Clan Rise: Starting as a Grandfather

Chapter 268: Chapter 259: Sudden Windfall

”Come, let me hold you!” Yang Zhenshan stretched out his hands to embrace the child, who had just been crying fiercely but is now sleeping so peacefully.

”Dad, little brother really looks like Mother!” Yang Yunxue came over, looked at the baby swaddled in his crib, and said.

”Indeed! This lad will certainly be handsome when he grows up!” Yang Zhenshan said with a beaming smile.

The child’s eyebrows and eyes bore a striking resemblance to Qingyi, while his nose resembled Yang Zhenshan’s, both tall and prominent.

I am a father!

Yang Zhenshan kept repeating this phrase in his mind.

This is his child, his own flesh and blood!

Even though he has always played the role of a father since arriving in this world, the feeling of being a biological father is still different.

Looking at this little one, Yang Zhenshan’s heart felt as if it was filled to the brim with something.

The midwife soon emerged from the birthing room, and after Yang Zhenshan handed the child to Nanny Song, he entered the birthing room.

Inside the birthing room, which had already been tidied, Qingyi was leaning on the cotton quilt, her face flushed as she looked at him.

”You’ve worked hard!” Yang Zhenshan sat down beside her and helped to tuck the strands of hair by her forehead.

”Where’s the child?” Qingyi’s thoughts were still on the child. She had only seen a glimpse of the baby before he was taken away.

”Don’t worry, the child is doing well. You should rest for a bit first!” Yang Zhenshan said with a smile.

”Mm!” Qingyi felt Yang Zhenshan’s tenderness and felt even more content.

She had a son!

Her feelings were different from Yang Zhenshan’s; Yang Zhenshan wanted a son not because he preferred boys over girls, but Qingyi genuinely did.

As a concubine, she needed a son by her side. Without a son, her position as the Yang family’s mistress was always unstable.

Now that she had a son, her lingering worries were finally relieved.

After a short while, she fell into a deep sleep.

Yang Zhenshan tucked in the quilt for her and seeing her sleeping at ease, he quietly left the birthing room.

That very afternoon, news of Qingyi’s safe delivery spread throughout An Yuan City. Although childbirth might not be a major event for outsiders, Yang Zhenshan’s status made it so that, at the very least, it could not be ignored by figures in official circles.

The next morning, a continuous stream of guests came to the Yang family to offer their congratulations.

The wife of Prefect Lin Shoude, Mrs. Lan; the wife of Xie Yuan from the Military Equipment Department, Mrs. Lin; the daughter-in-law of Song Dashan, Mrs. Li; Han Cheng, Xie Yuan, Wu Chongzhe, and so on, family after family, person after person, all made visits to their home.

For a time, the Yang family was notably lively.

However, since all the guests were ladies, there was no need for Yang Zhenshan to meet with them personally. He let his three daughters-in-law and two daughters take charge of the reception.

The women of the Yang family were also accustomed to such matters.

Even the simple-minded eldest daughter-in-law, Ms. Wang, could now gracefully chat and laugh with a crowd of officials’ wives.

The present Ms. Wang was no longer the rural farmwife of the past but the eldest daughter-in-law of the Yang family. Moreover, having managed household affairs all these years, she had changed considerably both inside and out.

To this, Yang Zhenshan was quite pleased.

A family’s rise to prominence requires both men and women to grow.

Besides personal strength, these social interactions and networking within the inner courtyard are also very important to a family.

While the Yang family was abuzz due to Qingyi, a group of martial artists dressed in black and covered in dust hurriedly made their way to An Yuan City.

Inside the garrison office, Zhou Ren hurried into Yang Zhenshan’s study and reported anxiously: ”Master, an envoy from the Capital City requests an audience outside!”

”Envoy?” Yang Zhenshan raised his head and asked, ”Which government office does the envoy represent?”

An envoy generally represents a superior government office. Such an envoy is not necessarily an official but could be a constable or clerk, or indeed an official, though not of a particularly high rank - likely a Hundred Households or flag officer.

An envoy’s visit usually only involves two matters: delivering a letter or a message.

”Master, the visitor claims to be a Hundred Households from the Left Guard of the Martial Cavalry!” said Zhou Ren, somewhat nervously.

”What!”

Yang Zhenshan stood abruptly, his face filled with astonishment.

The Emperor’s personal Twelve Guards included the Four Guards of the Feather Forest, the Four Guards of the Golden Gate, and the Four Guards of Martial Insignia.

The personal Twelve Guards are not controlled by the Five Army Commandery but by the Imperial Stables within the Imperial City. They are responsible for guarding the Imperial City and are at the Emperor’s beck and call.

Under normal circumstances, the personal Twelve Guards would not leave the Capital City. If they did, there could only be one reason.

”Quick, let them in! Forget it, I’ll go personally!”

Yang Zhenshan could no longer stay calm and hurried out of the study.

If soldiers from the personal Twelve Guards were to leave the Capital City, it would usually mean they were accompanying an imperial edict.

The arrival of the Left Guard of the Martial Cavalry here could very well mean they were accompanying an Angel.

As he approached the entrance to the garrison office, Yang Zhenshan immediately saw the dozen or so dusty martial artists. Before he could speak, a robust man in his thirties stepped forward, bowed, and said, ”Martial Cavalry’s Left Guard Hundred Households Qian Shangwu pays his respects to Master Yang!”

”Ah, there’s no need for such formality, Hundred Households Qian!” Yang Zhenshan momentarily didn’t know how to respond.

The situation was too sudden, and he was completely unprepared.

If his guess was correct, it would be a stroke of great fortune.

But if he was wrong, it would be tremendously awkward.

Fortunately, Qian Shangwu didn’t wait for Yang Zhenshan to ask. Instead, he said very directly, ”The Angel is already on his way, and is expected to arrive at An Yuan City within another two hours. Please prepare an altar for Master Yang to receive the edict!”

Upon hearing this, Yang Zhenshan’s head began to spin.

To receive the edict!

The old Emperor’s imperial decree!

He never anticipated that he, too, would receive an imperial edict from the Emperor!

Yang Zhenshan suddenly felt a sense of unreality.

Although he had heard many things about the old Emperor over the years and understood what Emperor Chengping had done, he really didn’t expect to have any contact with the old Emperor.

Even more unexpected was that the old Emperor actually knew him and issued an imperial edict for him.

”Master, Master!” Zhou Ren saw that Yang Zhenshan was stunned and quickly reminded him.

Yang Zhenshan snapped back to reality and said somewhat hazily, ”Ah, yes, yes, prepare the incense altar! I’ll go and prepare it right away!”

After saying that, he turned and walked toward the door, but as he stepped over the threshold, he suddenly remembered Qian Shangwu who had come to deliver the news.

”Sorry, sorry, Hundred Households Qian, I was so overwhelmed by the surprise that I neglected all of you brothers!”

He quickly turned back and addressed Qian Shangwu with a clasped fist.

”Master Yang is too polite!” Qian Shangwu, on the other hand, was not aloof but very amiable.

”Zhou Ren, you take Hundred Households Qian to rest first; don’t neglect Hundred Households Qian!”

”As you command, Hundred Households Qian this way, please!”

”Hundred Households Qian, I must excuse myself first!”

Only then did Yang Zhenshan go back to the main hall, but he didn’t go to prepare the incense altar immediately. Instead, he stood in the main hall stroking his beard, deep in thought.

He didn’t feel too much reverence toward the old Emperor; rather, he was more curious.

The haziness just now was only because the event was so sudden that he was completely unprepared, but now that he was mentally prepared, he calmed down.

The old Emperor personally issued an edict?

Was this to bestow a reward on him?

But why?

Lu Chongde, Liang Chu, and various Assistant Generals had already received their rewards, but it was all handled by the Ministry of War and the Central Army Commander’s Mansion; the old Emperor did not issue imperial edicts.

Why did he only issue an imperial edict to him?

Yang Zhenshan was somewhat puzzled, ”Forget it, let’s see what position the old Emperor has promoted me to first!”

”The old Emperor should not be too stingy, at least give me a promotion by two ranks! I’m not demanding much, just appoint me as a Commander or let me serve as an Assistant General!”

As he muttered to himself, he walked toward the backyard.

Receiving the edict was a serious matter that could not be taken lightly, otherwise, one might be charged with a serious crime of disrespect.

”Set up the incense altar to receive the edict!”

When Yang Zhenshan instructed Wu Hai about receiving the edict, Wu Hai was also confused.

”Sir, how should I set up the incense altar?”

He had never dealt with such a matter before!

Yang Zhenshan, however, knew what to do, ”Set it up as you would for offering sacrifices to the heavens!”

The incense altar simply required incense, candles, and fruit offerings. There was no need for animal sacrifices; just some simple fruit, or even some grains would suffice.

The reason for setting up an incense altar to receive the imperial edict was partly because the Emperor was referred to as the ’Son of Heaven’ with divine rights bestowed by heaven, and his commands were, therefore, considered to be commands from above.

Soon, the news that they were about to receive the edict spread throughout the Yang family, and for a while, there was a flurry within.

Everyone was both pleasantly surprised and panicked at the same time.

That was an imperial edict after all!

For the Yang family, it was just like a huge blessing had fallen from the sky, overwhelming them for a moment.

The guests who came to congratulate the family were also shocked when they heard the news.

Soon, the guests took their leave, one after another. There was no helping it; the Yang family was about to receive an imperial edict, and it wasn’t something they could join in on.

Alright, they left, but news that the Yang family was going to receive an imperial edict quickly spread among the upper echelons of An Yuan City.

In no time, all eyes were on the Yang family.

About two hours later, the procession carrying the imperial edict entered An Yuan City.

Yang Zhenshan had long arranged for people to guide the way; soon, the procession arrived at the gates of the Yang family’s residence.

This imperial edict was for Yang Zhenshan, to be proclaimed at the Yang family’s residence, not at the garrison office.

The reason for the proclamation at the Yang family’s residence was that the women of the Yang family were required to be present for the reception of the edict.

The Angel delivering the edict was an eunuch, about forty-something years old, with a clean-shaven, kindly face that didn’t have an ounce of the effeminacy one might expect.

”Subordinate pays respects to the eunuch; may I inquire about the eunuch’s esteemed surname?” Yang Zhenshan stepped forward, asking with his fists clasped.

”I am from the Imperial Supervisor’s Office, tasked with listening to the front; Master Yang can just call me Mr. Zhang,” Mr. Zhang answered cheerfully.

The Imperial Supervisor’s Office is one of the twenty-four government offices in the Imperial City, mainly responsible for accompanying the Emperor’s carriage. If the Emperor travels, they are also in charge of leading the way and clearing the path.

Being an Imperial Supervisor, a eunuch serving the Emperor, is a Standard Fifth Rank position. Yes, even the eunuchs in the Imperial City have ranks.

The rank of Standard Fifth Rank may not seem high, but don’t forget this man is an eunuch who serves directly beside the old Emperor.

A common saying goes that even a seventh-rank official in front of the Prime Minister’s gate is formidable, let alone a man by the Emperor’s side who has a higher status.

”The subordinate pays respects to Mr. Zhang!”

People say eunuchs, eunuchs, and it seems that officials tend to dislike eunuchs, but even if you dislike them, you have to flatter them, and Yang Zhenshan was no exception.

”Master Yang is too polite; I think it’s best if you receive the edict first,” said Mr. Zhang, his smile warming further upon seeing his proper attitude.

Being a eunuch serving directly before the Emperor, he cared about face, especially when carrying the will of His Majesty.

”Right, right, right, please receive the edict first!”

Yang Zhenshan hurriedly ushered the Yang Family to receive the edict.

At this moment, everyone from the Yang Family who could be present was there; even Yu Qingyi no longer stayed in confinement, she dressed up properly to come out to receive the edict.

In fact, Yu Qingyi didn’t need to stay in confinement at all. With her physical constitution and recovery ability, she was able to walk around after resting for just one sleep post-delivery.