Chapter 873: Joy
Chapter 873 -876: Joy
Attending the morning court session today, Gu Wenheng felt the gaze of the ruler on the throne falling upon him with unusual frequency.
It was clearly Minister Li beside him who was presenting a memorial, yet the Holy Emperor wasn’t looking at the speaker. Instead, he kept staring at Gu Wenheng. It seemed a conclusion had finally been reached regarding the matter from a few days ago.
“Gu Aiqing,” Hua Zhang called out to him. “You have raised a fine son. He has made a monumental contribution to the Rong Dynasty.”
Gu Wenheng quickly stepped out from the ranks of officials. “This is all due to the blessings of Your Majesty and the common people. My son merely happened to be in the right place at the right time. He truly dares not claim credit for it.”
Hua Zhang glanced at Gu Wenheng, admitting to himself that he was pleased by the response. “My courtiers, I assume you have all heard the news. Recently, Mr. Gu’s second son accidentally obtained some crop seeds and successfully cultivated them.
“If these can be promoted nationwide, the people of our dynasty will no longer suffer the agonies of starvation.
“For Gu Aiqing to remain so humble in the face of such a massive achievement is truly rare.
“Neither I nor the Supreme Emperor will mistreat those who have rendered meritorious service. Mr. Gu deserves to be rewarded for his contributions.
“Read the Holy Decree of the Supreme Emperor.”
This had been agreed upon between father and son. When Hua Shunming was in power, he had granted Cao Xiangqian the title of Duke Zhongyong, and this time, he would still be the one to officially grant the title. With such a massive contribution, if they only rewarded him with some gold and silver, there was no telling how future history books would judge them.
Although these crop seeds had only appeared during his reign, Hua Zhang couldn’t possibly take all the credit for himself. Having the Supreme Emperor bestow the rewards now would ensure the Supreme Emperor looked better in the historical records later on.
Since Gu Ben Can’s achievements would benefit generations to come, the Supreme Emperor personally granted him the title of Second-Grade Earl Cheng’an, along with a mansion and a considerable amount of gold and silver.
Although Gu Wenheng had already guessed as much, the corners of his mouth couldn’t help but turn up at this moment. Shouting his gratitude for the Emperor’s profound grace, he felt even happier than when he had won first place in the imperial examinations himself. He knew this title of nobility was merely a sinecure, but for Gu Ben Can, it was the best possible protective charm. In the future, even when traveling abroad, it would serve as an extra layer of security.
The courtiers’ eyes were red with envy, but they still had to wear smiling faces and offer words of congratulation.
Next came the discussion on how to plant the next batch of corn. As participants in this endeavor, Gu Ben Can and his cousins from the Gu family were all assigned under the Agricultural Officer to jointly assist in promoting and teaching the cultivation methods.
This was the real extra good news. The next generation of the Gu family had at least managed to secure a few official positions. Even if they were unranked, no one would dare look down on them when they went out into the world.
Gaoling Village.
When the news of Gu Ben Can being titled an Earl made its way back, the entire village practically exploded.
Gu Wenheng passing the exam as the top scholar and becoming a First Rank official was a difficult path walked step by step. Yet Gu Ben Can had only farmed for a few months and had already attained such a high status. It left everyone utterly astounded.
Everyone gathered at the village entrance, wanting to confirm the news one more time. Gu Benluo was currently surrounded in the middle, with people bombarding him with questions all at once.
“Everyone, this is all true. The Holy Decree has already been issued, and we wouldn’t dare fabricate something out of thin air.” Standing to the side, Hu Dong also hadn’t expected news to travel so fast in such a small village. It had spread everywhere before he could even leave. Seeing the eldest young master surrounded and hounded by these people, he could only speak up to help bail him out.
Rubbing his hands together, Gu Yuanjin excitedly asked Gu Benluo, “Luo Luo, did your older brothers really receive official posts this time as well?”
Back then, he had only wanted his sons to build a good relationship with Old Seventh’s children, so he let them go up the mountain to do manual labor. He never expected that they would strike lucky and become government officials.
Seeing his uncles staring at him with eager faces, Gu Benluo smiled and nodded. “Yes, I expect the official documents will be dispatched in a few days.”
“But, don’t they still have to observe the mourning period?” Gu Yuanmu was also thrilled that his children could have such good fortune while mourning in the village. However, not even a year had passed, and the children were still technically in mourning.
“Yuanmu, what are you saying?” Gu Yuanhuo nudged his back lightly. “This is the Holy Emperor’s decree. The country is greater than the family, so naturally, official duties take precedence.
“Besides, Old Seventh was exempted from the mourning period to remain in office. The children’s situation is even easier to resolve now. What’s more, they will finish their mourning in just a few months, so it definitely won’t delay anything.”
Watching more and more people gather around, Gu Yuanshui spoke up to remind them, “Let’s all stop crowding Luo Luo. If we have something to discuss, let’s go inside the house to talk.” The surrounding noise had grown increasingly deafening without them noticing, forcing him to raise his voice just to be heard.
Hu Dong glanced at the densely packed village entrance, knowing it would likely be very difficult to leave the village anytime soon. He chimed in with his own persuasion, “My lords, it would be best if we go inside to talk!”
Once the main doors were closed, the villagers wouldn’t be able to pry for any more information and would gradually disperse. He believed it wouldn’t be long before the Clan Leader arrived, and then everything could be settled peacefully.
All the brothers were thrilled at the prospect of securing a minor official position in the government office. In the past, Gu Wenheng had arranged for some of the younger generation to work as a small historian, but those were unrecorded roles—just running errands at the government office to collect a wage. But this time was different. The Holy Emperor had personally named them and arranged their positions. Even if they were only eighth-rank minor officials, it was enough to elevate their family’s social standing.
For the brothers, this was even more exciting than Gu Wenheng becoming a first-class official.
Li Cuicui was supported as she walked over to Jin Qianqian’s courtyard, her head still feeling a bit dizzy. How had all her grandsons suddenly secured bright futures in just a matter of days? Furthermore, that boy Cancan had turned into an Uncle in the blink of an eye. Although she couldn’t figure out exactly how high of an official rank this was or what duties it entailed, her heart was filled with nothing but joy.
Jin Qianqian hurriedly helped the old lady to the seat of honor, her own face brimming with smiles.
“Can farming really yield such massive merit?” Li Cuicui didn’t understand and simply found it somewhat unbelievable.
“That depends on what kind of farming it is,” said Gu Yi, who had come over with them. “For us, fumbling around in the fields our whole lives just to fill our stomachs is already good enough. But Ben Can’s achievement will benefit generations to come. Even the future history books will have a stroke written about him.”
“What? The child’s name will be in the books too?” Li Cuicui felt this was even more impressive, as it was something even their descendants would be able to read.
“But Le Tian and the others haven’t even learned many words. Will they be alright going out to handle official duties?” Xie Ruyi was also a little worried. Among them all, her three sons had the weakest foundation. Usually, being able to recognize their own names and a few simple characters was already quite an accomplishment for them. If they went out to be officials with such a poor foundation, she feared they might end up getting themselves into trouble.
“Ruyi, don’t worry. They will mainly be in charge of leading others in farming,” Wang Caiyue said, the smile never leaving the corners of her mouth. “They’re familiar with all that, so nothing will go wrong.”
Seeing how happy everyone was, Jin Qianqian glanced at her eldest son but ultimately remained silent. Only after sending everyone away did Jin Qianqian finally take Gu Benluo to the study.
“Mother, I know what you’re going to say.” Before Jin Qianqian could even open her mouth, Gu Benluo spoke first. “This is what Ben Can deserves. Besides, I have the confidence to fight for a bright future of my own.”
“Ultimately, your father and I were still biased in this matter…” Jin Qianqian said.
“Mother,” Gu Benluo said, pouring her a cup of water. “With this merit to our name, the Royal Family wouldn’t want to see someone holding a title of nobility while simultaneously possessing the capability…”