Chapter 442 – Pumpkin Porridge

The alliance of the Yan and Zhou armies turned the tide of this war that had swept across the world. The situation changed suddenly, and Eastern Shang, originally in an advantageous position, found itself besieged both internally and externally overnight.

Yang Yuansu was not one to sit back and wait for death. After hastily retreating from Huanxi Beach in a panic, he fled all the way to Chundu Pass, where he succeeded in taking control of the pass. The armies of the Three Kingdoms, along with troops from various other countries joining the fray one after another, engaged in a chaotic battle at Chundu Pass, which became later known as the Battle of Qizhe Chundu.

Meanwhile, within Great Zhou, Luo Wei received an urgent message from Prince Xin informing him of the news of Prince Qizhe’s suicide. While writing letters to command Prince Xin to conceal Prince Qizhe’s death, Luo Wei also dispatched the 170,000 troops he had conscripted nationwide into the territory of Southern Zhao.

At this time, Ten and his men were also sent by Luo Wei into the army heading towards Southern Zhao and began their own journey.

Blood soaked the land, and whether it was called the suffering of the people or the struggle for the throne, three years passed in the blink of an eye.

In the courtyard of Yi Jin Garden, the tung trees once again blossomed with white flowers. Only when Luo Wei discovered, as the flower season was about to end, that the tung trees had already bloomed, did a hint of smile appear on his face, which had long been absent.

“Your Highness,” Zhao Fu led another group of officials into the courtyard.

“We, officials, pay our respects to Your Highness,” this group of officials entered the courtyard and, hearing Zhao Fu calling out to this man who was still wearing winter clothes, they hurriedly knelt down and paid their respects to Luo Wei.

Luo Wei looked at these officials. Nowadays, the imperial examinations of Great Zhou had resumed, and these men were among those who had been conferred official positions in one fell swoop and were about to serve as officials in various places across the country. “You may rise,” Luo Wei said hoarsely after coughing a few times.

The officials all stood up together. Luo Wei now had a reputation outside as a ruthless and cold-blooded person. Although they saw now the real person and felt that Luo Wei was not as terrifying as the rumors said, no one dared to be disrespectful in front of him.

“You are new officials,” Luo Wei said casually as he sat on the edge of the corridor, addressing these officials. “I don’t want to talk about grand principles. You are all scholars, and those principles are found in books. I’ll only say one thing to you: when you arrive at your posts, you will be the parents of that region. If any of you tarnishes your reputation while in office, and I find out about it, I won’t spare your life.”

“We, officials, will remember Your Highness’s teachings,” the officials all bowed.

“Leave the palace and take up your duties,” seeing that these officials had all acknowledged his words, Luo Wei didn’t say anything more, waving his hand to dismiss them.

“Please follow me, esteemed gentlemen,” Zhao Fu hurried forward again to lead these officials out.

Luo Wei wanted to look up and see the last bit of white flowers on the branches, but he coughed again, feeling a sweetness in his throat. He hurriedly covered his mouth with his hand, spitting out blood that stained his hand.

“Your Highness!” Imperial Physician Wei heard Luo Wei coughing again from the room, and came out just in time to see blood flowing out from between Luo Wei’s fingers.

“Don’t shout,” Luo Wei felt somewhat relieved after spitting out the blood, and seeing Imperial Physician Wei rushing over in a panic, he hurriedly said.

Imperial Physician Wei closed his mouth and, when he came closer to Luo Wei, asked urgently in a low voice, “Is your chest hurting again?”

Luo Wei waved his hand. “I want to sleep, but I can’t.”

Supporting Luo Wei to stand up, Imperial Physician Wei noticed that Luo Wei was not as thin as before; he seemed to have gained some weight overall. However, both Imperial Physician Wei and the attendants who served Luo Wei knew that he was now somewhat swollen all over. “It’s also good to lie down for a while if you can’t sleep,” Imperial Physician Wei said anxiously as he tried to help him back to the bedroom.

“I’ll go to the study,” Luo Wei insisted. “There are so many documents to go over. If I don’t read them today, who knows how many more there will be tomorrow?”

“Let them pile up,” Imperial Physician Wei urged anxiously. “Your life is more important than those papers, isn’t it?”

“Let’s go to the study,” Luo Wei insisted stubbornly.

“Just lie down for a while,” Wei Taiyi pleaded with Luo Wei.

“I’m uncomfortable here when lying down,” Luo Wei pointed to his chest, “I’m more comfortable sitting.”

Imperial Physician Wei had no other choice but to support Luo Wei back to the study. “This war has been going on for three years, and we’re about to enter the fourth year. Your Highness, when will it end?”

“Soon,” Luo Wei said, “It will be over soon.”

Luo Wei’s voice faded away as the tung blossoms fell. With the arrival of summer, in the pond on Emerald Island, the red lotus flowers were in full bloom. However, just like the May snow tung blossoms, there were no flower admirers to be found. As summer turned to cool autumn, this year, various regions of Great Zhou experienced favorable weather, ushering in a season of abundant harvests. As the Prince Regent, Luo Wei proclaimed throughout the land that this year’s autumn taxes in Great Zhou would be waived. The laborers, farmers, and merchants who had endured three years of hardship fighting for the country finally had a moment to catch their breath. After late autumn, winter arrived. This year, the winter in the capital frequently brought rain, but it did not snow again.

On New Year’s Eve of this year, Luo Wei did not have a reunion dinner. Luo Zhiyi wanted to spend New Year’s Eve with the three young princes. Since Luo Wei, who had always claimed not to like children, naturally declined, with no other family or friends around, Luo Wei looked at the table full of dishes set up by Zhao Fu and said to him, “Give these to the servants to eat.”

“Your Highness,” Zhao Fu asked Luo Wei, “It is New Year’s Eve today. Don’t you have anything you would  like to eat? Why don’t I leave these fragrant glutinous rice cakes?”

Luo Wei then looked at the plate of fragrant rice cakes on the table and suddenly said to Zhao Fu, “I would like a bowl of pumpkin porridge.”

Zhao Fu couldn’t understand why Luo Wei suddenly wanted to have pumpkin porridge, but since he rarely made requests for dishes, Zhao Fu hurried off to the small kitchen in Yi Jin Garden. Zhao Fu wasn’t sure if there was any pumpkin in the small kitchen. He decided that if there wasn’t any, he would go to the imperial kitchen to ask. If they couldn’t find a pumpkin in the palace today, he would take people out of the palace to search. In short, he was determined to make sure Luo Wei had pumpkin porridge on this New Year’s Eve.

All the dishes on the table were removed, and Luo Wei sat back behind his desk and got busy again.

Zhao Fu brought a large pumpkin from the imperial kitchen and asked the master chef in the small kitchen to make a pot of pumpkin porridge.

Knowing that it was Luo Wei’s request, the chef in the small kitchen immediately began washing, cutting, and cooking the pumpkin. He then asked Zhao Fu, “Mr. Zhao, can His Highness finish a whole pot of porridge by himself?”

Zhao Fu said, “Let’s have porridge with the Prince today.”

The chef nodded. Today was New Year’s Eve, and the court was on holiday. There were no people coming and going in Yi Jin Garden, and it felt desolate on this day when families reunited. With them, the servants, accompanying Luo Wei, he wouldn’t be celebrating the New Year alone, making it a bit brighter after all.

When Zhao Fu served the cooked pumpkin porridge to Luo Wei, he had already forgotten why he had suddenly felt like having it.

“Your Highness,” Zhao Fu said, “It’s just been cooked. Why don’t you taste it?”

Luo Wei looked at the pumpkin porridge in front of him and said, “So it turns out that it really is diced.”

“What did you say, Your Highness?” Zhao Fu didn’t understand Luo Wei’s words.

“I’ve made it myself before. At that time, I didn’t know if the pumpkin should be diced or sliced,” Luo Wei said.

“So what did Your Highness end up cutting the pumpkin into?”

Luo Wei shook his head with a smile and took a spoonful of porridge into his mouth.

Zhao Fu asked beside him, “Does it still suit Your Highness’s taste?”

“It’s not bad,” Luo Wei said. It was all pumpkin porridge, but it seemed that the one he had eaten with Lan in the Qingshan Valley back then was still the most delicious.