Years of continuous warfare had depleted the male population in the Kang dynasty. To stimulate population growth, the imperial court mandated that men aged eighteen and above, and women aged seventeen and above, were required to marry. Failure to comply would result in a threefold increase in land tax.,When it came time to marry, when the county collected taxes at the beginning of the year, they could only report this year's family.,Leading the procession were five county officials and a woman dressed in flamboyant red. Behind them trailed over twenty young women carrying baggage.。