Chapter 2397 The Shu Family's Reward
Wu had already been hurt by the Shu family and felt inferior for a while, which made her more sensitive.
Faced with these rumors, Wu had no choice but to passively endure them. Even after returning to her parents' home, her sisters-in-law became much more silent, and her young nephew dared not go out to play.
Now, the Emperor has recognized her merits, cleared her name of criminal charges, and even rewarded her with silver.
Overjoyed, Ms. Wu was reminded by her aunt Fang, who immediately took a deep breath and kowtowed three times.
She didn't go out; she just smiled happily at the Wu family members outside the door, then waited quietly to the side, continuing to listen to the magistrate's decree.
The Shu family had become numb. Shu Quan thought to himself, "Let it be. It'll be his turn eventually."
Next, the magistrate read out the rewards for several villagers who had helped in the operation. Finally, his gaze fell on the Shu family.
"Shu Quan, step forward to receive the imperial decree."
Shu Quan's spirits lifted, and he held his breath.
Shu Quan also made significant contributions to this operation. If Shu Feng hadn't been one of the masterminds, Shu Quan might have actually gained even more benefits.
However, the reward given by the Emperor was exactly what the Shu family wanted.
Nowadays, the second branch of the Shu family consists of only the fourth daughter, Shu Zhao, who is already married, and the sixth daughter, Shu Qing, who returned to the capital with Concubine Hou at a young age. There is also Shu Quan, the second wife of the Shu family, Concubine Liu, and a thirteen-year-old illegitimate son.
This time, they were all exonerated from their criminal status, and Shu Quan received a reward of fifty taels of silver, allowing them to return to their original places of residence.
The Shu family breathed a long sigh of relief, and Xie En's voice was unusually loud.
After the magistrate finished reading the imperial edict, he addressed the crowd, saying, "The Emperor's grace is boundless, pardoning your crimes. I hope you will abide by the law and be self-disciplined in the future, and refrain from doing anything that harms others or yourselves. Tomorrow, go to the yamen to process your household registration documents."
"Yes, sir."
The magistrate then bowed to Shu Yu and Young Master Meng, saying, "I have other matters to attend to and cannot stay here any longer. If you and Young Master Meng have any instructions, please feel free to tell Wang Changdong and Steward Yu."
"You're too kind, sir. Please make yourself at home. We're just here to visit a friend," Meng Yunzheng said.
The magistrate nodded and quickly took his leave.
As soon as he left, a lively commotion erupted outside the village. This time, quite a few people from Zhengdao Village were directly exonerated from their criminal records, especially Wu Shi, who was surrounded by her brothers and proudly and triumphantly made her way home.
Shu Yu smiled, turned to the Xu and Fang families and asked, "Now that the imperial decree has been issued, you'll be free after completing the household registration procedures at the yamen tomorrow. When do you plan to set off back to the capital?"
Xu Dali thought for a moment, "Zhensheng is almost fully recovered. Now that he has a job at the Dali Temple, we shouldn't linger too long to avoid any mishaps. Tomorrow we'll go to the yamen and see if there are any escort agencies or carriages going to the capital. We'll set off the day after tomorrow."
Aunt Fang hurriedly said, "Ma Lu and A Yue will also be going the day after tomorrow. It's perfect since you're both going to the capital, so you'll have company on the journey."
Fang Xiyue was startled. "Mother..." She had just processed the thought of being separated from her parents, and now they were leaving without even giving her time to adjust?
Father Fang waved his hand, “Zhensheng shouldn’t delay his duties at the Dali Temple, and Ma Lu certainly shouldn’t delay Lord Qi’s affairs either. Lord Qi has helped us so much, so we should do our best to handle things.”
(End of this chapter)
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