bayedsolid Chapter 212: Conferred the Title of County Lord
Chapter 212: Conferred the Title of County Lord
"Well, that's great, that's perfect. If the two rabbits are of the same gender, we can go to town and buy two more." Aunt Zhang agreed.
The spicy rabbit meat was so delicious that even she was captivated by the taste.
When Lin Jingce came back in the evening, Aunt Zhang took out some rabbit meat from the kitchen and let him taste some, and saved the rest for tomorrow.
When they got up the next day, Hunter Chen was already waiting outside the yard.
"Hunter Chen, you're here so early? Have you had breakfast? Do you want to eat something at our house?" Aunt Zhang asked as she opened the yard door.
Hunter Chen nodded and said, "I've already eaten. I knew Jing Ce would leave early, so I got up before dawn."
"You're up so early! Then come in and sit for a while. Jingce is still having breakfast. I'll go to the county town with you after we finish eating." Aunt Zhang said, leading Chen the hunter to the main room.
As soon as Lin Hu got up and opened the door, he saw Chen the Hunter. Before he even washed up, he hurried over to pick up the two rabbits.
"Grandpa Chen, Grandpa Chen, can you help me check the gender of these two rabbits?"
Hunter Chen turned around and saw Lin Hu carrying a cage with two rabbits in it.
This address made Shen Wanning stunned. She was used to calling him Uncle Chen. Then she saw that even Xiaohu called him Grandpa, as if he was calling Uncle Chen old.
But there was nothing she could do about it. Lin Jiang was only four years younger than her, and according to her household registration, Lin Jiang was only one year younger than her.
Lin Hu opened the cage, took out the two rabbits and put them in the hands of Chen the Hunter.
Hunter Chen took a closer look and said, "These two rabbits happen to be one male and one female."
Lin Hu exclaimed, "Great, then they can have lots of little rabbits, right?"
Hunter Chen nodded. "Of course, rabbits reproduce quickly. I estimate that by this time next year, your family will have dozens or even hundreds of rabbits."
"Wow! So much? Then we can eat a lot of rabbit meat next year! Great, I will go pick some grass for the rabbits now, and pick some more grass to feed them when I get back from school." Lin Hu happily put the rabbit back into the cage.
Shen Wanning watched him busying around and just smiled helplessly.
She also had to stay at home to make soap and study essential oils, so Shen Wanning did not go to the county town with Lin Jingce and the others.
It was not yet time for lunch, but from a distance, the village head ran to the Lin family's door, panting.
Shen Wanning stood up and looked at the village head. "What's the matter, Uncle Village Head?"
The village head was panting with exhaustion, hunched over, his hands resting on his thighs. "Wan Ning, that eunuch from last time is probably here to deliver another imperial decree. You should get ready quickly."
Shen Wanning thought about it and realized that it was probably because of the cotton that the emperor sent someone to convey his order.
I just don't know what reward she will get this time.
"Dad, Mom, eldest brother, eldest sister-in-law, second sister-in-law, come out quickly and get ready. The imperial edict will be here soon." Shen Wanning shouted into the house.
Everyone came out together and stood at the gate of the yard, waiting to welcome Eunuch Xiang.
"My humble servant greets Lady Jingu." Upon seeing Shen Wanning, Eunuch Xiang got off the carriage and bowed to her.
Shen Wanning stepped forward and personally helped Eunuch Xiang up. "Eunuch, please get up quickly. I haven't seen you for a long time, and you seem to be in better spirits."
"I am naturally excited to hear that you are here to announce the decree to Jingu Xiangjun! Although Jingu Xiangjun is a woman, her promotion speed is far beyond that of men. I would like to congratulate Jingu Xiangjun first. From today onwards, you can no longer be called Xiangjun." Eunuch Xiang said with a smile.
"It is Wan Ning's blessing to have the eunuch come to announce the decree. But it's troublesome for the eunuch to come all the way here." Shen Wan Ning said politely.
"Lord Jingu, kneel down and receive the decree!" said Eunuch Xiang.
Shen Wanning and her family immediately knelt down.
"The Emperor, by the grace of Heaven and the Mandate of Heaven, proclaims that Lady Shen Wanning of Jingu Township discovered and cultivated cotton. Cotton can be made into quilts, cotton-padded clothes, and other items that provide warmth. This has benefited both the nation and the people. I, deeply impressed by her virtue, hereby confer the title of Lady of Jingu County on her, along with a house, a silver fox fur cloak, and a pair of ruby hairpins... This is my decree."
Shen Wanning and her family knelt down and thanked him at the same time, "Thank you, Your Majesty, for your grace. Long live the Emperor!"
"Lady Jingu, get up!" Eunuch Xiang said as he put away the imperial edict.
Shen Wanning stood up and took out a large purse from her sleeve and handed it to Eunuch Xiang.
As for why Eunuch Xiang had such a good impression of Shen Wanning, the silver she gave him played a significant role.
"Jin Gu County Lady, the emperor has issued an order to trial-plant sweet potatoes and cotton in Fuzhou City, with Daqing Village as the center. When there is a bumper harvest of these two crops next year, not only Jin Gu County Lady, but also Daqing Village will surely reach a higher level." Eunuch Xiang said with a smile.
"Thank you for your advice, father-in-law. Wan Ning will definitely perform his duties conscientiously and strive to grow more cotton and sweet potatoes to benefit the people and ensure that they have food to eat and clothes to wear." Shen Wan Ning said with a bow.
"I'll tell you the truth in private. Originally, you should have received much more rewards for doing such a great deed that benefited the country and the people. But the emperor admires you very much and knows that you will definitely accomplish great things in the future. So you must not disappoint the emperor's expectations." Eunuch Xiang continued.
"Yes, Wan Ning will do her best and will never dare to let His Majesty down." Shen Wan Ning was respectful on the surface, but was cursing in her heart.
Knowing she's done so much, I'll reward her with more, even if it's a title or money. How can I hold back on rewarding you just because you're lucky enough to have more in the future? That's just bandit logic!
Especially the last two sentences, which were like forcing her to move forward.
"By the way, Lady, in addition to these rewards, the emperor also gave you ten slaves." Eunuch Xiang said again.
After saying this, Eunuch Xiang clapped his hands, and ten people came out from behind: two maids, four servants, and four servants. All ten of them lowered their heads, not daring to look at Shen Wanning.
"Greetings to the Lady of Jingu County." The ten people saluted at the same time, still without raising their heads.
"Well, get up!" Shen Wanning said, and then said to Eunuch Xiang, "Thank you for the reward from the emperor. The emperor's kindness is great, and Wanning will always remember it."
"Well, the county lord is a wise man. I don't need to explain much to the county lord. The county lord understands everything. I will leave first. The county lord can clean up first!"
Then he tried to persuade Eunuch Xiang to stay, but he still left.
Shen Wanning was rewarded and her family was very happy.
Aunt Zhang looked at Shen Wanning again and again, "Wanning! You are a county lady now. Is this the fifth rank?"
Shen Wanning nodded, "The county lady is indeed a fifth-rank official." Thinking about the cotton she had worked so hard to grow, only to be upgraded to a half-rank, the more she thought about it, the less cost-effective it became.