Chapter 480
The Prosperous Chang'an
The surrender of the Qi emperor was smooth sailing, without any resistance from the entire country.
When the news reached the prisoners of war in Beishuo County, they cheered and rejoiced, genuinely happy about the destruction of their country.
However, the surrender was not as simple as the emperor nodding his head and everyone else following suit.
The Prime Minister Ji Hong, an envoy from the State of Qi, personally came to Wuwei to discuss various matters concerning surrender with Song Shi'an.
The most crucial point, of course, is how their emperor will handle it.
“Young Grand Secretary, I know you represent the Great Yu. So, I will only ask you one question.” Ji Hong, sitting opposite Song Shi’an, stared into his eyes and spoke without a trace of humility, “Can our emperor live with dignity?”
They certainly won't kill him, but he's still so young, and keeping him under house arrest like this would be too tragic for his future.
Song Shi'an was a diplomatic expert. He never spoke empty words, uncertain words, or words that could not convince the other party.
Therefore, he gave his reply with a smile: "Prime Minister Hong, how we treat the Qi King is not just for your benefit. Kang Xun is also watching our attitude towards the Qi King."
With just one sentence, Ji Hong was completely won over.
I also understand why the State of Qi was destroyed by this man.
The rising sun burst forth with boundless golden light.
This politician always gives negotiators the greatest sense of security.
"The same applies to the other Ji clan nobles," Song Shi'an said. "For the sake of stability, you all need to move to the Central Plains. You don't all have to stay in Sheng'an; you can go to other places, such as my hometown, Huai County, where the locust flowers are very beautiful."
It was definitely not acceptable to let the Ji family continue to stay in the State of Qi. If anything happened, these 'political symbols' would be pushed to the forefront, threatening the united front.
They were all crammed into Sheng'an, but they still felt insecure, fearing that they might all be wiped out and the entire Ji family would be condemned to death.
Granting limited wealth, maximum freedom, and flawed human rights—that is Song Shi'an's gentleness.
They were not only trying to impress the Qi people, but also to impress Kang Xun of Northern Yan.
Slowly, Ji Hong stood up and bowed deeply to Song Shi'an: "Thank you, Young Grand Secretary."
And so, the surrender was decided.
The snow in the north had completely melted, and the climate had turned mild. Subsequently, Song Shi'an personally led an army of 120,000, 10,000 officials of the Great Yu (mostly officials), tens of thousands of officials' families, and nearly 100,000 surrendered soldiers toward Leyang.
Outside the main south gate of this magnificent capital city in the north, the emperor of Qi, along with his officials, was already waiting.
When Song Shi'an's carriage arrived, the emperor personally stepped forward and hurried to greet him.
Under the protection of San Gou and a group of Imperial Guards, Song Shi'an stepped down from the carriage.
"Your humble servant Ji Li pays his respects to Duke Huan."
The Emperor of Qi knelt down, holding the square and heavy jade seal box in both hands, and displayed a defeat cutscene before all the officials.
The rest of the officials also knelt down to pay their respects to Song Shi'an.
This was originally Wei Wusheng's idea, but he insisted on giving the State of Qi to Song Shi'an, so Song Shi'an had no choice but to accept it temporarily. Moreover, because it was a surrender ceremony, Song Shi'an's title could not be too low, so the process of first enfeoffing his father as a duke and then passing it on to him later was skipped, and he was directly granted the title of Duke of Huan.
Song Shi'an took the jade seal box with both hands and handed it to San Gou, who was standing to the side.
Then, he reached out his hand to a eunuch.
Then, the eunuch loudly read aloud:
"Fengtian Chengyun Emperor, the imperial edict said:
King Qi, Ji Li, fearing Heaven's will and obeying its mandate, withdrew his troops and submitted. I, having received Heaven's favor and pacified distant peoples, hereby bestow upon you this special grace:
Ji Li was granted the title of Duke of Langya, with a fief of five thousand households, a seven-tassel crown, and a plain silver tortoise-shaped seal.
An imperial edict ordered the construction of the Langya Duke's Mansion in Sheng'an.
Seven rooms and nine frames are permitted.
The annual tribute consisted of 5,000 shi of rice and 300 bolts of silk.
He was granted an audience with the emperor annually, and his rank was that of a prince.
Offering sacrifices at suburban temples and ancestral halls, and enjoying the ritual of three offerings.
The eldest son was appointed as the Commandant of the Imperial Carriage, and the other sons were each granted the title of Academician of the Imperial Academy.
May your plans be successful and may you enjoy lasting blessings. You should diligently cultivate your loyalty as a subject and glorify your service to the imperial family.
So be it.
After the imperial edict was read aloud, Ji Li, who was kneeling in obeisance, slowly raised his head and hands, saying, "Your subject Ji Li receives the edict."
Thus, the surrender ceremony concluded successfully.
Song Shi'an proactively helped Ji Li to her feet. Then, smiling, he took her hand, and together they boarded a carriage and entered Leyang City.
After he took control of Leyang City, Ji Li and the rest of the Ji clan were escorted by the Dayu army to leave Qi and head to Sheng'an.
The imperial palace in Qi was transformed into the governor's mansion.
Song Shi'an concurrently served as the prefect of both Sizhou and Jizhou, making him an undisputed high-ranking official in charge of a region.
But what's even more fascinating is that Ji Yuan's bed is embroidered with dragon patterns all over, making him feel like an emperor when he lies on it with Xin Yue.
However, he only experienced this extravagance for one night before voluntarily relinquishing this unlimited power.
The following morning, at the new governor's mansion, facing many former officials of Qi and newly transferred officials of Da Yu, he sat down before what used to be a dragon throne, but which had now been replaced by a normal bronze table, and began to give his highest instructions.
"My fellow veteran and new Yu ministers, I have come to Qi not to rule this foreign land on behalf of His Majesty, but to govern the ninth state of Great Yu, Jizhou."
After years of fierce fighting, the people of Qi are living in misery. Therefore, I propose these three decrees to be implemented throughout the prefecture.
First, reduce the number of soldiers by 70% and relocate them to counties with high war casualties to replenish the ranks of the laborers. The remaining 30% of soldiers will be selected and integrated with the Imperial Guard, and renamed the Jeju Army.
Secondly, the tax rate for the entire prefecture will be reduced for three years, from 82% to 37%, easing the burden on the people. Within three years, there will be no other corvée labor, allowing them to focus on agriculture and start anew with the people.
Third, Jeju began to implement the Yu system, using the Yu ruler, writing the character Yu, wearing Yu robes, and holding the imperial examinations, completely following the Yu system.
All of Song Shi'an's measures were aimed at eliminating Qi's influence.
This kind of thing is actually very difficult, but with him here, it becomes very simple.
He had become a god-like figure in Qi.
Everything about him is praised by people.
The people of Qi believed that he could bring peace to the region and eliminate famine.
These officials worshipped him immensely, quickly abandoning their status as former officials of Ji Yuan, and followed him, doing everything he asked.
Although the aristocratic families are greedy and inhumane, the Qi region is now in ruins and desperately poor. If Song Shi'an can restore it to its former glory, they would naturally be very willing.
But clearly, they were thinking too little.
Just one year after Song Shi'an was required to "reside in a village" in Qi, the area had already surpassed the wealthiest year in Qi's history.
Of course, this was not a Great Leap Forward. Rather, it was because the state of Qi had always been a war-torn state.
For the people of this country, militarism was commonplace; they had never experienced this level of rest and recuperation.
So during his year here, Song Shi'an was praised to the skies by the people, and the nickname "King Huan" spread far and wide, with many hoping that this place would no longer be Jeju, but Huan State.
At this point, Song Shi'an knew it was time to leave.
.........
Sheng'an.
Wei Wusheng and the emperor were lying on a grand chair in the back garden of the palace, admiring the peach blossom garden (literally).
At this moment, a letter from Jeju Island arrived in their hands.
Because it belonged to Song Shi'an, the emperor directly gave it to Wei Wusheng.
Wei Wusheng hurriedly sat up, opened the letter and read it. After reading it, he smiled and said, "Your Majesty, Shi An said he misses his son and daughter, and he will be back next month."
"This Prince Huan, he doesn't even want to be the Prince?" The emperor felt a little nervous.
The entire country was basically conquered by Song Shi'an, who held a large military force. Giving him half of the Qi Kingdom was a form of appeasement.
Otherwise, his merits would already be greater than the heavens, and if he were to remain in Sheng'an, his status as either the emperor or the Prince of Qin would be rather precarious.
But Wei Wusheng didn't care at all, saying, "What he wants is the unification of the world. Now that the world is close to being unified, he naturally doesn't care about this mere Prince Huan."
Now, the nine provinces of Ji, Shuo, Liang, Huai, Yi, Qin, Si, Yang and Jiao are in the hands of the Great Yu.
There is still one Northern Yan left. Although it has not yet been recovered, the Great Yu has already designated it as Liaozhou.
All the counties and officials had been arranged in advance.
No need for their consent.
"With the mere Prince Huan no longer in our hands, all that's left is the throne," the emperor said with a serious expression.
He didn't care that three years after achieving complete unification, he would have to abdicate the throne to Wei Wusheng.
Since he had already been the monarch of a unified dynasty, he would surely enjoy boundless glory in the future, which would be passed on to the people of the Wei family.
But Song Shi'an is, in the end, a different surname.
There can be no two suns in the sky, nor two rulers in a country.
Wusheng, you can't think that feelings can overcome all difficulties, and that if things are good between you, the country will always be good.
"Your Majesty, please rest assured."
But Wei Wusheng really thought just as he did, and said very frankly: "Shi An and I are one and the same."
Our relationship is so strong that we'll never be apart, so don't worry.
There was nothing he could do about what his younger brother said.
"Then appoint Qin Kuo as the governor of Jizhou and let Shi An return to Sheng'an." The emperor had no choice but to make this decision.
And so, the governors of the two prefectures, the Grand Secretary, the General-in-Chief, and the Duke of Huan were grandly recalled to his loyal home of Sheng'an. All the officials and people prepared to welcome such a great figure.
However, Song Shi'an quietly slipped away, not following the officially announced route, but instead arriving in Sheng'an three days earlier with Xin Yue, San Gou, and others.
This matter was not even communicated to Song Jing.
So when Song Gan hurriedly knocked on his door that night to tell him about it, he was stunned: "Isn't it supposed to be at least three more days before it arrives?"
“Duke, Duke Huan has arrived ahead of schedule,” Song Gan said. “The one in the caravan… is a double.”
"This kid is ridiculous."
After Song Jing finished dressing, he slipped on his shoes and hurried toward the main hall, with Song Gan carrying a lantern and following quickly beside him.
However, both of them were quite old, so they had a hard time walking.
Before they even reached the main hall, they ran into their son, who was returning home.
Wearing a bathrobe, Song Jing, slightly hunched over due to the chill, saw, by the light of the lantern Song Gan was carrying, a man holding a six-month-old child in one arm, smiling simply at him. Standing beside him was his daughter-in-law, a woman who had once been ruthless in killing, now seemed more gentle and virtuous, even her smile had been assimilated by Song Shi'an, becoming exactly the same.
"I'm back."
Song Jing held back for a long time before finally uttering this pointless remark.
"Father, you're back," Song Shi'an said with a smile.
With a loud "whoosh," the child in Song Shi'an's arms suddenly burst into tears.
Song Shi'an handed it to him casually: "Come here, Grandpa, give me a hug."
"..." Song Jing took the child helplessly, shook him in his arms, and asked, "Is this Ping An?"
Song Shi'an and Xin Yue love each other very much. Two people who love each other and have no physiological problems will naturally have children periodically.
Thus, Song Ping'an, the second son, was born.
Song Shi'an asked, "Is this the first time you've met Grandpa, and you're not even giving your grandson a little bit of celebratory money?"
He hasn't changed a bit from being so talkative.
"Money? Whatever Ping An wants, Grandpa will give it to her."
Holding his eldest grandson, Song Jing headed towards the main hall.
"Lord Huan, Madam, you haven't eaten yet, have you?" Song Gan said. "I'll have someone make you a bowl of soup noodles."
“Okay,” Song Shi’an said to him. “San Gou has his horse parked in the courtyard. Have him come to the main hall later as well.”
"Yes."
And so, Song Shi'an, Xin Yue, and Song Jing, who was holding the child with affection and barely glancing at Song Shi'an, walked into the hall together.
"Are you really giving up being the Prince Huan?" Song Jing asked, holding the baby without looking up.
"I'm quitting," Song Shi'an said readily.
"You naturally have a solution," Song Jing said with a grin, poking Song Ping'an's cheek with his finger. "I won't bother asking about it."
"It's a method, but it's not really a method," Song Shi'an said mysteriously.
“It’s just a step away, and it’s not just the King of Qin, it’s you too,” Song Jing said. “As long as you know your limits, that’s good.”
"Yes, Father."
As the two were chatting, a voice suddenly came from outside.
"Shi An..."
Song Shi'an turned his head and saw Jiang Shi leaning against the door frame, standing right at the doorway.
The next moment, Jiang came over in tears, grabbed his arm, patted it a few times, and said in a choked voice, "You child, why didn't you say you were coming back? Are you hungry? I'll have the servants make you some food."
"Mother, it's already been done," Song Shi'an said with a smile, comforting his mother.
At this moment, Xinyue nudged his shoulder.
Song Shi'an turned his head again. At the doorway, a child of about two years old peeked out with half of his head out, cautiously looking inside.
The two of them looked at their son.
Then, the couple walked over together, wanting to give their son, whom they hadn't seen in a long time, a big hug.
Upon seeing this, the child quickly dodged. Then, he was pushed in by a beautiful woman behind him.
The woman was holding a two-year-old baby girl in her arms. The baby girl looked almost exactly like her mother and was as beautiful as a porcelain doll.
“You are Song Jinnian, you are Song Ning.”
Song Shi'an lifted the two children up high one by one and said their names.
Because he was handsome and gentle enough, the two children had no resistance to him and quickly accepted him.
After hugging them both, Song Shi'an treated them equally, also hugging the tearful Sun Jinhua around the waist and lifting her high: "You are Sun Jinhua."
"What kind of behavior is this?" Song Jing coughed, reminding him to be mindful of etiquette.
“You’re finally back…” Sun Jinhua bit her lip, her heart filled with too much grievance.
If he really stays in Jeju as King Huan and doesn't come back, wouldn't I be 'widowed' for many years?
When she left, she took Xinyue with her but not herself.
Sure enough, this is what a lowly concubine looks like.
"I'm back, and I'll never be separated from you again."
Song Shi'an held them all in his arms, feeling their warmth.
"Duke Huan, the noodle soup is here."
Song Gan personally brought three bowls of noodle soup into the main hall.
"Are you starving? Eat up, eat up." Jiang hugged Song Ping'an and stood aside.
So, Song Shi'an, Xin Yue, and San Gou ate steaming hot soup dumplings in this room, which was filled with candlelight, had its doors tightly closed, and was sheltered from the night wind but where the rustling of leaves could be heard outside. The rest of the people in the room stood around and watched them eat their late-night snack.
After a while, Madam Cui also arrived.
The room became even more lively.
“Shi’an, now that you’re back, why don’t you bring your brother back too? He’s so pitiful in Lingnan.”
"Don't worry, I will bring him back."
"How can I be at ease? Changqing went there last year too, and it looks like he's going to stay for a long time. Will he spend half his life in Lingnan?"
"That's definitely not possible..."
"Alright, you're just a woman, stop interfering. What do you know about national affairs?"
"I knew it. Everything can be resolved with just a word from Shi An..."
"Stop talking nonsense."
"Jinhua, I'm sorry to have troubled you to take care of Xiaonian while I was away."
“He is also my son, so how can I take care of him?”
"He may be considered your son, but he is definitely my son first."
"Okay, okay, you're the boss, sister. You decide."
“San Gou, you’ve been with Shi An for so long, it’s time for you to settle down and start a family. Now that there’s no more fighting, I’ll introduce you to the daughter of the Third Duke. You’re good enough for her.”
“My lady, the State of Yan has not surrendered yet. As long as there is still fighting, I must protect Duke Huan and never leave his side…”
"Oh, let's get married first."
In the lobby, they kept talking non-stop, one after another.
When Song Gan came again, he said to him, "Duke Huan, the King of Qin has arrived."
After Song Shi'an returned, he sent someone to tell Wei Wusheng that he would go to see him the next day. But to his surprise, Wei Wusheng came now.
"Okay, I'll go out for a bit."
Song Shi'an got up and walked towards the gate of the mansion.
Inside the door, a handsome man was looking up at the moon.
"Your Highness," Song Shi'an said with a smile.
Wei Wusheng looked over, and smiling at the familiar face, said, "Shi An, you're back."
“When I was in Jeju, I corresponded with Kang Sun frequently,” Song Shi’an said. “These past few years without war have only brought us peace. He has always been very nervous, but he also knows that simply submitting to us is not enough; we will eventually be unified.”
Wei Wusheng didn't speak, just looked at him calmly.
“He didn’t surrender after being defeated, so he wants better treatment than Ji Li. If we offer him a slightly higher salary, it shouldn’t be difficult to reclaim the Yan Kingdom this year,” Song Shi’an continued his report.
"After I reclaim the Yan Kingdom, unify the world, and become emperor..."
Without discussing work at all, Wei Wusheng sincerely extended an invitation to Song Shi'an: "And then, you'll be staying in Sheng'an all the time. Why don't you just move into the palace?"
"That's so inconvenient."
"Build a wall in the middle of the palace."
"That's a really good idea."
Amidst the laughter, Song Shi'an discerned the prince's uncorrectable naiveté.
Or perhaps, he was so deeply convinced of those unrealistic and beautiful expectations… (End of Chapter)