"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Huo Xiaolong of Pingyang County is brave and resourceful, with a heart for the world, and his recovery of the grasslands is a great achievement. Therefore, he is hereby granted the title of Prince of Zhenbei and bestowed with special privileges..."
Huo Xiaolong knelt at the entrance of the brothel, looking impatient as she listened to the eunuch's strange voice. Cen Ang nudged her twice from behind, meaning that even if she couldn't help it, she had to endure it; everything would be fine once the imperial decree arrived.
The title of Prince of Zhenbei is a fiefdom granted to Long'er by the current emperor. The entire Beining Prefecture is included, as is the grassland. If you can make the grassland people obey you, the grassland will be yours.
The main reason was to disgust Xiao Lanyi, but General Xiao didn't mind and was even quite happy about it.
The eunuch was unwilling to stay in the brothel and Pingyang County any longer, as they were not as prosperous as the capital and the air was particularly dry. So, after Cen Ang gave him a reward, he hurriedly headed to the capital.
A crowd gathered at the entrance to watch the spectacle. The news of Huo Xiaolong becoming the Prince of Zhenbei spread throughout the county in no time. Da Ni'er, Xiang Xiang, and the Sun siblings came over with their congratulatory gifts.
"Should we bow to you from now on, Prince Zhenbei?" the little girl teased from the side.
"Alright, alright, hurry up." Huo Xiaolong really wanted to see the little girl bow, so he could tease her a bit.
Having been free and unrestrained for so many years, I guess all the manners I had as a young lady from a wealthy family have probably been forgotten.
"Great! From now on, my dad is under your control!" Sun Ziyang said with a grin.
“My father just wrote a few days ago saying he’d send someone to pick me up and take me home for a marriage proposal. You’d better help me fend him off this time, okay?” Sun Zixi wasn’t worried about her father’s coercion. This time, she had found a backer through her own abilities.
The girl, who shone brightly on the grasslands and made a living with her silver tongue, could not escape the punishment of her family. Fortunately, she had chosen the right path.
"When are you going back? I'll go with you. Perfect timing, Beining will be under my jurisdiction from now on, let's bring back more business and make more money," Huo Xiaolong said.
“Sure, my mother can keep an eye on things for you.”
The fact that a woman could become a king of a different surname was not unusual in the eyes of the people of Pingyang County. The women here were capable of earning money to support their families, and there were even precedents of them taking up arms and going to the battlefield.
The concept of female heroes was not invented by people like Fengyuelou; it existed as early as hundreds of years ago when the Xiongnu and the Central Plains people were at war. When they were attacking you, they didn't care whether you were a man or a woman.
"Oh my, our Long'er has become a high-ranking official."
Under the shade of several large trees at the entrance of Hualiu Lane, the same elderly people with gray hair were still talking.
"From now on, we have to be more polite when we see people, and we can't call them Long'er anymore."
"Yes, yes, how high is your rank, Your Highness? Can I call you 'Sir'?"
"I doubt it. Haven't you heard that Beining County is all hers? She must be more powerful than the county governor."
"Call me whatever you want, call me the same way you used to."
Huo Xiaolong took his friends out for a drink and then brought Li Jian along. Just then, he overheard a group of old ladies discussing what to call her. To be honest, they were all people who had heard her being beaten since they were young, so what difference did it make what they called her?
Having lived in the red-light district for so many years, she doesn't plan to move again.
"That won't do. How should we perform the ceremony? Auntie has already performed the ceremony for the Imperial Envoy. Auntie, please think about it."
The old woman put down her needlework and was about to bow to Huo Xiaolong when the girl in red turned around, pressed her down, and said...
"Oh, please, sit down and chat. I'll bring some treats for your little rascal when I get back."
"Okay, come back early, and drink less alcohol."
Even though they aren't my own children, I still gave them plenty of advice.
The moon shone on the willow branches. Huo Xiaolong, Da Ni'er, and Xiaohai Jie went home drunk. Tomorrow was the day when the entire Fengyue Tower would celebrate for her, and they would probably have to set up several tables for a banquet.
"You'll be staying at the brothel tonight, okay? I'll let Mom know."
The road from the restaurant to home happened to pass by Wang's Sesame Cake Shop. Three young girls with flushed faces knocked on the door, and then Huo Xiaolong said to the old lady...
"Auntie, my second sister isn't going home to sleep today. I came to let you know she's taking her with her."
“Emma, these kids have been drinking. Whose young ladies are drinking like this outside? Come in quickly, Auntie will make you some hangover soup.”
In the short time it took for Granny Wang to put the door bolt, the girls disappeared, climbing over the wall one by one on their way back to the brothel.
Hou Xiangxiang and Da Ni'er each had their own private rooms at Fengyue Tower. The two of them returned to their rooms with ease and went to sleep. Huo Xiaolong carefully checked each room, smiled happily, and then knocked on the window.
Inside the room, Lan Tingche was happy about what had happened that day. His bodyguard, who had been by his side for many years, was puzzled. His master could take office as the King of the Southwest at any time, but instead he was embroidering and sewing clothes in a small county town on the border.
At this moment, the noble man had just finished embroidering the four-clawed golden dragon on the corner of his robe, and now his son could wear it.
The room was brightly lit, which made Lan Tingche look even more handsome and alluring, especially with his casual clothes and hair falling loose around his waist.
"Master is very happy today," Lan Yi said.
"Of course, I'm happy if she's happy."
"For so many years, all you've seen is her having a good time at home, living a life of luxury. She's worked so hard to get to where she is today. Fortunately, Uncle wasn't blind this time, and there's still the Imperial Concubine in the palace to help her."
Hearing this, the guard still asked, unwilling to give up.
"If you wish, you can..."
“But I don’t like it. My aunt said that the most important thing is to be happy. I’m happiest here. If Long’er cares about me, that would make me even happier.”
"What if Miss Huo doesn't have you in her heart?"
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