"Chuan Chuan, come help me burn all this paper money."

Su Luo called Yan Chuan to join her, waiting for Zhao Ruyun to burn the paper at her leisurely pace. She didn't know how long it would take to burn a whole cartload of paper.

"good!"

Yan Chuan also wanted to finish quickly so he could go back to his studies.

It took half an hour to get everything ready, and the family of four cleaned it up before heading home.

Su Luo took Zhao Ruyun's arm and said, "Mother-in-law, you can rest assured now."

"Um!"

Taking a deep breath, Zhao Ruyun forced a smile.

"Luo Luo, it's the Lunar New Year, we should be happy. I'm fine now, let's go home."

Concealing her sadness, Zhao Ruyun couldn't let her emotions affect her family's happy New Year.

"I'm glad you're happy, Mother-in-law. Let's go."

The two children ran back ahead, and after the New Year, the two children were seven years old.

In the original owner's memories, Su Luo had no idea when the two children were born, and they had never celebrated their birthdays.

Before we even got home, we saw two children standing at the door, staring at the crowd at the gate, hesitant to go inside.

Upon seeing this, Su Luo jogged over.

She and Zhao Ruyun had only gone to burn some paper money, yet so many people had come to their house, including the magistrate of Lianjiang County and several other people she didn't recognize.

"Madam Su, you're back! This is an eunuch from the palace," Magistrate Jiang introduced to Su Luo.

The old man was a bit hunchbacked, with narrow eyes and a constant smile on his lips.

"You're Su Luo?"

His voice was high-pitched and penetrating; he didn't speak loudly, but it could travel a long distance.

"It's me!"

The eunuch smiled and said, "Madam Su, I am here on behalf of His Majesty to deliver a decree. Please accept the decree, Madam Su."

Everyone in the family was called to the front yard. Su Luo, holding the hands of the two children, went in with Zhao Ruyun.

Even the county magistrate was forced to kneel in the front yard.

The head eunuch opened the wooden box handed to him by the junior eunuch, took out a bright yellow imperial edict, held it high, and then read it aloud.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: There is a woman named Chen Su who is both blessed and wise, and is skillful and resourceful in all things, bringing prosperity to the people. I am deeply pleased with her."

First came pesticides to control pests, then came two crops of rice, and cotton clothes to keep warm…

The imperial edict recorded every single achievement Su Luo had made, and in addition to the emperor's praise for her, the eunuch continued.

"Today, the Northern Liang has submitted a letter of surrender. Chen Su has made an invaluable contribution. Seeing that she has a talent for agriculture and sericulture, I have discussed with my officials and hereby grant Chen Su three estates and appoint her as the Deputy Minister of Agriculture. She will come to the capital after the New Year for the investiture ceremony. This is my imperial decree."

After speaking, the eunuch bowed and handed the imperial edict to Su Luo with both hands.

"Minister Su, please accept the imperial decree and express your gratitude!"

"Thank you, Your Majesty!"

Upon receiving the imperial edict, Su Luo was still a little confused. How did she suddenly become an official? Although she was only a deputy minister of agriculture, her official position was not low.

In the book, Su Luo also learned about the positions of some officials, such as the Grand Minister of Agriculture, who was in charge of agriculture and sericulture, as well as most of the money in the country.

If an official in this position becomes corrupt, he will inevitably be extremely wealthy.

The county magistrate came over with a big smile to congratulate Su Luo.

"Madam Su, oh no, she should be called Minister Su now, congratulations!"

She even gave Su a respectful bow, saying, "Minister of Agriculture, you are the only female official in this dynasty. You are virtuous and talented, and it is only right that you take this position."

No one in the previous generation of the Ministry of Agriculture could match Su Luo's achievements. Magistrate Jiang had thought before that no amount of money could compensate for Su Luo's great accomplishments.

But what can a woman offer as a reward?

Your Majesty has now broken with the rules of past dynasties by appointing her to an official position. This is the best reward for her and for the people.

"Thank you, Magistrate Jiang."

The happiest person after the imperial edict was read was Zhao Ruyun. Luo Luo had become an official, and officials are the people's heaven.

"Luo Luo, I... I am so proud of you." Instantly, all the sadness in Zhao Ruyun's heart vanished.

But Su Luo's eyes didn't show much joy, but rather worry as she looked at the eunuch who came to deliver the imperial decree.

“My lord, I’m afraid I’m not up to the job of deputy minister of agriculture. I’m too busy with other matters to serve the court.”

Instead of being angry, the imperial eunuch who delivered the decree smiled and said, "Don't worry, Minister Su. The Imperial Advisor and His Majesty mean that you should continue doing what you are supposed to do."

"You still have the Grand Minister of Agriculture above you. As long as you research and cultivate new plants for the court, no one in the entire court will interfere with you, and the court will provide the necessary expenses."

"really?"

Su Luo will continue to work in agriculture in the future. Having an official position will make things much easier for her.

“Indeed, Minister Su is the only female official in our dynasty. His Majesty values ​​you highly, which is why he bestowed upon you this special investiture ceremony. This is unique among all officials.”

Gao Yi truly admired the Imperial Advisor; he could predict everything, even Su Sinong's concerns. He had served the emperor for many years and had never seen a minister as favored as Su Luo.

She was a female official, and luckily Su Luo didn't know the Imperial Advisor, otherwise, unpleasant things would have been spread.

"Then may I ask, sir, am I required to attend court every day?"

According to His Majesty's statement, Minister Su can come forward if there is anything to report, and can do so at will if there is nothing to report. You only need to be responsible for the management of agriculture and sericulture.

“Alright, I’ll take on the role of Vice Minister of Agriculture.”

The steward was very excited. He led all the servants in kneeling before Su Luo again and said loudly.

"This humble servant greets Lord Minister of Agriculture..."

"Get up. From now on, at home, everyone should still call me Lady Su."

Yi Huan and Yan Chuan looked at Su Luo with eyes full of worship.

"Mom, you're amazing."

Su Luo is Yan Chuan's mentor and the driving force behind his progress.

After seeing off Magistrate Jiang and the imperial eunuch, Zhao Ruyun immediately ordered Shi Shuang to go to the county to buy fireworks and firecrackers.

This is a joyous occasion for their family, and with the Lunar New Year approaching, it's bound to be a lively and festive occasion.

On New Year's Eve, fireworks were set off at the Chen residence for half an hour, filling the air with their fragrance, symbolizing a smooth and prosperous year ahead.

The people here firmly believe that as long as the year is good, the next year will be even better. Among the nearby villages, only Changping Village had fireworks in every household this year.

In the living room in the front yard, the long table is set with the New Year's Eve dinner that everyone prepared together.

Su Luo also prepared red envelopes for each of them, including Zhao Ruyun.

"Chuan Chuan, Huan Huan, these two big red envelopes are for you."

Two children ran over and bowed to Su Luo, saying, "Thank you, Mother!"

Afterwards, Su Luo picked up two more red envelopes and called over Brother He and An An.

"Brother He, An'an, you have some too."

The two children beamed with joy as they accepted the red envelopes and expressed their gratitude.

"Thank you, Madam."

Each person received two taels of silver, but Su Luo gave ten taels of silver only when it was given to Steward Shi and Xie Wanwan.

Zhao Ruyun had the most; wrapped in red cloth was a stack of silver notes.

"Grandma, this is yours!"

When Zhao Ruyun opened it, she saw that it contained a silver note worth about a thousand taels.