Traveling back to the Northern Song Dynasty: Picking up a princess as my wife

Tangyin City, this ancient and resilient city, has endured the trials of time. As if overnight, its prosperity vanished, leaving only devastation and desolation. The traces of war and refugees ruthlessly trampled the former bustle, and the pulse of commerce nearly came to a standstill, leaving behind a deathly silence, like a heavy sigh in the long river of time.

As the old saying goes, "After the storm comes the sunshine." As the last wisp of smoke dissipated, the displaced people slowly evacuated, and Tangyin City gradually shed its heavy shackles, ushering in an opportunity for its rebirth. County Magistrate Zhang Cheng stepped into this land that desperately needed to be revitalized. His return was like a spring breeze, quietly dispelling the gloom that shrouded the city.

At first, only a few sparse rays of sunlight pierced through the clouds, dappling the cobblestones. Gradually, this warmth and light began to spread. The bold and astute merchants, as if sensing the breath of revival, cautiously pushed open their shop doors, which had been closed for many days, allowing the long-absent goods and laughter to once again fill the narrow alleyways. Their faces, though bearing some caution and weariness, showed even greater longing and anticipation for a better life.

Shops lit up their lights one by one, illuminating the night in Tangyin City and rekindling the flames of hope in people's hearts. Fabric shops, teahouses, restaurants... all walks of life gradually recovered, not only restoring their former liveliness but also adding a touch of resilience and indomitable spirit after surviving a catastrophe.

With the sound of firecrackers, Manager Sun's grain store reopened, but the name had changed. It was no longer called Sun's Grain Store, but rather followed Li Zhenqi's COFCO Oils.

The name is simple yet powerful, instantly revealing that the shop sells rice, flour, and cooking oil. Li Zhen doesn't need to worry about trademark rights or naming rights here. Even if this modern-day organization knew they were using the name, they could travel back to the Song Dynasty and sue them!

With the grain and soldiers provided by Li Zhen, Zhang Cheng quickly restored order to Tangyin City. He then reorganized the existing yamen runners and re-registered the residents. This re-registration revealed that Tangyin City's population was now only one-third of its original size, meaning Zhang Cheng no longer needed to worry about food shortages.

Following Li Zhenjiao's method, Zhang Cheng did not directly set up soup kitchens. Instead, he organized the people of Tangyin City to repair the damaged city walls and facilities. Those who participated in the labor were naturally provided with food; as long as they completed their tasks on time, they would receive some grain each day to take home. Those local ruffians and idlers who refused to work naturally did not get food. Not only that, Zhang Cheng sent people to investigate whether these people had committed any misdeeds when the Zoroastrian sect ruled Tangyin City. If so, things would be easy; they could be directly imprisoned and labeled as rioters.

Tangyin City was the first of the counties attacked by refugees to recover. Zhang Cheng's achievements were also noticed by his superiors, who gave him a very high score in the recent official assessment.

With the large-scale intervention of the Jin army, the Zoroastrian riots were quickly quelled. It is said that tens of thousands of people were killed in several eastern prefectures, and many villages and towns were emptied.

After selecting an auspicious day, Li Zhen opened his restaurant in Tangyin City.

Red ribbons, symbolizing celebration, were hung all over the street. No one knew where Wang Changdao got the fresh flowers and green trees, but they made the street where the restaurant was located vibrant with life.

At this moment, Wang Changdao, looking smug, was patrolling the streets with his double-barreled shotgun. The entire city defense of Tangyin was now handled by soldiers from the Li Family Village, and the previous toll collection system for entering and exiting the city gates had been abolished by Li Zhen. At first, Magistrate Zhang Cheng was somewhat reluctant, seeing it as a lucrative opportunity, but half a month later, after seeing the commercial tax revenue accounts, he was overjoyed.

"Hahaha... Chief Li, Brother Li, I still don't understand why there are suddenly so many merchants after the city entrance fee was abolished?"

Looking at the bustling crowds on the street, Li Zhen whispered to him, "Magistrate, you said that in the entire Daming Prefecture, our place has the best public security, the lowest commercial taxes, and no yamen runners or officials extorting merchants. If you were in that situation, wouldn't you come?"

Recalling the past, Zhang Cheng seemed to understand something. He ignored Li Zhen and went to a deserted room to think about things.

Li Zhen's restaurant occupied more than half of the street, and its interior design was a complete replica of modern style. The main hall no longer served dine-in; all dining rooms were private. Different styles were set up according to the preferences of each table of guests, including a literary and artistic style, a simple and romantic style, and a luxurious style with a lot of glass lamps, resembling a palace.

It's important to know that the palace didn't have electric lights at that time. Li Zhen installed a large number of solar panels on the roof of the restaurant, and with the use of batteries, it was enough to light up the entire restaurant.

Zhang Cheng and Li Zhen were unaware that a person of high status had also arrived among the diners that day.

Wanyan Ping, dressed in an elegant scholar's robe, walked with the composure and grace of a scholar, followed closely by several obsequious attendants, as he slowly entered this ancient and charming place.

With a slight lift of the gaze, a gentle, dark green hue comes into view. Hanging in front is an exquisite plaque, on which the three characters "Remembering Jiangnan" are engraved in flowing, elegant script. Like a wisp of smoke, it gently evokes endless reverie about the gentle and beautiful water towns of Jiangnan.

The three characters "Remembering Jiangnan" are not only the sign of a restaurant, but also a window through time, guiding passersby to find a gentle solace of old Jiangnan dreams amidst the hustle and bustle of the world. Wanyan Ping unconsciously slowed his pace, thinking to himself that perhaps, within this restaurant, one could taste not only delicious food, but also the Jiangnan charm that could touch the soul.

Wanyan Ping commented with a smile: "It seems that the owner is from Jiangnan. I just wonder what the style of the dishes here is like."

As he walked further in, he felt as if he had stepped into a garden in the Jiangnan region. The small bridges, flowing water, and carp swaying under the bridges made him feel as if he were not in a restaurant, but in a Suzhou garden belonging to a wealthy man in Jiangnan.

A waiter dressed in shorts approached with a big smile: "Hello, sir, welcome to Yi Jiangnan. How many are in your party?"

Wanyan Ping, as the son of the Prince of Zhennan of the Jin Dynasty, frequently visited restaurants and had seen countless waiters, but the one in front of him gave him a different feeling.

How to put it? Polite but not servile, even the smile on his face was just right.

The head guard beside Wanyan Ping spoke up, "We are six people, and we don't know where we should sit?"

The waiter, still smiling, said, "Judging from your attire, you seem to be scholars. How about we go to our Tingfeng Pavilion?"

And so Wanyan Ping and his companions followed the waiter to a room called Tingfengxuan. Although the rooms looked similar from the outside, they were quite different inside. Inside Tingfengxuan was a simple and elegant double-layered rotating table, next to which were modern writing implements. On the wall hung a calligraphy scroll with the words "Rarely Confused" written by Li Zhen himself.

What's most surprising is that a large pot of purple bamboo is placed in several corners of the room. The bamboo leaves sway in the breeze outside the window, creating a unique atmosphere.

"Snapped!"

The waiter turned on the room lights, making the entire room bright.

"Huh, what is this? How can it emit light on its own?"

Waiter: "Sir, this is an electric light, a unique product of our Lijiazhai, used for lighting."

Then the waiter handed over a thick menu and placed it in front of Wanyan Ping. Looking at the colorful pictures of the dishes in front of him, Wanyan Ping was stunned.

What amazing artistry! The dishes are drawn so lifelike, they look incredibly appetizing.

Wanyan Ping looked through the menu. Unlike other restaurants, this restaurant did not serve a single cuisine, which meant that there must be several chefs in the kitchen to prepare the food, otherwise they could not have made so many different dishes.

Some of the dishes were even imperial court dishes, which you wouldn't find in ordinary restaurants, since imperial chefs all have strict lineages.

"Give me a braised pork intestine, a carp with dragon gate, a big plate of chicken, and hey, you also have seafood here, then I'll have a stir-fried sea cucumber with scallions."

Soon Wanyan Ping ordered more than a dozen dishes. The waiter took out a pencil and a small notebook and quickly wrote them down. After Wanyan Ping finished ordering, he quickly handed the paper to the person who was in charge of serving the dishes.

Wanyan Ping and the others originally thought it would take half an hour to serve the dishes, but to their surprise, in less than ten minutes, one steaming dish after another was brought to the table.

The same waiter who had just brought in a bottle of baijiu (Chinese liquor) was very enthusiastic.

"Sir, our restaurant is opening today. This bottle of Erguotou is a gift from our boss. Please enjoy it and have a pleasant meal!"