Volume 6: Dream Record Chapter 428 Zhao Paner's Advertising Marketing
Hearing the two people calling him Master Du, Du Changfeng realized that the two children in front of him were actually his students. He stretched his neck to see their appearance clearly and said:
"Hasn't the academy opened long ago? What are you still doing here? What are your names? Tell me your names!"
"His name is Hu Zhiyuan, and my name is Liu Yongbo!"
The shorter student made up a lie. Du Changfeng felt vaguely that the two names sounded unfamiliar, but he did not think much about it. He just said with dignity:
"Go back and write ten large characters as punishment. Give them to me tomorrow morning!"
"Yes, Mr. Du!"
After fooling Du Changfeng, the two truant students ran away. At this time, Du Changfeng, who was fond of teaching, taught a young scholar standing in front of him:
"Everyone's in class, what are you still doing here, you idiot? Why don't you go to class?"
"ah?"
The young scholar was criticized by Du Changfeng for no apparent reason. He looked at Du Changfeng with strange eyes. His voice did not sound like that of a student in the academy. Du Changfeng could not help but move closer to take a look. When he saw that it was an adult, Du Changfeng was also shocked. He quickly bowed and apologized:
"I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I admit my mistake!"
“There’s something wrong!”
…
On the other side, after the two truant students ran away, the taller student scolded them:
"How dare you make up a name?"
The shorter student panted and waved his hand confidently:
"Don't worry, he's not wearing the glass today, so you can't even see his face if he's one foot away!"
Hearing this, the taller student smiled and said:
"No wonder he was selected as a Jinshi, but he couldn't even get an official position. He could only wait for the selection and be a teacher in our academy!"
At this time, the shorter student said mysteriously:
"I heard that when he was meeting the emperor, he was so excited that he lost his manners in front of the emperor and released a ball of reincarnation energy!"
"What's the meaning?"
“Bullshit!”
…
Meanwhile, Du Changfeng was completely unaware of the two students' ridicule and teasing of him. He was discussing the brand new Zhao's Teahouse with other literati and poets. This was all thanks to He Si and others. Zhao Pan'er gave them a commission and asked them to go to Chatang Lane to promote the new Zhao's Teahouse. She also promised to give them a commission from the sales of tea. Because of this, He Si and others went directly to other people's teahouses and praised the Zhao's Teahouse to the sky. These literati and poets who often went to Chatang Lane to drink tea gathered together and came to Ma Xing Street specifically to see how good the Zhao's Teahouse was and how beautiful the shopkeeper, Madam Zhao, was. She was even more beautiful than the notorious courtesan Zhang Haohao.
In the crowd, Du Changfeng showed off:
"Although this courtyard is not big, every blade of grass and every tree has a deep meaning. There are also lanterns of beauty hanging here, as well as sweet-scented osmanthus. Isn't this the same as the scene at this door last year, when the beauty and sweet-scented osmanthus complemented each other?"
The scholars and writers who kept gathering nodded one after another, as if they were great thinkers who saw the same thing and felt sorry for not meeting each other earlier. Among them, Mr. Zhuo Shi stroked his beard and smiled, saying:
"The color used on this lantern is Yuanjiu, and the light and dark colors of the osmanthus flowers are like the allusion of evenly applied light and dark makeup!"
"That makes sense, that makes sense!"
At this time, another group of scholars and writers walked into the teahouse. The leading scholar looked at Du Changfeng and Mr. Zhuo Shi beside him, bowed, and laughed:
"Mr. Du, Mr. Zhuo Shi, you are here too!"
"Mr. Yuan, you are here too?"
The scholar in the lead was Yuan Tuntian, who was a little famous in Tokyo City. Du Changfeng and Mr. Zhuo Shi hurried forward to greet him. Yuan Tuntian looked up and down at the newly renovated Zhao's Teahouse and said with a cheerful smile:
"You all know that I love music the most. I heard from Susu from Fanlou that a new store has opened here, so of course there must be some good music to listen to, so I came here!"
"Not bad, not bad, me too, I'm here to listen to the music too!"
…
Just as these scholars and scholars were flattering each other, Zhao Pan'er, dressed in a flowing dress, walked out gracefully with a flowered paper umbrella, and Yinping girl was burning incense beside her. The fragrance, the beauty, and Zhao Pan'er's smiles, her graceful posture and dancing, stunned the scholars and scholars. At this time, Sun Sanniang brought over two round fans, and she and Zhao Pan'er each held one, half covering their faces, dancing gracefully, looking radiant. At this time, in the private room on the second floor, Song Yinzhang was wearing a face scarf, sitting behind a screen, holding the Solitary Moon Pipa in his arms, playing it, the celestial music was faint, and the charming Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang made the scholars and scholars so fascinated that even the white-haired Mr. Zhuo Shi lost his composure and shouted:
"What a beautiful lady!"
At this time, Yuan Xudong was sitting in a private room on the second floor, looking down at Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang dancing in the lobby, as well as the so-called literati who coveted their beauty. In fact, what he hated most were these corrupt scholars who could only talk big, recite poems and compose essays. The Song Dynasty had a prosperous economy, a large population, and a strong national strength, but it was defeated repeatedly in foreign wars, which led to the later Jingkang Shame. The Jin Dynasty went south and broke through the capital Tokyo, burning, killing, looting, and committing all kinds of atrocities.
Except for Emperor Huizong and Emperor Qinzong, a large number of Zhao royal family members, concubines and princesses, as well as nobles and court officials, totaling more than 3,000 people, were captured and taken north, where they suffered humiliation. The women were even worse off, being treated like animals. A great country was actually bullied to this extent. The most fundamental reason was that the rulers of the Song Dynasty valued civil officials over military officials, and the country was governed by literati. Naturally, there would be peace and tranquility in peacetime. If they encountered foreign enemies, they would have no courage and would only compromise and give in. Even if they had mountains of gold and silver, they would be nothing more than the spoils of the thieves. In times of peace, the common people were always obsessed with the power of the Song Dynasty, regarding powerful enemies as barbarians, and claiming to be the Celestial Empire. As the saying goes, arrogant soldiers will surely be defeated, especially those who are blindly arrogant and have no self-knowledge. Facts have proved that civilization will always be destroyed by the so-called barbarians. If enough people are killed, the butcher can be a genius of the generation, but if he is a king of a fallen country, even if he loves the people like his own children and rests with the people on weekdays, he is a rotten wood that cannot be carved, a coward.
In Yuan Xudong's eyes, the most fundamental thing for a country is the military, the thoughts and beliefs of the people. During the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period in China, Qi was rich, the people were well-off, and the business was prosperous, but in the end it all belonged to Qin. Wealth, especially wealth without sufficient protection, not only cannot protect itself, but also attract wolves and tigers. Only when the two are equally important, the people are rich, and the country's military is strong can it be self-reliant. Don't provoke war, but don't be afraid of war. Language has never convinced the enemy, only fists and blood can. Throughout human history, peace will only be short-lived, and war will always come. Nothing is impossible in this world. You think war is still far away from you, but you don't know that war may come at any time. Sometimes, peace-loving people and those who fear bloodshed and sacrifice are always confused. The latter often use peace-loving as an excuse for their cowardice and fear of war. They will say what if people die in war? Then don't fight, let others slaughter you, and be slaves?
In a word, Yuan Xudong really hates those people who are full of big principles, because big principles can only be said to one's family, the enemy will only laugh at you for being an idiot. I have a gun, why should I have an argument with you, you say yours, I will do what I am supposed to do, I can also slap you hard in the face and say sorry to you at the same time, sorry!
Just as Yuan Xudong was daydreaming, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang, each holding a beauty fan to cover half of their faces, walked slowly to the new plaque. Together, they pulled open the rope tied with the cloth, revealing the new store name "Half-covered Face" on the plaque. Zhao Pan'er looked at the stunned scholars and literati, bowed and said:
"Today, Banzhaimian is reopening. We would like to offer a few cups of tea and a piece of music. Please enjoy it!"
"Half-covered?"
"What do you mean?"
"She finally appeared after much anticipation, still holding the pipa and half covering her face. How wonderful and marvelous! How wonderful and extraordinary!"
“I see!”
"I was wondering why you had to half cover your face, it turns out it's Pipa language!"
"It's really a human-faced osmanthus!"
"The shopkeeper's wife is so unique!"
…
In the teahouse , the scholars were talking about it. Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang were walking in front of the counter. Du Changfeng was in the crowd. Due to his blurred vision, he could only see the graceful figures of Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang, but not their faces. The fragrance was overwhelming. Du Changfeng was also fascinated by them. He wanted to see how beautiful the beauties were. Unfortunately, his Seven Treasures Colored Glaze Tocharian Crystal was thrown into the water by the shrew Sun Sanniang, so he could not see the beauties now. At this time, Mr. Zhuoshi walked up to Du Changfeng and said with a smile:
"Master Du, don't you have to go to the academy to teach today?"
"Well……"
Hearing Mr. Zhuoshi's reminder, Du Changfeng then remembered that not only did his students have classes to attend, but he, as a teacher, also had classes to teach. Thinking of this, Du Changfeng couldn't help but sigh that beauty is a disaster. He bowed to Mr. Zhuoshi and said goodbye:
"Mr. Zhuo, I'll take my leave now and come back another day!"
"Okay, Master Du, take care!"
After taking a last look at Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang, Du Changfeng let out a long sigh, then gritted his teeth and left the teahouse. The other literati also found a place to sit down, sitting at a table in groups of three or two, quietly listening to the sound of the pipa flowing from the private room.
“This piano sounds really good!”
"yes!"
When the song ended, all the scholars and men of letters praised it highly. Yuan Tuntian, who loved music the most, praised it highly while gently waving a paper fan:
"This song should only exist in heaven. How many times can it be heard in the world? I wonder which famous musician is playing the strings and playing the music?"
As soon as she finished speaking, Song Yinzhang came out of the private room wearing a slightly translucent gauze scarf, and stood upstairs, looking down at the scholars and writers. She did not speak, holding the Solitary Moon Pipa in her arms, standing there in a coquettish manner, only revealing her big black and white eyes that seemed to be able to speak and looking at everyone. Zhao Pan'er stood by her side and smiled lightly and said:
"This is Miss Song, the most famous pipa player in Jiangnan!"
After Zhao Pan'er finished her introduction, Song Yinzhang held her Solitary Moon Pipa and bowed slightly to the guests. The guests praised Song Yinzhang one after another:
"This is half-covered face, so beautiful, just like a fairy in the sky!"
"So it's Miss Song, the most famous pipa player in Jiangnan. No wonder she's like that!"
"The piano music is so beautiful, I wonder what kind of beauty is underneath this veil!"
"Mr. Yuan is right. I see that Miss Song has charming eyes and eyebrows. I think she must be a beauty with a stunning appearance!"
"Mr. Zhuo, what you said makes sense. I heard that you just married a concubine who is only 28 years old. An 18-year-old bride and an 80-year-old groom, white hair and red makeup, sleeping together in a mandarin duck quilt, a pear tree overshadowing a crabapple tree. Mr. Zhuo, you are really still strong despite your age!"
"No, no, the ancients said that food and sex are human nature. This is just human nature. It's something we both agreed to!"
Looking at these disgusting so-called scholars downstairs, Zhao Pan'er and others forced a smile. Among them were some old guys who claimed to be romantic, such as Mr. Zhuo. His hair and beard were all white, and his face was full of wrinkles of old age. He even ran to see beautiful women and married a concubine in her twenties. He said that food, sex and nature are all part of life and it is a matter of mutual consent. It was really disgusting!
At this time, Yuan Tuntian downstairs looked at Zhao Paner and Song Yinzhang and shouted:
"I wonder if I could ask Miss Song to play another song?"
The scholars and writers downstairs started to make a noise, asking Song Yinzhang to play another song. Zhao Pan'er would not indulge them. In her eyes, these so-called scholars and writers were just mobile wallets. She smiled and said:
"When the Concubine Dowager Qian hired Lady Song as a music official, she set a rule because she valued her musical skills and only allowed her to play three pieces a day. If you want to listen more, you may as well sit down for a while and have some of our Jiangnan tea and snacks!"
After Zhao Pan'er finished speaking, Sun Sanniang took the opportunity to say:
"Dear guests, please order whatever tea you would like to drink!"
"well!"
It is unreasonable to open the door to do business and just listen to music without ordering tea. Everyone did not take it seriously and followed Sun Sanniang to order tea, until...
“Isn’t this too expensive?”
Looking at the astonishing price on the tea card, Mr. Zhuo Shi almost pulled his beard off. He looked at Sun Sanniang who was standing next to the tea card and said in surprise:
"Alas, a pot of sweet-scented osmanthus drink costs eighty cents. Did you write it wrong?"
"It's too expensive, eighty cents, that's enough to buy a bushel of rice!"
Someone nearby complained.
Looking at Mr. Zhuo Shi, who was the first to complain about the high price of tea in the store, Sun Sanniang smiled and said:
"Sir, you are joking. Can this feeling, this state, this joy be calculated with money? Isn't that too vulgar? I can guarantee that once you have tasted the sweet-scented osmanthus drink, you will no longer think so!"
"Is it really that amazing?"
“You must try it!”
After hearing what Sun Sanniang said, the scholars and literati present could not just leave just because the tea was expensive. It was only eighty cents, and they could earn more after spending it. What if people misunderstood them as being stingy?
What scholars value is elegance and artistic conception. Talking about money is so vulgar, it's simply unbearable, okay?
Everyone ordered their favorite tea. Zhao Pan'er had really put a lot of effort into it. The teacup was made of top-quality white porcelain, which looked great. Her tea-making skills were also superb, and the tea show was lifelike and vivid. In addition, Yuan Xudong added a little special medicinal powder to the spring water she used to make tea. Therefore, the tea tasted great, and all the guests praised it highly. Seeing this, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang took the opportunity to promote the tea cakes in the store. Zhao Pan'er held a plate of delicious tea cakes and boasted:
"Having drinks without fruits is like having a zither without wine. It is a pity in life. Madam Sun in our shop is a descendant of the governor of Ningguo in Southern Tang. These tea fruits she made were taught by Empress Xiao Zhou. You may as well try them and see how they taste!"
“Give me a plate!”
"I want one too!"
…
Seeing that everyone was so enthusiastic, Zhao Pan'er quoted the price at the right time:
"Three hundred coins for one plate!"
"Three, three hundred coins?"
Since I have already spent eighty cents, I might as well go all out. In front of a beauty, a real man will never give in. Thinking of this in his heart, Mr. Zhuo Shi said proudly:
"I want three hundred coins too. Just give me a plate of this peach!"
"I want a plate of Evening Red!"
"I want a plate of Laughing Spring Breeze!"
"Okay, dear guests, please wait a moment, we'll be right there!"
Looking at these scholars and writers rushing to the front, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang both smiled widely. Each person spent 380 coins, and there were almost 20 guests here. Could they earn almost 10 strings of cash?
In a good mood, Zhao Paner looked at Mr. Zhuoshi, the first customer who ordered osmanthus drink and tea cake, and said with a smile:
"Sir, you are indeed a kindred spirit. Please come to the elegant room to enjoy Madam Song's pipa music!"
"well!"
I didn't expect there would be such a benefit. Mr. Zhuo Shi hurriedly got up and went upstairs, and the others followed. After the first ten people climbed the stairs, Zhao Pan'er and Sun Sanniang quickly blocked the stairs and prevented everyone from going up. They said:
"Mrs. Song likes quietness, so only ten scholars can enter to listen to the music at a time. Please come early tomorrow!"
"This is so unfair. I also ordered tea and fruit!"
"That's it, that's it!"
Seeing the rest of the crowd making a fuss, with Yuan Tuntian leading the way, Zhao Paner looked at him and smiled calmly:
"The so-called opportunity is not about the order, but the timing. Sir, please don't sigh. Can I make you a cup of Jiujiu Guiyuan Tea?"
"Nine Nine Returns to the Origin, what kind of tea color is it?"
Seeing everyone's curiosity, Zhao Pan'er clapped her hands, and the maid Yinping brought a brocade box. There were nine tea cups of different shapes in the box. Zhao Pan'er introduced them one by one:
"These nine tea cups, one secret color, one powder green, one plum green, one red kiln change, one black, one white, one yellow ice crack, one sky blue, one rabbit hair color, Ming Yue Tang, Deng Yao Chai, Rao, Longquan, Ding, from the Tang Dynasty to the present dynasty, all the nine colors of famous porcelain loved by the palace are here, paired with the official favorite dragon and phoenix round tea, isn't it the return to the origin?"
"Amazing, amazing! I never thought that Madam Zhao had collected so many treasures. This is truly unique in Tokyo!"
"Not bad, not bad!"
Everyone was admiring Zhao Pan'er's collection. Suddenly, Yuan Tuntian smiled with an old face:
"Madam Zhao, this Nine-Nine Returning Origin Tea shouldn't also be eighty coins a cup, right?"
"Of course not!"
Before Yuan Tuntian could breathe a sigh of relief, Zhao Pan'er smiled and said:
"Two hundred and fifty coins, and the sale is limited to ten sets per day!"
Like Mr. Zhuo before, Yuan Tuntian also smoothed down his beard. He looked at the smiling Zhao Pan'er and said in a lost voice:
"Two hundred and fifty cents?"
"Yes, that's 250 coins. Those who buy the whole set can go to the private room upstairs to listen to Madam Song's Pipa music!"
"I want it, I want a whole set!"
“I want to order a whole set too!”
"I want one too!"
" I want one too!"
…
While Zhao Pan'er was making money happily, the ten guests were listening to Song Yinzhang playing the pipa in the private room upstairs. Song Yinzhang sat behind the screen and focused on playing the pipa, while everyone in front of the screen was mesmerized by the music. The private room was decorated with rich artistic conception, with peach branches and flowers and incense burners filled with purple air . Although the ten guests wanted to see Song Yinzhang's true appearance, they could only see a graceful figure because of the screen. Naturally, they were itching to see her. At this moment, Yuan Xudong, who was among these people, whispered:
"Hey, do you know? I heard that these three ladies are the daughters-in-law of the Xiao family. Unfortunately, the old man of the Xiao family thought they were of low birth and were not noble ladies from a family with many generations of scholars, so he drove them out. They were reluctant to leave Master Xiao, so they sold tea here for a living, hoping to see Master Xiao once. They are really wonderful women with deep love!"
“Is this true or false?”
Some people don't believe in the authentic:
"Is that Mr. Xiao Xiao Fan? How could that man, who only has brute strength, have such three extraordinary and beautiful women willing to devote themselves to him?"
"That's what I mean?"
"My dear brother, why do you look so dark?"
