Chapter 5: The Solar Dynasty
Xiang Qiushui's foot was slightly swollen and red because of kicking around in the coffin, so his mother Zhang Shi personally applied medicine for him. Xiang Qiushui walked back to his own room with the support of Lian Xiang and Lian Xiang on either side.
Actually, his foot wasn't a big problem at all, it was just that he couldn't bear the loving gaze of his mother, so the two girls helped him.
He also wanted a good rest, so even dinner was two dishes, directly placed on a copper plate and sent to the bedside.
Four dishes and one soup: a plate of stir-fried potatoes with lamb, pan-fried tofu, a dish that looks like bean sprouts but I don't know the name, and a plate of radish slices.
The soup is Zhang's handmade 'Ginseng Mustard Greens Duck Soup'. For the ancient people in a period of underdeveloped economy, it's not bad! It has caught up with the working meal advocated by the Huaxia National Party and government - four dishes and one soup.
Of course, eating is still the same, it's like Lianxiang waist feeding a three-year-old child medicine, forcibly fed down.
Originally, Xiang Qiu Shui wanted to move the chopsticks herself, but she was also afraid of arousing the suspicion of the two maids. In the end, she had cultivated the ability to - 'when clothes come, stretch out her hands, when food comes, open her mouth'.
It's not easy!
Almost suffocated Xiang Qiushui who had always liked practicing qigong.
"If I had known being a rich kid would be so difficult, I'd rather have 'crossed over' to a poor family in the first place." Xiang Qiushui sighed.
If some great god heard this, he would definitely be so angry that he would swat him to death with a fly swatter: "You little brat, just a few hours ago you were blaming me for not 'crossing' you into the body of a prince, and now that I've finally arranged for you to be reborn into a rich man's body, you want to become poor again. The human heart is hard to fathom, even gods can't figure it out..."
The first night.
Mother Zhang also came over to accompany Xiang Qiushui for a while, basically all Zhang said and Xiang listened. He wanted to say something but didn't dare speak much, only occasionally humming a few sounds.
However!
Zhang didn't suspect anything either, and thought that his "fool" had fallen from the small mountain and hit the ground, which actually made him smarter, and he was overjoyed in his heart!
After his mother left, under the dim red tung oil lamp, Xiang Qiushui finally had time to take a good look around Ah Dai's room.
About one meter in size, an antique carved round table; four black lacquer stools with a style like standing waist drums. It's strange that there is also a small desk, I guess it's used by Ah Duan to scribble and draw when he's bored in the room.
A large wardrobe, opposite the bed was a small bookcase, on which were placed several volumes of "Dejing" and "Sanzi Jing", thread-bound books that had been flipped through until they were worn out. It's likely that Ah-Dai's parents gave them to him as toys to play with, because they thought Ah-Dai wouldn't be able to read them.
Actually, Ah Diao is a bit wooden, but when his father taught him to read in the past, he would always read silently in his heart without making a sound.
His father had patiently taught him for nearly two years and found that he basically didn't fart, and the total number of words he spoke was less than a hundred.
When he was thoroughly disappointed at last, he had learned most of the words in his heart, only that only he himself knew...
Xiang Qiushui casually picked up a copy of "Journey to the West" and flipped through it, finding that the font inside was similar to the ancient Chinese "small seal script". The printing was quite clean, and the paper was also very white and fine, almost comparable to the notebooks used by modern elementary school students.
Xiang Qiushui quickly flipped through it with relish, only to find that it was far inferior to "Xu Xiake's Travel Notes"! The records were mostly about some trivial experiences of traveling and playing in small places, strange stories and legends, without much research value.
The only thing told to Xiang Qiu Shui was that this country is called "Sun Dynasty", without even mentioning its area or administrative divisions.
"Hmm! Tomorrow, I'll go to Father's study and take a look around. As the county magistrate, he should have some information or secret documents about this place... that's what's missing now..." Xiang Qiushui thought, putting down the book.
He immediately walked up to a copper-like mirror, but this thing was square in shape, about half a meter wide. The mirror surface inside was polished smooth like glass.
Xiang Qiushui tapped his hand "knock knock" twice, and found that the material should be polished stone. The figure was much clearer than a copper mirror, but not comparable to modern mirrors.
He had long wanted to see what his current 'idiot' image looked like anyway.
Broad forehead, double eyelids, bright and clear eyes that are almost transparent, over 1.7 meters tall, although the body is thin, but the skeleton is not small, it's just because there is no flesh, only a layer of skin left, so it looks like a slender bamboo pole...
"I said pretending to be stupid is 'difficult', just changing these 'clear' eyes to 'dull' is hard to hide. This thin body, if it had 40 more pounds of muscle, could even enter the 'Huaxia Handsome Man Contest'. Not bad! Later, when I reach the 'Wushi' level in ancient martial arts, I'll be perfect! Hehe......" Xiang Qiushui smiled complacently in front of the mirror.
He was still very satisfied with Ah Diao's appearance and figure.
After tossing and turning on the bed, he decided to maintain this 'Ah-Dai' image. This 'Dai-zi' image is actually a very good 'amulet'. Ordinary people generally won't deliberately guard against fools.
Easy to get things done!
As for whether someone pushed Ah Diao down the mountain, it's necessary to secretly investigate, but as time goes by, he needs to gradually become normal. If someone suspects, just say that this time falling from the mountain was a blessing in disguise, and his mind has actually become clearer...
The next morning.
Xiang Qiushui got out of bed to find that the slight redness and swelling on her feet had completely disappeared. "This medicine isn't bad! It's much better than those 'trauma kings' or other useless ointments."
After having breakfast with his mother Zhang, Xiang Qiushui hesitated for a while before finally speaking up: "......Mother! I... want to go play in Father's study."
"Go ahead!" Because Ah-Dai often goes to his father's room and treats books as "toys", but he still handles them gently, so the books are just worn out but not damaged.
So Mother Zhang was not surprised at all, nodded and agreed immediately, "Xing Er (mother's personal maid), take Ah Duan there."
Father Xiang Huaiyi's study is in 'Xiangjia Courtyard', a very large corner in the northeast direction.
As soon as I stepped into the study, a wave of ancient fragrance wafted up to my nose. On the wall directly opposite me hung a half-moon shaped exquisite wooden carving fan with three small seal characters dancing across it in an elegant and refined manner - 'Yi Shu Zhai'!
Xiang Qiushui scanned around with her eyes.
The two corners slightly upturned, a huge desk carved with flying birds, on the desk there was a carved flower pen holder, a carved beast pen rack, and on the pen rack lay a thick and large ivory wolf hair brush, a clean and bright rice paper spread out on the desk.
A half-truncated majestic and lush green mountain appeared faintly on the paper, with a yellow tiger-shaped "paperweight" pressing down on it. It is estimated that at that time, Father's painting was not yet complete, but Mother Zhang put it there as it was, also with a nostalgic sentiment inside.
Next to it is a delicate, irregularly-shaped inkstone with a seal-like square ink on top. On the right corner of the desk there is also a round-bellied, middle-drummed pen wash with a small face and a large pen wash...
The four treasures of the study are all complete!
Simple and elegant, full of book fragrance.
Finally, Xiang Qiushui's gaze focused on a huge bookshelf that was at least six meters long, made of jujube wood carvings, majestic and solemn.
"Wow! Not a few! There are over a hundred volumes!" Xiang Qiushui's heart was delighted, and he quickly stepped forward to the bookshelf. "Tao Te Ching", "Poetry", "Book of History", "Rites", "Changes", "Notes", "Biography of Gong Niu", "Fei Ding Lu"......
Finally found a book called "The History of the Sun" in an old wooden box.
"Wow! The content is similar to that of the ancient Huaxia books. Since this place is called the 'Sun Dynasty', this 'History of the Sun' should have a record of its history." Xiang Qiushui thought with joy, and eagerly flipped through it.
The 'Sun Dynasty' established its capital in 'Yanjing', standing tall on the 'Xuanhuang' continent, with a history of 280 years since its founding.
Vast and expansive, majestic and towering.
A population of several hundred million. Rich in goods and products, revering literature and martial arts, with military strategy prevailing over literary elegance...
A fine steed galloping a thousand miles a day would take over three months to traverse the entire land, nearly 100,000 miles. To the northeast lies the "Kemo Empire", to the southwest borders the "Mogu Empire", northwest is adjacent to the "Shaken Empire", and due north is tightly bordered by the "Xiding Empire". In between are many small countries. The remaining vast territory from southeast to southwest faces endless blue, treacherous seas...
"Yanjing" is located in the central area of the dynasty, radiating and controlling the entire "Sun Dynasty". What's strange is that a huge inland sea runs straight from the outer sea to "Yanjing City", shaped like an inverted "凹" character leaning towards the southeast.
This has created a "Sun Empire" with a very strong maritime defense force and huge investment. The port is also prosperous, with developed sea trade...
The whole country is divided into 100 provinces, and there are countless prefectures and counties under them.
The six ministries (officials, households, rituals, military, punishments, and works) are each headed by a high-ranking official (the Grand Scholar in charge of the ministry, the Minister, and the Vice Minister), known as the "Hall Officials". The officials under each ministry's various departments, including the Langzhong, Yuanwailang, Zhushi, and lower-ranking seventh-grade metropolitan officials, are referred to as "Department Officials".
Central administrative institutions outside and alongside the Six Ministries include: the Supreme Court, the Imperial Clan Office, the Tàichāng Temple, the Guanglu Temple, the Taipu Temple, the Honglú Temple, the Guózǐjiàn, the Qīntiān Observatory, the Hanlin Academy, the Taiyi Hospital, the Lǐbùyìnguǎn, the Zōngrénfǔ, the Zhānishìfǔ, and the Nèiwùfǔ.
In military affairs, there is a Military Equipment Office, and each province has a Provincial Commander, General...
Civil officials and military officers were divided into nine ranks and eighteen grades.
"Hmm! Not bad, somewhat similar to the settings of Ming and Qing dynasties." Xiang Qiushui thought. Feeling a bit dizzy, probably due to reading books for too long.
"This body is too weak! Can't even read a book, starting tomorrow I'll adjust my breath and try to practice the 'Bone Washing Classic', don't know if this 'weak' body can take it?"
Muttering discontentedly to herself, she rubbed her eyes and walked slowly out into the corridor outside, leaning against the railing and gazing out at the entire inner courtyard of the Xiang family compound.
"Beautiful!" Xiang Qiushui couldn't help but praise, gazing down at the pink lotus flowers standing tall amidst the emerald green leaves.
Several naive children are playing the eagle catching chicken game on the spacious open space next to the pavilion in the middle of the pond, happily laughing "haha". A green-shirted child was accidentally caught and had to sing a song as punishment.
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