Chapter 36 36 Tomorrow Night Curfew
Returning to Wu's house from Jingshui Tower, the sky had gradually darkened.
This banquet lasted until the end of the afternoon. Wei Guangde didn't know how time passed so quickly. It was only after the farce that he began to discuss knowledge with Zeng Shengwu while everyone's interest was fading.
As the banquet continued, the atmosphere gradually recovered.
But after all, he was too young. At first, his brother Wei Wencai and Wu Dong didn't care about him drinking, but later they both drank a little tipsy, and then they realized that this was wine, not water.
So later, Wei Guangde didn't drink again. When he left Jingshui Tower, he was the only one who was sober at the table and could walk downstairs by himself. Everyone else needed the help of servants.
After returning home, washing his face and drinking a bowl of sobering soup, Wei Guangde thought deeply in his room and recalled what he had gained today.
He didn't eat much for dinner. His eldest brother Wei Wencai and his cousin didn't come over directly. They were already drunk and were sleeping soundly.
The next day, the eldest brother followed his parents to visit Liu Qianhu. Wei Guangde then realized that it was actually to set the time for Liu's visit.
According to the customs here in Jiangxi, after the elders agree to the marriage, they must first visit the husband's family to investigate the situation. Only when they are satisfied can they make a decision. This is considered to be a marriage. After that, there is also the question of the name, which is to ask the birth date of both parties. After that, there is also the gift of betrothal, which is to pay the betrothal, and the date of marriage, etc.
Liu Cheng, the deputy Qianhu, has a good impression of the eldest brother. For the eldest brother Wei Wencai, the rest is to complete the customs step by step and then enter the bridal chamber.
Wei Guangde begged his cousin Wu Dong to bring gifts to the Zeng family the next day, of course, mainly for the current affairs.
In Zeng Yuanshu's study, Wei Guangde saw a lot of books and current affairs. It was the first time he saw the inheritance of a scholarly family. Not to mention the excellent current affairs in recent subjects, the current affairs of the past few decades were also well preserved.
In the study, Wei Guangde also met Zeng Xingwu. During his time in Pengze, apart from worshipping ancestors and some social activities, he spent most of his time hiding here to enjoy the peace and quiet, that is, reading books, writing some articles and discussing with brothers in the clan such as Zeng Yuanshu.
After greeting everyone in the room, Wei Guangde picked a lot of contemporary articles. Because they were all handwritten, he could only take them home for a few days and find someone to copy them. He couldn't finish it by himself.
Fortunately, his cousin Wu Dong was there. He knew that the poor scholars near the county town had hired people to help copy books in the past two days. Looking at the things Wei Guangde had found, he also knew that he had to find more people when he went back.
Simple classification, among them, the contemporary articles from Huguang brought by Zeng Xingwu should be copied first, after all, after the fifteenth day, people will return to their hometown to continue to review their lessons and prepare for the Huguang County Examination.
After staying at Zeng's house until dinner in the evening, Wei Guangde went home with a lot of spoils.
The next day, Wu Dong helped Wei Guangde find a lot of people to help copy the book. They were very efficient, after all, they could get paid, and they copied two copies, and kept one copy for their own reference.
During dinner on the eighth day of the first lunar month, Wei Guangde heard his father say that he would leave for the city the next day. Then he remembered that his father had said that he would go to Jiujiang Prefecture in a few days.
Well, that was the first big city Wei Guangde entered after coming here, and Wei Guangde was still looking forward to it.
After calculating the time, he didn't know how long he would stay in Jiujiang Prefecture this time. Wei Guangde had to discuss with his cousin and arrange for his family to send the article back to Zeng's house after it was copied.
"Let's all get on the boat."
Uncle Wu Zhankui instructed the family standing on the dock.
Zepeng County is more than a hundred miles away from Jiujiang. If he continues to ride a horse or a car to go there, it will take most of the day.
The key is that the distance is too far. Pengze County is not close to Jiujiang Prefecture. There is also Hukou County in between. If there is a problem with the carriage on the road, it is possible to spend the night in the wild.
Fortunately, you can reach Jiujiang Prefecture by going upstream along the Yangtze River. Although it seems to take a little longer, you don’t have to endure the bumpy ride of the carriage.
The boat is a ship under the Wei Suo arranged by Zhang Tongzhi. It arrived at Pengze Wharf yesterday just to pick up Wu Zhankui and his party.
After getting on the boat, my mother, sister-in-law, and two nieces went into the cabin to rest. Wei Guangde and his party stood outside for a while, but the weather was really cold, so they soon went into the cabin to avoid the cold.
When the ship docked, it was already dark. Fortunately, they had contacted before, and there were servants arranged by Zhang Tongzhi waiting for their son-in-law at the dock. After getting off the boat and getting on the carriage, they went directly to the city.
When the carriage arrived at Jiujiang Prefecture, it was completely dark, and lanterns were hung on the carriage.
The defense of Jiujiang Prefecture was in charge of the Central Army Qianhu of Jiujiang Guard stationed in the city. The carriage with the lantern of the Guard Commander Tongzhi was unimpeded. Although the north gate of Jiujiang Prefecture should have been closed long ago, when the carriage reached the gate, the gate was still open.
"Hey, brother, why is there no curfew in Jiujiang Prefecture? The gate is not closed either?"
When the carriage entered the city, Wei Guangde was quickly attracted by the lively scene of people coming and going on the street, but the plots of TV dramas and movies he watched before also popped up in his mind. At night, shouldn't there be only night watchmen in the city, walking and beating gongs and drums, shouting "It's dry, be careful of fire"?
"Well, I haven't been to the city, so I don't know. Pengze has a curfew at night, maybe Jiujiang Prefecture doesn't."
Although he said so, Wei Wencai himself felt that something was wrong.
"Isn't this a festival? The curfew will be resumed after the 20th."
At this moment, cousin Wu Dong on the side laughed and said, "The rules set down during the Yongle period started from the eleventh day of the first lunar month. They gave ten days of Lantern Festival holiday. All the officials did not participate in the affairs, but listened to the soldiers and civilians lighting up lights and drinking wine. For fun, relax the night ban, and write for orders."
As he spoke, my cousin recited a section of the law, which was obviously the decree issued by Emperor Yongle.
"On the eleventh day, isn't it here yet?"
Wei Guangde also listened carefully to Wu Dong's words and was still a little surprised.
"The world has been at peace for a long time, and many rules are not enforced so strictly, especially now."
Having said this, Wu Dong glanced at the lanterns hanging on the carriage and said: "Here, the sky is high and the emperor is far away. To put it bluntly, the lanterns of the prefect's house and the lanterns of the guardhouse are hung, and the officers and soldiers on night patrol will not do anything. .
The night ban is only for ordinary people. Who cares about the rich and powerful people?
If it is really banned, how many people's livelihoods will be affected by whether brothels, casinos, and theater troupes should be opened? "
When Wei Guangde heard this, he felt it made sense.
Even in Bengshan Fort, there is actually no curfew, but the fort gate has to be closed at night, and a few people are arranged to watch the night. Movement in the fort at night is actually very free.
"Night ban?"
Wei Guangde also noticed that the TV used to talk about the night curfew, but just now his cousin always said the night curfew. The meaning should be similar, but tomorrow, it should be called the night curfew.