Chapter 352 Imperial Edict

After the decree was announced, Jiang Luli carefully rolled it up and handed it to Gu Jiayue, who was kneeling at the front. "County Lady Wenxing, please accept the decree."

Gu Jiayue took a deep breath and tried hard to suppress the excitement in her heart. The etiquette that Jiang Luli had just taught her flashed through her mind.

She put her knees together, rested her forehead on the cold blue bricks, prostrated herself on the ground, and kowtowed three times. Each time she bowed down, she was filled with heavy respect.

Then she slowly stood up, raised her hands high above her head, palms facing upward, and said in a clear and firm voice: "Your Majesty, I thank you for your grace. I will live up to your trust and continue to educate the people!"

"rise!"

After Jiang Luli's voice fell, the people kneeling on the ground stood up one after another, their knees rubbing against the ground, making a rustling sound.

The eyes of the Gu family, the village chief, and the elders all fell on the imperial edict in Gu Jiayue's hand. Their eyes seemed to be filled with stars, bright and hot, and they were so hot that they wished they could hold the imperial edict in their own hands.

"Jiayue," the village chief rubbed his hands together, a smile plastered on his face, his tone negotiating. "Where do you plan to put this imperial edict? How about the ancestral hall? Our ancestors haven't seen it yet."

"Right, right, right," the second elder of the clan beside him quickly agreed, his gray beard trembling. "You are the first person in our Gu family to receive an imperial edict. You should let our ancestors take a good look at you."

They both knew what was going on in their minds.

If Gu Jiayue brought the imperial edict home, they would probably never have the chance to see it again in their lifetime, let alone show it off to people from other villages.

But it is different if it is placed in the ancestral hall. Others cannot enter, but the elders and village chiefs can come and visit from time to time under the pretext of worshiping their ancestors.

The Gu family immediately became unhappy.

Aunt Gu took a step forward and pulled Gu Jiayue behind her like a protective child. "This is a gift from the emperor to our Jiayue. How can we put it in the ancestral hall? We have ancestral tablets at home, so it's fine to put it here."

"That's right," Uncle Gu also frowned. "There are so many people in the ancestral hall, what if someone clumsy touches it and breaks it?"

"Yes. I don't agree either." Grandpa Gu knocked his pipe against the sole of his shoe, his tone unquestionable.

The village chief didn't expect the usually reasonable Gu family to suddenly become so difficult to deal with. He scratched the back of his head anxiously and said, "Uncle and aunt, we have to see the big picture. Shouldn't we let our ancestors take a look first?"

Grandpa stiffened his neck, refusing to budge. "I'll take it back to offer it before the family gods. If the ancestors want to see it, won't they come and see it themselves?"

"You..." The village chief was choked and speechless.

Grandpa was the elder, so he couldn't argue. He could only look at Gu Jiayue and speak in a slower tone, "Jiayue, where do you want to put it?"

"this……"

Gu Jiayue looked at the two groups of people arguing in front of her, feeling a little amused and helpless.

In fact, she did not have a strong possessiveness for the imperial edict. It made no difference to her whether she placed it in the ancestral hall or took it home.

Just like when I got the title of special teacher, besides the initial excitement, I felt more of a heavy responsibility.

But this imperial edict is a royal property after all, and she probably cannot decide where to put it at will.

She turned her head hesitantly and looked at Jiang Luli who remained silent.

Everyone's eyes, as if drawn by a magnet, were all focused on him.

The ancestral hall became quiet again, with only the green smoke from the incense burner still lingering silently.

Jiang Luli rubbed the tip of his nose lightly with his fingertips, and a helpless smile appeared at the corner of his lips.

How did this dispute in the ancestral hall suddenly push him to the forefront?

He cleared his throat and glanced at the faces in the room, some expectant, some nervous. "Well... the Ministry of Rites doesn't stipulate where the imperial edict must be placed. It just needs to be kept properly."

He paused, looking at the bright yellow scroll in Gu Jiayue's hand, his tone becoming more serious. "But I think it's safer to keep it at home. Having someone watching over it all the time can help avoid a lot of accidents."

Upon hearing this, Grandpa Gu straightened his back instantly, and the wrinkles on his face smoothed out. He spoke loudly as if he had received an imperial sword, "Listen, the headmaster has said it. Jiayue, let's take the imperial edict home quickly."

The village chief rushed forward and grabbed Grandpa's wrist, his knuckles turning slightly white from the force, but a fawning smile remained on his face. "Oh, Uncle, receiving an imperial edict is a huge deal! I have no objection to you keeping it at home. But today, can you temporarily enshrine it in the ancestral hall? Our ancestors are eagerly waiting to see it."

The elders nearby also chimed in, their gray beards trembling slightly as they nodded: "Yes, yes, even just one day is fine."

Even if he had to stay in the ancestral hall all night, he would not be satisfied until he had read the imperial edict enough.

Seeing that the village chief and the elders had taken a step back, a look of satisfaction appeared on Grandpa's face, and his vanity slowly relaxed like tea leaves soaked in warm water.

He turned to look at Gu Jiayue, his tone much softer: "Jiayue, what do you mean?"

Gu Jiayue looked at the smoke curling up from the altar in the ancestral hall, then looked at the expectant eyes of the crowd and smiled faintly: "In that case, why not leave it in the ancestral hall for a few days? Then we can take it home and keep it properly?"

Grandpa immediately made the decision. "Okay, I'll listen to my granddaughter!"

The smile lines at the corners of his eyes were filled with pride. "Oh, my Jiayue is really capable. I'm afraid she is the first woman to enter the ancestral hall in thousands of years."

These words were like a stone thrown into the village chief's heart. His eyes rolled suddenly and an idea popped up like duckweed.

He leaned forward, his voice tentative, "Hey, uncle, since the ancestral hall is already open, why not include Jiayue in the family tree?"

"What?"

"Write the woman into the family tree?"

There was a sudden gasp in the ancestral hall, and everyone looked at each other with shock on their faces.

Everyone can understand that the ancestral hall was opened according to the imperial edict.

After all, it is a gift from heaven.

How could a woman be included in the family tree? This would break the rules passed down from generation to generation!

The oldest elder of the three tribes opened his mouth, his cloudy eyes full of disapproval. He was about to speak out his objection but was stopped by a look from the village chief.

He was stunned for a moment and swallowed back the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Is the village chief stupid? Has he been blinded by the sudden glory?

No, he has more calculations in his mind than anyone else.

He had a vague idea of ​​Gu Jiayue's identity.

To put it bluntly, she is not just the granddaughter of Gu Xuanhai from Taohua Village or the daughter of Gu Huangtai. I heard that she is also the daughter of a marquisate in Kyoto.

What if one day he gets tired of staying here and wants to go back to Kyoto?

Hey, but if Gu Jiayue is written into the family tree, the nature of the matter will be completely different.

No matter where she goes in the future, it is written in black and white on the family tree that she is Gu Jiayue from Taohua Village, Annan County, Juzhou Prefecture. How could this be false?

The three elders looked at the confident light in the village chief's eyes and kept silent.

He knew that the village chief was not someone who would act recklessly. Over the past year or so, under his leadership, the village had built roads, set up workshops, and opened schools, and life was getting more prosperous day by day.

In that case, let him do it.

The Gu family would naturally be more than happy to have their granddaughter included in the family tree.

So, just after Gu Jiayue was awarded the title of "the first person in Taohua Village to receive the imperial edict", she immediately became "the first woman to be written into the family tree".

Some of the women watching outside the ancestral hall quietly clenched the corners of their clothes, while others looked at Gu Jiayue with sparkling eyes. The envy that could not be hidden quietly emerged in their eyes like the tender buds of early spring.

"I want to be written into the family tree like my second sister in the future!" Gu Zhigeng clenched his fists tightly, raised his chin slightly, and gleamed with stubbornness in his eyes, and swore secretly in his heart.

"Me too!" Gu Bailu also nodded vigorously, his little face full of determination that was inconsistent with his age.

The two sisters looked at the figure surrounded by people in the ancestral hall, and it seemed as if a spark was planted in their hearts, bright and shining, which became the goal for their efforts in the future.

Finally, the imperial edict's fate was decided. The village chief breathed a sigh of relief as he gazed at the bright yellow scroll, enshrined high on the altar in the ancestral hall. His smile, like a sunflower washed by rain, was dazzlingly bright.

Since everyone was there, the village chief didn't bother picking another day. Clearing his throat, he spoke loudly to the densely packed courtyard, "Everyone, Jiang Shanzhang met a master on the road who said Annan County would experience heavy rain for the next month."