Malaga, which is a large area outside the city walls of the port area, has gradually formed a prosperous small city with the advantage of the Daming transshipment port.

Envoys and merchants from various countries in South Asia developed this place into the premier commercial center of South Asia.

Most of the locals here also rely on business for their livelihood, forming a strong business atmosphere.

Chawang is 16 years old, but he has been working in the official factory for five years. As an apprentice with "old qualifications", he is not yet able to receive a salary.

But being able to work in the official factory, not only does he have no worries about food and clothing, but he can also learn Da Ming dialect and Da Ming characters from behind the master, and also learn to settle accounts.

After ten years of work, he can directly go to the official factory to be a clerk, or be a manager of affairs, so his future is still very bright.

Compared to others, Chawang is most fortunate to have a good master.

His master was Cao Sui, an errand eunuch from the Ming Dynasty, who, unlike the other eunuchs, was a mild-mannered young man who almost never scolded his apprentices.

At the beginning, there were a total of ten apprentices who followed Cao Sui to learn to do things, two of the older ones became Cao Sui's personal followers, and the remaining eight small ones, three of which were unbearable to teach over the years, were driven back by Cao Sui.

The remaining five apprentices, Cao Sui taught them with all his heart, and now they are all able to read and write Da Ming characters, settle accounts, and slowly take charge of themselves.

When Chawang was just over ten years old, he was sent by his parents to be an apprentice in the official factory, and for more than five years, he has regarded Cao Sui as a father-like figure. He didn't even treat his father with such respect.

His home is a small village near Malaka, and he happens to be in the middle of a family of five brothers and sisters.

When he was a child, his father went out fishing with his people, but that time he went too far and was caught in a storm and never returned.

The eldest brother was also eaten by a crocodile when he was out on an outing.

His mother married a father of three children, and although the four of them had a family, they had a hard time.

That's why his mother sent him and his second brother to work in the official factory when he was very young to learn a trade.

The second brother followed an old eunuch who was a little perverted, and the old eunuch took pleasure in torturing people, and the second brother always had a lot of wounds on his body.

With the comparison, he realized how lucky he was, so he studied and did things more diligently.

He is smart, well-behaved and sensible, and Cao Sui also likes him very much. He was a little thin, and Cao Sui often rewarded him with his leftover food, and would give him medicine when he was sick, so that he could grow up healthy until he was sixteen years old.

He had already vaguely remembered his father, and his stepfather was lukewarm to him. In the last two years, he has often been able to bring some things home, so that he has become closer to his brother and sister.

He didn't know that he had long regarded Cao Sui as a father.

No matter what he said or did, he always learned from the master. His greatest wish is to have the opportunity to go to Daming and see how prosperous that Heavenly Empire is.

Since the beginning of the year, the port has been preparing to welcome the arrival of His Royal Highness the grandson, the port is cleaned every day, and a new luxurious courtyard has been built to welcome the arrival of the grandson.

He knew who the grandson was, and from the very beginning of learning the Ming dialect and writing the Ming characters, the master taught them that the emperor is the master of all people in the world, and the grandson is the grandson of the emperor, and he will also be the emperor in the future.

Therefore, many natives think that it is too luxurious to build a set of courtyards just for the sake of the grandson to live for a few days, but he thinks that this is right.

The imperial grandson of the Ming Dynasty owns the whole world, and no matter how big the cost is, it is worth it.

And he finally met His Royal Highness the grandson of Daming today, so tall and strong, this is Cha Wang's first impression.

He has thought countless times in his heart about what the imperial grandson of the Ming Dynasty should be, but he always does not have a clear image, and when he sees it today, he understands that the imperial grandson of the Ming Dynasty should be like this.

The mighty guard of honor, the mighty soldiers, and the dragon chariot like a palace. Let Chawang finally see that this is the grandeur of the Heavenly Empire.

Their lord, in front of the grandson of the Ming Dynasty, is a small landowner in the countryside.

No, it should be called Sultan now, since three years ago, the lord of the country converted to the Green Religion, and the lord of the country changed his name to the Sultan.

Most of the people, including his stepfather and mother, also came to the Green Religion.

But Chawang didn't believe it.

In his opinion, that was a sign of ignorance. The Ming Dynasty did not believe in the Green Religion, but only believed in knowledge, so it developed into the Celestial Empire.

Master also often taught them that no god will bring them a good life, and that only by working hard can they change their situation.

They should believe in their ancestors, because it is the existence of the ancestors that makes them exist.

They should believe in the emperor, because it is the existence of the emperor that gives them a stable life.

Today, when His Royal Highness Taisun arrives, not only everyone will be rewarded, but everyone will be given a three-day holiday, and the whole world will celebrate.

When the grandson entered the newly renovated courtyard, he was also given a holiday by the master, and he was ready to go home with the reward distributed today.

Each of the apprentices who worked in the official factory received ten feet of cloth, a pair of shoes, a net hat, and a pound of sugar.

He has already worn shoes on his feet, and this kind of cloth shoes is really comfortable to wear.

There were also many apprentices who also learned from the Ming people and used nets to tie up their hair. If it weren't for the clothes of the little guy, he would really look like a Ming man.

These ten feet of cloth are enough to make two new clothes for my brother and sister, who have only worn shorts from an overcoat and never a full set of clothes since he was a child.

In fact, he used to be too, and he had never worn a dress until he was ten years old. That is, since he came to the official factory as an apprentice, he will be given four sets of clothes every year.

At first, he was not used to wearing clothes and felt uncomfortable. But now, he's used to it. In his view, wearing clothes and not wearing clothes is the difference between civilization and backwardness.

Malaka is backward, and Ming is civilized.

The welcome ceremony was over, and Chawang quickly returned to his small house. This is Cao Sui's small courtyard, because he is deeply liked by the master, he also lived in this small courtyard, and lived in the front yard with the two Changsui.

These two long-term followers have already become families, they have also become Master's butlers, and their families are also doing some small business in the bazaar, and they are living a very good life.

In the past, this kind of life was also what he longed for, and he had a home in the main city, and he was an entourage to the Ming people, and he would never be exploited by Luo Yan from now on.

But now, he wants to go to Daming even more, and wants to see the prosperous Heavenly Empire.

It is said that even the poor had clothes to wear there.

He also wanted to learn from those Ming people, and put his hair up with a net hat, but he couldn't get it right after a long time, and finally gave up this idea, tied the cloth and sugar with hemp rope, and carried it in his hand.

As soon as he walked out of the door, he suddenly remembered the copper plate pressed under his bed, quickly turned back, lifted the straw mat, and there was a string of nearly a hundred copper plates underneath.

As an apprentice, there is no salary, but Cao Sui likes to eat some snacks and fruits. Sometimes when his long-term entourage is not there, he will ask Chawang to buy it.

As for the copper plate for change, the master usually let him keep it, and the main thing is that every time Chawang sends the snake over, Cao Sui will give some rewards, which also gives him a series of income.

Holding the copper plate in his arms, he patted it. Now it's time for him to go to the second brother and call the second brother to go home together.

Along the community where the Ming people lived, it returned to the official factory area, and at the entrance, there were several warehouses where the apprentices of the official factory lived.

The conditions here are much worse, there are only two rows of beds in one room, and each room has to live twenty people.

Everyone didn't have their own space, and they all slept together. If someone is sick and has a fever, they will be isolated and sent to a separate courtyard.

Along the way, he saw that many people had already put on the net hats, and some regretted that he didn't put the net hats on, so he could ask the second brother to help him comb his hair.

"Chawang, you're coming to find your second brother!"

"Chawang, let's catch the snake tomorrow!"

Cao Sui especially likes to eat snake meat, and Chawang often goes to the wild to catch snakes and comes back to make soup for Master on his monthly rest day.

Chawang greeted the familiar apprentices, and when he met a good relationship, he would chat a few words.

Apprentices are also divided into three, six, nine and so on, and those who study well and are liked by the master will have a higher level in them, and they will not dare to bully.

Chawang used to be thin and weak, and he was often bullied. But once Cao Sui found out, he took him to tie up the other apprentices and beat them with ten lashes.

Since then, no one has dared to bully him again.

And now he has known a lot of Da Ming characters, can read official documents, can settle accounts, and has been reused by many eunuchs. Now that he is also an old apprentice, no one dares to bully him, only he bullies others.

When he came to the window of the warehouse where the second brother lived, the window was too small and was blocked by the sunning clothes, he called out to the second brother, but did not hear a response, so he entered the stinky warehouse.

A dark-skinned junior disciple saw him and said, "Arat went to the port to see the horses, and His Royal Highness Taisun has a lot of horses, and now they are being taken off the ship." He lowered his voice and said with a smile: "And the concubine of the grandson, so beautiful......"

Chawang rubbed his head with a smile and said, "Little guy, you know what beauty is!" ”

When they came to the port, many of the apprentices stayed in the shade of the trees on the side of the road to watch the excitement. The attendants brought down many horses from the ship, as well as all kinds of utensils and supplies.

There are many things that they don't even know what they are, and they are there speculating.

He finally found his second brother and shouted, "Yalak, it's noon, my mother knows that we will go back at noon, and she is still waiting for us to go back for dinner!" ”

Arat is stupid, he doesn't learn as fast as him, and he doesn't like his master, so he hasn't been reused until now.

He said with a smile: "You can't die if you don't eat a meal, but it's rare for the grandson to drive such a grand event in a hundred years." You're late, and the palace maids who were waiting for His Highness passed by just now, and everyone was drooling. ”

Chawang smiled: "Didn't my mother say last time that you would marry Shrimp Tin, you will see it in the future." ”

Arat pursed his lips and said, "The shrimp is so dark, how can it be compared to the woman of Da Minglai." The maids serving His Royal Highness are so beautiful, aren't those concubines all as beautiful as goddesses! ”

An apprentice named Mi Congee who had a good relationship with Yala next to him sighed regretfully: "It's a pity that I can't see it through the curtain of the carriage!" ”

After looking here for a while, Chawang finally persuaded Yala, and the two of them said goodbye to the other apprentices and walked out of the port area together, out of the inner city, out of the middle city, and towards the southeast.

Their home was only five miles from the city of Malaga, a village near the sea.

Seven years ago, the village searched all the family resources and bought a 400-stone boat together, wanting to go to the ocean to fish. But before the fare was earned, there was a storm in the North Sea, the ship sank, and dozens of people died.

Half of the men died, and after that, life in the village was not easy.

Later, the village was annexed by neighboring villages, but the people no longer dared to go to the ocean, but only dared to fish in the strait in front of their home.

Chawang's family was originally relatively hard, but the two brothers worked in the Daming official factory, and they were able to subsidize the family every once in a while, and now their lives are still going on.

Back at home, there were two shacks, the larger one was for people and the smaller one was for the kitchen.

There are less than ten iron pots in the whole village, and there is one in the Chawang family. Therefore, many villagers often come to Chawang's house to borrow iron pots to cook.

When they were at home, there was still a queue in the kitchen.

The younger brother came out. Some complained and shouted: "Second brother, third brother, you are too slow, I will starve to death." ”

His mother slapped him and said, "Just know how to eat, go and cut the coconut you picked and give it to the second and third brothers to drink." ”

The youngest sister is also ten years old this year, and she has just lost her teeth, and she has not dared to laugh recently. But she was closest to the third brother, and when she saw Chawang coming back, she stepped forward and hugged his arm. "Third brother, what did you take? Wow so much cloth, and what is this? ”

The youngest son, who was brought by the stepfather, was eight years old this year, and at this time he also looked at the paper bag they were carrying with longing eyes.

and the stepfather and their mother's two little sisters, who also pounced at this time, shouting for their brother.

Chawang smiled and opened a paper bag, revealing black-brown sugar that had been glued together. He broke a small piece with his fingers and shoved it into his sister's mouth. "It's sugar, isn't it sweet?"

My sister tasted the candy in her mouth, and her eyes narrowed with a smile. "It's so sweet!"

He gave the two little sisters, and the stepfather's younger brother, a small piece of candy each, and the children laughed contentedly.

Their mother quickly put away the candy and wrapped the paper again. "Thirty copper plates for a pound of sugar! Don't waste it! And so much cloth, enough to make a few clothes. ”

Chawang said with a smile: "This is all rewarded by His Royal Highness Daming, and I and the second brother have one share." ”

Their stepfather smiled and said, "His Royal Highness Da Ming is so good, he also sent us things, unlike our master, who only asks us for things." ”

When they were young, life was too hard, and this stepfather had an average attitude towards them. But now he and his second brother don't expect the family anymore, and they can subsidize the family, and their stepfather's attitude towards them is getting better and better.

Chawang said with a smile: "This time, the official factory will be busy for some time, and the master said that when the work is over, he will send us all things." can perfectly exchange all these things for money, and build a wooden house in the future. ”

Hearing this, the smile lines on the stepfather's face deepened.

The house they live in now is a thatched-roof shack, no higher than the outside foundation, and it is ventilated on all sides. When it rains, it's muddy inside.

These are nothing, the most feared thing is that snakes and insects come in and bite people, and it would be good to be able to save their lives.

If it is changed to a wooden house, it will be a lot higher than the foundation, and it will not be afraid of rain or snakes and insects.

The stepfather smiled and said, "Today, the grandson came to Malaga, and there are many more Ming people in the village, and they go door-to-door to ask questions, and they don't know what they want to do." ”

Chawang said: "It should be to check the fugitives and do protection, His Royal Highness Taisun is here, and the protection is much stricter." ”

Mom brought out a large wooden plate with a pile of rice and dried salted fish. "Eat, I'm hungry."

Several people went to wash their hands, and then they grabbed the rice with their right hands and ate it fragrantly. The younger brother used a broken iron knife and with great effort, opened two coconuts.

Eating salted fish rice, thirsty and drinking a sip of coconut milk, not to mention how pleasant.

Early the next morning, Chawang had just gotten up and was about to take a net bag to catch snakes, but he heard the sound of gongs and drums.

The whole village hurried to a small square in the middle of the village, which was a clearing with a large banyan tree next to it, which was a favorite base for many children.

The surrounding villages were all under the jurisdiction of the Sultan's youngest son, Kang Ragaroyan, who had come here in person today.

But today's protagonist is not him, but a team of Ming people in bright armor, led by an attendant in red clothes. They put a big-character poster on the tree and began to read it, and naturally an interpreter next to them began to explain to the villagers.

Kang Rakha's face was very gloomy, and even laughter was squeezed out. But Cha Wang's mood was very happy, because the official document said that in the future, when children speak and write, they will start to speak Daming words and write Daming square characters.

It's just that the ignorant and backward village has begun to develop into civilization!

But in front of Luo Yan, he didn't dare to laugh. Luo Yan didn't dare to lose his temper in front of the Ming people, but in the face of the villagers, he was the king!

When Luo Yan and his entourage left their village with the Ming people and went to the next village, the villagers began to talk about it one by one.

These people are illiterate and can't understand what the official document says. Although there are explanations from locals, most people are still a little unclear.

"Cha Wang, you know the words of Da Ming, tell us, what is this Da Ming going to do?"

Chawang said loudly: "To put it simply, Daming is going to open a university hall in the city, and all children can go directly to the university hall to study, and the university hall will also take care of a meal at noon." ”

Someone asked again: "That means that you can be a shopkeeper like you in the future?" ”

Cha Wang smiled: "Not only can you be a shopkeeper, but you can also be an official!" ”

"Be an official!" The crowd was boiling again. Malaka is still a clan society, ruled by blood. That is, the children of commoners will always be commoners, and the children of nobles will always be nobles.

The officials are all the children of the aristocracy, and no matter how highly educated the commoners are, they simply do not have this opportunity.

Looking at the village chief with a somewhat ugly face, Chawang said again: "Mengchai village chief, the Gulan essence in your family must be handed in!" The Ming people said that in the future, everyone can only read the books of the Ming Dynasty, write the characters of the Ming Dynasty, Sanskrit, and palindrome can not learn or read. ”

Meng Chai's face was embarrassed and responded: "I want you to take care of it!" ”

A villager who had a grudge against Mengchai said: "If you don't turn it in, I'll go to the Ming people to report it, and there will be a reward for twenty copper plates!" ”

Chawang didn't know why the Ming people suddenly gave such an order, from now on, in addition to the books of the Ming Dynasty, Malaka was not allowed to appear in other books. When people learn words, they can only learn Da Ming characters.

But he supported this order, and the nobles relied on their mastery of the Qur'an to make a fortune. From now on, they will no longer be able to enjoy this privilege.

And they also have to learn Da Ming dialect, because they don't know Da Ming dialect and can't write Da Ming characters, so they can't be officials in the future.

Chawang really wanted to go back to the city at this time, and asked his master, will this policy be decided in the future?

He can speak Da Ming dialect, write Da Ming characters, and settle accounts, can he also be an official!

But before that, he still went to catch the snake first. Master always said that if you have decided something, don't change it easily.

Today's luck was good, before noon, he caught a highly venomous flathead snake more than two meters long.

And when he put the serpent in a net, he carried it into the city.

However, instead of going to the master, he went to the pharmacy in the port first. The venom of poisonous snakes is collected here all year round, and the price is reasonable.

It's just that the local brigade can't enter the port, so it can't make this money.

When a young imperial doctor in the pharmacy saw this flat-headed snake, he smiled excitedly: "Chawang, this is a king snake today, I'll give you ten copper plates when I go back." ”

"So high? Then I'll catch this kind of snake in the future. ”

"That's up to your luck......"

By the time the imperial doctor came out, he had already squeezed out the snake's venom, and then handed the snake and ten copper plates to Chawang.

Chawang happily carried the snake to the master's house.

But the master was not at home, and he waited until later in the evening, when Cao Sui returned.

And Cao Sui's mood was obviously very good, knowing that Cha Wang was sending him a snake. He took out a silver coin from his arms, flicked his thumb, and arrived in front of Chawang, who hurriedly caught it.

Cao Sui smiled: "It's cheap, you kid." Take a good look, this is my new silver coin of the Ming Dynasty, and future transactions will be measured in silver coins. ”

"This is for me?"

Cao Sui smiled and said: "Today's Royal Highness reward, I have earned a lot for my teacher, and if I am in a good mood, I will reward you with a piece." ”

"Master Xie's ......reward," he put the silver coin into his arms, hesitated for a moment, and still asked the purpose of today. Master, the soldiers of the Ming Dynasty have arrived in our village today. said that he wanted to set up a university hall in the city, and he would also recruit people who knew Da Ming to be officials, what do you think of me? ”

Cao Suileng paused and sat up straight. "You want to be an official? A broken village head, how can he have the paperwork to be an official factory? ”

Chawang said seriously: "I want to teach the villagers to speak Da Ming and write Da Ming characters, so that our village will be as prosperous and civilized as Da Ming." ”