Drive a RV and go farming in ancient times.

She was rewarded with two hundred taels of silver, five hundred acres of fertile land, and some flashy imperial gifts. Most importantly, she was given the rank of captain. After the eunuch who came to announce the decree finished speaking in a sharp voice, all kinds of congratulations rang out. Gu Huanxi was in a trance for a moment before she regained her composure and truly experienced what it meant for a wife to be honored by her husband.

Although she had previously been given the title of Fifth Rank Pleasant Lady, it was far less respected and valued than the title of Wife of a Sixth Rank Military General.

After all, one is virtual and the other is real. No one is stupid. A sixth-rank captain can lead at least 200 people. It is not a lot, but it is not a small number. If they are elite, they may play a role in turning the tide at the critical moment.

Why else would it be said that military generals all love to fight, and sometimes they would even kill innocent people to gain credit? It is because the speed of promotion through fighting is too fast. As long as one is not afraid of death and has ability, and no one suppresses him, it is very likely that he will become a god in one battle and ascend to heaven in one step, achieving heights that other officials will never be able to reach in their entire lives.

In other dynasties, the rank of military officers was generally not as important as that of civil officials. However, in the Yong Dynasty, both civil and military officials were given equal importance. Military generals had real merits, so no one would underestimate them. In fact, at certain times, they were even more respected because they had risked their lives for it.

After sending the person away, everyone in the Gu family was very happy and excited. From then on, the Gu family completely changed their status, from a commoner family to an official family, and also a legitimate official family. Everyone was proud of it.

After all, the higher the status of the master, the more they can rise in status. As the saying goes, if one person succeeds, the whole family will prosper.

Gu Huanxi gave the mansion double the monthly salary to celebrate.

Forget about holding a grand banquet or anything like that. It is not appropriate to show off at the moment. Firstly, the war is still going on and things are changing rapidly. Who knows what the situation will be like in the future? Secondly, it is really inconvenient without a man in the house.

This was exactly what Gu Huanxi wanted. However, since it was a happy event after all, there couldn't be no noise at all. She asked someone to inform Hutian Village of the good news. Uncle Xu was so excited that all his illnesses disappeared and he was in high spirits again. He didn't dare to have a buffet, but he bought a few strings of firecrackers and set them off for a quarter of an hour, wishing that everyone could hear them.

Village Chief Xu was so overwhelmed by the good news that he cried with joy. He got drunk that night and kept talking to the people around him, saying, "Huai Yi has made great progress. He will have even greater success in the future. I knew I would not misjudge him. Huai Yi is a capable man. Our village will have hope in the future. We don't have to worry about being bullied in the capital anymore..."

The younger generations around him took turns to echo each other, and they were all deeply proud and happy for Xu Huaiyi.

With such a capable person in the village, they can all benefit from it to some extent.

There are very few people who are jealous and envious. It's not because human nature is good, but because Xu Huaiyi has continued to do a good job in fighting the people over the past year.

Families that had dealings with the Gu family later sent people to congratulate them. Gu happily thanked them one by one. Some people with whom she had no past friendship also took the opportunity to get close to them, which made her very annoyed, but she still had to be patient and deal with them with a smile.

It is true that a poor person is ignored in a downtown, but a rich person has distant relatives even in a remote mountain area. Every visitor seems to have known them for a long time. Poor Gu Huanxi, who has social phobia, is exhausted and miserable.

The outside world was unaware of her pain. They only felt that the Gu family was bustling with people at the moment, like flowers in bloom and oil boiling in a blazing fire, which was truly enviable.

When all this gradually cooled down, Gu Huanxi began to reflect and wondered if the court's reward to Xu Huaiyi was too high a praise.

Praising to death is still killing!

When she met Xu Huaiyi at night, she expressed her worries, which even sounded like a conspiracy theory. "You just won a battle, and you were appointed as a colonel. Isn't this starting point too high? Can you be considered famous in one battle? The court won't have any other plans, right? For a military general, the biggest fear is that his achievements are so great that the emperor will be shocked and there will be no more rewards. When that happens, it will be time to put away the good bows..."

After listening to this, Xu Huaiyi smiled and said, "Wife, you are thinking too far ahead. How far have I come? I am only a sixth-rank lieutenant. It is still a long way to go before there is no more reward. Besides, I still have a lot to work hard for. It is too early for you to worry about it now..."

Gu Huanxi glared at him, "Stop smiling so frivolously, don't you find it abnormal?"

Seeing her like this, Xu Huaiyi stopped joking and explained in a low voice, "There are reasons for your abnormality. First, they use me as an example to inspire others and boost morale. Second, I am a student of Jingwu Academy, not an ordinary soldier, so the reward will be more generous. It's like they are both soldiers. They joined the army after graduating from high school, and they are national defense students who were admitted to military academies. Can the treatment be the same?"

After a pause, he continued, "Third, I was able to become a lieutenant because of the money and supplies donated by our family. The battlefield was in short supply, and the down vests, knee pads, wrist guards, etc. that you had people sewed saved a lot of people. The south is cold and damp, and with these things, we finally don't have to rely on shaking our hands and feet to keep warm."

Gu Huanxi suddenly realized, "Now that you say that, I feel relieved."

Xu Huaiyi said, "Just bear it calmly, don't be weak at all. I fought hard for this, what's the point of a sixth-rank lieutenant? Just wait, your husband will earn you a higher rank in the future."

He is ambitious and has a twinkle in his eyes.

Gu Huanxi reminded, "Safety comes first, everything else is empty talk, only when you are alive can you have everything..."

Xu Huaiyi responded with “hmm, hmm”, but what he was thinking in his heart was that in ancient times, only if one had power could one live a good life and have everything possible, otherwise, it would be empty talk. Just like the wealthy Su family, didn’t they have to act according to the Second Prince’s mood?

He didn't want to talk about this anymore, so he asked about the situation in the capital, "Is it snowing again?"

Gu Huanxi shook his head. "It didn't snow, but it was very cold. We dared not stop the charcoal fire in the house. The big drop in temperature prompted the plum blossoms to bloom half a month earlier. But this is not a good sign. The prediction of snow is likely to come true."

Xu Huaiyi sighed, "Misfortunes never come alone. The war in the south is getting intense, and the capital is hit by a snowstorm. Does the court have money to help the people?"

"I'm afraid not. In the past few days, we have been promoting various prevention measures and encouraging the people to save themselves. I guess the court has nothing to offer. The Ministry of Revenue has just raised a batch of grain and grass to be shipped to the northwest. Now not only has the price of grain increased, but the price of cotton and medicinal materials has also increased several times. This is still controlled by the court. The most scarce thing right now is charcoal. Fortunately, my family burned some in advance and bought some from the village. It is enough, but it is difficult to buy on the market..."

Xu Huaiyi couldn't help but frown, "Is it so serious?"

Gu Huanxi nodded, "There is no demand for the charcoal. I asked Hu Yingjie to find out. Even the cheapest black charcoal is hard to buy, let alone the better white charcoal, red charcoal and silver frost charcoal. I don't know if someone is deliberately hoarding it, or if the shortage is really too large."

"Aren't there many people burning charcoal in our village? Are they holding on to the charcoal and waiting for a higher price to be sold?"

"Not really. They are just worried that if they encounter a severe snowstorm and don't have enough charcoal, they will freeze to death. Money is important, but life is more important!"

"The villagers are quite conscious, that's good. I'm just afraid of those who would rather die than give up their money..."

"Ah."

Xu Huaiyi thought for a moment and added, "The disaster victims who just settled here last year are probably going to have a hard time again. They can barely make ends meet, so how can they have extra money to buy charcoal? Firewood and straw are not resistant to burning. I wonder if the elderly and children can survive this winter?"

Gu Huanxi glanced at him and said, "You don't want me to help them, do you? Even if I am willing to spend money, I can't be a saint right now. I really have nowhere to buy charcoal, and I don't have the heart to cut off my own flesh and feed the eagle."

Hearing this, Xu Huaiyi hurriedly explained, "Wife, how dare I have such thoughts? How could I bear to let you and the children suffer from the cold to warm others? I'm not stupid!"

Gu Huanxi snorted and said nothing. "Just focus on fighting and worry less about the things in the capital. There is the court and the emperor here. It's not your country and the people. You don't need to intervene."

Xu Huaiyi said with a playful smile, "Am I not worrying about our little fish in advance? These are all his responsibilities. As parents, can we just sit there and watch our child suffer?"

Gu Huanxi glared at him unhappily, "How long will that take? Now just behave yourself. Even if Xiaoyu does come to power, we can't interfere in everything. We won't be annoying!"

Xu Huaiyi muttered quietly, "I'm helping the child solve his problem, so why is that annoying? It's really disheartening to watch the child get so upset and do nothing about it, right?"

"Say it again?" Gu Huanxi narrowed his eyes and stared at him coldly.

Xu Huaiyi immediately became timid, "I said, I will listen to my wife in everything. I will do whatever you say, and I will never resist!"

Gu Huanxi pinched him and said, "You'd better remember this, otherwise, you will suffer the consequences."

Xu Huaiyi screamed in pain exaggeratedly, joking around, and tried to cover up the matter.

But the cruel reality is not so easy to get over. Within a few days, another snowfall came suddenly. This time the snow was heavy, like goose feathers and cotton wool, fluttering and blurring the entire sky.

It is very beautiful and spectacular. Wherever you look, the snow-covered world is extremely enchanting.

But it was also very terrible. The temperature dropped suddenly and there was a biting cold wind howling all day and night. The heavy snow covered the ankles and then gradually reached the calves. If you stepped in, there would be a deep pit.

Even so, the snow is still falling, and it is all white, as if it will never end, and people's hearts are gradually becoming uneasy.

As a result, classes in the academy were suspended and shops were temporarily closed. The streets were deserted, with only the occasional yamen runner with his neck hunched, and patrolling imperial guards riding slowly by on horseback.

The common people closed their doors and windows, and the whole family huddled around a charcoal brazier to keep warm, worrying that the roofs of their homes would collapse under the heavy snow, and worrying whether the stored food and charcoal would be enough. They would be terrified if they heard a few coughs. In such weather, if someone got sick, it would be like snatching life from the God of Death.

The ones who suffered the most were the beggars on the street. When the heavy snow finally stopped, no one knew how many of them had frozen to death silently in unknown corners.

The imperial court was blind to these tragedies, but the government did not dare to turn a deaf ear to the cries of the people affected by the disaster. When houses were crushed, people were sent to help with rescue. Officials were also clearing the heavy snow on the streets. Everything was in good order, but what they did was very limited.

There is no way, even a good cook cannot cook without rice!

Therefore, even if the court actively rescued this time, it still could not prevent the damage caused by the snowstorm. The damage to houses was secondary. The number of people who fell ill and froze to death continued to increase. The major medical clinics and drugstores in the capital were all crowded with people. From time to time, you could hear a few howlings, and everyone looked sad and anxious. Merchants doing funeral business also became busy. It was said that there was a shortage of coffins, and carpenters had to work overtime...

For a moment, a heavy and depressing atmosphere shrouded the capital.

The Su family did not step forward this time. They had donated money and supplies several times before, and the total amount had already exceeded one million. It was too much and would attract attention, which was not a good thing. However, Su Zhe still sent a servant to seek Gu Huanxi's opinion. His attitude was very clear: he would stand by the Gu family.

Gu Huanxi was struggling. Xu Huaiyi's limelight had just passed, and she didn't want to cause any more trouble. There were so many dignitaries in the capital, and each of them was more powerful than her. If they all kept a low profile, wouldn't that make her look capable?

But for modern people, the feeling of sitting back and watching is really unpleasant.

When she thought about it and considered whether she should continue to do good deeds in the name of praying for the soldiers at the front, the Meng family of Pingyuan Marquis's Mansion stood up.

The Meng family was the first to step forward and won the first place, so they naturally received the most attention. Moreover, they made quite a fuss this time, and they seemed to be about to soar to the sky.

First, they set up a ceremony at the city gate to cook porridge and distribute medicine. Those who were short of food and drink, or those who were sick or in trouble could line up and wait for relief.

This operation alone brought a lot of goodwill to the Marquis' Mansion. All the scandals that Meng Chonglou had caused before were downplayed as a result. In addition, with the deliberate publicity by some people, the reputation of the Pingyuan Marquis' Mansion made a great comeback. Everyone praised it and it became the talk of the town.

With Pingyuan Bo taking the lead, other wealthy families soon followed suit. They couldn't let Pingyuan Bo's family get all the limelight and benefits. If they jumped in now, they might at least get some broth to drink. If they were to wait any longer, there would be nothing left.

For a moment, the city gate became lively, dispelling some of the severe winter cold.

Gu Huanxi did not follow the trend. She was not interested in any benefits. She just hoped that these people could hold on for a few more days. Even if it was just a show, the people would benefit from it after all, and that was enough.

She planned to wait until those people left and then go in as a substitute.

After a few days, just when the Meng family's limelight was almost stolen, another big thing happened. This time, no one could steal their limelight.

Lord Meng handed over a mine to the court. The value of a mine rich in coal is self-evident, especially when there was a snowstorm and charcoal was scarce. Its significance was even greater.

At the morning court, the emperor was overjoyed. This was really a timely help. Not only Emperor Jianxing was happy, but all the civil and military officials in the court were also very excited. They praised Lord Meng with all kinds of flattering words, as if they were free.

Of course, there were also people who felt sorry for him and were shocked. After all, it was a mine. It would have provided them with food and drink for several lifetimes, but he just contributed it to the court. Was it worth it?

It turns out that it was worth it.

Emperor Jianxing was a man of honor, so he could not accept tributes from his subjects for nothing. Rewards had to be given, so he had someone write an article of praise to give the Meng family enough face. All kinds of precious imperial gifts were also carried into the mansion like water. The tangible benefits mainly fell on Lord Meng and Meng Yao. One of them was promoted to a higher position, and this time it was not an empty position, but a vice minister of the Ministry of War, a department with real power. He suddenly entered the ranks of the third rank and had a say in the court.

As for Meng Yao, she transformed herself from a county princess to a princess of a county. Her value increased and her marriage became very popular.