Picking Up a General to Plow the Fields

Chapter 574: Misinterpretation

As he spoke, he turned and shouted to the officials: “Bring them forward!”

Master Zhao, hurriedly added: “Bring it up carefully, carefully!”

One after another, the items were lifted up and the crowd gasped.

Thousands of gold and silver taels, bolts of cloth, and even a fertile farm house! Even if the Lian family did not work another day in their life, this was enough to prosperous life!

Lian Ze and the others did not expect the emperor to be so generous! They all had smiles on their faces.
Lian Fang Zhou smiled but she didn’t feel that this was that generous in her heart.

Compared to her contribution, this reward wasn’t much.

But for country people, these rewards were unbelievable and the plaque itself was very valuable so she couldn’t say she was at a disadvantage.

The house and land deeds were packed in red brocade boxes covered with yellow satin.
The gold and silver bills were packed in large wooden boxes, one box of gold, two boxes of silver, and several boxes of satin bolts.
There were ten boxes of total.

All the things were neatly lined up in the middle of the yard.
The lids of each box were opened and the boxes of deeds were placed on the incense table for everyone to admire.

The gold and silver shone brightly.
Contrasted with the dazzling colors of the satin, it was like rosy clouds in the sky.
Spread out like this, the impact was huge and had a somewhat ostentatious momentum, making people’s heart’s skip.

The liveliness of the scene reached it’s peak for a while!

After everyone had a chance to look, the county magistrate said some words about the greatness of the emperor’s face and that everyone should use the Lian family as an example, making more contributions for the country.
Everyone enthusiastically agreed.

Stepping forward with Lian Che, Lian Ze invited the county magistrate to come in and sit at the table.

Naturally the county magistrate would not refuse this honor.
After a show of humility, he went in surrounded by not only the males of the Lian family, but also Village Head Zheng and the village elders.

The officials of the yamen were also invited in, along with Manager Su and the others.

Steward Qin cupped his fists and bowed to the crowd, thanking them with a smile.
Saluting, he explained that tomorrow the Lian family would set up a three day banquet and they were all welcome to attend…

The crowd was very excited! Laughing and saying some polite words, they all dispersed in twos and threes.

Lian Fang Zhou instructed Steward Qin to have the boxes covered and brought into the side room.
They would be cataloged and put away later.

“Fang Zhou! Wait, I have something to ask you!” Lian Hai came over quickly, his face livid.

Steward Qin glanced at him, full of silent contempt, thinking that he didn’t know where he got the confidence to be so old fashioned!

Lian Fang Zhou didn’t seem to notice Lian Hai’s anger.
“Oh! Why is my cousin still here? Why don’t you go in and eat?”

“No need! I’m not so lucky!” Lian Hai said coldly, biting out the words through his teeth.

Where would he have the nerve to go sit down?

When it came to receiving the imperial edict, he was the oldest male cousin of Lian Fang Zhou and the others and also a scholar.
We wasn’t comparable to these rural farmers, so he took it for granted that he would be the one to accept the imperial edict.

However, not only was he not the one that received the decree, he had not kneeled with the Lian family at all and had only watched from the side as a witness.

If he ran to the table now and said he was the cousin of the Lian family, how could his face bear it?

Lian Fang Zhou completely ignored the anger and dissatisfaction in his words and calmly said ‘oh’.
Smiling, she said: “You are our guest, so you can do as you please, cousin!”

“You!” Lian Hai was so angry that there was a sharp pain in his upper chest.
Coldly, he demanded: “Did you do this on purpose? I know you must have done it on purpose! Deliberately asking someone to call me at the last minute, not asking me to come up with you, accepting the decree without me…”

Lian Fang Zhou gave him a strange look.
“Is my cousin a little confused from all his studying? How did I do this on purpose? Didn’t I explain earlier? If you insist on thinking this, I can’t change your mind.
As for receiving the decree, it’s not that I didn’t want you to come forward with Ah Jian and I, but you were standing their motionless! I couldn’t remind you.
Besides, since you are here, we are two families, no one will blame you.”

Lian Hai almost fainted from anger!

He obviously didn’t mean that, okay! How did everything end up changing in her mouth?

“Let’s not talk about that for now.” When it came to bickering, how could Lian Hai, who only knew how to study and had no experience, be Lian Fang Zhou’s opponent?

If this conversation continues, he would be completely hunted by her.

Suppressing the anger in his heart, he said coldly: “Let me ask you again.
Didn’t you promise me back then? Didn’t you say that I would have some credit for this matter? But today, no one mentioned a word that it had something to do with me.
Doesn’t my cousin owe me an explanation?”

The more he talked, the more heartbroken and annoyed be became.
He even rolled his eyes and stared at her coldly.

Lian Fang Zhou only looked at him calmly.
After while, she said slowly: “I did mention this.
You and many of the villagers contributed to the harvest of the cotton.
What you did, I mentioned.
What’s the use of asking me about this? Others helped collect cotton but none of them care to come and ask about this!”

“Collect, collect, collect!” Lian Hai felt like smoke was coming out of his head from anger.

“Yes!” Lian Fang Zhou nodded decisively.
Before he could argue, she said: “Cousin, what you have done, you did, what you did not do, you did not do.
Do you think its just a matter of words? What happens if this gets bigger, talking nonsense without regard of the actual situation, isn’t this tantamount to deceiving the emperor? I am timid, I would never dare to do such a thing.
Otherwise, I would never be able to sleep soundly again!”

Lian Hai was now trembling with anger.
Pointing at her, he sputtered: “Very good! Very Good! Okay, you are really my cousin! You even stab me in the back!”

“…” Lian Fang Zhou stared at him speechlessly, unable to respond.

His logic was really beyond her comprehension!

Sneering, Lian Hai abruptly flicked his sleeves and walked away without looking back.

Lian Fang Zhou shrugged helplessly.
There would always be people in this world who tried to take the fruits of other people’s hard work as their own and get angry when they couldn’t.

After happily eating and drinking all evening, the county magistrate and the others all left with red envelopes.
The Lian family also gave Village Head Zheng and the village elders a lot of gifts.

But this time, the village elders resolutely refused to accept them! It was already such a great gift for them to sit at the same table as the county magistrate, what else could they want!

Village Head Zheng agreed, saying that they didn’t need to be so polite.

Lian Ze received Lian Fang Zhou’s signal and was even more determined to send out the red envelopes.