boyutpedia Chapter 633 The Grand Finale
Chapter 633 The Grand Finale
"That's right. Thanks to Chang'er, our descendants won't have to be blind anymore."
"Look, look! The design has changed! The design has changed!"
"Hey, what's that? It looks like a bird."
"Haha, that's a phoenix!"
"It's changed again, changed again, eh, what's this?"
"It looks like words, and there are flowers around the words. Oh my, I've never seen such beautiful fireworks in my life."
"Haha, you're talking like you've seen this before."
"Hehe, didn't we let Chang'er's big ship go once when it was being tested last time? What, you didn't come to see it? This old woman saw it from beginning to end."
Is that so?
When Gu Xiaolu heard her grandparents talking about the last sea trial, she explained, "Last time it wasn't a fireworks show, it was to celebrate the launch of our own big ship that my mother let us kids set off some fireworks."
The focus last time wasn't the fireworks, it was the water cannon!
Of course, my mother said that we couldn't tell anyone about the water cannon incident.
The words in the sky changed again at the right moment, and Gu Xiaolu read out: "Celebrating the New Year together!"
Then she turned around and hugged her younger brother, "Xiaoman, a new year has begun, you are four years old now."
Gu Xiaoman jumped up happily, "Happy New Year! Xiaoman is four years old!"
Xiao Bao raised his hand and said, "Me, me, me! I'm a year older too!"
Gu Xiaolu nodded, "Yes, Xiaobao has grown a year older, he'll be three years old now."
Xiao Bao clapped his hands and exclaimed, "Xiao Bao is three years old!"
Upon hearing the children's explanation, the people around them exchanged New Year's greetings, bringing the atmosphere to a climax.
The fireworks display continued for another fifteen minutes, finally ending amidst a sea of peonies.
However, long after the fireworks show ended, people lingered, reluctant to leave.
Some elderly people even raised their sleeves and wept, saying, "This old man's life has been worthwhile. I never thought I could live such a good life."
Someone beside them choked up and said, "Things will get better and better. We just need to follow Chang'er."
As the crowd dispersed, this was the phrase people heard most often.
The Prince of Zhenbei stayed in Linshui Village for three days. During those three days, he spent almost all his time either with his children, telling them stories about the north, or with his wife in the evenings.
On the evening of the third day of the Lunar New Year, Lin Chang'er personally packed the bags for Xiao Jinyu and Lin Yanqing, and let them follow Zhenbei Wang Beishan, along with several men selected from Linshui Village.
The supplies had been prepared well in advance and stored in the shipyard warehouse.
Before boarding the ship, Lin Chang'er, like every parent sending their child to join the army, gave Xiao Jinyu and Lin Yanqing a lot of instructions.
Princess Zhenbei also stood by with tears in her eyes. Lin Chang'er had always thought of herself as emotionally detached, but when she saw the child carrying a bundle and boarding the boat, she couldn't help but wipe away her tears.
Throughout the first month of the lunar calendar, Lin Chang'er was busy with social engagements. By the third month, the war in the north had escalated further, and the people in the north were displaced, with a large number of refugees fleeing to the south.
A large number of refugees also poured into Ninghai Prefecture, and Prefect Chen opened the granaries to distribute grain on the advice of wealthy families such as Lin Chang'er.
They also guided the refugees to make a living in Linshui Village. Lin Chang'er and Wu Qingfeng sorted and resettled them, and absorbed a group of young people into the coastal defense force. They secretly sent them to overseas islands for training. After a year of accumulation, the coastal defense force has expanded to 100,000 people.
The following spring, the northern barbarians launched another large-scale invasion. Under the pretext of raising funds for the army, the emperor levied exorbitant taxes, but the Zhenbei Army did not receive a single grain of rice or grain; all military supplies came from donations from the people.
The Prince of Zhenbei, having reached his limit of tolerance, declared his secession from the Tianqi Dynasty in the north.
The southern regions and the Jiaozhou army, led by the son of the former Minister of War, responded simultaneously.
In June of the same year, many people from other places came to join them. He Lang, the son of the former Minister of War and commander of the Jiaozhou Army, led his troops south to meet with Wu Qingfeng and Lin Chang'er. The Jiaozhou Army was then incorporated into the Linshui Army.
In September, the Linshui Army sailed north, using firearms to intimidate the enemy along the way. There was no resistance wherever they went, and they marched all the way to the outskirts of the capital.
After months of stalemate, the city gate guards opened the city gates to welcome the navy into the city, marking the end of the Tianqi Dynasty.
Lin Chang'er brought the children to the capital in September of the following year. It took Wu Qingfeng almost half a year to rectify and clarify the new policies.
He ascended the throne at the end of October, establishing the Great Xia dynasty with the reign title Taikang. He appointed his adopted son, Pei Jingzhe, as crown prince, but did not appoint an empress.
When it came time to reward meritorious service, Lin Chang'er was granted the title of Prince of Ninghai. There was no further title to be given to the Prince of Zhenbei. An imperial edict was issued with a red inscription and an iron certificate, granting her a hereditary title regardless of gender.
Bai Shaoan was granted the title of King of White Robes, and a decree was issued with a red inscription and an iron certificate, which would be hereditary and perpetual.
He Lang was enfeoffed as the King of Jiaozhou, Chen Kuo was promoted to Marquis, and the rest of the people, especially those who were among the first to follow him in Linshui Village, were all rewarded according to their merits.
Everything else is beyond reproach, except for the matter of Lin Chang'er being made a queen, which has encountered many obstacles.
Wu Qingfeng, having given up all hope, sat upright in the main hall, adopting an attitude of "I don't care what you think, I only care what I think."
He bluntly stated that the money he used to conquer the country came from his wife. So, she won't let him be made a king? Then he'll unleash his ultimate move: he'll abdicate and let his wife rule the world as an empress.
To silence the crowd, the Crown Prince was made to read aloud the relevant account books from the start of the uprising. The accounts were not solely funded by Prince Ninghai, but were also raised by him. Prince Ninghai was the foundation of the state.
At this point, no one dared to object anymore. After all, between the Empress and the Queen, they would still prefer the latter.
After being granted her title, Lin Chang'er adopted a "better to die than lose" attitude and led her entire family back to her fiefdom of Ninghai. Yes, Ninghai Prefecture is now her fiefdom as the King of Ninghai.
This caused Wu Qingfeng considerable hardship. As a result, six months after ascending the throne, he used his poor health as an excuse to recall the Prince of Zhenbei back to the capital to take charge of the capital's defenses. He appointed Chen Shanzhang and several great Confucian scholars as tutors to the Crown Prince to assist him in governing the country, thus beginning to transfer real power.
Unfortunately, Jingzhe was too young.
However, with the crown prince overseeing the country, he finally had time to secretly travel south to meet his beloved.
Finally, two years later, in the third year of the Taikang reign, the young Emperor Taikang, whose health was deteriorating, abdicated in favor of his crown prince before heading south to recuperate. The reign title was Jinghe.
In the second year of Jinghe, the retired emperor's health improved significantly, and he married into the Ninghai Prince's family, causing a stir in the court and among the people.
The memorials impeaching Prince Ninghai piled up like mountains. The group of Confucian scholars, led by Headmaster Chen, overpowered the others, engaging in a fierce debate in the main hall. They were acting as if they were defending a patron. Indeed, Lin Chang'er's investment in the students of Yunhai Academy had finally paid off.
The White-Clad King and the newly promoted members of the Linshui Legion secretly put sacks over her head at night to vent their anger. In a short time, many more memorials impeaching the Prince of Zhenbei for dereliction of duty came in.
Emperor Jinghe tossed aside his memorial and, following the same tactic, declared, "You won't agree, huh? If you won't agree, I'll unleash my ultimate weapon!" He immediately issued an edict to welcome Prince Ninghai back to the capital to ascend the throne.
This tactic always worked, and the court officials compromised once again.
It is said that on the day of the wedding of Prince Ninghai and the Emperor Emeritus, the banquet stretched for nearly ten miles, and tens of thousands of people went to celebrate.
Half of the officials in the court also went there.
That year, another interesting thing happened: Gu Xingzhi, the former adoptive father of Emperor Jinghe who had died in a mudslide, returned to his hometown with his wife and daughter.
It turns out that he lent his coat to a fellow traveler on his way to be conscripted, so he was not the one who died in the mudslide.
However, after escaping, he was robbed again, fell off a cliff, and suffered a head injury that caused amnesia. He married the woman who saved him, and his memory was not restored until this year.
Thus, everyone was happy, and Emperor Jinghe bestowed honors upon him in accordance with regulations.
In the tenth year of the Jinghe era, the government was efficient and the people were harmonious, and the country was peaceful and prosperous. Through the unremitting efforts of two generations of emperors, the national treasury became increasingly abundant.
The once impoverished and remote Linshui Village has now become the premier port of the Great Xia Dynasty. The warships designed by Lin Beishan and his wife have been upgraded to the third generation. The maritime escort fleet established in the early years of Kangtai reign, in the sixth year of Jinghe reign, fought a major battle against invading pirates, directly intercepting and annihilating them off the coastline.
From then on, the seas were clear and peaceful, and maritime trade flourished.
That year, the retired emperor, who was already over thirty, finally welcomed a son and a daughter.
When the baby turned one month old, Lin Beishan and Bai He personally organized a full-month celebration for their granddaughter, which included a fireworks show.
That night, fireworks lit up the sky, making Linshui City as bright as day. People of all ages and genders came out of their homes to participate in the grand event.
During the gathering, an elderly man remarked with emotion, "The last time I saw fireworks like this was at the end of the old dynasty. This old man thought he would never see them again in his lifetime, but I never expected..."
"Haha, I told you before, as long as you follow Chang'er, you can't go wrong."
"Who can argue with that? Who would have thought that fair-skinned baby would become emperor! Chang'er really knows how to raise children."
Although Lin Chang'er had finished her postpartum confinement, her family elders kept a close eye on her and still wouldn't let her go out and get tired.
Wu Qingfeng then sat with her by the window to watch the fireworks. The two of them nestled together by the window, where the bustling crowds outside were the sleepless harbor they had built over more than ten years with countless efforts. Behind them were their two children.
Wu Qingfeng held his wife's hand and said, "That year you said you wanted to build a port that never sleeps on this barren land. I never imagined it would become such a grand place."
Lin Chang'er shrugged, "The bigger the dream, the richer the reality."
Wu Qingfeng chuckled, "In that case, I hope Prince Ninghai will continue to guide me for the rest of my life."
Lin Chang'er smiled and said, "Sure, sure. What's the smell? Is it your little brother or your little girl who's pooped?"
Wu Qingfeng said decisively, "It must be my younger brother! He's very straightforward."
Lin Chang'er raised an eyebrow, "So, what is the Emperor Emeritus waiting for if we're not going to change the diaper?"
Wu Qingfeng rose and bowed, "As you command, Your Majesty!"
Lin Chang'er nudged his arm, "Go quickly, or you'll cry and won't recognize your father..."
Wu Qingfeng smiled gently, "Alright, I'll go right away..."
End of full text