manynovel Chapter 79 The Forbidden City
Chapter 79 The Forbidden City
The shop owner brought over a plate of gluten pancakes and steaming hot tofu pudding and placed it in front of Chen Xiao. Chen Xiao took a pair of chopsticks, wiped them with a paper towel, and said, "You're always so glib. Hurry up and eat yours, it's getting cold."
Chen Hui agreed and finished the rest of the gluten cake in a few bites, then drank the tofu pudding. He put down the bowl and looked at Chen Xiao, who was eating small bites at a time.
Chen Xiao doesn't look like a Northeasterner. For example, Xiao Hong is a typical Northeastern girl, with a large frame and a tall stature, and her body looks sturdy. Chen Xiao looks more like a Southerner, with a small frame and a slender appearance. She is about 1.55 meters tall, with her hair just reaching her shoulders, tucked behind her small ears, and a few strands hanging down when she moves.
She ate with her head tilted to the side, one hand supporting her loose hair, leaning slightly forward, taking small, slow bites, quietly becoming a scene in the breakfast shop. Her image is more suited to a coffee shop in later times, with a cup of coffee and a croissant.
Chen Hui sat directly opposite her, his hands resting on the table, staring blankly at her.
Xia Maosheng finished his bowl of wontons, stuffed the last bit of pastry into his mouth, clapped his hands, stood up, and said to Xiao Wei, "What's with the camera? Oh, Xiao Hong isn't at school today, where are you going? Zhongshan Park?"
Xiao Wei shook his head and said, "No, Xiao Hong wants to go see the Forbidden City. Do you want to go?"
Xia Maosheng said, "Sure, I've never been before. Taking a picture at the Golden Phoenix Hall would be a good idea. Do you guys want to go?" He turned to ask Yang Tiebin and the others.
After discussing it among themselves, they decided that only Yang Tiebin would go. Li Guangzhao and the others wanted to go back to class. In fact, what young man wouldn't want to see something new? They just didn't want to spend money. People these days are very careful with their money, calculating every expense carefully.
Chen Hui asked Chen Xiao, "Chen Xiao, want to go for a walk together? It's on me."
Chen Xiao glanced at him and quietly ate her food.
Chen Hui persisted, saying, "Sure, go ahead. You're always stuck in the mall, isn't that boring and stressful? You need to relax a bit, right? Let's go with Xiao Hong and the other guy. It'll be more fun with more people. We can shop around, take some pictures, and if we have time, we can stroll around Zhongjie. We can have Lao Bian dumplings for lunch, okay? Give me your opinion. If you don't say anything, that means you agree, right?"
Xiao Hong leaned on Xiao Wei's arm, laughing so hard she could barely contain herself, and whispered, "Chen Hui is so funny. He's killing me with laughter."
Actually, Xiao Hong was taller than Xiao Wei at this moment, about two or three centimeters taller when she stood up straight. But she was used to leaning on Xiao Wei and it didn't feel unnatural. However, it looked very strange to outsiders. In Northeast China, it is really rare for a woman to be taller than a man.
Chen Xiao finally finished his breakfast, wiped his mouth, stood up, and asked the boss, "Boss, time to collect the money."
The boss was making pancakes when he turned his head to look at Xia Maosheng, pointed at him, and said, "Here you go, here you go." Then he ignored them.
Chen Xiaochong smiled at Xia Maosheng and said, "Thanks." He stood up, straightened his clothes, and asked Xiao Hong, "Shall we go?"
Xiao Hong smiled and nodded, saying, "Let's go." She let go of Xiao Wei and walked out of the store arm in arm with Chen Xiao.
Chen Hui stood up and threw a hand at Chen Xiao, saying, "Hey, hey."
Xiao Wei kicked him and said, "How can you be so stupid? Let's go."
The group left the breakfast shop and walked towards the main road. Chen Hui still didn't understand and kept chasing after Chen Xiao to ask, "Chen Xiao, are you going or not?" Chen Xiao rolled her eyes at him and said, "Why are you so hesitant? If you keep dawdling, I'm not going."
Chen Hui was completely bewildered. He scratched his head and turned to Xiao Wei, asking, "When did she say she was going?"
Xiao Wei glanced at him and said, "I already said that."
Chen Hui looked completely bewildered: "What did you say before? I didn't hear it! Did you hear it, Lao Xia? Lao Yang, did you hear it?"
Xia Maosheng gave Chen Hui a disdainful look and said, "With your IQ, you shouldn't even think about getting a girlfriend. You're hopeless."
Yang Tiebin threw his head back and laughed. He was married. People in the countryside get married early, so they didn't have to worry about finding a partner.
When they reached the main road, everyone split up. Luo Qinghe, Li Guangzhao, and a few others walked along the road towards the Cultural Palace to go back to class, while Xiao Wei, Xiao Hong, Chen Hui, Chen Xiao, Xia Maosheng, and Yang Tiebin went to take the bus. At this time, Fengtian did not have a subway, and most people rode bicycles, so the buses were not crowded.
It's about seven or eight kilometers from the Engineering Institute to the Forbidden City, nine stops. It only took half an hour on the bus. The bus stops near the West Gate. You have to walk through the West Gate and follow Fengtian Road for a few hundred meters to reach the main gate of the Forbidden City.
This area is a protected ancient building area. Once you enter Huaiyuan Gate, it's like entering another world. All the houses are ancient wooden buildings with flying eaves, painted walls, green bricks, and red tiles. Ancient lanterns hang on the balconies facing the street on the second and third floors. The shops are densely packed, and the shop signs are all carved from wood, giving it an antique feel.
The shops on both sides of the road were all selling antiques, calligraphy and paintings, handicrafts, cheongsams and other items related to ancient times. The group of people had no need for these items and just strolled along, taking in the sights. As they approached the Forbidden City, they could see several wooden archways spanning the road, their imposing figures immediately making them feel that this place was different from other places.
Walking from the tourist reception center parking lot, I bought a ticket at the ticket office. It cost 20 yuan for adults, which was quite expensive for that time. By 1998, the ticket price had increased to 120 yuan for adults.
The main gate of Fengtian Palace was closed. Xiaowei bought tickets, and the group entered through the West Side Gate to begin their visit.
Upon entering, there is a screen wall several meters high, with a picture inlaid on it using colorful glazed tiles. To modern eyes, the picture is really not high-class and is quite ugly. However, the whole picture, with its surging waves and giant dragons, is still very impressive, especially in a place like the palace.
The Fengtian Manchu Imperial Palace is not very large. It was first built in 1625. Ten years after the Later Jin dynasty, it was built as a residence by the victorious rulers who seized Fengtian City. It was continuously expanded by several Qing emperors to reach the scale we see today. In 1926, it was confiscated and opened to the public as a museum.
In fact, the establishment of the Manchu Qing dynasty and its rise to power in China was a farcical event. A barbaric race with only 30,000 to 40,000 people defeated the Ming dynasty, which had a million soldiers. For example, Liaoyang City, which was the largest city in Liaodong at the time and was no smaller than the Forbidden City, with walls over ten meters high and surrounded by mountains on two sides and a river on the other, fell to the Ming. It was a military miracle in history.
Throughout history, the rise and fall of dynasties has been nothing more than a cycle of the gentry class. When the gentry prospered, the country fell; when the gentry died, the country prospered. Confucianism is the biggest joke. The Confucius family knelt before this and that, willing to kneel for their own interests. National and ethnic integrity were nothing to them.
All the wealth is concentrated in the hands of these people, while the common people eat tree bark and dig up grass roots. When the country is in crisis, these people change their allegiance three times a day. They are worse off than the common people who are starving. At least the common people can maintain basic integrity and shame.
The last emperor of the Ming Dynasty cried his eyes out, but only managed to raise 200,000 taels of silver. Li Zicheng, on the other hand, immediately collected 60 to 70 million taels of silver as soon as he entered Beijing. What does that mean?