We Agreed On Experiencing Life, So Why Did You Immortals Become Real? - Chapter 382: Madam, May I Call You Moer?
After generals like Xiao Mo returned to the capital, although the border warfare temporarily ceased, everyone knew that the great war would resume before long.
The Qin Kingdom’s national strength was currently at its peak. Having now conquered the three great nations of Zhei, Chu, and Yan, as well as countless surrounding small countries.
In the history of the Warring States period, such a situation had never occurred before.
The Qin Kingdom now, from top to bottom, whether common people or court ministers, all aimed for the unification of the realm.
Moreover, at this time, the Qin Kingdom was indeed the nation most likely to achieve unification in the entire history of the Warring States.
The remaining three nations of Qi, Zhao, and Jin, though they had various conflicts large and small in the past but now, they understood perfectly well who their greatest enemy was.
So the three nations of Qi, Zhao, and Jin had already prepared to deal with the Qin Kingdom together.
They had originally planned to take advantage of the Qin Kingdom’s weakness and send troops against it but because the Jin Kingdom suffered too many casualties in the great battle at Huaishan City, and later Jin Kingdom’s homeland encountered military chaos, with some domestic lords becoming restless.
The Qi and Zhao kingdoms had no choice but to first help the Jin Kingdom catch its breath, at least until the Jin Kingdom could recruit more soldiers.
The Qin Kingdom was currently in no hurry to make a move either.
Over these years, especially after Xiao Shi’s last suppression of the rebellion, the Zhei Kingdom could no longer cause any trouble.
The Qin Kingdom’s generous treatment of the Zhei Kingdom’s native inhabitants made it difficult for the Zhei Kingdom’s people to harbor rebellious thoughts.
For common people, as long as they could survive and live better lives, that was the happiest thing.
After all, who would enjoy war and chaos?
Not to mention that originally, all the nations in the realm had been lands of the Great Zhou.
After the Zhou King’s enfeoffments, as time passed, ritual and music collapsed, and the various lords stood independently, which is how things became as they were now.
Looking back thousands of years, everyone had originally been one family.
Most crucial for the Qin Kingdom was still the need to digest the lands of the Chu and Yan kingdoms that had just been taken.
Besides dispatching various generals to garrison the Chu Kingdom and Yan Kingdom and reducing taxes for the people.
The Qin Kingdom’s ruler also supported some previously unsuccessful noble clans locally, provoking internal clan conflicts in the Chu Kingdom and Yan Kingdom to create mutual restraint, preventing them from having extra energy to cause trouble.
At Xiao Mo’s suggestion, the Qin Kingdom also widely promoted the ideology of “once Qin territory, then Qin people” in the lands of the Chu Kingdom and Yan Kingdom.
In places severely affected by warfare, the Qin Kingdom dispatched officials and soldiers for disaster relief, organizing local people to restore agriculture together, and giving different policies according to the different situations of the people. Many people could even enjoy complete tax exemption for the next ten years.
Not only that, Xiao Mo also suggested recruiting men from the Chu and Yan lands into the military.
Everything was voluntary, not forced.
The treatment was the same as ordinary Qin Kingdom soldiers.
As for the original military soldiers of the Chu Kingdom and Yan Kingdom, if they didn’t want to remain in the army, they could leave. However, the Qin Kingdom’s military merit system was extremely attractive to the people of the Yan and Chu lands.
Because ordinary people could truly change their own destiny based on military achievements.
For a time, many men from the Chu and Yan lands joined the Qin Kingdom’s military.
The Qin Kingdom’s military personnel expanded to a great extent.
With these supporting policies in place, the people of the Chu and Yan lands felt much more belonging to the Qin Kingdom.
If someone wanted to rebel and destroy their current good lives, these common people would be the first to refuse and in the Shu region, after several years of development, Li Bin and his son’s water management had achieved great results.
Since the construction of the irrigation system, flooding in the Shu region had been greatly improved.
Originally uncultivable land had become fertile soil, and annual grain production reached astonishing numbers.
This gave the Qin Kingdom great confidence for its future campaigns and five months after Xiao Mo returned to the Qin Kingdom’s imperial capital, news came from the Xiao Manor.
The Xiao Manor’s principal wife, Xia Qingke, was gravely ill.
Although Xiao Mo had little contact with Xia Qingke, no matter what, she was still Xiao Mo’s eldest aunt.
Xiao Mo immediately sent sword messages to his father in the Northern Frontier and his eldest brother who was still at Tao Mountain Sect.
After receiving the letters, Xiao Shi and Xiao Yichuan immediately returned to the Xiao Manor.
After Xiao Yichuan saw his mother, this eight-foot-tall strong man who had embarked on the immortal path directly broke into tears.
Xiao Yichuan held his mother’s hand, constantly saying, “Mother, I’m sorry” and “Your child hasn’t been by your side to fulfill his filial duty.”
“Silly child, the path of cultivation is just like this. Your mother is happy enough about your longevity and the achievements you’ve made. Child, why do you need to apologize?”
Xia Qingke gently stroked her child’s hair but the more his mother said this, the harder Xiao Yichuan cried.
On this day, Xiao Shi also spoke at length alone with this principal wife of his.
In Xiao Mo’s view, this was a normal thing.
After all, no matter what, Xia Qingke was Xiao Shi’s first wife.
Even though Xiao Shi campaigned abroad year-round and rarely came home, there was at least some affection. However, what Xiao Mo didn’t expect was that this principal wife of the Xiao family actually called him over, wanting to speak with him alone.
“Eldest Aunt.”
Entering the bedroom of this first lady of the Xiao family, Xiao Mo bowed in greeting.
“Frost Prince need not be so formal, please sit.”
The Xiao family’s principal wife smiled slightly and said softly.
Xiao Mo nodded and sat on the stool beside Xia Qingke’s bed.
Looking at the woman before him, even though he had only met her a few times, Xiao Mo’s heart still felt some emotion.
Her life flame was about to be extinguished. Although her face showed some color, it was only the last bloom of vitality at life’s end.
“Frost Prince…”
“Eldest Aunt, just call me Xiao Mo.”
“Then, Madam, may I call you Mo’er?” Xia Qingke smiled.
Xiao Mo was stunned for a moment, then nodded, “Of course you may.”
“Mo’er…” Xia Qingke looked at Xiao Mo, “This is the first time I’ve addressed you this way… cough cough cough…”
Xia Qingke wiped the blood from the corner of her mouth and looked at Xiao Mo gently, “You are truly remarkable.
Although you were born of a concubine, you became a prince through your own abilities. Now, Mo’er, your prestige is no less than your father’s.
Before, I was still worried about what would happen if my son couldn’t obtain the hereditary title of Northern Pacification Prince in the future.
Later, I came to understand that you don’t care about this so-called ‘Northern Pacification Prince’ title at all, Mo’er. You don’t need it.
Instead, it was I who lived my whole life yet remained so petty and narrow-minded.”
“Eldest Aunt, please don’t say such things. A mother seeking blessings for her children is natural instinct,” Xiao Mo said.
“That’s true, but I’m not only Yichuan and Yishe’s mother, I’m also the principal wife of the Xiao Manor. When your father isn’t home, I can only manage the entire Xiao clan.
So I couldn’t only think of my sons, I also had to think of the Xiao family.”
Xia Qingke folded her hands in front of her, leaning against the headboard, and continued, “You and your father both think I blame you for ‘causing’ Yishe’s death and Yichuan also thinks I blame him for not protecting his younger brother well.
But you three don’t know.
Don’t know that I’ve never blamed any of you.
The person I blame is only one, and that’s myself.
The one who truly killed Yishe wasn’t anyone else, but me, his mother.
Because I knew that Yichuan’s heart wasn’t in the court, his heart was in the mountains among the clouds.
So I placed all my thoughts on Yishe.
Did Yishe want to become the Northern Pacification Prince because he himself wanted to, or was it for my sake that he wanted to become the Northern Pacification Prince?
If not for me, how would this so-called ‘Northern Pacification Prince’ have become his obsession, finally leading to such a great mistake?
It turns out that in the end, the person who valued this ‘Northern Pacification Prince’ title the most… was me.”
