My Fulang is a Delicate Flower Chapter 113 Part 3

In the eleventh lunar month, news came from the capital: the political situation in the court had changed dramatically.

Duan Chi investigated the case of the missing military provisions and found it was related to the Third Prince. The old emperor was greatly angered and stripped the Third Prince of his royal title.

The Fourth Prince was implicated and fell out of the emperor's favor because of his connection with Shao Gongde, the former Prefect of Tongzhou.

If the rebel army's uprising had been suppressed earlier, the situation of Tongzhou falling would never have occurred. It all started because Shao Gongde concealed the truth and failed to report it. Although he had already died in the war, he was the Fourth Prince's man, so the Fourth Prince was implicated.

The First Prince, seeing that the Sixth Prince now held military power, had returned victorious gaining the people's support and the emperor's favor, making his position unshakable...

And seeing the fate of the Third and Fourth Princes, he knew the Sixth Prince was definitely not someone to be trifled with, so he wisely withdrew from the struggle.

Naturally, Huo Shu learned all this from secret letters received from Duan Chi.

What the people of the world heard were merely a few brief words from the emperor about passing the throne to the Sixth Prince. As for the intricacies behind it, there was no need to know them.

But the Sixth Prince obtaining the Crown Prince position was already the general public's expectation.

The old emperor planned to abdicate the following spring.

He originally intended to abdicate immediately, but with rewarding the army at year's end and many celebratory events, preparing for the new emperor's enthronement would be too rushed if he stepped down now.

However, although the abdication was scheduled for the following year, all affairs had already been handed over to the Crown Prince, who was now acting as regent.

This time, the old emperor's resolve was evident, he had finally thought it through and was willing to abdicate.

His grip on the dragon throne, along with his aged incompetence, had led to the court's corruption over the years. Now, the world could finally welcome a rebirth.

Huo Shu looked at the imperial decree delivered with the letter, momentarily at a loss for words.

"Commander of the Tongzhou Garrison Army?!"

Everyone in the room exclaimed in surprise.

No one could blame their astonishment. The rank of commander could be high or low, depending on the jurisdiction. A commander of county troops would be an unranked official.

But this appointment was for Tongzhou Commander, and furthermore, the Chief Commander—a position already approaching the third rank.

Military official ranks were not as strictly hierarchical as civil official ranks, which required imperial examinations and starting from the very bottom.

Military officials mostly earned merits through battle, and their promotions and demotions could be more volatile than civil officials, but the benefits they enjoyed were still substantial.

The Crown Prince appointed Huo Shu as Commander of the Tongzhou Garrison Battalion for two reasons: first, to acknowledge his contribution of sending provisions at a critical moment and assisting in winning the battle—rewards that had been promised from the beginning.

Second, although the Crown Prince could now securely ascend the throne, he still lacked his own trusted men, and there were many restless elements within the court.

Even though Tongzhou had suffered heavy losses due to the war, it remained a crucial prefecture. Now that the war had ended and reconstruction was needed, reliable talent was essential.

With remnants of corruption still uncleared in the court, if Tongzhou fell into the wrong hands, it would inevitably lead to trouble.

By both reason and sentiment, Huo Shu was the best candidate to hold military command and secure Tongzhou.

During this period, Huo Shu had never mentioned returning to Tongzhou, not only because the area was still being cleared but also because he was waiting for developments in the capital.

They had already offended the county magistrate. If they left without resolving the issue, those who remained would certainly face bullying.

Having lived together for so long and having put effort into building this place, they couldn't simply abandon it casually. Everything should have a proper beginning and end, they needed to settle matters here properly before he could leave with peace of mind.

Now that the imperial decree had arrived, everything could be easily resolved.

Huo Shu immediately went to the county seat to see the officials.

The county magistrate was so terrified upon seeing Huo Shu that he nearly wet himself. He obsequiously bowed and nodded, granting both villages reputable household status and repeatedly guaranteeing that the incidents of the past would never happen again.

Huo Shu reckoned they wouldn't dare.

With more than half the villagers from Lin Village leaving, to prevent the village from falling into neglect and wasting the excellent farmland and irrigation, Huo Shu left the people he had purchased here.

In the future, after returning to Tongzhou, their north-south trade would continue as before. This place would revert to its original purpose, serving as a transit point.

Now, with official recognition, roads could be built, and once connected to the official roads, everything would become convenient.

There were also farmers from Tongzhou who were unwilling to leave again. Those from small clans without deep roots in Tongzhou felt that life here was quite good, everything was thriving, and they were no longer willing to go back and endure the upheaval.

Their lives in Tongzhou before was hard. Here, everyone had worked together to open up land, and it was now registered under their names, making it better than returning. Thus, it was better for them to stay.

Huo Shu did not force anyone.

As for Caochang Village, most of the people were Jin Kelu's followers. Now that Jin Kelu was following Ji Wenliang, he had married into another family and had his own household. He did not want his servant clan to wander anymore, so he let them settle and live here.

Therefore, whether to leave or stay was for everyone to decide for themselves.

By the time matters in Caochang Village and Lin Village were settled, it was already the twelfth month.

The weather was bitterly cold, but the hearts of the farmers returning to Tongzhou were warm.

To hurry back and celebrate the New Year, everyone had packed up by the first ten days of the month.

Large and small carts, big and small bundles filled the road.

Huo Shu said, "Let's return to Tongzhou."

This statement fulfilled the farmers' heartfelt hopes.

The carriage rocked and swayed. Xiao Taohe, held in someone's arms, was extremely curious. Despite the cold wind, he kept sticking his head out through the carriage curtain.

It was his first time riding in a carriage and leaving Lin Village. Although the little one didn't understand what was happening, he found the long, seemingly endless procession of carts and horses utterly fascinating.

"Dad! Dad!"

Xiao Taohe bounced and jumped in Ji Taoyu's arms, waving his hand toward Huo Shu, who was riding on horseback outside.

Huo Shu stopped by the window and handed in a round orange.

Seeing this, Ji Taoyu couldn't help but laugh.

When they came, he was carrying Xiao Taohe in his belly, suffering from severe morning sickness. Huo Shu had found him an orange then.

Now, on the return journey, the child who had once been nestled in his belly had grown into such a chubby little fellow.

The uncertainties of life had always had their destinies, and while destinies were fixed, life was full of uncertainties.

Many events had come one after another, constantly changing. Fortunately, the affection between them had never diminished in the slightest.

It was the same severe cold, the same journey, but their state of mind was entirely different now.

Ji Taoyu rubbed the soft Xiao Taohe in his arms and said, "We're going home! Our Xiao Anding is going home!"