prosperous age

Chapter 36 Chapter 36

After returning to Wu's house from Jingshui Tower, the sky has gradually darkened.

The banquet lasted until the end of Shenshi. Wei Guangde didn't know how the time passed so quickly, but after the farce, he started to discuss with Zeng Xingwu when everyone's enthusiasm faded.

As the banquet continued, the atmosphere gradually recovered.

It's just that he is still too young, at first his brothers Wei Wencai and Wu Dong didn't bother him to drink, but later they both got a little drunk, and then they realized that it was wine, not water.

So in the back, Wei Guangde didn't drink any more, and when he left Jingshui Building, he was the only person at the table who was still sober and able to walk downstairs by himself, and everyone else needed help from his servants.

After returning home, after washing his face and drinking a bowl of hangover soup, Wei Guangde thought deeply in his own room, recalling what he had gained today.

I didn't eat much for dinner, my eldest brother Wei Wencai and my cousin didn't come over, they were already drunk and fast asleep.

The next day, the eldest brother followed his parents to visit Liu Qian's family. Only then did Wei Guangde know that it was actually the scheduled time for Liu's family to visit.

According to the customs here in Jiangxi, after the elders agree to the marriage, they must first visit the husband's family to inspect the situation, and then make a decision when they are satisfied. The dowry, that is, the collection, and the application period and so on.

Liu Cheng and Deputy Qianhu have a good impression of the eldest brother. For the eldest brother Wei Wencai, the next step is to complete the custom step by step, and then he can enter the bridal chamber.

On the second day, Wei Guangde begged his cousin Wu Dong to visit the Zeng family with a gift, of course mainly for Shiwen.

In Zeng Yuanshu's study room, Wei Guangde saw a lot of books and contemporary texts, and it was the first time he saw the inheritance of the scholarly family. Not to mention the excellent contemporary texts of recent subjects, the historical texts of the previous decades have also been preserved very good.

In the study, Wei Guangde also met Zeng Xingwu. During his stay in Pengze, apart from offering sacrifices to ancestors and socializing, he spent most of his time hiding here to keep the soil clean, that is, to read books, write some articles and Zeng Yuanshu, etc. Brothers in the clan discuss.

After meeting with everyone in the room, Wei Guangde picked out a lot of contemporary texts, because they were all hand-copied, so he could only take them home for a few days and find someone to transcribe them, but he couldn't finish them personally.

Fortunately, there is his cousin Wu Dong. He knows that the poor scholars near the county town have hired someone to help copy the books in the past two days. Looking at the things Wei Guangde found again, he also knows that he needs to find more people when he goes back. Row.

Simple classification, among them, Zeng Shengwu took the Huguang Shiwen, but it should be copied first. After all, after 15 people, they will return to their hometown to continue their homework and prepare for the Huguang Township Examination.

Wei Guangde stayed at Zeng's house until after dinner, and then returned home with a full load of spoils.

The next day, Wu Dong helped Wei Guangde find a lot of people to help copy the books. They did things quickly, after all, they had money to take, and they all copied two copies, and he had to keep one copy for his own reference. .

During dinner on the eighth day of the lunar new year, Wei Guangde heard his father say that he would leave for Fucheng tomorrow, and then he remembered that his father had indeed said before that he would go to Jiujiang Mansion in a few days.

Well, this is Wei Guangde's first big city since he came here, and Wei Guangde is still looking forward to it.

Counting the time, he didn't know how long he would stay in Jiujiang Mansion this time, so Wei Guangde had to discuss with his cousin and arrange for his family to copy the article and send it back to Zeng's house.

"Let's all get on board."

Uncle Wu Zhankui gave instructions to his family members standing on the pier.

Zepeng County is more than a hundred miles away from Jiujiang. If you continue to ride a horse and drive there, it will take more than half a day.

The key is that the distance is too far. Pengze County is not close to Jiujiang Mansion, but Hukou County is separated in the middle. If there is something wrong with the carriage on the road, it is possible to spend the night in the wild.

Fortunately, you can reach Jiujiang Mansion by going upstream along the Yangtze River. Although it seems to take a little more time, you don't have to suffer from the bumps of vehicles and horses.

The boat was arranged by Zhang Tongzhi under the guard, and arrived at Pengze Wharf yesterday just to pick up Wu Zhankui and his party.

After boarding the boat, the mother, sister-in-law, and even a niece went into the cabin to rest. Wei Guangde and the others stood outside for a while, but the weather was really cold, and soon they all went into the cabin to escape the cold.

When the ship docked, it was already dark, but fortunately, they had been contacted before, and there were servants arranged by Zhang Tongzhi waiting for their son-in-law at the pier. After getting off the ship, they got into the carriage and went directly to the city.

When the carriage arrived at Jiujiang Fucheng, it was completely dark, and lanterns were hung on the carriage.

The city defense of Jiujiang Mansion was in charge of Qianhu, a Chinese army stationed in the city of Jiujiang Guard, and the carriage with the Lantern of Commander Tongzhi on it was unimpeded. Although the north gate of Jiujiang Mansion should have been closed at this time, when the carriage reached the city When the gate was opened, the city gate was still open.

"Hey, brother, why is there no curfew in Jiujiang Mansion? The city gate is not closed either?"

When the carriage entered Fucheng, Wei Guangde was quickly attracted by the bustling scene of people coming and going on the street, but the plot of watching TV dramas and movies in the past also popped up in his mind. Gongs and drums, shouting "Heaven is dry and things are dry, be careful of fire and candles"?

"Well, I've never been to Fucheng, I don't know, Peng Ze has a curfew at night, maybe Jiujiang Mansion doesn't."

Having said that, Wei Wencai himself felt that something was wrong.

"Isn't it a holiday? The curfew will not resume until after twenty."

At this moment, my cousin Wu Dong smiled and said, "The rules established during the Yongle period, starting from the eleventh day of the first lunar month, gave the Lantern Festival a ten-day holiday, and all officials did not attend the court, and listened to the soldiers and civilians drinking with lanterns. For the sake of pleasure, relax the night ban, and write as an order."

As he said that, his cousin recited a passage, which was obviously the decree issued by Emperor Yongle.

"Eleventh, isn't it here yet?"

Wei Guangde also listened to Wu Dong's words carefully, and said in surprise.

"The world has been at peace for a long time, and many rules are not so strictly enforced, especially now."

Speaking of this, Wu Dong glanced at the lanterns hanging on the carriage and said: "Here, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. To put it bluntly, there are lanterns from the prefect's house and guards hanging on them, and the officers and soldiers who watch the night will do nothing." .

The night ban is for ordinary people, for the rich and powerful, who cares about that.

If it is really banned, how many people's livelihoods will be affected whether the brothels and casinos will be opened, as well as those theater troupes. "

When Wei Guangde heard it, he felt that it really made sense.

Even in Bengshan Fort, there is actually no curfew, but the gate of the fort is closed at night, and a few people are arranged to watch the night. Movement in the fort at night is actually quite free.

"Night ban?"

Wei Guangde also noticed that before the night curfew was mentioned on TV, but what my cousin said just now was night prohibition, the meaning should be similar, but in the Ming Dynasty, it should be called night prohibition.

(End of this chapter)