Diqin Designer

Chapter 328 Next Year Will Be Better
The Great Qin New Year Party lasted until the sun set, and then everyone left one by one. According to the First Emperor, today was a festive day, and everyone should go home to celebrate with their families. Even Meng Yi, who had been by his side almost all year round, was given a day off.

Li Nian had no relatives in this time and space, and nowhere else to go, so he naturally stayed.

Hearing the bursts of "pang", "gang" and "hu" laughter coming from behind, the First Emperor raised his eyebrows and looked in the direction of the sound. He saw dozens of tables in the side hall of Zhangtai Palace. People were sitting in front of the tables, playing the quintessence of China - mahjong!

Mahjong was naturally brought into this era by Li Nian. In this era, there was a lack of entertainment activities, and people always had to find some fun for themselves. As a Shu person, mahjong naturally came to mind.

This thing is simple to make and the rules are easy to understand. You can quickly learn it after playing a few times. It can also allow four people to participate at a time, which is quite suitable for this era.

After Li Nian invented mahjong, it quickly spread throughout the palace and received rave reviews, becoming extremely popular. These praises mainly came from the concubines in the First Emperor's harem.

Although they had no worries about food and drink, they were confined to the deep palace every day and had few entertainment activities, which was really boring. The emergence of mahjong added some fun to their boring and monotonous lives.

At this moment, the people playing mahjong in the side hall of Zhangtai Palace, except Hu Hai, were the First Emperor's concubines and unmarried daughters. Li Nian was not playing mahjong. He was sitting next to Ying Shunying, teaching Ying Shunying how to play cards.

"Self-draw, Dragon Seven Pairs, pay me, pay me!"

Under Li Nian's guidance, Ying Shunying won again. His handsome face was full of joy, and he stretched out his hand to ask for money from the other three people at the table.

The other three had bitter faces. Ying Shunying didn't know how to play mahjong, but with Li Nian's guidance, he had won several games in a row.

Hu Hai happened to be at the same table with Ying Shunying. He said in a low voice with a bitter face: "Brother-in-law, you have let my sister win so many games, let us go. If we continue to fight, I will lose everything!"

The title of "brother-in-law" made Ying Shunying blush. Although everyone knew that she would marry Li Nian in the future, she had not officially married him after all.

A concubine next to her also said, "That's right, Shunying has already learned it. Why don't you stop teaching, Li Nian, and let Shunying do it herself?"

Li Nian said seriously, "The princess has just learned it, so there are many shortcomings. I think the princess still needs me to give her some advice occasionally, unless the princess thinks it is not necessary!"

Ying Shunying immediately said: "That's right, I just learned it, I'm not familiar with it yet, I still need him to give me some advice!"

The other three people at the table were speechless for a moment. These two were obviously cooperating with each other. One said, "Unless the princess thinks it is not necessary." But how could the princess think it is not necessary?
The card game continued, and while stacking the cards, Hu Hai whispered again: "Brother-in-law, when are you going to marry my sister?"

Li Nian glanced at Hu Hai and saw that the boy had a smile on his face and his eyes were full of respect and admiration for him, as if Li Nian was someone he admired and respected very much.

But Li Nian did not dare to be careless. This was Hu Hai. Even if many of those things in history were instigated by Zhao Gao to do them, this guy was definitely not clean, especially killing his brothers and sisters.

That was the bloodline of the First Emperor. Even if Zhao Gao wanted to harm him, he couldn't do it without Hu Hai's personal approval, who thought that his position would be more secure if he had more than his brothers and sisters.

In the past year, Hu Hai had enjoyed the treatment of a prince, but he was no longer favored by the First Emperor as before. The First Emperor seemed to raise him as an ordinary prince.

This made Hu Hai feel a sense of crisis. He was the youngest prince and had many brothers above him. In terms of age, the seat was the farthest away from him.

His only hope to ascend to that throne was the favor of his father. Because of his favor to him, his father had made him the next emperor of the Qin Dynasty against all odds. But once he was no longer favored by his father, he would have no chance to ascend to that throne.

Although he was not very old, Hu Hai had a clear understanding of his status and position. He knew his strengths and weaknesses and how to make the best use of his strengths and avoid his weaknesses.

But a year ago, the emperor's father's attitude suddenly changed drastically, from "this is my youngest son, I love him very much" to "he is not very welcome, even a little distant", even though he went to the emperor to pay his respects and show filial piety to him every day, there was not much change.

And what happened a year ago that caused his father's attitude towards him to change?
A year ago, he might have still had to guess, but now he doesn't need to guess anymore, because this must be related to his "good" brother-in-law, the world-famous Mr. Li Nian.

In all likelihood, this person said something to the emperor, causing him to change his attitude towards him and distance himself from him. He was probably talking about the idea of ​​primogeniture. If the eldest son is not chosen to ascend the throne, but the youngest one is chosen to ascend the throne, it will disrupt the rites and laws and sow the seeds of disaster for the Qin Dynasty.

Hu Hai guessed the result correctly, but not the reason. He never thought that Li Nian did not support the First Emperor in making him the crown prince because of the things he did in another historical period.

After knowing that Li Nian was the person who prevented him from gaining his father's favor, Hu Hai felt extremely resentful towards Li Nian, but he also knew that his father valued Li Nian very much, so he did not dare to show any resentment.

Instead, he should try his best to be on good terms with Li Nian, get Li Nian's recognition of him, and speak well of him in front of the emperor, only then will he have a chance to turn things around.

But he has secretly decided that if he gets what he wants in the future, he will definitely kill Li Nian. It was this bastard who caused him to be beaten, caused his hands to be sore from copying the "Book of Songs", and forced him to bow his head and make friends with him.

In fact, Hu Hai was not originally at this table for today's card game. He came over intentionally with the purpose of getting close to Li Nian and establishing a good relationship with her.

If Hu Hai's plan was carried out by someone else of this era, he would probably fall into the trap. However, Li Nian knew that although this man was young, he was extremely cruel by nature.

Even though the Hu Hai in this world is different from the Hu Hai in history that Li Nian knows, he dare not gamble. If he wins, the benefits are not great, but if he loses, he will die miserably. There is no reason to gamble. He does not want to be crucified alive.

Thinking of crucifixion, although Ying Shunying left her name in history, as the daughter of the First Emperor and one of the princesses of the Qin Dynasty, she probably died under this punishment.

Hearing Hu Hai's whispered question, the other two concubines at the same table looked at Li Nian and Ying Shunying with great interest, while Ying Shunying blushed and lowered her head.

Li Nian knew that Hu Hai deliberately called him "brother-in-law" to get closer to him, but this might not go as he wished, because this boy's record in history was too "excellent".

What's more, Li Nian has now roughly guessed how the First Emperor will deal with Hu Hai. Hu Hai will never appear in the political center of the Qin Dynasty in the future!
Continuing to raise Hu Hai is the last bit of fatherly love that the First Emperor retains for him, but this fatherly love will dissipate as Hu Hai grows older.

The reason why Hu Hai was kept in Xianyang and not made a king was not because he was too young to be made a king, but to let him live in the Qin Imperial Palace for a few more years as a little compensation for his future.

Li Nian smiled and said, "Thank you for your concern, young master. However, there is no rush. I will marry you when the time is right!" Ying Shunying felt a little disappointed when she heard this, but she had studied in Liuying Academy in the past year and learned a lot of strange knowledge. She knew that it was not good for women to get married and have children early, but they should get married at the right age to avoid risks.

It was actually good for Li Nian that he didn't marry her at her age, but it would take several more years for her to reach the right age.

Seeing that his attempt to use Ying Shunying and Li Nian to build relationships had failed, Hu Hai said, "Brother-in-law, I heard that you have been to many places, so you must know a lot of things. Can you tell me a little bit?"

Li Nian thought about it, but didn't refuse. He smiled and said, "Speaking of this, I'm not sleepy anymore. Thinking back to the past, I once saw a woman chanting the spell 'Nine underworld spirits, gods and demons in the heavens, I offer my blood and body as a sacrifice. I will fall into hell for three lives and seven lifetimes, just for love, and I will never regret it even if I die.' I also heard that the Emperor of Heaven cut off eternity with a sword and died alone in a coffin."

The First Emperor happened to be walking nearby and heard Li Nian say this. He knew immediately that this kid was talking nonsense. This was definitely not something he had seen with his own eyes. It must be a story made up by someone. However, he did not interrupt him. Instead, he wanted to know what kind of story people in the future would make up.

Hu Hai was very interested, his eyes sparkled as he asked, "Zi Fu, what is the Emperor of Heaven, and what does it mean to sever eternity with one sword?"

Li Nian smiled and said, "The Emperor of Heaven refers to the invincible one. He also refers to the supreme God who established the Heavenly Court and ruled over all the heavens and the myriad worlds. As for why the Emperor of Heaven cut off the eternity with one sword, let me tell you!"

There was a real lack of entertainment in this era. Li Nian was telling Hu Hai about "Perfect World" here, and even the concubines who were playing mahjong nearby were attracted to her attention.

As for Hu Hai himself, he listened with great interest. He had never heard such novel and interesting stories before. That wild world attracted him.

When Li Nian finished speaking and hadn't continued, Hu Hai asked anxiously, "Zi Fu, what happened to that kid? What happened to the people in Bei Village? Is the willow wood sacrifice spirit very powerful?"

Others were also listening attentively. They all knew that this was just a story and it didn't really happen, but this story was indeed very fascinating and they wanted to know what would happen next.

At this moment, the voice of the First Emperor came, "Li Nian, come here!"

Li Nian stood up immediately and followed the First Emperor out of the palace. Before they knew it, it was already night. Lamps were lit everywhere in the Qin Imperial Palace, illuminating the palace very brightly. Many of the lamps were very distinctive and looked festive.

From here you can see a glimpse of Xianyang. It is not dark in Xianyang tonight, but many lights are lit.

The curfew has been lifted specially in the past few days, and the city of Xianyang should be very lively now, with many people celebrating on the streets, buying food and drinks, and some performing various interesting things.

The fact was just as Li Nian had imagined. Xianyang was very lively tonight and full of a festive atmosphere. Many people were strolling around the streets and there were many interesting activities.

Like literacy competitions, where people compete to see who can recognize more new Daqin characters (simplified Chinese characters), arithmetic competitions, or "Book of Songs" chain games, where the questioner gives a sentence from the "Book of Songs" and the answerer recites the next sentence...

Not only did the people of Daqin wander around Xianyang and celebrate the festival, but there were also many foreigners, including the Xiongnu, Baiyue, and Yuezhi people...

They all visited everything in the city with curiosity and surprise, and even took the initiative to participate in various activities held in the city. The people of Daqin also allowed them to participate.

Some students from Daqin International College participated in the literacy competition and the Book of Songs chain game, which they had learned during the semester.

The Baiyue people and the Yuezhi people participated in the game of throwing pots. They were all confident in their archery skills, so they thought they could also play the game well.

The envoy of Wusun State participated in an arithmetic competition. He was faced with a difficult problem about chickens, ducks and geese in the same cage. Unfortunately, although he solved the problem, he lost to his opponent in terms of time. He was defeated and received a carved wooden commemorative medal.

The Wusun envoy put away the medallion, looked at the lively scene on the street, and the happy people of Daqin coming and going, and said to his attendants: "Daqin is much stronger than Wusun! Daqin should only be friends, not enemies!"

Everyone nodded. The capital of the Great Qin did not rest even at night. Instead, it showed a prosperity that was not there during the day. Only a strong country could have such a city.

Everyone in the Wusun delegation couldn't help but feel envious. The people of Daqin were so nice, especially the people of Xianyang, who were born in such a powerful country and in such a prosperous city.

But they did not think that the Qin Dynasty could only be what it is today because the Qin people had built it up step by step. It started from King Xiao and it took several generations of Qin people to get to this day. It was not achieved overnight nor by luck.

At the same time, in the Qin Imperial Palace, after the First Emperor asked Li Nian to follow him out of the palace, he did not say anything to Li Nian immediately. The two stood on the steps in front of the palace, one in front of the other, looking at the vast night, and Xianyang and even Daqin covered by the night!
After a long time, the First Emperor, with his hands behind his back, said: "Li Nian, do you think the Qin Dynasty will be better in the future?"

Li Nian looked at the light coming out of Xianyang City and said, "I think it will be even better. With your Majesty's wise governance and the support of all the gentlemen, the future of the Qin Dynasty will definitely be even better!"

Ying Zheng turned his head slightly, glanced at him, and said: "Why don't you mention your contribution? In the past year, if we talk about the merits, you should be the first. The changes in the Qin Dynasty are inseparable from you!"

Li Nian shook his head and said, "I am just an ordinary person in the future. I don't have the wisdom or talent of you. I am just lucky enough to come from the lower reaches of history. My achievements are not from me, but from many talented people in history. A Western philosopher once said, 'If I can see farther than others, it is because I stand on the shoulders of giants.' I agree with him."

"I was able to accomplish those things because I stood on the shoulders of my predecessors. They paved the way, and I was just following their path. I was not the one who paved the way. It is easier to follow the path than to pave the path. At the same time, it was also because of your Majesty's trust and support, and the manpower and material resources given to me!"

The First Emperor said: "Then next year, you and I will make the Qin Empire stronger and better!"

Li Nian bowed to the First Emperor and said, "I obey your order!"

At this moment, with the sounds of "whoosh" and "whoosh", strange things flew into the sky from outside Zhangtai Palace, then exploded in the air and turned into gorgeous flowers.

Fireworks were already quite popular during the Song Dynasty. Although the Qin Dynasty today is an earlier dynasty than the Song Dynasty, it is not difficult to make them with the help of Li Nian, a time traveler.

The sight of the fireworks naturally attracted the people in Xianyang. Seeing that the fireworks were rising from the imperial palace, they knew that it was set off by the emperor. They spontaneously bowed their heads towards the palace and shouted in unison: "Long live the emperor, long live the Qin Dynasty!"

The shouts spread throughout Xianyang. The First Emperor also heard them. Outside the Zhangtai Palace, facing the night wind, he opened his arms as if to embrace the entire Qin Dynasty and said loudly: "Next year will surely be a good year!"

(End of this chapter)