e few and far between, very few survived."Li Laoer sighed, taking the opportunity to brush up on his favorability."If you, sir, ever want to try some delicacies from outside the capital, please come v...Fortunately, Jia Yin and Jia Xi's children rushed into the house shouting, "Grandma, Second Uncle! Someone has arrived with an imperial decree!"

Edict

Both Lao Er and the old woman let out a sigh of relief, but hurried out the door nonetheless.

Tao Hongying came out of the kitchen, taking off her apron as she walked, and stepped forward to help the old woman.

Grandma He brought water, ling shui and yun, and is already busy preparing the incense offerings.

In reality, it's just a long rectangular table with an incense burner placed on it. Three incense sticks are lit to express respect and awe for imperial power.

Then, the Li family opened the door and welcomed the eunuch who delivered the imperial decree.

The old and young of the Li family knelt in the courtyard, and the villagers knelt outside the courtyard, one by one bowing their heads to listen to the imperial decree.

The eunuch didn't put on airs and loudly read the imperial decree.

Everyone couldn't understand those flowery phrases, but calling Old Madam Feng a first-rank誥命夫人 and Old Li the second a count, that everyone understood.

"Yours sincerely!"

As the last two characters landed, everyone strained their necks and shouted, "Long live the Emperor! Ten thousand years! Ten thousand ten thousand years!"

Li Lao'er helped his mother to her feet, then took the imperial decree with both hands and placed it on the incense altar.

The eunuch smiled and bowed, "Congratulations, Madam! Congratulations, Master!"

"Congratulations, congratulations!" Li Laoer's face flushed with excitement as he quickly returned the greeting. Finally, he asked, "Father-in-law, we haven't gone out since staying at home. We really don't know where we have earned such imperial favor..."

The eunuch burst into laughter and said, “Master, you’re unaware that your master in the south has cultivated a new variety of grain with a bountiful harvest. Today is the day of harvest, so impressive that the Emperor and all the officials have gone to participate in the reaping.”

The Emperor said, such a high-yield crop was simply a blessing from heaven, beneficial to the country and its people. He ordered that the Lord of the Grand Estate and Master Liu be heavily rewarded. Lord Liu was given a fourth rank position in the Department of Agriculture and Forestry, and would help expand the cultivation of the new grain.

When it was the turn of your esteemed master, he said that since he had left home at a young age, he owed his wife and you, his brother, so he wanted to request a title for his wife and a leisurely position for you. The Emperor immediately bestowed upon your wife the rank of First Rank Dowager Lady and appointed you as Marquis of Zhongshan, hereditary and irreplaceable.

Only then did the old woman and Li Lao'er understand.

Li Laoer's eyes immediately turned red.

They are all brothers; why would he care about past matters Besides, the eldest brother left home to work elsewhere and was harmed by others. As brothers, we should feel sorry for him and have no time to complain…

Although I don't show it, my older brother has always been on my mind. Today, I even gave up everything to get him an official position, just to fulfill his dream of studying and becoming an official.

Old Li also wiped her tears. She hadn't paid attention when her eldest son told her about the trouble from the Yan family earlier. It was her eldest son who felt she had been wronged and held it in his heart.

Today, I even asked for a imperial decree for her, hoping that she will never be bullied by anyone again!

Jia Yin saw that both Grandma and Uncle Er were feeling emotional, and her mother was so happy she didn't even notice the eunuch. Jia Yin quickly ran to get two fruits and stuffed them into his hands, "Uncle, have some fruit. They're from our mountain and are very sweet!"

The eunuchs had never seen such a beautiful voice, but the people who served them in the palace wished they could have a thousand holes in their hearts. They were the most clever and quick-witted of all.

In almost an instant, he guessed that she was Lady Kang Le of the Li family, the adopted daughter of the Marquis.

He hurriedly bent down, took the fruit, and said with a smile: "Oh my, thank you for the gift, Lady Jun."

At this moment, Li Lao Er also reacted and quickly invited him into the house for tea.

But the eunuch refused, explaining: “Next time I will come again to taste Lord's good tea. Today the sky is about to darken, and we have to rush back to the city, so I won't disturb Lord any further.”

Li Lao'er didn't make a fuss, and was about to send the person out.

At this moment, Jia Yin tugged at his sleeve and stuffed a pouch into his hand.

Li Laoer instinctively clenched his fist and found two small gold ingots inside. He suddenly felt very ashamed.

He was so excited that he was utterly dumbfounded, not even remembering to tip. He was like his four-year-old niece!

Li Lao'er quickly stepped forward, handing his pouch to the eunuch. After exchanging a few pleasantries, he saw the man off.

The villagers had been holding back for so long, finally they could speak.

Then everyone rushed forward, bombarding him with questions.

"Second Master, are you now a master"

"What does 'hereditary succession' mean Does it mean that the son and grandson can inherit"

"And after that, your stepmother will be a Madam Dowager. I heard that a Madam Dowager can stand when she sees officials and doesn't have to kneel. So wouldn't that mean no one would dare to bully her"

The village head boomed, "Quiet everyone, and listen to Second Master speak slowly."

Li Lao'er was also delighted, and laughed as he said: “My elder brother brought back some new seeds from outside when spring arrived. Now they have a bountiful harvest."

The Emperor was delighted and bestowed upon my mother the title of First Rank誥命夫人. This is a title given to the wives or mothers-in-law of officials of the first rank. Except for the Empress Dowager and the Empress, no one else can receive this honor. My mother does not have to kneel before anyone else.

"I, as a count, am hereditary. That is to say, as long as our Li family doesn't betray the country, every generation will be able to inherit this title and continue to be counts."

The villagers gasped in shock, then burst into joy!

"Wonderful! Imperial grace is boundless!"

"Little Fu is now a county princess, and Li's has become a Dame!"

"From now on, you can't call him 'Second Master' anymore. You should address him as 'Grandfather'!"

Li Lao Tai hugged her granddaughter and said with a smile, “How outsiders address us, we can't control it. But among our own family, we will continue as we always have! Even if the Emperor bestows heavy rewards, we are still just two eyes and one mouth.”

Everyone burst into laughter.

"Well, aunt's still as sharp as ever."

After laughing for a while, the village head said, “Young lady, such a joyous occasion, shouldn’t we celebrate”

"Of course," the old woman had just been thinking about this.

"It's too late today, let's have a feast tomorrow. Let's make our village lively and invite all the heads of Dahuaitree Village, Wangzhuang Village, Xiaowangzhuang Village, and everyone who helped build the archway. These three villages are all under Funiuer's jurisdiction, so they'll be like family from now on!"

"Alright then, everyone go back to eat and sleep. Get up early tomorrow, the fruits on the mountain will wait another day for us to pick them. Let's have some fun first." The village head waved his pipe, settling the matter.

The villagers, filled with excitement, dispersed in all directions.

They began to follow the Li family from Qingshui Village, fleeing all the way here.

It can be said that they now have such a comfortable life, with food and clothing readily available, all thanks to following in the footsteps of the Li family.

It turned out to be their best decision ever……

Although they are not surnamed Li, they share the same fortune and misfortune as the Li family.

Now the Li family has produced a county princess, an imperial consort, and a Baron...

Who knows what even more amazing opportunities await them in the future As long as they keep up, their lives will only get better and better!

The Li family closed the gate of their courtyard, and everyone was happy.

Jiā'ān and Jiāxǐ were nestled beside their grandmother, while Jiāyīn sat in her mother's arms.

Mao Ge'er then clung to his second uncle, looking left and right. Finally, he tugged on his second uncle's beard. Seeing his second uncle grimace in pain, Mao Ge'er contentedly said, "Second Uncle is still Second Uncle, not some count!"

The old woman couldn't help but laugh, "A count is a title, your second uncle will just be holding an office. Could he possibly become a monster just because of that" inhabited by any wild beasts, there weren't many insects or snakes, but it had a fishy smell.Though it's just swept clean, with a mat and bedding laid down, it's livable at least. It's much better th...