After Feng Xiao finished reading the imperial edict with a cold face, he threw the scroll hard into Old Man Chen's arms. "Brave Warrior, you must continue to serve the country from now on!"
Old Man Chen didn't quite understand the flowery words in the imperial edict, but the words "five hundred taels of silver" hit his ears like a thunderclap. He trembled all over, and tears welled up like a bursting flood!
"Th-thank Your Majesty, thank Your Majesty!" He kowtowed heavily and hugged the imperial edict in his arms. "When I get back, I'll surely set up a memorial tablet for Your Majesty! May Your Majesty enjoy boundless blessings and a long life! Long live, long live, long live!"
"Easy, easy!" Zhao Yanke reclined casually on the golden silk couch and replied carelessly.
The local officials from Fujian on the side looked at each other.
They had come to greet the imperial entourage but never expected such an unexpected turn of events. They were immediately caught off guard.
But they had all been in the officialdom for many years and were all shrewd. They immediately surrounded Old Man Chen and started to flatter him loudly.
"Brave Warrior, this is a reward personally bestowed by His Majesty. It's an extraordinary honor!"
"Our Fujian has always been a place full of outstanding people and loyal heroes. Now it seems that it truly is a blessed land!"
"Brave Warrior, I've prepared some wine at home. Please do me the honor..."
...
"Er... Sure, okay, definitely, it's up to you!" Old Man Chen was so flattered that he was dizzy but didn't forget to search for Li Wanming with his eyes.
He pushed through the crowd and staggered up to Li Wanming. He looked up at her pleadingly. "Princess, when you return to the capital this time, will you come back?"
Li Wanming looked down at him but didn't answer. Instead, she whispered, "That five - hundred - tael reward isn't just for you. Huang Laosan and the others..."
"I know! I know everything!" Old Man Chen slapped his chest with his rough palm. "Huang Laosan, Guo Si... Everyone who helped this time will get a share!"
He grinned. "Previously, the most the town would award was twenty taels of silver. This time, it's five hundred taels... I understand, I understand it all!"
Li Wanming smiled and rode forward.
In the front came Feng Xiao's weak and drawn - out voice, "His Majesty sets off—"
Old Man Chen watched the gradually disappearing entourage. Suddenly, his eyes welled up, and he shouted at the top of his voice, "Princess, the leader! You... You must take care!"
"When you come back to Fujian again, I'll treat you to wine!"
...
The imperial carriage procession continued to move forward in a grand manner. The bright - yellow carriages stretched for miles like a long dragon.
Liu Yiyi rode listlessly on her horse, falling behind the procession, looking gloomy.
"What's wrong?" Pei Yanqi rode his horse up beside her and asked. "Are you still upset about your second brother leaving?"
"We were already at the doorstep, but he still refused to go home!" Liu Yiyi pouted angrily. "Even if our parents are in the capital now and not in Tangli Town, at least our elder brother is at home! It's been years since our three siblings got together..."
"The dock in Yuecheng needs to be rebuilt, and he can't leave. He's familiar with the local situation, so of course, he has to stay in Yuecheng..."
"Can't leave my foot!" Liu Yiyi said angrily. "I think he's just used to roaming outside and is looking for an excuse not to go home! Humph, if he doesn't want to go home, that's fine. But when I asked him to come to Yanchuan to meet Wanming, he even refused... It made me look like I was telling a fairy tale when I talked to Wanming about this!"
Just thinking about that day, Liu Yiyi couldn't help but hold her forehead.
That day, when she told Li Wanming that the mastermind behind "a single girl destroying seven stockades" back then was her good - for - nothing and elusive second brother, Li Wanming was stunned for a long time.
"That fox - spirit... is your second brother?" Li Wanming said in an incredulous tone.
"Right!" Liu Yiyi spread her hands. "Can't believe it, right? I was shocked for a long time too! The fox - spirit scholar we discussed for so long turned out to be my second brother..."
"What was he doing in Dayi Mountain at that time?" Li Wanming asked.
Liu Yiyi replied, "He said he was accidentally captured by the Black Wind Stockade and taken up the mountain. Later, he managed to get a position as a petty strategist with his eloquence. Just as he was thinking about how to destroy the Black Wind Stockade, he saw you being captured up the mountain too..."
"How did he recognize you?"
"He said your fierce and silly demeanor was just like mine. He just probed a little, and he knew it was you... Oh, this isn't important!"
Liu Yiyi grabbed her hand, her eyes shining.
"My second brother said you're too fierce! He originally just wanted to destroy the Black Wind Stockade, but who knew that once you made a move, you uprooted all seventy - two stockades in Dayi Mountain! You're simply too fierce. It's the most amazing thing he's ever seen in his life..."
Li Wanming blushed and turned her face away uncomfortably. "It's not that amazing..."
However, although she said so, when Li Wanming thought of her famous reputation in Dayi Mountain, she was at a loss for words.
After a long time, she stammered and asked, "Then... when he told me to go down the mountain to call for reinforcements and I didn't come back, did he say anything?"
"He did!" Liu Yiyi slapped her thigh. "My second brother said he was waiting for you to bring the imperial troops to rescue him. But unexpectedly, what came was the people from the Tiger's Head Stockade!"
"Fortunately, neither of the stockade leaders dared to make a move at that time. They were just shouting and scolding. After listening for a while, he vaguely guessed that you might have gotten lost and accidentally entered the Tiger's Head Stockade..."
"He spent a lot of effort to convince the leaders of the Black Wind Stockade and the Tiger's Head Stockade that you were me - the eldest daughter of the Liu family. Marrying you would bring glory and wealth, and they wouldn't have to worry for the rest of their lives. Only then did he manage to save your life!"
Speaking of this, Liu Yiyi suddenly burst out laughing. "Oh right, my second brother also said that a girl who grew up in Fujian and was used to running in the mountains should know better than to get lost when going down the mountain?"
"Th - that's not my fault!"
Li Wanming argued in a flustered way. "I was young at that time, and it was the first time I was captured by bandits and taken up the mountain. It's normal to be nervous! Besides, we don't go to the west often, so we're not familiar with the roads... Alas, I really want to see your second brother again and ask him clearly about what happened back then."
"That's what I said too!" When it came to this, Liu Yiyi got angry. "Your heroic deeds back then were passed down in our Fujian for so long. Even the government is still using your prestige to suppress those who want to do evil!"
A single girl destroying seven stockades... No, destroying a hundred stockades—this experience was simply too legendary. Every time Liu Yiyi thought about it, she itched with excitement. She really wanted to bring Li Wanming and Liu Shuheng together right away so that they could compare the details of what happened back then.
This story was much more exciting than any storybook!
It was a pity that Liu Shuheng either said that the reconstruction of Yuecheng needed him or that the girls in the Red Sleeve Brothel were frightened and needed his comfort. He just refused to come, which made her and Li Wanming can only sigh at the river and piece together the truth of that year by themselves...