The Prosperous Era of Longwan

The hurried pace of time changes the scenery of the four seasons and changes a person's appearance.

At this time, Wei Guangde is no longer what he was two years ago. He has grown a lot taller now. Because of his generous family conditions, the sixteen-year-old Wei Guangde's physical condition has surpassed that of most people of this era, not to mention that he is still a Born into a military family.

Because of the lack of reference, Wei Guangde didn't know whether his height had reached over 1.7 meters at this time, but walking on the street, it was obvious that most people were shorter than him.

It took more than a year to visit all four major academies in Jiangxi.

Wei Guangde is not a pure Neo-Confucian school. He does not reject the theory of mind. Perhaps it is the white cat and black cat theory of later generations that won his heart. In the current view of Wei Guangde, whether it is psychology or Neo-Confucianism, as long as it can help him progress in the imperial examination , that’s good.

When he got up this morning, Wei Guangde did his usual boxing in the garden of his small courtyard. It wasn't any advanced martial arts, it was just a set of boxing and kicking skills passed down from his family, which emphasized large openings and closings, and fierce moves.

Wei Guangde only learned this from his father when he was fourteen years old. Because of the military kung fu passed down from his ancestors, it does not require any boy-like kung fu. It should be practiced since childhood. Practicing at a young age may be bad for the body.

Just after the punch, Wei Guangde took off his clothes. The maid next to him handed over a hot towel, and Wei Guangde wiped it on his body. At this moment, his servant Zhang Ji came in from outside, walked to Wei Guangde and bowed. Said: "Master, Mr. Lao is here."

"in front of?"

Wei Guangde handed the towel back and asked casually.

"Yes, Mr. Lao, sit down in the main room in the outer courtyard, and I'll have someone bring you tea."

Zhang Ji replied.

"You go over and wait on me first, while I change my clothes and come over."

Wei Guangde said to him, turned around and walked back into the house.

When Wei Guangde returned to his house, he naturally had to change into a Taoist robe and go out to meet guests. It was rude to wear the double-breasted clothes he wore at home.

Although it had been several years since the Ming Dynasty, Wei Guangde was still a little uncomfortable with the clothes of people of this era.

The double-breasted clothes Wei Guangde wore before were actually similar to the shirts in the future, made of high-quality Songjiang cotton, but the style was very different from most men's clothing today.

In this era, women were very casual about clothes. At first, Zhu Yuanzhang was more stipulating what men should wear, and his requirements for women's clothing were relatively loose.

In this era, most men's clothing had slanted lapels. Perhaps the ancients thought this could cover the stomach and prevent colds.

Wei Guangde understands it this way.

Speaking of finding someone to make double-breasted clothes, when Father Wei saw it, he thought for a while that Wei Guangde was obsessed with the military and wanted to give up literature and join the military.

No way, Father Wei had praised Yu Dayou as a scholar and general at home. Now his son was also a scholar. Father Wei was really afraid that Wei Guangde would follow suit and become a soldier.

As for why Mr. Wei thought so, it was because he saw the clothes Wei Guangde wore at home.

Many of the military uniforms of the Ming Dynasty had double-breasted clothing. For example, the regular mandarin duck war jacket had double-breasted clothing. This design was mainly for the convenience of wearing.

Most of the styles of armor are also double-breasted, which makes it easier to place them.

So when I saw Wei Guangde wearing double-breasted clothes at home, it was inevitable that he would not think too much.

It took Wei Guangde a lot of words to convince him that Wei Guangde only wore clothes for convenience and did not want to be a soldier.

After changing his clothes, Wei Guangde came to the front and greeted Lao Kan and sat down.

"Brother, I'm here this time just to invite you to go out and have fun tonight. By the way, let's discuss when to leave for Nanchang Mansion to take the exam."

After chatting for a while, Lao Kan explained the reason for coming here this time, which was for the August Provincial Examination.

"I have nothing. I can leave at any time."

Wei Guangde smiled and said, "Okay, let's eat and chat in the evening. If you don't want to take a car, I can get a boat from the guardhouse."

"If we really need to take a boat, one boat won't be enough. There are more than 20 people who have passed the scientific examination this time. Everyone should go to Nanchang."

Lao Kan smiled.

"If one is not enough, ask for a few more. We must bring all of them with us. They are all my Jiujiang scholars and have a bright future. Wei Li will not fail to show mercy."

In fact, it doesn't cost much money to hire a boat to Nanchang. Asking Jiujiang Wei for an official boat is not just for safety along the way.

Although the severe drought of the year before last has not occurred in Jiangxi in the past two years, the weather is still unfavorable, but the disaster is not as severe as the year before.

In such a market, there are many bandits from all over the north and south. Poyang Lake has been a stronghold for water bandits since ancient times, and the waterways are also very unsafe.

The Nanhu Camp, which was established by the imperial court specifically to exterminate water bandits, has also had a poor record in recent years.

For scholars like them who have to take exams, taking a boat by water is naturally the best way. They don’t have to endure the bumps of a carriage, and they can also read and discuss knowledge on the boat.

However, poor waterways are also their biggest concern, as they are afraid of encountering water bandits on the road.

Wei Guangde was born in the Wei Suo, so he naturally knew the situation in the outside world very well.

In order to ensure the safety of the waters around Jiujiang, the imperial court has allocated many warships in recent years, allowing Jiujiang Wei to increase the number of patrols on the river. After all, this is the only bank checkpoint on the Yangtze River.

Today's imperial court, due to successive droughts and floods in the northern and southern provinces, the fight against the Tatars in the north and the suppression of Japanese invaders in the south, disaster relief and military expenditures have begun to rise sharply, and the imperial government's finances have fallen into a serious deficit.

The emphasis on Chaoguan Wharf where cash can be received is naturally different from the past, and incidents near Chaoguan in Jiujiang will never be tolerated.

Wei Guangde planned to see how many people planned to take the exam by water tonight. He would talk to his father in the guardhouse later and arrange a few more boats for everyone to have food and accommodation. By the way, he would also send two warships to accompany them for protection. Of course, by the way It's just patrolling and looking for thieves.

Thinking of this, Wei Guangde couldn't help but sigh.

Lao Kan seemed to have read through Wei Guangde's mind and said with a smile: "Brother, don't sigh. The weather has been rough these years, but the court also needs taxes to support the imperial bandits in the border towns and to suppress Japanese pirates along the coast. I hate these bandits. They don't repair." Your own virtue will bring harm to the place.”

"I don't know what happened today. I remember it was pretty good when I was a kid."

Wei Guangde shook his head and said: "In recent years, I have been visiting relatives and friends and traveling around the world. Brother Lao is studying in Jiujiang, so he has never seen the tragic situation in various places.

Those close to rivers are fine, but in other places, the land has long since dried up, leaving farmers with nothing to produce and no money to pay taxes.

Just the year before last, didn’t the imperial court exempt me from taxes in Jiangxi?

Taxes are gone, but apportionment is indispensable. Local governments still have to pay taxes everywhere. How can we avoid bandits? "

"Without apportionment, how can the yamen at all levels support the government?"

Lao Kan had heard that after the imperial government exempted Jiangxi from taxes, the burden on farmers did not drop much.

But this has been the case since ancient times. The imperial court is not responsible for the expenses of the provinces, and has to rely on them to collect taxes from below. This is unavoidable.

"I just hope that the imperial court can fight more battles like the Wangjiangjing Victory and wipe out the Japanese pirates as soon as possible."

Lao Kan could only say what he said.