FIMA Ch53: Rewards

“Uh…” Xie Changyue sniffled, then, like a little firecracker, rushed straight at Gu Siyuan.

Gu Siyuan wrapped him in his arms, gently kissing the top of his black hair with boundless affection.

Xie Changyue rubbed his little face against his husband’s firm chest.

Until Gu Er finished paying the coachman and sent him off, the two were still tightly embracing.

Gu Er didn’t mind the young couple, heading towards the village himself. He hadn’t seen his own husband for a long time either…

Who knows how long later, the two walked hand in hand towards the village, Xie Changyue hopping joyfully and casually asking, “Husband, you’ve been in the prefectural city for so long; have the prefectural exam results been posted?”

Gu Siyuan nodded, “Yes.”

Xie Changyue looked at his husband, hesitating, “Then you…” His husband never showed his emotions; he always composed far beyond ordinary people. Even as someone who spent every day with him, he couldn’t tell.

Gu Siyuan squeezed his slender white fingers and said casually, “The county office will send someone to deliver the good news tomorrow.”

Xie Changyue’s eyes widened, immediately understanding, and he couldn’t help but jump onto Gu Siyuan and say, “Husband, you’re the best.”

The county exam and the prefectural exam are just the first stages of the imperial examination, also known as the child exam. The government doesn’t place much importance on it, and even if one passes, they have to go check the rankings themselves.

Only the top scorers of these two exams receive unparalleled attention, with the local government sending people to deliver the good news and official documents.

In other words, Gu Siyuan was the top scorer in this exam as well.

As soon as they entered the Gu family courtyard, Xie Changyue called out loudly for Mu Xia, “Pa, Pa, husband topped the exam again.”

Mu Xia came out of the house, smiling and nodding, indicating he already knew.

Several figures appeared from the main house.

Old Master Gu looked at Gu Siyuan and Gu Er with a complicated expression. In other families, having two successful descendants would be a cause for joy, but in the Gu family, it was more awkward because they had always underestimated and even looked down on Gu Yang.

However, in the end, this complex emotion turned into a smile, “Yang’er did very well, topping the exam again.”

Old Lady Gu also said warmly, “Yes, Yang’er has passed the child exam; we should treat the villagers to a meal. Last year, when your elder brother passed, we did the same.”

Gu Siyuan didn’t respond but looked at his father and Pa.

Gu Er met his son’s gaze and remembered the smug smiles of his elder brother and sister-in-law at last year’s banquet and the seemingly comforting but actually sarcastic remarks from his brother.

Heh…

In just one year, those shadows had long disappeared when his son topped the county exam. Why should he care too much?

Gu Er looked at his parents and shook his head, “Forget it. Yang’er has to take the academy exam in August, let’s not waste time. It’s better for him to focus on his studies.”

The two elders were stunned, not expecting their usually obedient second son to contradict them.

They had reservations about Gu Siyuan because of his achievements, but towards their second son, their faces immediately darkened.

Upon seeing this, Li Xiangtao seemed to flip a switch and immediately started sneering, “Hmph, Second Brother, everyone in the village praises you for being honest, but now it’s hard to see it. Just because your son got the top score, you think you’re great and don’t respect your parents anymore.”

“Hmph, let’s not talk about my father’s filial piety, which everyone in the village knows about. Aunt, I seem to smell something sour. Did the vinegar jar in the kitchen spill? Being the top scorer isn’t a big deal, but why didn’t your son get the top score? Is it because he didn’t want to?” Xie Changyue retorted, refusing to show weakness, in a mocking tone.

“You…” Li Xiangtao was so angry she jumped, pointing at him, “You, you’re talking nonsense! Zhen’er just had bad luck. Unlike Gu Yang, who knew Zhen’er was better, so he deliberately didn’t take the exam in the same year. He waited a year and then got lucky to become the top scorer.”

“…” Gu Siyuan.

What an imagination.

Xie Changyue sneered, “Oh, really? Then why don’t you mention that my husband is seven months younger than your son? Isn’t it normal to take the exam a year later?”

“Also, I’m not saying anything, but your son’s luck is really bad. He didn’t get the top score in the county exam, didn’t get it in the prefecture exam either. In August, if he’s even unluckier and doesn’t make the list at all, that would be interesting, haha… haha…”

As he spoke, he couldn’t help but laugh out loud.

Gu Er and Mu Xia couldn’t help but smile a little at his witty words.

“You… you dare curse my Zhen’er?” Li Xiangtao’s face changed drastically, eyes full of anger, and she was about to charge at Xie Changyue, “I’ll tear your mouth apart.”

Gu Siyuan stepped forward, just blocking her path, his expression extremely stern.

Li Xiangtao took a few steps back under his gaze, pointing at Xie Changyue, “You… you wait and see.”

Xie Changyue made a face at her, “I’ll wait, who’s afraid of you? If you dare to scold me or touch me, I’ll tell my husband.”

With that, he followed behind Gu Siyuan, chest puffed out like a victorious rooster, and left.

Old Master Gu and the old lady looked at the chaotic scene, feeling a headache coming on.

Every time they talked nicely, it always ended up in a quarrel.

Their eldest daughter-in-law had a sharp tongue, but the second household was always too relentless, especially this Changyue, good thing they didn’t let Zhen’er marry him back then.

…

The joyous news of the prefecture exam results reached Huangyang Village at noon the next day, causing another round of commotion.

Many villagers surrounded Gu Er and Mu Xia with kind words. Even the elders of the clan came by, wanting to host a celebration feast. However, upon hearing that Gu Siyuan would be taking the academy exam in August and didn’t want to get distracted, they had to give up the idea.

Meanwhile, Gu Siyuan’s reputation spread throughout Tongzhou. First, he was known for benefiting the people as a “filial son”, then he consecutively topped the county and prefecture exams.

Ancient people valued reputation but also strength. A person possessing both was even more admirable.

If the prefect knew this, he might very well be willing to help him achieve the prestigious “Xiaosanyuan” title.

But for Gu Siyuan, life didn’t change much. Every day was still about studying and being with his husband, peaceful yet busy.

From the end of April, in the blink of an eye, it was May, and the weather was getting hotter.

The academy started the field break again, but this time, for some reason, Gu Zhen didn’t return to Huangyang Village like previous years but stayed in Tongzhou.

The Gu family had mixed feelings about this, but it didn’t concern Gu Siyuan.

Xie Changyue, holding a small booklet, ran in excitedly, “Husband, as expected, the corn seeds soaked and disinfected are completely different from the ones planted directly.”

Gu Siyuan looked up at him, “Let me see your records.”

Xie Changyue handed over the booklet, with neatly drawn grids and labeled columns and rows, a recording method Gu Siyuan had taught him. It indeed made everything clear at a glance, regardless of the keywords.

In late March this year, the first season of corn was planted. Now, over two months had passed, and the stalks and leaves had grown. Due to the expanded planting area, various symptoms were gradually appearing.

Among them, the seeds soaked in warm water, vinegar, tung oil, etc., showed fewer diseases in the later stages, grew faster, or had stronger drought resistance.

However, the batch of seeds Gu Siyuan had were of the highest quality and inherently resistant, so overall, they grew well.

Gu Siyuan returned the booklet, nodding, “Well done, very detailed.”

Xie Changyue, happy, hugged his arm, praising, “Husband is even more amazing, coming up with such a simple and clear recording method. If the accountants saw this, they’d be astonished.”

Gu Siyuan smiled, pinching his delicate chin, “You’ve really learned to infer from one instance to another.”

“Yes.” Xie Changyue’s eyes curled in a smile, like a proud little fox.

Gu Siyuan, somewhat tempted, kissed his white eyelid, slowly moving to his nose, then his red lips, and sat him on his lap face-to-face.

After a long time, their lips slowly parted.

Xie Changyue, hugging his husband’s neck, leaned on his shoulder, breathing lightly, murmuring, “Husband, thank you.”

This wasn’t coquettishness or a confession, but a sincere thank you.

Thank you for the arranged marriage, for a year of love and care, and for showing him a completely different world.

After a while, Xie Changyue heard a low, familiar “Hmm.”

The leaves on the trees grew greener, almost creating the illusion of reflecting light.

Time moved into late June, and Mr. Qi felt he had little more to teach Gu Siyuan about policy essays.

After school at the academy, Gu Siyuan looked at Wang Xu and said, “As we agreed before, I need your help with something.”

Wang Xu’s eyes lit up immediately, recalling the matter. He said brightly, “What have you made this time?”

Gu Siyuan shook his head, “It’s my husband.”

Wang Xu curled his lips, “What can that little ger do…”

Gu Siyuan looked at him coldly and asked, “Do you want to keep listening? Otherwise, Changyue will go to the Marquis’s residence for help, or I could report this to the county magistrate.”

Wang Xu hurriedly grabbed him, “No, I’ll listen, I’ll help you.”

Of course, his eagerness to help wasn’t because the Wang family truly valued this benefit, but because the magistrate of Wuqing and the prefect of Tongzhou weren’t aligned with his family. He didn’t want to see them benefit for nothing.

Especially the magistrate, who was associated with the eldest prince, a major competitor to the fifth prince whom the Wang family supported.

It was said that due to the “filial son” matter last year, he was soon to be promoted to a position in the Ministry of Revenue.

As for the Earl of Suining’s residence, they usually appeared neutral, but ever since that true ger returned home, they had been getting closer to Xiao Jingchuan. Xiao Jingchuan was the fourth prince’s companion. Though the fourth prince appeared low-key and uncompetitive now, who knew what the future held?

After all, the emperor had only three adult sons…

Gu Siyuan glanced at Wang Xu and, seeing his smiling but deep eyes, knew what he was thinking.

However, this was a good thing.

Though he was well-informed about this world and knew that the Wang family had a good family tradition and were not the type to burn bridges, relying solely on someone else’s conscience was foolish. When one’s power was insufficient, making others wary was the best choice.

The two sat in Wang Xu’s carriage, heading to Huangyang Village.

Wang Xu looked at the ruts at the village entrance, signs of a four-horse carriage, indicating that other dignitaries had recently visited the village.

Gu Siyuan said indifferently, “Shen Changhuan and Xiao Jingchuan came back yesterday.”

Wang Xu seemed to be thinking about something, then laughed, “Those two are always together, without a care.”

Gu Siyuan brought Wang Xu into his home. Xie Changyue was in the courtyard and immediately ran over excitedly upon seeing him, “Husband, you’re back early today.”

Gu Siyuan caught him, hugged him, and patted his back.

Wang Xu cleared his throat, “I’m still here, you know. Thank me. It’s thanks to my carriage that he got back so quickly.”

Xie Changyue looked up at Wang Xu and said, “Oh, thank you then.”

Wang Xu was annoyed, “What kind of attitude is that?”

Gu Siyuan didn’t want to get involved in their childish argument. He squeezed his husband’s hand and said calmly, “Show him your hard work.”

Xie Changyue’s expression brightened, and he snorted, “Come on, Young Master Wang, don’t get dazzled!”

The three walked through the fields.

Wang Xu was in a good mood. Although he had visited his family’s estates many times, it felt different from a real rural village.

So, he kept his eyes wide open, looking around curiously.

When he held the ear of corn in his hand, his eyes widened even more, almost becoming round, “You… you say this thing can produce 1,300 jin per mu in two seasons? And that’s a conservative estimate?”

Although he had never worked the land, he had read extensively, including books on agriculture and water conservancy. He knew well about the grain yield in the north, where their main crop, wheat, yielded only about 300 jin per mu annually.

This ear of corn had nearly five times that yield. It could feed so many people, and there would be no fear of food shortages for the army or during disaster relief…

This discovery would undoubtedly be recorded in history and venerated by the people as a living Bodhisattva.

Xie Changyue, eyebrows raised in pride, said, “When we first discovered it last year, we harvested 90 jin from a fraction of an acre. Now, isn’t it normal to get 800 jin per mu? What’s the problem with at least 1,300 jin in two seasons?”

Wang Xu looked at them, his voice trembling, “It’s not that I don’t believe you, but this is a serious matter. I need to have someone come and measure the yield from one mu to ensure it’s accurate. Reporting false information could be considered deceiving the emperor, which is no joke.”

Xie Changyue had anticipated this, “Have someone come and measure it. I planted three mu of land.”

Wang Xu nodded.

He looked at his servant and said, “Go back to the clan, have 13th Uncle come over, and bring some experienced farmers as soon as possible. It’s urgent!”

The servant nodded and ran off.

Wang Xu gently stroked the corn, then brought it to his nose and sniffed, “It looks good and smells sweet. Really nice.”

Gu Siyuan looked at him coldly and said, “Your expression and tone, tone it down.”

Wang Xu shook his head, shamelessly, “I can’t tone it down. This thing is a million times more captivating than the most beautiful woman.”

The three talked for a while at the field’s edge, then saw several horses galloping towards them. The leader was the middle-aged man who had escorted Wang Xu to Anping Academy last year.

For caution’s sake, the people from the Wang family harvested the entire mu of corn and even shelled it on the spot, directly weighing the corn kernels.

A steward-like person reported to the middle-aged man, “Reporting to the 13th Master, I’ve calculated several times, and one mu yields 837 jin.”

“Good, good…” 13th Master Wang’s eyes lit up, looking fervently at Gu Siyuan, “Young man, since you trust the Wang family, we will act as intermediaries to recommend you to His Majesty. Your work is earth-shattering, not only will the people be grateful, but future generations will also deeply appreciate you.”

Gu Siyuan frowned slightly.

13th Master Wang asked, “Young man, do you have any other requests?”

Gu Siyuan shook his head, “You might have misunderstood. This corn is the result of my husband, Xie Changyue’s work, and has nothing to do with me.”

13th Master Wang was stunned.

Xie Changyue looked at his husband, tugging anxiously at his sleeve.

He had only planted the corn to make his husband happy. The seeds were provided by his husband, and much of the knowledge was taught by him. How did all the credit suddenly become his?

When outside, he never contradicted his husband, so at this moment, he could only hum and haw, his expression a jumble.

Gu Siyuan squeezed his hand, offering some comfort.

Wang Xu quickly explained, “13th Uncle, it is indeed so.”

13th Uncle of the Wang family thought it over, then gave Gu Siyuan and Xie Changyue a deep look, “Alright, I will report this truthfully to my elder brother.”

There was no denying that if this discovery was credited to Xie Changyue, the emperor might be even happier.

After all, what the people sought most was merely to fill their bellies.

Once this corn spread among the people, the discoverer’s prestige would surely soar; it would also instantly build a reputation in the grain-starved border armies, even to the point of overshadowing the emperor.

Tsk, in such a case…

So, if the discoverer was merely a ger, the emperor would probably sleep better at night and might be even more generous with the rewards.

By now, it was already dark.

Wang Xu and his men didn’t linger and hurriedly returned.

Gu Siyuan and Xie Changyue also leisurely returned home.

After they got home, Xie Changyue was still pouting, “Husband, you always make decisions so early.”

Though, after a while, being a clever person, he roughly understood his husband’s considerations, he still felt somewhat unwilling.

Gu Siyuan chuckled, pinching his cheek. It still felt as good as ever.

However, he deliberately frowned slightly and said, “Your face seems a bit rough, no, looking at it this way, it seems your skin is darker than before.”

“Ah…” Xie Changyue exclaimed, hurriedly sitting in front of the bronze mirror, touching his face, “Really? Is it really darker?”

Gu Siyuan said casually, “It’s summer now, and you work in the fields every day, it’s inevitable to get a bit tanned.”

Xie Changyue’s expression turned dejected.

Undoubtedly, he was a very vain ger.

Hearing that he had become darker and his face rougher was more painful than being cut with a knife.

So, he immediately took out the cream he made before, hurriedly applying it to his face, then every few minutes he would ask Gu Siyuan if he had become a bit fairer.

Gu Siyuan would look up, pretending seriously, “It seems… you are a bit fairer…”

His husband was truly adorable.

Xie Changyue, slightly satisfied, continued applying the cream, completely forgetting the previous matter.

It wasn’t until bedtime, when Gu Siyuan still couldn’t keep his hands and lips off him, that Xie Changyue vaguely felt something was off.

But with large hands igniting fires all over his body, waves of stimulation coming one after another, he couldn’t think too much and could only fully immerse himself in the pleasure his husband brought.

The next day, Gu Siyuan went to the academy as usual.

Wang Xu, looking at his ever-stoic classmate, felt deep admiration, “You are truly remarkable.”

Gu Siyuan looked at him, “You’re not bad yourself.” Always managing to act foolish.

By noon, two members of the Wang family came to the academy with a message, telling Gu Siyuan and Wang Xu that Wang Shangshu had reported the corn matter to the emperor, who was delighted.

The next morning, three princes would bring the imperial edict and officials from the Ministry of Revenue to Huangyang Village, first to reward Xie Changyue and second to verify the truth.

Gu Siyuan acknowledged this, his expression unchanged.

In the evening, after returning home, he went to the main house to inform Old Master Gu of the matter, advising him to keep the villagers in check, suggesting they gather in one place or stay indoors to avoid offending any dignitaries.

Over the past year, Old Master Gu had been repeatedly amazed by this previously inconspicuous grandson.

Yet his first reaction now was still disbelief.

Having a ger from the Marquis Mansion marry into their village already seemed like a dream.

And now, to say that princes were coming—it was the emperor’s sons…

Old Master Gu, trembling all over, held his hand, “Yang’er, are you… are you serious? Princes are coming?”

Gu Siyuan nodded, his expression unchanged, “This matter is indeed true. Otherwise, what I just said would be deceiving the emperor. Grandfather, as the village head, should prepare early. If the princes see anything improper, it would not be good.”

Having said that, he turned and left.

Seeing Gu Siyuan’s demeanor, Old Master Gu began to believe it a bit.

He sat in his chair for a while before coming to his senses, then hurriedly went out.

He hadn’t expected to see the emperor’s sons in his lifetime.

The next day happened to be the academy’s ten-day break, so Gu Siyuan stayed at home.

The princes’ party moved quickly, setting out from the capital early in the morning, and arrived by noon.

That morning, Du, the magistrate of Wuqing County, had already brought some constables to maintain order in the village.

At this point, they led the villagers to kneel at the village entrance to welcome the princes.

The princes appeared quite amiable on the surface, warmly telling them to rise.

Then they called out Gu Siyuan and Xie Changyue to lead the way to the fields.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue, without asking their opinion, directly harvested the corn from the two mu of land and weighed it. One yielded 872 jin, and the other 903 jin.

The officials from the Ministry of Revenue knew very well what these numbers meant. They immediately knelt in the direction of the Forbidden City, chanting long live, congratulating the emperor on his endless reign.

The villagers, somewhat bewildered, followed suit.

This left no more doubts.

After everyone stood up, the eldest prince stepped forward, smiling, “Xie Fulang has rendered great service to the people and the state. My father has specially ordered me to bring rewards as a token of appreciation. Please receive the decree!”

The fourth and fifth princes glanced at him, as if to say, “You speak as if it’s all your doing, just because you’re the eldest.”

Gu Siyuan and Xie Changyue didn’t care about their silent squabbles, only slightly vexed that they had to kneel again right after standing up.

However, the content of the imperial edict was so satisfying that it dispelled all their discontent.

Perhaps because Xie Changyue was a ger, the emperor’s rewards were unusually generous. Xie Changyue was bestowed the title of ‘Country Lord of Changming County,’ granted a county residence in the capital, awarded an estate in Tongzhou, a hundred acres of fertile land, a thousand taels of silver, and various other imperial gifts.

The villagers were dazzled just hearing about it, finding it hard to imagine.

Xie Changyue promptly and respectfully extended his hands to accept the decree and expressed his gratitude.

After the awards ceremony, the three princes were eager to return to the capital to report. They didn’t even drink a sip of water before leaving, but not before each of them gave Gu Siyuan a deep, meaningful look.

Gu Siyuan thought to himself that he was just someone who would rely on his wife’s favor to get by in the future and didn’t understand or care about their looks.

Once everyone had left, the villagers no longer hid their emotions, gazing fervently at the imperial edict in Xie Changyue’s hands.

That was an imperial edict, written by the emperor…

Not only their village but also people from several neighboring villages came by after hearing the news, eager to see the edict and the county lord, and to catch a glimpse of the legendary corn that could yield over a thousand jin per mu.

However, the Gu family’s cornfield had already been taken over by the Ministry of Revenue, guarded daily by the Imperial Guards.

The most agitated, however, were the members of the Gu family itself.

In the main hall of the Gu family:

“Yang’er, how could you give all the credit to your wife?” an elder from the clan earnestly advised.

Gu Siyuan’s expression remained calm, “It was indeed his achievement.”

“He has married you, and according to custom, what’s his is yours,” the elder frowned.

Gu Siyuan looked at him indifferently, “Then you should go and tell him to share the credit with me. He is now a county lord with a title and rank. I fear him and dare not offend him, but you probably aren’t afraid.”

“…” The elder.

Is this how you talk?

If you’re afraid, we, who have no real connection, are even more afraid…

After the elders left in defeat, Gu Siyuan turned to Old Master Gu and said, “Grandfather, this matter is settled. There is no need to send anyone to probe further.”

Old Master Gu’s face turned slightly pale.

He was just unwilling to accept it. Such a great merit, enough to elevate their family’s status, had fallen onto a ger.

Why didn’t Gu Yang claim the credit for himself? Even if he didn’t want it, he could have let this old man take it…

Ignoring the old man’s thoughts, Gu Siyuan lightly dusted off his clothes and walked out of the hall.

Li Xiangtao leaned against the door, slightly opening a crack, watching Gu Yang’s departing figure with bloodshot eyes. She hadn’t slept well for several days.

Why? Why was this brat so lucky…

Not only did he create the “Filial Piety Machine,” but he also repeatedly topped the exams. Even Xie Changyue, whom she once looked down upon, had now become a county lord.

All of this should have been her son Zhen’er’s. How could Gu Yang, this silent and unremarkable person, deserve it?

“Mother, what did you say should be elder brother’s?” Gu Qingqing’s clear voice sounded.

Li Xiangtao’s fingers tightly gripped the wooden door, her mind buzzing as she realized she had accidentally spoken her thoughts aloud.

Gu Qingqing tilted her head in confusion, “But back then, didn’t you and elder brother both not want Changyue as a husband? That’s why he married second cousin.”

Li Xiangtao’s face turned pale.