Winter means "end", the last season of the year. "When the cold comes, snowflakes are falling", it is true at all. There is still half a month before New Year's Eve, and the capital is already covered with snow and white snow.
At the beginning of the hour, a group of people and horses were walking slowly in the snow on the outskirts of the capital city. In front of the group were two maroon forest horses. The Zhilin horse is named after being produced in Zhilin County in the far north of Dahua, and is known for its cold resistance. Riding on the horse were two young men, the older one was about 28 or 29 years old, and the younger one was about 23 or 23 or 4 years old. They were both generally tough and strong, wearing only Jin clothes and looking calm. In the middle, there is a two-horse exquisite chariot and a domed sedan, each pulled by two black horses. There is no driver on the chariot or sedan. Following the team were three men riding gray-maned horses. They were all wrapped in fur clothes, only their faces and eyes were exposed, and no description could be discerned.
Dahua has nine ranks of court officials to facilitate the travel of officials and their families. The Ministry of Industry has organized several types of official sedans and official chariots. The three-horse Qilin chariot worn by the first-rank court officials; the three-horse Bagua chariot driven by the second-rank to the first-rank officials; this double-horse exquisite chariot was the official chariot used by the third-rank to sixth-rank officials. As for court officials below the sixth rank, they are not allowed to ride in chariots, and are instead equipped with square horse sedans. If one does not comply with one's rank and rides a chariot arrogantly, it is a serious crime.
The group of people and horses walked very slowly on the snowy road, and words came out from time to time.
"Mom, may I see Daddy today? Last night at the inn, the child dreamed of Daddy." A slightly hoarse voice came from the carriage in front again.
"Didn't your Third Uncle Fu say before that the city gate of the capital has been cleared? According to our current itinerary, we can reach the inner city in Shenshi. I just don't know how far away from the inner city gate is Prince Jia's Mansion." A gentle and soft voice replied.
This exquisite double-horse chariot has a length of seven feet and five inches, a carriage width and an interior height of five feet and three. There are two sets of three-foot-high impellers in front and behind, connected by tungsten iron cast shafts. The chariot has two shafts, which are made of nanmu over thirty years old and soaked in tung oil. They are eight feet long, five inches wide and three inches thick, running straight through the body of the chariot. There are two chariot masts two feet and five inches in front of the carriage, standing on the left and right, connected with the shaft camp, five feet and five inches high and two inches and eight inches in diameter. There are forty-nine ropes connecting the two masts, which are made from the roasted baleen of adult red whales. They are tough and solid. The two masts connected by cables are called a chariot pavilion, and their purpose is to separate the chariot driver from the chariot compartment. There is a double-leaf sliding door at the front end of the chariot, and the officer can exit through it by moving one sliding door to the other side. The chariot system has its own rules: men go out on the right, women go out on the left. However, this is only a small gift, and the wind can't help it. There is a driver's seat in front of the chariot pavilion, and there is a canopy on the seat, which covers the front and rear of the chariot pavilion for two feet and five feet to protect the officials and grooms from the rain and sun. There are two sliding windows inlaid with sand-colored glass on the left and right sides of the carriage, one foot two inches wide and eight inches high, which are used for ventilation and light. There is a toilet three feet apart at the back end of the compartment. There are chamber pots in the toilet, one on each side for men and women. There are two brocade seats on the left and right sides of the chamber and a hanging table. The hanging table extends from the toilet board, one foot and eight inches long, two feet and one inch from the bottom, and can be used for tea and food.
Sitting across from each other in the chariot were a young woman aged between 14 and 14 and a boy aged 14 or 15. It was these two people who had spoken previously.
"Chen'er, when I meet your father now, are you afraid that he will test your homework?" the woman asked happily.
When the young man heard this, he looked embarrassed and blushed. He shrank his head and replied solemnly, "I am not afraid of this literary school. My child studies for three hours every day and has read all the books at home. Although not If you are familiar with it, you will probably be able to cope with your father's school entrance examination. It's just a martial arts school. Mother, you have to help the child! You also know that the child has no talent for boxing, shooting, and riding, although he is not. I have been practicing for more than half an hour every day, but to no avail. I am afraid that I will make my father angry." After the young man finished speaking, his expression flickered and his face turned rosy. He glanced at his mother a few times and saw that her mother was paying attention to him. Really uncomfortable.
The woman gently leaned over and stretched out her left hand to rub the young man's ear and face. After taking a few breaths, she sighed, "Oh, you look just like your uncle when he was young. He doesn't like to practice martial arts and only reads some books." Jingye Zhi. With your parents by your side, you will not suffer any loss. If you leave us alone, how can you take care of yourself and protect yourself?" The woman was already crying slightly at the end of her words. , looking at the young man, his face became more and more loving.
"I shouldn't have made my mother sad!" The boy named "Chen'er" raised his hand and held his mother's left hand, saying with a look of shame on his face.
The woman burst into laughter and said lovingly, "Silly, it's just my mother who thinks of your uncle, and it's none of your business. Why do you admit that you are wrong? You are very good, and your father will naturally know it. Both parents are normal. I love you and love you. Even if you really failed the exam, your father would only criticize you a few words, but he would never really punish you!"
The young man chuckled and responded with a "yes". He stood up from the brocade seat, sat next to the woman, took her arm and leaned his head against her. The woman followed him and scolded him, "You are still a baby." She said nothing and the room became quiet for a while.
About a cup of tea away, the woman suddenly raised her shoulder, touched the young man lightly and said, "Have you remembered it already? When you arrive at the palace, you must not be impudent, and your behavior, words and deeds must not be disrespectful in any way! We say we are guests, but in fact we are guests. You are a servant, everything must be done according to the rules of the palace, and you must not let your own temper pass! If you make a mess, your father will punish you severely!" The woman looked solemn and not joking.
The young man immediately said sternly, "My child must be self-disciplined and don't dare to lose the reputation of the Mei family! Mother, please rest assured."
It turned out that this group of people were relatives of Mei Siyuan who drank with Xia Muchao in Ruiyun Tower that day. The people talking in this chariot were his wife Bailisi and his son Mei Yuanchen. After drinking that day, Xia Muchao asked Mei Siyuan to write a letter to the family. The main message was that the prince invited the Mei family to visit the capital and asked his wife and children to leave as soon as possible to accept the invitation. Mei Siyuan's letter said: When the whole family came, Bai Lisi had roughly figured out what her husband wanted, so he dismissed his servants and took his son and several domestic slaves to open a customs clearance ultimatum at the county government office. After taking a short rest, we headed north.
There are four types of registration systems in the Dahua Dynasty: slave registration, civilian registration, official registration, and imperial registration.
All three generations of direct relatives of the emperors of this dynasty were admitted to the imperial register. By the time of Emperor Yonghua, nearly a thousand people had been admitted to the imperial register. Those who join the imperial family will be rewarded with imperial land, can travel with and live in official posts, and all expenses will be borne by the government. They will naturally be blessed with endless blessings and great respect.
The third generation foreign emperor's relatives and concubines, as well as internal court officials and their direct family members can be admitted to the official register. Anyone who is registered as an official will receive uncertain rewards and land, and will not pay taxes. With the official registration, he can travel through Dahua, and there will be no obstruction in the defense of various cities. And with the official ultimatum, he can live in the official post. The number of people registered as official in this dynasty has exceeded 60,000. Mei Siyuan is the inspector of Qingxi County. He is a civil servant of the third grade. His wife can be admitted to the official position and travel freely.
However, more than 95% of the people in Dahua are registered as ethnic minorities. Those who are registered as citizens can be divided into civil fields based on their registration. They can pay 50 coins to the government office where they are registered to get a customs clearance certificate. With the customs clearance certificate, you can generally travel to various states and counties. You only need to pay the customs clearance fee when entering the city. Dahua does not make people walk too frequently, and the customs clearance fee is quite heavy: generally, the city gate of a state capital is 30 coins, and the city gate of a county is 80 coins. This capital city gate is a full 200 coins! Therefore, most people never leave the state capital in their entire lives, let alone the capital city.
Those who became slaves were those who committed crimes, or those who were civil servants made an offer to buy or sell themselves with others. Those with slave status were not allowed to receive land, could not walk through the city gates on their own, were not allowed to buy property, and were not allowed to do business in the ports. They were treated as a first-class and lowly status.
At the beginning of the Shen Dynasty, Bai Lisi, Mei Yuanchen and their entourage had arrived at the inner gate of the capital. The two people in the chariot felt that the chariot was gradually coming to a halt. In the blink of an eye, they heard a man's voice, "Madam, the inner city gate has arrived. Madam, please give me the ultimatum and hand it over to the guard for inspection!"
Baili Si said happily, "Yes, Brother Fu, wait a moment." Then he turned around and went to the suitcase to get it. Suddenly I heard the sound of horse hooves outside the carriage, followed by a rustle, as if someone on the horse was getting off. I heard a strange voice ask, "Excuse me. Is Mr. Mei's family here?" The tone was very respectful.
The people on the horse had already dismounted, and the 28-9-year-old young man who had previously been riding the Zhilin horse stepped forward and replied, "You're welcome, Your Excellency, we are slaves of the Mei family, and there are indeed relatives of my Lord Mei in the chariot. Don’t you know, Your Excellency?”
The strange man cupped his fists and said with a smile, "I am being reckless. I am Lu Jianting, the bodyguard of Prince Jia's Palace. We are here to receive everyone on your orders. We have been waiting here for three days." As he said that, he raised his finger and pointed. At the customs clearance platform in the distance, there were twelve warriors wearing fox fur and swords, each leading a horse and standing in two rows.
Bai Lisi and Mei Yuanchen walked out from the chariot from left to right. Bai Lisi approached the centurion of the palace, bowed and said, "My wife is Mei Siyuan, the inspector of Qingxi County. Concubine. It has been eleven days since we set out. Due to heavy snowfall on the road, our journey was very slow and we lost a lot of time. Thank you for your waiting, sir!"
Lu Jianting bowed in return and replied, "Madam, you are too polite to offend us. The prince and Lord Mei think they are impatient for waiting. If there is nothing else to do here, why don't I lead you to the palace? Madam, what do you think?" After finishing, he looked at Bailis.
Bai Lisi glanced at Mei Yuanchen and saw her youngest son's eyes beaming with joy, and couldn't help but said, "What Mr. Lu said is true. Please lead the way!"
