On the 30th day of the twelfth lunar month, Jinling City finally welcomed its first snow.
It was New Year's Eve, and big red lanterns were hung in the streets and alleys of Jinling City. The festive atmosphere was lighter than before, and the joy on the faces of the people was less than before.
Business is not good. We are lucky to not make a loss this year. Naturally, we should buy less New Year's goods, because the situation does not seem to be getting better next year.
When will I get better?
What a wonderful two years Ding'an Bo spent in the Yu Dynasty. It seemed that his life was getting prosperous, but before he could enjoy himself, everything seemed to go back to the way it was before.
Even a little worse than before.
Those who were rich and well-connected left and went to the Wu Dynasty. It is said that they lived a very comfortable life there.
Those who stayed either had no money or connections, or were nostalgic for their homeland, or could not leave because of various complicated entanglements.
For example, the Yan family cannot leave.
Even though Yan Shidao and Yan Haochu have retired, the Yan family still has a young lady, Yan Qingyi, who married into the royal family and is the current queen. The Yan family also has many descendants serving as officials in various places in the Yu Dynasty. How could they get away!
Yan Xiwen is back.
Yan Linqiu also came back.
They are fully aware of the current situation in the court. What can they do?
Yan Xiwen was bored and simply went out. However, after he left the house, he found that he had nowhere to go - his former friends, Shi Yiming, Xue Donglin, Xi Shuang, Fei Qian, Fang Wenxing, etc., had all gone to Wu Dynasty!
This is fucking terrible! Yan Xiwen was speechless. Fu Xiaoguan had gone too far. He was cutting off the source of the trouble!
I heard that all the old people from the Ministry of Commerce and Wofengdao have left. The Ministry of Commerce has been completely closed, and Wofengdao has almost been paralyzed. Although the officials of Wofengdao have been replenished in this year's and autumn examinations, Wofengdao is already dead - it has lost its soul and is just struggling to survive.
Where to go?
Yan Xiwen looked at the vast snow and realized that he couldn't even find anyone to drink with.
There is a Zhuo Liuyun, but my father said that Zhuo Liuyun is now a favorite of the emperor - this magistrate of Laiyun County who was once dismissed by Emperor Xuan has now risen to the position of Vice Minister of the Council of State!
From a seventh-rank county magistrate to a third-rank official, this guy is really lucky. I don’t know how he should thank Fu Xiaoguan.
"Let's go to Lantingji and have a look."
"Yes, Master!"
The carriage drove towards Lantingji and passed by Sifanglou. Today was New Year's Eve, and Sifanglou was closed - it seemed that Sifanglou was not closed when Fu Xiaoguan was in Jinling City?
The business of Sifanglou is booming now. The owner is smart. When Fu Xiaoguan went to Wofeng Road, he opened a Sifanglou on Wofeng Road. When Fu Xiaoguan went to Chi Lechuan Autonomous Region, he opened a Sifanglou in Yuxiu City.
Fu Xiaoguan returned to Wu Dynasty and opened a Sifanglou in Guanyun City.
I don’t know if the Sifanglou in Guanyun City is closed today.
With this in mind, Yan Xiwen boarded a black-sailed boat and arrived at Lantingji.
Quite sad.
Although there were many big red lanterns hanging on Lantingji, and although the first snow was floating in a poetic and picturesque manner, there were not many people on this island, which was the most literary island of the Yu Dynasty.
Not to mention the scenes of groups reciting poems and writing essays as in the past, even tourists are very few.
Is this the decline of the Yu Dynasty?
Decline is certain. Even Linjiang City is not in a good situation now.
But why did this decline come so quickly?
Is Fu Xiaoguan's influence really that great?
This was the most difficult part for Yan Xiwen to understand. Just last night, he asked his grandfather Yan Beixi about this question.
His grandfather explained to him that it was the people's will - everything he did during the years in the Yu Dynasty was for the benefit of the people and merchants of the Yu Dynasty.
Whether it was the commercial codes promoted by the Ministry of Commerce, the policy of developing both commerce and agriculture that he single-handedly promoted, or the promise he made to the people of the Yu Dynasty—the twenty-four-character policy for governing the country established by Emperor Xuan—
Prosperity, democracy, civilization, harmony, freedom, equality... This policy has been announced to the whole country!
So that people all over the country see hope and form a core value in everyone's heart!
Later, in Fu Xiaoguan's series of policies, everything he did was indeed in line with this goal. Therefore, everyone in the Yu Dynasty believed that Fu Xiaoguan would be able to achieve this great goal in the future.
But Fu Xiaoguan left, and was forced to leave by Emperor Xuan. This was such a huge resentment in the hearts of the people and merchants!
In the next two years, people found that Fu Xiaoguan was no longer in the Yu Dynasty, and everything seemed to have changed.
Especially with the huge change in Wofengdao's policy, the merchants had no hope, and the pie hanging in front of the people suddenly shattered to the ground, and they couldn't even pick it up.
"People's expectations are gone, just like their once beautiful hopes have been shattered. Without hope, there are no thoughts and no goals... To put it bluntly, with the current Yu Dynasty, I'm afraid even His Majesty is confused."
“How can we change that?”
"...His philosophy of governing the country is so advanced, but there is only one Fu Xiaoguan in the world, and others can't even learn from him."
This sentence has a hidden meaning. Yan Beixi did not say it clearly, but Yan Xiwen understood it.
Will he... come back?
If he could come back, how would he come back?
While strolling, Yan Xiwen came to the Thousand Stele Stone. When he looked up, he saw a familiar person who was also looking at the Thousand Stele Stone - Zhuo Liuyun!
"Hello, Lord Zhuo!"
Zhuo Liuyun turned around and laughed, "Are you still alienated from me? If anything, you are my benefactor!"
Yan Xiwen grinned, not dwelling on the words. Instead, he pointed to the poem "Shui Tiao Ge Tou" in the first row of the Thousand Stone Stele and said with a smile, "Back then, I lost to this poem of his."
"When will the bright moon appear? I raise my cup to ask the sky.
…
May we live long and share the beauty of the moon together even though we are thousands of miles apart."
"This guy ran off thousands of miles away," Yan Xiwen laughed at himself and shook his head. "I wonder if he'll find it lonely up there."
"Ah...Brother Yan, five years have passed in the blink of an eye. Looking back, I can't help but sigh!"
Zhuo Liuyun also shook his head. "Who knew the story would turn out like this? I often wonder, if he were still in the Yu Dynasty, on days like this, our group of friends back then would definitely still be together. Either drinking in the Sifang Building, or writing poetry in the Lanting Collection, or even drinking and chatting happily in his Shengguo Mansion. What a wonderful and pleasant time it would be... What a pity."
"Time flies. You and I are still young, but our old friends are gone. Only the inscription on the tombstone remains. The plum blossoms are blooming again, but the snow is cold. Suddenly, I seem to realize how old I have been. When I look back, I realize how good he was in the past!"
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
