lt;The misfortune of

Villagers in homespun short shirts carried farm produce past him, casting sideways glances his way, their eyes twinkling with amusement. He could still hear the fading chatter of their conversation.,During the Jiajing reign of the Ming Dynasty, year thirty-six, this was a good era.,As for Qu's thoughts, they were purer than ever. His mind was almost filled with the scriptures of saints and sages; even now, he could "recite from memory" hundreds of brilliant articles and flawlessly recite the Four Books and Five Classics backward.。