Although Prince Huai has been using the pretense of supporting the king, eliminating treacherous ministers, and purging evil influences from the court since the beginning of his uprising, it is clear to discerning individuals that Prince Huai's ambition is definitely not to help Emperor Xuanhe restore royal authority or assist the emperor in consolidating the court; what Prince Huai covets is unquestionably the emperor's throne.

Therefore, restoring order and stability to the nation and returning it to unity is definitely something an emperor must do.

Thus, the Celestial Master Army, Chen Mo, Xu Guozhong, and other ambitious individuals are all stumbling blocks on Prince Huai's path forward.

And the greatest stumbling blocks are Xu Guozhong's "Pseudo Court Army," the Celestial Master Army, and Chen Mo's Five Guards.

Moreover, Xu Guozhong is relatively far from Prince Huai's territory, and they are not the most immediate threats to each other.

However, Chen Mo controls the lands of the Three States, with abundant troops and vast territories, being adjacent to Prince Huai, posing a great threat. After the Celestial Master Army is eradicated, Chen Mo becomes Prince Huai's direct target.

Xia Zhiqing, being immensely connected to Chen Mo, is naturally worried.

Chen Mo understands this reasoning as well. He holds Xia Zhiqing in his arms, letting her face him directly. The long sword returns to its sheath, and she lets out a gentle hum, her skin turning much tenderer.

"How could I not know, but the Celestial Master Army is doomed, and their eradication is inevitable. Moreover, if I intervene to assist, it would violate the treaty, which is unacceptable for moral reasons. Furthermore, Qingzhou has already been restored to order and stability, and the arrival of the Celestial Master Army in Qingzhou would undoubtedly trigger chaos. When that happens, who would take the lead..." Chen Mo said.

With their cheeks so close together, Chen Mo's words breathed lightly onto Xia Zhiqing's face, causing her to shiver slightly all over: "Even so, once the banner of the Celestial Master Army falls, Prince Huai's next target is likely you, Mo Lang.

Prince Huai is supported by the noble families of the world, with abundant talents and troops, whereas you, Mo Lang…"

As Chen Mo's woman, Xia Zhiqing shouldn't discourage him, but compared to Prince Huai, Chen Mo truly lacks advantage.

"Zhiqing is implying I don't have allies, or perhaps the current allies aren't strong enough." Chen Mo wraps his arms around her waist, letting Xia Zhiqing lean against him, his hand resting on the warm stone.

Xia Zhiqing purses her lips and nods: "Prince Huai can abstain from production, with noble families continuously supporting him, but you, Mo Lang, cannot. Additionally, even if Prince Huai fails multiple times, he can make a comeback, but you, Mo Lang, may not be able to rise again after a single failure. A person's strength is too insignificant, Mo Lang, you should find allies."

"I've been searching, yet I've been rejected many times. Today, with Zhi Ning and Xiaolu here, I might as well tell you all — the reason my position of first wife remains vacant is to draw in noble families, but..." As he spoke, Chen Mo unexpectedly began feeling somewhat inferior.

The three women pursed their lips and exchanged curious glances.

"Perhaps... uh..." Xia Zhiqing was about to speak when she trembled, hugging Chen Mo tightly, her eyes slightly narrowing until she adapted to the rhythm and finally opened her eyes: "Mo Lang, could it be your method of finding allies is wrong?"

Chen Mo lifts the round moon, hearing this, slowly descending, "What insights does Zhiqing have?"

"Recently, I've been reading Zhi Ning's military books, and there's a saying about 'distant alliances and nearby attacks' which I find quite reasonable,"

Chen Mo listens closely.

"At first, the Xiliang Army entered the Celestial River, but due to selfish motives, they were surrounded by Prince Huai's allied forces, eventually suffering heavy casualties and retreating to Xiliang. After this battle, I believe the Qiang Race of Xiliang must have loathed Prince Huai, and since Xiliang is far from us and there are no conflicting interests, if we ally with Xiliang, the Qiang Race would certainly agree." Xia Zhiqing explained slowly.

Currently, the Qiang Race holds the greatest power in Xiliang.

Upon hearing this, Chen Mo's eyes sparkled, Xia Zhiqing's words opened a new path for him.

He had previously kept a narrow focus, always wanting to "curry favor" with the Seven Great Noble Families, even if they despise him, he continued to pander.

Now he finds, not all Seven Great Noble Families are suited for him.

Xiliang is indeed good, especially because it has troops.

Seeing Chen Mo remaining silent, Xia Zhiqing continued: "If Mo Lang finds the Xiliang Army's actions in Celestial River reproachable, then Captain Yang of the Shu Residence, King Anping Chu Ji, are individuals you might want to align with. These forces once separated from Prince Huai's Loyalist Army, there's clearly discord between them."

"King Anping might not be suitable, as he is the brother of the former emperor, and after the former emperor ascended the throne, the first act of reducing vassals fell upon King Anping. Moreover, King Anping's fiefdom is squeezed between King Chong and Prince Huai's territories, no matter how King Anping resents Prince Huai, he wouldn't dare ally with us."

Seeing Chen Mo speaking only with her elder sister and not taking her sightseeing, Zhi Ning couldn't help but interject.

"Zhi Ning makes sense, then only the Shu Residence and Xiliang are suitable. If a successful alliance is formed, Xiliang could restrain King Chong, while Shu Residence could restrain Prince Huai." Xia Zhiqing said.

"Xiliang, Shu Residence..." Chen Mo muttered these words a few times, engraving them in his heart, intending to study them with Geng Songfu upon returning to Ping Court.

"Alright, that's enough talking or Zhi Ning and Xiaolu will grow impatient."

Chen Mo and Xia Zhiqing lingered long enough, noticing Zhi Ning's and Yi Shiyin's watching gazes, he quickly scooped them up...

Xia Zhiqing was caught off guard, nearly fainting, but unlike her younger sister, she wasn't concerned about herself but worried for Chen Mo, cautioning him not to strain himself and urging Chen Mo to take it slowly.

But what Chen Mo hears is.

"Slowly? Can't slow down at all."

Witnessed by Zhi Ning and Xiaolu, the two failed to ascend to immortality but reached the Celestial Court, their souls getting uplifted.

Xia Zhiqing clung to Chen Mo's neck, her reaction like a cold wind hitting, almost rolling her eyes, but with no time to catch her breath, there's a queue behind, biting her lip, she rises, pulling the brocade over.

Xia Zhiqing knows how to care for others, as soon as she covers herself with the blanket, she wipes the sweat from Chen Mo's forehead with a handkerchief.

Chen Mo looks at Zhi Ning.

Zhi Ning immediately understood, her face flushing, biting her lip, she said, "Having just bullied my sister, don't touch me."

"Husband." Yi Shiyin ignored Xia Zhining and leaped directly into Chen Mo's arms.

Xia Zhining, defeated by her haughty nature, was left behind in the end.

The convoy did not stop, but the wheel marks left on the road were noticeably deeper than before.

...

December 10th.

Chen Mo arrived at Pingting County. As scouts had come ahead to report, by the time Chen Mo reached the outskirts of Pingting County, Geng Songfu, Zhao Daoxian, Wu Mountain, Zhang River, and others had been waiting outside the city gate for quite a while.

Light snow was falling from the sky. Geng Songfu's head was dyed silver, yet Chen Mo did not sense any trace of aging on him. Instead, since Geng Songfu took over the affairs of Pingting County, he seemed more spirited and vibrant.

Chen Mo alighted from the carriage alone. The Xia sisters and Yi Shiyin were Chen Mo's inner family, and as concubines, it was naturally not suitable for them to be seen publicly.

"Subordinate pays respects to the Marquis."

As Chen Mo got off the carriage, Geng Songfu and the others cupped their hands and bowed.

Sun Meng came forward, draped a cloak over Chen Mo, and then handed him a brocade box.

"Mr. Geng, please rise."

Chen Mo stepped forward to support Geng Songfu and handed him the brocade box. Inside was a piece of Blood Ginseng. Geng Songfu had assisted him greatly, managing the rear affairs. A piece of Blood Ginseng was a fitting gift: "A small token of my appreciation for you."

Then he removed the cloak he was wearing and draped it over Geng Songfu: "In such cold weather, you could have waited in the government office. It must have been a long wait?"

Geng Songfu felt somewhat flattered but also sensed Chen Mo's regard, reminding himself to diligently support Chen Mo. As for the brocade box gift from Chen Mo, he truly believed it was a small token, and opening it in front of others might be impolite, so he tucked it away, saying: "It's what I should do."

He couldn't help but sigh as he spoke: "When the Marquis first set out to campaign against Yu State, I expected countless difficulties. Who would have thought the Marquis not only overcame those hurdles but also swiftly took Linzhou, and was enfeoffed as the Marquis of Pingting County."

To be enfeoffed as a marquis and appointed as a minister is the dream of many officials.

"It's cold outside, let's go inside and talk." Chen Mo clasped Geng Songfu's hand and walked towards the city, embodying the demeanor of a wise ruler and loyal minister.

Sun Meng and others followed behind.

Inside the carriage, Xia Zhining slightly lifted the curtain and watched their backs, whispering, "Sister, why do I feel like this rascal is becoming more like... Father."

Xia Zhiqing leaned forward to take a look: "Mo Lang... indeed, he's become much more mature and steady, exuding the aura of one who holds a higher position."

On the way to the government office, Chen Mo also chatted casually with Zhang He, as if he'd forgotten about Zhang He's previous offenses in Yu State: "I heard your wife gave birth to a big healthy boy. What's his name?"

The wife Chen Mo referred to was a girl from the Wang Family that Zhang He married.

"The Prefect Geng named him Zhang Ke." Zhang He felt immensely moved that Chen Mo was chatting with him casually, feeling that his past deeds hadn't marked him irredeemably in Chen Mo's eyes.

Ke means 'vehicle.'

Ordinary people could not afford to sit in a vehicle, nor did they have the right to.

Only officials were entitled to such privilege.

Geng Songfu gave him this name with hopes that Zhang Ke would achieve great things when he grew up.

"Zhang Ke, a good name." Chen Mo smiled, "What will be his nickname?"

"It hasn't been decided yet. Could I trouble the Marquis to give him one?" Zhang He asked tentatively.

Chen Mo smiled and glanced at Zhang He.

Zhang He embarrassedly scratched his head.

Chen Mo patted Zhang He's shoulder and said: "Ke and Yu both mean 'vehicle,' let's call him... Ziyu then."

Geng Songfu raised an eyebrow; this nickname was quite 'lofty.'

Zi is derived from the five noble ranks: Gong, Hou, Bo, Zi, Nan.

From the nickname given, Geng Songfu could perceive that Chen Mo had high expectations for Zhang Ke, and indirectly, it showed Chen Mo's lingering regard for Zhang He.

Zhang He couldn't grasp the intricacies within; he just kept agreeing happily.

Outside the government office, everyone chatted about family matters and recent events, but once inside, they turned to serious matters, and their expressions grew solemn.

Meanwhile, the Xia sisters and Yi Shiyin moved into the Yi Family Courtyard.

Having relocated from Pingting County, continuing to live in the back courtyard of the government office would be inappropriate.

If you find any errors ( broken links, non-standard content, etc.. ), Please let us know < report chapter > so we can fix it as soon as possible.