Chapter 106: Long Live the Emperor! (2 / 3)
The previous dynasty had been extravagant, with emperors who loved ornate literary pursuits. The current emperor vehemently opposed such practices. Now, the streets were more populated with scholars composing poems and essays. Of course, there were still opera performances, but those took place in dedicated theaters. Moreover, instead of tales of love and heartbreak, the current dynasty’s operas focused more on reflecting the hardships of the common people and exposing bureaucratic corruption—a genre the emperor, who had risen from the masses, particularly enjoyed.
A wild soldier exclaimed, “You can drink in public gatherings now?!”
The Vice Minister of the Ministry of Rites coughed twice, covering his mouth. “That’s a recent change. Back when there were eighteen rebel factions, public drinking was prohibited to maintain order. Now that the world is at peace, the ban has been lifted.”
Some hesitated and asked, “But why are even the ways of eating and drinking tea so different? I remember that the street-side pancakes used to be about palm-sized, small enough to finish in two or three bites. A sturdy man could eat over a dozen in one sitting. But now these pancakes are so big—just two are enough to fill a sturdy man up.”
“Well… now that it’s a time of peace, the price of rice and flour has dropped, so the pancakes are made bigger.”
—Actually, it was because the previous dynasty valued refined and delicate customs, whereas the current dynasty embraced a more rugged and straightforward style.
“Oh… and cooking meat in large chunks—is that also because meat is cheaper now?”
“Exactly!”
—In the previous dynasty, people preferred to slice meat thinly, while chopping it boldly into large pieces, as if slicing through with a blade, was something usually only done by soldiers in specific settings. Nowadays, even common folk on the streets preferred cutting large chunks to toss directly into the pot.