Jinting Han people

Chapter 206: New Year's Eve (4k)

In the blink of an eye, it was January of the fifth year of Genkang (295 AD), four months had passed since the Battle of Furumigahara.

Liu Xian had been incredibly busy before the New Year, even injured, not daring to rest. It was unavoidable, as Xiayang had added over 6,000 new households and a population of over 20,000, doubling the original population. This truly demanded his attention. Consequently, for the past four months, Liu Xian had traveled extensively throughout Xiayang, registering these people, allocating land, building new houses, and promoting new industries. He was practically kept busy.

But the hard work was matched by Xiayang's tremendous growth. Originally, Xiayang had only six pavilions. After Liu Xian arrived, he diligently restored the original eleven pavilions over three years. Unexpectedly, within four months, he had added sixteen pavilions and seven townships. In terms of population alone, Xiayang had become one of the largest counties in Guanzhong.

While this sudden population growth was a huge burden in the short term, it was also an invaluable asset in the long term. Liu Xian had often complained that Xiayang was short of various craftsmen, which had limited its development. But after this incident, everything was now in short supply.

Whether it was the blacksmiths and bow makers urgently needed by the iron lawsuit, renowned physicians and bridge builders, or the rare papermakers, they now had everything. Liu Xian didn't dare neglect the situation and set up corresponding workshops for them. Although it was just a framework at the moment, as long as it could develop normally, Xiayang's future prosperity was foreseeable.

Of course, there were also challenges. Xiayang wasn't a land as fertile as Hedong, and the good farmland surrounding the county seat had already been completely cultivated. Hanyuan, north of Longmen Ferry, was a promising location, with flat terrain and access to river water for irrigation. However, due to its proximity to the border, and the area further north, where the Longmen bandits and the Hu people were active, many refugees refused to go. Liu Xian had to persuade them earnestly, while also promising to build seven forts north of Hanyuan, to allay their concerns.

At this point, at the end of the year, Liu Xian finally took a break and spent a happy new year with his subordinates and relatives.

At this time, the New Year festivals were not as rich as in later generations, but they were already in their infancy.

On the first day of the first lunar month, people get up when they hear the crowing of cocks. Then everyone dresses neatly, greets each other according to their age, and drinks peach soup together.

However, there were two differences this time. The first was the order of drinking. Usually, the elderly drank first, but on this day, the young drank first because New Year's Day marked the beginning of a new year. The young had grown another year older, while the elderly had lost another year.

The second difference is the type of wine used. Tusu wine is drunk on New Year's Day. It's said to have been created by Hua Tuo, a renowned physician during the late Han Dynasty. Its recipe involves steeping traditional Chinese medicine herbs like rhubarb, white atractylodes, cinnamon twig, saposhnikovia root, Sichuan peppercorns, aconite, and aconite root in wine. Everyone at the banquet drinks it, hoping for good health and protection from illness in the new year.

The seventh day of the first lunar month is also called Human Day. On this day, people make soup with seven kinds of vegetables, cut ribbons with people, and stick them on doors, windows, and screens. Then they go up to high places together to look into the distance and pray to heaven and earth.

By the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, the developed lantern festival and Lantern Festival had not yet taken shape, but people would organize activities such as worshiping the ancestors, welcoming Zi Gu (the silkworm goddess), and begging for children, and praying to various minor gods that would be forgotten by later generations, hoping that their wishes for the year would come true.

Of course, Liu Xian also followed these customs. When he was in Luoyang, he felt it was troublesome, but when he was away from his hometown, he couldn't help but feel nostalgic.

Is my family all right? Is Ah Luo all right? Are Shi Zhi and the others all right? Thinking of this, even my father Liu Xun's expression didn't seem so repulsive anymore.

Liu Xian wrote to Luoyang every month, but both sending and receiving letters was difficult. For example, last year, when the rebellion was suppressed and martial law was imposed in Hongnong, Liu Xian didn't receive any letters from home for three consecutive months. It wasn't until the winter and twelfth months of last year that he received two letters from A Luo.

Ah Luo's letter wasn't anything special; it was just the usual, asking Liu Xian how he was doing and if he had any good news. She then recounted various family matters, including which uncle had a new child, which brother had gotten married. The letter was long, but Liu Xian felt it was short. His memories of Luoyang seemed so vivid, making him miss his hometown even more.

The letter received in December contained a significant event. Ah Luo wrote that her second uncle, Liu Yao, had fallen ill and passed away at the end of October. It seemed he had suffered a chest attack and died within a quarter of an hour. He was now buried north of Dongwu.

Upon learning this, Liu Xian was deeply saddened. Of all the elders in his family, his second uncle, Liu Yao, was the one he respected the most. Although he was a chatterbox and often spouted meaningless truisms, he was gentle, kind, and knowledgeable—a traditionally good man. Liu Xian had expected him to live into his seventies or eighties, but he had passed away so young. This made Liu Xian even more aware of the cruelty of time.

But while one family member was missing, another was also gained. On the 15th day of the winter month of the fourth year of the Yuankang reign, Liu Xian's eldest son was born.

This was a healthy-looking baby boy born with a full body and rosy skin. This was Liu Xian's first child, and he was both happy and melancholy. He named his eldest son Liu Lang, also known as Fengyao, expressing his hope that he would live a long and healthy life with an open-minded character.

At the banquet on the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, Liu Xian took out the swaddled Liu Lang and, pointing at the child, said to his friends with emotion, "When I see Feng Yao now, I feel both love and fear in my heart. What do you think? Can I raise him to be a successful person?"

Zhang Gu was straightforward and said directly, "Bi Ji, don't worry. If anything happens, I will do my best to protect him."

Xi An said, "If you don't have time, I can teach him how to read and write."

Lü Quyang was not good at speaking, so he said, "If the county lord doesn't mind, I can teach him horse riding and wrestling."

Li Sheng smiled. He was nominally Lu Zhu's brother, and therefore Liu Lang's uncle, so he didn't continue the conversation. Instead, he said to Liu Xian, "My lord, you are following a noble and righteous path, saving the world and the people, benefiting both yourself and others. Even now, as a father, you are so cautious. In the future, you will surely succeed in protecting the country and the people."

Among the people present, only Xue Xing remained silent. Liu Xian, noticing that he was somewhat distracted, handed Liu Lang to the wet nurse, then slowly walked over, patted him on the shoulder, and said with a smile, "Jida, I heard you're going to be a father soon! When is the due date?"

Xue Xing was startled, and after a long while he recovered, he quickly said to Liu Xian, "County Lord, how did you know this? My child's pregnancy is probably still several months away!"

"How could I not know?"

Hearing this, Liu Xian laughed heartily and said, "You forgot, Zhaorong is a very attentive person. She will tell me about any happy events in your family!"

"I've made up my mind. If your family gives birth to a daughter, we can arrange a marriage for them. How about that?" "This..." Xue Xing didn't know what to do for a moment, and hesitantly answered.

Liu Xian didn't make it hard and said with a smile, "Ha, you look so absent-minded, I can tell you're homesick. Today is the fifteenth day of the first lunar month, and we should be celebrating the festival at home. We are all far away from home, so we should get together. You have a family here, and I called you here, which is a bit inhumane. Do you want to go home and rest early?"

Xue Xing felt as if he had been pardoned. He said goodbye to Liu Xian, then led his horse out. The clothes on his back were soaked with cold sweat.

The weather was still very cold at this time, but it was not completely dark yet. The sky was like a thick piece of blue ice, absorbing some of the tiny light, which was different from the ground, but it could not illuminate the road, let alone Xue Xing's gloomy mood.

Back in his courtyard, the bustling, crowded scene of years ago was gone. His father, brothers, and clansmen had all left, returning to Xuewu, Fenyin. The deserted courtyard now contained only him, his concubine Mingji, two of Mingji's maids, and a servant. As Xue Xing returned, the servant came to greet him, leading his horse and changing his boots.

Xue Xing's face showed a gloomy look, but he did not lose his temper. Instead, he waited for Cangtou to leave, then hurried into the bedroom. He saw Mingji sitting by the brazier, holding her stomach and warming herself. The maids were there, serving her some honey water.

Seeing Xue Xing walking back with an unhappy look on his face, Ming Ji quickly understood the atmosphere. Although she felt aggrieved, she still waved her hand and told the maids to leave. She slowly walked over with a cup of honey water and said to Xue Xing:

"My dear husband, why are you back so early? Have you eaten yet? If not, I'll bring you a bowl of soup and noodles."

"No!" Xue Xing refused impatiently, his voice a little rough, even startling himself. But he turned his head and looked at Mingji's pitiful expression beside him, and a nameless fire in his heart still rose up unstoppably.

In the past, he would have been lost in thought and contented with possessing this beautiful face. If she showed any signs of heartbreak, Xue Xing would have felt guilty and sad, feeling that this was truly inappropriate. But after coming to his senses last August, Xue Xing realized that everything had changed. Those sweet words that had once moved him were actually elaborate lies, and those smiles that had haunted him were actually traps.

Being deceived and betrayed by someone you trusted is always the most unforgivable thing. The same goes for Xue Xing. The happier they'd been in the past, the more tormented they were in the present, because he couldn't tell what the other person said was true and what was false, which words came from the heart and which were just pretense. Was he her lover, or just a puppet to be manipulated?
When Xue Xing thought of these things, it was difficult for him to be alone with Ming Ji calmly. Even if some thoughts flashed through his mind for a moment, he would be so angry that he would tremble all over.

Xue Xing was already furious. He stood up and, as he had done in the past few months, pointed his finger at Ming Ji and asked bluntly, "Are you willing to speak today? Who sent you?"

Myeong-ji knelt on the ground, lowered her head and cried, "Please forgive me, my husband. I cannot tell you."

"Can't say?" This sentence immediately ignited Xue Xing's anger. He immediately threw the cup on the table and cursed at Ming Jili: "Bitch! Since you can't say it, why did you have to wrong yourself so much and marry me as a concubine?"

"Even crows repay their parents, and lambs kneel down to suckle. How have I ever been bad to you? Yet you are being instigated by others to harm me!"

After saying this, seeing that Ming Ji still kept her head down and said nothing, Xue Xing felt like killing someone. He wanted to draw the sword from his waist several times and kill this woman with one strike. But thinking of the happy days in the past and seeing her bulging belly, Xue Xing found it difficult to do it and froze in his place.

After a long standoff, Xue Xing finally sighed and went to his room to sleep, although he didn't know when he would be able to fall asleep again. This scene had been repeated more than ten times in the past few months.

Seeing her husband leaving her again, Mingji wanted to reach out and call him back, but she didn't know how to start. In the end, she could only watch Xue Xing and cry silently.

Myeong-ji was no fool; she truly felt shame for what she had done. Love was the most important thing in a woman's life, yet she had chosen marriage as a spy, a move destined to tarnish the very concept of love. But now that things had come to this, what choice could she make? As a Mi Daoist, could she disobey Sun Xiu's orders? After all, if one person was a Mi Daoist, the whole family was. Faith aside, if she messed up the Jijiu's plan, she wouldn't be the only one to perish.

So when she married Xue Xing, she was indeed willing to be Sun Xiu's pawn. But even a religious person couldn't be so heartless, let alone a woman. Xue Xing was her first man, and she had unknowingly fallen in love with him during their daily lives, not to mention that she was now pregnant with his child.

Before realizing this, Mingji hated Liu Xian. In her eyes, Liu Xian was a stumbling block on her path to happiness. Mingji knew that Liu Xian was a well-known good man, but it was precisely because of his goodness that he stood in the way of others' happiness.

This is a fascinating philosophy. Believers believe that the total amount of happiness in the world is constant. For every happy person, there's an unhappy one. Therefore, people strive to create unhappiness in others, and only then will they achieve the greatest happiness.

So Mingji thought that it was because of the existence of Prince Anle that Sun Jijiu had to turn his love into a tool, and then he became extremely humble and unhappy.

But after Xue Xing's showdown, this idea shattered. She discovered another truth: the years she had previously thought unhappy were actually very happy. For this, she would rather not enjoy the carefree life in the immortal palace in the next life. But it was too late, and there was nothing she could do.

What should she do next? Mingji once thought of death, but when she thought of the child in her belly, she was unwilling to give up. She could only muddle through her days in this awkward and confused situation, fantasizing that one day she would be able to make Xue Xing change his mind.

Staying alone in the room, Mingji slowly opened the door, looked at the bright moonlight outside the window, and let the knife-like cold wind cut her body. She felt very confused about the future.

Just then, she heard someone knocking on the door outside the yard.

When the door was opened, Sun Xiu's monkey-like face appeared in the moonlight, which scared Mingji.

"Ah, Mingji, congratulations! You are free!" This was the first sentence Sun Xiu said.

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(End of this chapter)