There is a record in the "Zhou Li" about the marriage of men and women, "A man marries at thirty, and a woman marries at twenty." This strange statement has caused controversy among many later generations. Some people say that this is the earliest policy of late marriage and late childbearing in ancient times. However, this baseless argument cannot help but make people scoff. Imagine getting married too late, how can the population multiply quickly? In troubled times, all countries need to invest a lot of young people in war. Therefore, it is more convincing to use "weak crown" and "harmony" as the age of adult marriage for men and women.

Men marry at twenty, and women at fifteen. This is the exact marriageable age. Of course, there are also early marriages and early pregnancies. In fact, in troubled times, most families are formed to survive. In addition, during this period, the level of medical care was very backward, and perhaps just a small wind chill could take the life of an adult. If you are not in the environment of troubled times, you cannot understand the strange behavior of the ancients.

It is not difficult to see the problem from the official system of the Great Zhou. Among the six secretaries of a country's important ministers, Taizong, Taizhu, Taishi, and Taibu are engaged in the work of sacrifice, prayer, divine affairs and divination respectively. In the eyes of ordinary people, there are many ways to choose treatment after getting sick. Therefore, medicine did not develop by leaps and bounds during this period.

And all this has imperceptibly affected the marriage. Whether it is an elder or an adult child, it is more important to be healthy and that the marriage can be maintained for a long time and stability. This is the general perception of marital happiness at this moment. The reason is simple, happiness is built on material foundations. Unlike the afterlife, which can satisfy the material and pursue spiritual sustenance.

Ji Lan felt that she owed something to Wang Xu, so she did not intervene in the management of the village originally established at the mouth of Yunmeng Valley. Instead, compromises and concessions were made. After the completion of the Zaifu, Ji Lan ordered people to congratulate Wang Xu and set up a banquet on the grounds of moving to a new house. Unexpectedly, the other party politely refused to resign. This made the arrogant Princess David very dissatisfied. Not only that, Wang Xu also returned the carriage and horses given by Ji Lan. For a while, the relationship between the two reached a freezing point.

At this time, the Mengyun Valley was developing extremely rapidly. In terms of population and land area, the mountain village at the mouth of the valley was originally the residence of 28 households, covering an area of one mile. Not only are there public facilities, but they are also spacious. The 500 families of Qicheng who moved in the valley lived in the wilderness of Erli, which was slightly crowded. In the deepest part of the valley, there are 500 soldiers and more than 100 technical personnel in charge of iron smelting and horse herding, and they actually occupy five miles of land.

For a while, Yunmeng's population soared to more than 3,200 people. It seems that Ji Lan is planning to break the population to 2,000 households within a year, so as to achieve the goal of making a city. The construction of Shinno has never stopped, and the buildings are mostly biased towards residential buildings. There is a faint tendency to develop into the mountains on both sides.

The periphery of Yunmeng is even more of a reclamation boom. According to the Dazhou Jingtian system, the standard of one out of nine, the new residents are in full swing to implement it. The prescient Wang Xu converted the idle houses in Taniguchi into temporary warehouses and markets. Not far uphill, a large industrial area has been carved out. At this moment, spinning, spinning, weaving, brick kilns, smelting, timber, grain and oil, flour and other workshops are booming. Just to provide for the construction of Xinye and the daily life of the residents is enough for Wang Xu to make a lot of money. Public bathhouses, latrines and markets have been built in the village. Therefore, the people of the new city have gone to the old city to consume. At this time, the small mountain village of Taniguchi seems to be developing into a commercial district.

In a castle-like courtyard, a scribe was angrily reporting to Ji Lan about the things in the village.

"Childe! Almost all of Nonaka's business was specialized by Wei Xu. In the long run, I am afraid that the government treasury will not be able to make ends meet. ”

Ji Lan glared at the scribe.

"That's incompetence. What does it have to do with Wei Xu? ”

The other party immediately bowed down and did not dare to squeak. She sighed slightly. Said:

"Hey! It's okay if you don't do business in the field. Just keep in touch with Qicheng. ”

"No!"

The clerk retired. Ji Lan snorted coldly. It seems that he is very dissatisfied with the jealousy and jealousy of his subordinates.

After a moment, she looked in Taniguchi's direction and smiled ghostly. I seem to enjoy being challenged. In this remote mountain, in addition to being busy with wild affairs all day long, he also has to be distracted from managing Qicheng's housework. She is the uncle of her cousin Baisi Mansion and the head of Shao Sima Mansion. Wearing many hats, even if she is a capable female middle school Zhuge is a little overwhelmed. I couldn't help but sigh with self-pity.

"Hey!"

Instead he muttered to himself:

"I don't believe you're not asking me."

Maybe life in the mountains is too boring. Wang Xu first politely refused the mansion, and then deliberately returned the favor. This did not embarrass Ji Lan, but admired the other party's style. She thought that when her brother became the king of the country, she would just use Wang Xu to compensate for the friendship she owed. The girl is not ungrateful, but forced by the situation to do so. Then there was a series of sighs.

The next day, a group of strange people came to the field. There were less than two hundred, and they were dressed in tatters and had scars on their wrists and ankles. The men were housed in vacant houses in the new city, and then distributed wooden farming tools and sent out into the field to join in the reclamation work. Even women are involved.

Wang Xu was surprised to find that among these people, the number of women was more than double that of men. And when they appeared, patrolling soldiers were sent to the perimeter of the cultivated land.

In order to prevent the people under his rule from fleeing, the feudal lord often restricted their travel. Wang Xu knew these things early on. However, the original mountain people were as free as if they were uncontrolled. When he went out, the guards didn't even ask. For a while, there was a feeling of being out of control. As if the garrisoned army would not keep them safe. Wang Xu was extremely puzzled.

"Where is this singing?"

"I'm afraid you want to force me to leave."

Li Cang immediately made a speculation.

"How so? Lan Gongzi doesn't even have this amount of belly. ”

On the third day, the strange people were taken into the field by the soldiers one after another. What's even more strange is that the cotton cloth they sold was completely swept away by the cousin Baisifu that day. Even the inventory in the warehouse is a little low. Wang Xu suddenly got more than 20,000 yuan, and he felt that things were strange.

Day 4, Day 5...

The same thing happens all the time. Whenever Wang Xu asked those strange people, there would be soldiers who came forward to drive them away. He had also tried to eavesdrop on their conversations, but they spoke with strange accents. It's not like the people of the Central Plains at all, it's more like the taste of the south.

"Is there enough food here? If this continues, I'm afraid Yunmeng will have a famine. ”

The people of Yunmeng seem to have reached 5,000. Wang Xu wondered if Shao Sima Mansion regarded Yunmengshan as a refugee camp? All the poor and homeless people in the Kingdom of David were resettled here.

For those who were dressed in tatters, after a few days of labor, the cousin Baisifu would send a scribe to give them new clothes, and even the daily ration of food would be improved. It seems that the better you behave, the longer you stay, and the better you will be treated.

At this moment, Wang Xu is in Fengjiao's house, and the old blacksmith will marry Zhang in five days. A group of villagers and elders are helping to decorate the new house at Feng Bo's house. The more than 100 of them have not been so lively for a long time. After making money, Wang Xu decided to feast at the blacksmith's house for three days to fulfill the promise he had made that day. Fengjiao led his granddaughter with a spring breeze on her face, and thanked the villagers who came to help.

The clothing, food, housing and transportation at home are all handled by Wang Xu.

The family has carpenters' utensils, and the utensils used in daily life can be used by Feng Bo themselves, and as for the cloth and grain, with their current economic strength, it can be said that it is inexhaustible. It is also extravagant and colorful, and the local tyrants show off. Anyway, the oil mill is not short of soybean oil. Seeing that everyone was full of envy, some people made fun of Wang Xu.

"In the future, everyone will count on adults for marriage."

Wang Xu readily agreed.

"No problem! Weddings, funerals, and full moons of children are all handed over to me. ”

The crowd cheered. Some people even coaxed:

"My lord Chrysostom, the matter of concubines in the future will definitely not disappoint everyone, right?"

Many men burst into laughter. And the woman counted down the one who spoke.

"It's only been a few good days? Just thinking about taking a concubine, I really don't want to make progress. ”

Wang Xu laughed and scolded a few words, and turned his head to look at Li Cang with a bitter face.

What has happened lately is too strange, and their business is going smoothly is a bit exaggerated. Li Cang has always been thoughtful and cautious. These elbow-to-elbow changes inevitably made him suspicious. Wang Xu whispered:

"Tomorrow will raise food prices by 30%. You secretly ordered someone to go to Chaoge and Qicheng to buy rice and grain. Rice and wheat are the main ones, followed by soybean. ”

Li Cang's eyes lit up. Obviously, Wang Xu is planning to kill Ji Lan. It's really exciting. Thinking of the transportation of large quantities of grain, it is always inappropriate to rely on manpower to carry back and forth to and from cities hundreds of miles away. After all, there are too many industries in the village, and there are not enough manpower to bear them.

"It's not easy to ship. Can I buy some horses and carriages? ”

Wang Xu thought for a moment.

"Not too much. Qicheng has a horse in Taoyi, and it is enough to buy six horses. That's right! Don't buy good horses. ”

It's not that he's afraid of spending money, but the two horses that Ji Lan gave him have left a deep psychological shadow. After buying back the horses, the carriage was slightly restructured. Let one horse pull a cart, which is enough to cope with the pressure of transportation. In their spare time, the horses can also go down to the fields to farm. It just so happened that these ancients had never seen a plow, so he made one. Farm in front of Ji Lan and show it off. Let the other party know how ignorant it is to play intrigue with a modern person.

Actually, since the two broke up. Ji Lan tolerated everywhere and always avoided friction with Wang Xu. However, Wang Xu is unrelenting, always thinking about getting along with Ji Lan.

Naively, he thought that Ji Lan was afraid of him, but he didn't know that the other party didn't take him seriously at all. A crazy slaughterer, a crazy confession. There is a feeling that Zhou Yu hit the yellow cover. Wang Xu underestimated the strength of Shao Sima Mansion. I thought that I had made tens of thousands of dollars from other people, which was very remarkable. I don't want the entire Northern Army to have its grain, grass and baggage supplied by Shao Sima Mansion. If it were only based on the tax paid by the fiefdom, it is estimated that the army would have been disbanded and returned home long ago.

At this delicate moment, the assets of Shao Sima Mansion abroad are quietly transferring to the country. Ji Lan and her brother have decided to gamble all of them to fight to the death with Wei Hou. After enduring it for so many years, the wealth he has amassed is something that Wang Xu could never have dreamed of. At the moment they are only short of people. The large number of slaves bought was used to supplement the population and prepare for future wars and developments.

In the early morning five days later, Wang Xu and Ah Ji, who were about to go to the blacksmith's house to drink wine, strolled down the street with a happy face. They carried large bags of congratulatory gifts. When we reached the main street, there was a large crowd of people gathered here, and the water blocking the street was blocked.

This lot has a notice wall of the Cousin Baiji Mansion. The walls are covered in a thick layer of yellow clay, and the notices are often carved by craftsmen. It's just that how big it is is is a trivial matter, and basically no one cares. In this era, there were not many literate people, and except for important notices, the government would assign soldiers to read them non-stop. For the rest, the people were indifferent and didn't bother to ask casually.

Today is clearly an important matter. The sound of the sergeant reading had been drowned out by the noise of the crowd. Many exclaimed, many laughed happily, and some hid their faces and wept. Wang Xu guessed that it must have been a traitor who defended the country and died suddenly. I couldn't help but purse my lips and smile. However, as they squeezed through the crowd, they suddenly heard someone shouting loudly.

"A man marries at fourteen, but not at forty. A woman marries thirteen, and twenty must marry. If a man has a weak crown and only gives birth to a male child, he will take one concubine. If there are two men, there will be no reward or punishment. Those with three males are exempt from payment for one year. Those who have not had a weak crown so far will marry three wives and concubines. Those who refuse to obey are degraded and enslaved. ”

His first reaction was that Fengjiao's marriage couldn't be done today. He was not allowed to marry after the age of forty, and if anyone dared to disobey, he was reduced to slavery. I wonder where such an impersonal decree was formulated? He couldn't believe his ears. So I squeezed into the rioting crowd to find out.

Except for the part that was heard before. The proclamation also emphasized that women who take concubines are appointed by the government, and a detailed reward and punishment policy has been formulated for the number of male children to be born.

Wang Xu was stunned for a while. I don't know how to tell the wind horn about this message. If you get married one day earlier, you will not be disturbed by this impersonal decree. The old man and the widow of the Zhang family are obviously looking forward to it.

He squeezed out of the crowd in despair, and saw Ah Ji not far away, talking to the person who had just read it on the side of the road.

The girl was shocked. The basket of eggs he was carrying accidentally fell off his hand and fell on the hard stone road. The egg whites splattered immediately, and the plain white skirt was covered with pale yellow stains. Wang Xu knew that the girl also hoped to contribute to Feng Bo's good deeds. It is estimated that his mood is the same as that at this moment.

He walked slowly to Aji, stood in front of the girl, and gently put down the congratulatory gift in his hand.

Although the other party looked at him, his eyes were gloomy. Through the stagnant eyes, Wang Xu saw a trace of fear. Aji's body trembled slightly. He put his hands on the other's shoulders and shook the girl's body slightly, trying to wake the other person from the state of the six gods.

The corners of Ah Ji's eyes trembled slightly, and tears rained down. Wang Xu knew that the girl loved Feng Bo's granddaughter very much, but she wouldn't be so sad? Just listen.

"Aj didn't want to leave his brother. I don't want to be a slave anymore. ”

As soon as the words came out, Ah Ji hugged Wang Xu to death. Since the girl was half a head taller than him, the tears that flowed down her cheeks immediately soaked Wang Xu's forehead.

At this moment, Wang Xu realized that this announcement did not exclude them. In a month he will be fourteen years old, and Aji will be a thirteen-year-old girl. Perhaps it was to stagnate his age at thirty-two, which he did not immediately realize. In other words, the government suddenly lowered the age of marriage for men and women by two years, and Wang Xu and Ah Ji are going to marry wives. Wang Xu, who had just kept himself out of the matter, immediately panicked.

What happened to him when he was a child makes Ah Ji still have lingering palpitations. She didn't want to go back to being a slave, and she didn't want to marry and separate from her brother. And what can she do with everything in front of her? As a woman, born in this era of constant strife, it seems that there is only one way to accept fate.

"Aji doesn't cry! There will be a way. My brother won't let you get married. ”

Ati let go of his hand and looked at his brother. It seems that all hope is pinned on the elder brother. Wang Xu put his hands on the girl's cheeks and soothed her crying sister.

The two did not go to Fengbo's wedding. Presumably, there is no point in the past. The most important thing at the moment is to find Ji Lan and ask about the situation. If the other party cares about the old friendship, they will not embarrass their brother and sister and Feng Bo. Thinking so, he sent his sister home and walked alone in the direction of the lord's mansion.

A few days ago, I thought that Ji Lan had compromised. I don't want the other party to make a move today, he will immediately hit the street, and his body will be defeated. In the face of absolute power, even if you have hundreds of millions of family fortunes, you will only be wiped out in the snap of the other party's fingers.

He reluctantly knocked on the door of the Lord's Mansion.

"When the gentleman comes to the door, he must have something to ask for?"

Recently, Wang Xu's small actions, Ji Lan saw it in her eyes. As soon as he opened his mouth, he ruthlessly uncovered the other party's scars. Because Wang Xu will never come to visit except for something to ask for. The contemptuous tone reveals the disdain and ridicule of the superiors.

"The villain came to complain."

To call yourself a villain is to take the initiative to draw a line. Ji Lan laughed dryly. waved his hand at him and motioned for Wang Xu to sit down and speak slowly.

"Is the lord deliberately making things difficult for the villain when he issued the edict for no reason?"

Ji Lan had seen a scholar go crazy, but she had never seen such an arrogant and self-righteous guy.

"Hahaha. Although this son is not a gentleman, he can also distinguish between public and private. The law of marriage is a matter of state, not a private matter. Needless to say. ”

Every word is sonorous and powerful. It seems that whatever Wang Xu said, she had already thought of a way to deal with it.

"I have made the people free of food and clothing, and have given land and homes. What is the sin? and concubines for them. The meaning of loving the people is not for his parents. ”

No matter how Wang Xu argues, Ji Lan can make him speechless from the perspective of human greed and the righteousness of the world.

"The adults regard the people as animals and raise them, and they love this?"

"False! Ask the hearts of the people, if you are more like me, you can marry a wife and have children earlier. The province has to choose a concubine for the king. ”

The two argued for a while. Wang Xu was speechless when asked by the other party. I finally understood the origin of polygamy.

It turns out that the war caused a large number of deaths among young men. There is a serious imbalance between men and women in the country. In a family without adult men, most of the women with the old and weak will not survive. The decree sets the maximum age for a man to marry, mainly to ensure that the next generation can survive the reorganization of the family. Poor families cannot support their children, so young and strong men can afford the food and clothing in the family, and the probability of survival of the children will become greater. At the same time, it can also curb the arrogance and lasciviousness in the elite circle.

Polygamy, manifested in order to keep the population reproductive. The constraints of government decrees have enabled the people to survive the fittest in the inheritance of future generations. Just as a poor man cannot afford to buy a house or pay the bride price, no girl will marry him. As a result, the poor people lost the right to mate, and there was no problem of raising and educating the next generation. The reality is so cruel, polygamy is born naked for the sake of war.

Wang Xu still thought how happy men were in ancient times. In fact, it is nothing more than a tool for the state to multiply and support the family, no different from livestock.

Born in troubled times, marrying a wife and taking concubines was regarded as a burden to solve the burden of the state. As long as you can afford to pay taxes, you are young and strong. can support the wife and children. Not only is there no fault, but the state will also encourage and support it.

At this time, Ji Lan didn't think about letting Wang Xu go. But the other party's stubborn character, how can she speak first? Jade needs to be carved. When she first got acquainted with Wang Xu, she knew that this person was a genius. But how can disobedient wizards be used for themselves? It's better to throw it away.

Wang Xu was not angry in his heart, and said sarcastically:

"The adult looks like he is in the age of a weak crown, and his body is weak and he has no heirs. I don't know if I have three wives and concubines? ”

Without waiting for the other party to answer, he slapped his head. Continuing to ridicule:

"Oh! Look at my memory, my lord is so noble, I must hug left and right. But the body is important, and the maid is young and not suitable for childbirth. Hahaha. ”

This sneering is right in Ji Lan's arms.

Just ask a woman who is obviously not yet in time, less than fifteen. But he was said to be twenty years old. Wang Xu didn't know that she was dressed as a man, and the so-called ignorant was not guilty, so Ji Lan didn't care about it. said that she couldn't do it, but she endured it. After all, she is a woman, and weakness is natural. However, he actually mocked himself for having an affair with his sister, even though he was a woman, he couldn't bear it.

"Wei Xu!"

I only heard Ji Lan shout. Wang Xu waved his sleeves and arched his hand. Don't be angry, but mighty.

"A gentleman and a villain, you can see it at a glance."

Then, he lowered his head and sighed.

Ji Lan, who was about to run away, heard this. The anger in my heart immediately pressed back. He looked at the boy's expression as if he was disappointed in himself. I couldn't help but feel a move in my heart.

Oh, yes! On that day, she took leather boots as a hostage, and later Wang Xu returned the jade pendant, but she did not return the leather boots to others. On the contrary, it is not the work of a gentleman to tempt it. Ji Lan never thought of herself as a gentleman. She knew that Wang Xu deliberately provoked her and made her unable to get off the stage.

When she thought that the other party would use this to ridicule, she didn't want Wang Xu's expression to be a little lonely and disappointed. Maybe he really thought of himself as a close friend. Ji Lan thought like this, and suddenly felt lost.

The teenager left. Ji Lan untied the jade pendant from her waist that had witnessed the friendship between the two. The memories of the past are vivid.

If she hadn't deliberately cultivated Wang Xu, maybe she wouldn't have so many troubles now. Although she said righteous words in the court, she knew it in her heart. All he did was not want to marry into another country and become a victim of politics. And how could she not be a woman who yearns for a good marriage? For the sake of selfishness in his heart, perhaps tens of thousands of young people will die because of this, leaving tens of thousands of old and weak women and children with no one to support. And she caused all of this. Thinking of this, Ji Lan's eyes moistened.

"I'm a villain. Only women and villains are difficult to raise, those who are close are not inferior, and those who are far away are resentful. ”

She sighed softly. Isn't this how the two get along at the moment. If you are far away, you have nothing to look for, and when you are close, you immediately quarrel.

"Hey!"

If he hadn't been born in an imperial family, he might not have suffered as much as he does now. Like an ordinary girl, spinning and weaving at home, when her father and mother help her choose a suitable lover, she will give her a heartfelt promise. A life spent simply like this is not regarded as a beautiful thing.

However, today's approach is destined to become Ji Lan's lifelong regret. In the dark, the girl has lost her way between friendship and love...