Free Web NovelChapter 388: Chapter 152: Submerged (Part 2)
Thanks to a distorted rumor, the townsfolk all thought someone had died, so they followed the commotion to the county government.
But as it turned out, no one had died. It was an imperial envoy from the court who had arrived.
When word got out that he was here to proclaim a Holy Decree, the entire population of Qingshui County was in an uproar. Every single person ran out of their homes.
This time, the streets were truly empty as everyone had turned out. As far as the eye could see, a dense sea of heads surrounded the county government.
An imperial envoy! Who had ever seen one before?
In the last hundred years, the highest-ranking official to ever visit Qingshui County was just a fourth-rank Magistrate.
The Magistrate would only come for routine inspections, and he’d be gone in less than an hour.
But this time was different. Something incredibly important—and wonderful—was happening.
The children and son-in-law of the Chen family had caught the attention of the Emperor and Empress!
The commotion among the townsfolk was as great as if the Emperor and Empress had personally visited Qingshui County.
They even knelt outside the county government, bowing toward the unseen Holy Decree.
The scene was both sacred and frenzied, making Chen Bai’s heart pound with anxiety.
That was why he urged his sister-in-law and niece to leave at once. He was afraid that if they were even a moment too slow, they would be trapped in the crowd. Once the people started panicking, anything could happen.
The thought of such chaos made everyone’s scalp tingle. Without another word, they quickened their pace and hurried toward the Chen family’s home.
Sure enough, just after their group had made a quick departure, someone in the crowd spotted them. "There they are!"
"The Holy Decree must be with them!"
"What are you waiting for? Go and bow to it!"
And so, the crowd swarmed over, blocking the alley to the Chen family home once again.
Xu Su Ying and the others managed to get inside just in time, locking the main gate and bracing it with a wooden beam. Only after all that was done did they return to the house, their hearts still pounding with residual fear.
"That scared me to death. My heart is still racing."
"That nearly took years off my life! This is supposed to be a good thing, but they made it feel like we were fleeing a famine."
"I wonder when they’ll disperse. Let’s pray Big Brother gets back soon and sends the crowd away..."
After a few more comments, the group calmed down. They stared wide-eyed at the box, eager to see the Holy Decree inside.
So, Chen Wanqing took out the Holy Decree and unfurled it for everyone to see.
The Holy Decree was made from a bright yellow brocade, woven with a pattern of rainbow-hued auspicious clouds and cranes. It felt weighty in the hand. The two ends of the scroll were adorned with silver dragons, and the closing was stamped with the "Seal of Imperial Proclamations."
Then they looked at the content of the Holy Decree itself.
The Holy Decree was actually quite simple. It used a series of phrases to praise the three of them for their pure hearts, their virtuous and gentle natures, their combination of talent and integrity, and their inspiring virtue. The main point was that the three of them had performed a great service by presenting a treasure and should serve as a model for all to emulate.
’In her view,’ Xu Su Ying thought, ’this is basically just an award certificate.’
But this was an award certificate issued by the nation itself, so its prestige couldn’t be higher.
At that moment, besides being happy for her children’s futures, Xu Su Ying’s first thought was surprisingly practical. ’The script on this decree is embossed with gold using an ’ice-crackle’ hot-melt technique... If I were to burn this, I wonder if I could extract the Gold?’
Realizing what she was thinking, Xu Su Ying flushed with embarrassment.
’A Holy Decree is meant to be enshrined with reverence. If I dared to burn it, someone would surely slap me with the crime of high treason. I wouldn’t get any Gold, but I’d certainly earn myself a lifetime of free prison meals. Now that would be a joke.’
In truth, Chen Wanqing didn’t know many details about the imperial envoy or the Holy Decree.
She had been whisked away by the County Magistrate’s wife not long after receiving the Holy Decree, so she had no idea what other instructions the imperial envoy might have given.
But the few details she could share were more than enough to shock Chen Bai, Yuzhu, and Li’an.
Chen Bai said, "I’m only just now learning that you were the ones who found that treasure chest, and it even had the Queen’s Seal inside! You’ve rendered a great service. Big Brother was just riding on your coattails to get his promotion. I’ll make sure he treats you all to a proper feast later; otherwise, you’d be getting completely short-changed."
Yuzhu said, "I should have made my mother stay. It’s a shame she was worried about Yuliang at home and went back before you all returned. Goodness, such a momentous event, and I’m only just learning about it. By the way, Elder Sister, you all are incredible. That treasure chest was hidden so well. Generations of villagers have gone up that mountain without ever noticing it, yet you found it. I have to say, you’re truly blessed with good fortune."
Li’an also offered his joyful congratulations, but after doing so, he couldn’t help but feel a pang of disappointment.
’If only I had been the one to discover the treasure chest...’
Time slipped by as they continued to talk.
Soon, their topic of conversation drifted from the treasure chest, to the county government, and then from the county government to the matter of studying for the imperial examinations.
Xu Su Ying and Chen Bai asked Li’an, "So, you’re not going to continue studying?"
