As everyone grew curious and tried to peek inside, the Marquis closed the box and then glanced at Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er at the end of the kang (heated brick bed).

The old lady understood and immediately said, "Li-ge'er, Mao-ge'er, it's time to sleep. Where are your fourth and fifth brothers? Go and look for them for Grandma."

Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er didn't know what was going on, nor did they suspect anything, and went out as soon as they got off the ground.

Ye Shan quickly bolted the door, and only then did the Marquis open the box, revealing the golden imperial edict inside.

The Li family members were so shocked that they covered their mouths and almost cried out.

The Marquis quickly opened the document, glanced at it, and laughed. "Auntie, hold Fu Niu and receive the imperial decree. It's a good thing."

The old lady took a deep breath, got up, hugged her granddaughter, and knelt down with her sons.

Even Ye Shan knelt to one side.

The Marquis quickly read the imperial edict. Apart from Li Zhensheng, the others in the room didn't quite understand the flowery language at the beginning, but they understood the key points in the last few sentences.

The adopted daughter of the Marquis of Xinting was granted the title of Princess Kangle, with her fiefdom encompassing a radius of twenty li around Suijintan.

The area around Suijintan is twenty li in circumference, meaning that Suijintan, along with Dahuaishu Village, Dawang Village, and Xiaowang Village, are all Fu Niu's fiefdom.

From now on, all annual taxes will be paid to Fu Niu, and Fu Niu can even adjust tax rates and collect corvée labor.

This reward is simply too generous, too amazing.

It should be noted that even a military marquis like the Marquis, the only cousin of the Emperor's maternal family, did not have a fiefdom.

Jiayin, a two-year-old girl, is already a little landlady?!

Although this fiefdom is extremely small, it is absolutely unique and exceptional.

"Thank you for the Emperor's gift! Long live the Emperor!" Seeing that the Li family was terrified, Ye Shan quickly led them to kowtow and express their gratitude.

Grandma Li was helped up and sat back down on the edge of the kang (a heated brick bed), still in a daze.

Jiayin, holding the golden imperial edict, laughed so hard he drooled.

Seeing that her granddaughter's saliva was about to drip onto the imperial edict, Old Lady Li trembled in fright, immediately picked up her granddaughter, and stuffed the imperial edict into the Marquis's arms.

"My lord, what should we do about this? Fu Niu'er is still so young. Our Li family cannot afford such a reward."

Even Li Zhensheng and his brothers frowned, clearly more surprised than pleased.

The Emperor's grace was so boundless that the Li family was naturally grateful, but the Li family was just a small farming household, and Jiayin was only a little over two years old.

If outsiders find out, the Li family and Jiayin will be in the eye of the storm, and they might get into trouble again.

For the Li family, living a peaceful life and quietly making a fortune is the best option right now; they really don't want to stand out and become targets.

The Marquis was not angry at all; on the contrary, he was very happy.

In other families, this would probably be a huge public spectacle, but the Li family wasn't blinded by it. Their first consideration was the safety of their home.

Such clarity of mind is truly rare.

The Marquis carefully accepted the imperial edict, then handed the box to Jiayin, before explaining with a smile, "Auntie, don't worry. Since the Emperor didn't send someone to deliver the edict at the banquet, but instead chose to send it secretly at night, it means that our family can decide for ourselves when to announce this matter."

"The Left and Right Broken Gold Beaches have been exempted from taxes for three years, and this is only the first year. It's not too late to bring out this imperial edict two years later. By then, Fu Niu will be almost five years old, and the family will have established a firm foothold here. Even if someone covets it, we won't be afraid."

Grandma Li and her children all breathed a long sigh of relief, their faces full of gratitude. "Your Majesty's grace is boundless. Thank you so much for taking such good care of our family in your busy schedule."

The Marquis nodded and then said, "The taxes from the nearby villages are due soon, and I need to send someone to collect them. Does Fu Niu have them?"

"No, no!" Old Lady Li quickly waved her hands. "If the family wants to hide the imperial edict for two years, then let's hide it to the end. The taxes from those villages should still be paid. It just so happens that the Emperor has just established his capital here and needs silver and grain."

"The Emperor has already bestowed the title of Princess upon Fu Niu'er, and our family is already very grateful. How could we possibly covet this little bit of silver? Besides, our current income is more than enough to live on."

Li Lao Er also agreed with his mother's idea, echoing, "Yes, the Jade Melon and Golden Fruit we sold this year are thanks to the Emperor's bestowal of their names."

Seeing this, the Marquis stopped trying to persuade him. "Then it's settled. Put the imperial edict away for now. If the family encounters difficulties in the future, or if something happens to me while I'm away, we can take out the imperial edict and it will provide some protection for the family."

"Pah! Pah!" Old Lady Li quickly spat on the ground, glared at the Marquis, and scolded, "Children's words are innocent, they'll be blown away by the wind! What nonsense are you spouting, you can't keep your mouth shut!"

The Marquis was scolded, but he laughed heartily.

After exchanging a few more casual words, he led Ye Shan back slowly, leaving the Li family to disperse and rest.

Grandma Li helped her eldest son back to the west room to rest. After hesitating for a moment, she still briefly mentioned the differences in her little granddaughter.

The purpose was to let the eldest son know that there was a reason why the Marquis treated his family so well, and that he could trust the Marquis in his future actions.

Li Zhensheng had always felt that his little niece was incredibly smart, so when his mother spoke vaguely, he didn't press her for details.

He has already returned home. As the eldest son of the Li family, the safety of the young and old is his responsibility.

Don't say that my little niece is just a bit smarter or has some amazing skills.

Even if my little niece really is a mountain spirit or monster, being born into the Li family means she's not someone anyone can bully!

Seeing her son say this, Old Lady Li was relieved and went out to prepare medicine for him.

Tao Hongying and Zhao Yuru, sisters-in-law, were chatting while watching the medicine being brewed.

Grandma Li felt sorry for her daughters-in-law who had been busy all day, so she sent them to bed. She personally watched over the medicine pot, fanning it and adding firewood.

When Li Ge'er and Mao Ge'er came back from outside and saw this, they ran over and hugged their grandmother's arm to talk, showing great affection.

The two brothers watched their father drink the medicine before going back to their room to sleep with their grandmother.

Li Laosan chuckled and carried his bedding, squeezed into the west room, and slept next to his elder brother.

I was thinking of taking care of my older brother tonight, having a heart-to-heart talk with him, and rekindling our brotherhood after more than a decade apart...

Time always flies when you're together. Jiaren only took two days off so as not to miss his classes at the academy. He had to go back to Luoan in the afternoon.

Li Laosan and his family of three naturally had to go back as well.

Thinking of Li Ge'er, while everyone was chatting under the eaves, Old Lady Li called her grandson over and asked, "Li Ge'er, when you were studying in Luo'an, did you like the teachers and classmates there? Do you want to go back with your older brother and continue studying at the academy?"

Li Ge'er subconsciously looked at his father.

Only a few days after returning home, my father's complexion improved significantly, indicating that his condition was no longer serious.

But he was still a little worried about leaving home to go back to Luo'an to study.

Li Zhensheng saw through his son's little scheme and said, "Don't worry, if you like studying, go ahead. Dad will be with Grandma, so you'll get better soon. I'll bring your little brother to the academy to see you then."

Li Ge'er nodded, "Okay, Dad, I like studying in Luo'an. The teacher is very funny and often praises me."

Everyone laughed; after all, they were just kids who loved to hear praise.