FID – Chapter 753

Chapter 753: Two Tokens

Feng Qingbai’s words made the noble families in attendance feel both honored and surprised, and they all raised their cups to return the toast.

“Your Highness is too humble. The Liu family is a kind and benevolent family, and it is our honor to form a friendship with them!”

“Speaking of our relationship with the Liu family, it is us, the noble families, who have benefited more. We cannot possibly repay the trust Your Highness has placed in us!”

“Lord Liu, as the governor of Yunzhou, governs with integrity and fairness, treating the people as his children. He is a great blessing to Yunzhou. Wherever we can be of assistance, we will surely spare no effort!”

For a moment, the entire banquet was filled with eager declarations from everyone.

Once the speeches subsided, Feng Qingbai expressed his thanks and then looked toward the table where the garrison commander and Matriarch Li were seated.

The garrison commander immediately straightened his posture, his heart racing with a mix of nervousness, excitement, and anticipation. 

He dared not guess what the King would say next.

“This time, I must offer extra thanks to two people. One is the garrison commander, Yuan Fengpei of Cangwu Town, and the other is Elder Madam Li of the Li family.” His gaze fell on the two of them, and the two people immediately stood up to listen respectfully. Feng Qingbai raised his hand, signaling for them to sit back down.

“A while ago, I was on a diplomatic mission to Beicang. During that time, some people in the court took advantage of the situation and caused trouble, targeting the Liu family, forcing them to flee for their lives. During that time, they received help from the garrison commander and Elder Madam Li, which allowed them to return safely. If it weren’t for the two of them, the result upon my return could have been very different. I am truly grateful to both of you.”

He paused for a moment, then slightly tilted his head. “Wei Lan.”

Everyone then saw a young man with a baby face emerge from somewhere, walking over to the garrison commander and Matriarch Li. He handed each of them a black token, on which the character ‘Feng’ was engraved with silver powder.

That was the token of the King’s Manor!

“This king presents these two tokens as a promise. In the future, if either of you faces a difficult situation, you may use this token to seek help from me. As long as it does not involve national matters, I will surely honor my promise.”

Shaking hands as they took the tokens, both the garrison commander and Matriarch Li were so moved that their voices trembled. “We thank Your Highness!”

The garrison commander tightly gripped the token in his hand. After serving as an official for many years, he didn’t have any grand abilities, nor could he match the political maneuvering of the powerful figures in the court. What he had was just a bit of cleverness, which had allowed him to stay comfortably and steadily in this small town position for over a decade.

Not as good as those above, but better than those below.

He knew his place. In this life, he didn’t aspire to promotion or wealth. He only wished to serve peacefully in this position until retirement, occasionally making a little extra on the side, and that would be enough.

He truly never imagined that in his lifetime, Yuan Fengpei would receive such a great gift because of a single thought!

Matriarch Li’s excitement was no less than his.

The Li family was merely a small rural gentry family in the town. Despite decades of hard work and even making numerous decisions that might seem harsh to outsiders, she had never managed to keep the Li family in its former glory. Instead, it had gradually declined.

But now, with this token, even if she never used it for anything else and simply kept it in the family shrine, the status of the Li family would be completely different from before!

In the blink of an eye, one step in hell, one step in the clouds!

The surrounding noble families watched this scene with envy, jealousy, and a sense of deep unease.

This was the true purpose of the King’s banquet.

Through this gesture, the king was making it clear to them: anyone who treated the Liu family well, and helped them when needed, would be remembered by him, Feng Qingbai, and repaid in the future! At the same time, this was a warning!

Anyone who dared to take advantage of the Liu family or conspire against them would face an unimaginable outcome, just like the once-famous Minister Zuo!

One thought could lift you to the clouds, or send you straight to hell!

This banquet left everyone with something to think about, and in the future, their attitude toward the Liu family would need to be adjusted accordingly.

Now, the entire Nanling could be said to be dominated by the King alone.

With the Liu family under the protection of the King, everyone could only show respect and dare not touch them in the slightest!

The banquet dispersed in the afternoon.

After a simple farewell, Feng Qingbai took the Liu family back to the carriage. Under the watchful eyes of countless people, they slowly departed. It wasn’t until the carriage disappeared from sight that the noble families still standing by the second-floor windows began to leave one by one.

Before leaving, everyone made a point to chat with Yuan Fengpei and Matriarch Li.

When only Yuan Fengpei and Matriarch Li were left, the two exchanged a glance and couldn’t help but laugh.

“It truly is fate,” Yuan Fengpei sighed, “After this, the Li family’s position will change greatly. Elder Madam, you’ve finally seen it come to pass.”

Several noble families who had come to chat earlier had subtly hinted at building business relations with the Li family. In the past, the Li family would have brought heavy gifts to visit these families, but they might not have even been allowed past the doorstep.

Now, those same families were coming to seek connections. It was clear how much benefit the King’s words of thanks had brought to the Li family.

This was true support and promotion.

Matriarch Li looked into the distance, her gaze deep and distant. After a long time, she sighed deeply, “Yes, it’s come, unexpectedly… Lord Yuan, you too, I wish you a bright future.”

Yuan Fengpei smiled and waved his hand. “What bright future? I don’t want to aim too high or hold any grand ambitions. As long as I can sit here peacefully, I’ll be satisfied, haha!”

After saying this, he walked away leisurely, humming a little tune, hands behind his back.

His contentment and open-mindedness were something most people could not achieve, leaving Matriarch Li deep in thought.

“Grandmother, everyone has left. Let’s go home too.”

She glanced down at her little grandson and nodded, “Alright, let’s go home.”

She paused for a moment and handed the token to him. “Yao’er, keep this token well, don’t let anyone take it. How far you can go in the future depends on your fate. Grandmother is old now, I can’t do much, and I won’t interfere anymore.”

Li Junyao blinked, seeming to understand, yet not fully grasping it.

However, it seemed that he favored this grandmother, whose once sharp eyes had now softened, much like Grandma Liu’s eyes.

Matriarch Li didn’t say more, gently ruffling his little head and leading him slowly downstairs.

Her grandson had good fortune, and his heart was pure and sincere. This was his blessing, and also the blessing of the Li family.

Because of his nature, Liu family’s Second Young Master, who was outwardly careless but inwardly shrewd, would, knowingly or unknowingly, lend a hand to help.

Otherwise, he wouldn’t have specifically invited Yao’er to sit at the main seat, allowing him to share a table with the King at the banquet.

After the banquet, when they returned to the Liu family courtyard, the family once again began to work tirelessly.

While others were still enjoying the festive mood at home, gathered around the brazier for a cozy winter, their family had to hurry and prepare for the wedding banquet, working hard on their little granddaughter’s marriage.

The second day of February was fast approaching.

Meanwhile, in the palace, thousands of miles away, the young emperor wasn’t at rest either.

Now that the court was calm, after the fall of Minister Zuo, no one dared to act recklessly for a long time, allowing him a small moment to breathe.

With a bit of free time, his thoughts flew to the upcoming marriage.