116 Harvest and Faith (The Finale)

You will eventually become your own starry sea.

Another autumn has arrived, and the capital city and its surroundings are ablaze with gold.

Golden millet and wheat are more precious than gold to the people. During the harvest season, the capital city and its surroundings are filled with the joy and excitement of a bountiful harvest.

After the Crown Prince's position was settled, Qi Gu spent her days working from dawn till dusk in the experimental fields of Shanglin Garden, isolating herself in her small world.

From now on, no one will share with her the joy of seeing a bunch of millet or wheat seedlings grow well; no one will teach her "scientific farming"; no one will know what "Mendel's laws" are.

Qi Gu stood in the golden wheat field, where she should have been sharing happiness and joy with her father, but now her father was gone, and she had no one to share it with.

Father's cultivation of millet and wheat seedlings was promoted throughout the entire Great Jin Dynasty. All the people of the Great Jin Dynasty would know how amazing Father was. But Father... will never see it again.

Qi Gu put away her hoe and prepared to leave.

Sweat beaded on the Minister of Agriculture's face, but his excitement was palpable. He had finally arrived at Shanglin Garden before the princess left.

"Your Highness!"

Qi Gu turned around and saw the weathered face of the Minister of Agriculture, whose eyebrows no longer drooped and who still looked weathered.

He grinned so wide his eyes were almost invisible, and Qi Gu knew that her father's millet and wheat seeds had been successfully planted.

"Minister of Agriculture, what is the yield of millet and wheat outside the city this year?"

The Minister of Agriculture was overjoyed. "Your Highness, I've come to tell you that this year's millet and wheat harvest is 40% higher than last year's, exceeding the original estimate of 30% by 10%! The people of the capital will no longer go hungry! Mr. Li has done a great job! When these seeds are sown in other counties next year, even more people will no longer suffer from famine!"

After he finished speaking, the Minister of Agriculture saw that the princess looked sad and was no longer the cheerful and smiling girl she used to be.

He suppressed his smile. "Your Highness, please accept my condolences. If Mr. Li were still alive, he wouldn't be happy to see you so grieving." His words of comfort were not perfunctory.

Starting in the spring, he and Mr. Li guided the people in planting millet and wheat. In the summer, they went to the fields together to inspect the growth of millet and wheat, and he greatly admired Mr. Li's planting skills.

Princess, having grown up in the countryside, understands the hardships of ordinary people better than those princesses and princes who are unwilling to do such menial work. She attaches great importance to agriculture and sericulture, and even personally tends to the land in Shanglin Garden. Hearing Mr. Li praise the princess for being very clever and having inherited his skills, she is already worthy of respect.

Mr. Li was witty, humorous, and unconventional. He often said surprising things, and sometimes he couldn't even understand what he said. Such a good man suffered a tragic fate while protecting the princess. It was truly a case of heaven being jealous of talent.

Looking at the golden expanse before her, Qi Gu smiled and said, "Father is truly amazing."

At this moment, the sky was high and the clouds were light, and the earth was covered with wheat fields swaying in the wind. A sweet fragrance of millet and wheat wafted over. Qi Gu closed her eyes and seemed to hear her father laughing beside her.

"Aunt Qi, look how amazing Father is!"

"This response will surely earn a lot of rewards, hahaha!"

"Once I receive my reward, I'll buy Aunt Qi a roast chicken!"

...

Her father's voice echoed in her ears, "Father!" she murmured.

Seeing the princess's sorrowful face, the Minister of Agriculture could not bear it.

Sigh, what a mess this is! People at the top are fighting for power and profit, and in the end, it's the ordinary people who suffer.

According to Mr. Li's plan, the millet and wheat grown in the capital this year can be used as seeds next year and promoted throughout the country, thus solving the famine in the Great Jin Dynasty.

With Mr. Li gone, the Minister of Agriculture began to worry whether the plan would be shelved.

"Your Highness, Your Highness?" the Minister of Agriculture called out to the silent Qi Gu several times.

"Your Highness, although Mr. Li has been murdered, his only concern before his death was for you and the millet seeds. Please do not grieve too much, otherwise, Mr. Li may not be able to rest in peace."

Qi Gu knew what the Minister of Agriculture was worried about. She wiped away her tears and said, "Don't worry, Minister of Agriculture, I won't let Father's hard work go to waste."

On this day, the Empress sent someone to deliver an imperial decree, praising Li Shisu for his meritorious work in planting wheat and for risking his life to save the princess. She bestowed upon him the title of Marquis of Guannei and granted him burial in the imperial mausoleum.

Hongyan and Fulian all thought that the princess would be happy to hear this news.

Those who were granted the title of Marquis within the Passes in the Great Jin Dynasty were all generals with military merits, and there were very few in the entire Great Jin Dynasty who could accompany His Majesty to be buried in the Imperial Mausoleum. Therefore, this honor was unique!

Qi Gu's expression was indifferent. This was her mother's compensation to her father, but she knew that her father would not like such an honor.

Father said he loved gold, silver, jewels, beautiful women, and fine horses, but he came to the capital for her! After learning about her background, Father knew that only by returning to the capital could he give her a stable life.

Her father wanted her to return to her biological parents, believing it was the best way for her. He had always been thinking of her best interests.

Huang Bing's smile was still frozen on his face when he heard Qi Gu ask, "Where are Father's ashes now?"

Because it was summer, Mr. Li's body could not be preserved. During those days, the princess was heartbroken and fell ill, unable to get out of bed.

Lord Sima then cremated Mr. Li's body and personally collected his ashes, which were previously enshrined in the Qingfeng Taoist Temple of the royal family.

The Empress was very thoughtful, which is why she issued an edict to allow Mr. Li's ashes to be moved to the imperial mausoleum. The Empress probably did this to please the princess.

This is an immense favor; even the founding heroes would love to receive such an honor.

"Her Majesty the Empress consulted the Imperial Stud and calculated an auspicious day. Today is a rare auspicious day, one that only comes around once every ten years..." Huang Bing said.

Before Huang Bing could finish speaking, Qi Gu's figure ran out of the palace.

"Princess, where are you going!" Hongyan and Fulian followed behind Qigu.

Within the Imperial Mausoleum of the Great Jin Dynasty, the mausoleum of Emperor Yuan of Jin, the founding emperor, and the future mausoleum of the Great Jin emperors and empresses are still under construction, while the rest of the area has been basically completed. The ancestors of the Chu family have already been moved into the imperial mausoleum.

Qi Gu rode her horse to the imperial mausoleum.

"Whoa!!!" She reined in her horse and dismounted, her steps faltering slightly.

A group of people were filling the grave with soil when Qi Gu rushed over and shouted, "Stop! Stop!" She spread her arms, preventing the palace guards and servants from filling the grave with soil.

"Princess?"

"Qi Gu!" Sima Hong hugged Qi Gu and hurriedly said to the others, "Stop!"

Qi Gu knelt on the ground and used her hands to dig away the soil covering her father. "My father doesn't want to lie here! I don't want my father to lie here!"

Sima Hong held Qi Gu's hand. "Qi Gu, don't be like this. Mr. Li should be laid to rest. If you miss him in the future, come here to see him, okay?" Sima Hong hugged Qi Gu and comforted her gently.

Qi Gu pleaded, "Sima Hong, it's not right for you to ask them to return my father to me. He doesn't like staying here, he doesn't like it!"

Qi Gu's hands were covered in mud, tears kept sliding down into the mud, her eyes were panicked and confused.

Sima Hong felt heartbroken seeing this. He held Qi Gu in his arms and said, "Qi Gu, Qi Gu, don't cry... Mr. Li must be upset to see this."

The eunuchs standing by were at a loss. The auspicious time calculated by the Marquis of Xilin was fast approaching, and the princess forbade them to bury the earth and erect the monument. If they disobeyed the empress's decree, their lives would be in danger.

The eunuch tentatively asked, "Lord Sima, what are we doing here..."

Sima Hong glanced at the excited person in his arms, then turned back and said, "Let's stop for now."

"Let me go, Sima Hong." Qi Gu regained her composure.

Sima Hong released Qi Gu and looked at her with concern.

Qi Gu said, "Get my father's ashes out."

"Ah? This..." The eunuchs and guards dared not look, and looked to Sima Hong for help.

Sima Hong stepped forward and asked in a low voice, "Qi Gu, why don't you want Mr. Li's ashes to be buried in the imperial mausoleum?"

"Father doesn't like it." Aunt Qi didn't offer any further explanation.

Seeing the sorrow in Qi Gu's eyes, Sima Hong finally nodded to the eunuchs and said, "We'll do as the princess says."

"But...Your Majesty the Empress..."

Qi Gu said, "I will explain to the Empress Dowager, and I will take full responsibility for any consequences."

Only then did the eunuch and several soldiers feel relieved enough to reopen the grave and retrieve a brown sandalwood box.

Qi Gu wouldn't let anyone touch it. She held the box in her arms herself, and as she looked at it, her eyes softened, as if she were seeing her father.

"Father, I know you don't like it here. Shall I take you somewhere you like?"

Qi Gu carried the urn to a mountain on the outskirts of the city. The mountain offered a wide view, with a clear view of the golden millet and wheat fields below the capital.

Sima Hong stood behind Qi Gu and watched as she opened the brown sandalwood box.

A gentle breeze blew by, and Qi Gu scattered the ashes from the box into the sky.

Qi Gu looked up at the white dust drifting into the countryside and mountains. "Father, you should prefer it here!"

Qi Gu raised her palm towards the sky, and the dust passed through her palm and was blown away by the wind.

Sima Hong stepped forward and hugged Qi Gu, whose head rested against his chest, sobbing softly.

"Sima Hong, I have no father anymore."

"Sima Hong, I feel terrible..."

"Sima Hong, why did Father leave me? Why did those who love me and those I love abandon me..."

Sima Hong's heart clenched. If he could go back to that day, he would give up his own life to save Mr. Li, so that Qi Gu wouldn't be so heartbroken.

“Aunt Qi, Mr. Li didn’t abandon you, and I won’t abandon you either…”

As Qi Gu looked at the dissipating ashes, she knew that no one would ever treat her as unconditionally as her father had. From now on, Li Shi would never exist in this world again.

"Father, Father, Father..." Only the mountain wind answered Qi Gu's call.

...

After the autumn harvest, the capital city became peaceful and tranquil, and the people of the capital had a bumper harvest of millet and wheat this year. The emperor appointed a crown prince, who now participates in court affairs alongside the emperor and empress.

Four years after the founding of the Great Jin Dynasty, there had been frequent raids by small groups of rebels who refused to submit. Although these raids did not pose a significant threat, they still caused great anxiety among the people. In addition, the Xiongnu were watching from the outside with predatory eyes, and coupled with the continuous famine that had begun since the war, life was not easy for the people of the Great Jin Dynasty.

Now things are much better. The traitors have been eliminated, the Xiongnu are temporarily at peace, the famine in the capital has been alleviated, and the lives of the people of the Great Jin will get better and better.

Qi Gu watched as bags of millet and wheat were loaded onto carts in the suburbs, just like the last time she was in the suburbs.

But she was greeted by an unexpected guest—the Marquis of Xilin.

He was dressed in a gray Taoist robe, with only a simple blue jade hairpin in his hair. He had no servants or maids behind him, and looked like a Taoist hermit he had met by chance in the countryside.

"Your Highness."

"Does the Marquis of Xilin have something to discuss with me?"

Qi Gu thought of what the Marquis of Xilin had once said to her and her father.

Qi Gu's face turned cold. "Did the Marquis of Xilin know that my father was going to die soon? Why didn't you tell me!" She knew that she was taking her anger out on him.

There are some things that even the Marquis of Xilin cannot stop, but she still can't help but wonder if her father's death could have been avoided if she had known those things in advance.

"Princess, please forgive me. Those who cultivate the Tao are not omnipotent. Mr. Li is not from this place. I believe Your Highness, having spent so much time with Mr. Li, should know this better than I do."

Qi Gu then remembered that her father had once met with Marquis Xilin alone. She grabbed Marquis Xilin and asked, "Marquis Xilin, did Father speak to you privately? What did he say to you?"

“Mr. Li did indeed come to see me alone.”

"What did he say to you?" Aunt Qi asked anxiously.

"Mr. Li asked me to calculate whether he could... return to his hometown."

"Go back to my hometown?" Qi Gu thought of the longing her father occasionally expressed for a certain place.

Marquis Xilin nodded, "But I didn't know Mr. Li would... die. However, according to my divination, death means rebirth."

"You mean..."

Marquis Xilin took out a letter from his sleeve. "My connection with Mr. Li ends after I hand this letter to the princess."

"A letter?" Qi Gu took it. It was indeed her father's handwriting. Only her father would write with wood that had been burned to charcoal!

Marquis Xilin left, just as silently as she had arrived.

Qi Gu eagerly opened the letter:

"Aunt Qi, my precious daughter, by the time you read this letter, I think I will no longer be in this world. Hahaha! You're crying now, aren't you? I knew that no matter how old Aunt Qi gets, she will always be that little girl who cries when she can't see her father."

These past few days I've often dreamt of my parents, students, and teachers; they're calling me home. I have a premonition that I'm about to return. The Marquis of Xilin said my soul is unsettled, but I know in my heart that I'm about to leave…

This time, I'm sorry, it seems that Father's adventure in this world has to come to an end. Father also has his own parents and students, and can no longer stay with you.

Aunt Qi, don't be sad. You think Father is dead, but I think I have returned to my hometown, the place Father once told you about. You still remember it, right? So Father is not dead, but has gone back to his hometown to continue enjoying his life.

My hometown is much more comfortable than yours. I can have all sorts of things you can't even imagine! Just thinking about it makes me want to laugh. It's really wrong of me to take you back to enjoy a life of luxury, but this is the life I should be living!

Alright, let's get serious. Aunt Qi, you're a good child. If possible, carry on the things I've taught you. Your father hopes that one day we can see your name in history books. That would make your father very proud!

Of course, if you want a simple and peaceful life, your father fully supports you. You are a princess of the Great Jin Dynasty, and your biological parents are the two most awesome people in the world. You can do whatever you want! Qi Gu, go forward boldly! Forget about the past and bravely choose the life you want. You are an exceptionally wonderful woman, and you will eventually become your own starry sea.

Besides, I think Sima Xiuyuan is sincere towards you. If you like him, don't hesitate. If you don't like him, then take your time. There are plenty of good men out there. Even if you don't marry him, it shouldn't matter much given your status.

I believe that even without your father, you can live a happy and fulfilling life. Of course, I know you will miss me, and I will miss my Aunt Qi very much too.

Finally, let me hug my daughter. Father is leaving now, don't worry... Under the same Chinese sky, your loving father will always be here.

Qi Gu held the letter in her arms, sat on the edge of the field, and burst into tears.

Behind her, Sima Hong stepped forward and gently put his arm around her shoulder.

Qi Gu leaned on his shoulder, and he said, "Qi Gu, I will always be with you."

I don't know how long I cried, but the sky gradually darkened.

Qi Gu carefully put the letter away, then looked up at Sima Hong, who was dressed in white, and said, "Sima Hong, I want to leave the capital."

...

[Author's Note]

Sorry for the wait, everyone! This chapter is truly the end; the rest will be side stories! But the side stories will have to wait a little longer, because my butt isn't fully healed yet [laughing and crying emoji]