Chapter 180: Mmm~ Lu Yuan's scent really smells nice~

"Thank the Human Emperor's grace."

After Lu Yuan knelt on the ground and shouted loudly, the eunuch then placed the imperial decree into Lu Yuan's held hands.

Afterwards, Lu Yuan again shouted "Long live!"

As for why Lu Yuan is so familiar with the process.

Hey, it's not like these eunuchs came at six in the morning to give Lu Yuan a refresher on how to receive the decree, what to say and what to do.

Meanwhile, those kneeling in the rear and central courtyards were all clueless.

This...

This early this morning, the eunuchs came.

Nobody knew what was happening.

Anyway, they didn't let the workers go to work, just had everyone wait in this courtyard.

It wasn't until seven-thirty that they began to read the imperial decree.

Upon hearing the decree, everyone was stunned.

This Lu Yuan...

He actually became a sir??

Baron?

From now on, Lu Yuan is no longer an ordinary commoner!!

This really is a lord now.

After Lu Yuan finished giving thanks, the senior eunuch, while placing the decree into Lu Yuan's hands, said with a smile:

"Lord Lu, shall we meet at the palace in twelve days?"

Lu Yuan startled, then quickly gave his wife a glance.

Su Liyan quickly stood up, pulled out a stack of silver dollars wrapped in red paper from her pocket, and was about to present it.

This is a gift.

This isn't really considered a gift or bribery.

After all, Lu Yuan isn't after anything from this eunuch, so how to put it...

Can it be considered a bad custom?

Anyway, Lu Yuan previously saw on TV dramas on Earth that people do it this way.

The senior eunuch startled, then repeatedly waved his hands and said:

"Lord Lu, please don't take advantage of us; that practice is long outdated, your position today is entirely due to your own talent."

The senior eunuch silently cursed, "Don't drag me into this, damn it!!"

The emperor just stood there watching!!

After the senior eunuch finished speaking, he flicked his whisk and hurried away.

Don't delay the emperor's affairs!

After the senior eunuch left, the people in the courtyard looked at each other, then hurriedly stood up.

After standing up, everyone immediately gathered around, curiously asking Lu Yuan, who had reopened the decree to examine it:

"What is a baron, and can one receive money each month?"

Titles like these aren't something ordinary commoners can clearly understand.

But everyone knows a little about them.

It is said that when the court confers titles, it gives a sum of reward money.

Of course, that was before; nobody knows what this new dynasty is like.

After all, it seems no one in this dynasty has been conferred a title yet.

Anyway, at least on the east side of the city, nobody has heard of it.

At this point, let alone the people in the courtyard being curious.

Actually, Lu Yuan is also a bit dazed.

This morning Lu Yuan was still cuddling his wife in bed, kissing her, when these eunuchs showed up.

Gu Qingwan also came early.

Saying she heard about this, Gu Qingwan specially came to liven things up for Lu Yuan.

After the eunuchs arrived, they didn't let Lu Yuan ask questions; they made Lu Yuan and Su Liyan wear New Year's clothes and fix up their hair.

Then they instructed Lu Yuan and Su Liyan on how to respond later and how to thank the decree.

Lu Yuan truly didn't expect that the court would actually confer a title on him.

But...

As for the conferment of a title, shouldn't there be a monetary reward or some gift?

They didn't mention anything.

They just brought the imperial decree.

This made Lu Yuan feel a bit dizzy.

When Lu Yuan reopened the decree and examined it again with his wife.

Gu Qingwan beside him immediately came forward and explained with a smile:

"This is a title, a reward from the court for those who have merit.

As for what reward, after meeting the Human Emperor in twelve days, the Human Emperor will bestow the reward.

However, the reward for a baron is not large; the court allocates two hundred coins each year to a baron."

Everyone blinked, looking at Gu Qingwan.

Everyone knows that Gu Qingwan's father works in the Ministry of War.

She is the daughter of a high official, so what she says is reliable.

Two hundred coins a year?

Upon hearing this, everyone sucked in a breath of cold air.

This isn't just saying……

From now on, will we never see Lu Yuan eating chaff and swallowing vegetables again??

From now on, can Lu Yuan really just laze around at home every day and never worry about food and drink??

Lu Yuan gets two hundred coins a year for free from the court, plus Su Liyan earns thirty-six coins a month at the Forging Bureau……

This……

For a moment, everyone felt jealous.

Not…… what does Lu Yuan have to deserve this!!

Hmm……

If we really talk about what he deserves, everyone actually knows it in their hearts.

Two threshers, a bicycle, and some kind of cannon—these are what can be used to suppress bandits.

If relying on these ennoblements, it seems nothing is impossible.

But everyone still feels jealous……

This…… Lu Yuan idles around every day, and yet he actually managed to make a name for himself?

"Is that all?"

Lu Yuan blinked and suddenly asked Gu Qingwan beside him.

Seeing Lu Yuan like that, Gu Qingwan knew he wasn't very satisfied with this ennoblement,

She couldn't help but give Lu Yuan a big eye-roll.

This title isn't an official post or anything like that.

This is essentially an honorary status.

Besides, this isn't the title you, Lu Yuan, wanted yourself.

Afterwards, Gu Qingwan then said:

"Of course not, there are also some other things above.

For example, ordinary government offices won't be able to control you in the future, and constables can't arbitrarily detain you.

You can see a doctor at the hospital for free, and your family only needs to pay half the fee."

After Gu Qingwan finished speaking, the people in the courtyard, as well as Lu Yuan, all blinked.

Hmm……

The fact that constables can't arbitrarily detain you— isn't that just like the scholars of old?

As for seeing a doctor at the hospital for free……

Craftsmen are basically like that.

If we put it that way……

This baronetcy basically just means the court can give an extra two hundred coins a year, right?

Eh?

What do you mean "just that"?

Just the extra two hundred coins a year……

That also makes everyone feel jealous to death.

But to Lu Yuan, this two hundred coins is just like a drizzle……

After all…… his two shops bring in over a hundred coins a month.

After hearing Gu Qingwan's words, Lu Yuan scratched his nose and asked curiously:

"Is that all?"

Gu Qingwan pursed her lips, somewhat annoyed, and said:

"That's all."

As for the privileges of the title, they are actually still the old privileges from before.

Since Gu Qingwan ascended the throne, she has been reducing the various baronetcies of the Great Zhou Dynasty.

Naturally, it's impossible to give these baronetcies any additional benefits.

As for these benefits being the same as those of the craftsmen……

That is natural.

Initially, Gu Qingwan, in order to raise the status of artisans and farmers, followed the benefits of the lowest rank, that of a baron, to make improvements.

Therefore, a baron's benefits are not much different from those of today's craftsmen.

Since Lu Yuan is also a craftsman, these benefits naturally overlap a lot.

After Lu Yuan blinked, he handed the imperial edict to his wife.

Alright, a baron is ultimately the lowest rank.

Lu Yuan doesn't really seek anything else.

Getting two hundred coins for free each year is also quite good.

Going home to eat, he's hungry.

Immediately, Lu Yuan led his wife and Gu Qingwan back home.

And the people in the courtyard looked at each other.

Suddenly they were all full of resentment; tidy up quickly and go to work.

It's already eight o'clock; if you don't hurry, you'll be late for work.

This morning is really damn unlucky.

Those eunuchs forced us to watch Lu Yuan's arrogant look.

You can't avoid looking.

We must come to the back courtyard here, kneel, and listen to the edict.

After finishing this nagging, it's almost time to go to work.

If we're late, they'll mark us tardy, and then they'll deduct pay again!

At this moment, Su Liyan, who had returned home, was so happy she could jump.

Holding the imperial edict in her arms, she was so happy she didn't know what to do.

Su Liyan, holding the imperial edict, came to the main hall and excitedly said to her husband:

"Brother~ this imperial edict, let's hang it here from now on, okay~~"

Lu Yuan glanced at his wife, then nodded and said:

"Anything is fine, hurry, let's eat first; I'm starving, just came to cause trouble early this morning."

Su Liyan wasn't in a hurry to eat; instead she ran to the kitchen, grabbed a hammer and an iron nail, and first hammered the nail into the wall.

Then she found a piece of string, threaded the imperial edict onto it, and hung it up directly.

After hanging it, Su Liyan then excitedly looked at Lu Yuan, who was already sitting down to eat, and said:

"Brother~ look~ hanging it here is great~~"

Lu Yuan was too lazy to look up, but after his wife called him twice, he reluctantly glanced up.

Then he continued, lowering his head to eat while saying:

"Okay, okay, it's fine, come eat quickly."

Meanwhile, Gu Qingwan, sitting nearby and eating with Lu Yuan, also looked up at Su Liyan and said:

"Yes, Liyan, come eat quickly; you still have to go to work, right?"

Speaking of work.

Su Liyan suddenly froze, then quickly looked at the wall clock.

Then Su Liyan panicked and said:

"Oh no, it's already eight o'clock, Brother, I'm going to work now, I won't eat breakfast."

Saying that, Su Liyan was about to push her bicycle out the door.

However, Lu Yuan was quick-eyed and quick-handed, immediately stood up, and directly embraced his wife.

In his wife's delighted exclamation, Lu Yuan embraced his wife and sat down at the dining table, saying:

"No, let's eat breakfast first; if we're late, we're late—just say your husband was ennobled today."

"If they dare to mark you late, you tell them to go complain to the heavenly lord."

Hearing her husband's words, Su Liyan found it a bit funny, glanced at Gu Qingwan beside her, then said somewhat shyly:

"Brother, please let me down~"

Lu Yuan, still embracing his wife, grinned and said:

"No, today you'll sit in Brother's embrace while eating; Brother will feed you, and later when your belly gets big, Brother will keep feeding you like this~"

Speaking of which, Lu Yuan and his wife are a standard case of marry-first, love-later.

After all, as mentioned before, Lu Yuan and his wife initially married largely because Lu Yuan was lustful at first sight.

Over the past six months, Lu Yuan has grown to love his wife, who is both gorgeous and mature, as well as obedient and adorable, more and more.

While saying that, Lu Yuan picked up a piece of meat and placed it before his wife's mouth.

Su Liyan, extremely shy, lightly opened her red lips and bit the chopstick-full, then said very seriously:

"I don't want Brother to take care of me; when my belly gets big and I become foolish later, I'll have my mother come."

Gu Qingwan watched this scene, blinked slightly, then lowered her head and quietly ate.

Not long after, Su Liyan finished eating, got down from Lu Yuan, and then shyly looked at him and said:

"Brother, I'm going to work now~"

After saying that to her husband, Su Liyan also glanced at Gu Qingwan, who was tidying the bowls and dishes, and smiled.

"Sister Wan, thanks for the trouble~"

Gu Qingwan looked at Su Liyan and smiled, saying:

"What trouble? I can still eat for free here every day; hurry up and go to work."

After Su Liyan left, Gu Qingwan went outside to wash the utensils.

Meanwhile, Lu Yuan took pen and paper and began to draw design diagrams.

In these three days, Lu Yuan completely learned how to operate the steam engine and such.

Now he's preparing to draw the design diagrams; in twelve days, when he meets the Human Emperor, he must have this ready.

Just as Lu Yuan had readied his pen and paper, he glanced at the messy table.

Then Lu Yuan stood up and walked to the doorway.

At this moment, Gu Qingwan was washing dishes by the water pool, with Wang Yulan beside her.

The two of them didn't know what they were talking about.

Gu Qingwan's personality is still rather outgoing; she can chat with people.

Immediately, Lu Yuan looked at Gu Qingwan and called out:

"First wipe the table clean; Brother needs to use it."

Eh?

Gu Qingwan was stunned for a moment, then hastily said:

"Here I come~"

After greeting Wang Yulan, Gu Qingwan shook the cool water from her hands.

Only then did she rush into the room to fetch a rag and clean the table they had just eaten at.

"Brother, are you going to draw the design for that steam engine?"

After cleaning up the table, Gu Qingwan turned to look at Lu Yuan and asked curiously:

Lu Yuan smiled, gave a slight nod, and said:

"Smart, here, this is your reward."

After saying that, Lu Yuan somehow produced a piece of nougat and handed it to Gu Qingwan.

Gu Qingwan was taken aback, then smiled as she took it, put it in her mouth, and sweetly looked at Lu Yuan and said:

"That's~ I'm really smart~"

Afterwards, Lu Yuan bent over his desk, attentively drawing the steam engine's design.

After washing the dishes and putting them away in the kitchen, Gu Qingwan wiped her hands, then looked at Lu Yuan, who was intently drawing, and said coquettishly:

"Brother~ I'm sleepy~ I want to sleep~"

Huh?

Lu Yuan glanced up at Gu Qingwan, then lowered his head again and continued to hold his pen, scribbling and drawing on the paper, saying:

"How come, what did you do last night, how are you already so sleepy?"

Lu Yuan only gets sleepy in the afternoon, around two or three o'clock.

And Gu Qingwan pursed her lips slightly and said:

"Busy, I've been looking at some documents from the Ministry of War~"

Gu Qingwan now comes to Lu Yuan's place whenever she gets the chance.

But coming here, she cannot neglect her duties.

So, Gu Qingwan now reviews memorials at night, and only after finishing them at night does she come during the day.

Having slept little last night, she naturally gets sleepy during the day and wants to catch up on sleep.

Lu Yuan, meanwhile, kept his head down and said:

"Go sleep on the bed, go on, I won't make a sound."

Gu Qingwan pursed her lips, smiled, nodded, then walked to the bedside and drew the curtain on her side.

After taking off her shoes and getting onto the bed,

After glancing at Lu Yuan, who was intently drawing the design, Gu Qingwan suddenly buried her peerlessly beautiful face into his pillow and took a deep breath.

Afterwards, Gu Qingwan then contentedly picked up the thin blanket beside her and covered herself with it.

Mm~

Lu Yuan's scent really smells nice~

Thanks to San Guan Jue Chen for the 500-coin reward, urging a quick update, old brother—thank you so much~

Thanks to Duo Luo for the 100-coin reward, old brother—thank you so much~

Still waiting for another update later tonight.

(End of chapter)