Jiang Wenyuan quickly arrived at the Imperial Study, where Emperor Xia Jing immediately asked, "What's the truth behind that rumor?
Don't you take care of it? And what about that box? What precious treasure does it contain? Why does Linghui keep carrying it everywhere?
Even the palace guards at the gate have seen it. Linghui has been talking to the box all the time!"
Jiang Wenyuan knelt down and solemnly replied, "The box does exist. However, it doesn't contain anything valuable. It's filled with soil from the graves!"
"What did you say? Soil from the graves? Why is she messing with that thing?"
Emperor Xia Jing was startled and thought to himself, "Could this young girl have gone mad? If that's the case, my son might go mad too! This won't do!"
Jiang Wenyuan, with a touch of sadness in his voice, explained, "It's soil from the graves! Before setting off on her journey back to the capital, Linghui went to Yumen Pass again. She gathered a handful of soil from the graves of each sacrificed soldier and put it in the box.
Linghui said that most of them had never been to the capital in their lifetime, and she wanted to show them.
To show them the land they had protected, to see how prosperous and beautiful it is under the feet of the emperor they once admired.
We have built a shrine for the heroes next to our ancestral hall at home. Linghui said that after she has taken them to visit the entire capital, she will enshrine them permanently in the ancestral hall.
This way, on the first and fifteenth days of each month and on festive occasions, there will be people offering incense to them.
Without them leading the way and bearing the burden, how could our years be so peaceful? They should not be forgotten." Jiang Wenyuan's voice choked with tears as he spoke.
After calming his emotions, he continued, "Linghui has been fulfilling her promise. These days, she has been taking them on tours, but she didn't expect it to be twisted into such a rumor."
Emperor Xia Jing listened in silence for a long time and sighed deeply, "Linghui truly has a pure heart. I feel ashamed!"
After a pause, he said, "In that case, my minister, don't build the shrine for the heroes at your home.
If you want to build it, build it in a place where everyone can see, a place where all of Da Xia's people can come to pay their respects. I will provide the funds from my private treasury.
Linghui is always clever. Go back and ask her if she has any good ideas. If she does, bring them to the court for discussion tomorrow."
Jiang Wenyuan was overjoyed and said, "I thank Your Majesty on behalf of all the sacrificed heroes."
Emperor Xia Jing said, "It was Linghui who reminded me. Heroes should not be forgotten. A dynasty that forgets its heroes is destined to go nowhere."
After the morning court session, Jiang Wenyuan told his daughter about what had happened during the day. Jiang Yuqing never cared about trivial rumors.
But upon hearing that the emperor had promised to build a memorial facility, she instantly became ecstatic. "Father, did His Majesty really say that?"
Jiang Wenyuan smiled and replied, "He really did!"
Jiang Yuqing hugged the box and laughed. As she laughed, tears streamed down her face, and she whispered, "Can you hear it? Your blood was not shed in vain."
She stayed up all night and drew a design, roughly based on the appearance of a hero memorial from a past life.
The next day, when this matter was presented and explained at the court, it naturally caused a huge stir. There were both supporters and opponents of building the memorial. However, the majority were in favor.
Only a few conservative and stubborn civil officials vehemently opposed, arguing that it was against propriety. The military commanders, on the other hand, overwhelmingly supported it.
They were all human beings who had once sacrificed for this country. Why should it be that after the literati passed away, their tablets could occupy prominent positions in temples, revered by future generations, while the generals could only die on the battlefield, their bodies wrapped in horsehide and buried in the yellow sand, without even a proper name to their credit?
A few of the generals, including Old Duke and Old General Qin, couldn't tolerate it and even resorted to physical violence.
They grabbed the most vocal opposing civil officials and mercilessly beat them down, knocking out several of their teeth.
If it weren't for the fact that the old generals were afraid of killing someone and deliberately held back their strength, they could have beaten several more of them like that.
Damn it, what a bunch of hypocrites. They talk about benevolence and righteousness, but in reality, they are the most morally corrupt pseudo-gentlemen!
In the end, it was the emperor who had the final say, "Build it right at the entrance of the palace, in the most conspicuous position, and the cost will be covered by my private treasury.
Jiang Wenyuan, you will submit the design drawings of the monument to the Ministry of Works for review and further discussion on the details.
As for the box of soil brought back by Linghui, let it be placed at the bottom of the monument. They protected our Great Xia with their flesh and blood and should be revered by the people of Great Xia for generations to come."
"I, Jiang Wenyuan, on behalf of my daughter Linghui, thank Your Majesty! Linghui said that if a monument is built, she is willing to donate one thousand taels of silver."
These words were like opening the floodgates, and the military commanders came forward in support, saying, "I will also contribute one thousand taels" and "I will donate five hundred taels!"
...
Jiang Wenyuan immediately had someone record it with pen and paper. In the end, a staggering amount of thirty-one thousand and one hundred taels of silver was raised. Together with the emperor's private treasury, it was enough to build a monument.
Experts from the Ministry of Works finalized the manuscript, selected the location, and mobilized manpower and resources. The emperor personally supervised the construction, and the monument began to take shape quickly.
Since the day construction started, Jiang Yuqing would visit the monument every day.
The craftsmen working on the monument also came to know that the girl who kept coming here every day was the legendary County Princess, Jiang Yuqing, who was also the initiator of the monument.
They couldn't help but hold her in awe.
Not only that, since the news spread, all the malicious rumors vanished overnight.
Whenever Jiang Yuqing appeared somewhere with the box, everyone would pay their respects to her.
Many merchants even refused to accept payment, saying, "Princess, let us contribute a little something!"
There were several occasions when Jiang Yuqing encountered military commanders from the court. Even though they were strangers, they wouldn't say a word and would directly kneel before her in a gesture of respect.
Little did she know that in the hearts of these generals, her small figure was another monument.
The project was proceeding at full speed, and it was now mid-October. The autumn wind carried a significant chill, and the swirling fallen leaves marked the last stubbornness of the autumn.
In the small kitchen of Duke Jiang's residence, Jiang Yuqing was coughing, her face covered in dirt, as her mother grabbed her by the back of her collar and chased her out.
Lu's face was sour as she said, "At least for today, I don't want to see you in the kitchen!"
Lu was exasperated. Her precious daughter was good at everything, except for the things that daughters should be good at.
Jiang Yuqing was not skilled in playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, or painting. She was also not adept at cooking. While her cooking didn't reach the level of being deadly, it definitely couldn't be considered delicious.
Even if she tried to light a fire, she would end up choking people. It was as if her family was burning down the kitchen.
This was truly distressing. If things continued like this, what would happen in the future? When she became someone's wife, her husband would surely find her repulsive.
It was clear that during her daughter's "grabbing the week" ceremony, she had wrapped up everything. It just showed that this tradition couldn't be relied upon.
Jiang Yuqing pursed her lips and looked at her darkened palms. With her head lowered, she casually wiped her face with the back of her hand.
Then she heard a soft chuckle followed by a warm and clean voice. "If you keep wiping like that, you'll turn into a little kitten."
The voice seemed somewhat familiar, and when she raised her head, she saw a young man not far away. Jiang Yuqing stood stunned for a moment, then joyfully rushed towards him. "Big brother!"
The person was indeed Jing Yan. He had just returned from the imperial tomb and came straight to find Jiang Yuqing.
According to the servants in the mansion, she was learning cooking from Lu in the small kitchen, so he came here directly. Unexpectedly, he witnessed the scene where Lu rejected and expelled her.
Jing Yan bent down, one hand supporting her small face, while the other pulled out a handkerchief. He carefully wiped away the black ash from her face, smiling as he said, "How did you manage to make yourself look like this?"
Jiang Yuqing sighed resentfully, "It's all because of my mother. She insisted on teaching me how to cook. This task is just like playing musical instruments, chess, calligraphy, and painting—it's completely in the realm of art. How can someone like me, a clumsy person, do it?"
Jing Yan cleaned her hands, then picked up her little fingers one by one, gently wiping them clean. He consoled her, saying, "Yuqing, it's fine if you can't learn it. In the future, there will be servants to do it for you, and you don't have to do it personally."
Jiang Yuqing grumbled, "That's what I thought too, but my mother wouldn't listen. She said if I couldn't learn, I would be despised by my future husband."
She paused for a moment, then complained indignantly, "I'm still so young, and my mother is already thinking about getting me married. What's so good about getting married? Can't I live happily on my own?"
Jing Yan furrowed his brow and said, "Yuqing, your thinking is wrong. You're a daughter, and daughters are meant to get married. There's no avoiding it."
Jiang Yuqing snorted, "There's nothing wrong with my thinking. Just like Sister Yuan, after getting married, she has to manage the household affairs and take care of her husband's concubines, as well as look after the illegitimate children. It's simply too exasperating. Oh well, let's not talk about this."
She looked up and carefully assessed him, then compared their heights with her hand. Sadly, she discovered that she only reached his chest.
The sorrow of a short person was so great. Even though she was a cultivator, she couldn't grow taller than an ordinary person. Life was becoming unbearable!
Four years had passed, and the young boy from before had grown into a refined gentleman. He was truly like a precious stone, with a dignified aura and a unique charm that was unparalleled in the world.
Seeing that she had been staring at him, Jing Yan smiled and asked, "What's wrong? Don't recognize me?"
Jiang Yuqing replied, "No, it's just that you've changed so much. You've become even more handsome."
Jing Yan affectionately ruffled her hair, took her hand, and said, "Let's go for a walk. Where would you like to go? I'll take you there!"
Jiang Yuqing said, "No need, my family's garden is large enough. Let's just take a walk. It's almost time for dinner anyway. Today, my mother made spicy stir-fried dried small fish. These dried small fish were sent from our hometown in Qingzhou, and they are delicious. You should eat more during dinner."
Jing Yan replied, "...Okay!"
As a result, the two of them didn't go anywhere. They spent the whole afternoon playing in the Duke's Residence. Jing Yan even had dinner at the Duke's Residence and reluctantly left afterwards.
As soon as he left, Jiang Wenyuan immediately closed the door and asked his wife what the Crown Prince had been doing at their residence.
Lu replied, "He didn't do much, just played with Guai Bao and Xiao Jiu and Xiao Shi in the garden. Why are you acting like we're being invaded by the enemy?"
Jiang Wenyuan frowned and said, "Don't let him come to play with Guai Bao anymore. That boy definitely has ulterior motives."
Lu looked puzzled and asked, "Are you saying that the Crown Prince has an interest in our Guai Bao?"
Jiang Wenyuan responded, "We have to be cautious!"
Lu looked speechless and said, "The Crown Prince is already sixteen and will soon be at the age to select a consort. Guai Bao is still so young. Aren't you overthinking it? Besides, how can you stop him?"
Jiang Wenyuan immediately fell silent.
After nearly two months of round-the-clock construction, the Hero Memorial was finally completed before the snowfall.
The full name of the memorial is "Da Xia Hero Memorial," and it was personally inscribed by Emperor Xia Jing.
The monument is eight zhang and nine chi tall and consists of two tiers of pedestals. The body of the monument is made of a single piece of granite, while the lower pedestal is adorned with eight huge Hanbaiyu reliefs depicting major events that have occurred since the founding of Da Xia. Among them is the "Victory at Yumen Pass" that occurred a few years ago.
In front of the monument, there is a concave granite stone platform. Surrounding the monument are steps with Hanbaiyu railings and a circle of pine and cypress trees.
On the auspicious day of the ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, the Imperial Astronomical Observatory held a ceremony to unveil the monument.
On the day of the ceremony, the capital was covered in heavy snow, and the entire palace square was filled with spontaneously gathered commoners who came to participate in the event.
Flags fluttered in the wind, war drums resounded, and long horns echoed in the sky.
When the auspicious time arrived, all officials and the people prostrated themselves. Emperor Xia Jing, dressed in ceremonial attire, unveiled the monument. Then, Crown Prince Jing Yan received the solemnly re-encased golden nanmu casket from Jiang Yuqing's hands and, stepping on the glistening white snow, steadily ascended the steps.
At that moment, Jiang Yuqing, Old General Qin, and the few generals who had participated in the great battle and personally sent the fallen soldiers to their burial sites, tears filled their eyes yet they were also filled with gratification.
In their lifetime, they finally witnessed this day of affirmation from the country and the emperor they had served so devotedly. The loyal souls of the soldiers finally found their resting place.
When Emperor Xia Jing personally placed the casket into the recessed groove in front of the monument and pressed the mechanism to close the stone cover, a golden ray of sunlight pierced through the thick clouds and shone upon the surface of the Hero Memorial. Subsequently, more and more golden light emerged, the clouds rapidly dispersed, and the wind and snow ceased.
A brilliant sun hung high in the sky, illuminating the earth and casting a warm golden hue over the snowy landscape.
Such a spectacular sight left everyone astonished. It's unknown who shouted, "Good fortune! Heaven blesses Da Xia! A sign of great fortune!"
The crowd erupted into cheers.
Emperor Xia Jing, witnessing all of this, burst into laughter and felt elated. As he gazed at the majestic and solemn monument, he couldn't help but marvel. Even the heavens were approving of his actions!
Indeed, heroes should never be forgotten!
