A farmer's daughter who traveled through time: Marrying a sickly man

Chapter 461 Great Reward

After saying goodbye to the Queen Mother's Palace, Xia Tian went to find Wen Jin, Hu Mengyao, Lin Saiyu and others.

I haven't seen you for more than a year. I wonder if any of you three have changed?

"Hey? Xia Tian? We are here?" Hu Mengyao was the first to notice her. Xia Tian heard someone calling her and found that three people were waving at her in a pavilion.

There is still time, Xia Tian walked over with a smile.

"I was just about to look for you!" Xia Tian came up and greeted the three of them with a smile.

"Oh, hello, Mrs. Shen!" Hu Mengyao saluted her, making Xia Tian laugh.

This girl is still like that even after getting married!

"Stop it!" Xia Tian patted Hu Mengyao's arm lightly when she was making trouble.

"Come to think of it, among the four of us, you are the only one with the highest status." Wen Jin also agreed with a smile.

Although the four of them all came from good family backgrounds, only Xia Tian was granted the title of Lady of Imperial Concubine, and that was of the second rank.

"Aiya, do we still have to discuss our status?" Xia Tian scolded, "No matter how our status changes, we are still friends."

As friends, Wen Jin and the other three are very qualified, and Xia Tian is naturally not bad either!

"Yes, yes, we are always friends!" The three nodded with a smile.

Soon they started chatting and laughing enthusiastically.

Of course, the four of them now have another topic to talk about, which is children.

Although Hu Mengyao has not given birth yet, she is four months pregnant, so the four of them have a lot to talk about when they talk about children.

Soon the banquet was about to begin, and the four people went to the main hall with a reluctant look on their faces.

After the celebration, gift-giving and banquet process was over, Xia Tian wanted to say hello to Wen Jin and the others, so he went back with Shen Nian first.

Unexpectedly, the emperor suddenly asked Eunuch Xu to start announcing the decree.

"Shen Nian, Xia Tian, listen to my orders!"

When Eunuch Xu's unique voice rang out, Xia Tian was still a little confused. On this Wanshou Festival, the emperor's birthday, why did they have anything to do with it?

Shen Nian didn't seem to have expected this, but he reacted quickly. He stood up quickly and pulled Xia Tian to the middle of the hall and knelt down.

"The minister accepts the order!"

When Eunuch Xu saw that the two men had knelt down, he continued to recite.

"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: Because Shen Nian and his wife Xia Tian cared deeply about the people and the imperial court during their tenure in Linzhou, especially when the devastating earthquake struck Sangluo City in Linzhou, they disregarded their own safety and promptly rescued the people.

As a woman, Xia Tian selflessly gave away her precious medicine to rescue the people of the city, directly reducing the number of deaths by at least 90%.

Lord Shen Nian made appropriate arrangements. Before the imperial court provided support, he mobilized all the wealthy merchants and nobles in the city to donate food, supplies and money. They united as one and overcame the difficulties.

The new potato planting method promoted by Madam Shen has increased the potato production in Daqian by at least four times. The waterwheel she invented has played an irreplaceable role in water conservancy in various states..."

In the imperial edict, Eunuch Xu recounted all the good things that Shen Nian and Xia Tian had done during their time in office in Linzhou. Xia Tian was a little confused after hearing it. Had she really done so many great things that benefited the country and the people?

Why does this feel so mysterious?

It took Eunuch Xu almost a cup of tea to finish reading the imperial edict.

Finally, he cleared his throat before reading out the most important result.

"Shen Nian is hereby appointed Duke of Qing, a hereditary title. Xia Tian is designated as the virtuous wife, enjoying the treatment of a Duke. I am also granted a Duke's Mansion. This is my decree!"

As Eunuch Xu uttered his last words, you could hear a pin drop throughout the hall!

Shen Nian was stunned and didn't react for a long time.

Xia Tian was even more confused. This was too unbelievable.

Shen Nian was originally the prince of Wu'an Marquis's Mansion, and she was the prince's wife. Now Shen Nian has been promoted step by step and has become the Duke of Qing, and she herself has been named Lady Virtuous, with the same treatment as Shen Nian.

This means that she is now at the level of a duke, and is no longer dependent on Shen Nian, but has an independent title.

"Accept the order, Duke!" Seeing that the two men were standing there in a daze for a long time without any response, Eunuch Xu quickly reminded them.

The two men finally came back to their senses, "Thank you, Your Majesty! Long live the Emperor!"

Shen Nian respectfully accepted the imperial edict, and the other royal relatives and ministers in the hall also reacted.

Everyone looked at Shen Nian and Xia Tian with complicated eyes!

Even Marquis Wu'an, who was sitting not far away, was a little confused. What was going on?

Does the Shen family have two titles in one family?

And he was promoted to a higher level and became a Duke?

Shen Nian and Xia Tian looked at the Emperor, Empress, and Empress Dowager sitting at the top. The three of them were looking at them with smiles on their faces.

Xia Tian was a little dazed. Did she really reach the pinnacle of her life on her own?

The imperial edict that Eunuch Xu read just now clearly mentioned what she had done, which means that the emperor knew everything.

This also shows that Shen Nian did not take credit when reporting to the emperor, and put all the blame on her.

The people below were also whispering to each other. What happened today was indeed shocking to them.

Shen Nian was so young, yet he was granted the title of Duke.

It’s incredible!

"Duke Qing, Madam Xian De, I have something else to give you." The emperor said with a smile.

The originally noisy hall suddenly became quiet.

The emperor nodded towards Eunuch Xu.

Eunuch Xu then brought out a folded book on a tray.

Shen Nian and Xia Tian didn't know what this was and were both a little confused.

Shen Nian thanked the emperor and took it.

Others also craned their necks to watch.

Everyone was curious about what the emperor gave to Shen Nian.

Shen Nian slowly opened it and saw that it was filled with signatures and fingerprints.

He didn't understand and looked at the emperor with some doubt.

Others were curious as well, what on earth was this?

The emperor didn't keep everyone waiting for long before saying, "This is a letter from the people of Linzhou to Lord Shen. The people of Linzhou gave it to Eunuch Xu when he went to congratulate him last time."

It turned out that after Eunuch Xu arrived in Linzhou, he also visited incognito to learn about the people's reputation of Shen Nian during his tenure. Unexpectedly, the people praised him very highly.

They were also afraid that Lord Shen would be transferred by the emperor because of the earthquake, so they wrote a letter to the people, hoping to keep Lord Shen to continue serving as the governor of Linzhou.

The emperor was also shocked when he saw it. He knew that Governor Shen Nian was doing a good job, but he didn't expect that he was so loved by the people.

It also made the emperor respect Shen Nian even more!

"Originally, I was planning to promote you to the rank of First-Rank Governor, recognizing your immense contributions. However, the people of Linzhou have insisted on keeping you, and I must listen to their will. I will allow you to continue as Governor of Linzhou until the end of your three-year term, and then make further arrangements!"

The Duke is a title, but the Governor and the Governor-General are real official positions.

Shen Nian breathed a sigh of relief, and he was willing to continue serving as the governor of Linzhou.

There are still many things waiting for him to do in Linzhou!

"Thank you, Your Majesty!" Shen Nian and Xia Tian kowtowed to express their gratitude!

In fact, the emperor conferred the titles of Duke of Qing and Lady Xian De on him and Xia Tian respectively, not just because of the Linzhou incident.

There was also the plague in the capital, the refugees during the drought, the many pills mixed with spiritual spring water that were given out every summer, the prince in the queen's belly, etc., which made the emperor feel indebted to the two of them, so he took this opportunity to give them a big reward.

After waiting for the banquet to end, Shen Nian and Xia Tian walked out of the hall, still a little dazed.

Even Shen Nian, who was usually calm, couldn't help but feel excited.

While no one was paying attention, I quietly held Xia Tian's hand!

The two looked at each other and smiled, saying nothing!