CH 70

On the twenty-ninth day of the twelfth lunar month, all the necessary goods that would be used in the celebration of the New Year in the palace were already in place. On the thirtieth day, snow had been falling since early morning. When Wanyan Xu visited the Empress Dowager to pay his respects, the two were both in high spirits. Wanyan Xu gave a sigh and said: “The previous monarch of Qi was dissolute and tyrannical, such a great country was afflicted with all ills under his rule. Although I [1] have reduced taxes and duties to ease the suffering of the people, they still need a period of time before they can recover the quality of life that they enjoyed under the reign of his predecessor. A timely snow [2] has fallen today, if the following year brings good weather and harvests, then the people will be able to make an almost complete recovery by this time next year.”