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When Qin Mu left Chang'an, the Western Capital, and returned to Nanjing, snowflakes began to fall from the sky again.
According to local old farmers, such heavy snow is beneficial to the growth of wheat seedlings in the fields. This is what is called "auspicious snow heralds a good harvest."
But for Qin Mu and his party who drove thousands of miles all the way back to Nanjing, it was a very hard task.
The soldiers' iron armor was too cold to wear, and the black banners were frozen and could not be rolled up. The horses whistled in the west wind, and white mist came out of their mouths; the mountains and fields in the distance were blurred by the falling snow.
Qin Mu lifted half of the curtain, looked at the vast mountains, rubbed his stiff cheeks, and felt quite emotional. When I left, the willows were swaying, and now I am thinking, it is raining and snowing. Why did I drive so hard for thousands of miles, from north to west, braving the wind and snow
In fact, Qin Mu also knew that he could stay in Nanjing, take charge of the rear, and enjoy family happiness with his wife and children when he had free time.
However, Qin Mu still chose to travel thousands of miles. In addition to wanting to personally understand the situation in the north, perhaps he was more afraid that he would be like the emperors of previous dynasties, decadent in the deep palace.
In the countries established by nomadic peoples, such as the Liao and Jin dynasties, the emperors mostly implemented "mobile rule". The emperors rotated back and forth between various capitals to stay and hunt in the four seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter. The highest institution of the country was always in a state of mobility.
The Central Plains dynasty implemented "city-state rule". Although there were several capitals, once the emperor retreated into the deep palace, he would not leave the palace for many years.
There is no doubt that these two ways of ruling have their own advantages and disadvantages. "Mobile ruling" has far-reaching significance for strengthening the rule over the areas radiated by various capitals, and it also allows the emperor to "travel thousands of miles."
Apart from other benefits of "city-state rule", the most obvious one is that it helps ensure the safety of the emperor himself, and the emperor's safety is often the safety of the entire country.
But the disadvantages of "city-state rule" are also obvious. The emperor stays in the palace all year round. Not only is it easy to be corrupt, but it is also easy to be fooled by ministers.
A person who has not left the palace for many years has limited understanding of the actual situation in the world, and everything depends on reports from his ministers.
Qin Mu didn't want to do this, so he chose to travel thousands of miles, but it was really tiring and even met with opposition from many ministers. They would use the reason that "the safety of the King of Qin is the most important" to oppose it, and some said that "it would cause unnecessary waste". Of course, some officials inevitably felt that "it would be difficult to fool the King of Qin", but they just couldn't say such reasons.
He leaned against the car window, looking at the snow in the fields, feeling inexplicably emotional, and sighed quietly: "The orchid is luxuriant, and its fragrance is wafting. Many incense surrounds it, and its fragrance is faint. If you don't pick it and just wear it, it will not hurt the orchid. Days and years, I travel to all corners of the world... Snow and frost are thick. The flowers bud in winter. A gentleman's loyalty will bring prosperity to his descendants..."
When they arrived in Luoyang, Yan Gaofei came to report the good news that Bian Yujing had successfully given birth to a daughter half a month ago.
This may disappoint many people. Especially Bian Yujing herself, who is probably the most disappointed one. People in this era value sons over daughters, and a woman's status in the family is often determined by her sons.
Qin Mu was quite happy. Although he also wanted to have more sons, he felt that he was still young and would just have more children in the future. So he didn't really care whether it was a son or a daughter.
Along the way, he began to think about what name to give his daughter. This was really different from when his eldest son Qin Ye was over one year old and he hadn't given him a name yet.
But after thinking about it over and over again, I found that it was not right. We have arrived in Kaifeng, but I still haven't decided on a name for my daughter.
When we arrived in Kaifeng, we naturally had to bring Hongniang along.
She was four months pregnant, and she wore more clothes because it was cold, so you couldn't see much change in her figure even with the clothes on. Only after she took off her clothes could you see that her belly was slightly bulging.
As far as Qin Mu knew, the first three months of a woman's pregnancy was a critical period for the formation and growth of the fetus, so special attention should be paid to avoid excessive fatigue or intense movements to avoid miscarriage. In the fourth month, she was no longer so delicate.
In short, it was just the right time to take her back to Nanjing during this period when she was not too delicate. Qin Mu had someone make a carriage equipped with shock absorbers in advance and laid three layers of cushions on it.
After Hong Niangzi lay down, half of her body sank in. She couldn't help but say angrily, "King Qin, this is too soft. I am stuck and can't turn over."
Qin Mu chuckled and tried lying on it himself. It was indeed too soft. His body sank too much and it was difficult for him to turn over. "Old Han, have someone remove the cushion."
"Yes!" Han Zanzhou hurriedly did as he was told.
Well, that's much better now. He covered Hongniang with the soft and warm silk quilt, and Qin Mu carefully tucked the corners of the quilt for her.
Hongniang watched his movements and felt in a trance that he did not look like a king but just a considerate husband, and her heart was sweet.
"I am not that delicate, but I am..."
"A pregnant woman."
Qin Mu quickly intercepted the question and changed "having martial arts skills" to "being pregnant". Hong Niangzi couldn't help but say, "The word 'official' has two mouths, I can't argue with you."
"Ying'er, you are wrong this time. I am not an official, but a king, with only one mouth. Strictly speaking, you are the official now, and I am the victim."
Hong Niangzi was amused by him and chuckled. She turned over and lay on her side, hugged him and kissed his cheek gently. "Prince Qin, I... missed you." It was the first time that Hong Niangzi said such words with a hint of attachment.
Qin Mu could feel that after she became pregnant, she changed a lot and became gentler.
"Ying'er, let me check, is this you?" Qin Mu pretended to unbutton her clothes.
In the past, Hong Niangzi would have inevitably pushed his hand away, but this time she let him do it and hugged him even tighter, as if she was afraid that he would suddenly disappear. She kissed his earlobe with her lips, and her attachment to him became stronger.
Nothing special happened on the way back south, but because of Hongniangzi's consideration, the journey was slow. It was already late November when we returned to Nanjing.
Unlike the Central Plains which had just been recovered, as soon as we approached Nanjing, the prosperous scene hit us in the face. In the villages on the roadside, we could see people sifting grains and pounding rice, or spinning and weaving cloth in front of the eaves inside the house, working hard, and the sounds of chickens and dogs could be heard between the villages.
On the road leading to the city, there were soldiers patrolling with spears, and there was an endless stream of carriages and horses coming and going.
As we got closer to the city, with the increase in the number of people and houses, livestock and poultry trading markets began to appear on the roadside. On the houses and sheds, signs such as "Cattle Market", "Pig Market", "Sheep Market", "Donkey Market" and "Duck Market" were hung.
Because the livestock trading market is rather dirty and messy, people are not allowed to enter the city and can only trade outside the city.
At that time, the southern suburbs of Nanjing were commonly known as Nanxiang, which was an important base for agricultural and sideline production. Specialties such as "Nanxiang pig", "Nanxiang rice", "Nanxiang duck" and "Nanxiang chicken" were very famous, and the Huxiu pressed duck was even more popular.
In short, before entering the city, one can see the prosperous and bustling market scene. Even if the King of Qin returned to the capital today, it would not have much impact on the transactions in the market.
The King of Qin returned triumphantly from his Northern Expedition. This was a huge event, and the civil and military officials who stayed in Nanjing had naturally prepared a grand welcoming ceremony early on. There was drum and music playing, and the imperial procession came out in unison. The people also spontaneously lined the streets to welcome him, and there were crowds of people everywhere.
Many businesses in Nanjing spontaneously took out firecrackers and set them off, making it look like Chinese New Year. Qin Mu's face was covered in cigarette ash, but the scene was very festive and lively.
His son Qin Ye also wrote the five words "Father, you have worked hard" by hand. This was a homework-like gift for meeting someone. When Qin Mu saw it, he knew that it was taught by Yang Zhi. There was no mention of civil or military affairs, but these five words, which were filled with the warmth of family.
"Hahaha..." Qin Mu hugged his son and laughed loudly. These five words made him happier than those words of praise.
Civil and military officials as well as millions of common people couldn't help but smile as they watched this scene of loving father and filial son.
Some officials had to praise Qin Ye for his intelligence, benevolence and filial piety. After all, he was the eldest son, and it seemed that Qin Mu liked him very much. The position of the crown prince would almost certainly not fall to others. It would never go wrong to praise him a few more times if there was a chance.
The return of the King of Qin brought more joy to Nanjing. People praised the King of Qin's achievements in civil and military affairs, and their hearts were more at ease. Without the King of Qin, Nanjing made people feel a little uneasy. Some time ago, there were rumors that the King of Qin was going to move the capital to Guanzhong. Now these rumors can finally be put to rest.
Everyone began to eagerly look forward to the day of the Qin King's coronation ceremony. The coronation ceremony of the founding emperor was different from that of later monarchs. Ordinary people also had the opportunity to watch from afar. This was a once-in-a-millennium event.
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.(To be continued..)
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