After parting ways with Liu Guan, Chen Kan took the convoy to the southwest and entered Jiangxi from Chuzhou.
The first stop is Jingdezhen, which has always been known as the capital of porcelain among the Central Plains dynasties.
The Chinese nation has developed for thousands of years from ancient times to the present. To put it bluntly, it relies on three things to get along.
The first thing is naturally silk. During the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors period, the Chinese people had a tradition of planting mulberry leaves and raising silkworms on a large scale. Even after thousands of years, the export volume of silk still accounted for a very high proportion of the Ming Dynasty's commercial tax. proportion.
The second is porcelain.
This exquisite utensil is even more fascinating than the legendary colored glaze. No matter which country comes to worship the Ming Dynasty, the most popular thing brought back must be porcelain.
It was precisely because of the crazy pursuit of porcelain in various countries that in a certain braided dynasty in later generations, porcelain once became the name of the Middle Kingdom.
As for the last thing, it is tea.
The cultivation of tea in the Central Plains Dynasty can be traced back to the Spring and Autumn Period and the Warring States Period.
Hua Tuo, a famous doctor in the late Eastern Han Dynasty, mentioned in "Eating Theory": "Eating bitter tea for a long time will benefit your mind."
The translation is "Tea tastes bitter, but drinking it can make people think deeply and expand their thinking."
Kutu refers to tea.
Of course, tea from the Central Plains was exported to all over the world later than silk and porcelain. It was not until the Song and Ming Dynasties that tea became the pillar industry of the Central Plains dynasty.
Before the Song and Ming dynasties, silk and porcelain dominated the market.
Chen Kan brought his family to Jingdezhen. In addition to seeing the porcelain capital of the Ming Dynasty, he also wanted to inspect the development of the porcelain industry.
Today's maritime trade in the Ming Dynasty is becoming more and more prosperous, but behind the prosperity of maritime trade is the vigorous development of handicraft industry.
Otherwise, even if the Ming Dynasty occupied the sea, it would not be able to find so many goods to transport and dump.
In addition, there is another very important reason why Chen Kan wants to go to Jingdezhen. In recent years, all the wealth in the world has flowed to the Ming Dynasty, which has caused the prices of goods in the Ming Dynasty to rise and the currency to depreciate sharply.
Ming Dynasty has more and more money, but the output of various materials is only so much every year.
Production and income already have an inverse trend. This is a very abnormal economic growth state. Therefore, Ming Dynasty must continue to improve social productivity, otherwise it will breed a bunch of lazy people who only eat and do not work.
Porcelain was Chen Kan’s first choice.
Half a month later, the convoy drove out of Yingtian Mansion and arrived at the core of Jiangnan.
The Lianghu area has been said to be the granary of the Central Plains since ancient times. Since the introduction of Champa rice in the former Song Dynasty, this rice that can be harvested three times a year but tastes like bran has become the ration of the people in the Jiangnan area.
On the plains covered with dense water networks, people are busy harvesting rice everywhere.
Suddenly seeing the huge convoy led by Chen Kan, the busy people couldn't help but cast curious glances at the convoy subconsciously, but then they became vigilant.
Although the Ming Dynasty's road guide policy has become a piece of paper, for the people far away from the capital, seeing strangers in such a large number still makes them panic from the bottom of their hearts.
Chen Kan and the Zhu brothers were riding horses on the flat official road, taking in a panoramic view of the harvest scene.
Zhu Zhanji smiled and said: "The land of fish and rice between the two lakes is indeed well-deserved. The rice near the capital is not yet mature, but the harvest in Jiangxi has already begun."
Zhu Zhanji is not one of those noble gentlemen who doesn't know how to distinguish between grains and limbs. Naturally, he knows what harvesting grain means in this season.
You must know that it is only May. Under normal circumstances, only summer wheat from the north is harvested in May, and spring wheat must be harvested at least until the end of May. It is only the beginning of May now.
The completion of this crop of grain harvest means that the people in Jiangnan will be able to grow at least one more crop of grain before the end of the year.
Food, no matter in which era, is the most important criterion for judging a prosperous age.
Hearing Zhu Zhanji's emotion, Chen Kan smiled slightly and said calmly: "The rice seeds grown in Jiangnan are different from those in the capital. The food in the capital is grown for the nobles to eat, while the food in Jiangnan is stored for use in times of famine. They cannot be compared."
After being retorted by Chen Kan, Zhu Zhanji did not say anything more.
As Chen Kan said, the rice seeds in the capital have a long growth cycle and taste good, because the nobles want to eat them.
For the common people, high yield is the most important thing, and taste is secondary.
Chen Kan turned his attention to a tall grain stack on the side of the road. After observing it for a while, he turned to Zhu Zhanhe and ordered: "Xiaohe, go find a fellow villager to buy some grain. Let's eat this rice tonight." .”
Zhu Zhanhe was stunned for a moment, with a strange look flashing in his eyes, but he always regarded Chen Kan's words as a guide. Although he didn't quite understand, he still reined in his horse and left the team towards a grain pile.
Not long after, he came back with a big handful of rice.
"Teacher, the rice is still wet and cannot be knocked down, so I had to bring it with the rice stalks."
Chen Kan nodded and waved to the guards at the back of the motorcade, who then stepped forward and took the rice from Zhu Zhanhe's hands.
The group of people continued to ride forward, and Zhu Zhanhe couldn't help but asked curiously: "Teacher, this kind of rice has been eaten by students before, and it is very unpleasant. The food we brought in the convoy is obviously enough, why do we still need to eat this?"
Chen Kan said calmly: "As for food, if the people can eat it, we can eat it too. Don't be picky when you go out."
Zhu Zhanhe twitched the corner of his mouth, wanting to say that they were noble people, but thinking that his royal ancestor had been a monk when he was young, he finally closed his mouth angrily.
Zhu Zhanji didn't say anything.
Regarding food, he and Chen Kan had the same view, that is, as long as it can fill their stomachs.
No matter how unpleasant the taste of the three-season rice is, it is much better than millet rice. In the palace, he can make three millet rice cakes, let alone a little grain.
When it was getting late, Chen Kan found a flat land by a small river to set up camp. Chen Kan washed the brown rice stripped by his guards and began to steam it in the town.
Brown rice is steamed twice to make double-steamed rice. A small bowl of rice can steam a large pot.
This kind of rice is used to appease the stomach, including cooling the porridge and cutting it into pieces. It is also the same reason. It looks like a lot and you will feel full after eating it, but it is not enough to provide the nutrients the human body needs for a day.
Chen Kan divided the pot of double-steamed rice into three equal bowls. He, Zhu Zhanji, and Zhu Zhanhe each had one bowl.
"This is our breakfast tonight!"
Chen Kan said something to the two of them, then picked up his bowl and started to eat in his mouth.
Not to mention Zhu Zhanhe was a little dazed, even Zhu Zhanji was a little uneasy now. Just because he is not picky about food doesn't mean he has no demands.
"Teacher, just eat rice, don't you deserve to order some food?"
"Look, this is dry rice. Many people can't even eat this kind of food and can only eat gruel."
Chen Kan rolled his eyes at Zhu Zhanji, and then continued to plan the rice.
The reason why he wanted to take Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe out of the capital this time was of course to let them see the real situation of the Ming Dynasty for themselves.
The two of them grew up next to Zhu Di, and then they started to remember and lived a wealthy life with no worries about food and clothing in the Hou Mansion.
Although they are good enough, their vision is still a bit narrow.
As for what the situation is like among the people, they can only learn about it from wealthy places like the North and South Beijing and both sides of the canal.
Although the people in these places are not rich, at least they have enough to eat, so that they all believe that the Ming Dynasty is now a prosperous age.
But Chen Kan knows too well whether the Ming Dynasty is prosperous now.
Zhu Zhanji is destined to ascend to that position in the future. Letting him know what people's suffering is early is very necessary for the path he wants to take in the future.
After being choked by Chen Kan, Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe were stunned for a moment, but they began to slowly eat rice in their mouths.
What is it like to eat grains like bran?
The taste is secondary. First of all, it is very dry, so dry that I can't swallow it without drinking water.
Therefore, the Zhu brothers could only drink water and eat at the same time.
Cold water and double steamed rice made both of them roll their eyes.
After Chen Kan finished the rice in his bowl, he returned to the tent and prepared to sleep.
When Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe saw Chen Kan leaving, they quietly poured the rice in the bowl into the stream, and then returned to the camp to start feasting.
But as soon as they returned to the camp, they discovered that the snacks they brought from the capital were missing.
Zhu Zhanji angrily called his guards to ask, who looked confused: "Your Highnesses, the Marquis said that there will be no food rations for you two tonight. In addition, the Marquis also issued a prohibition against you two." Going out to camp privately to look for food.”
Hearing the words of the personal guard, the Zhu brothers looked at each other with bitterness on their faces.
What happened? Chen Kan didn't tell them when he came. They needed to experience the suffering of the people.
at this time--
In the large tent where Chen Kan was, a personal guard was vividly reporting to Chen Kan the sight of the two highnesses pouring grain into the stream.
Chen Kan listened quietly, and after the guard finished speaking, he calmly ordered: "Since they don't eat rice, their food quota will be replaced by gruel at noon tomorrow. Remember to ask for the kind that the common people drink. "
"yes!"
When the guards took the order and left, Chen Kan couldn't help but rub his eyebrows.
Chang Ning held Fengyang and stayed quietly aside. After hearing Chen Kan's arrangement, she couldn't help but come up and ask: "After all, they are people who are used to rich clothes and fine food. Isn't this too harsh?"
Chen Kan shook his head and said: "When Taizu didn't start a family, he worked as a beggar and even a monk. That's why Taizu cherishes the people so much and hates corrupt officials so much, because he knows very well that as long as the people have one Those who stutter will not choose to rebel.”
Chang Ning said in surprise: "How can they compare with Grandpa Huang? How experienced is Grandpa Huang."
Chen Kan said: "So I just let them experience the food of ordinary people, instead of letting them directly farm their own land and beg for food."
After being choked by Chen Kan, Chang Ning couldn't help but roll his eyes.
Chen Kan continued: "They are different from ordinary clan members, especially Zhan Ji. He is now the emperor's grandson and the future emperor of the Ming Dynasty. If even he doesn't know what kind of life the people are living, who can the Ming Dynasty count on?" ?”
"Okay, okay, you are right anyway."
Chen Kan's preaching made Chang Ning a little angry. He said it as if she was the cysticercus.
"Hahaha......"
Chen Kan couldn't help laughing a few times, and then whispered: "Okay, go to sleep, we have three days to go to Jingdezhen. Aren't you curious about how it can be transformed from clay into such exquisite porcelain? You are just about to go Open your eyes.”
Chang Ning stuffed Fengyang into Chen Kan's arms, rolled her eyes and said, "I haven't washed up yet~"
"Go quickly!"
Chen Kan urged, and after coaxing Fengyang to sleep, he suddenly became very sleepy.
...
The next day, Zhu Zhanji and Zhu Zhanhe's morning food turned into a pot of gruel.
Zhu Zhanji's eyes widened, and he stirred with chopsticks for a long time before finding a few whole grains of rice.
"Teacher, just eat this?"
"The disciples will starve to death!"
Chen Kan finished the porridge from a large bowl and said sideways, "This is what the people eat. If they can live, you can live too."
Hearing Chen Kan's indifferent words, Zhu Zhanji suddenly looked sad and angry.
Zhu Zhanhe stared at the clear porridge in the bowl for a long time, and suddenly asked: "Teacher, the eldest brother is the grandson of the emperor. He needs to know the sufferings of the people. Since the disciple will not be the emperor in the future, there is no need for it, right?" "
Chen Kan shrugged and said lazily: "Who can say for sure? What if your father shows off his might and tramples all your uncle, grandfather and third uncle under his feet? It's not impossible, right?"
Hearing Chen Kan's nonsense, the corners of Zhu Zhanhe's mouth kept twitching.
Zhu Zhanji frowned and said, "How does the teacher know that the common people are eating this kind of thing? This is just a bowl of water. How can it be possible to have a full stomach?"
As soon as he said this, Chen Kan couldn't help but sneered, then pointed to the war horses not far away, and then pointed to the village not far away with smoke coming from the cooking stoves, and said lightly: "It's dinner time now, if you don't believe it, just go and see for yourself , look at what the people are eating."
"Just go and see it!"
Zhu Zhanji suddenly placed the bowl of porridge heavily on the table and ordered to Zhu Zhanhe: "Brother He, let's go!"
Zhu Zhanhe struggled for a moment and put down the porridge bowl.
The two royal highnesses were going to pay a private visit incognito. This was a big deal. Wang Can was about to lead someone to follow when he was stopped by Chen Kan.
"Master Marquis, why don't we follow?"
"What if something happens to your two highnesses?"
Wang Can looked anxious as he watched the Zhu brothers riding towards the village not far away.
Chen Kan stopped and said, "No, you take people with you. After they see the people's food, they may think that I arranged it deliberately. Don't worry, nothing will happen."
Chen Kan comforted Wang Can with a few words, then looked in the direction of the village and drank porridge slowly.
His porridge was finished, but the Zhu brothers' porridge was cold.
In less than a stick of incense, the two of them left and came back.
When I went there, my face was full of anger, but when I came back, I was taciturn and as depressed as two quails.
Zhu Zhanji picked up the bowl and drank up the cold porridge in one gulp. Zhu Zhanhe showed his imitation.
The two were silent for a moment, and Zhu Zhanji suddenly asked: "Teacher, why do all the civil and military officials in the capital now say that the Ming Dynasty has reached its peak?"
