Wanfangting Park in Beijing was called Wanfangting in the Ming Dynasty and was originally a villa for officials in the Yuan Dynasty.
After the change of dynasties, the villa has long been destroyed, and only one pavilion is left standing. After passing this pavilion and walking south along the official road, you will soon reach Zhuozhou. You can go to Shanxi to the west and Henan to the south.
When officials in the Ming Dynasty were transferred or demoted, their relatives and friends often sent them to the Wanfang Pavilion. They prepared wine and food in the pavilion to say goodbye. Those who were talented in literature would write farewell poems, which gradually became synonymous with farewell in the hearts of literati.
Wanfang Pavilion is next to the Liangshui River and close to the Beijing City Wall. It has beautiful and pleasant scenery, so it is naturally a good place for an outing in Shangsi.
Many vendors had already gathered by the river, selling melon seeds, peanuts, candied fruits, steamed cakes, etc. The vendors had finished preparing at midnight. When the morning bell rang, they immediately went out with lanterns and waited for the city guards to open the city gate.
Today I went on an outing in Shangsi. I heard that the emperor, empress and queen mother had also gone to Haoshan Garden with their families. Naturally, officials and civilians also flocked out of the city. Under the cabinet decree, outing in Shangsi, which was prosperous in the Zhu Yuanzhang era, once again became a festival celebrated by people across the country.
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By the time Wang Ji and others arrived at Wanfang Pavilion, some vendors had already sold out and returned home with joyful smiles on their faces, deciding to stock up on more goods next year.
"Here's an apricot blossom." Wang Ji said to a flower girl by the river.
The flower girl was dressed simply. When she saw the handsome young master, she immediately blushed and said, "Young Master, one branch and eight...five coins will do."
One tael of new money is always 500 Wen, so Zhengde Tongbao copper coins are very valuable. The price of rice in Beijing fluctuates between 600 and 800 Wen per stone. 5 Wen can buy a pound of rice, and a branch of apricot flower sells for 5 Wen.
It's really expensive.
If you buy a pound of rice for 5 cents, don't think the price is very low. On the contrary, it is already very high.
In ancient times, nutritional intake was scarce and people basically relied on staple foods to survive. If they wanted to be full even though they were doing strenuous work, each person could consume one kilogram of grain per day. In a month, dozens of kilograms of grain would be needed to make a living, and eating all rice would cost 200 Wen.
, a family of three needs at least five or six hundred cash. And the living expenses are not only staple food, but also oil, salt, sauce, vinegar, tea and firewood. They also have to pay taxes and wear clothes. How can ordinary people afford it?
Therefore, most people mainly eat whole grains, and they are not really full. Every meal of white rice and white steamed buns is just a luxury.
Wang Ji did not counter-offer, and took out a unit of silver (one dime): "Just one."
The flower girl happily returned the 45 coins and handed them to Wang Ji together with the apricot flowers: "Master, please take it."
The apricot blossoms smell fragrant in the third month of the Spring Festival, and one of the items for an outing on March 3 is to appreciate the apricot blossoms. Unfortunately, there are no apricot blossoms to enjoy in Wanfang Pavilion, so smart people buy them with flowers, and the wealthy people are not short of a few kilograms of rice.
Wang Ji took the apricot blossoms and returned to the carriage. The book boy was chatting with the coachman, and a brothel maid stood pretty next to him.
"Miss Chang, please get out of the car." Wang Ji said.
Chang Mengxi, the steward of the Xiaoxiang Pavilion, opened the curtain and stepped out. He took the apricot blossoms with a smile and said, "Thank you, sir." Then he turned around and told the maid, "Lian'er, take out the food box from the car.
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Wanfang Pavilion has been occupied by a group of literati, and Wang Ji and others can only play by the river. They found a grassland full of wild flowers, spread a layer of cloth, and placed all kinds of wine and food on it. The maid Lian'er even brought two
Only a kite.
"Liangcai, come here quickly, why are you all alone?" Li Ying waved and shouted from a distance.
After all, they were playmates who grew up together. Wang Ji could only give him face, so he moved to live with the noble children of the Ming Dynasty and European nobles.
Huang E was always in charge of the young children at home, and they did not study with the teacher until they entered elementary school.
The Wang family's tutoring was very strict, and Wang Ji was naturally affected. He had nothing in common with the dandy boys. Even visiting the brothel was encouraged by Li Ying, and he could only talk to Chang Mengxi in front of him, purely in Qinghuan.
People listen to the music and express their feelings.
Although Wang Ji is tall and tall, he will not turn fourteen in four months, but he can still claim to be fifteen.
The Qing Guo Ren Chang Meng Xi was eighteen years old. Wang Ji regarded her as a big sister who could talk. If he had any troubles or grievances, he would go to the Qing Guo Ren to talk to him.
The worry of poor children is that they don't have enough to eat, the worry of scholarly children is that they have no hope in the imperial examination, and Wang Ji's worry is that he can't find the value of existence. His Four Books and Five Classics are quite acceptable, as are mathematics and physics, and his martial arts and art of war are also okay, except
Apart from his handsome appearance, everything else is ordinary. If he were a game character and his abilities were digitized, he would be an estimated 60, and only his charm value would be 95.
It just so happens that the father in the family is very powerful, the eldest wife Huang E and Song Ling'er are also very powerful, and the brothers Wang Ce, Wang Su, Wang Che and Wang Qi all have their own strengths.
Wang Ce was brave and fierce, and had superb martial arts skills. He had established his own country in Luzon.
Wang Su is a member of the Physics Club, he is good at mathematics, physics, astronomy, mechanics... he is good at everything. As a consort, he has free time to engage in academic research.
As the second son of Song Ling'er, Wang Che is a man of both civil and military talents. He is only seventeen years old now, but he has already passed the Guizhou Juren High School and is gearing up to take the imperial examination.
Wang Qi is the same age as Wang Ji. Although he is only fourteen years old, he is also a good scholar and will probably be able to pass the Jinshi in the future.
Only Wang Ji can do everything. He has lived in the shadow of his father and brother since he was a child. However, his biological mother is a woman from the Western Regions. She has an alien appearance that makes Wang Ji feel quite inferior.
What can I do?
What should I do?
Picking up a glass of rice wine, Wang Ji suddenly asked: "Brother Yuhua, do you want to take the martial arts exam?"
Li Ying smiled and said: "I will take part in the martial arts examination next year. With my father's reputation, I will definitely pass. It depends on where I can get in the martial arts examination. Even if my father does not show up, I think it will be no problem to pass the martial arts examination. After all, martial arts
The examination focuses on the art of war. I have been studying the art of war since I was a child. Not only can I fire cannons and muskets with ease, but I also know how to arrange firearms in formations. I’m afraid those military officials in various provinces have never even touched a musket. How can they follow me?
Compare?"
Zheng Sheng boasted from the side: "Brother Yuhua's military strategy and strategies, looking at the noble children in the capital, who can compare with him? Let me see, brother Yuhua takes the martial arts examination, he will definitely win the top prize in martial arts!"
"Yes, Wu Zhuangyuan!" All the distinguished disciples agreed in unison.
"Where, where, haha," Li Ying was quite proud and said modestly, "I don't have any extravagant hopes to win the top prize in martial arts. I will be satisfied if I can win the top prize in martial arts."
Wang Ji remained silent and said no more words.
Even the fool Li Ying has a goal in life, but he doesn't know what to do and can only drink glass after glass.
The yellow rice wine was also intoxicating. After more than ten cups, Wang Ji's face was filled with red clouds, as if he had applied rouge. All the women were stunned. Only today did they realize that men can be so good-looking. It is as pleasing to the eye as appreciating art.
treasure.
After chatting about cockfighting and lackeys, and talking about various anecdotes about Europe and the West, the European nobles boasted a lot.
Alfonso boasted the most, showing off how his grandfather drove away the Arabs and finally unified the Kingdom of Spain. He said that his grandfather was an excellent horseman and strong. He could eat half a cow for every meal and conquered all of Iberia.
He is invincible in the Asian Peninsula, and in terms of military ability, he is second only to Wang Yuan, the first assistant of the Ming Dynasty.
The other European aristocratic children couldn't find it difficult to expose him in person, so they could only let this guy talk nonsense, and then they also started bragging about their ancestors.
Immediately afterwards, he talked about the colonization of the Americas, talked nonsense about various indigenous civilizations in the Americas, and said that the Spanish generals destroyed the Aztec Empire with a population of tens of millions with only a few hundred soldiers.
Although there were all kinds of exaggerations, Wang Ji was able to clear up the clouds and see the fog.
Yes, there are so many worlds, why should I stick to the Wang family, why should I stick to the capital? I can sail a huge boat across the seas, visit every corner of the world, and always find my destination in life.
When he returned home that night, Wang Ji said to his father: "Father, my child wants to go out to sea and make a living!"
Wang Yuan was stunned for a moment and didn't ask why. He just smiled and said, "Where do you want to go overseas?"
Wang Ji replied: "I don't know."
Wang Yuan asked again: "Has it been decided?"
Wang Ji replied: "My child has made up his mind."
Wang Yuan said: "Then you first experience on a sea ship, start as a sailor, learn how to wash the deck, learn how to raise and lower the sail, and then learn how to sail the ship and fire the cannon. How about that?"
Wang Ji replied: "Okay."
Wang Yuan smiled and said: "Stay at home for now. In four months, you will leave Beijing when you reach the age of fourteen."