Chapter 2394 The Xu Family's Reward

As Shu Yu followed the group inside, she nodded, "Yes..."

Before he could finish speaking, a familiar, ecstatic voice suddenly came from outside, "The yamen has sent people! The yamen has sent people! Steward Yu, come out quickly!"

Shu Yu paused, turned her head to look in the direction of the door, "It seems to be, Shu Quan?"

Aunt Fang whispered, "It's him. Ever since those two village officials left, Shu Quan has been going to the county government office every day, squatting outside to inquire about news, just waiting for the imperial court to reward him for his merits. Right now..."

She suddenly stopped mid-sentence, her eyes widening in astonishment. "What did Shu Quan just say? People from the yamen have arrived? Has an imperial decree been issued?"

Shu Yu smiled. "I guess so. Let's go take a look."

Qi Lie hadn't been gone long, and was probably still on his way. But the report on what had happened in the Southwest and what had transpired there had been submitted long ago. The rewards for those who had made great contributions could be discussed and debated slowly, like Shu Yu and Meng Yunzheng; they probably wouldn't know until next year.

But the rewards for people like Shu Quan were much easier to handle and easy to organize.

Shu Yu hadn't expected the imperial decree to arrive so quickly; the document was delivered to the county government office before they had even left.

As the group turned and stepped outside, they saw Shu Quan running towards them like a madman.

Upon seeing Shu Yu, he abruptly stopped, his face beaming with undisguised joy. "Lu Shu Yu? You're here too."

Shu Yu glanced at him, then looked away and gazed at the carriage approaching from behind him.

The carriage stopped a few steps away, and Wang Changdong helped the county magistrate out and walked steadily to Shu Yu.

"The county princess and young master Meng are here too, what a coincidence." The county magistrate chuckled. "The emperor's decree has arrived. It concerns Xu Dali and his group. Oh, and there's another one concerning the Wei family, which the county princess must also be very concerned about."

Shu Yu asked in surprise, "About my cousin's wife?"

Wei Qin, who had come with Shu Yu, was taken aback for a moment, then quickly stepped out from behind, "Me?"

"Yes," the magistrate said with a smile, and instructed Steward Yu, "Summon all the villagers who participated in capturing the rebels in Zhengdao Village. I am going to read out the imperial edict."

"Yes, sir." Steward Yu hurriedly instructed the people on the estate to go and find the person.

Aunt Xu Dali and Shu Quan both ran home, and then Steward Yu led the county magistrate and Shu Yu and others into the manor.

In just the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, several families arrived one after another, along with many villagers who had heard the news. They all peered curiously into the house from outside the door.

When the magistrate saw that all the families had arrived, he glanced around, nodded, and stood up to read the imperial edict.

The first family mentioned is Xu Dali's family. Xu Zhensheng deserves the most credit; he directly stabbed Yuan Ye in the back, causing Liu Jie and his men to panic and abandon most of their comrades to escape alone. Because Yuan Ye was injured, he rushed into a trap and was captured by Meng Yunzheng and his men. Finally, they used Yuan Ye to force back the deputy general who was taking over the garrison, minimizing their own losses and preventing chaos in the city.

Moreover, Xu Dali also contributed by providing a list of suspects from Zhengdao Village.

"...The Xu family of three is hereby pardoned from exile, awarded one hundred taels of silver, restored to their original residence, and allowed to return their property. Xu Zhensheng is young and promising, with extraordinary courage. After returning to the capital, he may report to the Dali Temple and await orders."

(End of this chapter)