"Ning Ye, what are you standing there for?"
“If you don’t bring your wife back today, you’ll be punished with thirty strokes of the cane again.”
"With your current physique, you probably couldn't even withstand ten blows. Don't drag this out!"
At the entrance of Qingyuan Village, a group of kind-hearted villagers were offering their advice in a cacophony of voices.
In the center of the crowd, the young man they had forcibly dragged over was not only ragged and emaciated, but also looked dazed and had a blank stare, as if he had been starved to death.
Ning Ye stared blankly at everything before him, feeling a splitting headache.
Unfamiliar memories flooded back like a tide.
In the ninth year of the Tianbao era, disasters struck everywhere, war raged across the land, and nine out of ten households in villages and towns were wiped out.
"So, I've traveled through time?"
Ning Ye never expected that he, a dignified modern-day king of soldiers, would actually transmigrate to such an absurd dynasty.
Not only was it not recorded in any historical books, but its level of chaos far surpassed any other period in history that was rife with disasters.
"Ning Ye, please, I'm begging you. Everyone is starving right now, it's not just you. Even if you bring a wife along, it's still better than being exiled, right?"
The earnest advice echoed in my ears again.
He was a short, honest-looking middle-aged man.
This man is Ning Ye's fourth uncle, and the only male member of the Ning family besides himself.
Taking a wife?
Ning Ye was taken aback at first, then he realized what was going on.
The constant warfare has led to a severe shortage of male offspring.
The imperial court hereby proclaims to the world that all men under its jurisdiction who are thirteen years of age or older must marry at least one woman each year. The more women they marry, the greater the reward. If a male infant is born, there will be an additional reward.
If they do not marry, they will be punished with thirty strokes of the cane and their corvée labor and taxes will be increased!
Ning Ye is now seventeen years old. According to the laws of the Great Gan Dynasty, if he is still not married this year, he will be exiled to the frontier to serve in the army.
"Fourth Uncle, I understand."
Ning Ye nodded, feeling a mix of emotions.
He looked into the distance and saw a group of women of different figures and appearances standing in a row, under the watchful eyes of several constables, for men to choose from and take home.
The women showed no sign of anything amiss; they were used to it.
There were even some bold women who, upon seeing Ning Ye looking at them, shouted, "Choose me!"
Ning Ye's lips twitched.
These women, though mostly rough-skinned and plain-looking, would be considered "fairies" in modern times where women's rights are everywhere. Even if you paid an exorbitant dowry, they would be living goddesses if you married them.
Now, however, they are like livestock in a market, left for anyone to choose from.
In his past life, Ning Ye preferred to remain single for life rather than marry.
Now that God has given him a second chance at life, how could he possibly go astray?
"Fourth Uncle! It's not that I don't want to get married, but in the current situation, I'm even struggling to eat, so where would I find the extra money for a dowry to marry a wife?"
Ning Ye looked troubled.
The sound wasn't loud, but the surroundings quickly quieted down.
Not to mention Ning Silang, everyone around him gaped, looking at Ning Ye with expressions of disbelief, as if he were an idiot.
"You little wild child, are you really starving to death?"
"Yes! What dowry? We abolished that outdated custom a long time ago! Look at them, anyone who dares to ask for even half a copper coin will be beaten to death if they don't behave after being married!"
No betrothal gifts?
Ning Ye looked on in astonishment, then looked at the group of women. Almost every one of them was carrying a tattered bundle filled with a lot of food, and some even had a lot of valuables inside.
These were all dowries prepared by the bride's family long ago, fearing she wouldn't be able to get married.
Yes!
Nowadays, the male-to-female ratio is severely imbalanced. If a woman of marriageable age in a family does not get married in time, the taxes levied on all members of the family will double every year!
Therefore, some families even made the difficult decision to kick their children out of the house as soon as they came of age.
They would rather starve to death on the street than keep their child at home.
Ning Ye was completely stunned.
Not only did they not give a bride price, but they also brought their own dowry with them?
Isn't this a windfall?
"Alright! I'll give it a try!"
Ning Ye finally succumbed to temptation.
Seeing that Ning Ye had finally figured it out, Ning Silang, who was standing next to him, immediately relaxed and smiled from ear to ear: "Yewazi, let me tell you, there are many tricks to choosing a wife."
"Although getting married means one more person in the family will be paying taxes, as long as you choose well, it's guaranteed to be profitable!"
"For example, look at that one, broad-shouldered and burly... that's the kind of big frame we need. Not only will he be able to have sons in the future, but he can also do heavy work. He'll definitely be a good helper!"
Upon hearing Ning Silang's words, everyone around him nodded in agreement.
In fact, many villagers from the surrounding area came today specifically to see the woman Ning Silang was referring to, since no one wants to take someone home to be a freeloader.
On the other hand, several of the other women caught Ning Ye's attention.
Unlike most women who have a rugged appearance, those women were slender and had fair skin. Although they were a bit too thin, you could tell they were definitely beauties.
“Don’t look at those, especially that Liu Qinshu… She’s the daughter of a disgraced official. Her whole family was beheaded. She’s a jinx who can’t lift a finger. Bringing her back would only bring bad luck, and she might even bring misfortune to her husband.”
Before Ning Ye could ask, Ning Silang spoke up.
Seeing the disgusted looks on the faces of the surrounding villagers, Ning Ye was speechless.
A beauty of this caliber would be considered a goddess in modern times.
As a result, in this dynasty, dogs were universally disliked.
Hearing the surrounding villagers' discussions, the yamen runner said helplessly, "The government has ordered that anyone who chooses from these men will be rewarded with twenty coins!"
Twenty coins!
Upon hearing this number, many villagers looked surprised.
It should be noted that twenty coins were almost enough for an average villager's monthly expenses.
Even so, these people remained unmoved.
Just then.
[Ding! Compatible host detected. The in-game exchange system has been activated!]
A cold, mechanical voice suddenly rang in my ears.
Ning Ye was startled.
Before he could react, a transparent interface suddenly appeared in front of him.
The items in the shop this week have been randomly refreshed.
[The host can replace the items as needed.]
[Ibuprofen Rapid Capsules - Requires 5 copper coins to redeem.]
[One hundred catties of top-quality Wuchang rice – exchange requires ten copper coins.]
[Selected Premium Feitian Moutai Collector's Edition - Redemption requires 20 copper coins.]
One military composite crossbow (with five bolts) – requires fifty copper coins to exchange.
Two Type 82-2 steel ball grenades – exchangeable for 100 copper coins.
...
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