Controlling mountains and rivers since the Warring States Period

Chapter 423 Lü Peng
"The fleets of the State of Qi have also become more frequent in the central and southern regions."

"It seems that the successor you have chosen has not betrayed the national policies you have formulated."

Japan
He Bo was talking to Lü Peng, who was very old and about to die.

This nearly ninety-year-old King of Qi,
Among the rulers of the Xia dynasty, he was also an exceptionally active figure.

till this moment,

Only a few Zhou emperors who lost power and became mere ornaments, and Zhao Tuo, the founder of the Nanyue Kingdom, outlived him.

However, compared to these predecessors,

Lü Peng should try to be more open-minded about some things.

He didn't value power very much.
Unlike the Zhou emperors, who were perpetually depressed because they had lost the Mandate of Heaven to rule the various Xia states,
Unlike Zhao Tuo, who was over a hundred years old but still clung to the throne, forcing his grandson to burst into laughter at his funeral.

Unlike Emperor Wu of the Han Dynasty, who, in his old age, began to lose his fatherly kindness and became wary of his young and strong son.

Actually,
After turning sixty, Lü Peng gradually began to relinquish power, handing it over to his chosen successor.

During the turmoil of the Tian Qi era, the Qi king, who favored the Japanese, had all of Lü Peng's original descendants killed on trumped-up charges.
Therefore, his current offspring were all born after Lü Peng succeeded to the throne.

This age gap prevented the elderly monarch and his crown prince from experiencing problems such as "How can there be a crown prince for forty years?"

After Lü Peng sent Su Guang's eastward ferry fleet away, he directly announced his abdication!
He declared himself the Retired King and voluntarily moved away from the palace that served as the center of the country, residing in another palace and completely relinquishing control of state affairs.

This was something that shocked the entire state of Qi.

Because before that,

The monarch who voluntarily abdicated in favor of his son was King Wuling of Zhao during the Warring States period.

The actions and fate of this monarch are truly remarkable in the vast historical records of the Chinese nation.

Especially when news of internal strife broke out in Xia,
After it spread throughout the entire Chinese world...
The presence of King Wuling of Zhao was once again amplified many years later.

With the example of one king and one emperor preceding us,

It seems that future generations who want to depose the eldest son in favor of the youngest will have to think twice before considering whether the country can withstand such turmoil.

all in all,
As the founding emperor who enjoyed absolute prestige and authority, Lü Peng's act of voluntarily abdicating and relinquishing power...

His son and ministers were deeply moved by it.

But for Lü Peng himself,
The reason he chose to step down early was simply for "health preservation".

"I still want to live to see the fleet return from its long voyage across the ocean!"

Lying on his bed, Lü Peng felt somewhat gratified as he listened to the ghosts and gods affirm the achievements and abilities of his successor.

But his joy didn't last long, and he began to murmur about something that had been on his mind.

The physical toll of government work is extremely high.

After retiring, Lü Peng focused on recuperating and only hoped to live longer so that he could see the travelers returning from afar, braving the storms of life.

"rest assured."

"They'll be back soon!"

He Bo casually offered some words of comfort, then used a knife to peel off the outer skin of the jujube in his hand, cut it into small pieces, and then, in front of Lü Peng, who was looking expectant and ready to open his mouth to be fed, he stuck a piece on a skewer and put it into his own mouth.

Looking at Lü Peng's obvious disappointment, He Bo was still puzzled:
"what?"

"You've lost all your teeth a long time ago, and you're still thinking about eating jujubes?"

Nai Zi

It is the ancestor of the apple.

of course,

Compared to its offspring, which have thin skin, rich aroma, and sweet taste,

At this time, the jujubes appear smaller, with thicker and harder skin and flesh, and a rather sour and astringent taste.

This is clearly not something suitable for the elderly to eat.

“But I am indeed a little hungry now and want to eat something,” Lu Peng said.

As you get older

Lu Peng's appetite declined significantly, far less than when he was young.

When his son came to pay his respects in the morning and served his elderly father, Lü Peng said to the man holding the medicine:
"My time to stop breathing is coming to an end, and I really don't want to add any more burden to my body."

Upon hearing this, the latter burst into tears, and then, at Lü Peng's insistence, reluctantly went to the court to handle state affairs.

Therefore, since today,

Lü Peng has not eaten yet.

He Bo peeled and ate jujubes right in front of him, which actually made the old man, who was about to reach the end of his life, feel a little hungry.

He Bo glanced at his emaciated appearance and said to him:
"Then I'll give you some of the vegetables I just cultivated."

"This is a wonderful thing that I painstakingly created over a hundred years using turnips!"

turnip,
It was a popular wild vegetable during the pre-Qin period.

In that ancient and simple era,
Many fruits and vegetables that are now commonly found in farmland and cultivated manually can only be seen and picked in the wild.

then,

Whenever the sun shines brightly and all things come to life,

Groups of people would then venture into the mountains and countryside to search for fruits and vegetables that could be used for cooking.

And such group activities,

This also made the act of "picking" a backdrop for many love stories. The *Book of Songs*, in the section on the *Yong Feng*, records the passionate calls of young men and women while picking turnips:

"Where do we gather turnips? East of the Mo River. Whom do we think of? The beautiful Meng Yong. They awaited me in the mulberry grove, invited me to the upper palace, and saw me off on the banks of the Qi River."

In that turbulent yet still vibrant era, He Bo often followed local folk people to gather these fruits and vegetables.

He listened with a smile as the people around him sang love songs, then bent down to pick leaf after leaf of turnip.

But after picking and eating too much of this vegetable...

He Bocai's belated discovery:
This thing,
The taste is very familiar!

After pondering it carefully for a long time, the ghost suddenly slapped his thigh and said to Xi with delight:
"This looks like the ancestor of cabbage!"

Old Ghost Xi didn't know what "cabbage" was, but he did know that ghosts and gods loved and valued food.

He became happy, then he and He Bo looked at each other in bewilderment:
"...How do you grow cabbage?"

How could He Bo possibly know such advanced knowledge?
But he did miss the wonderful taste of cabbage, which is known as the "king of vegetables".

then,

Tempted by their cravings, the spirits diligently cultivated special farmland and planted large quantities of turnips.

Today,

He barely managed to succeed.

Lu Peng was the first living person, apart from He Bo and his dead friends, to eat this stuff.

"This wasn't brought specifically for you to eat!"

When He Bo went to cook vegetable soup for Lü Peng, he made a point of emphasizing to him, "I'm just here to show off the fruits of my labor!"

Lu Peng forced a dry smile.

"I see."

"Please go and prepare quickly."

"I can't wait to taste it!"

after awhile,

He Bo swiftly returned to the palace where Lü Peng was recuperating, holding a bowl of steaming hot vegetable soup in his hands.

He helped Lü Peng up, but the latter refused any further help and tried to hold the spoon himself, tasting the fresh vegetables he had never seen before.

"very nice!"

Lu Peng said softly, "After drinking it, I feel much better."

"Perhaps I'll still have a chance to see Su Guang and the others return and tell me what the other side of the sea looks like?"

"That's your misconception!"

He Bo pointed out seriously, "Thinking wildly after a full meal is just human nature!"

Upon hearing this, Lü Peng simply chuckled.

"What's special about this dish?" He took a couple of bites, put down his spoon, and asked He Bo.

"It is cold- and heat-resistant, and it ripens relatively quickly."

"that is real good?"

Lu Peng smiled even more broadly, "With such characteristics, I imagine that in the future, this kind of vegetable will be seen everywhere in the world of China."

"Of course, they can grow there too, even in the Western Regions!"

He Bo proudly declared, "Anyway, I can guarantee that this thing will grow all over China before the unification of the various Xia states!"

Due to differences in water, soil, rain, and heat
Some fruits and vegetables that originated in the Central Plains and were once highly praised by the gentlemen of the Xia Dynasty could not grow in the lands of Qin, Xia, Qi and Wu.

This is naturally regrettable.

But it doesn't matter.
He Bo will step in to solve this problem!

"Can it grow on the other side of the ocean?"

"Of course!"

"At that time, the gentlemen of the various states who have fled there will also be able to taste the flavors of their homeland through this!"

"so good!"

Hearing He Bo say this, Lü Peng sighed softly in relief.

……

Meanwhile, on the other side of the distant ocean,
After repairing their manpower and ships, Su Guang and his men solemnly tidied themselves up, changed into their still-intact robes, and, carrying the small, newly cast Yinzhou Cauldron, along with several descendants of the Qi people who had grown up on this primitive continent, prepared to embark on their return journey.

Su Guang gazed at the vast, boundless sea and smacked his lips.

"I really miss the taste of home!"

His companion, hearing his whisper, quickly hugged the box containing the beans.

"These are meant to be sprouted on the ship!"

"Don't even think about making a move on it!"

"If you want to eat it, go eat it in your dreams first!"

Su Guang then sighed helplessly.

(End of this chapter)