Gu Zhengchen knew that the feudal dynasty could only act as ants at the bottom, and ants did not even have the right to struggle!
This is the Hongwu Dynasty!
Be a common people?
He will face endless corvee work, building cities, rivers, transporting grain, various taxes, and various apportionments. Even if Gu Zhengchen is a civil servant and exempted from corvee labor, he will not be able to protect himself, let alone protect his relatives!
Be a businessman?
Lao Zhu hates businessmen. Shen Xiaosan should be helping Lao Zhu build the Nanjing city wall now. In a few years, this guy will be unlucky, bringing with him hordes of wealthy gentry and landlords.
Besides, when the Guo Huan case broke out, those with a lot of money and land were basically wiped out. Being a businessman would be very hurt...
If you want to become a fierce beast with the ability to protect yourself, you can only enter the official career.
Gu Zhengchen looked towards the sky, his face solemn.
The official career in the Hongwu Dynasty was almost equivalent to death.
Now, the famous Hongwu Four Cases have not broken out yet, but within three years, the Kongyin Case will kick off the bloody massacre. If you want to survive one bloody storm after another, you need more than just wisdom and means, you also need luck...
But can luck be reliable?
Although I know the history of the Ming Dynasty and can follow the rhythm of history to seek advantages and avoid disasters, this is a dance on the tip of a knife. If you are not careful, you will be killed!
But there is no other way to go. If you don't want to be bullied, you must hold power. This is the only rule in the feudal era!
Now that the imperial examination has been cancelled, if you want to enter the official career, get rid of your "semi-civilian" status, and enter the vigorous Hongwu officialdom, there is only one way to go:
Obtained the "recommendation" from the magistrate of Teng County or the county school and teaching edict.
But Gu Zhengchen is a typical nerd. His father, Gu Yan, taught him how to read and write. He neither knows the teachings nor has ever curry favor with the county magistrate. Most of the people who succeed in the exams are the result of years of continuous examinations and "making up the numbers". If they want to It is almost impossible to obtain the favor and recommendation of magistrates and edicts.
No way out?
Then overcome the obstacles and find a way out!
But before that, the debt problem must be solved. There are only seven days to pay off the debt, and he will only be able to farm land for the Wang family for the rest of his life.
Seven days, six dollars!
This is no easy task.
Gu Zhengchen spoke to his neighbors to avoid worrying about his mother's early return, and left home with Gu Qingqing.
Dayan Village is located four miles north of Tengxian County. Take the small road from Dayan Village to Sanli River. After crossing the bridge, you enter the spacious but uneven official road.
Gu Qingqing turned her head to look at Gu Zhengchen. Seeing Gu Zhengchen staring at the road, she couldn't help but ask: "Brother, what's wrong?"
Gu Zhengchen's eyes moved from near to far, looking at the official roads with large and small potholes, and he couldn't help but frown and said: "I remember that in the first year of Hongwu, the imperial court began to build inns and repair the official roads. Why are the official roads like this?" Unbearable?"
Gu Qingqing looked at the road at his feet and said: "This official road has been repaired, but after the rain, the road becomes very muddy. There are too many cars, horses and pedestrians, which inevitably leaves potholes."
Gu Zhengchen nodded and moved the corner of his mouth slightly: "It would be great if there were asphalt roads and concrete roads."
"What way?"
Gu Qingqing was a little confused.
Gu Zhengchen smiled and shook his head, pointing to the county town in the distance: "Nothing, let's go and have a look at the county town."
On the official road, there are people carrying burdens, firewood, and baskets going in and out of the city. There are merchants and vendors leading donkeys, and the donkeys carry goods from north to south.
Teng County is a small city. The one-foot-high city wall is full of historical vicissitudes. The patrol sergeants are not strict. At this time, Lao Zhu had not yet issued a road guide system, so it was relatively easy to enter and exit the city.
"Brother, where are we going?"
After entering the city, Gu Qingqing looked at the lively streets and asked.
Gu Zhengchen thought about the layout of Teng County, then looked at the only copper coin in his hand, and said helplessly: "Let's find a tea shed to rest."
"Tea?"
Gu Qingqing's body ached a little. This was the money her mother gave her when her brother was elected, and his brother actually wanted to use it to buy water?
Luxurious, too luxurious...
Gu Zhengchen didn't want to, but he didn't even know which wealthy families there were in Teng County or what their preferences were. How could he feed the wealthy families and earn six thousand dollars?
Later generations of market science tell themselves:
Do a good job of research to get an accurate positioning.
Only by doing what you like can you make a lot of money.
The first step to making money is to do research and master information.
Street tea shack.
Many traders and laborers would stop and ask for a cup of tea to quench their thirst when they were tired or thirsty.
It’s April in the lunar calendar and it’s a bit hot.
Gu Zhengchen chose some seats inside and sat down. Gu Qingqing was reluctant to pay a penny for a bowl of tea and just sat and watched.
"This tea has been brewed for a long time and the alkali is heavy."
Gu Zhengchen tasted it silently.
Most of the talk in the public was about trivial matters between parents. What was a bit surprising was that someone actually talked about the Battle of Lingbei, causing everyone to groan.
The Battle of Lingbei took place last year, the fifth year of Hongwu, and was called the Second Northern Expedition of Ming Taizu by later historians.
Zhu Yuanzhang sent Xu Da, Li Wenzhong, and Feng Sheng, each with 50,000 cavalry, to attack Yuan Ting in three groups. Lao Zhu wanted to finish his work in one battle and clear the Mongolian desert forever, but the reality is that Xu Da's main middle route army was defeated, Li Wenzhong's east route army had equal gains and losses, and only Feng Sheng's west route army won.
Xu Da's defeat in the Battle of Lingbei not only resulted in the death of more than 10,000 people, but also severely damaged the number of war horses. As a result, Ming Dynasty was forced to go on the defensive. In the next eight years, it could only lick its wounds and accumulate strength.
"I heard the news that the court is likely to let people raise horses..."
"How do ordinary people know how to raise horses? If they die, they will not be compensated."
"Hush, be careful, the affairs of the court are not ours to talk about. You have heard, right? A few days ago, the old man of the Liang family celebrated his sixty-sixth birthday. The theater troupe invited him for three days in a row, and he even went on stage to sing a song in person. Come on, haha..."
"Are you crazy about drama?"
Gu Zhengchen held the tea bowl in his left hand and put his right hand on the table. When he heard the interesting story about the old man from the Liang family, he raised his right middle finger slightly and tapped the table twice quickly.
Gu Qingqing was a little bored, watching Gu Zhengchen tapping the middle finger of his right hand on the table from time to time, counting silently: "Once, twice..."
People in the market can really say that Rich Sun is always happy, the widow of the old Wang family stayed in the house, the Sun family got engaged, and the Hu family butcher shop sold several kilograms of meat...
"Ms. Gu has been kneeling outside the Zhao family's door for two days. This old Zhao is too cruel. He won't even let him in. Bah, what kind of in-laws are you?"
"We can't talk about the in-laws yet. Then Gu Zhengchen has only made a marriage contract with the third lady of the Zhao family, but they haven't gotten married yet."
"Does the Zhao family still dare to regret their marriage?"
"So what if you regret your marriage? I heard that the member of the Gu family is stupid, and the Zhao family regrets their marriage. It's just fifty lashes. With a little money, these fifty lashes can be avoided..."
Gu Qingqing looked at Gu Zhengchen, whose face was as gloomy as water, and called softly: "Brother."
Gu Zhengchen narrowed his eyes slightly, handed the copper coins to the clerk, found the flat coins and put them in his arms. He stood up and said, "Sister, have you heard of this poem? Don't deceive your heart. There is a god in your head. If If you still commit evil without retribution, the world’s thugs will eat everyone!”
Gu Qingqing shook his head. He had never heard it before, but he could feel that his brother was very angry.
After Gu Zhengchen and Gu Qingqing left the tea shed, an elegant middle-aged man stared at the direction Gu Zhengchen left and asked the white-bearded elder in front of him: "If you continue to do evil without retribution, the world's murderers will eat each other! It's so big Violent, Xu Jiaoyu, do you know who this person is?"
