I want to ruin the country

Aisin-Gioro Wu Yong arrived at Chunhe Teahouse on time today again, carrying his birdcage.

He was also a member of the royal family, and his ancestor was Kangxi's third son Yinzhi.

Yinzhi had a son, Hongsheng, who was exiled with Yinzhi to guard the imperial mausoleum.

Hong Sheng is Wu Yong's grandfather's grandfather. He and the crazy emperor are five generations apart, but in terms of seniority, he has to call Yining uncle!

His branch was not prosperous in terms of either population or wealth.

After five generations, Wu Yong's generation lived on the ancestral property and farmland left by their ancestors, and they had an annual income of 100,000 to 200,000 silver coins.

One or two hundred thousand silver coins are nothing compared to a tycoon, but in later generations, it would be a standard billionaire!

But Wu Yong was not satisfied. He kept saying that if Yinzhi had become the emperor during the nine princes' fight for the throne, his grandfather's grandfather Hongsheng would definitely have been the emperor as well!

Then it is very likely that the person sitting on the throne in the Forbidden City now is himself.

Wu Yong is forty years old and in good health. Because he has no pressure in life and doesn't have to worry about anything else, his daily life is very regular.

I get up at six in the morning, go to the toilet, wash up, and then drink a bowl of bird's nest soup.

At 6:30, I would take the bird cage out and walk the bird for an hour along the river or in the woods. At 7:30, I would go to Chunhe Teahouse for breakfast.

I stay in the teahouse until about eleven o'clock. If there is no drinking party, I go home for lunch and take a nap at noon.

Around two o'clock, we went to the theater to listen to a play, and after leaving the theater, we went to Chunhe Garden to drink tea and chat.

At night, I would get together with anyone to drink or go to the Eight Great Hutongs for fun.

Sometimes he would go home in the middle of the night, and sometimes he would just sleep in the brothel.

Today was no exception. He came to Chunhe Teahouse, asked the waiter to hang up the bird cage, and took out a bag of tea leaves and asked the waiter to make tea!

Chunhe Teahouse does not sell tea. People who come to drink tea either bring their own tea or buy tea from the tea shop opposite.

Teahouses do not sell tea, but they sell a variety of melon seeds, snacks, delicacies and wine.

Someone asked, if the teahouse doesn’t sell tea, what will people drink?

Isn’t a teahouse a place to drink tea? How can it be a place to have breakfast?

Here we need to talk about what the teahouse was like back then.

After the Qing Dynasty established its capital in Beijing, it transformed the northern part of the city into a barracks and stationed Manchus according to the Eight Banners.

Each banner was separated by a wooden fence, and bannermen were not allowed to leave the city more than ten miles away, let alone spend the night in Han residential areas.

In order to prevent the Bannermen from feeling bored, the imperial court opened some teahouses so that the Eight Bannermen could have a place to relax and have fun in their spare time.

At this time, octagonal drums and Taiping lyrics became popular, and teahouses also served as performance venues.

The Bannermen were divided into different levels, and people of different identities were not allowed to play together.

Since everyone lives close to each other, it is inevitable that they need to help each other or mediate disputes, and the role of the teahouse becomes prominent.

In the teahouse, everyone can temporarily put aside their status and talk about things on an equal footing.

Since we are discussing things, sometimes we need food and drinks. Gradually, teahouses began to provide alcohol and food, or take-out services.

The teahouses that provide food are also different, there is the Red Oven House that makes steamed buns and pastries.

Wowo Restaurant specializes in snacks such as Aiwo Wo and Tangerduo.

There is also a meat shop that can cook.

The big teahouse opens at five in the morning and closes at ten in the evening. If you have time, you can order a pot of tea and sit there all day. I guarantee that no one will chase you away.

Because the minimum consumption was not high, gradually some people looking for work, such as those who needed to shake coal balls, pack rice husks, cooks, paperhangers, etc., gathered in the teahouse waiting for customers.

As more and more people became idle, storytellers and crosstalk performers began to perform in teahouses.

Finally, due to the large turnover of people in the teahouse, it gradually developed into an information center.

People would go to the teahouse to listen to something new, and some government spies would also come to the teahouse to inquire about news.

Let’s talk about why teahouses don’t sell tea.

A teahouse that doesn't sell tea is like a seafood restaurant that doesn't sell seafood but only processes it.

Without having to import tea leaves, there is no cost involved, and the cost and risk of preserving tea leaves is also reduced.

The tea comes from somewhere else, and its quality and taste have nothing to do with me, so there is less dispute.

Excluding the cost of tea, customers only spend money on food and drinks when checking out, so it won’t feel expensive!

This is the true portrayal of the teahouse at that time.

Wu Yong came to the second floor, which was already crowded with people.

"Good luck to you, Master Dun San!"

"Master Le, you're here early!"

"Master Wu, you look good today!"

Wu Yong greeted his acquaintances while sitting down at his regular seat.

Because he comes every day, no one sits on this seat, so it is kept for him every day.

As soon as I sat down, tea, soy milk, fried dough sticks, and Tianlihe’s beef meatball buns arrived!

A copy of the "Beijing Daily" that was just published today was also sent over.

Wu Yong was soaking the fried dough rings in soy milk while reading the newspaper.

I heard Zhang San say to Li Si,

"Master Zhang, what don't you understand? Haven't you seen the official notice clearly spelling out each item?

"People die, they can't die in vain, right? 30 taels of silver for a life isn't much!"

Dun Sanye said,

"What's the matter? As the old saying goes, if you're fined, don't beat him. If you're fined, don't beat him. If you're going to kill him, you can't just fine him in money!"

Li Si said,

"Third Master, that's not what I meant. You killed someone and he's dead. Shouldn't you pay for it?

You killed him, shouldn't you pay for the funeral expenses?"

Wang Wu also said

"Isn't it written on the notice? You killed the parents, so who will raise the child? You can't let the child starve to death, right?

This incident started with you, so shouldn't you pay for the child's upbringing?"

Zhang San said again,

"The newspapers also explained that people raise children to provide for their old age. If you kill their son or daughter, will their parents feel sad?

He's ready to die, shouldn't you pay him some mental damages?"

Li Si said again,

"You killed their child, and now they have no one to support them. Shouldn't you give them some money to support their retirement?"

Le Siye said,

"Of course I should, but what if I don't have money?"

Li Si said,

"It doesn't matter if you have no money. The government will sell your land and property."

The Fifth Master said,

"You've mortgaged all the land and property. How are their families going to survive?"

Zhang San said,

"If you're afraid your family won't survive, then don't kill them. Would the government really sell off your house and land? You've done it all yourself!"

Li Si said,

"You're right, this is what you deserve!"

Wu Yong was unhappy when he heard this. He had been unhappy these days, and the reason he was unhappy was because the emperor had offended him.

Wu Yong slammed the table and said loudly,

"What's wrong with the Emperor? He's closing down brothels and casinos, and this is causing trouble for us Bannermen. Why is he always turning his elbow outward?"