The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family
Chapter 403: To Have Such a Dream (8)_1

Chapter 403: Chapter 403: To Have Such a Dream (8)_1

The merit was Pei Qin’s and her brother’s; Old Pei’s House just basked in the reflected glory of some imperial rewards.

Before and after the New Year, The Imperial Court also finally agreed on what sort of imperial rewards to give to Sister Peiqin and her brother.

One hundred taels of gold, numerous rolls of brocade and fine cloth, and most importantly, a commemorative plaque, along with the Pai Building bestowed by The Imperial Court.

That’s right, the Pai Building, also known as the Archway.

The moment Pei Qin heard about the archway, she silently thought of the Chastity Arch. She was ignorant and had only heard of that; she had never heard of receiving an archway for planting sweet potatoes, and was this without any hidden meaning!?

Seeing that she was still unsatisfied, Shen Songming glared at her, whispering to her, "Everything is unsubstantial, but this Pai Building is the most important! Once it is built, your name will be firmly established. Not to speak of leaving a fragrant legacy for a hundred generations, at the very least, this Pai Building is constructed by imperial order, a sacred honor given by the Emperor, and no one can take that away!"

Pei Qin pursed her lips, "Such an insubstantial thing is quite good, isn’t it?"

"You don’t want it?" Shen Songming raised an eyebrow.

Pei Qin coughed and stood her ground, not saying a word.

Shen Songming looked at her, smiling. Hadn’t they been busy for two years just for this!?

The whole town was astounded, and the faces of Old Pei’s House turned utterly ugly. The imperial rewards were gone. They were given one hundred taels of gold and some rewards, but now this came, slapping them hard.

Old Pei felt his old face slapped raw and needed support to stand as dizziness overwhelmed him.

Lady Zhu looked pale and defeated, but faced with The imperial eunuch sent by The Imperial Court and that impressive team of officers and soldiers, she dared not say anything.

The imperial eunuch announced the decree and had the people from the Ministry of Labour who came with him start building the Pai Building. As the imperial emissary with an order, he had to wait until the Pai Building was completed before he could return to report back.

Sun Lizheng quickly led the people from the Ministry of Labour to the sweet potato fields, "Your Excellencies, it’s not far outside the town, very close by!"

The imperial eunuch followed them as well. He had to inspect the site in person and oversee it, which would be good for when he reported back.

A grand procession made its way over to the workshop area.

Seeing the workshop might get in the way, Wu Dongsi immediately indicated that it would be best to designate this whole piece of land as one. Certainly, only a few dozen acres for the imperial-awarded Pai Building to be built on such a small patch of land was inappropriate.

The few nearby families also didn’t dare say much, and Shen Songming went straight to them. He offered a high price to buy the land, and then they pieced together a total of one hundred sixty acres, stretching from Bear River to the foot of Taiping Mountain, joining into one expanse.

It was a blatant delineation of territory, but no one said anything, as the matter of The Imperial Court’s Pai Building was of great importance. Pei Qin wasn’t seizing the land by force; she had bought it with silver, and even at a higher price than their land was worth. They could even acquire an additional two acres with the silver elsewhere.

Then the location of the Pai Building was set alongside the main road, facing south from the north, not far from the workshop. That patch of land, because of the autumn sweet potatoes, was left smooth, clean, and ready for spring soybeans to be planted as soon as the weather warmed a tad. Now there was no need to ruin the wheat, and construction could start immediately.

Wu Dongsi arranged for The imperial eunuch to stay in Taiping Town and instructed Pei Qin and Sun Lizheng to host him properly.

However, with Shen Songming there, Wu Dongsi didn’t have much to worry about; after all, the imperial rewards were settled, and now nobody could snatch them away.

No one had expected such a dramatic turn in events; the change was too significant and too... tempting to laugh at Old Pei’s House.

The members of Old Pei’s House slinked back to the village in defeat, and they still had to thank Sister Pei Qin and her brother for also being of the Pei surname, rising like splendid bamboo shoots from the rotten bamboo of Old Pei’s House, allowing them to bask in the glory of witnessing The Imperial Court’s rewards.

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