Chapter 52

### Chapter 52: The Arrival of Chongzhen's First Year

Without television or computers, the New Year's Eve celebration could not be without its traditions. The Chen family's backyard was brightly lit, and the main hall was bustling with lively chatter. The divine doctor, Master Chen, had come prepared, holding a box and placing it on the table, ready to teach everyone a new game.

It was simple: the game of mahjong. Each player started with thirty pieces of silver, and the one who lost all their money would have to leave. The women were quick learners and soon grasped the rules, then the game began.

To Chen Xie's left was Hongguo, across from him was Yuxuan, and to his right was Yuzhu. An hour later, Chen Xie, frowning, clutched his tiles. It was clear that the other three were close to winning, and they all looked expectantly at Master Chen. Chen Xie squeezed the tiles so hard he almost broke them, but he still couldn't get the three bars he needed.

Chen Xie's mahjong skills were not great. The modern mahjong set he had brought was originally intended to provide a new form of entertainment. Despite his self-proclaimed advantage, Chen Xie was unexpectedly defeated by a group of women who had just learned how to play.

"Three ten thousand!" Under the eager gaze of three pairs of eyes, Chen Xie reluctantly discarded the tile.

"Win!" "I win too!" "I win!" The legendary "one shot, three wins" made its dazzling debut on the first night mahjong arrived in the Ming Dynasty. The creator, Master Chen Xie.

"Ah! This game is impossible!" With a sigh, Chen Xie threw out his last three pieces of silver and stood up, disgruntled. Qingqing, who had been eagerly waiting on the side, asked, "Master, are you leaving already?"

Chen Xie nodded heavily, feeling utterly embarrassed. It took him half an hour to teach these women how to play mahjong, and the result was that he didn't win a single hand all night. The greatest tragedy in life is digging a hole for yourself and then burying yourself in it.

The scene he had envisioned, where the women would lose miserably and beg him to show mercy, did not materialize. The beautiful vision of a grand victory, followed by the signing of an unequal treaty for debt repayment, naturally also fell through.

On the other side of the mahjong table, a group of women were making dumplings. The water in the pot was boiling, and the silver-losing Master Chen decided to vent his frustration with the dumplings. Surrounded by a group of attractive women, eating delicious dumplings, the clock struck midnight on the first day of Chongzhen's first year.

The sound of firecrackers did not shake the resolve of the four women at the mahjong table. Watching Wang Qian and the others set off fireworks in the courtyard, the women silently clasped their hands in prayer, a stark contrast to the intense game of mahjong. Chen Xie regretted it, knowing that from now on, the nighttime benefits would be greatly reduced.

Ah, it's all his fault for bringing mahjong through time!

On the first day of the first month, Chen Xie did not need to go out. He stood at the door, waiting for the villagers to come in one after another, each family coming in full force. Each child received a red envelope with two copper coins. But this was the Ming Dynasty, and rural children had never received red envelopes before!

The delighted villagers said countless auspicious words, and Chen Xie's morning on the first day of the first month passed in a continuous stream of congratulations. Turning around, Chen Xie immediately went back to his room, climbed into bed, and went to sleep.

Incidentally, the mahjong battle in the main hall was still raging, and the four women showed no signs of stopping. Our divine doctor could only sleep alone. After a moment of self-reflection, he finally fell asleep.

On the second day of the first month, it was time to pay a New Year's visit to the Zhang family in Dengzhou. They brought a cart full of gifts, dressed in fine clothes, and a group of servants with peculiar hats followed behind. The women, who had played too much, were all sleeping at home. Chen Xie did not blame them; it was the New Year, after all!

The Zhang family was also bustling with guests, especially those who knew Chen Xie was coming today. As soon as he dismounted, he felt countless eyes on him, seemingly from the two-story wooden building in the Zhang family's backyard.

Chen Xie's judgment was accurate. Zhou Shi was entertaining a group of women and their daughters. These women all had appropriate status, the lowest being the main wife of a scholar's family. If their daughters were not beautiful, these women would not dare to have designs on Chen Xie. Offending Zhou Shi was not a good idea.

At the entrance, there was a flurry of activity as Chen Xie brought too many gifts, a large cart filled with various boxes. The people of Dengzhou were no longer surprised by these boxes, which were the special packaging for American goods.

After a while, the group of well-bred young ladies returned to their positions, continuing to play the role of ladies. In reality, the daughters of these families were indeed a source of well-bred young ladies. Zhou Shi's eyes were sharp, and she quickly ruled out most of the girls, as Chen Xie had a crucial requirement: no bound feet.

This was a real challenge for Zhou Shi!

Not seeing anyone suitable, she had to continue treating them well, taking out the fruits Chen Xie had sent before the New Year, washing them, and placing them on the table. Everyone's eyes widened. In this season, how could there be such well-preserved apples, oranges, and pears? It was unimaginable.

"Are they just gilded on the outside?" A bold young lady took an orange, peeled it, and was stunned.

Chen Xie entered the inner chambers, and Zhou Shi apologized and went downstairs to receive him. Old Master Zhang sat, and everyone else stood, including Zhang Yao and Zhou Shi.

After Chen Xie paid his respects, Old Master Zhang tactfully left, leaving Zhang Yao and Zhou Shi to keep him company.

After some small talk, Zhang Yao picked up a letter of appointment from the table and handed it to Chen Xie, smiling, "The military position you requested was approved before the New Year."

Chen Xie was overjoyed, but when he opened it and saw the content, he was dumbfounded. What was a "Dengzhou Militia Commander"? The seal on it was from the Dengzhou Maritime Defense Office. Well, Chen Xie looked at Zhang Yao, who was grinning widely. With an attitude of "what can you do about it," Chen Xie had to give up the idea of resistance. Militia commander it was, even if it was just a makeshift group.

"Xie, don't underestimate this Militia Commander. With your current reputation in Dengzhou, you will have a hundred responses to one call. Money, equipment, and troops can be gathered without much trouble," Zhang Yao pointed out directly that organizing the militia was not just Chen Xie's responsibility. It couldn't benefit the local wealthy families who had profited from Chen Xie's American goods.

"Xie understands, but I don't plan to trouble them for equipment. For money and horses, they can contribute as much as they can. To be honest, I don't expect much from them. I just want a solid foundation for myself," Chen Xie explained with a self-deprecating tone. Zhang Yao smiled and shook his head, "Xie, you haven't understood one thing. The Militia Commander may not be a formal military position, but the size of the militia is up to you."

This lifted Chen Xie's spirits. He knew exactly what the troops stationed in Dengzhou were like. Historically, the old troops of Dongjiang Town, led by Kong Youde, easily broke through Dengzhou and swept through Shandong, unbeatable. They were finally defeated by the Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, showing the low quality and combat effectiveness of the Shandong army.

Even the mighty Guan Ning Iron Cavalry, the strongest in the Ming Dynasty, dared not engage the Manchu army in open battle. This showed how corrupt the Ming army had become by the time of Chongzhen. Relying on them for protection was like hoping for divine intervention, without the Eight Banners of the Qing.

In short, he could only rely on himself! He couldn't count on anyone, unless Chen Xie stopped time travel, this was a hurdle he had to overcome.

The women in the inner chambers did not wait for Zhou Shi to bring Chen Xie upstairs. Everyone knew the matter was off. Of course, it wasn't a wasted trip; they all received some gifts on their way out. The gifts were not particularly valuable, just fruits that couldn't be seen in this season. Even so, everyone felt it was worth the trip.

This failed attempt to matchmake Chen Xie dealt a heavy blow to Zhou Shi's confidence. She decided not to push the matter too much, thinking it could wait until a suitable match came along. Meanwhile, Zhou Shi received good news: the two maids assigned to Chen Xie by the Zhang family had successfully become his bed companions. Since they were bearing his children, there was no rush. Even children born to maids were of the Chen family's bloodline.

Indeed, in the Ming Dynasty, a man who had a child before his official wife was chosen would find it much harder to find a good match. But Zhou Shi believed this was not a problem.

For the common people, the first month of the year was mostly for rest and recuperation. For Emperor Zhu Youjian, the New Year was no different from any other day. After ascending the throne, Chongzhen felt he was working hard to reform the country. As long as the ministers were cooperative, it would not be difficult to bring peace to the land.

In the first month, Zhu Youjian issued several edicts, recorded in the Ming History. Eunuchs were not allowed to leave the palace without imperial orders. Empress of Emperor Xizong was honored as Empress Yian. Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu were posthumously punished.

Posthumous punishment was a form of execution where the body was not spared even after death.

It is not clear why Chongzhen ordered the posthumous punishment of Wei Zhongxian and Cui Chengxiu, as it is not recorded in the Ming History. I suspect it was due to pressure from the civil officials, who demanded this to satisfy their private grievances.

On the eighth day of the first month, Chen Xie ended his personal vacation. Generally, the New Year's celebrations did not end until the fifteenth, but Chen Xie did not have this concept. The extremely poor people of the Ming Dynasty did not have the mood to wait for the fifteenth.

On the eighth day, Zhang Tietou, the blacksmith from the Zhang family village, was dragged out of his house by Master Chen and ordered to start work. He needed to solve the problem with the cart axles. In the modern world, this was an easy problem for Chen Xie to solve, but why not do it in the Ming Dynasty, where blacksmiths could handle it?

On the same day, Wen Bajin was dragged out of his house by Wang Qian and told, "Start work!"

On the same day, before dawn, Chen Xie, feeling unsatisfied, rushed into the servants' quarters in the front yard, kicked open the door, and shouted, "Get up, all of you! From today on, your good days are over."

Indeed, Chen Xie was feeling unsatisfied, as Yuzhu, who was on night duty, had her period.