Chapter 353 - 353= Pregnant
Shen Congjun was almost done pretending. “Father, His Majesty is going to harvest rice tomorrow.”
The rice in the palace was farmed extremely well, and the harvest time was greatly shortened. It was harvested almost at the same time as the other new rice seeds given by the Ning Family.
Shen Congjun had also given away the rice seeds that he had promised back then. However, to the officials’ surprise, the Royal Guards appeared in front of them along with the rice seeds.
All the rice seeds entered the harvest period under the Emperor’s strict watch. It was not an exaggeration to say that in the past few days, the relevant people had been unable to sleep at night and could barely eat or drink.
Even the knowledgeable emperor came to harvest rice with dark circles under his eyes.
After cutting two handfuls of rice in a ritualistic manner, the rest was handed over to his subordinates. The Emperor was thinking about the harvest and could not even be bothered to eat the snacks.
Shen Congjun accompanied him the entire time. When Shen Congjun saw that the final production was calculated, his smile came from the bottom of his heart.
“Congratulations, Your Majesty. The heavens have blessed Great Xia!” The Emperor tried his best to hold back his laughter, but he gave up when he realized that he could not hold it in.
“Hahahaha, good, good! God bless Great Xia!”
“Official Shen has stayed in the capital long enough. From tomorrow onwards,
I’ll give you a mission…”
Shen Congjun knew that the Emperor had not left him in the Imperial Capital for so long just to let him farm. “Your subject, accept the decree!
Counting the days, the Emperor asked Eunuch De to pack up the memorandums he had received during this period of time and bring them to the court. The officials who had long been impatient, especially the imperial censors, started to impeach them as soon as they came to court.
Most importantly, the impeached person, Shen Congjun, was calm and composed. He allowed them to be impassioned the entire time and watched their saliva fly everywhere. His father, Premier Shen, was also calm and composed. He naturally had the aura of a breeze blowing over the mountain. When they were done scolding and talking, they finally remembered that they should quietly wait for His Majesty’s verdict. Dozens of pairs of eyes looked at the Emperor in unison, only to see him yawn unhurriedly.
“Let’s go take a walk in the imperial garden.”
The ministers were puzzled. Didn’t His Majesty announce a few months ago that the imperial garden was closed and no one was allowed to enter?
Moreover, weren’t they discussing the impeachment of Shen Congjun? Why did the topic suddenly change to going to the garden?
The Emperor would not wait for them. After saying that, he left with Eunuch De. Of course, the officials did not dare to stay where they were. After looking at each other, they followed obediently.
Shen Congjun and his father exchanged glances. They slowly strolled over. The grains that had just been collected were piled up in the imperial garden. All the exotic flowers and plants that were usually in sight were gone, and in their place was… farmland?
The rice stalks that had just been cut, and the packed rice each occupied half of the garden. The officials looked puzzled.
The Emperor asked them, “Dear Officials, do you know how much rice can be produced in an acre of land? How much rice does an adult need to eat every day?”
The officials could not answer any of these questions. This was the kind of ignorance that the Emperor wanted. After throwing out the questions, he rewarded them with disdain. “Dear Official Shen, tell them.
Shen Congjun tidied his official uniform and snorted in his heart. Did you enjoy scolding me just now? Its not that the time hasn’t come. Its time for me to show off.
***
Other than leaving some of the rice seeds for the original farmers, the rest were taken away by the Imperial Court. Then, the grains that were taken away, returned to Fortune Village with Shen Congjun. Shen Congjun knocked on the Ning Family’s door.
“Eh, Brother Ning isn’t here?”
Madam Song nodded. “They were invited away by the bailiff…”
Shen Congjun looked puzzled. “Bailiff?”
The matter was like this. Today was the day Old Madam Ning would be executed. The entire Ning Family had already decided to have nothing to do with them from now on. Unexpectedly, Little Aunt Ning was instigated by someone to make a scene at the county government office.
The new county magistrate couldn’t stand the disturbance. Two hours before the execution, he sent someone to the Ning Family to explain the situation.
“It’s not a big deal. I just want you to take a look at her and send her off one last time…”
After receiving the county magistrate’s instructions, the bailiff knew that there was someone powerful in good terms with the Ning Family, so his attitude was quite warm.
Ning Fengnian did not say a word. Madam Song and the Ning Family brothers also had dark expressions.
“There’s nothing to see.”
Just as he finished speaking, another person rushed in from outside. “Brother Ning, look at how this matter has blown up. Your sister said that if she doesn’t see you, she will shout about your unfilial deeds in the execution ground. They even said…”
The bailiff wanted to say something but hesitated. However, he had to make things clear. “She even said that if this affects Eldest Young Master’s future career, it’ll be too late for you to regret it in the future.”
“She said that not only will she find trouble with you today, but she will also go to the examination hall in the future and all the places you will go in the future. She wants to tell all the villagers how your family only cares about their wealth. You watch your blood relatives die or be exiled. Let the world judge you and see if you are worthy of the rewards given by the Imperial Court.” These words did sound infuriating, but in fact, this was already a slightly tactful retelling. Even an outsider like him wanted to punch Little Aunt Ning when he heard her original expression and attitude.
“Brother Ning, urn, I’ll be honest with you. If outsiders who don’t know better hear your sister’s nagging, they might really misunderstand. After all, they don’t know you and don’t know your character…
Little Aunt Ning’s wails were heart-wrenching. She looked like she had suffered a huge grievance. It was really a little scary.
The lifeline of the Ning Family now, other than Xiaoxiao, was Ning Ansheng, who was studying hard. Ever since Xiaoxiao left, he had been studying harder and harder. If it weren’t for Dean Lu, he probably wouldn’t even plan to eat or sleep. He would have to spend the rest of his life with books.
Madam Song rolled up her sleeves. “It’s not over yet, right? Is she addicted to bullying our family?”
Ning Fengnian stopped her. “Leave this to me. Rest well at home.” After saying that, he deliberately glanced at her stomach. “You know Little Sister. She can do anything when she’s angry. It won’t be good if she bumps into you.” Madam Song could only suppress her anger when she heard this. She looked down at her stomach, which had not changed much, and was filled with emotions.
Less than a month after Xiaoxiao left, she suddenly felt dizzy and nauseous. The head of the household was nervous about her body and immediately invited the doctor home to take her pulse. When her pulse was checked, the entire family was surprised and happy—she was actually pregnant.
Erlang, oh no, Anhui said that God was compensating their family for losing a daughter. Although Madam Song said that he was talking nonsense, she was indeed much relieved..