When he arrived, he saw his father-in-law, who was sitting in the lower seat, talking and laughing with a woman next to him.
Upon seeing him arrive, Eunuch Deng did not speak to An Shuyi, but turned his head and said, "Lord Xie, do you know your crime? Bandits have appeared in your jurisdiction. Not only did you not suppress them, but you also allowed them to rob passing people."
Prefect Xie wiped the sweat from his brow. Although this eunuch was just a castrated man without any official rank, he was still a favorite of the emperor. A single word from him could cost him his official hat.
“Your Excellency, it’s not that I don’t want to suppress the bandits, but I don’t know anything about this matter.”
Eunuch Deng said in a soft voice, "Now that you know, why don't you hurry up and send people to suppress the bandits? Do you expect me to report to the Emperor?"
Xia Hua chimed in, "We killed those bandits yesterday, and there aren't many left. If you take men now, you can catch them off guard."
"Who are you?" Prefect Xie looked at the woman. She didn't seem to be a palace maid, but she seemed to be very familiar with the eunuch.
Hearing his question, Eunuch Deng replied, "These two are both newly appointed fourth-rank ladies-in-waiting by the Emperor. I came here to read the imperial edict, but I didn't expect to encounter bandits. I have to thank these two ladies-in-waiting for their rescue."
Upon hearing this, Prefect Xie hurriedly nodded, "I will arrange for men to suppress the bandits immediately. I wonder if Your Excellency and the two ladies have a place to stay? Would you like me to arrange accommodation for you?"
"No need, we're staying at an inn and leaving tomorrow. You can focus on suppressing the bandits. We don't want to come back to find bandits still around," said Eunuch Deng, dissatisfied.
"Rest assured, Your Excellency, I will lead men to wipe out the bandits immediately." These bandits are truly hateful, especially since they are in his territory. This time, we must wipe them all out.
Knowing that he would lead men to suppress the bandits, An Shuyi and the others left and returned to the inn. They continued their journey the next day, and things went smoothly afterward. After a few days, they finally arrived in Jinnan City.
As soon as they entered the city, they saw Prefect Xiao waiting at the city gate. It seemed that he already knew the news and was waiting here. He looked surprised when he saw the two people dismounting from their horses, but the surprise quickly disappeared.
"Eunuch Deng, I never thought we would meet again after just a few months."
"That's all thanks to the two ladies' skill. That's why we were able to come to Jinnan City again after only a few months. This time, we won't stay in Jinnan City; we'll go straight to Taoyuan Village," said Eunuch Deng.
Prefect Xiao nodded. "Please, sir, get into the carriage. I will lead the way. Would you two ladies like me to arrange a carriage?"
An Shuyi shook her head, "Thank you for your kindness, Prefect, but there's no need to trouble yourself. We can just ride horses."
Prefect Xiao nodded, mounted his horse, and followed beside them. He had only received news that the Emperor had conferred upon them the title of Fourth-Rank Lady, and that the eunuch who was to read the imperial edict had already set off. He was calculating the time and waiting here.
Unexpectedly, he saw two ladies. He didn't know where they had gone or why they were with Eunuch Deng, but he didn't ask. After all, it's not good to pry into other people's business.
Although he didn't ask, An Shuyi still told him that it wasn't something he couldn't say, and that it was nice to have someone to talk to.
Not long after they arrived at Taoyuan Village, they could see carriages leaving the village on the road. It was obvious that they were buying things. When they saw the soldiers clearing the way, they all drove the carriages aside to make way.
Lin Wenyu, who was guarding the village entrance, saw the soldiers and ran into the village in fright, shouting that the soldiers were coming and calling everyone out of the workshop.
Seeing his son's pathetic state, Village Chief Lin went over and slapped him on the head, angrily yelling, "You idiot, what are you yelling about? Let the soldiers come if they want, what are you afraid of? What, did you kill someone?"
Lin Wenyu shook his head blankly, "No," then touched his head, wondering if his father would beat him into a fool if he was beaten like this every day.
“What are you afraid of if you didn’t kill anyone? There are still guests here. If they keep shouting like this, they’ll think something terrible has happened. Quickly, call everyone out and stand guard outside the workshop to see what the soldiers want,” Village Chief Lin instructed.
He then gave Da Wa and the others a meaningful look, signaling them to hide anything that shouldn't be there. Only then did he stand on the road in front of the workshop and wait, with his clansmen behind him, also watching the soldiers ahead with predatory eyes.
Those who came to buy things stopped buying when they saw this scene, and stood with them, watching the soldiers. Soon, the procession came in a grand procession and then stopped.
The officers and soldiers spontaneously separated and stood on both sides, revealing the carriage behind. Then, one of the officers and soldiers went over and lifted the curtain of the carriage, revealing the figure of Eunuch Deng.
An Shuyi, Xia Hua, and Prefect Xiao, who were riding horses behind, also jumped off their horses and walked to the front. They looked at the clansmen with fierce expressions, but their expressions quickly changed when they saw them.
"Dad, Auntie and the others are back," Lin Wenyu said happily.
Snap
"Dad, why did you hit me again? I didn't say anything wrong, it really was your two aunts."
Village Chief Lin glared at him. "I'm not blind, I can see. I'll hit you to see if it hurts. If it hurts, it's real." After saying that, he hurriedly ran a few steps. "Sister-in-law, you're back."
Seeing his tearful face, An Shuyi and Xia Hua could only nod and say, "You're back!" They thought he had been upset by someone.
When the other tribesmen saw them, they also took a few steps forward, but worried that it would be too crowded, so they could only stand at the back. However, everyone had smiles on their faces.
Seeing this, Eunuch Deng couldn't help but shed tears. After a while, he managed to control his emotions and had the soldiers bring the imperial edict.
Holding the imperial edict, the clansmen and customers who had come to buy things all knew what it meant and quickly knelt down. Eunuch Deng read aloud, "By the mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees... So be it, An Shuyi and Xia Hua receive the decree."
An Shuyi and Xia Hua said in unison, "We, the noblewomen, accept the imperial decree."
Eunuch Deng placed the imperial edict in their hands, then helped An Shuyi up, saying, "Congratulations to both of you ladies."
"Thank you, Father-in-law." An Shuyi said, taking out a purse from her sleeve. Inside was more silver than last time, and this time it was gold ingots, which she had prepared in advance.
Looking at the purse, Eunuch Deng smiled and said, "Thank you for the gift, Lady Gong. The things His Majesty bestowed upon you are still in the carriage, along with your official robes. You can wear them when you enter the palace in the future."
"Our family will be staying in Taoyuan Village for a few more days, so we'll trouble you to make the arrangements, Your Excellency." These were all agreed upon beforehand, and now it was just a reiteration in front of outsiders.
"If the eunuch likes it, he can stay a few more days!" After saying that, he turned his head and looked at Village Chief Lin, who had already stood up but was standing there dumbfounded. He had no choice but to order, "Wood, have someone move the Emperor's gifts to our residence. Then, clean up the left courtyard of the residence and arrange for Eunuch Deng to move in."
"And these officials, make sure everything is arranged properly, so that nothing goes wrong."
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