Emperor Ming Dynasty

"Quick, come here!"

At the gate of Jinshan County, several women in common clothes trembled a few times, and then slowly left after being called by a big man.

Jinshan County was formerly the Jinshan Guards. In the early years of Shaowu, all the guard posts in the country were abolished and turned into counties and towns. Yamen were also set up here.

The former military households have now become civilian households, either fishing or farming, and their lives have become much happier.

"Brother Zhao, you are my cousin, don't lie to me!" One of the women twisted her handkerchief, glanced at the queue at the city gate, and said beside the big man.

"Why are you lying to me? Come with me!"

The big man led the way without fear, and several women followed cautiously behind.

"Brother!" The queue was very fast. The big man approached the guard and stuffed two silver coins.

"There are three of you!" The guard glanced at the three women in civilian clothes and pursed his lips.

"Why did the price increase?"

"It's all going up. If you don't give it, leave!" The guard was too lazy to say anything.

If there is no way to lead, can we not let others take advantage of us?
The big man gritted his teeth, stuffed another silver dollar, and then let him go.

In this way, only one man and three women can enter the city.

After taking him to the county town, he turned a corner and arrived at the sound of machines.

There is a cover floating around: Mingde Hat Making Workshop.

The women were brought in and were somewhat panicked and allowed themselves to be manipulated.

The steward came over and asked about the knitting skills before letting me go.

He looked at the big man, shook his head and said, "Why are there only three?"

"Master Zhang, what can we do? There are few female workers in Jiaxing Prefecture, let alone coming to Songjiang Prefecture. I had to persuade them to bring them here."

The big man said with a mournful face: "There is another cousin of mine, otherwise I wouldn't have come at all!"

"Forget it, it's better to have it than not!"

The steward shook his head, took out the money bag from his arms, counted out fifteen silver coins and gave it to him.

The latter held up his hands and stared at them tightly, reluctant to let go.

It's a pity that no matter how long I wait, I can't see the whereabouts of the silver dollar.

"Remember, there will be at least five people next time, otherwise I will only give you four yuan per person!"

Whoa!
When the silver dollar falls, the crisp sound is extremely pleasant.

"No way!" The big man smiled broadly: "With money, I have to continue to work hard..."

After he left, the steward turned away and saw the boss who was singing Shaoxing opera.

Needless to say, the tone of it is all emotion.

"Okay!" The steward shouted, his palms turning red.

"Hey, that's it!" The boss took off his cloak: "Autumn is here, how about our hat shop?"

"I just sent three, but I can barely do it."

"How much? Eight dollars!"

"It's too expensive!" The boss' fat face wrinkled and he felt distressed: "It's almost four months' worth of monthly payment."

"There is nothing we can do, there are almost no more female workers."

The steward also looked distressed: "Our family's hats can't be delayed any longer."

"The only choice is to start somewhere else..."

Here, after her cousin left, Xiaolan was led to the dormitory by several women:
When the black muddy doors and windows are opened, the first thing you see is the dust in the sun, which makes people cough uncontrollably.

As soon as I took a look, I saw a large long shop.

Most of the beds made of hard soil, which are nearly three feet long, are covered with mats and a layer of quilts on top. Although they are all thin quilts, they are much better than those at home.

"Two yuan a month, including food and accommodation!"

"Start at Chen time in the morning and stop working at You time in the evening. You are not allowed to ask for leave without any reason..."

The woman has a fierce look and a sinister face. She is not easy to mess with at first glance. She is quite impatient:

"Remember, don't fight, don't steal, don't make a fuss, and remember to get up early in the morning..."

At noon, multigrain rice with pickles, shredded potatoes, and Chinese cabbage made the three girls full.

"Xiaolan, it's so worth coming here..."

The other two female companions said happily: "If I can eat enough every day, I can also save a dowry..."

Xiaolan nodded.

In her hometown, she was not loved by her mother and father, so she expected to get married when she grew up, and even planned to exchange marriages.

In Jiangnan, if there is no dowry, it will be difficult for a woman to stay in her natal family and she will never find a matching man.

In this way, she followed her cousin's advice to work and save her dowry to go back.

In the afternoon, the three of them joined together to play.

"Remember, this wool must be sewn inside and cannot leak..."

"Both ear curtains must have buttons!"

Xiaolan was busy all afternoon before she realized what she was doing.

Make a felt hat.

It is stuffed with wool and is very heavy and warm. It is very popular in Northeast China, Suiyuan, Chahar and other places.

"Sister, how much does a hat cost?"

The woman on the side whispered: "At least two cents per person!"

Xiaolan was taken aback.

She can make ten in an afternoon, which is twenty in a day. Isn’t that four yuan?

How much is a month?
She only earns two yuan a month!

In the evening, she returned to the dormitory after a tiring day. She was exhausted, her back was sore, and her young body could not adapt to it for a while.

There was only one vegetable pancake and a bowl of porridge for dinner, which barely filled my stomach.

What puzzled her was that several roommates were eating meatloaf.

"That was sent by someone else's man."

The woman sleeping nearby said with envy: "I have made an appointment in advance, so I don't want her to suffer."

"So good?" Xiaolan was equally envious.

"They are thinking about the dowry!" the woman said angrily: "I have been working for three years, and I can buy several pieces of land for just a few dozen yuan..."

During this moment of envy, the female steward suddenly shouted: "Zhao Cuihua, your father is looking for you!"

A slender woman stood up, stepped on her shoes, and said impatiently: "I know!"

After a while, she came back with a stinky face.

"What's wrong?" Xiaolan was puzzled.

"Her father and brother are just lazy, they just rely on her to support them. They have been working for two years and all their money has been spent. How can there be a dowry?"

The eldest sister looked at her and advised: "Xiaolan, if your family is like this, get married as soon as possible and then save money to raise your son. Isn't it better than raising a brother and sister-in-law?"

After receiving too much information in one day, Xiaolan couldn't turn her head around. She closed her eyes to rest her mind and fell asleep without realizing it.

But she kept one thing in mind, get married as soon as possible...

With the arrival of autumn, the vast north is getting colder day by day. As the most famous place in the world, Songjiang Mansion, orders are coming in like snowflakes.

Years of peace have allowed the north to accumulate a lot of wealth, especially cattle, sheep, and furs from the grasslands, and grain, timber, and medicinal herbs from the northeast. As shipping moved southward, exchanges became increasingly frequent.

The surge in population and wealth has greatly increased consumption power, and naturally the demand for clothing has increased.

In such a market, cotton and linen prices rose accordingly.

That's it, after all, it doesn't matter if you can buy it with money.

If Jiangsu doesn’t have enough, go to Anhui to buy it; if not, go to Jiangxi or Hubei.

However, due to the traffic environment and road guidance system, labor shortage swept the entire Songjiang.

The road control system was loosened, allowing people to circulate freely.Factory owners basically had only three options: find male workers, find female workers from other households, or buy slaves.

But male workers are not cost-effective, and female workers in other houses are illegal.

Not to mention the buying and selling of slaves, the rising tide lifts all boats, and the price of women soars.

You know, the factory has to buy raw materials, pay monthly salary, and bear sales risks. Naturally, funds are tight.

And the purchase of slaves in large batches is also very conspicuous.

The court will not turn a blind eye.

With the increase in orders, the manpower shortage in Songjiang Prefecture has not eased, and these two groups of businessmen can only go to Zhejiang.

At this time, smart people saw the opportunity to make money.

At the dock, dozens of large factory owners suddenly gathered.

A large number of carriages stopped, almost blocking the street for half a day.

"Everyone, everyone, I know that everyone has a lot of money, but now they are all faced with a problem, the labor shortage!"

In the courtyard, a man with a beard came to Shishi. He was wearing silk clothes and holding a paper fan in his hand.

Looking at its style and calligraphy, you can tell it is a Japanese fan.

The bosses sitting here disagreed.

Three 50 yuan Japanese fans are nothing.

But his words attracted everyone's attention.

"How to say?"

"Everyone knows that the imperial court limits slave contracts to only five years. To renew the contract, you have to pay a sum of money to the master, otherwise it will not be recognized."

"And it can't hurt his life."

"Lots of trouble!"

The man stroked his goatee and said with regret on his face.

These words were approved by everyone.

This is not buying slaves, this is hiring laborers!
Even if they encountered a young lady selling herself to bury her father on the road, not many people would take action.

Businessmen will not do a deal that is not cost-effective.

"This one is different!" Wu Liang held a paper fan, stroked his beard, and said with a smile:
"We know everyone's situation, so we immediately brought in a group of female slaves from Qi!"

"Where is Qi State?"

"I don't know, is it a vassal state?"

As the discussion started, Wu Liang said calmly: "Although these natives look black, they are still humans after all. They eat all kinds of grains and grains and look like humans."

"In the Tang Dynasty, they were Kunlun slaves. Only the nobles bought them."

"For more than half a month on the road, I taught them how to speak, but they could barely understand. They will definitely be good at becoming weavers in the future."

"What's more important is that if they buy it, it will really belong to you. There is no time limit, as long as the person does not die."

"If you buy it back, it will work for at least 20 years!"

"Stop being so nagging, tell me how much it is!"

The bosses below were aroused and immediately started shouting.

Wu Liang then stopped talking and said hurriedly: "With 50 yuan per person and good health, the money can be repaid in half a year."

"Ten people are buying and selling in batches. There are 500 people on this ship. You must hurry up."

Immediately, a group of indigenous women wrapped in rags were pulled up and looked at like livestock.

Their dark faces and shriveled figures were not enough to stop these pot-bellied men.

The calluses on your fingers are the most important thing.

Fortunately, these local girls are all in good health and have a lot of calluses.

Five hundred native girls were all sold out.

Even those who did not want to lose money bought some male natives, saying that they could go home to look after their homes and nursing homes.

Seeing that the sales situation was very good, Wu Liang immediately brought in another 3000 people from Qi, Luzon and other places, but it was still sold out.

For a time, many factory owners directly contacted Qi State and Luzon to purchase in large quantities.

In the blink of an eye, Kunlun slaves spread across all factories in Songjiang Prefecture.

Although Kunlun slaves are actually slaves, they appear to be contract workers.

Because the Ming Dynasty's slave contract was only five years, but the Kunlun slave's contract could be up to 20 years, it was actually a contract of betrayal.

……

Beijing.

After the Mid-Autumn Festival, the emperor moved back to the Forbidden City with his palace and harem like migratory birds.

At this time, the number of his princes also exceeded thirty, reaching 37, 11 more than Taizu.

The number of princesses is also 29.

The total number reached 66, which is an exaggeration.

Naturally, the number of concubines also exceeded forty. Under the emperor's love, almost everyone was pregnant.

However, the completion of a building in Beijing forced the increasingly lazy emperor to move.

That is the temple of the emperors of the past dynasties.

The so-called Temple of Emperors of the Past Dynasties, as the name suggests, is to worship emperors and famous ministers of all dynasties. It was first built during the reign of Zhu Yuanzhang. At that time, it was determined that sixteen emperors would be worshiped.

There are five niches inside, with the owner but no statue.

In the middle niche are the three emperors, Fuxi, Shennong and Huangdi; in the left niche are the five emperors, Shaohao, Zhuanxu, Emperor Ku, Yao and Shun; in the right niche are the three kings, Xia Yu, Shang Tang and Zhou Wu. .

The two niches on the left are the thrones of Emperor Gaozu of the Han Dynasty and Emperor Guangwu of the Han Dynasty; the two niches on the right are the thrones of Emperor Taizong of the Tang Dynasty, Taizu of the Song Dynasty and Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty.

During the Jiajing period, Emperor Shizu of the Yuan Dynasty was moved out of the Imperial Temple.

Not long ago, Zhu Yixi was wandering around and noticed this building, so he ordered the Yuan Shizu to be moved into it again, including Taizu Zhu Yuanzhang, Chengzu Zhu Di and other former Ming emperors.

After the final expansion, the number of people exceeded twenty.

In desperation, the temple of the emperors of all dynasties was expanded again.

Zhu Yixi was aware of the political significance of the Imperial Temple, so he requested that all monarchs who have made achievements in the past dynasties, whether they are the ones who established or founded the temple, can enjoy incense worship.

In this way, the First Emperor of Qin, Emperor Wen of Sui Dynasty, Taizu Taizu of Liao Dynasty, Taizu Jin Taizu, and even Yelu Dashi of Western Liao Dynasty all entered the temple.

Zhongzong of Shang, Emperor Gaozong, King Cheng of Zhou, King Kang, Emperor Wen of Han, Emperor Xuanzong of Tang, Emperor Xianzong of Tang, Song Renzong, Song Xiaozong, Ming Xianzong and other guardians also entered the temple.

The number of emperors easily exceeded fifty.

Four out of fifty.

There were 120 famous officials accompanying the sacrifice, such as Boyi, Jiang Shang, Xiao He, Zhuge Liang, Fang Xuanling, Fan Zhongyan, Yue Fei, Wen Tianxiang, Wang Anshi, Yu Qian, etc.

To show respect, the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors not only had shrines, but also erected stone statues in front of the temple, which were lifelike.

This is their prerogative.

Of course, during the Qianlong era in history, the view that "the unification of China will never be disconnected" was put forward, and emperors from dynasties not involved in the temple were also selected to be enshrined.

After several adjustments, the number of emperors to be sacrificed was finally determined to be 188.

Zhu Yixi did not mean this, it was just to praise the emperors of the past dynasties, and all the virtuous kings and ministers of the past dynasties were involved.

As soon as you step in, you will see the majestic screen wall and temple gate, with exquisite green glazed flower decorations.

Zhu Yixi crossed the threshold and entered.

Jingdezhong Temple comes into view.

The hall is a verandah-style building with double eaves and is on the same level as the Hall of Supreme Harmony.

The main hall is 21 meters high, with a width of nine rooms and a depth of five rooms, symbolizing the imperial etiquette of "nine-five-year-old kings".

The stone statues of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors in front of the palace made Zhu Yixi couldn't help but stop and look at them: "Yes, they are majestic!"

(End of this chapter)