Guide to traveling through the Northern Song Dynasty

For women from the royal family of the old Song Dynasty, if their sons were adults, they would live with them.

For concubines with underage sons or unmarried princesses, Ju Ming did not divide the fields among them, but placed them together to work together. You can get a monthly salary for sewing military uniforms, marching tents, etc. You can also weave and embroider to improve your life.

In fact, Ju Ming did not want to lock them up for too long. They would be free after working for a year or two at most.

Especially among the concubines left by Song Zhezong, the youngest ones are in their forties, and the older ones have become old women. The new dynasty uniformly managed them, more like providing jobs so that they could support themselves.

There are exceptions, such as Wang Guifei, who gave birth to five sons and three daughters for Song Huizong, four of whom did not die in infancy.

It stands to reason that she should live with her son, but her four sons are not doing well, especially the eldest son Zhao Kai who likes to speculate and be lazy.

After going back and forth, Wang Guifei couldn't bear it anymore and took the initiative to apply for a job as an editor.

"Ms. Wang, your son is here again!"

The female official in charge of the camp was tall and round, and she shouted at the top of her voice.

Although women in the Song Dynasty could not be officials (female officials in the palace were not counted), there were a large number of female officials. These female officials are not high-ranking and can be regarded as servants. They are especially responsible for searching female passers-by when collecting tolls.

The eldest Wang family is the royal concubine, and there are also the old Wang family, the little Wang family, and the little Wang family.

Wang Guifei sighed, left Ji Zhu and walked outside.

The camp allows relatives and friends to visit, but it is only open one day a month. Zhao Kai comes almost every month.

"My dear, give your regards to your mother!" Zhao Kai knelt down and kowtowed when he saw her, looking like a filial son.

"No money again?" Wang Guifei's tone was very helpless.

She was very happy at first, because before the change of dynasty, her son could not call her mother, mother and mother.

But soon she became extremely annoyed. The more affectionate Zhao Kai shouted, the more he showed that he was short of money.

Zhao Kai complained endlessly: "The prince rewarded Zhao Huan, but this month he punished me by reducing the monthly grain by another 10%. There are more than ten wives, concubines, and children in the family, and they all rely on their children to work hard to make a living. How can I have enough food like this?" ah?"

The concubine Wang went back to her room and took out two strings of a hundred copper coins from the pottery pot: "That's a lot, just take it."

Zhao Kai suddenly became unhappy: "It's only two hundred dollars, how can it be enough?"

The Concubine Wang sighed again and said earnestly: "Son, you are no longer a prince, so work hard. Of your brothers, which one is better than you? Even your wives and concubines at home are more diligent than you in farm work. This year In the spring, when you plowed the ground to loosen the soil, you swung the hoe a few times, then complained that your back hurt and went home to lie down. When weeding and catching insects, your children were working, but you were having fun by painting with branches. Your wives and concubines I'm so tired that I can't even stand up when I'm carrying water to water the ground, but you don't help. There will be several decades to come, how will we live like this?"

Zhao Kai was exposed in person, and his expression became unhappy: "I am a member of the royal family, how can I do something despicable?"

Pointing to the two bunches of money, Wang Guifei said: "These are what I earned from doing despicable things. If you have the guts, don't ask for them."

Zhao Kai said no more, grabbed the copper coins, turned around and left angrily.

"Alas!" Wang Guifei lamented loudly.

Zhao Kai also became angrier and angrier as he thought about it, kicking the weeds along the roadside to vent his anger.

From the moment he showed his intelligence, he was deliberately pampered by Song Huizong. Although Song Huizong didn't say it explicitly, everything he did seemed to cultivate Zhao Kai as a prince.

As a result, everyone deliberately flattered him, and powerful officials, eunuchs, and Taoist priests praised him to the sky.

How can such a proud and arrogant person be willing to deign to do farm work?

In comparison, Zhao Huan, who has been suppressed for a long time, is more likely to accept reality.

Walking back home, my wife, concubines, and children are all busy at work.

Zhao Kai took out a hundred coins and gave it to his wife, and told him, "If you don't have enough food, just take it and buy some. I'll sit at my fifth brother's house."

Nowadays, the price of rice and wheat in Kaifeng has been controlled to 800 yuan per stone, and it is even cheaper to buy miscellaneous grains.

These people receive monthly rations and some salt. Although Zhu Ming kept deducting the monthly rations of Zhao Kai's family, he would not really starve to death. One hundred cents worth of grains could satisfy him for a few days.

Zhao Kai walked towards his brother's house and shouted from afar: "Fifth brother, I'm here to play tricks on you!"

Zhao Shu's family was shelling corn kernels in the yard. When they heard Zhao Kai's voice, the wives and concubines all looked unhappy.

The wife, Second Aunt Ren, even cursed in a low voice: "This bastard is here to beat the autumn wind again. Our family doesn't have enough food. We can't cook it dry today. The thinner it is, the better, so that this person doesn't come again!"

Zhao Shu smiled awkwardly, stood up and went to open the door: "Brother, please come in."

Zhao Kai looked at the golden corn on the ground and commented: "Your family has a good harvest, and you can make a living by farming in the future."

"The prince asks us to farm the land, so let's just obey." Zhao Shu said.

Zhao Shu is also a very coward, he does whatever he is told and never causes trouble. Historically, in order to please the Jin people, he was captured and halfway north, he also took the initiative to persuade the soldiers and civilians of Zhongshan and Hejian to surrender with Zhang Bangchang, but was shot back with arrows by the defenders.

Zhao Kai sat down with his horse and did not help peel the corn kernels, but casually asked: "What are you eating at home today?"

Aunt Ren said angrily: "We have no food, so we can only eat gruel."

Zhao Kai stood up and left with a smile. About half an hour later, he came back with more than a dozen tender corns: "Your land was planted late, and the corns are not yet ripe. They are delicious roasted or boiled." .”

Several of Zhao Shu's wives and concubines looked at the tender corn in Zhao Kai's hand with sharp eyes that could kill someone.

Zhao Shu signaled his wives and concubines not to get angry, turned around and asked, "Brother, have you heard that the Ming Dynasty's soldiers conquered Xixia and achieved great victory!"

Zhao Kai nodded: "I heard that we won the battle a while ago."

Zhao Shu said: "Recently, some villagers came to the city, but they got the exact news that more than 100,000 prisoners were killed in one battle!"

"I'm afraid it's an exaggeration?" Zhao Kai said in surprise.

"Whether it is an exaggeration or not, my brother can write an article to praise it," Zhao Shu said. "With my brother's literary talent, if he praises the great soldiers of tomorrow, he will definitely be able to please the prince."

Zhao Kai fell silent and began to think about the matter seriously.

There are no high walls to block here. Although soldiers are arranged to guard and patrol, if the princes deliberately try to escape, they still have a certain chance of successfully escaping.

The reason no one ran away was because they had nowhere to go.

Go to the southeast to join Song Huizong?

Stop talking nonsense. They had discussed in private that the Southeastern regime would probably not last long and would be destroyed by the Ming Dynasty sooner or later, and would be arrested a second time.

Go north and join the puppet regime?

They were real princes and would most likely be killed by the false emperor's henchmen.

Moreover, they don’t have much money on them, so they probably have to beg for food on the way before they leave the Gyeonggi Province. Maybe they would have starved to death on the roadside before reaching the Yangtze River.

They really couldn't trust someone who wanted to join the officials of the old Song Dynasty halfway, and they were afraid of being turned over and sent to the government.

Anyway, Ju Ming didn't kill them, and even gave them monthly rations. It was better to live than die.

Now that they have accepted the reality, their mentality has also changed. When writing about their farming experiences, everyone crazyly praised the new emperor and the prince Shengming.

Zhao Kai is no exception. Although he doesn't want to do farm work, he is very good at writing about his farming experience. He spends most of the article flattering the prince.

After some thinking, Zhao Kai even thought of the title of the article, which was called "Ode to the Joy of Hearing the Great Victory of the Conquest of Xia by the Heavenly Dynasty".

"It's a pity that our sisters have all died, otherwise they would have been favored by the prince." Zhao Kai was very envious of Zhao Fujin's brothers. "Eight Lang and the others live a really comfortable life."

Zhao Shu was also very envious and nodded and said: "The three brothers have two cattle. I heard that next year when Zhao Zhen turns sixteen, the prince will give him another cattle. Which farmer in the surrounding area who has no cattle would not please them?" How many days are there still people delivering eggs?”

While the two brothers were talking, their younger brother Zhao Di rushed over: "Mrs. Wen'an County (Zhao Fujin) is here and has arrived at the eighth brother's home!"

Zhao Kai stood up suddenly, threw away the tender corn, and ran home to call his wife, concubines, and children, and asked them to wash their faces and change into clean clothes.

By the time the family arrived outside Zhao Chu's courtyard, dozens of people had gathered there.

"The sinner Zhao Kai, bring his whole family to kowtow to the two ladies!" Zhao Kai, who was arrogant and refused to do farm work, actually knelt down and kowtowed to his two half-sisters.

Zhao Fujin quickly said: "Brother and sister-in-law, please don't do this. Please get up quickly."

After a while, everyone arrived.

Zhao Fujin chatted with everyone for a while, and finally said: "It's not easy to leave the palace. I have to go to the women's camp to visit my sisters, so I won't stay here too much. His Highness the Crown Prince has an order not to give you money, but there are other accommodations. I gave the soldiers some money and asked them to buy some meat. Tomorrow everyone can come to Badi's house for a meal of rice and meat."

The nobles who used to live in fine clothes and fine food now heard that they could have a meal of meat, and they began to swallow their saliva unconsciously.

Zhao Yan held his head high and held his chest high. Eating this meal at his house was equivalent to a treat from him. From now on, the brothers would be more and more eager to please him.

"Congratulations to the two ladies!" A group of former princes escorted the sisters as they left.

Their female relatives in common clothes stared at Zhao Fujin and Zhao Fujin's clothes, looking at them with envy.

Not long after the sisters left, a passerby came to deliver the message.

The imperial edict follows the pattern of the Song Dynasty. There is no heavenly destiny, and ordinary imperial edicts do not require bathing and changing clothes: "The Ming Dynasty granted Zhao Huan the imperial edict of Kaifeng Prefecture to persuade farmers, and the system said..."

After reading the imperial edict, everyone looked at Zhao Huan.

Zhao Huan's family seemed to be overjoyed from heaven and couldn't help but kneel down to express their gratitude.

They finally regained their freedom and could still serve as officials.

Although he is only a no-rank trainee agricultural officer, as long as he learns more agricultural skills, he can be officially promoted to the ninth rank soon.

Zhao Huan rushed home and wrote a memorial, thanking the prince in writing for his kindness to him, and expressed that he would work conscientiously as an official in the future.

As for his throne being taken away by Ju Ming, well...is such a thing possible?

From Ju Ming's point of view, he was not afraid of Song Huizong who was separatist in the southeast. Why was he afraid that Zhao Huan would be free and find an opportunity to escape?

If you want to escape, just run away!

At the meat-eating party the next day, Zhao Huan also encouraged his brothers: "The prince is magnanimous. You should work harder. If you can sincerely repent, you will definitely get out of here!"

Zhao Kai sneered in response, but he was extremely envious in his heart.