. At this time, she is still in a separate room in the back cabin. A famous actress

Naturally, she has the airs of a famous actress, so she can't just meet guests casually.

"Brother Nian, should we listen to the music first today, or drink first, or drink and listen at the same time?"

Hou Zhonglian said with a smile, "This is Xiaolang's land. Naturally, I listen to Xiaolang. We are guests and hosts as we please." Cong Ge and Kong Fan also echoed.

"Well, let's drink and listen, and we'll have some music to go with the wine. We won't go home if we don't get drunk today. Three Nian brothers, please take a seat."

Even if you are drinking wine, the seats are also very particular. If everyone has an official position, they will naturally be seated according to their official position. If there is no official position, they will usually be seated according to their age and the guest of honor. However, the current situation is quite special. Four people

medium, only

Song Zheng had an official position, but it was a military position. If ranked according to the official positions of his family, Hou Zhonglian should be the first. If based on the family reputation, Kong Fan, who comes from the Kong family, is naturally the leader. But in terms of age, Cong Ge is

The oldest.

Everyone gave in, and finally Hou Zhonglian took the first seat, Cong Ge and Kong Fan lined up on both sides, and Song Zheng accompanied him at the bottom.

After the four of them drank a cup of tea, the pretty maid who was waiting on the side brought the dishes. Although it was served with qu and wine, the boatman had already prepared the food and wine. According to Song Zheng's instructions in advance, the boatman ordered them from Yuhualou

A table of dishes was put into a large food box and brought on board. Together with a few mouth-cleaning side dishes made by the boatman himself, it was quite sumptuous (infinitely arrogant).

"Come on, three Nian brothers, this is the best Zhuangyuanhong. Let's drink this cup and wish the three Nian brothers a gold medal in advance."

"Zhuangyuanhong? This is a good name!" Hou Zhonglian said with a smile, "I borrow the words of Xiaolang, come and drink this cup together."

The four of them drank up the wine one after another, and the pretty maid filled the cup for everyone.

You came and went, and soon after three drinks, Song Zheng ordered the pretty maid to go and invite Miss Shui'er.

The pretty maid responded and went out. After half a cup of tea, she heard the sound of wooden clogs and saw a figure appearing behind the bead curtain. Under the bead curtain, Lian Shui'er's face was not very real. She was wearing a plain pink neon feather dress, with her hair on her head.

Tied with a jade phoenix hairpin, the cloud bun is towering, and a pair of apricot eyes are faintly seen from behind the bead curtain, which is quite charming.

The woman cast a Wanfu behind the curtain and said, "Lian Shui'er has met several young masters."

"Miss Shui'er, last time Song and Mr. Buzhou came here, they listened to the girl playing music and lingered for three days. Today, Song specially invited a few close friends to come and listen to the music, so that the girl can show off her wonderful skills again."

"But I listen to the young master's orders." Lian Shui'er bent over, retreated behind the guzheng and sat down. She stretched out her slender jade fingers and played the guzheng three times. The crisp sound immediately lifted the impetuous atmosphere in the wine venue.

, swept away.

After three clearing sounds, Lian Shui'er waited quietly for a moment and then started playing. The first piece of music was called "Fishing Boat Sings Evening". The tune was melodious and the sound was soothing, which was quite calming.

After the song ended, Lian Shui'er stepped back from the curtain and took a short rest. Song Zheng and others commented and continued drinking.

At this time, the boat has reached the center of the river and is drifting along the current. Generally speaking, the painting boats on the Qinhuai River have fixed river sections. For example, the Lianjia Painting Boat is from the Dingzhou Bridge to the Bingzhou Bridge, and goes back and forth.

Until late at night. This section of the river is also the section with many painted boats, with dozens of singing boats floating around.

Since the windows were open, Song Zheng and others could easily see the ships passing by (the latest chapter of Immortal God). However, these ships were very careful to avoid them. They were usually far apart and would actively spread out to both sides. When they passed by,

The closest one must be seven to eight feet apart. One is for safety, and the other is for the purity of the guests on the ship. No one wants to hear so much noise while having fun.

Another reason is to avoid suspicion. Many of the people drinking, having fun, and sleeping under flowers and willows are high-ranking officials in Jiangning City. These people don't want others to see them, so many of the boats have their windows closed. People like Song Zheng and others are on the sidelines.

There were only a few people who drank and listened to music while admiring the scenery. Song Zheng kept the windows open because Hou Zhonglian and others visited the Qinhuai River for the first time.

"Xiao Lang, the Qinhuai River is indeed extraordinary. You can hear the birds and birds and the swallows all the time." Hou Zhonglian couldn't help but sigh.

"Brother Hou is tempted?" Cong Ge said with a smile, "If you are tempted, you can pick up Miss Shui'er's curtain. With a talent like Brother Cong, maybe he can be Miss Shui'er's guest."

Curtain picking is a rule on the Qinhuai River. If you like a girl on the boat, and the girl is selling herself, the guest can pick the curtain, that is, use the jade mallet hanging on the wall next to the curtain to pick up the bead curtain.

Yes. If the girl likes you, she will invite you to have a drink alone in the back cabin, which means she agrees to your prostitution. If she doesn't like you, the girl will thank you for your kindness and say she is unwell.

A more elegant approach is for the kaiko to come up with a poem title and ask the guests to compose the poem. Those who can compose it will naturally be able to go to bed. If they cannot compose it, the guests will have to withdraw. As for the difficulty of the poem title, it depends on the number of the kabuki first

Eye perception. If you are personable, young and handsome

Lang, the Kabuki question may only be simple questions such as "Autumn Moon" and "Bright Water"; if you have sharp ears and monkey cheeks, and you are old and wretched, I'm sorry, the Kabuki question is tricky and difficult, maybe you can

Dig out rare words from ancient books and use them as poem titles to help you avoid difficulties.

Of course, the kaikos also have livelihood considerations. After all, a boatload of people eats at the kagi. If you can afford to buy the entire boat, the kaiko may reluctantly obey you.

All in all, choosing a curtain is not an easy job. Many times, even if you choose a curtain, you still won’t get what you want.

Cong Ge's father, Cong Kui, originally served in the Jiangning City Guards. Cong Ge grew up in Jiangning, so he naturally knew the rules on the Qinhuai River (read the full text of Xuan Qing Dao).

Hou Zhonglian smiled faintly and said, "Brother Cong was joking. Cong just lamented that the prosperity on the Qinhuai River is incomparable to that of Licheng." Then he turned to Song Zheng and said, "Young man, can we order some music on this boat?"

"

As soon as he finished speaking, he saw Song Zheng's brows were frowning slightly and his eyes were looking out the window.

Following Song Zheng's gaze, he saw boats passing by each other, only three or four feet apart. Hou Zhonglian was about to ask Song Zheng what he saw, but Song Zheng turned around and said, "Of course, what music does Brother Cong want to listen to?

Feel free to order.”

Hou Zhonglian took a look at the painted boat and found nothing unusual. Then he continued, "I wonder if Miss Shui'er here can know the song "High Mountains and Flowing Waters"?

Song Zheng smiled and said, "I don't know either, I still have to ask."

At this time, the pretty maid stepped forward and replied, "My girl can play such famous songs as High Mountains and Flowing Waters very well. The next piece my girl has prepared is High Mountains and Flowing Waters."

The allusion of "High Mountains and Flowing Waters" is about Yu Boya and Zhong Ziqi. As a piece of music, it means that they are close friends with each other. When Song Zheng hosted a banquet for his friends, the singers would also watch their words and play the music in a targeted manner.

"Well, let's ask Miss Shui'er to caress the mountains and flowing water." As Song Zheng spoke, he took out an ingot of five taels of silver and handed it to the pretty maid. This is just a small reward. The boat is a gold-selling cave.

A flower boat like the Lian Family Painting Boat costs RMB 50 per night.

Ten taels of silver. If you want to stay overnight, the cost of spending the night must be calculated separately, which may be as high as more than a hundred taels. As for brothels like Yuxianglou and Shuiyuefang, each house has two or three large-scale painted boats.

One night costs easily two to three hundred taels of silver.

"Thank you for the reward, young master." The pretty maid looked happy, took the money, and went to the back cabin to call for someone.

Song Zheng smiled and started drinking with Hou Zhonglian and others again. However, his ears stood up.~

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