Chinese New Year

Chapter 1408 Untitled
It started raining early in the morning, a light drizzle, as if to set the mood.

Shao Xun held a volume of poetry in his hand, looking at it intently.

Sometimes, after finishing a story and turning the page, I feel touched by something and go back to read it again.

He has been living like this for several days.

As noon approached, Huan Wen and Shao Fu arrived.

Shao Xun raised his eyelids, glanced at his daughter, and then looked at Huan Wen.

"Your Majesty, the princess insists on coming every day," Huan Wen said helplessly.

Shao Xun nodded.

Fu Bao gave birth to a son in May, and he is only a little over three months old now. Shao Xun told her that she didn't need to come every day and should stay home to rest. Obviously, Fu Bao was unwilling to comply, especially in the last few days.

"Grandpa, I'm going in to see Mother," Fu Bao said hastily after bowing.

His eyes were red, and even his usual shrewdness was gone, leaving only sadness and confusion.

Shao Xun hesitated for a moment, then finally just hummed in agreement, gestured for Huan Wen to sit down, and continued flipping through the poetry collection himself.

"Gazing at my reflection by the winding pond, I am startled by the first frost on my white temples..." Shao Xun's fingers gently traced the pages of the book as he quietly savored the moment.

He's gotten used to birth, aging, sickness, and death.

Having gone through so much, my nerves have become somewhat numb.

What he does now is more out of habit and responsibility.

Of course, reading through the poetry collection and understanding the deepest emotions in a woman's heart still touched him.

Especially when compared with a line he had seen before, "The morning glow reflects on the face of the lotus, and the evening moon shines on the jade-green dress," it was as if he had crossed countless times and spaces and had a conversation with Liu Xiaohe of different ages.

Women are like this, and so are men.
However, he was resolute and had already laid the foundation for the empire. With most of his affairs completed, he had no regrets about dying and was rather carefree.

If I were to say I'm reluctant to leave, I certainly am, but it's not because I'm afraid of dying.

Firstly, he couldn't bear to leave his wives, concubines, and children; secondly, he felt that the world still needed him to guard it for some time to come. Now that he was dead, he wasn't sure if anyone would retaliate.

Perhaps. The Crown Prince should have a way to stabilize the situation, but it will come at a price.

This price might seem insignificant to many, but Shao Xun didn't want to pay it, not even a little bit.

He looked down at the poetry collection again: "Looking at the withered branches in the courtyard, I know that the pine and cypress are the last to wither..."

Shao Zhen tiptoed over and served Huan Wen a bowl of tea.

Huan Wen nodded his thanks, but dared not utter a sound.

Shao Zhen poured some more tea for Shao Xun.

Shao Xun seemed oblivious, continuing to flip through the pages one by one.

The wind gradually picked up, and the trees in the courtyard swayed precariously. The cold wind and rain kept pouring in from outside.

The wind and rain in September are so bleak.

Shao Zhen went into the courtyard, looked up, and then walked to Shao Xun's side, whispering, "Your Majesty..."

"It's alright." Shao Xun shook his head gently, then asked, "Has Yuanzi eaten yet?"

"Not yet," Huan Wen replied.

"Let's go to the side hall for some food. You don't seem comfortable sitting here," Shao Xun said.

Huan Wen hesitated for a moment, but Shao Zhen stretched out a hand, indicating that he should follow him.

Huan Wen had no choice but to get up and go to the side hall.

Shao Xun looked at it for a long time before finally closing the poetry collection.

He wasn't hungry, and too lazy to eat lunch. He simply stood with his hands behind his back, watching the swaying shadows of the trees in the courtyard, his expression both dazed and resolute.

******
In the evening, Yu Wenjun came over.

Shao Xun accompanied her to dinner, then gestured for her to go back and get some rest.

Huan Wen and Wen Yi, who arrived in the evening, were both sent back by him.

Sima Li came by a few days ago, and Shao Xun didn't stop him. He's a pitiful man; let him see his mother one last time.

After everyone had left, Shao Xun felt a little lonely, so he sat down and reviewed some memorials. After finishing everything, he went to his bedroom.

Pei Lingyan was reading a book under the lamp.

Shao Xun quietly admired her silhouette for a while, then sat down on the edge of the bed.

“Grandpa…” Fu Bao and Xun Niang were sitting inside, crying with tears streaming down their faces.

Liu Xiaohe was still conscious and kept comforting her two daughters: "Birth, old age, sickness and death are like the changing of the four seasons, the constant way of heaven. Your mother's departure is not a final farewell, but a return to the void, like the stars and moon hidden in the morning light. There will be a time when we meet again."

After saying that, she took her youngest daughter's hand and said, "Mother, now that you have found a satisfactory husband, I am at ease. You have no regrets about going on this journey."

The two women burst into tears.

Liu Xiaohe gently stroked their heads, seemingly reluctant to part with them. After a moment, she looked at Shao Xun and said, "Your Majesty."

Shao Xun hummed in agreement and said, "I'm here."

Pei Lingyan gently came up behind him and patted his shoulder.

"Your Majesty has been kind to me for many years, allowing me to reside in your chambers and raise children..." Liu Xiaohe was already out of breath when she said this, but she insisted on continuing: "In this life, I have enjoyed blessings that are difficult for ordinary people to attain. I have no resentment, only gratitude."

“We’ve come this far together, why would you say that?” Shao Xun sighed and said, “Back when we first got Nanyang, it was my fault for leaving you there. And…and what happened back then…” Liu Xiaohe gently shook her head, then slowly reached out and stroked Shao Xun’s cheek, as if wiping away the slap from back then.

After a long silence, she said softly, "Your Majesty, please take care."

Shao Xun was speechless.

Liu Xiaohe finally looked at Pei Lingyan and said, "Hua Nu, the poem is yours. You can burn it if you want, or keep it if you don't. I... I'll take my leave first."

Two tears fell on her shoulder. Shao Xun took Pei Lingyan's hand in return and patted it gently.

"Hua Nu, why do you have to do this?" Liu Xiaohe forced a smile and said, "My departure is like morning dew drying in the morning sun... it is the natural order. After returning to heaven and earth, I can roam freely in... the land of nothingness, and perhaps I can meet Xun Niang again and spend my days with her."

"Mmm," Pei Lingyan responded, her voice choked with emotion.

Shao Xun gently put his arm around her and sat her down.

All these years have passed, and he truly cannot recall when Hua Nu last cried. Of the three, two have departed one after another, and even his close friend Sima Xiuyi has left. Even the strongest person cannot withstand such hardship.

Perhaps, he was the only person she could rely on.

"Why go through all this, why go through all this..." Liu Xiaohe sighed softly, "We've already survived such difficult times, people eating people, ghosts killing ghosts, it's time to let go..."

Endless sighs echoed in the room, gradually fading away.

After an unknown amount of time, Shao Xun gently closed Liu Xiaohe's eyes, picked up Pei Lingyan, and placed her on the couch in the inner room.

The rain has stopped, the dark clouds have dispersed, and the bright moon has appeared.

Shao Xun stared silently at the outside room, remaining silent for a long time.

He recalled the day his father passed away, feeling a mix of sadness and unease.

In the candlelight, a hand gently grasped his.

He looked over and saw Pei Lingyan looking at him with concern.

He grasped the hand that had been with him for who knows how many years, and the frustration in his chest slowly dissipated.

******
After dawn, Cui Yu, the Minister of Ceremonies, arrived again.

For a fleeting moment, he felt a sense of déjà vu. Shaking his head to dispel this inappropriate feeling, he expertly took over the funeral arrangements and began to carry them out.

The Crown Prince did not attend, but the Crown Princess, Lady Lu, was present and comforted Princess Jingfu and Princess Yidu.

Liu Bi, the Chamberlain (formerly Minister of the Imperial Secretariat), also arrived and wept bitterly.

Shao Xun has returned to the Guanfeng Hall.

Perhaps to dispel the negative emotions in his heart, he had someone bring him a large stack of memorials that had already been processed from the Hall of State Affairs, and he looked through them one by one.

The minor official who delivered the memorial was terrified, thinking that the emperor was dissatisfied with the three prime ministers and was going to punish them for their mistakes.

Shao Xun waved for him to leave and continued watching.

In August, the third son, Shao Xu, led 9,000 soldiers from the Shuozhou hereditary army and the royal guards eastward, where they joined 4,000 elite cavalrymen from the Anbei and Beiyi Protectorates, and held a grand meeting of all the tribes at Jinlian Salt Lake.

Wuyuan Lieutenant Mao Bao also led 3,000 infantry and cavalry south to join them.

Wherever the army passed, the tribes living in the salt marshes offered tribute, showing the utmost respect.

Shao Xun knew that Ordos had not yet become a desert in those days and was a rare land with abundant water and grass. Otherwise, Helian Bobo in history would not have chosen Tongwan City as his capital—he chose it because of its numerous waterways, making it suitable for both grazing and farming.

After the establishment of Shuozhou, these tribes actually felt somewhat surrounded. To the east, west, north, and south were either protectorates or the Liang prefectures and kingdoms. Unless they were determined to rebel, they really had no choice but to behave themselves.

Nian Liu led his army to a grand meeting of various tribes, which seemed a bit like a boast of military strength, but it really had an effect.

The three prime ministers of the State Council ordered the leaders of various tribes in Shuozhou to enter the capital before the end of the twelfth lunar month to participate in the New Year's Day court assembly. The court would then distribute gold seals and silk to each of them and allocate pastures to them.

After reading it, Shao Xun didn't find anything wrong with it, so he put it down and picked up another copy.

Fan Yi summoned the king of the former Cheshi tribe to the capital, granted him a residence and official titles, and incorporated the kingdom into Gaochang Prefecture, establishing Cheshi County.

Well, the three of them have different opinions on this document, and it needs Shao Xun's decision. It just hasn't been sent over yet.

After thinking for a moment, Shao Xun wrote in vermilion ink: Approved.

The former part of Cheshi had a population of just over three thousand, an extremely small country. The total number of men, women, and children was roughly the same as the number of soldiers under the command of the Wuji Colonel. The country was frequently harassed by bandits, and if it had not been for the repeated rescues by the soldiers, it would have been easily destroyed and swallowed up.

Shao Xun didn't care what Che Shi Wang thought and simply agreed.

The third memorial was related to the Yuwen Xianbei.

Yuwen Yidougui rallied several tribes to attack, but they refused to submit and suffered a crushing defeat. As a result, his already low prestige vanished instantly, and the fact that he hasn't even been given a headshot yet is only due to the Liang Dynasty's investiture of him.

Chancellor Liu Runzhong requested that an envoy be dispatched to Jicheng as soon as possible to discuss with Li Chong, the Governor of Youping and the Grand Protector of Yanshan, to ascertain the inner workings of the Yuwen Xianbei, and then divide and rule them, appointing three to four leaders.

On this matter, the three prime ministers were in unison and all said it was acceptable.

Of course, for such an important matter, even if the three prime ministers unanimously approved it, it still needed to be reported to Shao Xun for approval.

Shao Xun had no objection; the prime ministers were very cunning, and this was the proper way to do it.

He didn't have any ill feelings towards Yuwen Yidougui, but if you're given an opportunity and can't seize it, who can you blame?

Since the time of Murong Hui, the Yuwen Xianbei have been nothing but punching bags. They've had more than one Chanyu (ruler), but have they changed anything? It's just a change in name only.

Yuwen Qidegui died under mysterious circumstances, and Yidougui is in such a sorry state. The prestige of the Chanyu is declining with each generation, and it's only a matter of time before the Yuwen Twelve Tribes fall apart.

After Shao Xun approved the memorial, he set it aside and prepared to have it sent to the Crown Prince.

Then he started looking at the fourth document...

(End of this chapter)