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.,However, this was also an era of serious social problems. In the south, there was the threat of Japanese pirates, in the north, the Mongol invasion, and natural and man-made disasters plagued the land. Although Emperor Jiajing was a wise ruler, he squandered the national treasury on Taoist practices, leaving the country in a precarious state.。