Chapter 127: Great Morning Assembly, Receiving Rewards and Titles

"Take it slow on the road; I will be waiting at home for your return." Zhao Yu finished tidying Chen Mo's clothes, smoothing out the wrinkles on them.

"Alright." Chen Mo answered with a smile and stepped out of the courtyard gate.

Arriving at the front of the mansion gate along the way, Chen Mo did not have to wait long before he saw Mo Hu running over in a hurry.

"I say, Fifth Brother, you could at least let someone tidy your clothes. It's a bit inappropriate to go to the morning assembly like this, isn't it?"

Seeing his appearance, Chen Mo could not help but shake his head slightly.

The clothes on Mo Hu were actually clean enough, as there were dedicated maidservants to wash them, but he had dressed in a rush, and combined with the fact that he was likely quite careless when folding them, there were quite a few wrinkles.

"Don't mention it. I shouldn't have drunk so much alcohol last night. I still feel terrible now; if someone hadn't called me, I might not have even been able to wake up."

Mo Hu sighed softly, his eyes also looking somewhat unusually dazed.

With his strength, it was naturally impossible for him to recover so quickly after drinking too much, so he was still somewhat unclear-headed even now.

Not only was he a young Post-Heaven Martial Artist, but he had also performed great meritorious service; if nothing went wrong, he would surely reach the pinnacle of officialdom in the future.

At this moment, there were already over a thousand officials of various ranks gathered here. Not only had all the officials in the Capital City arrived, but important officials from several Guard Cities had also rushed to the Capital City early to wait for this Great Morning Assembly.

He could only smile and echo this, then praise Mo Hu and Xu Dabao and the others; as for Chen Mo, he was directly skipped over.

Because of the Great Morning Assembly, the curfew time today was extended by one hour to allow more officials to travel safely and conveniently.

Many Feathered Forest Guards and Palace Attendants within the Palace City had also been arranged early on to lead these officials one by one into the Palace City according to their ranks.

After waiting for another moment, Sun Shouren arrived with Xu Dabao and the others; they also held official positions.

The group gathered together and, under the lead of Sun Shouren, walked all the way toward the Inner City.

As for those high-ranking officials of the second and third rank in the Inner City, along with many nobles with titles, they only walked out of their homes slowly at this time.

Walking at the very front were officials dressed in black robes; Great Gan favored black, and even the current Emperor's Imperial Robe was black.

It seems this bell ringing ensures that it will always be a sunny day during the morning assembly, with no overcast or rainy weather, and certainly no thunder rumbling.

Lu Chuan knew that Sun Shouren was just saying polite things so that his own adopted sons would not appear too embarrassed.

The two chatted all the way, walking slowly toward the Inner City, while Chen Mo and the others followed closely behind.

Regardless of rank, even if one were a ninth-rank official, one had to go to this Great Morning Assembly.

A bell toll that resounded through the clouds and shook the sky rang out, spreading throughout the inside and outside of the entire Palace City.

"I say, Old Sun! Your eye for talent is truly sharp! To be able to take in such a good adopted son!"

The Emperor wouldn't look at everyone, either; he would at most only pay attention to the key figures, so he just needed to hide a bit further back.

The more Lu Chuan looked at Chen Mo, the more pleasing he found him, and the more he looked at his own few adopted sons, the more he felt they were inadequate.

Ma Jianxin, whom he had seen that day, was also among them; he was Lu Chuan's own nephew.

Chen Mo could clearly notice that as this bell rang, the clouds in the sky were dispersed in an instant.

Lu Chuan cast his gaze toward Chen Mo, his tone unable to hide his envy.

Sun Shouren was also very happy to see him; it seemed the two were indeed old friends of many years.

"Haha, that's because of my discerning eye; I saw his extraordinariness at a glance!" Sun Shouren said with his hands on his hips, laughing very happily.

The many officials shut their mouths in unison upon hearing the sound, not saying another word.

"Alright, Old Lu, your few adopted sons are not bad either." After Sun Shouren finished laughing, he praised his old friend's adopted sons in turn.

The many officials entered the city one after another, and soon it was the turn of Chen Mo and the others.

Fortunately, it wouldn't affect the morning assembly; in any case, all the civil and military officials would go when the time came.

You say we are all human, so why is the gap between people so large?

Chen Mo and the others were all Martial Officials, so their pace was naturally much faster; however, they arrived near the Inner City in just over a quarter of an hour.

"Clang!"

It could be seen that he was indeed quite proud to have an adopted son like Chen Mo.

The Inner City gate opened wide, and many officials filed in; most of their ranks were not high, basically all below the fourth rank.

Chen Mo did not need him to waste his breath praising him; as long as one wasn't blind, one could see his extraordinary qualities.

Plus, with at least an hour or two left before officially entering the hall, he should be completely sober by then.

Seeing him in this state, Lu Chuan could do nothing about it; Chen Mo was Sun Shouren's adopted son, and he couldn't snatch him away.

In front of the Main Hall was a wide white marble plaza, and the plaza was carved with sculptures of various forms; dragons, phoenixes, kirins, and many other auspicious beasts were all in different shapes.

"Old Sun!" Lu Chuan walked over with a group of officials, laughing, his tone and manner quite enthusiastic.

Lu Chuan also had many Martial Officials under his command, who all greeted Chen Mo with smiles.

Sun Shouren and Chen Mo and the others did not need to separate; they were external officials entering the Capital, and before the Imperial Court arranged specific duties, they were to stay together.

He was also a Martial Official of the Imperial Court and had taken in many adopted sons, but all of his adopted sons combined could not compare to Chen Mo alone.

The Main Hall for the morning assembly was built to be towering and grand, standing there quietly like a majestic mountain, looking extremely imposing from afar.

The group traveled together and soon arrived outside the Palace City.

And as officials, only those of the third rank and above were qualified to wear the black Kirin Beast Robe.

Passing through the courtyard, the hundred officials arrived at the Wu Gate, where there were morning chambers prepared in advance for the various officials to rest, tidy their appearance, and prepare for the morning assembly.

It was just that there were too many people attending this Great Morning Assembly, and the vast majority of officials were not qualified to enter the morning chambers to rest, so they had to wait outside.

Time passed second by second, and soon it reached the Hour of the Dragon (7:00 AM - 9:00 AM).

The bell that had resounded earlier rang again, striking nine times in succession.

A voice full of vigor and extremely loud shouted, "Hundred officials, enter the court and ascend the hall!"

This person who made the sound should also have Martial Dao cultivation, most likely at the Tongmai Perfection level, and had practiced special martial techniques that allowed them to use Inner Qi to vibrate and amplify their voice.

The Main Hall gates opened, and the civil and military officials stepped forward toward the Main Hall.

The stone steps of the Main Hall were not carved from white marble, but from a material like Ink Jade, yet they were very sturdy.

There were a total of one hundred and thirty-nine stone steps in front of the Main Hall, representing the one hundred and thirty-nine prefectures of Great Gan.

Every stone step is carved with various reliefs; the mountains, rivers, geography, and cultural landscapes of the one hundred and thirty-nine prefectures are all engraved upon them.

These stone steps are, of course, not for daily use; only when the Son of Heaven ascends the throne or returns from offering sacrifices to Heaven is one qualified to walk upon them.

Civil and military officials attending court can only walk on the normal stone steps on the left and right sides.

Walking all the way into the Main Hall, a vast and majestic aura permeates the entire hall, involuntarily making one feel awe.

The Main Hall is too large, so large that it is even somewhat empty; the floor is paved with dark black Ink Jade, scrubbed extremely clean, nearly able to reflect a person's silhouette.

Dozens of white jade pillars over thirty zhang high stand tall and upright; every pillar is carved with dragons and phoenixes, and beneath the pillars are over a thousand fully armed Yulin Guard, each one exuding a fierce aura.

Chen Mo can tell that everything prepared here is to ensure that the Son of Heaven, as the one in the seat of honor, has a sense of looking down from a high position, making the officials below instinctively feel humble and desire to submit.

However, these things at most have an effect on Tongmai Realm martial artists; for Post-Heaven Martial Artists, the effect they can exert is not very great.

For martial artists of this realm, their Martial Dao strength is their greatest source of confidence.

Moreover, being able to cultivate to the Postnatal Realm, their mental fortitude is naturally far beyond that of ordinary people, making it difficult to be influenced by external objects.

In addition, those coming to participate in the morning assembly for the first time inevitably feel nervous and constrained under such a scene.

For instance, Mo Hu and the others are clearly shocked by this scene and are now somewhat nervous and constrained.

Sun Shouren, however, does not have much of a reaction to this; he has participated in many morning assemblies and is already well-versed in this.

One will feel shocked seeing such a scene for the first time, but after seeing it often, one becomes accustomed to it.

The great hall is very large; with over a thousand civil and military officials, plus numerous Yulin Guard gathered here, it does not feel the least bit crowded.

The civil and military officials stand in order; the current Prime Minister Zhou Wen takes the lead in bowing to the Son of Heaven sitting on the Dragon Throne, saying, "Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!"

In Great Gan, when officials pay respects to the Son of Heaven, there are no overly complicated rituals or words; one only needs to bow to perform the ceremony.

Even this is a ritual system changed by the Grand Ancestor of the current dynasty; if it were according to the rules of the previous dynasty, Great Li.

When the Son of Heaven was visited by officials of the third rank or above, he still had to return the salute.

The Grand Ancestor of the current dynasty founded the nation through martial arts and originally did not want to rule the world together with the noble families, which is why he changed this ritual, wanting to further strengthen imperial power.

However, in the end, only this ritual was changed; in other aspects, almost everything remained as it was.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!" The civil and military officials immediately bowed along with the Prime Minister to pay their respects.

"All my beloved subjects, rise." Zhao Huaili wears a smile, looking to be in a very good mood.

The Great Morning Assembly naturally cannot discuss any matters; it is only to announce some matters that have already been decided.

The matters that truly need to be discussed were already deliberated upon by the Son of Heaven and many high-ranking officials during the previous small morning assembly.

Chen Mo stands in the hall, quietly listening to all of this; the matters announced now are nothing more than executing some officials and replacing others.

The only reason for the executed officials is that they colluded with Demonic Path rebels and intended to revolt.

Any official proven to have participated in this matter faces at minimum the execution of their three clans.

There are also some who, although not involved in this matter, were incompetent in their duties or were suspected by the Son of Heaven.

These officials are also replaced one by one; some are transferred to prefectures outside the Capital City, some are promoted in name but demoted in reality, and more are truly dismissed or demoted for incompetence.

These matters are announced one after another, and one Imperial Edict after another is issued.

"Is the head of the Xingyuan Prefecture Salt Transport Commission, Chen Mo, present?" the Palace Attendant in charge of reading the Imperial Edict calls out loudly.

"Your subject is here!" Chen Mo responds in a deep voice and walks out from the ranks of officials.

"Come forward and speak." Anle Emperor Zhao Huaili says with a smile; his voice is not loud, yet it can accurately reach everyone's ears.

For a moment, many officials who were unaware of the situation look at Chen Mo with curiosity and slightly surprised gazes.

They can naturally tell that Chen Mo is merely a small Seventh Rank Official; they truly do not understand what kind of merit this person could have achieved for His Majesty to specifically point him out during the Great Morning Assembly.

Although a small number of officials are in the know, it is the Great Morning Assembly, so no one dares to whisper.

Otherwise, if they are recorded by the Palace Censor later, it would not be pleasant to be charged with the crime of improper conduct before the throne.

Chen Mo's expression is calm and fearless; he steps forward to the very front of the civil and military officials, standing level with those second and third-rank officials.

"Your subject pays respects to Your Majesty!" Once his footsteps settle, he bows with cupped hands to perform the ceremony.

"Beloved subject, rise." Zhao Huaili lifts his hand, and a wave of Inner Qi helps Chen Mo up.

From this, it can be seen that this Son of Heaven should also be a Post-Heaven Realm expert, and his strength is not poor.

Zhao Huaili wears a dark black Imperial Robe, sitting in the main seat of the Main Hall.

From the Main Hall to the Dragon Throne, there are a total of sixteen steps; the scenes of the sixteen prefectures of Great Gan are all carved here, and the Son of Heaven sitting here signifies ruling over the land.

The Dragon Throne and the entire great hall seem to be carved as one; faintly, one can perceive a vast aura circulating, which is enough to show its extraordinary nature.

Zhao Huaili glances at the Palace Attendant serving beside him, who immediately picks up the drafted Imperial Edict and begins to read.

"By the grace of Heaven, the Emperor decrees!

Chen Mo, head of the Xingyuan Prefecture Salt Transport Commission, was fearless in the face of danger and rendered meritorious service in protecting the life of the First Prince from the hands of Demonic Path thieves.

Now, he is granted the title of County Baron of Qingmu County, a salary of eight hundred units of grain, the status of a Recommended Scholar, one hundred Blood Essence Stones, one hundred Blood Pills, a pair of Blood Spirit Deer, a pair of Autumn Dragon Ginseng, a residence in the Inner City, and one thousand mu of fertile land."

The Palace Attendant reading the Imperial Edict lists many rewards in one breath, from the noble title to the Recommended Scholar status, to various cultivation resources, plus a residence in the Inner City and fertile land outside the city.

It can be said that even if Chen Mo does nothing in the future, these things alone are enough to establish a family business in the Capital City.

For Chen Mo, the most important thing is that with these resources, even if he cannot immediately trigger the next Mortal Transformation, it is likely not far off.

"Your subject thanks Your Majesty!" Chen Mo bows again and receives the Imperial Edict with both hands.

(End of chapter)