Three seasons, nine months—what could happen in that time?
Far too much.
On the bright side, it was enough time for a couple in the throes of love to become expectant parents. If they moved fast, they might even become new parents outright.
On the dark side... forget it. Life was hard enough already. Why stab at people's hearts?
Take certain penniless scholars who wrote little books of popular tales. They could spend more than half a year sick, with the illness lingering and flaring up now and then, until they became hospital regulars with a stack of COVID test reports... Look closely, and that, too, was only nine months.
To Pan Long, those nine months had been no more than a brief moment. Tie Feiyan had trapped him in the Great Dark Heaven; he had argued with his teacher for a few lines and driven his teacher to resort to a homophonic pun. That was all.
But for Great Xia, those nine months had turned heaven and earth upside down.
All told, three major events had shaken the Great Xia Dynasty in those nine months, each more important than the last.
First, Di Renchen had died. Crown Prince Di Hedong had taken the throne and changed the era name on the first day of the first month, becoming Di Guimao.
Yes, of the three, that was the least important by comparison.
After all, Great Xia emperors were replaced every dozen-odd years at the shortest, or every thirty to forty years at the longest. A thousand years had already brought the dynasty to its thirtieth emperor.
An accession and a change of era name were nothing unusual.
Nor were the many people Di Guimao enfeoffed upon taking the throne worth mentioning. That was only to be expected.
For instance, Pan