frightfiction Chapter 953 Good Atmosphere
Chapter 953 Good Atmosphere
Sanlang's marriage was naturally finally settled. His reply was as straightforward and concise as his personality. The few pages were filled with greetings to his family, and only at the end did he reply with two words: "Agree."
This was a candidate that was highly recommended by all the sisters in the mansion and was also praised by his grandmother and mother. He didn't think that everyone was blind, so there was no reason for him to disagree.
October 17th was Jing Chunxi's fourteenth birthday. Although Xu Zize was far away, he did not forget this day and sent a gift to his family three days in advance.
They were a few simple wooden boxes. When they were opened, there was nothing valuable inside. There were just a few root carvings neatly lying inside.
These root carvings are obviously taken from the twisted roots of ancient trees in the mountains. They have natural and strange shapes. Some look like coiled dragons looking back, some like lying deer taking a rest, and some like mountain eagles spreading their wings.
Xu Zize attached a short letter, saying that these were personally selected when the trees were cut down for the construction of the canal, and were carved one by one by the campfire at night and in his spare time.
The carving technique is indeed crude, with knife marks clearly visible and some edges even having burrs. However, it is precisely this undecorated roughness that gives each root carving a wild and vigorous vitality, as if the spiritual energy of the mountains is also sealed in it.
With every cut and every stroke, besides his sincere blessings and thoughts, Jing Chunxi saw the hardships of his journey. To connect the rivers, seas, and lakes north and south, he would definitely have to camp for a long time, and he would also have to think of ways to please her. He didn't know if he could eat well and rest well.
...
Jing Chunxi's birthday banquet was ultimately held according to her wishes, without any extravagance. She simply set up a few tables of exquisite family feast in the flower hall of the Rong En Marquis's residence, inviting only her closest relatives, elders, sisters, and close friends.
Although there was no grand music or orchestra during the feast, there was laughter and warmth, and it was quite enjoyable. As the sun set, relatives and friends left one after another, and the house gradually quieted down.
On the surface, she claimed to be exhausted from the day's work and had returned to her attic early to rest, dismissing her servants. However, as the night deepened and all was silent, she quietly entered the space that belonged only to her.
The space was still warm like spring, filled with spiritual energy. Before her was the golden rice field she had carefully tended. The heavy rice ears bent the stalks, indicating harvest time. This was also the second harvest season since Xu Zize's departure.
She didn't dare to slack off at all, knowing full well the heavy burden on her shoulders. She had to harvest and store the precious grains as quickly as possible, and then sow new seeds immediately. She must not waste a single moment of precious time in this space.
She had only one firm thought in her mind: to accumulate as much vitality as possible for more people and to resolve the worries of the court during those difficult years that had not yet come but could already be seen.
At the same time, the imperial court's actions were carried out with unprecedented force and transparency. Rather than concealing the secret, the emperor mobilized the entire nation to accelerate the construction of the canal and issued a clear imperial edict to the entire country.
The edict made no secret of anything and made public the abnormal celestial phenomena observed by the Imperial Astronomical Observatory, which indicated the possibility of a major disaster, so that every citizen in the world would know about it.
The imperial court not only urged the people to stockpile food and clothing for emergencies, but also systematically organized the relocation of people living in low-lying and humid areas in the south to higher ground. In the north, the situation was exactly the opposite: the government guided the people not only to migrate to lower-lying areas, but also to settle in areas that were already close to rivers and streams.
Immediately afterwards, another decree was issued, requiring local government offices to make detailed statistics of tax revenue for the next three years. However, this money and grain did not need to be turned over to the court, but was directly converted into local food reserves needed for the next three to five years.
The subsequent supplementary regulations were even more harsh in their wording: whether it was local officials or wealthy businessmen, if anyone dared to take advantage of this opportunity to hoard large quantities of grain and make huge profits, once verified, all their property would be confiscated and officials would be immediately dismissed from their posts. Those with serious circumstances would even face the death penalty of beheading in public and the punishment of nine generations of their family.
It was this series of interlocking and swift measures that caused the entire circle of dignitaries in the capital to be shrouded in a strange and depressing atmosphere from the Mid-Autumn Festival until the end of the year.
Everyone was being extremely low-key, no longer daring to hold grand and elaborate celebrations like in the past, whether it was weddings or funerals. Even under the personal advocacy and example of the Empress, a wave of donations from top to bottom had begun, quickly sweeping across the country.
Officials and noble families from all over the country followed suit, and a virtuous atmosphere was formed that was praised by the people, injecting a touch of human warmth into the solemn atmosphere of impending storm.
As the Lunar New Year drew to a close, the Ningguo Mansion received tremendous news: Jing Mingyue had successfully given birth to twins, two healthy boys. For the dwindling Ningguo Mansion, the arrival of these twins was a blessing from heaven. Not only were the two masters ecstatic, but the entire servant population felt honored and their spirits were lifted.
If it weren't for the current situation in which the whole country advocates frugality and strives to be low-key, with the joy and dignity of the Ningguo Mansion, I'm afraid they would really open their doors and set up a buffet for three days to celebrate this rare event.
The winter of the 33rd year of the Daqing reign seemed exceptionally docile and short, much warmer than in previous years. However, a few scattered flurries of fine snow fell, but before they could accumulate, they melted away in the sun.
It seemed like just a blink of an eye, and the moist scent of spring was already in the air.
The excavation work on the Daqing Mountain also started on a chosen day after the emperor personally went there to pay homage.
It's strange to say, from discovering the secret patterns on the stone wall, to struggling to decipher their meaning, and then searching all over the mountains for possible entrances based on the interpretation, every step was extremely difficult and consumed countless efforts.
As a result, Prince Hong, who was in charge of this matter, had already made the worst-case scenario plan in his mind before starting the construction. He believed that the treasure house of the previous dynasty hidden deep in the mountain must be full of traps and secret passages, and he even anticipated that it might cost a lot of casualties.
However, the actual excavation progressed more smoothly than anyone had imagined. After just three days of excavation at the two entrances, Qingshanzhuang and Qingliuzhuang, the main passage leading to the mountainside was opened. Clearing the passage of rubble and ancient earth obstructions also took just one day, and the engineers ahead excitedly reported that they had actually touched the thick, cold stone walls of the basement.
This unexpected success, while bringing great surprise to people, also gave rise to various different speculations.
When the news reached the palace, His Majesty decided to once again go to Qingshan Manor. This time, in addition to Jing Chunxi and officials from the Ministry of Revenue, he also summoned representatives of the royal family, including Prince Jing and Tao Chengrui.