The Eldest Daughter of a Rural Family-Chapter 645 Unforgettable Great Kindness (5)_1

"Eat up!" Mo Heng said with a smile, offering her the candied haw on a stick at her lips, coaxing her.

"Your sister..." To actually coax her with a candied haw, treating her like a child!?

Mo Heng took a bite himself, then nudged it towards her again.

Seeing Mo Heng get off the carriage to buy the candied haw, Fang Fu and Fang Liuming on the carriage in front could not help but smile. Mo Heng did not seem like someone who would eat candied haws.

Shen Songming quietly sneered.

When the carriage left the city, they were stopped outside by a steward who presented a large chest, saying it was a gift from Prince He Qing.

Mo Heng opened the chest to look inside, thanked the bearer, and took the chest with him.

Shen Songming, Fang Liuming, and Fang Fu stopped upon escorting them outside the city walls.

Feng Wei drove the carriage, the mute guard rode alongside, and the four servants hit the road for home.

When they had left, they were in a prison cart, but now they were returning, with one having been named the Third Rank Lady of Yuanyang and the other a Ninth Rank Inspector.

Feng Wei drove the carriage fast, slowing down when encountering wind and snow, but speeding along on clear days.

Soon enough, they reached Yuanyang County.

The news of Pei Qin’s title as Third Rank Lady of Yuanyang had already reached home ahead of them.

A month before, the entire Yuanyang County was discussing how Pei Qin and Mo Heng poisoned the Emperor’s soy sauce and were escorted to the Capital Jingcheng, destined for beheading—perhaps already dead.

But against all expectations, what was once wrought in iron as a definite death sentence turned out to be a liberation with no fault found, and even a decree elevating her to the position of a Third Rank Lady. No one in Yuanyang County had ever received such an enjoinment!

The Pei family, most of all, found this difficult to accept. They had been all but certain that their family was headed for annihilation. Even if those at the bottom didn’t die, they would be exiled or, if underage, forced to serve as official slaves, while Pei Qin and Mo Heng, the ringleaders, were definitely going to be executed. Yet not only were they not dead, but they also encountered great fortune.

The enjoin decree made Pei Qin a Third Rank Lady and granted Mo Heng the position of a Ninth Grade Inspector. It was as if they had stepped into dog’s luck! Now, they had suddenly shot up to a lofty status, suppressing their own Old Pei’s House once again.

In Taiping Town, Liu’er Alley was overjoyed.

Ever since the news spread that the two were exonerated, and the guards from the Ministry of Justice had departed, Pei Yuan returned to her mother’s home, fearing that at home Pei Qian and Pei Wendong, along with the younger children, would not cope well. Jiujiu was still young and had been frightened during these past days without her parents, needing careful nurturing. There was also a fear that Old Pei’s House might take advantage of the situation with some sly tricks.

However, fortunately, the eldest sister and her husband were unharmed and even received the enjoin decree of a Third Rank Lady. From then on, no one in the whole Yuanyang County, not even in the broader Runing Prefecture, would dare to openly insult their family again!

Pei Qin and Mo Heng, riding in their carriage, did not pause at Yuanyang County but went straight to Taiping Town.

The townspeople all came out to see, as if Pei Qin had transformed into someone other than herself upon becoming a Third Rank Lady, as if she looked different somehow.

The carriage stopped in Liu’er Alley, and as she listened to the sounds outside, Pei Qin jumped off the carriage.

As soon as Grandma Sun saw her alight, she hurriedly told the villagers, "Xiao Pei is now a Lady of the Imperial Enjoin, a Third Rank higher than even Master County! We must kneel and pay our respects!" With that, she knelt down.

Some followed suit and knelt, while others, seeing that Pei Qin still looked the same aside from having lost weight, exchanged glances, unsure if they should kneel, too.

Mo Heng also stepped down from the carriage after her.

Feng Wei turned around, opened a chest, revealing a beautifully made Enjoin Robe of Imperial Court, matching jewelry, and a roll of bright yellow imperial edict.

As these items were revealed, along with the edict, everyone immediately dropped to their knees.

Pei Yuan, holding Jiujiu, and Pei Qian, Pei Wendong, and Xiao Yong, along with Chang Yonglin, stood at the doorway. Watching everyone kneeling down and the couple standing out like cranes among chickens, they could not contain their excitement.

"Mom! Mom!" Jiujiu cried from afar, recognizing her parents and stretching out her arms with tears.

Pei Yuan rushed over, cradling her.

"Our darling daughter!" Pei Qin moved a few steps forward, took her daughter into her arms, and hugged her.

As Jiujiu clung to her neck, she sobbed loud enough to shake the heavens.

While soothing her daughter, Pei Qin hurriedly bade everyone stand, "My fellow villagers, there’s no need to kneel!"

The children also crowded around, "Elder sister!"

"Brother-in-law!"

"Sister Qin!"

As they gathered around Pei Qin, Grandma Sun and Madam Sun couldn’t help but tear up, "What a tremendous ordeal! Nearly cost them their lives!"

"Fortunately, it’s all in the past now! Pei Qin and her siblings have gone from adversity to prosperity; those who survive a great disaster are bound to have good fortune awaiting them!" Lady Zou also dabbed her eyes.

"Yes, yes! Pei Qin became a Lady of the Imperial Enjoin, and Mo Heng has become an official. From now on, they’re set for a good life!" Grandma Sun chimed in and urged Sister Peiqin and her siblings to quickly get into the house.

The group returned home, with the villagers crowding the yard outside.

Pei Qin and Mo Heng thanked everyone, announcing that in three days they would hold a banquet to express gratitude for the villagers’ care of her and her brother; it was not for celebration.

The villagers were all delighted, lavishing praise on Pei Qin and Mo Heng, and the siblings’ family. Only after that did they leave, discussing outside that Pei Qin’s family was now truly on the path to success.

"Elder sister, you should wash up, change your clothes, and rest first!" Pei Yuan said with teary eyes as she came to take Jiujiu.

But Jiujiu refused to let go, insistent on staying with her mother, "Want Mom! Want Mom!"

"Alright, alright! Mom will hold you!" Pei Qin, seeing this clingy Little Radish, kissed her and coaxed her to stay calm.

And so Jiujiu did, no longer causing any fuss as long as she was in her mother’s arms.

Only then did Pei Qin take a closer look at Pei Qian, Pei Wendong, and the other Little Radishes, "Tell me about everything that has happened at home first!"

When the subject came up, Pei Qian’s anger was immediately palpable, as she gritted her teeth with resentment.

Even Pei Wendong’s young face darkened, his fists clenched tight, "Elder sister! I will take part in the imperial examinations next spring!"

Pei Qin frowned, "What happened?"