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墨書 Inktalez
After a while, the carriage suddenly came to a halt, shaking violently with several loud roars. Qin Feng felt uneasy; why did the carriage stop so abruptly? Did Guan Ping intend to make a move?
He was carrying several dozen taels of gold, which was no small amount. If he took this money to a remote countryside, it would be enough to live comfortably for a lifetime!
While he was lost in thought, the curtain of the carriage was suddenly pulled aside, and a large head poked in, wearing a grin that looked somewhat sinister.
"Guan Ping, what do you want? I have treated you well!"
Guan Ping appeared to be smiling but seemed not to understand what the master meant.
"Master, we've arrived at Wenxiang Tower. I heard you all talking but couldn't make out what was being said, so I kindly came in to remind you."
After saying this, he laughed and withdrew his head, pulling the curtain back into place.
Qin Feng was still somewhat panicked, thinking that this fellow might take action after suddenly stopping the carriage. Qin Fu also smiled, having guessed his intention. "Master, we have arrived at Wenxiang Tower. You usually enjoy dining and listening to stories here; it must be quite delightful."
He truly had no impression of listening to stories; there shouldn't be any mobile phones in this era! How could one listen to stories?
The two slowly got off the carriage. The building before them was indeed quite tall, about four or five stories high, with an ancient charm that exuded a sense of history.
Above them were the three red characters for Wenxiang Tower, which were striking yet written with a powerful brushstroke; it was unclear whose famous hand had penned them.
After the master and the steward got off the carriage, Guan Ping slowly drove the carriage around and headed back to the estate.
This was certainly a place favored by scholars; someone of his humble origins did not deserve to linger here!
Before reaching the entrance of the building, he could hear voices from inside—some seemed to be reciting poetry while others were chanting verses, accompanied by bursts of joyful laughter that suggested they were having a great time.
Although their voices were somewhat loud, they lacked any forcefulness. They didn't seem like ordinary merchants; they must be well-read scholars and literati.
Wenxiang Tower was indeed not a place for ordinary people; it was filled with those who had read extensively, enjoying poetry and indulging in food and entertainment.
As they approached the entrance, a tall and thin man dressed plainly in grayish-brown coarse cloth greeted them with a smile. He appeared to be the second floor's attendant.
"Qin Sir has come again! Please go upstairs; Zhang the Elder is currently reading there. Many people are listening, and it's quite an exciting moment."
Somewhat puzzled that the second floor attendant recognized him, it seemed he truly frequented this place.
He nodded slightly and walked inside. Indeed, there were quite a few people present.
Most were scholars dressed elegantly; although there were plates of delicious food on their tables, they continued reciting poetry and enjoying themselves!
There were also some travelers who looked decent enough but were busy devouring tasty dishes one after another while not forgetting to raise a cup of wine for hearty drinking—it seemed genuinely enjoyable.
Qin Feng did not like these scholars. Although he was a high official in the court, he felt he only held that position because of his previous life.
He always felt that these scholars were too ethereal and their poetry too impractical. Even though he himself was an arts student.
In his own time, no one would think about writing poetry; they would rather think about how to have fun or pursue beautiful women than waste time on such boring things.
It seemed that in this era over a thousand years later, there were no such entertainments available either; no wonder they acted this way.
Since he often sat on the second floor, he decided to go up and listen since he had never seen such performances before!
As they passed by the counter on the first floor, a man dressed extravagantly stood there checking an account book as if reconciling accounts.
Noticing Qin Feng's approach, he merely said: "Qin Sir is going upstairs; I have urgent matters to attend to. I will have someone from the second floor come serve you shortly; just let him know what you need."
He then lowered his head again to continue checking those account books as if sensing something amiss but casually brushed it off without treating him as an important figure at all.
Qin Feng felt that as a third-rank high official in the court, there should only be first- or second-rank officials above him. The restaurant's boss treating him so coldly was truly disrespectful!
However, since eating was more important, he decided not to dwell on it further and continued upstairs.
The staircase leading up was quite impressive—not only was it several meters long but also beautifully carved with vivid designs of flowers and birds. How could such craftsmanship exist?
It seemed that while the Song Dynasty might not excel militarily, culturally it had made significant advancements that were truly pleasing to behold.
Halfway up to the second floor stairs, he couldn't help but ask: "Why is the boss downstairs so indifferent towards me? Does he look down on me? I am a third-rank high official!"
Qin Fu chuckled and replied: "That boss is related to Prime Minister Bai Shizhong. There are many high officials who come here; it's common for some nobles to visit as well. This treatment is actually quite good; sometimes they don't even greet you."
So that's why he treated me so coldly—his connections are too powerful!
Seeing Qin Feng's puzzled expression, Qin Fu continued: "A third-rank high official really cannot be considered significant because there are simply too many officials in court. There are at least a hundred third-rank high officials alone! Above them are first- and second-rank officials along with various nobles and generals whose status far exceeds yours!"
Feeling his pride deflate instantly upon realizing he was just another third-rank official among many others made him rethink his previous assumptions about being important in this Tokyo City—thinking he could eat for free or buy things without paying!
It seemed he still knew too little about this dynasty. If only he had read more books related to these matters before crossing over—he could have been better prepared!
He clearly remembered having read those books before but couldn't recall anything now—all because he had been too playful back then.
As they chatted away, they finally reached the top of the staircase leading to the second floor.
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