There are two small houses with a small courtyard. The residential areas in the suburbs of Beijing all have the same regulations, and the people living there are all craftsmen from the Ordnance and Gunpowder Bureau.
The artisans were exempted from the registration, and the biggest change for them was the elimination of the shift system of unpaid labor.
Working in the Arsenal and Gunpowder Bureau, as long as you work diligently, don't slack off, and make things that meet the standards, you can get wages that are enough to support your family.
Zhou Laosi and most of the craftsmen like this method, which is much less stressful than serving shifts and then making their own products to sell to make a living.
Moreover, without the constraints of the craftsman registration system, the imperial court had included them in the city registration system and allowed them and their descendants to take the imperial examinations.
Craftsmen of Zhou Laosi's age wouldn't dream of studying for the imperial examinations, but their children and grandchildren had that right. Who wouldn't want their descendants to have a bright future and become the top scholar, bringing honor to the family?
Therefore, Zhou Laosi had a very comfortable life these days. Especially when he saw his wife's belly growing bigger and bigger, he had more fantasies.
If he is a good student, we will support him; if not, he can learn this ancestral craft and start a family.
Zhou Laosi walked out of the residential area and came to the road leading to the city gate.
When he saw a few men who looked like scholars walking leisurely on the road, he became ruthless again.
If we give birth to a boy, and beat him if he doesn't study hard, how can the Zhou family produce an official? Even if he is a scholar, his ancestors' graves will still be filled with smoke!
Someone greeted me and I, who was also a craftsman, walked with me, chatting as we walked, talking about family matters and our imaginations about the surrender of captives.
The Meridian Gate Prisoner Presentation Ceremony is a grand state ceremony. During the Wanli reign, a grand ceremony was held in front of the Meridian Gate using Japanese prisoners captured during the War to Resist Japanese Aggression and Aid Korea.
The emperor personally went to the Meridian Gate Tower to hold a grand ceremony and accept the surrendered captives. This was the so-called "When the country went on a conquest and the victors presented the captives, the emperor would go to the Meridian Gate to receive the surrendered captives."
During the Ming Dynasty, there were four recorded instances of the emperor personally attending the Meridian Gate ceremony to present captives, all during the Wanli reign. The largest of these was the war to resist Japanese invaders and aid Korea.
On April 24, the 27th year of the Wanli reign, Emperor Wanli held a ceremony to present prisoners on the Meridian Gate Tower.
The Minister of Punishment finished his report and said, "Let's go to the city to execute the sentence. Please allow me to do so." The emperor personally ordered, "Take it away!"
After the emperor finished speaking, two of the ministers on his left and right shouted, "Take it!" Then four of his ministers on his left and right shouted, "Take it!"
In this way, one became two, two became four, four became eight, and eight became sixteen. Finally, the Han general and three hundred and sixty others shouted in unison: "Take it!" The sound was so loud that it was like thunder.
"Take it!" A loud shout scared Zhou Laosi and others.
A few people appeared in front, also walking together. After shouting some strange Beijing Mandarin, they turned into talking and laughing in dialect.
"It's those southern barbarians." One craftsman curled his lip in disdain. "They're talking nonsense and still want to get the bounty. They don't even take a piss to look in the mirror."
"Exactly. You come all the way to our north to show off. Do you look down on us?"
Zhou Laosi nodded in agreement. He had no good feelings towards these southern Fujian craftsmen recruited from outside by the Ordnance and Gunpowder Bureau. Instead, he was very envious of the bounty and secretly thought about experimenting to see if the secret skills passed down from his ancestors would be successful.
Regional discrimination has always existed, including in later generations. It is normal.
Zhou Laosi and others passed through the crowded city gate and found that the city was already crowded with people and there was almost no open space on the streets.
The teahouses and taverns along the street were almost all full, and many heads could be seen looking out the windows. In addition, some people began to climb the walls of the houses and courtyards facing the street.
After finally finding a place to stand, Zhou Laosi and others stretched their necks, waiting to watch the excitement.
Meanwhile, in the palace, the young emperor, who had woken up in high spirits that morning and had perfected his pronunciation of "take it", now frowned as he took in the intelligence handed over by the East Factory.
When the familiar yet unfamiliar word Wenxiang Sect appeared, Zhu Youxiao found some clues from his dusty memories.
This is what happened, and it seems to have happened this year!
Zhu Youxiao couldn't remember which bastard had rebelled, but he remembered that his teacher Yuan Keli had fought against the Wenxiang Sect in history, so it should have been in Shandong.
I had just about gotten the court in order and had made all the necessary arrangements when they came along to cause more trouble. This incident had completely ruined my mood for the Meridian Gate Prisoner Presentation Ceremony.
Zhu Youxiao urgently summoned Mr. Sun from the Ministry of War to the palace, and at the same time summoned the Jinyiwei and the Dongchang to the palace to receive orders. At the same time, he picked up a pen and quickly wrote a letter to Mr. Yuan.
The three parties could not delay in arranging a blockade against the Later Jin; the sooner the better. The turmoil caused by the Wenxiang Sect should be minimized, the better.
As for the intelligence passed in by the East Depot, it was not very serious. Zhu Youxiao just instructed that local people's sentiments, weather, harvest, prices, and so on, no matter how big or small, could be reported.
In order to draw sufficient attention and take immediate measures, this information must not be shown to Teacher Sun. Zhu Youxiao felt that it didn't matter if he exaggerated or even made up a lie.
Anyway, he had done this once before. He pretended that the Jinyiwei had discovered the situation and identified Sun Degong as a rebel general, so that Xiong Tingbi could be on guard and successfully seized power.
Seeing that the emperor suddenly summoned him in a hurry, Wang Tigan dared not delay and immediately sent an eunuch to call someone.
"Meow!" Xiaobai suddenly jumped onto the table and called out to Zhu Youxiao who was pacing back and forth.
"Lady Bai, come here quickly." Zhang Yuer saw the emperor busying around, frowning, afraid of disturbing him, and hurried forward to take the cat away.
Xiaobai raised a little paw and waved at Zhu Youxiao like a lucky cat.
Zhu Youxiao blinked, as if thinking about something. He reached out to stop Zhang Yuer, walked to the table, and stared at Xiaobai carefully.
White Lady moved her little paws and opened a memorial. She stretched out her big head to take a look, swept it to the ground with one paw, and opened another one.
This guy has a bad temper. Zhu Youxiao tilted his head and looked at him sideways, wanting to see what this cat was doing.
Bang! Another memorial was swept off the table, and Zhang Yuer hurried to pick it up.
"Meow, meow!" Xiaobai made a happy cry, raised his big head as if to show off, and tapped the memorial with his little paws.
Zhu Youxiao took a closer look and saw that White Snake's little paw was tapping the character "Hong".
Xiaobai tapped twice more as if to emphasize, then changed the position of his little paw and tapped on the word "儒" (Confucianism).
Hongru? Hongru?!
A flash of light flashed through Zhu Youxiao's mind. He remembered, he remembered, that rebellious bastard was called "Xu Hongru".
"Lady Bai, please don't make trouble." Zhang Yu'er picked up the two memorials and stood up, saying, "Be careful, the emperor will get angry..."
Hahahaha, the emperor who might be angry suddenly burst into a hearty laugh, leaving Zhang Yuer stunned.
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