Chapter 439: Female Official

Chapter 439: Female Official

County Magistrate Wang was already on edge, and her loud shouting startled him even more, causing him to glance over impatiently. The next moment, his eyes nearly popped out.

"You all..."

Granny Zhang, Wu Xiaolian, Ahgou, and Xiao Hua—a family of four—were standing in the crowd, still dressed in their clothes from the previous night. They glared at the two with hatred in their eyes.

County Magistrate Wang snapped back to reality, his soul about to leave his body. If he hadn't realized the situation by now, he wasn't just stupid; he was a born fool!

They... had been tricked by Lord Xie!

It wasn't that Lord Xie was seeking revenge or punishing them; it was all due to what happened last night!

Granny Zhang's family and Lord Xie had worked together to set them up!

Although he still didn't know what had happened to the stone projectiles delivered to Prince Rong's camp, the sounds he heard that morning made County Magistrate Wang realize something. He glared angrily at the Zhang family.

But what he got in return was a rotten egg in Xiao Hua's hand, thrown with such force that it left him dazed. When he finally managed to look up again, Ahgou threw a cabbage leaf straight at his head, giving him a "green hat."

Just as County Magistrate Wang was about to burst into angry curses, Lord Xie and his entourage returned, followed by many new faces dressed as military officers.

The execution ground was not far from the city gate, essentially a single street away, and it was also the route the army took to enter the city. Thus, this group quickly arrived at the scene.

"Lord Xie, what's going on here?" Xiao Silang asked curiously, looking at the entire Wang family kneeling on the ground.

Xiao Sanlang was not as carefree as his younger brother. His brows had been furrowed in concern and had not relaxed since seeing the large group of people kneeling at the execution ground. Finally, he couldn't help but walk up to Lord Xie and whisper.

"Lord Xie, we are guilty of delaying the reinforcements. We should be punished here at the execution ground today!"

Xiao Feiyan, who had been clinging to Su Youyue and not wanting to separate, immediately stepped forward. "Third Brother, Fourth Brother, I think it's more important to read the imperial edict first!"

They couldn't explain everything clearly in a short time, so Xiao Feiyan wisely changed the subject.

Xiao Sanlang understood his sister's clever tactic but had no choice but to immediately read the edict. At this point, they had already entered the city, so it was the right time to read the edict.

The bright yellow edict was held high with both hands, and tens of thousands of people knelt down in unison, creating a spectacular scene. The only sound was Xiao Sanlang reading the edict.

"By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Recently, Liao Dong has been in urgent danger, and the rebels have been rampant. To quell the border unrest, we hereby appoint Xie Yuan, Minister of Revenue, as General Zhaowu, to lead the troops to suppress the rebellion and ensure peace in Liao Dong..."

General Zhaowu was a first-rank military officer of the Great Shen, the highest commander of the army. This edict made Lord Xie's mission to lead the Liao Dong army against the enemy more legitimate, which did not surprise anyone.

What did surprise everyone was the second edict.

"By the will of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: We have heard that in times of national crisis, every citizen has a responsibility. At this critical moment for our Great Shen, men have eagerly joined the army to defend the country, which pleases our heart. Now, there are also women who have set an example by contributing excellent strategies and creating divine weapons for our Great Shen. Our heart is deeply moved by their patriotism. Therefore, we hereby make an exception to confer titles to the wife of the Minister of Revenue, Madam Lu, as Left Deputy Minister of Works...

"Their daughter, Su, the lawful wife of General Zhaowu, will serve as Minister of Works and guide the creation of divine weapons in the army..."

After the long edict was read, Xiao Sanlang dared to swallow, moistening his throat. In his view, this second edict was shockingly unprecedented. The Emperor had directly appointed two female officials, disregarding the old conservatives in the court!

Although he knew both women and had a good relationship with them, Xiao Sanlang was still having a hard time processing it, let alone the others.

But when he learned that the even more astonishing ammunition had been created by this mother and daughter, he was no longer that surprised. If it were him, he would have immediately granted official positions to whoever contributed to creating such divine weapons, regardless of whether they were male or female, or even not human!

Xiao Sanlang calmly finished reading the imperial decree, unsurprised by the shocked looks on everyone's faces. However, seeing Su Youyue herself looking stunned, he felt a sudden urge to laugh.

Fortunately, the atmosphere was solemn, and he managed to suppress it.

Xiao Feiyan, who already knew about the existence of this imperial decree, quickly reminded Su Youyue, "Yue'er, you should receive the decree!"

Su Youyue regained her composure and stepped forward to receive the decree, her mind a whirl of emotions.

She knew that the Emperor had always intended to appoint her mother as a female official, but she hadn’t expected to be included too.

Su Youyue clearly felt like an afterthought in the decree, especially since the text praising her mother was significantly longer. Still, she couldn’t help feeling happy.

Though her mother had said she didn’t want to be an official, Su Youyue could tell that deep down, she had always harbored this wish. With the opportunity finally here, she was truly happy for her mother.

Especially since this wish was likely one her mother couldn’t fulfill in her previous life.

With a gentle smile on her lips, Su Youyue accepted the decree and thanked the Emperor. She then lowered her gaze to reread the decree, unaware that the crowd who had come to watch the execution were now dumbfounded.

So, this woman is Lord Xie’s legitimate wife?

And now she is one of only two female officials in the court! Appointed directly by the Emperor!

With this imperial decree, Su Youyue’s role as a camp follower was now officially recognized, and she had become a nominal leader in the camp. No wonder the people were stunned. They hadn’t realized this was the legendary bedridden Lady Xie!

If they had known earlier, how could they have been misled by that woman and suspected that Lady Xie was a secret concubine with an illicit relationship with Lord Xie…

It was absurd. This is the real Lady Xie!

"I told you so! This is Lady Xie, but you didn’t believe me!" complained a villager from Small River Village. "You have no idea how loving Lord Xie and Lady Xie are!"