"General, please understand! I was confused for a moment and did something stupid." Xiao Yanlan knelt down directly in front of Feng Cailan.

"I had originally planned to host a welcoming reception for the General and the other gentlemen at Feng Man Lou, but General Feng was too busy with official duties to go."

"So, I thought about summoning the young masters of Hongchen Pavilion and having them serve General Feng and the other gentlemen. This would help them relieve their fatigue and relax, and also give them some fun."

"I really didn't plot against the general and the other lords! I don't know which bold villain did it, but dared to give the general and the other lords aphrodisiacs. I am also a victim!" Xiao Yanlan burst into tears, looking regretful.

"Come here, take this foolish County Magistrate Xiao Yanlan into custody for this general. We will deal with him at a later date. The County Magistrate will temporarily take over the daily affairs of the County Government."

Feng Cailan stood up from his seat and raised high the imperial sword in his hand, which represented his authority as an imperial envoy.

"The Imperial Sword strikes down corrupt emperors and slays corrupt officials. Seeing this sword is like seeing the Emperor himself. Kneel down now!"

Upon hearing this, everyone in the hall knelt down and shouted, "Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!"

"Sir, I am innocent!" Xiao Yanlan, whose arms were grabbed by two soldiers, broke free from the restraints and knelt down and kowtowed to Feng Cailan again, wailing.

"If you make any more noise, I, the general, won't mind chopping off your head with the imperial sword!" Feng Cailan shouted angrily.

Xiao Yanlan obediently shut her mouth upon hearing this, her eyes filled with fear. She had never imagined that one day she would fall prey to the tried-and-true flattery.

Although Feng Cailan felt uncomfortable with this place, considering that it was still two hours before dawn, she did not move her position and only let her subordinates rest in the county government office.

As for Hua Qingcheng, who was afraid that her husbands at home would worry, she and her three husbands returned to Huaqiao Village overnight.

"Sister Qingcheng, where is my mother?"

At three quarters past three in the morning, when Mu Lige stepped into the front yard of Hua's house, Feng Qiyan, who was waiting in the main hall, ran out quickly.

Mu Lige glanced at Hua Qingcheng, then patiently said to Feng Qiyan, "Your mother is fine now. She will set off for Huaqiao Village after daybreak. You should go and rest quickly. Otherwise, if your mother comes and you fall asleep, that would not be good."

"Sister Qingcheng, you are right. Qiyan should go to bed immediately."

Feng Qiyan was soon taken by Si Chengfeng to the guest room in the backyard to rest, and Shan You, who had been guarding Feng Qiyan, was also able to go back to his room to sleep.

After Hua Qingcheng sent all the men back to their rooms to sleep, she also returned to her room in the medicine house to rest. After all, something big was going to happen tomorrow, and she had to stay alert to deal with it.

On the first day of October, the first ray of sunshine in the morning seemed to come later than usual, but it finally came.

"Hehe~"

With the loud crowing of the village hens, the villagers of Huaqiao Village began a new day.

However, today is destined to be a day of extraordinary significance, both for Hua Qingcheng's family and for the entire Huaqiao Village.

"The imperial edict has arrived~"

At noon, a cavalryman from the Feng family army arrived at Huaqiao Village first to make a notification.

The quiet and simple little mountain village suddenly exploded because of the three words "The imperial edict has arrived".

"Where is the head of Huaqiao Village?" The cavalry shouted sternly at the entrance of Huaqiao Village.

"Little...little one is here!" Hua Sufen's legs were trembling slightly.

"General Feng, the imperial envoy, will soon be arriving at Huaqiao Village with an imperial decree. Please notify Miss Qingcheng and her family immediately to prepare. The decree will arrive in an hour."

"All villagers of Huaqiao Village must be prepared to line the streets to welcome him. The imperial edict is a sacred object representing the emperor's personal presence and must not be desecrated or neglected!"

After completing their mission, the cavalry turned their horses around and returned to report.

"I...I obey your command!"

Hua Sufen knelt on the ground trembling, and could not stand up until the cavalrymen disappeared into the distance.

"Oh my God!" Hua Sufen exclaimed.

"Is smoke coming out of the scholar's ancestral tomb? This is an imperial edict!"

Hua Sufen hurried towards Hua Rongsheng's house at the village entrance.

"When your mother and father call you, you must respond without delay. When your mother and father order you, you must act without laziness. When your mother and father teach you, you must listen respectfully. When your mother and father criticize you, you must obey..."

As soon as Hua Sufen stepped into the Hua family, she heard the sound of schoolchildren reading in the backyard.

"Village head, is there something important so early in the morning?" Ye Maochun, who was feeding chickens in the front yard, asked in confusion.

After all, the Hua family opened a private school, and the sound of students reading aloud in the early morning drowned out the noise outside. Ye Maochun didn't know what was going on.

"Scholar, you're still feeding the chickens! Tell the scholar to let the students go back first, and you two should get ready to welcome the imperial edict that will arrive in an hour.

"Holy... Imperial edict?"

Ye Maochun's hands trembled upon hearing this, and the rice in his hand immediately fell to the ground. The hens saw this and clucked in succession, scrambling for the rice grains on the ground.

At three quarters past noon, Feng Cailan, holding the imperial sword and carrying the imperial edict, rode a tall horse and arrived at Huaqiao Village.

Feng Cailan was accompanied by sixty personal cavalrymen, and followed by a mighty force of over a thousand foot soldiers. Due to limited space, Feng Cailan only brought his personal guards into the village, leaving the foot soldiers waiting outside.

"The imperial edict has arrived!" Feng Cailan shouted loudly.

"Long live the emperor! Long live the emperor! Long, long live the emperor!"

The village head Hua Sufen had already informed the clan leader Hua Zhengfeng, and the two of them led all the villagers to line the streets at the village entrance to welcome them.

Feng Cailan, carrying the imperial edict and holding the imperial sword, strode all the way from the village entrance to the gate of Hua's house at the end of the village.

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