The Year of Lihua: She Was Reborn

In front of Washington Palace, the sun is shining and the breeze is blowing gently.

At the gate of the magnificent and solemn mansion, General Hua and Mrs. Hua had just stepped into the threshold of the Hua Mansion side by side, and had not had time to appreciate the beautiful scenery in the garden.

Then a melodious voice was heard: "The imperial edict has arrived!"

Immediately afterwards, an exquisitely decorated carriage slowly stopped and the eunuch who announced the imperial decree stepped down from the carriage.

Holding the golden scroll of imperial edict, the eunuch walked up to General Hua and Madam Hua with dignity and read aloud:

"By the providence of Heaven, the Emperor proclaims: General Hua Pengkun has led a mighty army to quell the chaos, and has rendered outstanding service. He is hereby granted a plaque inscribed with his imperial hand, 'First-Rank General,' and a reward of ten thousand taels of silver and a thousand taels of gold to reward the army. General Hua's daughter, Hua Ye, possesses the qualities of a dignified, gentle, and virtuous general. She is hereby granted marriage to the Crown Prince and appointed the Crown Princess. An auspicious date will be chosen for the wedding! In addition, there is the following betrothal gift: a thousand taels of gold..."

Upon hearing this, General Hua and Madam Hua immediately turned around and knelt, kowtowed and thanked the emperor, saying in unison: "Your Majesty, we bow to thank you. Long live your Majesty..."

However, when Hua Pengkun heard the content of the imperial edict, although he had been prepared, he was still stunned.

His heart was in turmoil and he didn't know how to respond for a moment.

This unexpected gift made Hua Pengkun feel both surprised and a little worried. He was happy that his military achievements were recognized by the emperor, and his family would also gain glory from it.

What he was worried about was his daughter's marriage. Although becoming the Crown Princess was an unparalleled honor, the political marriage involved also made him feel uneasy.

However, at this moment, he could only respectfully accept the imperial edict, express his gratitude, and accept this arrangement of fate.

General Hua's hands were trembling as he carefully took the heavy imperial edict from Chief Steward Yu.

"Thank you for your grace, long live the Lord..."

His knees seemed to be stuck tightly by an invisible force, and no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't stand up, but he still stood up stubbornly.

Mrs. Hua, who was obsessed with money, heard that the emperor had rewarded their family with 120,000 taels of gold and some rare treasures such as porcelain and jade.

Her eyes widened as she stared at the boxes of gold and silver being moved into Washington, secretly calculating how much benefit these treasures could bring.

At this time, Manager Yu narrowed his wrinkled eyes slightly, revealing a barely perceptible smile.

His pale hair appeared from under his official hat and fluttered gently in the breeze.

"His Majesty said that General Hua has been traveling all the way and is tired. He should have a good rest today. Tomorrow morning, please bring your beloved daughter to the court!"

General Hua couldn't help but gasp, but he knew very well that as a general, he must not show weakness at this critical moment.

So he straightened his back and answered fearlessly: "I obey your command!" His voice was firm and powerful, showing his usual majesty and demeanor.

Manager Yu nodded with satisfaction, then saluted General Hua with a whisk in his hand, slowly turned around, and walked down the stairs with elegant steps.

"Then congratulations in advance to His Majesty the King's uncle! I will take my leave now." After saying that, Manager Yu turned around and prepared to walk down the stairs.

Mrs. Hua gently opened the exquisite wooden box and took out two glittering and heavy gold ingots from it.

She held them carefully as if they were rare treasures, and then gently put them into Manager Yu's hands.

Manager Yu smiled broadly, but pretended to be calm and said, "I can't refuse this wedding gift. Thank you, Madam, for the gift!"

After saying this, he slowly put the gold ingot into his pocket, with a barely perceptible joy flashing in his eyes.

At this time, General Hua forced himself to cheer up and tried to make himself look stronger.

However, when he saw the carriage slowly disappearing around the corner, he finally couldn't hold on any longer. His body seemed to have been drained of all its strength, and he leaned limply against the wall.

Every step seems so difficult, as if there is a heavy burden under my feet.

Looking at the boxes piled up like mountains in the yard, General Hua felt mixed emotions.

This wealth should have brought him joy and satisfaction, but at this moment it made him feel extremely heavy...