Fifteen, congratulations on your wealth

In April, when I saw tea, heard tea, smelled tea, and tea was everywhere. If nine of the ten bricks flying down from the "Xietiao Tower" in Xuanzhou were poets, then most of the ten bricks hit by the "Taibai Tower" in Shezhou were tea merchants.

Tea merchants from the Song Dynasty, Southern Han Dynasty, Wuyue were almost as well as those from the Tang Dynasty. Tea merchants from the Liao Dynasty, Tubo, Dangxiang, and Dali were dressed in strange clothes, including those with heads wrapped around, hair hair, braided hair, and disheveled hair, ears with golden rings, waist scimitars, nostrils facing the sky, and laughed with teeth.

Zhou Xuan and his party entered the city from the south gate of Shezhou City. He heard the gongs and drums. A group of strange-shaped dancers jumped towards him. They were all wearing large masks, fierce and bizarre, exaggerated and gorgeous. From the shape of the dancers, they could tell that there were men and women. The man was naked, with vine leaves on the upper body and animal skin covering the lower body. The dance posture was ancient and rough; the woman was wrapped in animal skin and hung with rosy on her body, and the dance posture was soft and graceful—

Fairy Jingyi was a little dazed and suddenly saw these hideous masks and was shocked. The "black rose" under her crotch was also frightened and stopped. Fairy Jingyi fell down from her horse.

Zhou Xuan followed him, so he naturally got cheaper Zhou Xuan. The soft jade warm fragrance hugged her heart. Wow, Sister Daoyun's body smells so good, the fragrance of Phalaenopsis, and, through the two layers of clothes, you can feel the tenderness of Sister Daoyun's skin-

Lin Hanyun quickly took out her sister's slender feet in sheepskin boots from the kicksticks and moved her legs to the ground.

Fairy Jingyi's heart was beating and she gently pushed Zhou Xuan away and stood firm, saying, "Brother Xuan, I won't ride a horse anymore, it's so scary."

Zhou Xuan comforted, "Isn't my sister so afraid of difficulties? It's okay, don't I protect her? I won't let her fall."

Fairy Jingyi thought of the hug Xuan just now, and her face flushed: "It's better not to ride the people coming and going in this city. When you return to the suburbs, let Hanyun teach me to ride a horse."

Lin Hanyun wrinkled his nose and said, "It's better for Brother Zhou Xuan to teach me. My sister accidentally fell down and he could just hold her. I don't have that much strength!"

Judge Fan, Sanchi, Ming Feng, Jian Yue and others who accompanied him pretended not to hear it, and focused on watching the dance of men and women in masks.

Even so, Fairy Jingyi was still ashamed as a peach blossom, and she had no veil to cover her. Her beautiful shy look made Zhou Xuan look straight, and the beautiful Red Luan Sha is so beautiful that she will chase her even when she is in the fire!

Zhou Xuan and others led the horse and let the dancers with ghost masks go over. Judge Fan explained: "This is a sacrifice to the tea god and a Nuo dance."

Zhou Xuan asked: "Isn't the tea god Lu Yu?"

Judge Fan shook his head and said, "The tea gods in various places are different. Shezhou belongs to the ancient Shanyue Kingdom and believes in the gods of mountains and rivers. Tea is an important source of wealth for the people of Shezhou. The sacrifices are particularly solemn every year. This tea god does not know the name of the honorable surname, and it seems to be combined with the local mountain god."

Fairy Jingyi said: "In Xinzhou, the tea god sacrificed is Lu Yu."

Zhou Xuanxi said: "At that time, we must go and worship the tea god Lu Yu."

Lin Hanyun smiled and said, "Well, it's very good. My sister is a tea fairy, and Brother Zhou Xuan is a tea demon. Let's worship the tea god together. Maybe thousands of years later, you gods, immortals and demons will be able to stand up and accept sacrifices from future generations."

Fairy Jingyi said angrily: "Hanyun, you are talking more and more presumptuously now, and you are talking nonsense. Who did you learn this from?"

Lin Hanyun confessed: "I learned from Brother Zhou Xuan."

Zhou Xuan was speechless, looking at Fairy Jingyi.

Fairy Jingyi was angry and angry, but a smile flashed in her eyes.

Zeng Daqian caught up on the carriage and shouted, "Young Master Zhou, Lord Fan, hurry up and go to the 'Ming Zhan Hall', and the tea fighting begins soon."

The tea-fighting venue is located under the Zhaixing Twin Towers in the east of the city, and the "Ming Zhan Hall" by the Liuhe Bridge.

"Ming Zhan Hall" was built by tea merchants in Shezhou. It took three years to spend more than 60,000 taels of silver and covers an area of ​​dozens of acres. It is known as "thirty-six patios and seventy-two threshold windows". After completion, the annual tea party will be held here, and the most exciting thing about the tea party is tea fighting.

Zhou Xuan and others came outside the "Ming Zhan Hall" and saw three exquisite bamboo sheds standing in front of the gate like archways. Each bamboo shed was cooking three pots of tea at the same time. Zhou Xuan saw a group of people entering, and each group had a sip of tea in the tea shed, and talked to the elders in the bamboo shed, and let them go.

Zeng Daqian introduced: "To enter this 'Ming Zhan Hall', you must first pass these three levels, that is, to taste tea and tell the name of the tea. If you can't even pass these three levels, you don't have to go into tea and fight, you are not qualified."

Zhou Xuan asked: "Why do those groups only need to taste tea one by one?"

Zeng Daqian explained: "That group of people means a tea variety, including tea merchants, tea tasting masters, and servants with tea sets and tea leaves. Each tea is limited to two tea tasting masters, and the total number cannot exceed seven. As long as the tea tasting master distinguishes the name of the tea, they will all be released."

Zhou Xuan looked back at his group and said, "I am one of us here, and there are sister Daoyun, shopkeeper Zeng, and the third son-in-law--"

Lin Ning interrupted, "Master, I won't go in, let my third brother accompany you in."

Judge Fan said: "Young Master Zhou, Xiaguan doesn't even go in. Xiaguan has a friend living in seclusion outside the west gate of Shezhou City. I have time today and go to visit him."

Zhou Xuan said: "Please give me a gift, Mr. Fan."

Judge Fan took two people to join Ximen.

Zhou Xuan continued: "Sister Hanyun must have to watch the fun. There are two more places, who will go?"

Mingfeng and Jianyue said in unison: "Young Master, I'm going."

Xiahou Liusu said timidly: "Young master, Liusu also wants to go in."

Zhou Xuan glanced at Xiahou Liusu and said, "What are you going to do? Mingfeng, Jianyue has been with the fairy for many years and can be called a tea tasting master. Maybe it is better than me, just Mingfeng, Jianyue goes."

Xiahou Liusu lowered her head, her eyelashes were drooping, and her grievance looked so pitiful.

Zhou Xuan ignored her and led the Huangshan Second Tea Team to pass the level. He was quite confident in his tasting ability, and his subtleties might not be as good as Fairy Jingyi, but the three levels of the bamboo shed should be fine. I never expected that the first level was stuck. After tasting it, I couldn't tell what kind of tea this is? It's certain that he had never drunk this kind of tea before.

Fortunately, there were regulations that two tea tasting masters would let them go if they tasted it. Fairy Jingyi only sniffed the fragrance of the tea and said, "Changzhou black tea." This level was passed.

Zhou Xuan's face was pretty good, and his face was swollen at this time, and he felt very ashamed.

No one else said anything, but Lin Hanyun refused to let Zhou Xuan go. Just as he was about to make fun of him, Fairy Jingyi said: "Changzhou black tea is not among the famous teas. It has been less than a year since Brother Xuan came to Tang State. It is nothing to be considered if he didn't know this tea. The next level is to taste it."

It was still the gentle and understanding sister Daoyun. Zhou Xuan really wanted to kiss her white and red cheeks. Zhou Qicha was not so easy to be discouraged. He waved his fist at Lin Hanyun and said, "I will never give up." He went to the second bamboo shed to take the tea cup handed by the old man who cooked tea, sniffed it, and said lightly: "Shouzhou Huangya Tea."

The old man didn't say much, and he signaled to let him go.

Zhou Xuan strided with great strength, took the lead in entering the third bamboo shed, took a cup of fragrant tea, squinted his eyes and tasted it again and again, but he didn't speak for a long time.

Lin Hanyun shook his head and said, "Brother Zhou Xuan can't taste it anymore. Sister, uh--Shutong Jingyi, you can taste it."

Fairy Jingyi stood aside and smelled the tea fragrance from Zhou Xuan’s tea cup. This was Lushan Yunwu tea, which Brother Xuan could not tell. He gave Lin Hanyun a blank look, stretched out a pointed index finger, and acted to poke her forehead.

Zhou Xuan drank all a cup of tea, Tao Ran said: "Beauty should not be abrupt, good tea should not be ruined, I will finish it carefully-" said to the old man who cooked tea: "The old man has a good tea art. This Lushan Yunwu tea is cooked with the spring water of the Lushan Valley Curtain. It is really wonderful!"

The old tea-making man smiled kindly and said, "The nine tea teams in front of him, and the tea-tasting masters put down their lips. After saying the name of Lushan Yunwu Tea, he hurried into the 'Ming Zhan Hall'. Only this young master drank a cup. The young master is a true tea lover. I have something to give to you-" As he said that, he took a cylindrical purple clay teapot from the tea table and handed it to Zhou Xuan: "Young master is a destined person, please keep it."

Zhou Xuan had seen a teapot and thanked the old man who made tea. He stepped out of the third bamboo shed. While walking, he looked at the teapot in his hand. He saw two poems on it, namely:

"When I come to sit in the pine tree, I watch the boiled pine tree snow. I am in the waves and the blue ginger is gone. I am so refreshing and healthy, and suddenly it seems that the atmosphere is gone. I don't know that you are in the sky, and this is the end of the day."

Zhou Xuan looked at the poem on the teapot with Fairy Jingyi. Although Fairy Jingyi was not good at poetry, he remembered a lot of poems related to tea, saying: "'Sitting in the pines for free' is Lu Guimeng's poem "Buying Tea"; 'Happy to see Youren' is the poetic monk Jiaoran's "Drinking Tianmu Mountain Tea to Lu Xun and sending to Yuan Jushi Sheng."

Zhou Xuan kept these two poems in his heart and handed the teapot to Mingfeng to hold it. Mingfeng and Jianyue, the two pretty maids, each holding a basket, each with a set of tea sets and a pot of sealed water.

"Ming Zhan Hall" is magnificent, like a royal palace, with pink walls, green tiles, horse head walls, brick, wood and stone sculptures, as well as a layered courtyard, high ridges and flying eaves, and winding corridors. It really feels like "the courtyard is so deep".

Zhou Xuan saw that the door masks, window lintels, and bricks on the screen wall were carved with vivid and realistic characters, insects, fish, flowers, birds, and eight treasures, as well as ancient patterns, and extremely decorative effects.

After twists and turns, I walked through the seven patios and came to a spacious hall. There were already fifty or sixty people in the hall, but they were not crowded at all.

Zeng Daqian shouted: "Huangshan Rongcheng tea, Fuqiu tea is here!"

Everyone in the hall turned their heads to look at each other, and some said, "Rong Cheng Tea, Fuqiu Tea, I have never heard of it."

A tea merchant recognized Zeng Daqian and sneered: "It's those two kinds of inferior Huangshan teas. I thought that changing the name of the tea can make a fortune at a high price. It's really ridiculous! It's extremely ridiculous!"

Zeng Daqian said angrily: "I wish the shopkeeper, my Huangshan Rongcheng tea is not inferior to the top ten famous teas. How dare you say it is a bad tea? It's too much to deceive others!"

Zhou Xuan patted Zeng Daqian on the shoulder: "Shopkeeper Zeng, don't be as knowledgeable as the ignorant people. I believe that Huangshan Fairy Tea will definitely become a famous tea party."

The tea merchant named Zhuhe looked at Zhou Xuan squintly and asked, "Are you the tea tasting master invited by Manager Zeng?"

Zhou Xuan was even more rude to such a rude person than him, and he didn't bother to pay attention to him. He found a round table with four round stools on the round table. He, Fairy Jingyi, Lin Hanyun, and Zeng Daqian sat respectively. Three cynical arms were standing behind him. Ming Feng and Jianyue placed the basket on the table and stood behind the Lin sisters.

When the shopkeeper Zhu saw Zhou Xuan ignore him, he was very angry and whispered a few words to someone behind him. The man came over and bowed to Zhou Xuangong and said, "In the lower lane, Hongjian is the tea tasting master of Xieyuan Tea in Shezhou. I came to ask Huangshan Tea tasting master for advice, and the tea battle will be a game."

Zhou Xuan thought to himself: "It turns out that he is also a tea merchant in Shezhou. There is no tolerance for two tigers in one mountain. Xie Yuancha naturally cannot see Huangshan tea coming out to grab its business. If you seize the opportunity, you will suppress it." He said coldly: "Is there any problem with your ear? The shopkeeper once signed up loudly. It was Huangshan Rongcheng Tea and Fuqiu Tea. Since you want to fight with me, how can you even report the name of our tea?"

Xie Yuan tea tea tasting teacher Lu Hongjian blushed and stared at Zhou Xuan hatefully.

Sanchi said with his ears: "Master, I heard from the fourth brother talk about Lu Hongjian. Last year, he fought with the fourth brother on Shanyin. He was not a match for the fourth brother. The master could fight him boldly."

Zhu shopkeeper rushed over and said, "If it is a famous tea, you will naturally not report any errors. It is not uncommon for you to report any errors, let alone you change your name randomly!"

Zhou Xuan sat upright and asked, "Why do you think about the conditions of Ming Zhan? How to deal with the loser?"

Lu Hongjian said: "Synopsis to tea, tea soup, and camellia. Please ask three of the top ten tea tasting masters last year to notarize the quality, dare?"

Zhu Manager added: "The loser immediately withdraws from the 'Ming Zhan Hall', and don't change the name of the tea, just stay honestly."

Zhou Xuan said: "This bet is not strong enough and cannot make people excited. I suggest that if Xie Yuancha loses, Xie Yuancha will announce his withdrawal from the top ten famous teas in public—"

Sanchi pulled a smile out of the corner of his mouth. This was Zhou Xuan's usual method. When he started a bet, he always made suggestions, and then he raised wildly, making it difficult for both sides to make a big move.

When the shopkeeper heard this, wow, this bet is so vicious. If Xie Yuancha withdraws from the top ten famous teas, his tea shop's income will be reduced by at least 30% to 10%. He gritted his teeth and said, "I also suggest that if Huangshan Tea loses, it will be fined that the tea is not allowed to be sold this year. Should I dare to fight? Hehe, Zeng, Zhangjiao, don't be dispersed by the ignorant tea tasting master!"

Zeng Daqian's face changed. Not allowing tea to be sold is a way out. How can hundreds of tea workers support tea farmers? Not only did they suffer huge losses back then, but they also had a very bad impact on future sales. This week, Xuanzhi won the famous Lu Hongjian? Lu Hongjian ranked ninth among the top ten tea tasting masters last year, and was known as the number one person in the southeastern tea battle in the Tang Dynasty.

Zhou Xuan smiled slightly, Sanchi said that Lu Hongjian had fought with Sichi and defeated Lu Hongjian, and Fairy Jingyi's tea art was slightly better than Sichi. Fairy Jingyi was naturally no problem to win Lu Hongjian. Now it depends on whether Zeng Daqian dared to face the challenge. After all, Zeng Daqian had to decide on this matter. Tea Tasting Master had no right to make such a tragic bet.

Zeng Daqian's face turned pale and white, and his heart was fierce. Should he fight or not? If he can win this game of Mingzhan, Huangshan Rongcheng Cha and Fuqiu Cha can be said to become famous in one battle. If Xie Yuan Cha can beat Xie Yuan Cha, he can dominate Shezhou. Even if he can't enter the top ten famous teas in the end, the price of tea will definitely soar, but he will lose-

Zhou Xuan said lightly: "Shopkeeper Zeng, this is a good opportunity. It depends on whether you can catch it. I won't say much, you will decide for yourself."

Zhu Shukeeper laughed and said, "Shopkeeper Zeng, make a decision early. You have seen Mr. Lu Hongjian's tea art. He can distinguish the smell of water in different sections of the same river. Since the tea tasting master you hired is eager to let you learn the Taoist tranquility and inaction, drink tea and become an immortal, you agree. If you lose, you will be purified and you don't have to be busy all day long, haha."

Manager Zhu was actually a little nervous. Although Lu Hongjian's tea art was superb, and the Huangshan tea tea tasting master in front of him was simply an unknown person. He had never seen tea parties in previous years, but he didn't know the details. If Lu Hongjian failed, it would be bad. So he wanted to use his attacking skills, which scared Zeng Daqian so much that he did not dare to fight. If he spread it like this, Xie Yuan tea would become more famous, and Huangshan tea would be even more unsold. It can be said that he won without fighting and defeated others without fighting.

Zeng Daqian looked at Zhou Xuan and then at the shopkeeper Zhu. In the Tea City of Shezhou, he was suppressed by shopkeeper Zhu for many years and could not turn over. This time he met on a narrow road, what should I do? This young master Zhou is a man of great background. Even the judge and the border general of Fang Town respected him. I believed him this time, and tried his best, and a word came out of his thick lips: "Fight!"
Chapter completed!