Chapter 458 Imperial Edict

"By the Will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees! Ye's eldest daughter, Yuntang, has made great contributions to the country... She is hereby granted the title of Princess Anle, a Princess's Palace, and a reward of one hundred taels of gold and one thousand pieces of silk..."

The eunuch's shrill voice sounded at the village entrance. Ye Yang stood in the crowd and became more and more confused as she listened.

How could the daughter she had raised for more than ten years become a royal princess after she went to the border?

Adopted as the Queen's adopted daughter, she will have to live in the Princess's Mansion in Kyoto and never come back?

With a "thump", Ye Yang's eyes turned black and she fell straight back.

"Ouch! Why are you dizzy again?" The villagers nearby hurriedly reached out to help him, their tone full of panic.

Gu Jiayue's heart tightened.

The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict is still here. If Yang's reaction is reported back to the palace, someone might think that the Ye family is dissatisfied, which will be detrimental to Ye Yuntang's life in Kyoto.

She quickly squeezed forward and supported Yang. While holding her, she pinched her lower back with her nails.

"hiss!"

Yang woke up instantly from the pain and was about to cry when Gu Jiayue stopped her with a look.

Gu Jiayue leaned close to her ear and said quickly in a low voice, "Aunt, the eunuch is still here. This is an imperial decree and we can't show any dissatisfaction, otherwise Yun Tang will be in trouble in Kyoto!"

These words were like a basin of cold water, waking Yang up.

How could she, a peasant woman, understand all those twists and turns, but she also knew that Jiayue would not lie to her.

No matter what, she couldn't cause trouble for her daughter.

She wiped away her tears, took a deep breath, and forced out a look of ecstasy, her voice trembling. "Oh my! I... I'm just so happy! I never thought our Ye family would have a princess! This is such a blessing that our ancestors' graves will be filled with tears!"

Gu Jiayue quickly followed up on the conversation, shouting, "That's right! This is the first time our Taohua Village has received an imperial edict. What an honor! Aunt Ye, quickly go back and set up the incense table and offer sacrifices to our ancestors, so they can be happy too!"

The people of the Ye family also realized that no matter how reluctant or sad they were in their hearts, they had to appear happy on the surface.

Ye Daming hurried forward and bowed to the eunuch: "Thank you for the order! Come on, please come home, we will set up the incense table right away!"

The eunuch who delivered the imperial edict originally wanted to say that there was no need to be so restrained.

He is Jiang Luli's man, and when he returns he will only report the good things and will not deliberately cause trouble.

But on second thought, there are several people in the team who were sent by other concubines in the palace, and there is no guarantee that some of them will go back and make accusations.

The Ye family was so considerate that it saved him a lot of trouble.

He smiled and said in a friendly tone, "Madam Ye, there's no need to be so polite. We are here to convey your order and to check on you for the princess."

The Ye family hurriedly led the eunuch home, and the villagers followed behind to watch the fun.

Everyone was stunned when they saw the attendants carrying boxes of rewards into the Ye family.

There are golden ingots, silk embroidered with phoenixes, and exquisite jade ornaments, which are so eye-catching.

The Ye clan members from the neighboring Xinghua Village also ran as fast as they could after hearing the news. They crowded into the Ye family courtyard, staring at the rewards and whispering, "Wow, is being a princess really that rich?"

"Does the Emperor and Empress still need a daughter? I have three daughters at home, and they are all obedient!"

After the incense table was set up, the eunuch who delivered the imperial edict read it out again.

After the imperial edict was read and the rewards were handed over, the eunuch who delivered the edict prepared to return.

Yang hesitated for a long time, but finally stepped forward and grabbed the sleeve of the leading eunuch, her voice timid. "Eunuch, I...will we be able to see Yun Tang again in the future?"

The eunuch smiled and quietly tucked the banknote Yang had thrust into his sleeve, speaking gently. "Don't worry, Madam Yang. Princess Anle is the legitimate princess of the current dynasty and has her own palace. If you wish to see her, just go to Kyoto and pass a sign to let her know."

He paused, then added, "It's just... best not to go too often. The princess is now the Queen's adopted daughter and must fulfill her filial duties within the palace. If she keeps going out, I'm afraid it will make the Queen unhappy."

Having said that, Yang finally understood.

It’s not difficult to see my daughter, but I can’t see her every day like before.

She nodded and watched the eunuchs' team walk away. She finally couldn't help but let her tears fall, but she didn't dare to cry out loud. She could only wipe them secretly with her sleeves.

The fact that Ye Yuntang became Princess Anle became the hottest gossip in the surrounding area.

Whether it's under the old locust tree at the entrance of the village or in the grocery store in town, you can always see a few people gathered together, talking in low voices.

"The boxes of rewards the Ye family brought in were piled higher than a person!"

Someone exclaimed, "One hundred taels of gold! I've never seen so much money in my life."

Some people are envious, saying, "I wish my daughter could be a princess too."

If the heat doesn’t subside, the Ye family’s door will soon be broken down.

Many relatives, who hadn't been in touch for hundreds of years and were completely unrelated, came to visit, carrying worthless local specialties. Some took Ye's father's hand and said, "We are family. Princess, you must take good care of us from now on." Some even pushed their own children in front of him, saying, "Let them benefit from the princess's influence and find a way to go to Kyoto."

Even more outrageous was that one family actually brought half a bag of rice and said they wanted to send their twelve-year-old daughter to the Ye family as a child bride, saying, "It's a blessing to be related to the princess."

The Ye couple was so annoyed by these people that they didn't dare to open the door on weekdays.

Lying in bed at night, Ye's mother clutched her chest and said, "If this continues, we won't be able to live."

"Who are these people? They only care about red and white things. If I could choose, I would rather have my Tang'er stay by my side. Let the princess do whatever they want."

Ye's father gritted his teeth and found a carpenter in the village overnight to nail three layers of thick door panels on the door. During the day, no matter how much people knocked on the door or shouted outside, he would stay indoors and not come out.

But this is not a long-term solution.

People need to eat and drink water, so they always have to go out and buy things.

But as soon as I stepped out of the house, I felt the eyes of my neighbors were on me.

Some people were secretly pointing fingers, and some were following behind to talk. Every time Ye's mother went out, she would clutch the corner of her clothes, and her eyes would be red when she came back.

"If it really doesn't work, let's go to Kyoto to find a girl?"

That night, Ye's father sat under the oil lamp, rubbing his hands and sighing, his tone full of helplessness, "It's so uncomfortable to be stared at here every day."

"No!" Mother Ye immediately shook her head, her brows knitted together. "Yun Tang has just become a princess, and life in the palace must be difficult. Her position is unstable at the moment. If we go, it will only cause trouble for her. We might even make people accuse her of being ungrateful."

She paused, her eyes full of worry, but she still refused firmly: "Wait a little longer, I'll ask Jiayue tomorrow if she can stay in the academy for a few days to avoid the limelight."

Gu Jiayue had long known about the Ye family's predicament and was trying to find ways to help them.

On the way to school before, she had seen people blocking the door of the Ye family several times and heard the villagers talking about it.

So when Ye's mother approached her with trepidation, she agreed without a second thought. "What's the problem? The small courtyard previously allocated to Yuntang is now uninhabited, so you and your family can just move in. The school is in need of cleaning staff, so if Uncle Ye and you don't mind, you can help sweep the courtyard and clean the windows for a few days. Once the storm outside dies down, you can return home."

Ye's father and mother hurriedly bowed to Gu Jiayue, their eyes red.

Gu Jiayue has helped them so much.

When their family of four was kicked out of their home and was about to starve to death, it was Gu Jiayue who took them in and taught Yuntang to read and write.

The children in the village all said that Master Ye was very amazing, that he knew everything, and that the little experiments he did were amazing.

But Ye's mother knew that her daughter had grown up in the mountains, so what knowledge could she have? Before entering the school as a teacher, she only knew a few common characters.

If Gu Jiayue hadn't taught her knowledge bit by bit and introduced her to the world, how could she have had the opportunity to go to Yanshan to make contributions and eventually become a princess?

"Jiayue, thank you so much. We will never forget your kindness to our family." Mother Ye held Gu Jiayue's hand, her voice choked with sobs.

"Don't say that, Auntie. It's all as it should be."

Gu Jiayue smiled and waved her hand, "Hurry up and pack your things. I'll help you move."

Before long, the Ye family's affairs were replaced by new excitement.

The hundreds of students from Taohua Village will go to Juzhou to take the college entrance examination tomorrow!

That night, the oil lamp in Sun Hai's house was lit until very late.

Sun Hai's mother, Aunt Wang, squatted on the floor, rummaging through her son's luggage. She folded and refolded her clothes to avoid wrinkles; she wrapped her brushes, inkstones, and paper in cloth and placed them in the safest place; she even counted her rations three times, fearing she'd forgotten anything.

As she checked, she felt her heart beating rapidly, her hands felt numb, and even her movements of folding clothes slowed down a bit.

"Mom, it's not you who's going to take the exam, why are you so nervous?" Sun Rou sat aside, holding a newly made blue cloth gown in her hand, and handed it to Sun Hai with a smile, her eyes full of teasing.

My mother looked even more nervous than Sun Hai who was about to take the exam.

Sun Hai took the clothes and smiled as he smoothed his mother's back. "Don't worry, mother. The teacher said that as long as I perform normally, I will definitely pass the entrance exam. Then you will be the mother of a scholar, and I will be the sister of a scholar. I can earn money to buy Ganoderma lucidum and ginseng for my sister, and have Doctor Lin treat her well!"

Although Sun Rou's health has improved a lot with Lin Yi's help in the past year, the family has no money to buy the precious medicinal materials in the prescription, so they can only use ordinary herbs to slowly nourish her.

Sun Rou still couldn't run and jump like other girls, so she had to stay at home most of the time.

Sun Hai always kept this in mind and studied extra hard.

He wanted to pass the imperial examination and become an official as soon as possible so that he could give his sister the best medicine.

When Sun Rou heard what her brother said, her eyes instantly turned red and tears welled up in them.

She quickly lowered her head and wiped it with her sleeve. When she looked up again, a smile appeared on her face. "Don't put too much pressure on yourself. My health has improved a lot in the past two years. I can even make clothes now. Look, this dress is made by me for you. Master Hua even praised my needlework skills!"

Because of her health, Sun Rou was unable to attend school like other girls, but whenever Sun Hai had time, he would tell her what he had learned in school and teach her how to read.

Occasionally, when the weather was good, Sun Hai would carry her to school to audit classes.

The young ladies in the village often came to her house and told her the embroidery techniques taught by Hua Chao and the arithmetic problems taught by other teachers.

Sun Rou is very smart. She can understand 70% to 80% of what the sisters say after just one explanation, and sometimes she can even point out the parts they don’t understand.

Seeing how talented she was, Hua Chao felt a liking for her talent and often took time to teach her embroidery.

Sun Rou's embroidery skills were now no worse than those of the girls in the school. When she sent her embroidered handkerchiefs and purses to the Jixiang Cloth Shop, the wealthy ladies were eager to buy them.

If it weren't for her poor health, she might have become a well-known embroiderer by now.

"The clothes my sister makes are the most beautiful. I'm going to wear this to the exam tomorrow." Sun Hai folded the clothes and put them in his luggage, his tone full of pride. "When I pass the exam and become a scholar, I'll help my sister open an embroidery workshop so that everyone can know about her craftsmanship!"

Aunt Wang looked at the brother and sister, and the nervousness in her heart gradually faded, replaced by full of anticipation.