Chapter 77: It’s Not Appropriate to Quarrel on an Auspicious Day.

At the end of the Yin hour the next day, Shen Mingzhu got up to comb her hair and dress up.

She wore a lotus root-colored smoky gauze floral dress. The skirt was embroidered with clustered begonia flowers and perched magpies with colorful silk threads. The embroidered flowers were also embellished with hundreds of small pearls of the same size and luster. This set of clothes was worth hundreds of taels.

She also wore a set of pearl hair ornaments worth hundreds of taels, and stepped on begonia flower pearl embroidered shoes of the same color. Her makeup was exquisite and beautiful, showing the nobility and luxury of a golden branch and jade leaf.

This attire symbolized golden branches and jade leaves, magpies perching on branches, and the meaning of immortal dew and bright pearls.

Shen Mingzhu looked at her beautiful face in the mirror, then glanced at her hands, which would soon be used to receive the imperial decree. Her nails were already painted with balsam, her slender hands were delicate and soft, a symbol of wealth. She smiled with satisfaction: She was a bright pearl from the vast sea, and she was about to shine brightly and captivate the entire country!

She extended her jade hand to the maid beside her: “This palace is ready.”

The maid immediately held her hand respectfully and said flatteringly: “Yes, Your Majesty the Empress.”

Shen Mingzhu smiled with satisfaction and walked out with the queen’s steps, supported by the maid.

Yao Shi, Shen Shihua, Shen Wanshan, and Shen Zhiyuan all had a flash of amazement and satisfaction in their eyes when they saw Shen Mingzhu walking out, supported by the maid!

This was their treasured pearl, a rare treasure, magnificent, and luxurious!

She was about to shine!

Shen Shihua’s heart was filled with pride, and he said in a clear voice: “Let’s go! To the village entrance to welcome the imperial decree!”

The family walked out with their heads held high.

At this time, the sky was just slightly bright, and the villagers of Plum Blossom Village, one by one, also put on new clothes and waited at the gate of the Shen family.

Seeing Shen Mingzhu, who was surrounded by the Shen family’s eldest branch, come out in a luxurious manner, their eyes were all fixed on her!

They seemed to see the Empress in the palace.

Shen Dabao’s heart was pounding: Miss Mingzhu was so beautiful!

Shen Mingzhu was very satisfied with everyone’s amazed eyes. She held her head high and said: “Let’s go, to welcome the imperial decree!”

The village chief of Plum Blossom Village said happily: “Everyone, quickly gather your things and go to the village entrance to welcome the imperial decree!”

The villagers immediately carried baskets of wedding candies and lucky money and followed the Shen family towards the village entrance.

Shen Shihua had bought a lot of wedding candies and also went to the bank to exchange one hundred taels of copper coins for lucky money. After receiving the imperial decree, he would scatter wedding candies and lucky money, celebrating with the villagers from the surrounding ten miles and eight villages!

Surrounded by the villagers, Shen Mingzhu walked to the village entrance and stood there respectfully, waiting for the arrival of the imperial decree.

Peach Blossom Village

After the sun came out, the villagers of Peach Blossom Village, just like usual, got up silently when the rooster crowed, washed up, made breakfast, ate breakfast, cleaned the village road, and seeing that the time was approaching, they changed into new clothes and walked towards Xingnong’s house together under the call of Village Chief Gu.

“Aunt Gu, Xingnong, are you ready?” Village Chief Gu’s voice arrived before he did.

Madam Gu and the others were just dressed up. The whole family was wearing new clothes, but the new clothes were also simple.

Shen Ruoxi was a little scared, but the whole family had to go out to welcome the imperial decree. She tightly held Xingnong and Xingqing’s hands.

Matchmaker Zhang saw that Xingnong didn’t have any jewelry on her head, and she was too simple: “Oh, you girl are too simple! I just went to the village entrance and saw that Shen Mingzhu dressed up like a peacock in heat, so ostentatious! Our Xingnong absolutely can’t be worse!”

She directly took off the big red flower on her head and stuck it on Xingnong’s head.

After that, she turned around and asked everyone: “Does it look good? Isn’t it more festive?!”

Everyone nodded: “It looks good! It should be like this! We can’t be compared to Shen Mingzhu!”

“Xingnong is much prettier than Shen Mingzhu, it’s just that our Xingnong’s skin is a little darker! She’s a little thinner! If she gains some weight and her skin becomes whiter, she’ll be hundreds of miles ahead of that fake Mingzhu!”

“Yes, yes, yes.”

Xingnong: “…”

She wanted to reach out and take off the flower.

✿✿✿

The villagers quickly stopped her: “No, no… it looks good like this!”

“Yes, it looks good!”

Xingnong was a little sad, the villagers of Peach Blossom Village were too enthusiastic!

It was hard to refuse their kindness, as long as they liked it.

Anyway, no matter what, she was still the most beautiful in the universe!

“Let’s go, let’s go! People from the surrounding ten miles and eight villages have arrived!” the village chief urged.

The whole village walked out happily, chatting and laughing, “How do you receive the imperial decree? I’m so nervous, I’ve never received one.”

“I don’t know, kneeling is always right.”

~

On the official road, the entrances of every village were crowded with people.

The villagers of Plum Blossom Village were even more neatly lined up on the official road, and the line had already reached the entrance of Peach Blossom Village.

Shen Mingzhu’s family deliberately stood near the entrance of Peach Blossom Village, waiting.

She wanted to let that bastard Shen Xingnong see her glory today, to let her see who she had offended!

Shen Mingzhu stood at the front. She had been standing here for an hour and a half, but her back was still straight and her head held high.

Her clothes were gorgeous, her face was beautiful, and she was eye-catching.

The eyes of the young men from the surrounding ten miles and eight villages were all on her.

She saw Xingnong coming, surrounded by the villagers of Peach Blossom Village, calm, confident, and composed. Her eyebrows furrowed slightly, and then she turned her head away indifferently, no longer giving her a glance. A sneer flashed across her lips!

She had thought wrong before, she had actually spoken to a bastard in a good voice. She was a bedbug in the gutter, while she herself was a bright pearl from the vast sea. She was not worthy of talking to her at all!

Now, she was even her enemy!

After she received the imperial decree, after she entered the palace, she would deal with her first, and then deal with the group of refugees and lowly commoners behind her!

The villagers of Plum Blossom Village saw that the villagers of Peach Blossom Village were all wearing new clothes…

Aunt Li pursed her lips and said to the person beside her: “Oh, one or two of them are wearing new clothes. If you didn’t know, you would think that their village received the emperor’s reward!”

“I guess the people from a certain village have had bad luck recently and want to come and share in the good fortune! How shameless!”

“They’re so shameless! Yesterday they made Miss Mingzhu and Master Shen suffer so much, and today they have the nerve to come and share in the good fortune! If I were Miss Mingzhu, I would drive them away and not let them share!”

The people of Peach Blossom Village smiled one by one and did not speak, not even Village Chief Gu retorted.

It’s not appropriate to quarrel on an auspicious day.

Besides, guests are guests!

Seeing that Village Chief Gu was so calm, the village chief of Plum Blossom Village couldn’t help but say: “Oh~~~ I wonder who it is? It turns out to be our Village Chief Gu! Village Chief Gu, thank you for bringing all the villagers dressed so festively to congratulate our Miss Mingzhu!”

“You’re welcome, Village Chief Shen, it’s our duty to congratulate you.” Village Chief Gu glanced at the wedding candies and lucky money behind him, and his heart was excited. Oh my, they had actually prepared so much lucky money and wedding candies for them. He was really grateful!

Village Chief Gu bowed to the other party very sincerely.

For the sake of the lucky money and wedding candies, he wouldn’t argue.

Village Chief Shen smiled and said: “There’s no need for thanks. In the future, the imperial decree archway will be built at the entrance of our Plum Blossom Village. Every time you villagers from Peach Blossom Village pass by, you can kneel under the imperial decree archway and kowtow to thank the emperor for his kindness! After all, this good fortune belongs to our Plum Blossom Village. If you want to share in the good fortune, you naturally have to bow. Village Chief Gu, you’re right, aren’t you?”