Acai's Sky

Chapter 438: Banquet and Gathering, Mahjong Dominates

The direction of the Yu Dynasty almost changed, and for a time, the whole country was immersed in an unprecedented atmosphere.

Walking through the streets and alleys, you can often hear bursts of crisp "clattering" sounds of shuffling cards, as if it has become the background music of this era.

People couldn't help but look for the source of the sound curiously, and found that there were groups of people sitting together in every corner, playing mahjong with great interest.

Whether it is a large banquet or a small gathering, people usually play a game of mahjong before the meal. This can avoid embarrassment and enhance communication between each other.

When people don't know how to start a conversation, playing mahjong becomes the best way to resolve the awkwardness.

Nowadays, those who were originally reluctant to go out for social activities and had a bad temper have become keen to participate in various parties.

They enjoy this relaxed and pleasant atmosphere and can release their emotions to their heart's content.

Once you are in a bad mood, you can just flip the table over and leave in a cool manner.

Those who are not talkative express what they think through the cards in their hands.

Among officials, if you want to find someone to do something, he may make excuses by saying he doesn't have time, but if you invite him to play mahjong together, he will definitely be happy to accept the invitation.

Merchants seized the business opportunity and launched mahjong made of various materials. These mahjong tiles were not only popular in Beijing, but also exported to all parts of the country.

……

imperial study room

Emperor Sima Lin sat quietly at his desk, his eyes fixed on the pile of mahjong tiles made of various materials on the table beside him, and he couldn't help but smile bitterly.

He shook his head helplessly, secretly sighing in his heart: "I just wanted you to relax for a while, why don't you even do your work?"

Eunuch Qiao carefully observed the emperor's expression and said softly, "Your Majesty, these are mahjong tiles that several princes and ministers presented as tribute because they found them interesting!" He wondered what the emperor would think of this new toy.

It is natural that Emperor Sima Lin could not be unaware of mahjong.

Recently, when the secret guards were gathering information everywhere, they found that some confused people leaked the news while playing mahjong.

However, what gave him even more headaches were those fox-like guys who had even created a set of secret codes when playing mahjong, making everything even more covert and difficult to detect.

Sima Lin waved his hand and said, "Send them all to the harem, so that the ladies can have some fun and not be bored all day long!"

Eunuch Qiao quickly asked the eunuchs to take the mahjong away, but did not have anyone send it to the harem.

He came to the emperor and whispered, "Your Majesty, you may not know this. It's been half a month since then, and you've been too busy here to take care of the ladies, so you don't know yet!"

When Emperor Sima Lin heard this, he couldn't help but let out a surprised sound: "Huh", and a strange expression appeared on his face.

"You said it's just a chess and card game, but people are so addicted to it? It's become popular in the capital in just one month?" Sima Lin asked in confusion.

After thinking for a moment, Eunuch Qiao replied, "Your Majesty, think about it, when we get together on weekdays, there are too few people who can talk to each other.

Think about it, when a group of people get together, especially those civil and military officials, they dare not speak carelessly. Wouldn't this party be very embarrassing?"

"Now, we all sit there together and play mahjong. Time passes quickly and there is no embarrassment. At most, we will lose some copper or silver coins..." Eunuch Qiao told the truth.

How could Sima Lin, as the emperor, not be aware of these situations?

He certainly understood, but he didn't want to see this situation. You guys can have fun, but don't form cliques!

Nowadays, once those honest and upright officials sit down at the mahjong table, their chances of winning money are astonishingly high.

Isn’t this a disguised form of bribery?

However, the problem is that this was won fairly and the amount was not much, only a few hundred taels of silver, but it was enough to meet the family's many needs in terms of food, clothing, housing and transportation.

Even if you are the emperor, there is nothing you can do about it!

It’s such a headache!

...

Ah Cai had no idea that mahjong was giving Emperor Yu a headache. She was enjoying the sweetness of the steamed bun with jam!

Li Bijun looked at the table full of jam and tapped Acai's forehead.

"Strawberries, apples, pineapples, what is this? Didn't I send some to your grandparents?"

After swallowing the steamed bun, Ah Cai asked curiously, "They gave it to me. Then why don't they live in the adjacent courtyards? Instead, they all live in the courtyard closer to the greenhouse..."

Li Bijun couldn't help but laugh when she heard this. She explained, "They just love the greenhouse. It has miniature landscapes inside, which is really great for the winter!"

Rong Mama beside her also added: "Many of Taoist Jiugong's fellow apprentices and disciples have also arrived!"

Ah Cai nodded, showing her understanding, and then suggested: "Then let's open a separate side door for them, so that it will be more convenient for them to come and go!"

Li Bijun covered her forehead with a handkerchief and said helplessly, "This isn't a Taoist temple! And Doctor Hu and his grandson have to go out and do traveling medicine every day. It's really..."

Hearing this, Acai turned around and looked at Rong Mama.

Seeing this, Rong Mama hurriedly explained the situation: "Princess, we can buy a pharmacy in the city and let Doctor Hu provide free medical treatment for his grandson. He wants to take this opportunity to teach his grandson how to take a pulse!"

Ah Cai agreed and nodded, saying, "Okay, this is also a good deed!"

Then, A Cai looked at Li Bijun and asked, "Mom, how do you wealthy families do good deeds in winter?" She asked this because she was worried that her mother would be too idle, so she tried to find something for her to do.

Li Bijun immediately followed Acai's lead.

"Yeah, just donating some money or something... nothing special!"

Ah Cai looked at Aunt Gu and raised her eyebrows.

Nanny Gu understood, "Madam, our princess must do more good deeds this time! This is such a blessing, and she is still so young."

When Li Bijun heard about Yue'er, she listened very carefully.

Aunt Gu began to speak, "First of all, there was a disaster this year, and there are many refugees. The sky is overcast today! Let's buy some quilts and cotton clothes for them to use."

"In the afternoon, have the soldiers in the palace start helping them build better sheds. At the same time, have these refugees build glass greenhouses in our imperial farm..."

Li Bijun's mind suddenly opened up. "Let them work, pay them, and they can save some money to return home in the future..."

Ah Cai nodded her little head and said, "Mom, I have a lot of money here, use it!"

Li Bijun smiled and nodded, "To help you do good deeds, I have to use your money, don't even think about asking others to pay for it!"

...

When Acai's grandmother, Qiu, heard that the nannies were going to give out porridge and buy cotton clothes, she quickly paid some money.

Looking at Aunt Xu, she said happily, "Can you believe it? We're actually living in the princess's mansion now?"

Nanny Xu rubbed her shoulders and responded, "It's because Old Master Yun was too noisy that we hid here. But Madam spends every day in the greenhouse painting and listening to music. It's so comfortable!"

Madam Yun held up a mercury mirror and looked at her face. "Oh, I seem to have become much younger. This mercury mirror is really good. Prince Xian is really capable!"

When Aunt Xu saw the orange cats running in, she quickly carried them to the couch and carefully wiped the cats' paws clean.

Madam Yun looked at the chubby orange cat and covered her mouth with a handkerchief. "How did this cat get so fat? Did Yue'er see it?"

Aunt Xu looked at the old lady and couldn't help laughing. "Miss Sun said it's this breed. It's not that good yet. Just take care of it!"