In the three months in the capital, Shen Qingwan had felt the warmth of home.

The days of being cared for by her parents were indeed addictive. However, she still had her own matters to attend to.

She wanted to become stronger—strong enough to protect those she cared about.

Although her father’s status was not low, when enemies came to invade, he was the one leading the charge.

As long as the war continued, her parents could not reunite, and her father’s safety was never guaranteed.

Leading the army in battle was her father’s duty, and hers was to protect him and safeguard her family.

Once she had sorted out the matters in Suzhou, she planned to go to the northwest to join her father and fight alongside him.

When she returned to Suzhou, it was already early April, and the war between the Northern Army and Bei Rong had begun.

As soon as Shen Qingwan arrived in Suzhou, the governor Zhao Zhuo led a group of men in a grand procession toward the Tianxia Granary.

Before she even had a chance to drink some water, she was surrounded by people.

Zhao Zhuo, holding the bright yellow imperial edict, smiled with his wrinkled face, “Shen Qingwan, receive the decree.”

As soon as Zhao Zhuo said this, the citizens around them immediately kneeled, with Lu Youfu and the others quickly following suit.

Shen Qingwan simply crouched down a little, as her skirt covered her and hid her actions.

Originally, Northern Chen Yuan had planned to personally read the imperial edict in Suzhou, but due to the urgency of the war, he had to entrust Zhao Zhuo to do it on his behalf.

Shen Qingwan was granted the title of Princess of Su’an, which was an honor she deserved, and the entire city of Suzhou should have rejoiced.

The people, hearing that Gu Qingwan had been granted the title, were elated.

“Congratulations, Princess Su’an! Pay respects to Princess Su’an!”

The people cheered in unison.

Zhao Zhuo, though somewhat envious, could not help but admire Shen Qingwan’s accomplishments.

“Princess Su’an, please receive the decree,” Zhao Zhuo reminded, noticing Gu Qingwan hadn’t moved.

Gu Qingwan stood up and took the imperial edict, offering no further words of gratitude.

Zhao Zhuo, seeing her lack of formalities, decided not to dwell on it and simply handed her the edict.

Originally, Zhao Zhuo had been fond of Shen Qing and had even considered him as a potential son-in-law.

But unexpectedly, Shen Qing transformed into Gu Qingwan, who was then granted the title of princess.

His ideal son-in-law was gone, and he felt frustrated.

“Since you just returned and there are many matters to attend to, we won’t keep you for dinner, Governor. We’ll visit another day,” Shen Qingwan said, seeing Zhao Zhuo had no intention of leaving.

Zhao Zhuo quickly nodded and had someone deliver the emperor’s rewards, the princess’s crown and robes, and the seal to Shen Qingwan.

After sending Zhao Zhuo away, Shen Qingwan thanked the citizens for their congratulations and then entered the shop.

In truth, Shen Qingwan was a bit surprised by the title of princess.

After all, it had originally been promised to her as the title of county princess.

Though it was only one word apart, the rank difference was vast.

It seemed Northern Chen Yuan was not as cold-blooded and heartless as she had believed.

Shen Qingwan didn’t stay long in the shop.

After inquiring about the situation at Lu Youfu’s shop, she took the elderly Lu family members back to Dahe Village.

Elder Lu’s ashes were being held by Old Madam Lu, so they had to bring him back and lay him to rest.

The village head, upon hearing of their return, personally went to greet them.

When he saw the urn in Old Madam Lu’s arms, he was confused at first.

“Sister-in-law, where is the fourth brother?” he asked, scanning around but not seeing Lu Zhiyuan.

He thought Lu Zhiyuan had stayed behind to enjoy the comforts.

Old Madam Lu looked at the urn in her arms, tears falling, “He… He left before us.”

The village head hurried over and asked, “What happened? He was fine when he left. Why did he pass away? What about Wen Zhao? Did he mistreat you?”

Old Madam Lu shook her head, unwilling to elaborate.

Shen Qingwan stepped forward and stopped the village head from questioning further. “Uncle, I’ll explain everything later. Please allow my mother-in-law to take him home first.”

“Mother, sister-in-law, you’re finally back,” Lu Wenguang said, hurrying over with a wide grin, followed by Da Huang and his several puppies.

After not seeing them for a long time, the puppies, once small and squeaky, had now grown as big as Da Huang.

From their size, it was clear that Lu Wenguang had taken good care of them.

“Sister-in-law, a lot has changed at home while you’ve been away. Several families in the village have built brick houses. I’ve been following your advice and planting the sweet potatoes and potatoes using the seedlings method you taught, and they’re growing very well.

In just over a month, we’ll be able to harvest. The chickens and ducks are nearly full-grown, and we’ve been saving the eggs. We also followed your advice and started pickling them. The pig farm is…”

Lu Wenguang continued, but was nudged by Zhou Huiniang.

He realized something was wrong with everyone’s mood.

“Mother, where is father?” Lu Wenguang asked, looking around but not seeing his father.

Old Madam Lu remained silent and simply looked at the urn in her arms. “Old man, we’re going home.”

Her words made Lu Wenguang’s heart tighten.

He anxiously looked at Old Madam Lu. “Mother, my father…”

“Second brother, second sister-in-law, father has passed… Wuwu,” Lu Jiaojiao cried, throwing herself into Zhou Huiniang’s arms.

Upon hearing this, Lu Wenguang staggered and nearly lost his balance.

The death of Old Lu was a heavy blow for them all, but now that he had passed, there was nothing more to say.

The village head, along with the village’s men and elders, dug a grave for Old Lu.

Shen Qingwan bought the best coffin for him.

On the day of the burial, not only the people from Dahe Village, but also former workers from Dahe Village came on their own to bid farewell to Old Lu.

By all rights, Shen Qingwan was no longer the Lu family’s daughter-in-law and shouldn’t be wearing mourning clothes.

However, as long as she still called Old Madam Lu “mother,” she was still part of the Lu family.

She hadn’t purposely mentioned her separation from Lu Wenzhao since her return, but Old Madam Lu didn’t want to drag Shen Qingwan down, so she straightforwardly told others that Lu Wenzhao and Gu Qingwan had already separated, and their eldest son had passed away.

Now, Shen Qingwan was her “god-daughter” and no longer to be called the eldest daughter-in-law.

Old Madam Lu understood in her heart that her son wasn’t worthy of Shen Qingwan, and she had been heartbroken by his actions.

Now, she naturally sided more with Shen Qingwan.

By the end of April, the drought still hadn’t subsided, and the three-year drought in the central-southern region was once again confirmed.

The new emperor, who had just ascended to the throne, was facing a vast drought, and wars continued. The rebels hadn’t been suppressed or settled.

He had inherited not a throne, but a pile of messes.

The national treasury had spent its grain and silver, but it didn’t seem to have made any impact.

The number of refugees who froze or starved to death in the winter was incalculable, and so many had died from the plague…

The statistics alone gave Xiao Ruici a chill down his spine.