The last time Han Zhongyu and Xie Yushu parted ways was three years ago, when one went to the Tatars to seek revenge, and the other returned to the capital to serve as the Grand Minister of Agriculture.
In the blink of an eye, three years have passed. With the passage of time, their feelings for each other have only grown stronger. In the past, they would exchange letters and chat casually without feeling anything special, but when they met again, they were overwhelmed with longing for each other.
However, when they gathered together to attend the third anniversary memorial service for Xuan Yuanche and all the brothers who sacrificed their lives, they only exchanged a brief hug before preparing for the memorial service themselves.
The sacrificial ceremony was solemn and grand. The cemetery was filled with white, and Xie Yushu and the others all wore white sashes to express their condolences.
The third prince still voluntarily acted as the heir, wearing mourning clothes for Xuanyuan Che.
For this reason alone, Xie Yushu showed the Third Prince some respect; she liked dealing with people who were humane.
After reciting the Rebirth Sutra, burning incense and paper money, it is time to remove the mourning clothes.
According to local custom, after removing their mourning clothes, people immediately put on red shirts. Locals say this is to bring good luck and suppress bad fortune during a funeral.
Xie Yushu, however, felt that the true meaning of using the festive red to wash away the sorrowful white was probably to remind people to stop being sad and to live well.
The third prince removed his mourning clothes and changed into a scarlet brocade robe.
For the past three years, Xie Yushu has always worn plain clothes and tied her hair with a white silk ribbon. She did not hold a grand vigil for Xuan Yuanche's spirit and followed the custom of wearing plain clothes for three years when there is a death in the family.
After removing the white silk ribbon, Aunt Su personally used a ruby wheat ear hairpin to style her hair into a flying bun.
The hairpin was personally made by Aunt Su for Xie Yushu, symbolizing peace and safety year after year.
During these three years, apart from checking accounts with Qu Xiaodie, Xie Yushu spent most of her time planting flowers and tidying up the corners of the cemetery with Nanxing, and chatting with Xuan Yuanche about daily life.
Perhaps it's because she's gotten used to it, but now when she stands before Xuan Yuanche's grave, she no longer feels excruciating heartache. At the end of the ceremony, Xie Yushu said very earnestly...
"I'm starting my life anew, but I'll still visit you often when I have time. I don't know if you've been reincarnated yet, but wherever you are, I hope you're happy!"
After Xie Yushu finished speaking, she stroked the tombstone and turned to leave.
Han Zhongyu picked up the wine jar, took a sip, poured some more onto the ground, and gently patted the tombstone, saying...
"Don't worry, I will take good care of her and stay by her side."
Then he put down the wine jar and went down the mountain.
Qingfeng, on the other hand, spent the entire afternoon drinking wine in front of Mingyue's grave, clutching a wine jar.
After the sacrificial ceremony, everyone went their separate ways the next day.
Han Zhongyu was somewhat reluctant to leave, but he had official duties to attend to. Within his jurisdiction, biogas fertilizer had been widely adopted, except for a few remote areas where some people still did not have land.
There was no land returned by the powerful clans over there, and Han Zhongyu was planning to go there personally to see if there was any suitable land for reclamation near their village, and to encourage them to reclaim it.
Emperor Qingyuan was very satisfied with the work done by those in charge of land redistribution.
Since the land was distributed to landless people to cultivate, tax revenue has increased by one-fifth compared to previous years when it was held by powerful families. One-fifth may not sound like much, but a one-fifth increase in tax revenue for the national treasury is no small amount.
Emperor Qingyuan has already issued a transfer order to them, and Han Zhongyu will likely be transferred back to the capital next spring.
If nothing unexpected happens, his official rank will be promoted again.
He's already a second-rank official, and the next step is first-rank official and then first-rank official. I wonder what position Emperor Qingyuan will give him.
Furthermore, the Third Prince deserves much credit for the smooth and bloodless success of this reform.
With the economy experiencing a leap in growth this year, Emperor Qingyuan finally made up his mind to establish a crown prince.
Therefore, at the end of the year, Xie Yushu received news that Emperor Qingyuan had appointed the third prince as the crown prince and had him move into the Eastern Palace.
And he was also given the right to formally participate in politics.
After hesitating for so many years, when it came time to officially establish the emperor, Emperor Qingyuan did not mince words. He directly announced his decision in the court and made the imperial edict public.
The third prince was honest, decisive, and not cowardly. He was already very popular and had a good reputation among the people.
So after the Emperor's decree was announced, apart from the factions of the First Prince and the Fifth Prince who objected a few times, saying that the Great Qi was currently in a developmental stage and that Emperor Qingyuan was in his prime, there was no need to rush to establish a crown prince. Unfortunately, Emperor Qingyuan's words were final, and their objections made little difference.
Spring has come again. The Right Chancellor is getting old and has reached retirement age. Han Zhongyu has been recalled to the capital by Emperor Qingyuan to serve as Right Chancellor.
The Right Chancellor at the age of twenty-seven is the first of his kind since the founding of the Great Qi Dynasty.
However, no one dared to question it, simply because Han Zhongyu's political achievements were truly dazzling.
Han Zhongyu served for two months before Han Wuyong resigned and went into seclusion.
Actually, we just took Madam Han to Yuquan Mountain Villa for some barbecue.
Last summer in Beijing, I heard people say that the barbecue street in front of Yuquan Villa was incredibly popular. Passing by there, my mouth watered. Drinking beer and eating skewers was so enjoyable, I wouldn't trade it for anything.
At that time, Han Wuyong was so hungry that he kept smacking his lips. Now he didn't have to go to court. The day after he resigned, he packed his bags and took his wife straight to Yuquan Villa.
It just so happens that Xie Baotian and his wife, as well as Xie Baoshu and his wife, also missed their daughter and son, so they came to visit and pick up some goods to take back with them.
As a result, the three old men got together and spent every day at the barbecue stall, eating from dusk till the moon rose above the willow trees.
In the end, each of the old ladies had to pull out one ear and carry them back.
Although Xie Yushu was puzzled, since the three of them lived in completely different environments, what topics could they possibly have to talk about? They could talk about it every day and never run out of things to say. But seeing that they spent every day together, they must have some kind of common interests.
In the words of Madam Han, being bound by those rules and regulations for most of her life, that's what life is all about.
Relaxed and carefree.
Grandma Han often went for walks with Aunt Su and the others. Occasionally, they would sit down for a meal and a drink, watching the children playing around them, the young couples flirting and gazing at each other affectionately, and the elderly people leading their grandchildren or selling their handmade dolls with smiles on their faces.
Everyone's eyes shine with light, filled with hope for the future.
Such a harmonious and relaxed scene, as beautiful as a painting, makes one feel exceptionally at ease.
Such scenes are not uncommon in Daqi, and perhaps they will be seen everywhere once barbecue and beer become more widespread.
Merchants from other countries witnessed this scene and declared that the Great Qi Dynasty had entered a golden age.
After the autumn harvest, Emperor Qingyuan had the accounts checked, and the national treasury was indeed richer than ever before, already catching up with the prosperous period of the previous dynasty. Moreover, compared to the previous dynasty, the people of Daqi had a much higher standard of living than the people during the prosperous period of the previous dynasty.
Therefore, once the data was released, the Great Qi Dynasty officially began a golden age that lasted for a century, which was later recorded in history as the Qingyuan Golden Age.
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