A woman in the Tang Dynasty could be the emperor, while a woman in the Zhou Dynasty could be the queen mother and listen to politics behind the curtain.
The same can control the political agenda and become the actual supreme leader of the country.
Although it cannot be said that men and women are equal as in later generations, the status of women in the Zhou Dynasty was definitely very high in the feudal dynasty.
After outings, mountain climbing, horseback riding, hunting, and necessary social activities, Sheng Changbai stopped receiving visitors.
He was so old that he had not even passed the state examination, yet he went to the ancestral home of the Sheng family one by one to look for Sheng Changbai's guidance on articles.
How could Sheng Changbai have so much time to waste with so many people?
It's not that Sheng Changbai doesn't want to support these fellow villagers. Youyang seems to be a county with good economic development.
There are many wealthy families and many scholars, but the quality is really not good. In the decades since the founding of the People's Republic of China, a total of six Jinshi have been awarded.
The Sheng family accounts for half of the total. The three Sheng family members were able to pass the Jinshi exam only after studying with famous teachers.
Excluding the Sheng family, it would take more than twenty years for the county town of Youyang to produce a Jinshi.
No one in a generation can be successful in learning.
The foundation is too poor and Sheng Changbai can't help him.
Uncle Wei and Changsong were in charge of preparing for the ancestor worship.
Rejecting visits from strangers, Sheng Changbai took a group of younger brothers and sisters to play around and became the king of children.
The fifth day after returning is a good day for people to see it and to offer sacrifices.
Led by Sheng Changbai, a grand sacrificial ceremony was held, involving five animals and three animals, which was even more solemn than during the New Year and Qingming Festival.
Someone in the family has passed the Jinshi examination. In this feudal era, the most important thing for the family is far more than the ordinary New Year.
After the sacrifice, a grand banquet begins. Ancestor worship is also a team-building activity for the family to unite people.
The Sheng family members, the guests who came to watch the ceremony, and the idlers who joined in the fun, all came to the Sheng family. Hundreds of banquets, large and small, were held, filling the entire Zhuangzi. It was such a big scene.
This is what Wang Ruofu wanted to do in the capital, but he did not implement it because of his scruples.
In a place far away from the Emperor in Youyang, the Sheng family was the largest noble.
Even the county magistrate and the boss, the two official giants in the county, can only make the Sheng family a little worried, but there is no need to be too worried.
Sheng Wei wanted to do something big, and Sheng Changbai had no reason to refuse.
After staying in Youyang for ten days, Sheng Changbai had visited all around Youyang.
Sheng Changbai was quite familiar with his hometown. He would never know what to introduce when someone asked about his hometown.
More than half of the one-month vacation passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time for Sheng Changbai to return to Beijing.
When he came, Sheng Changbai brought a lot of people and a lot of goods, filling a big ship.
When returning, Sheng Changbai failed to pack lightly and could not even fit in a boat.
I brought back two shiploads of goods, and what I took away was more than what I brought here.
Except for some local specialties in Youyang, which were used by Mrs. Sheng and Sheng Hong to miss their hometown and relieve their homesickness, most of the remaining things were valuable belongings.
The two shipments of goods that Uncle Wei loaded were of considerable value in Youyang.
After taking it back to Bianliang, the value will at least double again.
If it can ensure the safety of transporting goods on the road, it will be less likely to be exploited by bandits, robbers, officials, and powerful men.
If you go to Bianjing to do business, the profits will be quite considerable.
Maybe it was because of the official ship that Sheng Changbai took this trip.
The going back and forth was quite peaceful. Sheng Changbai's goal of seeing these young people see blood was not achieved.
"Bai'er, has this been a smooth journey? You've been in Youyang for so long and you've suffered a lot, haven't you?"
It was the first time that Sheng Changbai had been away from home for so long, which made Wang Ruofu miss him a lot.
"If I didn't endure hardships, our hometown, Youyang Mountain, has good water and good food, and the food and food are good, so what hardships could I endure?"
Wang Ruofu grew up in Bianliang and disliked the fact that Youyang was not as prosperous as Bianliang.
There are all kinds of inconveniences in shopping. There are not all kinds of new rouges, the most popular jewelry, and the latest materials.
He has no old acquaintances of his, and no female relatives with whom he can relate.
There are still a lot of elders and relatives to deal with and they are unwilling to go back.
But Sheng Changbai didn't think there was anything wrong with Youyang. If time allowed, Sheng Changbai even wanted to stay in Youyang for a while.
Not to mention that in Youyang, there is no emperor and no noble ministers, so you can play more freely than in Bianliang.
As for the business, Sheng Changbai hasn't finished his work yet.
The time was too short, and we still don’t know if Chang Wu has made up his mind to take up martial arts.
What is Dafang’s attitude towards Sun Shentong, and what is Shulan’s future like?
Sheng Changbai doesn't know yet.
"How is that possible? It's not like I haven't been to Youyang before. Bai'er, you've been out for such a long time, and your mother has not been idle in the capital. During this time, my mother went out and met many girls from wealthy families. .”
Wang Ruofu said enthusiastically that if he went to see someone else's girl, he would of course go to see Sheng Changbai's daughter-in-law.
"Mom, I'm only old enough to have my hair cut off, and I still have five years to go before I get my crown."
Sheng Changbai and Wang Ruofu emphasized their age.
Men from scholarly families are the latest to get married.
Yuan Wenshao is a noble son, and he is considered an older man in his early twenties.
It is not uncommon for a scholar who is studying not to get married in his thirties.
"Fifteen is not too young. According to the regulations of the Zhou Dynasty, men can get married at the age of fifteen. Now that you have passed the examination, you will not be afraid of delaying your studies if you marry early. In the past few years, officials have You stayed in the capital, and if you don't arrange the marriage quickly, what are you waiting for?" Wang Ruofu's various reasons were quite sufficient.
"How can a man start a family without establishing a career? Although I passed the imperial examination, I still accomplished nothing in the court. How could I worry about getting married and starting a family so early?"
Sheng Changbai said solemnly.
In fact, Sheng Changbai is still young and doesn't want to think about this aspect yet.
The other is that Sheng Changbai really doesn't believe in Wang Ruofu's vision.
Even in this feudal dynasty, the age of arranged marriages.
It's not easy to have free love, but Sheng Changbai should at least choose someone who satisfies him in all aspects.
With the abundant wealth of the Sheng family, the family has established a successful Qingliu family with poetry and calligraphy passed down for three generations.
Sheng Changbai was the most beautiful girl in high school when she had her hair tied back. In the Zhou Dynasty, there were few women who were not worthy of Sheng Changbai.
Even the emperor's daughter wanted to marry Sheng Changbai, but Sheng Changbai couldn't agree.
In order to prevent relatives from interfering in politics, although the princes-in-law of the Zhou Dynasty were not allowed to participate in government affairs, the political upper limit was too low. The fourth-rank official was the limit and could not hold any important real power.
Ordinary Jinshi with a better ranking would not be able to agree with Princess Shang, let alone Sheng Changbai.
"That's impossible if you don't get married. If you don't get engaged and get a wife, your aunt and uncle will send their daughter to our house. After getting the news that you won the lottery, they have already given me
Several letters came to me, urging me to get closer."
What Wang Ruofu said was simply bad news.
Fortunately, Wang Ruofu's words clearly meant that he did not want Sheng Changbai to marry the daughter of the Wang family or the Kang family.
"That's even more impossible. They are all my sisters. How can I marry them."
Sheng Changbai flatly refused and said that it was impossible to marry close relatives. It had nothing to do with the fact that the Wang family was not what it used to be and the Kang family was in trouble.
No matter how good the situation of the two families was, Sheng Changbai would not be able to marry their daughter.
I can't afford to have a mentally retarded child.
In fact, although there was no clear proof in ancient times, these aristocratic families knew more or less that incestuous marriages were more likely to give birth to children who were weak, disabled, or mentally ill.
But to the ancients, the benefits of intimate marriage were also obvious.
Not only can the relationship between in-laws be more closely united, not only is the probability of giving birth to a child with dementia high, but the probability of giving birth to a little genius is also high.
Especially because of the existence of concubines and concubines, many cousins and cousins are actually not related by blood.
For example, Sheng Changbai and the concubine of the Kang family have no blood relationship.
In fact, there is no blood relationship between Sheng Changfeng and the children of the Wang family.
With these fake people in the middle, it will make people think that the probability of children getting sick when close relatives get married is not very high.
One consequence of this is that, in the eyes of the ancients, the benefits of marrying close relatives are higher than the harms.
Take the Sheng family as an example. As long as there is one genius in the family, he can pass the Jinshi examination.
It is more useful than a hundred mediocre people.
"You think I am willing to let you marry their daughter. You went to Youyang and didn't know anything about the situation. You didn't know that your marriage couldn't be postponed. Recently, the threshold of our family has been almost broken by matchmakers.
"
"How can a matchmaker be reliable? They shouldn't be allowed in. What's your father's attitude on this matter?"
Sheng Changbai didn't dislike the matchmaker, but he was from an upper-class family.
There is no way to let a matchmaker come directly to your door. At least you should first find an intermediary and make some inquiries around the corner. Only then can you ask a matchmaker to come to your door if you are interested.
These families who come here to find matchmakers either don't have enough class, or they don't have enough moral character or brains.
If you look for a matchmaker to come directly to your door, it can be said that you won’t find a good match.
Although many Sheng Changbai disliked Sheng Hong for not handling the back house well, at this time, Sheng Changbai wanted to get better for Sheng Hong.
When it comes to handling the marriage of his children, Sheng Hong is much more sober than Wang Ruofu.
"When your father goes to office, you can ask him yourself."
Wang Ruofu said impatiently.
I don't want to mention Sheng Hong so much, maybe it's because the two of them had some conflict during Sheng Changbai's absence.
This is the daily life of two people, it is not a big deal.
"Okay, then I will give the things that Uncle Wei gave to my younger brothers and sisters first."
Sheng Changbai took the opportunity to find something for himself and ran away.
According to the orders of his parents and the words of his matchmaker, Sheng Changbai was chosen as the third flower. He had a certain say in marriage matters, but he was far from being able to make his own decisions.
"Bai'er, did your return to your hometown go well this time?"
After Sheng Hong returned home, he sent someone to inform Sheng Changbai to come to Sheng Hong's study to talk.
The study room of an official or a wealthy family is undoubtedly the most important place.
Important antiques, calligraphy and paintings, treasured ancient books, some private letters, official documents from the court, and memorials that have not been submitted yet are all placed in the study.
Other people in the family cannot enter Sheng Hong's study at will.
Sheng Hong called Sheng Changbai to the study to talk, which was very formal.
This is also an obvious change in Sheng Hong's attitude towards Sheng Changbaizhong after becoming a Jinshi.
"Everything went well. This is the letter that Uncle Wei asked me to bring back to you, and this is the gift list that Uncle Wei sent in return."
Let’s explain the business first and then talk about it.
Except for what was written on the gift list, the rest of the goods in the two ships were given to Sheng Changbai by Uncle Wei.
The direct result was that Sheng Changbai himself became a small rich man.
The value of the goods is at least one thousand guan. With this money, Sheng Changbai can spend a long time in Fanlou.
Of course, what Sheng Changbai said was just to go in to eat, drink, and watch singing and dancing.
Fan Lou's oiran still can't be lit for fun. No matter how much money there is, it's not enough to build it.
Of course, the big man likes a prostitute and has ruined his huge family fortune.
"Tell me about your time in Youyang. Speaking of which, I haven't been back for many years."
"After arriving..."
Sheng Changbai told Sheng Hong about Youyang's situation.
What I’m talking about is what has changed in Youyang over the years.
In fact, Youyang has not changed much, and it is not the era of infrastructure madness in later generations.
At this time, infrastructure construction uses manpower, and large infrastructure projects are really not easy to carry out.
The main thing that has changed is the people, which family has gone and which family has given birth.
Which person has what appearance and character.
These mainly refer to the children of Sheng Wei and Sheng Yun, as well as the three-bedroom family.
Sheng Hong liked the two families in Dafang equally.
Sheng Hong, a three-generation family with three bedrooms, was equally speechless.
Literary men attach great importance to reputation, and Sheng Hong attaches even greater importance to reputation.
It was not good no matter what, seeing the third room starving to death. The third room also had his own uncle Sheng Hong.
"There are two more things I need to tell you."
Sheng Changbai focused on telling Sheng Hong about Changwu's possible martial arts competition and Shulan's possible reconciliation.
Men can divorce their wives, but women who want to divorce can only divorce and cannot divorce their husbands. This may not be so friendly to women.
"If Changwu wants to take the martial arts exam, you can ask him to come to Bianjing. I will find him a coach and focus on practicing the test items."
There isn't much else in the capital, except for the Forbidden Army instructors, who number hundreds of thousands.
Among the dozens of people, there is one instructor. Counting the instructors of the Forbidden Army, there are not 10,000, but 8,000, which is equivalent to the non-commissioned officers in the modern army.
Lin Chong's 800,000-strong Forbidden Army instructor is actually equivalent to a squad leader in the army.
There are about ten people under the squad leader, but Lin Chong doesn't have anyone under him, so he is not as good as a squad leader.
The lowest level is from the ninth level, which is basically just an elite soldier.
"You acted a little impulsively regarding Shulan. As the saying goes, you would rather demolish ten temples than ruin one marriage. You have been steady since you were a child, how could you do such an impulsive thing?"
Sheng Hong was not very satisfied with this matter.
It doesn't matter whether Sheng Changbai is impulsive or not.
Sheng Hong is still worried that if a woman in the family gets divorced, it will affect the family's reputation.
What Sheng Hong cares most about is the interests of the Sheng family, a standard feudal patriarch.
"This is not impulsive. This is because the daughter of the Sheng family cannot be bullied for no reason. Speaking of this, the eldest sister was bullied by her mother-in-law. Have you gone to Uncle Zhongqin? If you don't go, then I will go."