Chapter 310 The Reward Has Arrived
"Execute!" Prefect Qin threw out a token.
Immediately, several yamen runners brought in three long benches and pressed Li Zhiyuan and the other two onto them.
Then the fighting started.
Li Zhiyuan was beaten so hard that cold sweats appeared on his forehead, but the ten strokes of the board were completed quickly. It was not too serious and he only needed to lie in bed for a few days to recover.
But the physical pain could not compare to the humiliation and collapse he felt at that moment.
His fame was lost, and his life was ruined...
Also, his descendants will no longer be able to take part in the imperial examinations.
Li Jiaojiao and Li Zimo also finished the fight.
Li Jiaojiao was in so much pain that she couldn't even make a sound. Li Zimo hit her with twenty boards and she passed out, and her eyes were bleeding.
After the beating, the brother and sister were dragged away by the yamen runners. One was sentenced to one month in jail, and the other to three years.
Ye Caiping and others watched with great pleasure from behind the screen.
Ye Caiping put the melon seeds in her hand into the fruit bowl: "Let's go home too!"
Old Mrs. Ye, Ye Daquan and others all left in a good mood.
As she walked out, Old Lady Ye said:
"I just heard from an adult that Li Zhiyuan's descendants cannot take the imperial examinations. Then what about Jin'er and Huan'er's future children..."
Ye Jin'er blushed: "What kid?"
Ye Caiping said, "Don't worry, mother. Jin'er and Huan'er are no longer in the family tree of Li Zhiyuan's family. It's no big deal. Just like Li Zimo is included in the family tree of the Bo family, so there is no judgment that Li Zimo's descendants cannot take the imperial examination."
"Because now he is a descendant of the Earl's Mansion. The prefect cannot judge people related to the title. He can only submit a petition and wait for the people above to make a judgment."
Ye Jin'er said, "But wasn't he just sentenced to beating with a stick and imprisonment? He also lost his honor."
Ye Caiping said, "That's different. It's a foregone conclusion that he cheated, and there are laws to follow. Just sentence him as he should. This concerns the descendants of the Bo family, so I wrote a petition."
Ye Jiner nodded.
After leaving the government office, Shanzi ran over breathlessly, "Madam Ye."
"Why are you here?"
Several servants did not come with them this time, so Ye Daquan and Ye Xuan drove the horse-drawn carriage and ox-drawn cart themselves.
Shanzi took a deep breath and said, "Many officials came from the village, and they said they wanted to see Madam Ye!"
Ye Caiping was startled: "Officials?"
Shen Zhiyan stepped forward and said, "The reward has arrived. I just received a letter a few days ago, saying it will arrive in the next two days."
Ye Caiping said happily: "Really? Good things come in pairs!"
Ye Daquan asked: "What reward? What is that?"
Ye Caiping asked, "When I discovered cassava, didn't the government give me 50 taels of silver as a reward?"
"Yes. I'm going to give you another 50 taels this time?"
"It should be more than 50 taels."
Ye Daquan chuckled and said, "You have 100 taels?"
Shen Zhiyan said with a smile: “Let’s go back first.”
The group hurriedly got on the carriage, and Shen Zhiyan followed them to Qinghe Village.
The rest of the people rode in bullock carts.
In the carriage, Ye Caiping, Jin'er Huan'er and Old Lady Ye sat together.
Ye Caiping looked at Ye Jiner and her sister and said, "Are you all right? After all, Li Zhiyuan is your biological father..."
Ye Jin'er was stunned and sneered: "I wish he could be beaten with dozens more boards and stay in jail for the rest of his life."
Ye Huan'er snorted: "I think the sentence is too light!"
Ye Jin'er lowered her eyes: "Mom, do you think I'm too cold and cruel?"
Ye Caiping shook her head: "No."
Ye Jin'er said: "From childhood to adulthood, he has never liked us. He treats us like animals."
"When I was little, I tried my best to please him, hoping to gain his fatherly love. But he looked at us as if we were dirty."
"At that time... I thought it was because we were girls. Although we were afraid of him and our lives were hard and tiring, we didn't hate him that much. I felt that this was what we had to endure as girls."
"I hated him until he divorced my mother."
"Later, he married Zhang Shuiniang. He treated Li Jiaojiao like a baby, wanted to snatch his mother's jade for her, and was reluctant to let her work. Only then did I know that he actually had fatherly love. But this fatherly love was not for us. He didn't dislike us because we were maids, but simply disliked and hated us."
"So I hate him even more. It's a relief to see him in such a state."
Ye Caiping nodded, a typical example of love turning into hate. The more I desired it, the more I hated it.
Li Zhiyuan is their biological father.
When they were young, they longed for fatherly love, but Li Zhiyuan never gave them even a little bit.
That’s fine, but at the beginning he actually held his stepdaughter in the palm of his hand, which was simply rubbing the hearts of Jin’er and her sister into the ground.
Li Zhiyuan treated his two biological daughters like animals, so he couldn't blame them for their indifference.
Old Mrs. Ye felt somewhat relieved when she heard the attitudes of her two granddaughters.
It's good to know who treats them well, but I'm afraid that some of them don't know clearly. When they see their biological father is down and out, they will feel soft-hearted and want to show concern for him. That would be terrible.
…
Qinghe Village, under the big banyan tree.
There were three men in official robes standing there, and Ye Li was talking to them carefully.
The villagers gathered in the distance, talking in low voices.
"I heard that he was looking for Cai Ping. Could it be that... he had committed a crime?"
"How is that possible? If someone has committed a crime, just let the police come and arrest him."
"Is it like the last time when we gave 50 taels of silver to those who picked apples? But back then we discovered cassava, and what is it now?"
"You'll know when Caiping comes back."
As he was speaking, he saw two horse-drawn carriages driving towards him quickly, followed by an ox-drawn cart.
After a while, it stopped.
Ye Caiping and others got off the carriage, and Shen Zhiyan got off another carriage.
As soon as the villagers saw her, they gathered around her and said, "Cai Ping, there are some high officials looking for you over there, go and take a look."
Ye Caiping was about to go over when she heard the sound of a carriage from behind. Prefect Qin poked his head out of the window and said, "Wait a minute, I—"
Ye Caiping was speechless.
When the carriage stopped, Governor Qin crawled down from the carriage.
Prefect Qin felt that he was busy to death.
The case has just been tried and the criminal has been dealt with.
Just as he returned to the back hall and took off his official robe, a runner came to report that the official from above who was going to reward Ye Caiping had arrived.
Prefect Qin had no choice but to put on his official robe again and rush over here without stopping.
"Madam Ye, I'm sorry. I'll go first." Prefect Qin smiled.
"Sir, please." Ye Caiping gestured with her hands.
Prefect Qin walked quickly towards the officials, recognized them, and immediately saluted: "This humble official greets Minister Shen."
Minister Shen nodded: "No need to be polite. Where is Madam Ye?"
"Over there."
Ye Caiping and others have stepped forward.
There were three officials there, one of whom was dressed in a red robe. Although he was a civil servant, he exuded a murderous aura and had a handsome and dignified appearance.
The other two were wearing black robes.
Prefect Qin quickly introduced them: "Madam Ye, this is the Minister of War, Mr. Shen Zhiqiong, this is the Minister of Agriculture Zhu Bing, and this is the new magistrate of Yue'an County, He Qiu."
Minister of War? Ye Caiping was a little puzzled. Shouldn't the Ministry of Industry be responsible for agricultural production? Why is someone from the Ministry of War here?
Without time to think, she knelt down quickly: "Greetings to Lord Shen, Lord Zhu, and Lord He."
In addition, all the villagers present knelt down.
Minister Shen: “Everyone, get up.”
Ye Caiping and the others then stood up and looked up, only to see Minister Shen staring at her with a smile.
She is very beautiful, tall and has a good temperament. No worse than those aristocratic women in the capital.
Ye Caiping was confused by his stare. If you have something to say, just say it. Why are you staring at me?
Shen Zhiyan, who was standing behind, turned his face away speechlessly, pretending not to know him.
After taking a look, Minister Shen was very satisfied and said, "Announce the decree, kneel again."
Ye Caiping and others immediately knelt down again.
I saw an official coming out from behind Minister Shen. He was the eunuch who announced the imperial decree. He pinched his voice and said:
"The Emperor, in compliance with the Will of Heaven, proclaims that Ye Caiping has a unique vision and has discovered that cassava is edible. This is a blessing from Heaven that will benefit all people. Now he has cultivated non-toxic yellow-heart cassava. I am very pleased and I will reward you with 30,000 taels of silver and confer you the title of Seventh Rank Lady. I hope you will stick to your original intention and make new contributions to the prosperity of our country and the welfare of the people. I decree this."
After reading it, the eunuch who announced the decree smiled and said, "Please accept the decree, Lady Ye."
Ye Caiping quickly took it and said, "Thank you, Lord."
After receiving the imperial edict, Ye Caiping stood up, and the villagers around her also stood up, but dared not say a word.
Then, two officers came carrying a treasure chest. When they opened it, they saw it was full of silver. The villagers gasped at the sight.
Oh my God, I have never seen so much silver in my life! All white!
Then, two more maids came forward carrying a tray covered with red silk. It contained Ye Caiping's imperial robes and crown, also known as the phoenix crown and bridal cape.
Ye Caiping was in a good mood: "Thank you."
As he said that, he turned around and looked at Yang Ma. Yang Ma hurriedly brought Guixiang forward and took the two trays with trembling hands.
Ye Caiping smiled and said, "Thank you for your hard work, gentlemen, and thank you for your hard work, eunuch. Please come to my humble abode and have a drink to relieve your fatigue."
The eunuch smiled and said, "Wait, there is something else. Last year, Lady Ye discovered cassava, which solved the famine problem in half of the Great Zhou. Several nobles above have asked me to send something to Lady Ye."
He clapped his hands as he spoke.
Another person came forward with two trays, and the eunuch said with a smile, "The old lady of Marquis Dingguo and Princess Xuanhe are awarded a set of green jade head ornaments and a set of golden pearl head ornaments each."
Ye Caiping took a look and saw two sets of luxurious head ornaments on the tray.
Ye Caiping wondered, "Madam Xie... Princess?"
Is this a lady or a princess?
Besides, can you really accept the things these people send to you? If I accept it, will I be lured away or something?
Thinking about it, he turned around and looked at Shen Zhiyan inquiringly. Seeing this, Shen Zhiyan came over and put his hands beside his face:
"Don't worry, this is my mother. She has two titles."
Ye Caiping: “…”
The eunuch continued with a smile, "Next, there are two red rabbit horses owned by Prince Qi'an Shangye Yiren."
Shen Zhiyan whispered: “Don’t worry about this, he is my uncle.”
Ye Caiping: “…”
I saw two people coming over with two horses.
The eunuch continued: "The Queen Mother presented a pair of jade ruyi."
Hearing the word "Empress Dowager", Ye Caiping took Ruyi with trembling hands. She was the woman standing at the top of the Great Zhou!
Shen Zhiyan whispered: “That’s my eldest sister.”
Ye Caiping was confused: "Daughter?"
"Um."
The corner of Ye Caiping's mouth twitched slightly. It turned out that the entire imperial court was his home base! No wonder he always acts so elegantly and dignifiedly.
At this time, Minister Shen came over with a smile: "Brother Yan, long time no see."
Shen Zhiyan’s face was indifferent: “Yeah.”
Minister Shen pointed at him: "Hahaha, he is just like this...always ignoring me."
Ye Caiping felt that this Shangshu was very embarrassed and looked at Shen Zhiyan: "Who is this..."
Shen Zhiyan: "Oh. My brother, Marquis Dingguo, is also the current Minister of War."
Ye Caiping bowed hurriedly: "Greetings, Lord Marquis."
Minister Shen, or rather Marquis Dingguo, hurriedly gave him a false helping hand: "You don't have to be so polite, my sister-in-law."
Ye Caiping choked and her face turned red: "What did you say?"
Shen Zhiyan coughed dryly: “He said… Big sister, no need to be polite.”
Dingguo Hou laughed: "Oh, I've been in this small town for a few years, and I've learned a lot of the village dialect."
Shen Zhiyan: “…”
Ye Caiping was embarrassed and smiled: "My Lord, as well as Lord Qin, Lord Zhu, Lord He, the eunuch and Mr. Shen, please come to my humble abode for a rest."
Dingguo Hou laughed: "Okay."
Several people followed Ye Caiping and left.
Yang Ma and Gui Xiang followed, holding the phoenix corona and bridal robe, and behind them were people carrying silver, leading two horses, and holding jewelry and head ornaments.
A group of government officials followed closely behind.
Ye Caiping asked, "By the way, what was the sentence given to Magistrate Lu?"
Shen Zhiyan said: "Lu Baiwen and Lu Wansheng were stripped of their official positions and reputations, and their entire families were exiled. Madam Lu's family hurriedly left Yue'an County."
Ye Caiping nodded, and the group gradually walked away.
Only when their figures disappeared around the corner did Ye Lizheng and the villagers breathe a sigh of relief.
Then, there was a boiling excitement: "What just happened? These are all high-ranking officials, and they are also the Shangshu Lord!"
Mother Zhao spoke the loudest: "Shangshu, that's a very important official. I've only heard of him in those living books. I actually saw a living Shangshu in my lifetime!"
"Is this a reward from the government to Cai Ping? It sounds like it's because of cassava. Didn't they give it to Cai Ping once last year? It was 50 taels!"
As they spoke, everyone looked at Old Lady Ye, Ye Daquan and others.
Old Mrs. Ye and others also looked confused.
Ye Xuan knew the inside story: "The 50 taels last time were stolen. Do you remember the last time our whole family went to jail?"
"It was said to the public that Magistrate Lu had taken a fancy to my aunt's workshop, so he framed her and put her in jail. But the truth was, he took credit for my aunt's work. He reported that it was his son who discovered the cassava. The court rewarded his son with an official position and 5,000 taels of silver."
"He gave 50 taels to silence his sister-in-law."
"Oh my god, it's too dark!" The villagers gasped, "Now..."
Ye Xuan said: "Now that the chaos has been rectified, the court has arrested Magistrate Lu. The credit also belongs to my aunt. Now it's time to reward her again!"
"Wow!" The villagers were all excited when they heard this. "It's even higher than what we gave to Mr. Lu. 30,000 taels. Wow."
Ye Xuan said: "The rewards this time are added together. In addition to the bitter cassava discovered last year, my aunt discovered yellow cassava in March and April this year, which is better. So the rewards are more."
The villagers asked curiously: "What is yellow-heart cassava?"
Ye Xuan said: "This matter will be announced later, so I won't say more."
The villagers didn't insist on asking: "What is Yiren?"
Ye Xuan said: "That is an imperial decree."
"What is an imperial edict?"
"It's just a title, like a Marquis or something like that. But it belongs to a woman. Yiren is a seventh-rank title."
"Hiss, seventh rank? Isn't that the same rank as the county magistrate?"
"right."
"Wow!" The villagers exclaimed in surprise. There was actually an imperial edict in their village! Although they didn't know what the imperial edict was for, it sounded very powerful and was on the same level as a county magistrate.
Continue read on readnovelmtl.com
