Chapter 565: Changping Marquis

At the same time, Baifeng decided to send people to the Xuanyuan Tribe and the Suiren Clan to request a resumption of trade, because Huaxia truly had no Tea Leaves left now—not even a single scrap of tea leaf remained!

The Ministry of Rites, having been reorganized after retraining and selection, became the protagonist of this mission; they now needed to exercise their profession of external communication, rather than simply managing the issues of "rites" within Huaxia.

Because they had to go to two tribes, and time was relatively pressing, they had to depart at the same time; the Suiren Clan was closer, but one had to travel there on foot, while the Xuanyuan Clan was far away, but one could travel by Boat the whole way, and then walk for a short distance after reaching the territory of the Xuanyuan Clan.

As the highest official of the Ministry of Rites, Wu requested to go, duty-bound and unyielding, but Baifeng was somewhat worried about his health; he did not want to lose another one of his old friends and old subordinates.

However, Wu's attitude was also very firm: "I am already so old, I have lived for more than fifty years, I have lived enough. Besides, I am now the Minister of Rites, and this counts as a major matter for Huaxia; how can I sit in the city enjoying comfort and ignore everything?"

In fact, he later told Baifeng very clearly in private, and was very frank, without the slightest concealment: "If I die on the road this time, or am killed by the Suiren Clan or the Xuanyuan Tribe, then grant me a surname and Nobility. I truly envy Chi; he died like that, but his death was too worthwhile."

Baifeng was also somewhat between laughter and tears; there was no need for Wu and the others to worry about this matter, as he had already prepared everything, only lacking a suitable opportunity.

"You, you don't need to worry about this. With your contributions, I will certainly save the best for you. Besides, why must you go? Even if you didn't go, I would still give it to you. Just stay behind, live a few more years, and give the young people a chance to gain experience and earn merit."

Wu was very persistent: "King, I will listen to you in all other things, but this really won't do. I don't know which day I will die, so let this be my final contribution to Huaxia. I am willing even if I die. If I successfully complete the mission and return, and you grant me a surname and Nobility—I will tell you the truth—perhaps even if you asked me to go, I wouldn't want to go."

Baifeng said speechlessly: "You are truly frank."

Wu was indifferent: "King, I am at such an age that I don't care about face or anything like that. Before I followed you, I didn't even know there was such a thing as face. Back then, we all wore Grass skirts that rustled, with everything exposed, and we didn't care at all, even thinking that this was what a man looked like."

"Now look, even if I go out, for such a short distance, I have to keep my clothes neat and tidy, and my hair must be tied up."

"Besides, I have listened to your words for a lifetime; this time, I truly hope you can give me a chance."

Seeing that Wu was so persistent, Baifeng no longer tried to persuade him; instead, he took out a piece of paper, wrote "Fengcang Marquis" and "Changping Marquis" on it, and then pushed it toward Wu to see.

"These are the titles I prepared for you long ago; see which one you like. If you return alive, I guarantee I will grant you a title and surname this year. If you die on the road, no matter the cause—even if you die drunk from Wine or die from a fall—I will say you died in the line of duty, just like Chi, and will immediately hold a ceremony to grant you Nobility."

Wu's slightly trembling fingers showed his excitement, but he still said: "I certainly won't die so casually. Even if I can't be as heroic and valiant as Chi, I definitely won't die so miserably. In my opinion, I will die by being hacked to death when exchanging blows with Baoxi with a Knife."

Baifeng laughed and scolded: "Alright, stop talking this nonsense. Just see which one you like. You old people seem not to care about death at all. If you ask me, it would be best if you all just couldn't work anymore, then sat on a small chair every day to bask in the sun; basking like that for a few years, perhaps one day you would just die in your sleep."

"If you ask me, this is the best way to die. If I could die like this in the future, that would be the best—no pain, no discomfort, it is simply enjoying happiness."

"Furthermore, it is to build a nice Coffin for oneself to keep at home. It is a pity that Chi's body was not found; otherwise, how could he, being so big, only have a few clothes buried in such a good Coffin?"

What Baifeng said made Wu nod repeatedly: "It is so, it is so; this way of dying sounds too good."

Baifeng did not pick up on his words. Although the old man looked at death very openly, Baifeng did not want to mention it much. Why do Emperors always call themselves 'the lonely one' or 'the widowed one'? Perhaps it is because they have no friends. Although Baifeng did not know the specific reason, in his view, it should be just like that.

Baifeng's self-reference had always been "I"; he had not even used "Zhen" (the imperial 'we'). Mainly because Huaxia's territory was still too small, he might not yet be able to suppress the title of "Zhen".

As for being a lonely person, for the current Baifeng, it did not yet exist. He still had some friends who were worth trusting and worth entrusting things to. If one day they all died before him, perhaps he would then truly have to call himself "the lonely one" or "the widowed one".

Baifeng did not like this title. Yulong also had some friends, but the one he could talk to the most was his younger brother Changle. Miaoyin was still a bit young, and communicating with the two of them was like having a generation gap.

Baifeng truly hoped that his descendants would always have some good friends to confide in, so as to avoid turning themselves into mental patients under immense pressure.

"Alright, alright, hurry up and choose one. I have also prepared your surname; after you choose which Nobility title you want, you can then choose a surname."

Wu's finger moved back and forth between the two names, clearly unable to make a decision. Finally, he closed his eyes and steeled his heart, pointed with his finger at random, and only then slowly opened his eyes to look.

Baifeng said with a smile: "Congratulations, future Changping Marquis."

Wu was inevitably excited. Even though he had not yet truly been granted Nobility, Baifeng's current promise was enough to satisfy him. With this trip out, even if he really died on the road, his heart would be at peace.

After all, he might be the first person in Huaxia to be granted Nobility while alive, and even if he really died, he would know what title his descendants would inherit.

"Does Xiong have one? He must have one too, right? Can you let me see what title you prepared for him?"

Baifeng said with a hint of speechlessness: "He does indeed have one, but I won't show it to you. Next time when you return to be granted Nobility, I will grant his at the same time."

Wu was a little moody: "That doesn't seem very fair."