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Chu Qingzhi led the servant boy into the house. Noticing his young age, she offered him some snacks like mooncakes, bread, and biscuits.

Yuan Hongjun and Bao Linjiang came over…

Yuan Hongjun asked, "Master, it seems this is Lin Yingmin\'s servant."

Chu Qingzhi nodded, "Indeed, he was sent by Lin Yingmin to deliver a festival gift to me."

"Why would he send you a Mid-Autumn festival gift? Weren\'t you two just acquaintances?" Yuan Hongjun frowned, wondering what Lin Yingmin was up to.

Chu Qingzhi was also puzzled, "I\'m not sure either, but I plan to find time to treat his leg."

Ah, that\'s right. Previously, he and Little Abalone had planned to treat Lin Yingmin\'s legs, but he refused, insisting on Chu Qingzhi treating him. The gift was probably meant to persuade Chu Qingzhi to do so.

Yuan Hongjun understood Lin Yingmin\'s actions, "Master, when will you go?"

"I\'ll see how things go," Chu Qingzhi planned to go tonight, but she decided not to tell her two disciples. As a young lady visiting a man at night to treat his legs, they might not agree to it.

Yuan Hongjun said, "Master, we\'ve prepared the medicine for treating Lin Yingmin\'s legs. Just let us know, and we\'ll bring it over."

Chu Qingzhi nodded. "Okay."

The sound of gongs and drums came from outside…

The Chu family hurriedly went outside, followed by villagers who had been admiring the Kyrin lantern in the yard.

The magistrate, accompanied by constables and his secretary, arrived at Chu Village with gongs clearing the way and lively drum music, signaling good news.

Chu Qingzhi took the lead and bowed. "Greetings, Magistrate."

The magistrate hastened to help her up, smiling like a blooming flower, "Miss Chu, your rewards for your meritorious deeds in the Northern Border have arrived."

He took out the imperial edict and proclaimed loudly, "Hear the decree!"

Chu Qingzhi knelt on one knee, and as others saw her kneel, they too knelt down. The noisy scene instantly quieted, even the chattering children dared not speak.

The magistrate unfurled the edict and read aloud, "By imperial command, Chu Qingzhi, … for her significant contributions in quelling the turmoil in the Northern Border, is hereby awarded a pair of pearls from Nanhu, a set of jewelry, three jade hairpins, ten bolts of silk, and ten thousand taels of silver as a token of appreciation. Let this be known."

Chu Qingzhi responded, "I am grateful for His Majesty\'s bountiful reward," and then received the edict. n/o/vel/b//in dot c//om

The edict would be kept in the village shrine, a supreme honor for Chu Village. The previous edict had already been placed there.

The constables brought in the rewards to Chu Qingzhi\'s home.

Chu Qingzhi politely offered, "Magistrate, you\'ve come a long way. Would you care to join us for a simple meal before you leave?"

The magistrate declined with a smile, "No need for a meal, I should return home for the family reunion today."

He envied Chu Qingzhi\'s rewards. In his decades of service, he had never received such honors. But remembering that Chu Qingzhi was a resident of his county, he felt a sense of pride. No other magistrate could boast such an extraordinary citizen. This thought elevated his sense of superiority.

Chu Qingzhi smiled, "Then, allow me to escort you out, Your Honor."

"Okay."

The news of Chu Qingzhi being rewarded by the Emperor spread quickly, just like a storm. Villagers who had just left returned to congratulate the Chu family once more, making Chu family as lively as a theater.

By noon, Chu family finally quieted down, but the excitement lingered. First, the revelation of Tang Jinghong being a general had them reeling, and now Chu Qingzhi\'s rewards only added to their joy.

…

The villagers eagerly discussed Chu Qingzhi\'s rewards.

"Chu\'s family is really lucky, one happy event after another."

"Why can\'t my own children be as capable?"

"Someone like Qingzhi is rare, we\'re lucky to be her fellow villagers. As for our children, well, we never dared to dream of them reaching that high."

"Haha, I agree. However, the amount of rewards one receives depends on their abilities, and Qingzhi has earned it through her own efforts."

"That\'s right, Qingzhi has achieved things that most people can\'t. She has contributed to the country and the people, and the rewards she receives are well-deserved."

"We wouldn\'t even dare to go to the capital, let alone the distant Northern border. Going there and achieving merits is out of the question."

…

The matter of Qingzhi receiving rewards sparked discussions in the village, and almost everyone was talking about it.

These discussions also reached the Tang Shan\'s family of three.

Tang Shan regretted it deeply, and he drank one glass of wine after another, feeling a pang of pain in his heart.

If he had known that his son would become a general, he would have definitely supported him. Instead, he had driven him away with his own hands. How could he be so foolish?

If he hadn\'t driven Tang Jinghong out of the house, he would have had a general as a son, and Qingzhi would have married into the Tang family too. So many rewards, ten thousand taels of silver, and pearls.

Pearls were rare treasures, and most of them found in the Daling Dynasty were tributes to the Imperial Court, each one extremely precious.

Tang Dengping complained, "Dad, why didn\'t Tang Jinghong say he was a general when he came back?"

Tang Shan slapped Tang Dengping, "He\'s your older brother. Who allowed you to address him by name?"

Tang Dengping had never been slapped before, and this slap made him cry, "Boohoo…"

Zhang Xiuqin walked into the room and protected Tang Dengping, "What\'s going on? Regretting now? The eldest son is a general, and the younger son is just like a weed?"

Tang Shan was annoyed, and after drinking a few glasses of wine, he was emboldened and gave Zhang Xiuqin a slap too, "It\'s because of your mistreatment of him, scolding him, and making things difficult for him. It\'s all because of you, Zhang Xiuqin, it\'s all your fault!"

Zhang Xiuqin couldn\'t refute this, and she also regretted it deeply, "I didn\'t know that Tang Jinghong was a general when he returned, and he didn\'t say anything!"

Tang Shan smashed the wine glass to the ground, pointed at Zhang Xiuqin\'s nose, and scolded her, "Even if you didn\'t know, he\'s still my son. You\'ve been scolding him and making things difficult for him, Zhang Xiuqin, all your fault!"

Zhang Xiuqin was carried away by excitement and shouted, "Tang Shan, don\'t forget that you were the one who chased him away."

At the mention of this, Tang Shan felt so regretful that he wanted to vomit blood. Why was he so muddle-headed back then? Why didn\'t he stop Zhang Xiuqin when she scolded her son?

Tang Shan was filled with regret. "Zhang Xiuqin, get lost. Get lost. I\'m going to divorce you!"

Zhang Xiuqin\'s face was filled with disbelief as she screamed, "Tang Shan, what did you say? Say it again!"

Tang Shan glared at Zhang Xiuqin. The more he looked at this old face, the more he disliked it. "Get lost!!"

Tang Dengping was terrified. Ignoring the pain on his face, he ran over and knelt in front of Tang Shan, begging, "Father, don\'t chase Mother away. If Mother leaves, this family will fall apart. Father…"

"You get lost too!" After Tang Shan finished scolding, he picked up the wine pot and drank it. At the same time, he walked out of the courtyard. If he was drunk, he would not regret it…

Tang Dengping trembled in fear. "Mother, what should we do now?"

Zhang Xiuqin did not dare to leave this house. Otherwise, she would be homeless. She said calmly, "Your father was just saying things in a drunken state. It\'s not true."

Tang Dengping looked in the direction where Tang Shan had left, hoping that his dad was just speaking out of anger. He didn\'t want to be like Tang Jinghong, without a mother.

Zhang Xiuqin fell to the ground. She could not understand how things had turned out like this.