"So it's Brother Siwen and Brother Ziyu!"
Huang Shang turned around. Two young scholars were riding toward him, and he called back loudly.
In ancient times, calling someone by his given name was deeply disrespectful, even downright rebellious.
A person's given name was called their "name taboo"—the word "taboo" was added because it was forbidden to say.
Huang Shang's courtesy name was Shengzhong. Sheng meant bright and prosperous, while Zhong meant centered. It was a courtesy name that carried great expectations.
The two newcomers were Liu Yi, whose courtesy name was Siwen, and Chen Sheng, whose courtesy name was Ziyu.
They both owned their horses, which were far more fine-bred than the one Huang Shang had rented. They soon arrived and asked, "Huang Shengzhong, have you finished copying our books?"
Huang Shang's family was poor. Living in Kaifeng, even if he scraped by, still cost a considerable amount of money.
Where could he get that money? He could only work his way through school, copying books for other scholars.
In truth, those who could afford to pay someone to copy books were all from wealthy families. What they really prized was Huang Shang's handwriting.
Reading such beautiful Three Academies Regular Script, they would absorb its influence by being immersed in it, and might gain some advantage when they sat for the exams.
Handwriting mattered a great deal. It was the first thing examiners noticed.
Huang Shang nodded. "They're finished."
Liu Yi was delighted. "Wonderful! I love reading books you've copied. Your strokes are as sharp as iron and your hooks as gleaming as silver, so neat they look carved. If I didn't know you were poor, I'd almost think you'd come from Chongwen Academy!"
Chen Sheng heard how smoothly his companion spoke and felt a little embarrassed. He hurriedly changed the subject. "Shengzhong, have you eaten?"
Huang Shang smiled. "I was just about to."
Liu Yi was a little too blunt, and looked down on poor people, but he had no greater malice. At that, he said, "Then let's go together!"
The three of them headed to the Sang Family Bazaar, south of East Cross Street. They dismounted and plunged into the crowd.
The name Sang Family Bazaar was rather strange. It was basically the ancient equivalent of a Wanda Plaza.
There were storytellers and opera singers, acrobats and street performers, wrestling and shadow puppets, variety shows and cooked abalone—every sort of entertainment.
It drew tens of thousands of visitors every day. From morning until night, the place teemed with people, making for a truly spectacular scene.
It was called a Wazi because those who came to play gathered and dispersed in a flash, like bricks and tiles.
They came together like tiles, then scattered apart.
Come to think of it, the name was rather apt.
But as for the place's class, well, it was clearly not very high.
Liu Yi pointed out a shop. "Please do me the honor of joining me."
Huang Shang and Chen Sheng sat down while Liu Yi ordered dishes and commented on them.
He had read plenty of miscellaneous books and was a proper food lover. The menu inspired one topic after another.
He went from perch from Wujiang to hairtail from Jiangyin, then to Yubingshao Wine from Jiaozhou, and on to Fujian's red-salt method. He knew every subject inside out. When the tea arrived, he even started discussing the differences between the Tang dynasty's tribute Dragon and Phoenix Cake Tea and today's Small Dragon Cake Tea.
If they weren't in a humble eatery where a meal cost only a hundred coins, listening to his far-ranging chatter, one might have thought they were enjoying a grand feast at the finest restaurant in Kaifeng Prefecture.
Chen Sheng wore an expression of helpless resignation, but Huang Shang listened attentively, committing every word to memory.
In the history of Chinese cuisine, the Song dynasty truly was one of the finest eras.
The Records of the Eastern Capital's Splendor recorded that Song cuisine was varied and inexpensive. At the night markets, goose, duck, chicken, rabbit, tripe, lungs, chicken skin, waist, kidneys, chopped chicken, eel buns, and more all cost fifteen coins a serving. Customers streamed in, and business thrived.
For just a little more, one could even buy a pair of large mitten crabs and have a cup of tea. Given that ordinary folk earned about a hundred coins a day, the prices were very reasonable.
But reading historical records could never compare to experiencing it for yourself.
These were the marks of an era, the very breath of daily life.
You never saw such details about eating in TV dramas.
But the Heavens Consciousness worlds were real, one by one. They couldn't be lofty castles in the sky, untouched by the earthly world. You had to keep your feet firmly on the ground.
Only then could you blend in perfectly.
Just then, a brazier had been set on the table. It was the sort of vessel used for boiling tea in the Tang dynasty. Now, half a pot of water was set on it to boil. Thin slices of meat were already waiting, having been marinated in yellow wine, soy sauce, and Sichuan pepper.
Liu Yi was the first to reach out with his chopsticks. He picked up a slice of meat, swished it in the boiling water until cooked, and ate it. Warmth spread through him. He sighed, then brought up a delicacy that people in later generations would know all too well. "What a pity that cooks who know how to prepare pufferfish are so hard to find. I can never get my fill. It's a real regret!"
Huang Shang knew a thing or two about that. "The blood and organs of pufferfish are poisonous. Remove the organs, soak the fish in clean water to draw out the remaining blood, and there's no need to worry. Even if a little poison remains, as long as you don't eat too much, it won't put your life in danger."
"You know your stuff!" Liu Yi raised his brows in surprise, then immediately argued back. "But if you take too long to bleed a pufferfish, it loses its freshness. Then it's not even as good as crucian carp or carp. Is it still pufferfish at that point?"
Huang Shang had no answer. I'm not going to argue with a food lover who doesn't care if he lives or dies. He kept reaching for the food, snatching up a few more slices.
The place might not have been fancy, but a shop that drew such crowds naturally had some skill. They tucked into the hotpot with gusto. It was a real treat.
After they'd eaten and drunk their fill, Liu Yi stood up, looking thoroughly pleased. He waved a hand grandly. "Come on, let's go watch wrestling!"
That had quite an impact on modern people.
Hotpot followed by wrestling?
What a combination!
But Chen Sheng's eyes lit up.
Huang Shang also remembered that of all the entertainment at the Wazi, wrestling was the most popular, and there were more wrestling performers than any other kind.
And among them were women wrestlers.
Women's wrestling wasn't about finding two tanks to put on a Hefei-style show. The competitors had to be slightly plump, pretty-faced, and graceful, like Boluosaidong and Liu Fei'er.
A pair of women wrestlers like that, lightly dressed and fiery, had always been hugely popular.
Even Emperor Renzong of Song had watched women's wrestling when he joined the people in their amusements.
Wrestling was the grand finale of entertainment at Song court banquets, and the Song court even employed professional wrestlers, known as the Neidengzi.
But after Emperor Renzong watched women's wrestling, he angered Sima Guang, who gave him a fierce tongue-lashing. After that, the officials were denied the pleasure of watching, and had to sneak peeks in private.
Now that they'd eaten their fill, Liu Yi was ready to join the people in their amusements. Chen Sheng clearly shared the same spirit.
The appetite for food and sex was human nature.
Scholars had needs too.
Huang Shang actually wanted to go as well. But first, describing anything below the neck was risky; second, he had a plan, and he couldn't let wrestling delay it.
So he politely declined. "I still have lessons to study. I'll pass."
Liu Yi's expression darkened. "What a spoilsport!"
Chen Sheng was also a little displeased, but seeing how diligently Huang Shang studied—and thinking that he himself would sit for the Provincial Examination the following year—he gave up on his frivolous idea and suggested, "Let's go to Shengzhong's house to pick up the books first!"
The imperial examinations were divided into several stages. The first was the Provincial Examination, similar to the provincial examinations of the later Ming and Qing dynasties, and proctored by local education officials.
Those who passed the Provincial Examination were called tribute students, also known as recommended men. Only then did they qualify to travel to the capital and sit for the Presented Scholar Examination.
But note that Song-dynasty recommended men were different from those of later generations.
This qualification wasn't permanent. It was a one-time pass to the next stage of the examination.
In other words, after passing the Provincial Examination, if you went to the capital and failed to pass the Presented Scholar Examination, you had to take and pass the Provincial Examination again before you could try for the Presented Scholar Examination at the next imperial examination.
Thinking of it that way, what business did he have watching women's wrestling?
Since Chen Sheng had said so too, Liu Yi abandoned the idea and went back with him.
With fine horses to carry them, getting around was easy. The three soon arrived at the entrance to Huang Shang's dilapidated courtyard and dismounted.
The servant returned the rented horse. Huang Shang led the other two inside and walked over to the shelves, slowly taking down the books.
Chen Sheng stood waiting quietly. With nothing to do, Liu Yi wandered about. When he reached the table, he suddenly noticed the words Huang Shang had written earlier on rough paper and read them aloud without thinking. "Establish a heart for Heaven and Earth! Establish a life for the people! Continue the lost teachings of the past sages! Bring peace to all generations to come!"
Hiss!
He sucked in a sharp breath and froze.
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