Chapter 593 Awarded a Yellow Jacket
A hint of amusement appeared on the emperor's lips.
Zhao Chengshi had already refused the reward in public, yet she still took the initiative to ask for it again.
He wanted to see what reward she wanted: a promotion, wealth, or perhaps a position for her son...
"Your Majesty, I set out for the capital in April, and it has been more than four months since then. When I return to the village, the villagers will inevitably ask about the affairs of the capital. There are many high-ranking officials and nobles in the capital, but the villagers only know the Emperor. Therefore, I humbly request Your Majesty to bestow upon me a yellow riding jacket."
As Cheng Wanwan spoke, she knelt down.
There are many kinds of yellow riding jackets. Some imperial guards wear yellow riding jackets, which is the regular attire. There is another kind, which is commonly known as "being bestowed a yellow riding jacket". Generally, those who have made meritorious contributions or have won the favor of the emperor or empress dowager can be awarded this honor. Some people of lower rank who have been awarded this honor will even wear yellow riding jackets to parade through the streets, which is considered a glorious thing for their ancestors.
A higher honor than the yellow jacket is the iron certificate, also known as the pardon, which is awarded only for outstanding merits, such as saving the emperor, protecting the country, or winning a battle.
After thinking it over, she decided that getting the yellow jacket would be the safest bet.
The emperor tapped the table with his finger: "The yellow jacket is nothing special, I can bestow it upon you as a reward, but I don't like it when people deliberately try to evade the issue."
Cheng Wanwan immediately bowed her head to the ground: "What I just said is one thing, and the other is that after coming to the capital, I have realized more and more how lowly my status is... Lord Ye almost took my son's life before, and this incident still haunts me. If I had the yellow jacket, would Lord Ye still dare to be so unscrupulous? I dare not deliberately evade or deceive His Majesty. I just want to protect myself."
Although the yellow jacket was just a piece of clothing, it represented imperial power. As long as she wore it, no one would dare to touch her.
She made several great contributions during her trip to the capital. First, she successfully established trade relations with Asab. Second, she delivered waterwheels and threshing machines from Huzhou last time. With these two great contributions, the Emperor should be willing to give her a yellow riding jacket in return.
The emperor waved his hand: "Guards, bestow upon him a yellow riding jacket."
The young eunuch serving beside him immediately nodded and went to do so. In a short while, he brought a tray with a bright yellow riding jacket on it, decorated with dragon patterns and auspicious clouds, which looked sacred and inviolable.
"Thank you for the reward, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"
Cheng Wanwan was overjoyed, never expecting that the Emperor would actually grant her request.
The emperor sat on his high throne and spoke in a calm voice: "I have never been stingy with those who have made meritorious contributions, but if anyone dares to use a trivial matter as an imperial edict, don't blame me for not showing any mercy to old friends."
Cheng Wanwan bowed down and said loudly, "Your Majesty, please rest assured, I will always remember Your Majesty's grace, share Your Majesty's worries, serve the court, and seek the well-being of the people of the Great Yu Dynasty!"
She expressed her heartfelt sincerity before carefully accepting the yellow jacket, taking three steps back, turning around, and walking out of the imperial study.
The young eunuch serving the emperor personally escorted her out of the palace. He had been in the imperial study the whole time and had witnessed the entire process. He couldn't help but admire the audacity of this woman from Sui'an; she was probably the first woman in history to ask the emperor for a reward...
As she reached the palace gate, Cheng Wanwan turned back to thank the young eunuch. Just as she was about to leave, she suddenly turned back and asked, "By the way, sir, why haven't I seen Eunuch Ming these past few days?"
She and Grandpa Ming were old acquaintances, so she should have said goodbye before leaving, as she didn't know when they would meet again.
The young eunuch chuckled and said, "Eunuch Ming isn't going to Huzhou, cough..."
He paused mid-sentence, coughed, and said, "His Majesty has arranged another post for Eunuch Ming, so he will not be in the capital for the time being."
The Emperor arranged for Eunuch Ming to go to Huzhou to deliver an imperial edict, which was to promote people from Sui'an. Eunuch Ming said that this matter had to be kept secret and that people from Sui'an should not know about it in advance. He almost let it slip, what a close call!
Cheng Wanwan was so engrossed in receiving the yellow jacket that she didn't notice the little eunuch's unusual behavior. She gave him the reward money before heading towards the carriage.
When Granny Qi and Cheng Jia saw what she was holding, they were both stunned.
The yellow jacket was a reward reserved for those who had rendered meritorious service, yet the people of Sui'an were also awarded one.
"As far as this old servant knows, there are no more than ten people in the entire capital who have received the yellow jacket as a reward," Granny Qi said, suppressing her excitement. "Once you wear this yellow jacket, it's as if you've received the Emperor's favor, and no one will dare to touch a hair on your head."
Cheng Wanwan nodded. It was precisely for this function that she shamelessly asked for the yellow jacket as a reward.
Back at the mansion, Zhao Sidan and Shen Zheng were incredibly excited.
"My godmother is indeed deeply trusted by the Emperor, as she has actually received a yellow riding jacket." Shen Zheng said excitedly, "From now on, I will wear the yellow riding jacket under my clothes to hide it. Next time I encounter a scoundrel like Ye Lingbo, I will make him cry for his parents."
Zhao Sidan looked up and asked, "Mother, is this yellow jacket for Third Brother?"
He always felt that his third brother was in great danger in the military camp. If he had a yellow jacket, would no one dare to touch his third brother anymore?
“This was bestowed by the Emperor and cannot be given away,” Cheng Wanwan said with a smile. “I have prepared other clothes for your third brother, which are much more useful than the yellow jacket.”
The yellow jacket was only useful to people of the current dynasty. On the battlefield, to the enemy, the yellow jacket was just an ordinary garment, and it might even become a target because of its bright color. A bulletproof vest was the best choice.
She had someone put away the yellow jacket, and looked at the two children in front of her, saying, "I will set off for Dahe Village early tomorrow morning. You two can stay in the capital for a few more days before you leave."
Zhao Sidan paused: "Didn't Mother say she would leave on the eighth day of the eighth lunar month?"
Shen Zheng also said, "I won't hear back about the official position I'm after a few more days. Can't you wait a little longer before we set off, Godmother?"
"No, we can't wait any longer." Cheng Wanwan's gaze was solemn. "There are some things that need to be taken care of as soon as possible. In order to speed up the journey, I will not bring any of the things I bought. Also, you need to help bring back the new species that the Kingdom of Laji is paying tribute to... I will ask the Emperor to arrange for someone to escort you back to the village. Take your time on the road and don't rush."
Shen Zheng's expression also turned serious: "Godmother, what exactly happened?"
Zhao Sidan had a hunch: "Could it be related to Master?"
"Sidan, you're still young, you don't need to worry about this." Cheng Wanwan smiled easily. "Xiaozheng, after I set off, I'll leave all the big and small matters in the capital to you. You must bring all the people and all the things back to Dahe Village in perfect order. Can you promise your godmother that?"
Shen Zheng straightened his body: "I will definitely live up to my godmother's expectations."
Cheng Wanwan nodded: "Then go to the Cheng family now and have Cheng Ding come back to the village with me."
This time, she only planned to take Cheng Jia and Cheng Ding with her. They were skilled in martial arts and would be useful when they arrived at Dahe Village. As for the others, they would just follow the main group and travel slowly.
Shen Zheng was eager for someone with martial arts skills to accompany his godmother, so he immediately set up a carriage and headed to the Cheng family's residence on the outskirts of Beijing.
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