BDSMST -Chapter 160 The Emperor’s Edict: Bestowing the Name “Number One Village Under Heaven”

The inspection team stayed in Woniu Village for a full ten days.

During these ten days, Sun Zhicai and the officials he brought along were transformed. They no longer acted with rigid official airs; every day, they went down into the fields with Li Er and the others. They touched the fertile soil with their own hands, saw the tomatoes still bearing fruit in winter greenhouses, and personally tasted sweet potatoes freshly dug from the ground and roasted to perfection.

Zhang Heng, the official from the Ministry of Works, even stayed at the shipyard, spending his days huddled with the craftsmen around the model ship under construction, discussing the details of water compartments and new-style sails. The scholars from the Hanlin Academy clutched the illustrated encyclopedias compiled by Gu Xuan and Bai Ling’er, pestering the two children to explain that strange “phonetic notation.” The imperial doctors from the Court Medical Office treated Jiang Suisui’s herbal garden as their own home, marveling over plants they had never seen before.

Sun Zhicai, meanwhile, locked himself in the council hall, going through every ledger in the large wooden chest with Shen Qinghe. The more he examined, the more astonished he became. Woniu Village’s financial management system was clear, rigorous, and left no room for corruption or waste. He even thought that if such a system could be implemented across the Ministry of Revenue, the Daxia treasury could save at least a million taels of silver annually.

On the tenth day, the inspection team prepared to return to the capital. They had arrived as a grand, imposing delegation full of official authority; they departed with a mixture of reluctance and a deep, thoroughly upended understanding of the world. Sun Zhicai’s carriage carried no gold, silver, or jewels—only stacks of reports, charts, and a thick volume of the “Woniu Village Financial Management Regulations” that he had painstakingly copied by hand.

Half a month later, in the capital, at the imperial palace…

Emperor Xiao Yuan gazed at the hundred-page inspection report and the massive charts submitted by Sun Zhicai, speechless. His face betrayed uncontrollable shock and excitement.

The report described every aspect of Woniu Village in near-fanatical detail: from high-yield crops to advanced farming tools, from new textile techniques to the self-contained “Agricultural Academy,” and finally the thrilling “Golden Trade Route” plan.

“Minister Sun,” the Emperor said, setting down the report, his voice trembling with emotion, “do you dare guarantee, under your official rank, that every word in this report is true, with not a shred of exaggeration?”

“Your Majesty!” Sun Zhicai fell to his knees with a thud, voice ringing with conviction. “I dare guarantee it with my very life! If a single word in this report is false, I am willing to accept death! Woniu Village is a blessing for our Daxia Empire unlike any seen in a hundred years! Madam Gu is a prodigy of our era! I earnestly beseech Your Majesty to mobilize the nation’s resources to support the development of Woniu Village! This is a matter of national benefit, a legacy for all generations to come!”

Behind him, the other officials of the inspection team knelt in unison, echoing his words with equal fervor.

The Emperor looked at his ministers, all kneeling with genuine and passionate expressions, and knew without a doubt that he had not been mistaken.

“Excellent! Excellent! Excellent!” he exclaimed three times, rising from the dragon throne and pacing back and forth in the imperial study. His heart was stirred and could not settle. He seemed to envision the soldiers in the northern border wearing warm cotton clothes, eating sufficient rations, crushing the northern tribes’ cavalry. He also imagined Daxia’s merchant ships sailing across the oceans, returning home laden with gold, silver, and treasures.

A historically unprecedented era of Daxia’s prosperity was slowly unfolding before his eyes.

“Bring ink and brush!” the Emperor commanded, striding back to the dragon desk. He personally picked up the vermilion brush and wrote several bold, powerful characters on a blank edict.

When he finished, he raised his voice: “Proclaim my decree!”

The eunuchs standing by immediately unfurled the edict, their high, piercing voices reading it aloud:

“By the Mandate of Heaven, the Emperor decrees: Woniu Village of Jinling, through improved agriculture and sericulture, breeding and national enrichment, benefits for all generations, merits for the state. I am greatly gratified and hereby bestow upon it the name ‘Number One Village Under Heaven’, and personally inscribe the plaque to honor it!”

“Furthermore, the hundred-li area surrounding Woniu Village shall be designated as an Agricultural Experimental Zone. All agricultural, commercial, and educational affairs within this zone shall be fully overseen by Madam Jiang; no government official at any level may interfere!”

“Additionally, she is authorized to establish an ocean-going fleet to open overseas trade routes. The Ministry of Revenue shall allocate 500,000 taels of silver, the Ministry of War shall provide twenty cannons, and the Ministry of Works shall dispatch one hundred skilled craftsmen—full support is hereby mandated! By imperial decree!”

This edict caused an uproar at court.

A name, land allocation, funding, weapons, manpower—this was no ordinary reward. It was practically a feudal-level grant of privileges to Woniu Village! Especially the clause “full authority, no interference”—it conferred supreme power to Jiang Suisui within the experimental zone.

Everyone understood: this previously obscure village would, from this day forward, soar to prominence and become the hottest place in all of Daxia.

A few days later, a grand retinue, escorted by the Imperial Guards and personally led by the Chief Palace Eunuch, arrived at Woniu Village.

When the massive plaque bearing the Emperor’s own calligraphy, “Number One Village Under Heaven,” was hung above the estate gate, the entire village erupted in jubilation. The villagers spontaneously gathered, gazing at the golden plaque, tears of excitement in their eyes. They knelt on the ground, repeatedly kowtowing toward the capital, shouting “Long live the Emperor!”

Jiang Suisui and Gu Yan stood at the forefront, receiving the imperial edict and the plaque. Yet as she looked at the golden characters, Jiang Suisui felt little joy; instead, a weighty sense of responsibility pressed upon her.

“Number One Village Under Heaven”—these five characters were not only a glorious honor but also a burden. From this day onward, every action in Woniu Village would be under the watchful eyes of the entire empire. There was no turning back.

Gu Yan held her hand; his palm was warm and dry. “Don’t be afraid. I’m here,” he said softly.

Jiang Suisui returned his grip and nodded.

While the estate was filled with celebration, no one noticed two figures dressed in black night clothing perched in a large tree in a distant forest, observing the village gate with a peculiar monocular telescope.

“It really is him… ‘Northern Defender’ Gu Yan,” said a hoarse voice. “Looks like the old reports were right—the treasure is with the Gu family.”

“The estate’s defenses are too tight. Now, with the Emperor’s decree and the Imperial Guards stationed here, it’s even harder to act,” replied the other.

“No rush,” said the hoarse voice as the telescope was put away. “We’re not after Gu Yan, nor his officially titled wife. Focus on the old man. As long as he’s in the estate, we have a chance.”

With that, the two figures vanished into the dense forest like ghosts.

Gu Yan seemed to sense something; he lifted his head and cast a wary glance toward the distant woods. Yet all he saw were branches swaying in the wind—nothing else.

He furrowed his brow and pushed the uneasy feeling deep inside. With Woniu Village’s fame growing ever greater, he sensed that unexpected threats from the shadows might soon be closing in.