strictlysupreme Chapter 900: The Prosperous Place
Chapter 900: The Prosperous Place
Chapter 900: The Prosperous Place
The city that never sleeps is already the most prosperous place in the world.
When the lights come on, red lanterns gradually rise up along the tall buildings, illuminating every upward eaves. Although the shops belong to different families, they are all connected by lanterns. In an age without electric lights, it was these faint lights that formed a network, making this city that never sleeps live up to its reputation.
Especially as the spring examination was approaching, candidates from all over the country gathered. If someone from a small place came to the capital for the first time and saw such a lively and bright place at night, no matter how knowledgeable he was, he would be stunned like Liu Laolao entering the Grand View Garden.
The gathering of people brings all kinds of good things.
In addition to dazzling acrobatics and beautiful dance performances, there are also all kinds of delicious food.
Although the steam-powered device that Zhu Houzhao pushed for did not achieve obvious success, people at the Academy of Sciences did discover something different when studying steam.
In the 17th century, French scientist, mathematician and physicist Denis Papin spent his entire life trying to build a steam engine. At that time, people had discovered that burning hot water to form high-pressure steam could generate power.
This was a groundbreaking invention if used properly, and people of the same generation were already trying to build different types of steam engines.
Unfortunately, although Dennis Papin had a glimpse of the way, he ultimately failed.
However, due to his unique understanding of high-pressure steam and continuous practice, he completed another invention - the pressure cooker.
This is the original prototype of the pressure cooker.
The principle is that the greater the steam pressure, the higher the boiling point of water. Cooking food in such a pot can cook food quickly.
Papin once used his own pot to quickly cook the ribs into aspic, and invited people to come and taste it.
But this invention was obviously not as powerful as the improved steam engine, and it caused Papin to spend his life in poverty and disappointment.
This is fate.
Who made him born in such a food desert?
If it were the Ming Dynasty in the East, the ending would be completely different.
After the Academy of Sciences accidentally discovered that cooking food with high-pressure steam brings a completely different experience, it suddenly opened up a whole new range of dishes.
The high-pressure steamed meat is tender and delicious, and paired with each restaurant’s unique sauce, it instantly makes foodies who are seeking pleasure in their taste buds feel like they have found a treasure.
And this is just one of the new things that the city that never sleeps has introduced.
In order to attract business, all the shops have started to "roll up", on the one hand constantly innovating in dishes, and on the other hand becoming more meticulous in service.
As for places like the Jiaofangsi, they were also unwilling to lag behind.
Over the past decade or so, each generation of courtesans has become more and more beautiful. Today, being beautiful is not enough; one must also be proficient in music, chess, calligraphy, and painting.
In the past three years, even the traditional courtesans are not eye-catching enough, so they have started to attract a bunch of foreign women under the name of exotic styles.
When Zhu Houzhao saw the courtesan with deep eyes and a high nose, he felt a sense of astonishment.
Just from this small incision, he could feel the prosperity of the city that never sleeps.
It's definitely a world of fame and fortune.
Until the 21st year of Zhengde's reign, this world of fame and fortune was still managed by the City That Never Sleeps Management Committee, whose personnel included the Ministry of Justice, the Dali Temple, the Censorate, the Embroidered Uniform Guard, and the Imperial Household Department.
Although there were civil officials and the Embroidered Uniform Guard, the eunuchs were closer to the emperor and power was actually concentrated in the hands of the eunuchs. Later, the eunuchs were gradually selected from the East Factory.
As for the Ministry of Justice and the Dali Temple, they were only placed there by the emperor as a means to restrain the eunuchs, in order to prevent the managers from being unreasonable. With the civil officials around, if there were something really outrageous, to a certain extent, they would not be able to hide it from the emperor even if they wanted to.
Here,
Zhu Houzhao had always paid close attention to this. He also remembered, "The City That Never Sleeps is now managed by Wang Teng of the East Factory?"
"That's him."
"I haven't seen him much recently. Does he know I'm here today?"
"Since the master didn't say anything, I didn't dare to say anything."
Zhu Houzhao nodded in appreciation, "Old people are still sensible."
He actually had expected this. How could a place like this, which concentrated money, beauties and fame, lack a constant stream of influential figures? Those who loved to show off came and went here, and people's hearts have always been like this.
So he asked, "Are there any celebrities in the City That Never Sleeps?"
You Zhi smiled and said, "Master, I don't come here often, but if you want to be the most famous, you must be the master."
"Alright, alright." Zhu Houzhao scolded him, "I asked you something serious, but you said something irrelevant. You are just a coward. Be brave and live well, and try to live a few more years. If I can't ask you, why can't I ask others?"
As it happened, there was a waiter nearby. He took out a silver ingot from his sleeve and held it in his hand, "Waiter, come here."
The teenager heard someone calling him and immediately came over, bowing his head. "Good evening, sir. What can I get you?"
"Enough of the food. I want to ask you something. I just arrived in your precious place and don't know much." Zhu Houzhao spoke the dialect of his previous life, which was somewhat different from the local dialect in the capital.
"Okay, you say."
"I just want to ask, where is the most lively place in this city that never sleeps, and who are the most famous people?"
The waiter thought the question was simple, "From what you asked, you are not from here. Let me tell you. Our area is called the City That Never Sleeps. It was built by the Emperor himself. It is very lively and prosperous! And the most lively place is Changle Terrace!"
Zhu Houzhao frowned, "What is this Changle Terrace for? I've never heard of it."
"Changle Terrace, that's a lot to talk about. It has only become popular in the past two or three years. It has a gambling house, a garden, and a restaurant. It is said to be the best gambling house in the world, the best wine in the world, the best food in the world, and the best courtesan in the world! As long as you are a man, no matter how old you are, you will never want to leave after you enter there!"
"No wonder he's called Chang Le Tai. So who's the most famous person?"
"The most famous ones are three people. One is Young Master Xu from the Duke of Dingguo's Mansion, one is Young Master Mei from the Marquis of Pinghai's Mansion, and the last one is that Governor Wang. Some of these three people are rich, some are powerful, and they are not easy to get along with. Since you are new here, just know that, but don't offend them!"
"I see. I'm just asking." Zhu Houzhao smiled. "By the way, why are they so famous? Do they come here every day?"
"I wouldn't say every day, but there are definitely many famous people coming. You can tell they are from noble families. As for Lord Wang, he is the head of the City That Never Sleeps, so everyone has to give him some respect."
Zhu Houzhao understood what was going on. He showed the silver ingot in his hand and said, "Your introduction was very good and your service attitude was also very good. You have worked hard and deserve to be rewarded. Take this reward."
This silver ingot is of high quality and judging by its size it is estimated to be around twenty taels.
The waiter didn't expect this ordinary customer to be so generous, and immediately became more enthusiastic, "Thank you, sir! Thank you, sir! If you want to know anything else, just ask. Even if I don't know, I will ask someone else. Oh, if there is anything you want to buy or eat, you can tell me."
Zhu Houzhao waved his hand and told him to leave. He turned around and asked You Zhi, "Young Master Mei is talking about Mei Huaigu's son, right?"
You Zhi could only nod at this time, "It should be."
After all, Mei Huaigu is almost thirty years old.
interesting.
In terms of blood relationship, Mei Huaigu's son is his nephew. He is not only a member of the Marquis's Mansion, but also a royal relative.
Zhu Houzhao usually paid too much attention to the country's major policies and did not care much about the trivial matters in people's lives. Today, he came and was in high spirits. He was a little expectant. He had taught them, but he didn't know how these nobles and royal relatives became famous.
Today’s country is prosperous and full of flowers in the court and in the mouths of ministers, but what is the street like?
Zhu Houzhao tasted the tender fish meat that had just been served and said, "I'm not in a hurry to go back. I want to stay for a while. If anyone comes to look for me, tell them to go back and tell them that I'm going to trouble the person who ruined my fun tonight."
You Zhi didn't want anything else anymore, so just stay with him.
===
Ouch, I've had a fever and a cold recently, and the coughing is killing me. Now my whole chest hurts when I cough.
(End of this chapter)