Chapter 57 Imperial Decree
“By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Gu Yu, for his meritorious assistance in solving the case, is hereby rewarded with one hundred taels of gold. This is the imperial decree.”
“Humble subject Gu Yu accepts the decree.”
Even after Gu Yu took the imperial decree from the eunuch’s high-pitched voice, he still didn’t understand the current situation. What was going on?
When he first heard from the villagers that the Gu family was in trouble, Gu Yu was terrified, covered in cold sweat. By the time he ran home, he received this imperial decree.
…Where was that villager? Gu Yu really wanted to stab him.
How could something like an imperial decree’s reward be described as the Gu family being in trouble!
Moreover, the serious and earnest expression made it easy for people to imagine the worst!
This caused Gu Yu to worry for nothing, his heart almost stopped beating, afraid that Mengyao Gu and her brother were in trouble at home.
“Young Master Gu, you truly are a hero emerging from youth! Our palace has heard of you from Eunuch Li, your future is bound to be limitless.”
“Not at all, Your Highness the Eunuch is too kind.”
Although Gu Yu was very puzzled, when the eunuch who read the decree chuckled and approached him, Gu Yu quickly put on a smiling face, making people feel like they bathed in spring breeze, without any ill feelings.
Later, while talking to the eunuch, Gu Yu discreetly took out a five-tael silver piece from his spatial dimension and sent it over with “understanding.”
Although Gu Yu had a lot of silver, he was currently just a farmer in the village. How much could he give?
Therefore, five taels of silver was already quite good.
The eunuch clearly thought the same way. Seeing that Gu Yu was sensible enough to give silver, even if five taels wasn’t enough for the travel expenses, Gu Yu’s act of giving silver as a reward made the eunuch feel very pleased; he thought Gu Yu was very tactful.
Such a clever child! If he were sent to the palace to become a eunuch, he would be a good seedling!
It’s just a pity that he’s already married.
If Gu Yu knew that the eunuch in front of him was scheming against his “lower body,” he would definitely be depressed, roll his eyes to the heavens, and then tell the eunuch to get lost.
Could the “lower body” be easily tampered with?
He felt that his and his wife’s age was still too young, and he wished time would pass quickly by a few years, then they could “hehehehe”…
After receiving the decree, Gu Yu politely invited the eunuch to stay for lunch, but the eunuch, citing the need to quickly return and report, did not stay.
Eating in a peasant’s house like this was not as good as eating in a restaurant in town!
He heard that Chunlai Restaurant in Lian Town had launched a series of sweet dishes, which had made him drool for a long time.
Coming to Lian Town this time, he naturally had to have a big feast to make it worthwhile.
After traveling for so long, his old bones were almost falling apart.
Gu Yu was even more eager for the eunuch to leave quickly so he could go home and count his gold. Hence, he only offered polite words and then watched the eunuch and his subordinates gradually walk away.
“Oh my, I always said that Gu Yu is no ordinary person, and now it has finally come true!”
“Get out of here! I’ve heard you say a lot of bad things about Gu Yu before. It’s shameless to curry favor with him now that he’s prospered!”
“This is an imperial decree! It’s the first time I’ve seen one in my life, and it’s worth dying for.”
“The Gu family is so amazing.”
“It’s my first time seeing one too! How can commoners like us have the chance to see an imperial decree, let alone welcome one into the house like the Gu family? They’re truly lucky for eight lifetimes!”
“Hehehe, I wonder if Old Man Yang regrets it to death. This is an imperial decree! Even if his Shun Yang studies well, will he ever have the chance to receive an imperial decree in his life?”
“It’s truly fortunate that Yang Family Village could produce a Gu Yu! Don’t forget, Gu Yu cured the measles in the village not too long ago. Gu Yu is truly amazing!”
After the eunuch and his entourage left, the villagers who had gathered at the main entrance of the Gu family’s house to watch the excitement finally dared to speak, praising Gu Yu and saying that the Gu family’s luck had really changed.
From being a pitiful person who relied on others for help, to now living in a blue brick and tile house, and even welcoming an imperial decree bestowed by the Emperor into their home!
Admittedly, the changes in the Gu family over the past few months had been too rapid!
At this moment, Gu Yu ignored the chatter around him. After glancing at the tray held by Mengyao Gu, which was neatly stacked with a hundred taels of gold, his face showed a satisfied smile.
He thought that at least the Emperor had not just given empty promises; besides a decree, he had also sent gold directly to their door.
Although Gu Yu was very puzzled, in the case of Wang Chang’s kidnapping in Lian Town, he had only provided information at the beginning, and his role afterwards was not significant. Why would the Emperor issue a decree to reward him?
Even if Wang Chang was backed by the Wang Clan, it was currently unlikely to expose the Wang Clan by using Wang Chang. At most, it would be a warning!
Therefore, for such a small matter, the Emperor did not need to make such a big fuss and personally bestow an imperial decree.
Unless, there was some other intention.
The most likely reason was that Li Ye had spoken well of him in front of the Emperor, which was why Gu Yu had received the imperial decree… However, Gu Yu lowered his head and looked at the decree, thinking that Li Ye was quite cunning.
The decree stated Gu Yu’s name, not the Gu family.
Therefore, the focus was now directed at Gu Yu, without much attention paid to Mengyao Gu and her brother.
Even if Gu Yu attracted attention, Mengyao Gu and her brother would not be in danger.
Considering Li Ye’s regard for Mengyao Gu and her brother, such calculation was normal. Gu Yu did not feel angry about this, as he did not like his own little wife being endangered.
Just like when he returned to the village earlier, when Gu Yu heard the news of the Gu family being in trouble, he was truly terrified.
He had even prepared to seek revenge on the Wang Clan.
However, fortunately, things were not as bad as they seemed, and it turned out to be a false alarm.
Afterwards, the excitement was over, and people should return to their respective homes.
As the three members of the Gu family walked into the courtyard and closed the gate, Gu Qingheng, being a child, looked at the imperial decree with a very excited expression, wishing he could hug it and kiss it.
Mengyao Gu’s expression was also not calm. As she reached out to touch the imperial decree, her eyes were full of surprise.
Obviously, the imperial decree bestowed by the Emperor made Mengyao Gu and her brother feel very honored.
Gu Yu’s reaction was completely different from that of Mengyao Gu and her brother. Having transmigrated from modern times, he did not have the reverence for the Emperor that ancient people had. Therefore, his eyes were only on the gold on the tray, making him feel that helping Li Ye capture Wang Chang was not in vain.
“Yu, it’s so wonderful that our family can receive an imperial decree!”
“It’s nothing, there might be more in the future!”
“???”
As Mengyao Gu exclaimed, Gu Yu heard her words and a slight smile curved his lips. When he accidentally spoke carelessly, his smile froze, and he wondered what excuse he could make to cover it up.
Earlier, when Li Ye had found Gu Yu to discuss matters in a secluded place, he had mentioned once… that Mengyao Gu would become a momentous figure in the future.
This clearly indicated… that Mengyao Gu’s future achievements would be great!
Therefore, Gu Yu thought that the imperial decrees might pile up in their home in the future, so much so that they wouldn’t have enough space to store them.
However, perhaps Li Ye was just talking nonsense.
After all, who could know what the future held!
For now, it was more important to manage the present affairs.
“I mean, perhaps in the future, Qingheng will pass the imperial examination and become an important court official, then there will naturally be no shortage of imperial decrees as rewards.”
“Brother-in-law, I’m only eight years old! Why are you thinking so far ahead? Besides, even if I become an official, I probably won’t be a good official.”
“?”
Initially, Gu Yu just wanted to steer the conversation away, but upon hearing Gu Qingheng’s subsequent words, he immediately looked at his younger brother-in-law standing beside him with confusion, wondering why Gu Qingheng would say such a thing!
Could it be that his younger brother-in-law aspired to be a great corrupt official from a young age?
If so… that wouldn’t be bad either, at least there would be plenty of money coming in, which made him excited just thinking about it!
“Isn’t it always like this in ancient times? Kind-hearted good officials are suppressed in various ways and end up with tragic endings! I don’t want to be like that… If someone dares to scheme against me, I will retaliate a hundredfold, even if it means resorting to schemes and tricks.”
“Qingheng, you’ve read too many storybooks. Besides, this is not being a bad official…”
“Brother-in-law!!! I didn’t say I want to be a bad official! I just don’t want to stand still and be beaten without fighting back.”
Gu Qingheng couldn’t help but feel speechless after hearing Gu Yu’s words.
He wondered what his brother-in-law thought of him!
As he read more books, especially the rare books secretly kept by Chengfeng Shan, which described how many good officials were oppressed, Gu Qingheng decided that he would never be a good official.
However, he would not be a wicked official who committed all sorts of evil deeds.
Following the doctrine of the mean was the best strategy.
Whether a good official or a bad official, it all depended on a person’s intention.
“Alright, alright, Qingheng hasn’t even passed the imperial examination yet, so it’s indeed too early to think about these things! It’s getting late, I’ll go make lunch first.”
Seeing that the conversation between Gu Yu and Gu Qingheng was going astray, Mengyao Gu chuckled and shook her head, thinking that these two were really overthinking things!
It was still too early to tell.
After Mengyao Gu finished speaking and handed the gold she was holding to Gu Yu, she walked towards the kitchen.
After the excitement of seeing the imperial decree gradually subsided, lunch still had to be eaten. So, looking at their current peaceful life was good enough, no need to think about any messy things.
Mengyao Gu didn’t ask for much else; she only hoped that their family could be happy, and that trouble would not come to their door again. She would be very satisfied!
…
The update today is a bit late, but the author is indeed working hard to write. So, if there are thirty-five consecutive updates a week, then…
However, having more monthly votes is indeed motivating. The next step depends on whether the readers can support it by providing more votes.
