Chapter 135: Setting Out on a Diplomatic Mission

Chen Mo reached out to accept the Imperial Edict and slowly stepped back.

Most of the civil and martial officials were astonished; they truly could not understand why His Majesty would want to use Chen Mo, a Martial Official, as an envoy to travel to Beili.

However, many officials had already known about this matter beforehand, so they were not surprised now.

After the conferring of rewards upon the many newly-minted Scholars, there were no more major matters in the morning court session; the few officials who submitted memorials only discussed minor issues.

"Brother Chen, how come the Imperial Court has granted you a civil post, and is sending you to travel to Beili?"

Once the morning court session dispersed, Li Chenyu hurriedly approached Chen Mo's side and asked in confusion.

"This matter concerns the grand strategy of the Imperial Court; it is better if you do not ask too much."

Chen Mo smiled and shook his head, not explaining it to him.

Li Chenyu was lost in thought and did not dare to ask further.

Walking all the way back to his own home, the Palace Attendants from the palace had already successively delivered the official robes, ceremonial regalia, and seals of a Third Rank Official, along with the same Imperial Edict.

"By the grace of Heaven and the mandate of the Emperor, it is decreed: We have heard that the wife of Qingmu County Baron Chen Mo, Zhao Yu, is virtuous, wise, and refined.

We now bestow upon her the title of Third Rank Title-Bearing Lady; may the two of you, husband and wife, remain of one heart forever and enjoy a hundred years of harmony!"

The Palace Attendant who had come to read the Imperial Edict spoke in a loud, clear voice.

Zhao Yu was stunned at first, then her gaze could not help but reveal astonishment; she turned her head to look at Chen Mo, with tears faintly shimmering in her eyes.

She knew that this Title of Nobility must have been requested by Chen Mo for her.

For a moment, the feeling of being moved and the joy in her heart were beyond words; she just stared blankly at Chen Mo.

"Why don't you hurry and accept the Imperial Edict?" He gently nudged Zhao Yu, and only then did she react, taking three steps in two to walk forward, bowing down as she said, "This commoner woman thanks His Majesty!"

Chen Mo then skillfully took silver from his Huai to reward the Palace Attendant who had come to deliver the edict.

"Husband!" Zhao Yu accepted the Imperial Edict, turned back, and hugged Chen Mo tightly, unwilling to let go for even a moment.

"Are you happy? From now on, you are also a lady of the Imperial Court." Chen Mo smiled lightly and reached out to embrace her as well.

"Mm." Zhao Yu responded, and tears slid down her beautiful cheeks.

"Thank you." She said softly and gently, thanking him very earnestly.

She knew that this Title of Nobility of hers had not come easily; as a grace-bestowed honor, it was certainly not something that could be obtained lightly. Chen Mo must have gone to great lengths to request it for her.

"We are husband and wife, one in body and heart; why speak such outsider words? This is what you once told me; how could you have forgotten it today?"

Chen Mo smiled and skillfully pulled a handkerchief from Zhao Yu's Huai to wipe away her tears.

"Mm." Zhao Yu responded and nodded again.

"However, I must also tell you one thing: in a while, I will have to travel to Beili as a special envoy, and this trip will likely take several months before I can return."

Chen Mo spoke softly, describing to her what he would be doing next.

"Ah! You are going to Beili? Isn't that very dangerous?" Zhao Yu's expression was slightly worried.

Her understanding of Beili was limited to the fact that there were some goods from Beili flowing into the Capital; she had seen these and knew that Beili was hostile to Great Gan, but beyond that, she knew nothing.

"When two nations are at war, they do not behead the envoy. I am going as an envoy, so how could there be any danger?" Chen Mo said with a reassuring laugh.

What he said was indeed the truth; the danger he faced this time was definitely not from Beili.

There might be people in Beili who wanted to obstruct the peace talks, but no one would want to kill him.

Unless they intended to completely tear up their relationship with Great Gan and provoke a war right now. Or if Chen Mo took the initiative to stir up trouble, forcing Beili to kill him, and thereby starting a war.

Otherwise, the people of Beili would never take the initiative to strike at him; even if Chen Mo were to die within the borders of Beili, it would lead to the two nations going to war again.

If there were no interference from the Demonic Path or experts from the Alien Races, this mission could definitely not be called dangerous.

"That's good, but since you are going so far this time, you must still be careful on the road."

Zhao Yu still urged him with a cautious expression; she did not know much about Beili, but she knew that going on a long journey was not a secure matter.

"Rest assured, I am going with the Imperial Court's mission." Chen Mo said with a laugh to put her at ease, and he took her hand as they walked into the study.

Zhao Yu ground the ink and spread the paper for him, and Chen Mo splashed ink and wielded his brush to write a letter.

Having achieved the fame of a top scholar and received an official post from the Imperial Court, these matters should of course be told to his foster father.

After finishing the letter, the next day, Chen Mo headed straight for the Ministry of Rites.

Traveling to Beili was a task that the Ministry of Rites needed to handle, and he, as the special envoy, naturally had to participate in it.

The specific details of the peace talks were the responsibility of the officials of the Ministry of Rites, but there were many things that he would have to step forward to handle when the time came.

Furthermore, he had to go and understand the situation to see what chance of success this peace talk had.

Over the next dozen days or so, Chen Mo was either practicing the Six Harmonies Halberd Technique or learning about the situation in Beili at the Ministry of Rites.

Unlike the Grand Ancestor of Great Gan who founded the nation through martial power, the reason Beili was able to be established was mainly due to the contributions of many great noble families.

Therefore, in the Beili imperial court, noble families occupied a large portion of the weight, and the power of the Son of Heaven was far less centralized than in Great Gan.

Thus, this peace talk actually had a fifty percent chance of success.

The Beili imperial family also did not want to continue the war with Great Gan; once the war continued, they would have to rely even more on the great noble families.

If there was a chance to negotiate peace, the imperial family, in alliance with many small and medium-sized noble families, still wanted to negotiate.

As long as they could successfully negotiate peace, the great noble families alone would not be able to easily start a war again.

The Beili imperial family also had the ability to improve their own internal situation.

Great Gan indeed had many problems, but Beili was no better off.

It was never a matter of comparing which nation was better, but rather which one was not as rotten as the other.

Both sides were like two decaying giants, both waiting for the other to be the first to collapse, so that they could devour the other's flesh and blood to prolong their own lives.

In the blink of an eye, another half-month passed, and the time came to the eighth day of the sixth month. Today was the auspicious day selected by the Directorate of Astronomy, and the mission team was to set off at the hour of the snake.

Chen Mo had made preparations early on; he wore his Third Rank Official robes, while his weapons and armor were all placed in his Storage Bag beforehand.

Zhao Yu had also prepared quite a bit of dry rations for him, which were now also placed inside the Storage Bag.

As the Storage Bag was an independent space, it naturally also had the concept of the passage of time within it.

Things stored within it will, of course, decay as time passes.

It is just that because it is isolated from the inside and outside, it is not subject to any contamination, so the storage time is relatively longer.

"Benefactor, this is the Nourishing Spirit Liquid I have condensed during this time."

Wei Xia held out seven or eight porcelain bottles, handing them to Chen Mo with a serious expression.

After discussions between Chen Mo and Zhao Yu, a row of side rooms in their small courtyard was set aside for Wei Xia to live in; this row of rooms was transformed by her into her own Ghost Domain, where she could move about in physical form.

Anyone who walks inside is considered to have fallen into the Ghost Domain she occupies.

Ordinary maids and servants are naturally not allowed to enter these side rooms, but Zhao Yu often brings various foods and fruits inside to keep Wei Xia company and relieve her boredom.

Chen Mo also occasionally goes in to chat with her, and even wrote two letters to He Luoyun, asking him about the situation of Wei Xia's family.

"I will be gone for several months before I can return; everything in the Inner City is safe, just don't run around," Chen Mo instructed carefully.

A Ghost Spirit is indeed precious, but it depends on whose hands it is in; in his own hands, naturally, no one would dare to covet it at will.

"This young woman understands," Wei Xia nodded obediently, then bowed to Chen Mo, "I wish Benefactor a safe journey."

Chen Mo smiled at her and turned to leave; Zhao Yu followed by his side the whole time, her eyes full of reluctance, yet she did not say a word.

Beili is not like other places; it is too far away, and she cannot stop worrying, fearing that Chen Mo might go and never return.

"Rest assured, there won't be any problems with my diplomatic mission this time; just wait for me at home safely and I will be back."

"When the time comes, I will go see the capital of the Beili Kingdom, and if there are any novel things, I will buy some and bring them back for you."

Chen Mo pulled her into his embrace and comforted her softly.

Zhao Yu held him tightly, but in the end, she slowly let go.

"You must be careful, I will wait for you at home," she stood before the door and urged.

"Alright, I will definitely return to eat the meal you make for me; at that time, I still want to eat sweet and sour fish," Chen Mo revealed a smile and took her hand to make a promise with her.

"Alright," Zhao Yu had a serious look on her face and nodded firmly in agreement.

Chen Mo waved his hand at her, signaling for her to return to the house, while he strode toward the outside of the Inner City.

Zhao Yu stood at the door watching until Chen Mo's figure completely disappeared.

She was worried, but she believed that Chen Mo would definitely be able to return; such scenes had happened many times before, and neither she nor Chen Mo had ever broken their word.

Outside the Inner City, the diplomatic mission had already organized their carriages and horses, waiting only for the auspicious time to set off.

The specifications for this diplomatic mission were extremely high, and the carriages and horses used were all imperial mounts, all for the sake of reaching the Beili capital faster.

These imperial mounts were naturally extraordinary, though they could not travel eight hundred miles by day and a thousand by night.

They could still carry a weight of a thousand catties and gallop five hundred miles in a single day.

Most importantly, after resting for a night and being fed some high-quality forage and the imperial family's specially made Imperial Horse Feed Pill, these horses could continue to gallop.

This was the most important thing.

The distance between the Great Qian Capital and the Beili capital was a full fifteen thousand miles; if one were to ride ordinary horses, it would take until the end of time.

For this trip to negotiate peace, in addition to the state credentials, six full carriages of state gifts were prepared, the value of which was quite considerable, enough to make even an Innate Expert tempted.

"Chief Envoy Chen," a sturdy man with several knife scars on his face and a fierce aura, who was a Ministry of Rites Attendant, was resting in a carriage; seeing Chen Mo walk over, he hurriedly saluted.

"Senior, please rise; I will have to trouble you to run back and forth with me on this journey."

Chen Mo reached out to help him up; the person before him was, of course, not a Ministry of Rites Attendant, but was only temporarily granted the position of Ministry of Rites Attendant to facilitate this diplomatic mission.

The diplomatic mission consisted of more than forty people; besides Chen Mo, there were two other Post-Heaven Martial Artists protecting the mission.

Furthermore, there were Innate Experts guarding in the shadows; if any Demonic Path or Alien Races Innate Experts appeared, these experts would take action.

"I cannot accept the title of Senior General; just call me Old Qian," Qian Jiu grinned, his demeanor very respectful.

He did not put on the airs of a senior just because of Chen Mo's address.

"Chief Envoy, besides me, there are ten Tongmai Realm brothers acting as guards this time; everyone has arrived now."

Zhao Wen walked to the front of Chen Mo and bowed to salute.

He was also of Post-Heaven cultivation and led ten other Yulin Guard members as guards for the mission.

"Everyone rest for now and wait for the auspicious time," Chen Mo waved his hand, having no intention of saying any more nonsense.

In the blink of an eye, the auspicious time approached, and the Son of Heaven personally led the civil and military officials to see the diplomatic mission off as they left the Capital.

The streets had long been under martial law, and countless Imperial Court guards had cleared a wide road leading straight to the city gate.

"The auspicious time has arrived!" A loud shout rang out, and the prepared chime bells were played; this was the ritual music for sending off envoys to enemy countries, somewhat like going on an expedition, but relatively more peaceful.

Chen Mo rode his horse at the very front of the mission, and the others followed.

Riding all the way to the main gate of the Capital City, he finally stopped and dismounted.

"My subject, go on this trip and seek only to preserve yourself," Zhao Huaili instructed in a low voice.

He knew this matter was dangerous, so he said nothing else at this time, only asking Chen Mo to try his best to preserve himself.

"This humble subject will certainly not fail the mission!" Chen Mo bowed, and the members of the mission, seeing this, also bowed one after another.

After bidding farewell to the Son of Heaven, the mission finally officially set off on their diplomatic mission to Beili!

Correction: The previous chapter has been revised; the protagonist's current official rank is Third Rank Official Xuanwu General, and he has been temporarily granted the position of Ministry of Rites Attendant for the convenience of the diplomatic mission.

(End of chapter)