The last time Xu Wen went back, he read some history about craftsmen.

From the beginning of the Yuan Dynasty, craftsmen practiced the craftsman household system.

They were first captured by the Yuan soldiers during the war, so they were incorporated into the military as prisoners and served, called military craftsmen, with a very low status, basically slaves engaged in special jobs.

They are not allowed to separate households, they must live together, and they cannot even marry autonomously, so they must be arranged in a unified manner. The craftsman is inherited from generation to generation, the father and mother are craftsmen, and the children must be too.

Their whole family was under the control of the labor officials, and they worked incessantly, and they could only get very little money and food, and they were often exploited, and their lives were extremely difficult. Therefore, there have always been cases of craftsmen slacking off, hiding, and fleeing.

By the time of the Ming Dynasty, such a situation still occurred from time to time, and the artisan system could not keep up with the economic development of the time.

Therefore, the Ming government first gradually replaced the shift system by the shift system, and gradually evolved to the use of silver for service, and the payment of silver can be exempted from this part of the labor, liberating the productivity of the craftsmen, which makes the shackles of the craftsmen be greatly weakened, they can freely engage in industry and commerce, and their economic status has been improved to a certain extent.

When he first came to this world, Xu Wen was located in a remote mountain village like Xiaoheng Village, and he didn't know much about the outside world, plus he had never paid attention to the history of this aspect at that time, and he didn't have too deep feelings.

As he stayed in this world longer, so did his confusion.

Not only the details of daily life and the craftsmanship of craftsmen, but also the treatment of craftsmen today, it can be seen that they do not belong to any dynasty, as if they are separated from time and space.

The Great Zhou Dynasty had basically transitioned to a shift system, and even before the start of the Hundred Crafts Trial, the status of craftsmen was far less low than in history.

Of course, they still belong to the craftsman register, accept strict management, are not allowed to move at will, and must report to each place.

This doesn't seem to be particularly strictly enforced, and even Azure is an example.

Although he has been staying in Yao's workshop, it seems that he has moved from another place, and as far as Liu Huzi is concerned, even his name seems to be different from before.

And whether it is a first-level workshop like Yao's Wood Workshop or a fifth-level workshop like Tianzuo Pavilion, they are all private workshops. They may still be subject to the administration of the government, but they are nominally private, and a considerable part of the surplus goes to individuals.

This alone speaks volumes about the status of the current craftsman.

However, even so, they still had to serve on a regular basis, and during their service they needed to be completely obedient to the arrangements of the imperial court without the slightest delay.

The place of service was also arranged by the imperial court. Some are in Beijing, some are in the locality, and this place may be local, or it may be other road houses.

It's okay to say in Beijing or locally, but if you go to some remote areas, it's not uncommon to not be able to come back like this for the rest of your life.

Xu Wen has not directly inquired about the specific situation.

The official workshop in front of you is the place where the craftsmen served on Jiangnan Road.

Jiangnan Road is rich and prosperous, and for craftsmen, except for Jingshi, it is the best here.

But Xu Wen is just an apprentice, although he has been out of the school a year ago, he has been taking the exam, and he has not yet reached the time of service, and he has never been in the official workshop, so he can be said to know nothing about its situation.

Now standing at the gate here, looking up, the first thing you see is that the blue tiles and white walls are spotless, and the bluestone pavement seems to have just been washed with water.

Xu Wen nodded secretly. This proves that the official workshop on Jiangnan Road does have a very complete management.

The examiner gave them a few more warnings and led them in.

Passing through the gate, there is a flat clearing, and the familiar woody fragrance blows in with the wind.

Xu Wen shrugged his nose and immediately recognized the smell of more than a dozen different woods.

"Pine, elm, cypress......" Another candidate next to him was also muttering to himself, for them, these are all basic skills.

There were seven or eight piles of timber stacked directly on the clearing, neatly and neatly, most of them only had branches and leaves, and even the bark remained.

"Wow, look over there, it's such a big boxwood! It's the first time I've seen a boxwood grow so big!"

"That's it, there's over there, I'm not wrong, Jin Sinan, such a bunch?"

"The first time I saw the hill-like red sandalwood and huanghuali ......"

When they really saw the situation over there, the candidates didn't care about Examiner Lu's previous warning, and couldn't help but stir, subconsciously wanting to lean over.

These bark-bearing, rude, huge pieces of wood are like the loveliest and sweetest beauties, born with a fatal attraction.

"Silence!" Examiner Lu turned around and stopped the candidates sharply.

"I forgot what I said? When you enter the official workshop, you must abide by the rules of the official workshop! Don't stretch out your hand if you don't touch something! Turn around and let people chop it up, you deserve it!"

What he said was still very effective, and the candidates stopped one after another, but they still looked over there with reluctance, their eyes full of longing.

To be honest, just now, Xu Wen couldn't help but take two steps.

The situation of the old wood yard is special, he has indeed seen these precious woods, and he has personally tried them, but he has never seen so many such good and new materials in front of him.

These things are too attractive to him!

However, he thought about it, even if his master even Tianqing arrived here, his performance was not expected to be much better.

Carpenters are carpenters everywhere they go, even for a tenth of them.

"Let's go, don't get in the way here!" Examiner Lu interrupted their eyes with another deep sigh, and led them inside.

"It's beautiful to be able to work here......" Jiang Wangfeng squeezed to Xu Wen's side, and said reluctantly.

"Tianzuo Pavilion doesn't have these?" Xu asked a little curious.

"Of course, there is still a little, but how can there be so many? This is a style that only the official workshop has!" Jiang Wangfeng shook his head again and again.

Xu Wen nodded thoughtfully.

Even in modern times, it is difficult for large enterprises to compete with the power of the state, let alone in ancient times like the Great Zhou Dynasty.

"How's it going, it sounds a bit nasal. He looked at Jiang Wangfeng and said.

"It's a bit chilly...... But it's ok. But you, can you really take the exam?" Jiang Wangfeng looked up into his eyes, worried.

Xu Wen raised his hand and lightly touched his eye sockets, and there was obvious burning from his fingertips. From just now, he felt that his field of vision had narrowed a little more, and his eyes must have become even more swollen. Other than that, his forehead and face were throbbing all the time, constantly distracting him. It was just seeing so many good timbers that attracted him to the past and made him forget about it for a while.

Of course, this kind of state exam is not good......

"It's a bit of a hassle. He admitted it frankly, turned his head and looked, just in time for Shang Cen Xiaoyi's meaningful gaze.

"But it's okay, I'm looking forward to it. He looked away, at the hill of wood, and then at the hidden gate not far away. He lowered his hand and exhaled.