Jinting Han people

Chapter 85 Sima Yan is old (4k)

Sima Yan realized that he was getting old in the twelfth month of the ninth year of Taikang.

After the disastrous ninth year of the Taikang reign, Sima Yan was once full of energy. "Cheqi, issue an edict for me. Next spring, we will review the land occupation in all counties and prefectures. Any large clan that violates the land occupation system will have all the land they have occupied returned and distributed to landless tenants. They will also be fined three years."

"At the same time, I'm ordering all the counties and states to recruit talented individuals. With the successive disasters, the people are struggling to survive. Local governments need some capable and capable officials. There's no need to limit the number of candidates. Anyone who's suitable can submit a report, and I'll personally assess them."

"Also, inform all the wealthy families and merchants in the world that if they can donate rice and grain to the disaster-stricken counties and states, it will be considered a military merit and they will be granted titles based on the amount of their donation. The edict must be written in a beautiful way."

Sima Yan's many years of experience in governing have given him rich experience in disaster relief.

In his youth, he would be terrified by an earthquake, rushing to the Secretariat overnight to review archives on disaster relief efforts during the Han and Wei dynasties and consult the ministers for their opinions. But now, he didn't need to look up anything or ask anyone; he could rattle off seven or eight solutions for dealing with droughts in the blink of an eye. A court meeting originally scheduled for two hours ended in less than half an hour.

The attendants and secretaries who participated in the small court meeting had some doubts in their hearts: the disaster was completely different from the emperor's appearance in previous years when he was bedridden and let go of the party. The emperor's fighting spirit was unprecedented.

This emperor of unified China who defeated countless opponents seemed to give in countless times in the face of opposition and setbacks, but he always had the last laugh. It seemed that even time and illness could not destroy him.

It seems to be the same this time. Although he has been lying on the sickbed for two years, the emperor now seems to be in high spirits again and is about to realize his ambitions once again, just like he destroyed Wu and Pingliang in the past and brought peace to the world again.

Sima Yan himself felt the same way.

After a small court meeting, it was still early, so he wanted to go boating in Xiyou Garden again to watch the sunset.

The two regent ministers, Yang Jun and Sima Liang, initially disagreed, saying that the emperor had just recovered from an illness and would be careful not to catch a cold if he rowed in the wind.

But as soon as he finished speaking, he was immediately refuted by Sima Yan: "Are you two saying that I can't even blow the wind?"

Yang Jun said, "Your Majesty, you misunderstood. What I meant was that it's already late autumn, so what's so interesting about the lake? Wouldn't it be more interesting to wait until next spring, when the weather warms up and the lotus leaves emerge?"

"But I just want to watch the sunset!" Sima Yan, uncharacteristically, retorted sharply, "Time waits for no one. Better today than tomorrow. I can go again in the spring. Bring the Crown Prince, Xiuhua, and the monks with you. If you don't want to come, forget it."

"I dare not. Since Your Majesty is determined to go, I will immediately have someone notify the Crown Prince to prepare."

Just like that, Sima Yan reappeared in Xiyou Garden after a long absence, beside Tianyuan Pond. Under the sunlight, the water rippled gently, unaffected by the drought. Yet, as Yang Jun had said, the pond was filled with withered lotus leaves and fallen leaves. The surrounding vegetation was shattered, and everything was bleak. Combined with the few rocky mountains within the pond, it created a scene of desolation and sadness.

But Sima Yan was in high spirits. He had been lying on his sickbed for too long, and he felt that movement and fatigue were the greatest relaxation. So he very happily found a small boat and rowed it himself in the pond. While rowing, he asked the Wu women in the palace to sing beside him. They sang the extremely famous "Yue People's Song" of Wu and Yue:
"What night is this, when I am on the island in the middle of the stream? What day is this, when I can ride in the same boat with the prince?

I was humiliated and loved, but I did not blame the shame. My heart was annoyed but I could not stop thinking about it.

The mountain has trees and the trees have branches, my heart is talking about you but you don’t know.”

After the song was finished, Sima Yan applauded repeatedly. He planned to row from the south of the pond to the north, and then from the north to the south, to show that he was still energetic.

Unfortunately, the human brain often misjudges its own energy, even the emperor's.

When the prince and his family arrived late, the fifty-three-year-old emperor was wandering in the middle of Tianyuan Pond. He was sweating coldly and had no strength to row the boat. He had to let the three palace maids on the boat take over. He lay down at the bow of the boat without any manners, closed his eyes, and sniffed the breeze on the lake.

After reaching the shore, Sima Yan wanted to stand up, but his legs were a little weak. Yang Jun had a better eye and immediately stepped forward to support him.

As the empress's father, Yang Jun was actually only four years older than the emperor, but he was in much better health. He helped Sima Yan up by himself and went up to the nearest pavilion. Then he asked the palace servants to bring a bowl of tea. He gave a wink to the empress, asking her to feed it to the emperor one spoonful at a time.

Sima Yan felt more energetic. He said to Yang Jun, "Have the prince and his men arrived?"

It turned out that he was extremely tired and didn't notice the prince at all.

When Crown Prince Sima Zhong heard his name, he quickly stepped forward and kowtowed, saying, "Father, I am here."

Sima Yan finally reacted. He leaned forward and stared at the prince for a long time before he said self-deprecatingly, "I'm old, even my eyes don't work well anymore."

Sima Liang consoled him, saying, "Your Majesty is just tired. You'll be fine after a short rest."

"That's right." Sima Yan nodded, then turned to the Crown Prince and asked, "Zhengdu, do you know why I called you here?"

Sima Zhong was somewhat bewildered. He secretly turned back to look at the Crown Princess, who then quietly pointed at her sleeve. Suddenly realizing something, he quickly lowered his head to examine the writing on her sleeve and read it aloud:

"The country is probably in trouble this year, so my father taught me how to provide disaster relief and help the people."

In the past, Sima Yan might have been happy to hear this answer, but he shook his head and said, "No, Zhengdu, I called you here just to see you."

Looking at his bewildered son, Sima Yan felt a little emotional. He really loved this son.

Even though Sima Zhong was stupid and mentally retarded, unable to live independently in his thirties and relying on others for everything, Sima Yan still loved him. Because in his eyes, he was always a child who admired his father, and this was enough to comfort and bring joy to Sima Yan, who had experienced countless political struggles.

Sima Yan jokingly asked, "Have you done your homework today?"

Sima Zhong replied, "The Grand Tutor taught me to read some of the Han Shu, but I didn't quite understand it."

"It's okay if you don't understand, but you must learn to ask more questions and ask all the questions you don't understand." Sima Yan held his son's hand and advised him, "I know you're not cut out to be emperor, but an emperor doesn't need to know everything. The important thing is not to pretend to know something and act on your own."

Sima Zhong didn't really understand what his father was saying, but seeing his father's earnest instruction, he knew his father cared about him, so he said, "I will listen to you, father."

This sentence really touched Sima Yan. He laughed and patted his son's hand and said, "Silly boy, I will be satisfied if you can come to see me more often."

Then he turned and asked, "Where is the Samana? Samana! Come, let Aung see you!"

A child about ten years old jumped out of the crowd, trotted up to Sima Yan, and said, "Your Majesty, I'm here!"

It was Sima Yi, the only legitimate son of Sima Zhong.

Sima Yan looked at his grandson and asked with a pleasant expression, "Monk, have you done your homework today?" Sima Yi nodded and said, "Your Majesty, I was listening in on the Taifu's lecture on the Book of Han today."

"Oh? What did you teach?"

"The lesson is about the Annals of Emperor Ping. The Grand Tutor details how Emperor Ping of Han favored the Zhao Feiyan sisters, leading to chaos in government."

"So, did you gain anything?"

"The Grand Tutor must be trying to use Han history as a lesson to warn me that I should restrain my desires and focus on government affairs. I shouldn't be controlled by desires, otherwise I will harm myself and others."

"Then can you do it?"

"Your Majesty, self-discipline is like sailing against the current; you must not slack off for even a single day. I can only speak of today's events; how dare I speak of the future?"

"Good! Good!" Sima Yan was deeply moved and exclaimed with a smile, "Shram! You are so young, yet you are so wise. It seems that the prosperity of our family depends on you!"

Turning to Sima Zhong, he said, "Zhengdu, you should also learn to care for your son. You might need to rely on him when you encounter difficulties in the future!"

Seeing his son still confused, Sima Yan continued to teach him, "The reason our family has been able to prosper is because of the unity between Emperor Wen and Emperor Jing. An individual's talent is always limited. There are so many things in the world, and it is impossible for the emperor to accomplish everything alone."

"But you are not alone after all. You still have many uncles, many brothers, many loyal ministers, and of course, your son. As long as you learn to get close to these people, rely on them, unite them together, and ask more questions, you will always be able to overcome any difficulties."

Sima Yan spoke emotionally, and Sima Zhong was also moved when he heard it. He didn't know how to express his love for his father, so he repeatedly rubbed his father's palms, trying to convey his warmth to him.

Sima Yi was very sensitive. He sensed something was amiss and asked, "Your Majesty, are you feeling unwell? Do you need medical attention?"

"No need." Sima Yan waved his hand and sighed, "Just now I was rowing on the lake, seeing the bleakness of late autumn, and I was just feeling sentimental. An old man is always easily sentimental."

"Your Majesty is only fifty-three, how can you say you're old? You're in the prime of your life. As long as you take good care of yourself, living to eighty won't be a big deal."

"No!" Sima Yan patted Sima Yi's head and smiled, "I know my own body very well. Emperor Xuan lived to be seventy years old because he took good care of himself and abstained from sex and kept fit. I indulged myself too much in the past few years and have exhausted my foundation. I am blessed by God to be able to live until now."

"I called you here today so that you can stay with me. My time is running out, and every day I see you is one day less! Besides being the Emperor of the Great Jin, I am also your father, your parent, and your friend. When I die, you must visit me at my tablet in the Imperial Ancestral Temple!"

At this point, Sima Yan turned to Yang Jun and asked, "Speaking of which, how is Shi Chong progressing in building the Taimiao?"

Ever since the ground of the Taimiao collapsed in the eighth year of Taikang, the country has been repairing the Taimiao. This matter is in charge of by the Grand Coachman Shi Chong, and it has been a year now.

Yang Jun replied, "The front hall has been renovated, but the beams and pillars for the rear hall are still on their way. They are not expected to arrive until the end of the year. We anticipate that the renovation will be completed around March of next year."

"Okay, keep urging him. If he builds it well, I will definitely reward him."

After saying this, he turned back to look at his children and grandchildren, and said with a smile, "I really want to stay with you for a while longer. Zhengdu, you are too foolish, and Shamen, you are too young. I am really afraid that after I die, you will not remember me."

Sima Zhong and Sima Yi shed tears upon hearing this, but Yang Jun suddenly felt a chill on his back.

Sima Yan was openly declaring that he was already battling death. How many of the policies he had previously proposed could be implemented? His aging body no longer allowed him to care about vanity and stubbornness.

Yang Jun quietly lowered his head and happened to meet the gazes of two people, one was the Prince's Tutor Sima Liang, and the other was the Crown Princess Jia Nanfeng. The three of them looked at each other for a moment, and all withdrew their hostility at the same time.

At this time, Sima Yan asked Yang Jun again, "By the way, Cheqi, last time I told you that we needed to arrange Xiuhua's marriage. How many candidates do you have now?"

Yang Jun suddenly woke up and quickly replied, "Your Majesty, there are three candidates: Wang Cui, son of Wang Chang, Marquis of Xiangyang County; Shi Chao, son of Shi Qiao; and Xia Hou Heng, son of Xia Hou Jun."

"Why is Xia Houjun joining in the fun? His son is already in his twenties and a widower, yet he still wants Xiu Hua to marry him. That's not fair!"

"Then that leaves Shi Chao and Wang Cui."

"Cheqi, which of these two children do you think is better?"

Yang Jun said, "I've seen both of these children. Wang Cui's family background is lower, and he's not as good-looking or talented as Shi Chao. Shi Chao has practiced martial arts since childhood and has ambitions for a career in government. The princess has also recently taken an interest in martial artists, so I think they'd be more compatible. Therefore, I believe the princess should marry Shi Chao."

"Well, you have a point..."

Sima Yan pondered for a moment and then replied, "But in my opinion, we should let Xiuhua marry Wang Cui."

"what?"

This answer was beyond everyone's expectations. After listening to Yang Jun's opinion, they all thought Shi Chao was better, but unexpectedly Sima Yan chose Wang Cui.

Sima Yan laughed and said, "Xiuhua is a princess, why would her husband's family need so much power? Don't you think the royal family is chaotic enough? A few years ago, Wang Ji and Zhen De made my sisters cry and interfere in government affairs, which really made me miserable. It's better to be like Wang Cui, neither too high nor too low."

"What's more, I remember it was Wang Chang who took the initiative to submit a petition, saying that Wang Cui was pleased with the princess, so he wanted to marry her! Compared to a woman loving a man, it is more important for a man to love a woman."

Having said this, Sima Yan was already a little tired, his face full of fatigue, as if he had suddenly returned to the state of being bedridden in the past two years. After Yang Jun said "yes", he waved his hand, then turned his head and leaned on the railing.

The sun was setting, and the sky, filled with dusk and crimson hues, combined with the drifting leaves around it, created a lingering beauty. Sima Yan remained motionless, and everyone thought he was stunned.

But after a while, Sima Yi came down from the pavilion and whispered to Yang Jun, "Go and get some cold quilts."

"Huh?" Yang Jun hadn't reacted to what was happening.

Sima Yi had no choice but to continue: "Your Majesty is too tired and has fallen asleep."

Everyone looked at Sima Yan's figure at the railing. His chest was rising and falling slightly, and he was breathing in and out the dust of late autumn.

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(End of this chapter)